Mindy has to go to bed when the Sun goes down, but she's having such a fun day with her friends. She asks Jet and the others to help her keep the Sun from going down. The older kids humor Mindy and try to help "slow down the Sun." All their efforts make Mindy so sleepy that she decides to go home and sleep. Sydney and Jet are having a hard time explaining to Mindy that the Sun doesn't move - the Earth is moving around the Sun, so the Sun seems to move. Then Sean comes over dressed as his science hero Galileo, getting ready to do a school report. Mindy asks "Galileo" to explain why the Sun seems to move, and Sean practices for his report by explaining how the planets move, in character as Galileo!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Mindy has to go to bed when the Sun goes down, but she's having such a fun day with her friends. She asks Jet and the others to help her keep the Sun from going down. The older kids humor Mindy and try to help "slow down the Sun." All their efforts make Mindy so sleepy that she decides to go home and sleep. Sydney and Jet are having a hard time explaining to Mindy that the Sun doesn't move - the Earth is moving around the Sun, so the Sun seems to move. Then Sean comes over dressed as his science hero Galileo, getting ready to do a school report. Mindy asks "Galileo" to explain why the Sun seems to move, and Sean practices for his report by explaining how the planets move, in character as Galileo!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Mindy has to go to bed when the Sun goes down, but she's having such a fun day with her friends. She asks Jet and the others to help her keep the Sun from going down. The older kids humor Mindy and try to help "slow down the Sun." All their efforts make Mindy so sleepy that she decides to go home and sleep. Sydney and Jet are having a hard time explaining to Mindy that the Sun doesn't move - the Earth is moving around the Sun, so the Sun seems to move. Then Sean comes over dressed as his science hero Galileo, getting ready to do a school report. Mindy asks "Galileo" to explain why the Sun seems to move, and Sean practices for his report by explaining how the planets move, in character as Galileo!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids get information from Dr. Rafferty and then travel to outer space to confirm the amazing fact that there is no sound in outer space... even though Jet is convinced he's heard sounds all over the solar system. / After Mindy laments the fact that she's still only 4 and still can't go to space with the other kids, Sydney, Jet, Sean, and Sunspot plan a full makeshift, cobbled together "Day in Space" right there in Jet's yard. Mindy's day ends on a nearby hilltop where they all watch a real, amazing, actual space event - the Leonid Meteor Showers shooting across the sky!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
It's evening at the cul-de-sac, and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean's telescope - one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell's dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn't like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others, like a white card is easier to see than Cody's black sweater. This amount of brightness is called "albedo." The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There's way more sand, and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the larger and smaller beach is caused by the tides - the rising and falling of the ocean.
It's evening at the cul-de-sac, and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean's telescope - one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell's dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn't like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others, like a white card is easier to see than Cody's black sweater. This amount of brightness is called "albedo." The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There's way more sand, and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the larger and smaller beach is caused by the tides - the rising and falling of the ocean.
Sydney shows Jet and Sean a cool experiment - dropping different items from the same height to see which reaches the ground first. That reminds Sean of a video he watched of an astronaut on the Moon dropping a hammer and a feather from the same height. They reach the ground at the same time. And the reason is atmosphere - or lack of it - on the Moon. Jet laughs - really? Wait, what's atmosphere? Well, the kids know the best way to find out - into the wagon/saucer! Our kids and Celery fly to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere to learn what it does... and then go to the Moon. Is the atmosphere around the Moon the same as the Earth's? And what happens when our kids do the hammer-feather drop on the lunar surface? / Sydney brings Jet and Sean to the DSA to visit her mom, DR. AMY SKELLEY, and check out her work. Dr. Skelley is a robotics engineer who makes outer space robotic and gadget dreams a reality.
Sean is planning his first sleepout under the stars with his Space Scouts troop, but the weather is threatening, and it looks like his sleepout will be rained out. The kids get help from Mitchell , building a weather observation station to make a weather prediction, and visit the DSA for further help by tracking the weather with satellites. A total eclipse of the Sun is coming to Boxwood Terrace! The kids prepare a Total Eclipse song and dance to perform at the DSA, where the whole town is gathered for the event. Meanwhile, Sunspot attempts to explain the eclipse to all the local animals so they won't think it's night and sleep through it.
