SolveItForKids Science podcast

How do you slow down a spacecraft that is speeding along at 25,000mph? Bounce it off the atmosphere. But at 325mph that's still too fast. So, you add parachutes, eleven of them to be exact. The amount of specific timing and engineering to pull this slowdown off is a bit mindboggling. Take a listen to Julie Wolfson, Senior Staff Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin and the Orion's Risk Manager, who explains just exactly how it's done. This episode is a must listen for all space enthusiasts!

Sharks are known for their big toothy "grins". But what do we really know about shark teeth? Dr. Lisa Whitenack, associate professor at Allegheny College and a shark expert, is here to chat with us about a few of the very interesting shark teeth she has discovered and what type of research her lab is doing to discover just how these teeth work. You won't want to miss this very exciting episode!

Have you ever wondered how those massive space rockets at NASA get to the launch pad? They take a ride on the crawler-transporter vehicle. We have Dan Zapata, Crawler Systems Engineer at Jacobs, who works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, with these amazing transporters. He's going to explain just how these amazing vehicles work!

Animals are so smart, but some of the most intelligent might be orangutans. Take a liste to Dr. Laurel Neme, wildllife expert, author, and National Geographic contributor, as she describes just how smart these amazing creatures are. You may be really surprised by what they can do and you'll definitely keep an eye on them the next time you're at the zoo.

Have you ever wanted to build your own droid? Then this is an episode you won't want to miss! Dr. Topher Hunter is a scientist by day, but in his free time, he is practically a professional hobbyist in robotics and droid building. Yes, that's right, he builds his own DROIDS! Dr. Topher talks about his own droids, but then gives us tips on how everyone can take up their own droid-building hobby.

Manatees, marine mammals, known as sea cows are such majestic creatures. Scientists are working to learn more about them, and they need your help. Beth Heidemann, a Presidential Award math and science kindergarten teacher and cofounder of Go2 Science, has developed a cool way for kids to get involved in learning more about manatees, as well as other science topics. Don't miss this exciting and fun-filled episode of Solve It for Kids!

If you've seen the big giant wind turbines across the country, you might wonder, just how exactly do we get energy from the wind? It's a pretty fascinating answer! Listen to this awesome interview with Neil Milani, mechanical engineer, who worked in wind energy for 15 years. He gives us insight to this amazing renewable resource!

When you send a spacecraft into space, engineers need to ensure that the humans onboard will get to their destination and back in a timely manner, but also in a way that keeps them safe on the entire trip. How do they do that? Take a listen to this fascinating chat with Vera Demchenko, a Systems Test and Verifications Engineer for Lockheed Martin's Orion Program. She gives us great insight into how this is done.

Have you ever wondered You won't want to miss the exciting chat with Dr. Mireya Mayor, Director of Exploration and Science Communication for FIU, and a National Geographic Explorer. Dr. Mayor loves primates, has been all over the world researching them, and even discovered a new lemur species! She is an award-winning TV host of Expedition Bigfoot and is most widely known as "Her Wildness". You will definitely enjoy hearing from this energetic and amazing scientist.

One of the biggest questions facing anyone who wants to be in space is-- how do humans live there? It's not easy. There are so many things in the microgravity environment that are difficult to overcome. Listen to this FUN and fascinating chat with Dr. Mike Harrison, Chief Medical Officer of Axiom Space and Mayo Clinic aerospace medicine specialist, as he explains what doctors have learned about helping humans to live safely in space.