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NASA’s space science program is yielding a wealth of knowledge. In the summer of 1977, NASA launched two Voyager probes. They are now on their endless journey into space. On their way, the probes will explore the planets. The probes will pass Jupiter, Saturn and maybe Uranus. The crafts will then whirl through space. They may travel for millions of years.

The Voyager program is a big help of NASA. It gives NASA a close look at the planets. From the Voyager’s flight, new facts can be gathered. The questions of the beginning and workings of the solar system may now soon be answered.

Studying the planets is only one part of a carefully planned space science program. NASA is also studying Earth, its moon and its atmosphere. Studying our sun and the starts of our galaxy are other goals of the program. In life research, we hope to gain knowledge of the effect that space has on living things. The well-known tools of this great project are the deep-space probes and the satellites. Less well known is the use of rockets, special aircraft and even balloons. Such things like radio telescopes are also used in the study.

The purpose behind this probing and searching is the same as that of all research – to help mankind. In space science, the benefits may not be seen right away. Still, they are valuable to the future of us all.

Today’s scientists may not be able to find a use for some of the knowledge gained in the space science program. Still, what we learn today may be useful tomorrow. As we learn more and more about our world, pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together. Scientists of tomorrow may find uses for this knowledge that will benefit future generations.

All of the goals of NASA’s space science program share a common end. They all want to learn more about Earth. Only be exploring other bodies in the skies can we answer some of the questions we have about Earth. The things we have learned about other planets have helped us to know our own planet better. It is important to understand the forces that control Earth. With that understanding we may be able to manage those forces. This control would help mankind. It will help improve our lives. It will give our children a better world in which to live.

What do metric measures mean to you? They should means a lot. In 1972 Congress talked about changing from the English system of measure to the metric. Some countries have already made the switch. As the use of metric measures increases, you will see a change in your nearby food store. You will see metric units used for weight, volume and length.

Right now, the number of different units you meet in a day’s shopping is puzzling. Weights are shown is ounces and pounds. Liquids are measured in gallons, quarts, pints and fluid ounces. Dry measures are shown in bushels, pecks, dry quarts and pints. However, all of that will be made easier under the metric system. With metric units, weight will be shown only in grams or kilograms. Volume will be shown only in liters or kiloliters. Length will be measured in meters, centimeters or millimeters only. Clearly, metric is much less confusing and will be much easier to use when shopping than the English system.

Some of the most common measurements made in the home are those that take place in cooking and baking. The practice that will be most often followed in metric recipes should not differ from our current practice. Metric “cup and spoon” measures are only slightly larger than the cup and spoon measures we are used to. They can be interchanged. It is only those few ingredients that are now measured by weight (pounds and ounces) that will change a lot in the metric system. To change a recipe to metric, just remember that a pound is about 450 grams and an ounce is about 28 grams.

Sales people in hardware, paint and fabric stores will feel the change to metric. A customer may want to buy lumber or paint or wallpaper. He may give the clerk his measurements in English units. The clerk in turn will have to change the units to metric. At least figuring in metric is not at all difficult. Again, it is easier to use then the English system.

The change over to metric is coming. It should not scare you. It is an easy and simple system to use. For most people, the knowledge of metric units that they learn as customers will help them. Slowly they will get used to using the new system. Who knows, maybe some day the English system will be completely forgotten.

Most homeowners know that termites can hurt the wood in their homes. Over the years, these insects have caused great damage over much of the United States. If termites are found in the home, there is no cause for panic. They can be controlled.

Underground termites live in large groups called colonies. The workers and soldiers spend their entire lives underground or completely buried in wood. Thus, they are rarely seen. Termites need high humidity in order to live. They keep their nests humid by using moisture from the soil. But, sometimes there is enough moisture in the wood itself. Because underground termites do not like dry air, they remain buried. So, the damage they cause goes unnoticed.

Winged termites inside a house are almost a sure sign of trouble. They are easy to spot. They have yellow-brown to black bodies. Their two pairs of wings are of equal size. Winged ants have two pairs of unequal sized wings. Also, termites have thick waistlines; ants have hourglass figures.

