Thursday, 13 October, 2022
Asteroid mission a success; introducing Ruby the Roo; The Wiggles v The Beanies; and Fat Bear winner is crowned.
LINKS
Meet Ruby the Roo – our new tourism ambassador
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwAsb5Q_LlU
Fat Bear Week: Before + After Photos
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week-2022.htm
The Beanies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBJRGVUDR5E
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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When astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon back in 1969 – he uttered the famous words: “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
And yesterday those words were ringing again in the world’s ears after it was announced the experiment to bump an asteroid in outer space off course had in fact succeeded.
Remember last week we talked about how, during the school holidays, the American space agency NASA sent an unmanned spacecraft on a collision course with an asteroid to see if it could alter its trajectory.
We talked about how, similar to when you crash two Hot Wheels cars into one another, both cars get sent in a different direction. It’s all to do with the science of physics and kinetic energy.
The experiment was conducted as part of what NASA calls its planetary defence system. Which is a fancy way of saying: if ever we detected a big ol’ asteroid on a collision course with Earth – we’d want to be able to send a spacecraft up to meet it before it enters our atmosphere – and bump it off course and back into outer space.
Yesterday we learned that the asteroid into which a spacecraft was crashed the other week has in fact been bumped off course. It’s important to note that the asteroid wasn’t on a collision course with Earth – and there currently aren’t any asteroids heading towards us that we need to worry about.
But in the event there is one in the future: now we know what to do to make sure it doesn’t impact us. This experiment is a huge achievement for the scientists and astronomers who conducted it – as it’s the first time the human race has altered the trajectory of what’s called a ‘celestial body’ – which is a fancy term for a planet or moon or asteroid or any naturally occurring object that flies around in space.
Scientists 1 – Asteroids nil. Winning!
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever we land … and today we’ve landed in Japan – where Australia’s newest tourism ambassador, Ruby the Roo has been unveiled.
What’s a tourism ambassador? Every year or so we create a new advertising campaign to attract overseas visitors to Australia. And every year, that campaign – be it TV and online video ads, or print or social media ads – features a different well-known Australian. One of the most recent was Thor actor, Chris Hemsworth.
Yesterday morning, Ruby the Roo was introduced to the world as the secret weapon in convincing overseas tourists to visit our shores.
She’s a CGI animated kangaroo … she’s dead cute … and she’s already been introduced to the people of Tokyo, London and Shanghai in China – all important tourism markets for Australia.
I’ve stuck a link to video of Ruby in today’s episode notes so you can get to know her a little bit yourselves.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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In the news story we’ve been waiting for all week … the results came in yesterday on the winner of Alaska’s world famous Fat Bear Week … and the bear called 747 has gone back to back!
Weighing in at an estimated 635 kgs – and packing a whole lot of recently-gained weight after a summer spent stuffing his face with salmon – the big brown bear was yesterday declared the winner after polling some 68,000 votes in an online poll.
It’s the second year in a row that 747 has won the prestigious title. And this year – he beat Bear 901 who polled just over 56,000 votes from around the world.
But not before a last minute drama – with reports the organisers had to double check the votes received after a hacker got into the system and placed a whole lot of illegal votes for 901. See? Not even the Fat Bear Contest is immune to vote rigging ..
747 looked pretty chill about his victory yesterday – at least as far as I could tell from watching the Live Cam trained on the big fella in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.
I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes to a cool page of the Katmai National Park’s web page – where you can see the before and after pics of each of this year’s Fat Bear contestants.
Excuse me now while I go and grill a nice piece of salmon in 747’s honour ..
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Earlier this week in Animal Kingdom – we talked about the biggest showdown in the animal world as a pod of orcas took down a great white shark .. epic.
Now, the showbiz world is about to have it’s biggest showdown as The Wiggles and The Beanies face off fort the title of favourite children’s group in the upcoming ARIA awards. The ARIAs are Australia’s premier music industry awards – celebrating all the super excellent musicians and singers and songwriters and creatives who make the music we all love to listen to.
The Kid Laroi is also nominated for a bunch of ARIA awards, for the ceremony that takes place at the end of November – and the title of favourite international act will be fought out by Billie Eilish, Drake, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Tay Tay and Harry Styles … that’s quite a list.
Oh – and if you don’t know who the Beanies are – I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes. But a warning: it’s one of those kids songs that once you hear, it will get stuck in your head for days.. You have been warned.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What’s the name of the animated kangaroo revealed yesterday as our new tourism ambassador?
- What did NASA successfully bump off course in outer space by smashing a spaceship into it?
- Which bear won this year’s Fat Bear Week competition?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s October 13 … today is the International Day for Failure … which might sound odd … but anyone who ever achieved anything great knows that the we learn our best lessons in life from our failures .. so here’s to failing every now and then …
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today ..
Gerard from Wagga Wagga, Ashleigh and Bailey from Bronte, Sam from Brisbane, Claire from Carlton, Aina (pronounced Eye-na) from Meadow Springs, Ollie from Bendigo, Riley from Bathurst, Francesca from Geraldton and Chloe listening over in Kampala, Uganda.
Belated birthday shout outs go to …Lachie from City Beach, Lil from Lakewood and Yasmin from St Peters.
Today’s classroom shout outs go to… class 5R and Mrs Ryan at Engadine West Public School, year 6 and Miss Davies at St Joseph’s Primary School in Wagga Wagga, class 5/6 at Boorowa Central School, class 3C and Miss Condie at Epping West Public School and lastly to class 2R with Mrs Rifley at Pacific Lutheran College on the Sunshine Coast.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Ruby the Roo
- Asteroid
- 747