Sean is planning his first sleepout under the stars with his Space Scouts troop, but the weather is threatening, and it looks like his sleepout will be rained out. The kids get help from Mitchell , building a weather observation station to make a weather prediction, and visit the DSA for further help by tracking the weather with satellites. A total eclipse of the Sun is coming to Boxwood Terrace! The kids prepare a Total Eclipse song and dance to perform at the DSA, where the whole town is gathered for the event. Meanwhile, Sunspot attempts to explain the eclipse to all the local animals so they won't think it's night and sleep through it.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
Sydney, Sean, and Mindy help Jet experience his first Halloween. They come up with a list of classic Halloween to-dos, including carving Jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and collecting candy. Celery takes the kids on a quick trip to space to see what causes a lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, Mitchell Petersen is on the case to figure out what exactly is going on with that strange Propulsion family... / Sydney, Sean, and Mindy take Jet trick-or-treating, and along the way, they learn about the Red Moon effect from some of the neighborhood scientists. Carrot and Celery turn their garage into a haunted house, which is an unexpected hit with the neighborhood. Jet and Sunspot even make Mindy's Halloween wish come true by flying across the Red Moon as a witch and her cat on a broom.
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
The kids are attempting to grow prize-winning pumpkins in the back yard. Jet gets carried away and uses his Bortronian Grow-Lamp to grow a huge pumpkin. Now they just have to get his enormous pumpkin downtown to win the contest!
Celery has souped-up the family saucer, adding new features for the kids to use, including a robot arm. They test drive it with a trip to the Moon. / Jet takes care of Mitchell's dog Cody for the weekend, and attempts to teach him some new tricks.
"Diggin' Earth" - The kids try to dig into the Center of the Earth (a la Commander Cressida), but after finding out that the center is much too hot and the layer of Earth leading up to it is solid rock, they re-vamp their plans. They decide to become the kids to dig down the deepest into the Earth. Learning about the layers of the Earth inspires Jet to make an Earth Layer Cake. Curriculum: Earth's structure consists of molten nickel-iron core, magma mantle, and crust. The reason we can't easily dig down through to the core is because the Earth's crust is 10-30 miles thick! And made of really hard rock. Inside of that is the mantle. The core is nickel and iron, the heaviest stuff, which gravity pulls to the center. In fact, it gets so hot in the core that even the nickel and iron melt. "Mindy's Mystery" - Mindy can't sleep one night, having been kept awake by a sweet, strong smell from outside. Sydney, Sean, Jet, and Sunspot become detectives and try to crack the case of the sweet smell. At the same time, Mitchell is investigating what kept him up last night - a very bright "annoying" light. In the end, there's a common source - the sweet smell was from a nocturnal flower, the Moonflower, which only blooms at night, after sundown. And the bright light was from the Moon! Curriculum: Moonflowers are nocturnal bloomers. After sunset as the Moon rises, these huge white flowers bloom, emit a very sweet smell, and glow in the moonlight. In the morning, they close their fragrant blooms. Moonflowers' scent attracts the night moths that feed on their nectar. Moonlight doesn't originate on the Moon. The Moon (like the planets) shines by reflected Sunlight. The Sun, of course, only lights up 1/2 of the Moon - the half that is facing the Sun.