Once they nest, the termites shed their wings. Wings are often found be neath doors or windows. Because the winged termites are drawn to light, their wings may be found around light fixtures. If you find wings inside the house, you can guess that termites have moved in.

Damage to wood cannot be seen unless the outside of the wood is stripped away. When it is, many paths are found in the wood. Workers may usually be seen when a piece of damaged wood is studied. Both the workers and soldiers are wingless and grayish white in color. The workers feed on the wood while the soldiers guard the colony. The two forms look alike, but the soldiers have larger heads and jaws.

The only sure way to stop termite attacks or to get rid of them is to cut off their source of moisture. Without moisture, a colony will die. Keep in mind that termites can attack dry wood. They can do this by bringing in their own moisture from the soil.

In some places termites are common. Homeowners can make sure they are safe from attack by calling a pest control company. This kind of company first checks the house. It then does whatever is needed to kill the termites. The cost of this treatment depends on the amount of work to be done. But it is better to be safe than sorry.

There are more than 100 million cars in the United States. A typical car gets less than 15 miles from each gallon of gas. It travels about 10,000 miles each year. In that time, it uses about 650 gallons of gas. In all, autos use up some 70 billion gallons of gas a year. That comes out to be four and a half million barrels a day.

The importance of saving gas, then, cannot be stressed too much. Let’s say, for instance, that the fuel used by each car could be cut back just 15 percent. This could be done by making fewer trips each day. It could be done by keeping autos in better shape. It could be done through better driving habits. If it were done, our nation’s use of fuel would fall by nearly two-thirds of a million barrels per day.

We can all help to save gas. One way is to ride the buses, or to walk to work. We could ride mopeds or bicycles. Another way is to share a ride. We could join carpools. About one-third of all private cars are used for going to and from work.

Go shopping with a neighbor from time to time. If two people use a car instead of one, everyone saves. Driving stress would be less, too, with fewer cars on the road. The savings on gas around the nation would come to more than one-half million barrels a day.

Another way to save is by cutting out useless trips. Can you find one driving trip per week that could be handled by telephone? Can you combine trips? If each car took one less 10 mile trip a week, we could save three-and-a-half billion gallons of gas a year. This comes to nearly 5 percent of the total passenger car demand for gas.

The way people drive decides how much fuel they save. Careful drivers may get 20 percent more miles per gallon than normal drivers. They could get 50 percent more miles per gallon than normal drivers. They could get 50 percent more miles per gallon than wasteful drivers. Careful drivers obey the 55 mile per hour speed limit. They get to their desired speed quickly and keep a steady pace.

If just one gallon of gas were saved each week for each auto in the country, we could all save about five-and-a-half billion gallons a year.

The Kennedy Space Center is busy once again. The Florida spaceport had been quiet for about three years. Before then it had been the launch site for the moon flights and manned missions. Now it is getting ready for a new chapter of space history.

The new age of space flight will start with the first flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle. The shuttle has a system that can be reused. This will greatly reduce costs. The shuttle will also make it easier for man to reach outer space. It will give NASA a new tool to help man explore space.

The new shuttle will be rocket-launched like all spacecraft. But there is now a difference. Its two boosters can be recovered and reused. Also, the manned part of the shuttle acts like a piloted craft in space. It will return to earth, Landing like an airplane.

We can see that space travel will no longer need highly trained astronauts. Along with its crew of three, the shuttle will hold up to four scientists. All of them can work without having to wear any spacial spacesuits. They can test and study the heavens from space. They will be able to send back to earth reports about weather and other conditions the can be seen from the craft. Remember, they will have a bird’s eye view of earth.

The shuttle will allow the in space repair of other spacecraft. It will also be able to bring space craft back to earth for work that cannot be done in space.

Some space jobs were once impossible or too expensive. But now with the help of the shuttle they can be done. The shuttle opens the door to some new ideas. Space cities can now be built. The building blocks for such cities will be delivered by the shuttle. Many power space stations will be built, too. These stations will be able to turn the sun’s energy into electricity that can be used back on Earth.

