Curiosity

After the most daring and complex landing of a robot on another planet, the search for evidence of life on Mars enters a new era.

Nasa's Curiosity rover is now sitting inside Gale Crater, a vast depression close to the Martian equator.

Also known as the Mars Science Laboratory, the one tonne machine is the most sophisticated science robot ever placed on another world.

• (A) Curiosity will trundle around its landing site looking for interesting rock features to study. Its top speed is about 4cm/s
• (B) This mission has 17 cameras. They will identify particular targets, and a laser will zap those rocks to probe their chemistry
• (C) If the signal is significant, Curiosity will swing over instruments on its arm for close-up investigation. These include a microscope
• (D) Samples drilled from rock, or scooped from the soil, can be delivered to two hi-tech analysis labs inside the rover body
• (E) The results are sent to Earth through antennas on the rover deck. Return commands tell the rover where it should drive next

Over the coming years Curiosity will climb a mountain at the crater's heart, gathering evidence on one of science's greatest questions – was there ever life on Mars?

The $2.5 billion project will discover whether Mars once had conditions suitable for the evolution and survival of life.

BBC Space specialist Jonathan Amos talks to mission scientists about where Curiosity is going and what it will do as it trundles up Mars' Mount Sharp.

Use the following link to listen to the programme.

Fair Trade

What's fair trade? On the 12th May the World Fairtrade Day is celebrated. Watch the following video of the campaign.

Do you have any fair trade product at home? which one?

Make an advertisement campaign for one of these products (remember to include a logo, a slogan and a description of the product).

One of the tools to improve poor countries situation is microfinace. To learn more about it watch the following videos.

  

Education is the key

Education is the key to solve most of the world's problems and two teenagers from Glasgow have created a campaign to make the world leaders aware of this reality and spread the message about the importance of the millenium goals. With this campaign they have won the Steve Sinnott Award for Young Campaigner.

Read the following article by The Guardian and have a look at their campaign.

Eilidh Naismith and Billy Davidson, from Glasgow, are the Send My Friend to School Young Ambassadors for 2012.

They will be helping to get UK kids involved in the campaign, reminding world leaders of their goal of getting all children in school by 2015.

Eilidh and Billy, both aged 15, travelled to Malawi in February 2012 to meet children in and out of school, and find out for themselves about what stops young people getting an education.

They'll be helping to spread the word, speaking in Parliament and at conferences, and encouraging schools and youth groups to take part in Send My Friend to School’s ‘Go for Gold!’ activities this year.

With 67 million children still missing out on school world leaders need to Go for Gold! to meet their target of getting all children an education by 2015. Young Ambassadors, Yas and Nav, introduce Send My Friend to School's Olympic-inspired theme for this year, and show what they learned on their visit to Guatemala last year.

Of these 67 million children more than half are girls. Watch the film to find out what you can do to help and join the campaign to give every child the chance to get an education.