"Diggin' Earth" - The kids try to dig into the Center of the Earth (a la Commander Cressida), but after finding out that the center is much too hot and the layer of Earth leading up to it is solid rock, they re-vamp their plans. They decide to become the kids to dig down the deepest into the Earth. Learning about the layers of the Earth inspires Jet to make an Earth Layer Cake. Curriculum: Earth's structure consists of molten nickel-iron core, magma mantle, and crust. The reason we can't easily dig down through to the core is because the Earth's crust is 10-30 miles thick! And made of really hard rock. Inside of that is the mantle. The core is nickel and iron, the heaviest stuff, which gravity pulls to the center. In fact, it gets so hot in the core that even the nickel and iron melt. "Mindy's Mystery" - Mindy can't sleep one night, having been kept awake by a sweet, strong smell from outside. Sydney, Sean, Jet, and Sunspot become detectives and try to crack the case of the sweet smell. At the same time, Mitchell is investigating what kept him up last night - a very bright "annoying" light. In the end, there's a common source - the sweet smell was from a nocturnal flower, the Moonflower, which only blooms at night, after sundown. And the bright light was from the Moon! Curriculum: Moonflowers are nocturnal bloomers. After sunset as the Moon rises, these huge white flowers bloom, emit a very sweet smell, and glow in the moonlight. In the morning, they close their fragrant blooms. Moonflowers' scent attracts the night moths that feed on their nectar. Moonlight doesn't originate on the Moon. The Moon (like the planets) shines by reflected Sunlight. The Sun, of course, only lights up 1/2 of the Moon - the half that is facing the Sun.
When the kids experience an earthquake in Boxwood Terrace, Celery takes them up into space to study the Earth's plates and fault lines from above. / Jet's overactive cousin Zerk comes to Earth for a visit, and the kids show him around the neighborhood.
"Which Moon is Best?" - Sean wants to be the first to walk on a moon, like his hero Neil Armstrong. When Sydney points out that 12 astronauts have already walked on our Moon, Sean thinks that rather than be the 13th to walk on OUR moon, why not be the first to walk on ANOTHER moon in our solar system? Sure, but which moon? The kids decide to compare the frozen moons Europa, which orbits Jupiter, and Enceladus, which orbits Saturn. They get help from Carrot and Celery, who fly them to each one, and Sean gets to walk on them. Curriculum: The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn each have around 60 moons - each of them unique. Interestingly, each gas giant has a frozen ice moon that contains a warmer liquid ocean under the surface: Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Enceladus. Each moon has its own similarities and differences. "Detective Mindy" - When Mitchell's mother declares the kitchen counter a "black hole" because she can't find her sunglasses and she's sure she left them there, Mitchell takes up the case of the black hole kitchen counter. As he's investigating, one by one, all the other kids get involved in his process. As they learn about what a black hole really is, Mitchell discovers that science holds enough mysteries to keep him busy for many years. Curriculum: Black holes are strange little holes in space that are like vacuum cleaners that use gravity (instead of suction) to suck things in. A black hole is what remains when a massive star dies. They send out no light and have very strong gravity. Once a planet or star has been sucked into the black hole, it cannot escape, and compresses to a very small size.
"Which Moon is Best?" - Sean wants to be the first to walk on a moon, like his hero Neil Armstrong. When Sydney points out that 12 astronauts have already walked on our Moon, Sean thinks that rather than be the 13th to walk on OUR moon, why not be the first to walk on ANOTHER moon in our solar system? Sure, but which moon? The kids decide to compare the frozen moons Europa, which orbits Jupiter, and Enceladus, which orbits Saturn. They get help from Carrot and Celery, who fly them to each one, and Sean gets to walk on them. Curriculum: The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn each have around 60 moons - each of them unique. Interestingly, each gas giant has a frozen ice moon that contains a warmer liquid ocean under the surface: Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Enceladus. Each moon has its own similarities and differences. "Detective Mindy" - When Mitchell's mother declares the kitchen counter a "black hole" because she can't find her sunglasses and she's sure she left them there, Mitchell takes up the case of the black hole kitchen counter. As he's investigating, one by one, all the other kids get involved in his process. As they learn about what a black hole really is, Mitchell discovers that science holds enough mysteries to keep him busy for many years. Curriculum: Black holes are strange little holes in space that are like vacuum cleaners that use gravity (instead of suction) to suck things in. A black hole is what remains when a massive star dies. They send out no light and have very strong gravity. Once a planet or star has been sucked into the black hole, it cannot escape, and compresses to a very small size.