Economy is the key to the shuttle. Since it can be reused, costly one shot launchings can be a thing of the past. Satellites already in space can be kept there longer. Their lifespans will be longer because they can now be easily repaired. The shuttle will not need the expensive sea recovery that was used during past space flights. The savings to the space program could well be over a billion dollars a year!

Escaping a fire is a serious matter. Knowing what to do before a fire breaks out can save a life. For example, people should know the safety measures to take before opening a gall door during a fire. Also, make sure everyone knows how to unlock doors that may be in the escape path. At times, a key is needed to unlock a door from the inside. So, keep the key in the lock. Or, you can put the key on a key-ring and put it where it can be found easily.

If you live in an apartment, know that ways you can use to get out. Show everyone in the family these ways. Stress the importance of using stairways or fire escapes, not elevators.

From most homes and the lower floor of apartment buildings, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way of leaving by a window with thee least chance of serious injury.

In a home fire, windows are often the only way to escape. The second floor window sill is usually not more than 13 feet from the ground. An average person, hanging by the fingertips, will have a drop of about six feet to the ground. Often, a second floor window opens onto a porch roof or balcony. From there, it is possible to drop to the ground or await rescue.

Windows are also useful when you’re waiting for help. Often you’ll be able to stay in the room for several minutes if you keep the door closed and the window open. Keep your head low in the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room.

On a second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof or balcony. From the roof or balcony, a person can either drop to the ground or await rescue. Dropping onto cement walks or pavement might end in injury. Bushes, soft earth and grass can help to break a fall. A rope ladder should be considered when the drop is too great.

In a town where the fire department acts quickly, it may be best to wait for rescue. Close the doors and wait by an open window for help. Shout for help. Be sure to close the door before opening a window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room by the draft.

The environment is everything about you. It can be living, like a forest. It can be non-living, like a rock mountain. An environment can be natural or manmade.

There are many kinds of environments. There are cities, small towns and farms. There are oceans, lakes, deserts and forests. Each of these has its own mixture of living things and non-living things. Even man-made environments, such as cities, have both living and non-living things. An environment may have such living things as birds, fish and plants. It has such non-living things as air, soil and water.

Many animals and plants are found in only one kind of environment. Man, however, can be found in almost all environments. He can even visit places where he needs special things to live, such as the moon.

No living thing can live alone. Every living thing depends upon other things in its environment. When something changes, it has an effect on something else. If a non-living thing like water becomes hard to find, plants will be affected. If plants die out, the animals who eat plants will be affected.

Weather, such as temperature, wind and rain, can change an environment. People can change an environment, too. Some things that people do cause no change or only a small change in the environment. For instance, people can walk through the woods and just look. People can cut down only a few trees from a large area and still not change the environment very much.

On the other hand, some things that people do cause a lot of change. They can change a while environment by cutting down a forest.

Not all changes are bad. If we cut down a forest to build houses, plant crops or make paper, this may not be bad. But what if we cut down all trees in all forests to do these things? What if we didn’t save some and replace others? What effect would this have on other living and non-living things in our environment?

It is clear that people have the power to change an environment. What they do has an affect on all the living and non-living things there. This is why it is important to think about the change before we make them. When people make wise choices, the environment stays healthy. Let’s all work together to keep it clean and healthy.

Minerals are needed for a healthy body. They are needed to help our bodies grow. The most plentiful mineral in the body is calcium. Yet, it may not be found in many diets. Studies show that a lack of calcium may be found in all age groups. For instance, from the age of nine, the diets of girls and women may not have enough calcium. their diets may lack as much as 25 to 30 percent of the calcium they need.

Almost all calcium is in bones and teeth. The rest is found in the tissue and body fluids. Calcium is needed for blood to clot. It is also needed for the heart to work properly. The nervous system does not work well when calcium levels in the blood are low. Even muscles work better when the body gets enough calcium.

Most people who buy from the milk counter are stocking up on calcium supplies. In the U.S. we depend on milk as a big source of calcium. Two cups of milk, or an equal amount of cheese or other dairy products, gives us a lot of calcium. They go a long way toward giving us all the calcium needed for the day.

