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Is there anybody out there?

Nasa is once again attempting to answer this question, or more accurately, to determine whether there was anybody out there as they search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars.

Over half-term, on Thursday February 18^th 2021, I watched expectantly as for the first time Nasa live streamed their attempt to land a rover on Mars. I tuned in just as the seven minutes of terror began, so called as the decent to the surface of Mars is fraught with difficulty and has been the ruin of many previous missions.

This latest rover, Perseverance, is aptly named and in once again returning to Mars, Nasa exemplify the growth mindset I am so fond of. They too do not believe in failure, as in every set-back they see a way to take their next step forward. I was delighted when it successfully touched down, a triumph for autonomous technology some two hundred million kilometres from Earth.

As we have occasionally struggled with bandwidth and getting video from one side of Lincolnshire to the other, Nasa have succeeded in beaming back crystal-clear imagery from the far reaches of our solar system.  Employing new technology, Perseverance used detailed mappings from previous missions and onboard cameras to analyse the terrain below and to select an optimal landing site within the target area. On this occasion Nasa have chosen to land in a crater, close to what used to be large body of water. Their aim is to drill into the surface, collect soil samples, and in time return these to Earth for further analysis.

One of the first pictures from the Perseverance

If you missed the landing, you could watch it for yourselves via the link below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56158928

If a little part of you has always wanted to be an astronaut, then like my classes this week, you could try to land a rocket on Mars…

Nasa have created some great resources to coincide with the Perseverance mission, and this week I have used one in my Headmaster’s lessons:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/land-a-spacecraft-on-target/

With some simple items, I have challenged the pupils to set up a zip wire, launch their rocket, and at the right moment release their lander towards the target. Have a go. Fail. Try again. Send me a picture of your set-up, or a video of your bullseye landing.

“Adventure is out there”…

Richard Murray

Headmaster

Book at Bedtime

A couple of weeks ago, one of my sisters sent a message to our group chat, “What was the word that the tortoise had to remember in the African folk tale?” There was a race to reply, “Ewungalema.”

No, it wasn’t a secret code; this was from a short story of treasured tales that that been our bedtime story book. We then reminisced about the books we had read as children and the joy of having stories read to us at bedtime.

As my Mother read, I roamed the Swiss Alps with Heidi; solved mysteries with the Famous Five; found treasure in Middle Earth with a hobbit and developed a love of chocolate with Charlie and his golden ticket.

There is a wealth of research that supports the value of reading to children from a young age and throughout their childhood as it improves vocabulary and literacy skills. People with good literacy skills are less likely to be unemployed, are likely to be healthier and have good relationships with others, but it goes much deeper than this.

The stories we listen to as children shape our view of the world, both in expanding our horizons, appreciating other cultures and helping to deal with relationships and real-life situations. Research has shown that our brains process the information in a similar way if we are read a story or are experiencing the situation in real life.

It has also been shown that reading and hearing stories makes us nicer, kinder people as we find it easier to understand people and empathise with them. Stories help to improve creativity and imagination as well as developing listening and concentration skills.

These benefits are amplified when parents talk about the stories and ask questions. This can help to improve language as well as understand plot and motivation of characters.

Personally, I think these reasons are all of secondary importance compared to what I found most valuable as a child and again as a parent, reading to my own children. The few minutes at the end of each day where we spent time together, created a special bond and a shared experience.

Time spent together in lockdown has reminded us of the value of family and simple pleasures; reading together, baking, playing in the garden and making crafts. They have given us the opportunity to remember exactly what is important – the glue that keeps our families together.

Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…

Heather Boardman

Head of Prep Department