But milk is not the only source of calcium. Dark green leafy vegetables like collards, mustard greens or turnip greens have some calcium. Salmon and sardines give use useful amounts of it if the very tiny bones are eaten.

Calcium is not the only important mineral in the body. Iron is important, too. Women of child-bearing age need more iron than men. The diets of infants and pregnant women may need to be watched closely to see that they have the iron they should.

Only a few foods have iron in large amounts. Liver, heart, kidney and lean meats have a good deal of it. Shellfish, especially oysters, have a lot of iron. Whole grain and enriched breads and cereals are rich in iron. They give us up to one quarter of the daily iron we need. Dark green leafy vegetables are also sources of iron.

Calcium and iron are not the only minerals you need. Most of the other minerals your body needs are found in so many foods that a little variety in making your choice at the market can easily take care of them. Make a healthy, happy body your goal next time you food shop.

Modern electric irons have made ironing and pressing clothes an easy job. But there are a few things you should know about different kinds of irons. Then you can choose the iron that best suits your needs.

The dry iron is simple. It is cheap. Its only working parts are a heating element, a thermostat and a temperature setting. It is mainly used on heavy, dampened cloth. On the other hand, steam and steam spray irons are used for many different jobs.

The steam spray iron has a nozzle that sprays water to help remove wrinkles. With the steam on, it can touch up permanent press clothes. It can raise the nap on velvets and corduroys. And it can block knits or press wools. With the steam off, it can be used as dry irons.

The dry iron and the steam and steam spray irons are rather bulky. However, the travel iron is small and light. It has a handle that folds. It can be easily packed into a suitcase. Some travel irons also have steam or steam spray features.

After you decide upon the type of iron you want, there are other things you should check. The controls on an iron should be well marked and easy to work. Grasp the handle of the iron you like. Hold it in the ironing position. If you must shift your grasp to see or use the controls, the iron will be difficult to use. Try another brand or style.

The heel rest, which may be the broad back of the handle or a handle with crosspieces, should be strong. The iron should not tip easily when in the rest, or upright, position. As a test, place the iron upright. Next, push gently against the top. If the iron falls easily then you might want to choose another.

One more thing to look at is the electrical cord on the iron. Check to make sure that the cord is well placed. The cord should be placed so you can iron with either hand on either side of the ironing board. Some irons have cords that can be moved from one side of the handle to the other. On other irons the cords cannot be moved. You must decide which is best for you. Choose your iron with care, and you will be well satisfied with your choice.

Almost all foods give us energy. Some give us more energy than others. Energy is measured in calories. Foods rich in fats, starches or sugars have a lot of calories. Fat is a big source of energy.

At times you eat foods that have more energy, or calories, than you need. The extra energy is then stored in the body as fat. If you eat too much, you become overweight. When you eat fewer calories than the body uses, you lose weight.

The body can pick and choose what it needs from the nutrients in the diet. Your body sees to it that each organ gets exactly the right amount of nutrients it needs. However, if the diet lacks some of the needed nutrients, the body has no way of getting them.

Your body keeps busy. It works twenty-four hours a day. It is always building itself up, repairing itself, and getting rid of waste products. It needs a constant supply of nutrients to do its job. When it receives the nutrients, it sends them where they are needed.

Let’s take calcium as an example. The body needs calcium. Calcium helps to clot blood. It also helps build bones. Calcium helps make the nerves and muscles work well. If your body does not get enough calcium from the food you eat, it steals some from your bones. If the stolen calcium is not replaced, the body is in trouble. You may not realize this fact for some years. As much as one-third of the normal amount of calcium may be taken from an adult’s bones before the loss shows up on an X-ray film.

Nutrients working with other nutrients make the difference in our health and well-being. No single nutrient can work properly alone. For example, it takes calcium to build strong bones, but that is only the beginning. Without vitamin D, the calcium cannot be taken into the body. The use of protein is another example. Protein forms part of every cell and all the fluids that travel in and around the cells. However, it takes vitamin C to help make the fluids between the cells. Without vitamin C, the protein could not do its job.

The foods you eat keep you healthy for today, but they also build your body for a lifetime. They keep you well today, tomorrow and always.