"Diggin' Earth" - The kids try to dig into the Center of the Earth (a la Commander Cressida), but after finding out that the center is much too hot and the layer of Earth leading up to it is solid rock, they re-vamp their plans. They decide to become the kids to dig down the deepest into the Earth. Learning about the layers of the Earth inspires Jet to make an Earth Layer Cake. Curriculum: Earth's structure consists of molten nickel-iron core, magma mantle, and crust. The reason we can't easily dig down through to the core is because the Earth's crust is 10-30 miles thick! And made of really hard rock. Inside of that is the mantle. The core is nickel and iron, the heaviest stuff, which gravity pulls to the center. In fact, it gets so hot in the core that even the nickel and iron melt. "Mindy's Mystery" - Mindy can't sleep one night, having been kept awake by a sweet, strong smell from outside. Sydney, Sean, Jet, and Sunspot become detectives and try to crack the case of the sweet smell. At the same time, Mitchell is investigating what kept him up last night - a very bright "annoying" light. In the end, there's a common source - the sweet smell was from a nocturnal flower, the Moonflower, which only blooms at night, after sundown. And the bright light was from the Moon! Curriculum: Moonflowers are nocturnal bloomers. After sunset as the Moon rises, these huge white flowers bloom, emit a very sweet smell, and glow in the moonlight. In the morning, they close their fragrant blooms. Moonflowers' scent attracts the night moths that feed on their nectar. Moonlight doesn't originate on the Moon. The Moon (like the planets) shines by reflected Sunlight. The Sun, of course, only lights up 1/2 of the Moon - the half that is facing the Sun.
"Diggin' Earth" - The kids try to dig into the Center of the Earth (a la Commander Cressida), but after finding out that the center is much too hot and the layer of Earth leading up to it is solid rock, they re-vamp their plans. They decide to become the kids to dig down the deepest into the Earth. Learning about the layers of the Earth inspires Jet to make an Earth Layer Cake. Curriculum: Earth's structure consists of molten nickel-iron core, magma mantle, and crust. The reason we can't easily dig down through to the core is because the Earth's crust is 10-30 miles thick! And made of really hard rock. Inside of that is the mantle. The core is nickel and iron, the heaviest stuff, which gravity pulls to the center. In fact, it gets so hot in the core that even the nickel and iron melt. "Mindy's Mystery" - Mindy can't sleep one night, having been kept awake by a sweet, strong smell from outside. Sydney, Sean, Jet, and Sunspot become detectives and try to crack the case of the sweet smell. At the same time, Mitchell is investigating what kept him up last night - a very bright "annoying" light. In the end, there's a common source - the sweet smell was from a nocturnal flower, the Moonflower, which only blooms at night, after sundown. And the bright light was from the Moon! Curriculum: Moonflowers are nocturnal bloomers. After sunset as the Moon rises, these huge white flowers bloom, emit a very sweet smell, and glow in the moonlight. In the morning, they close their fragrant blooms. Moonflowers' scent attracts the night moths that feed on their nectar. Moonlight doesn't originate on the Moon. The Moon (like the planets) shines by reflected Sunlight. The Sun, of course, only lights up 1/2 of the Moon - the half that is facing the Sun.
When the kids experience an earthquake in Boxwood Terrace, Celery takes them up into space to study the Earth's plates and fault lines from above. / Jet's overactive cousin Zerk comes to Earth for a visit, and the kids show him around the neighborhood.
"Which Moon is Best?" - Sean wants to be the first to walk on a moon, like his hero Neil Armstrong. When Sydney points out that 12 astronauts have already walked on our Moon, Sean thinks that rather than be the 13th to walk on OUR moon, why not be the first to walk on ANOTHER moon in our solar system? Sure, but which moon? The kids decide to compare the frozen moons Europa, which orbits Jupiter, and Enceladus, which orbits Saturn. They get help from Carrot and Celery, who fly them to each one, and Sean gets to walk on them. Curriculum: The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn each have around 60 moons - each of them unique. Interestingly, each gas giant has a frozen ice moon that contains a warmer liquid ocean under the surface: Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Enceladus. Each moon has its own similarities and differences. "Detective Mindy" - When Mitchell's mother declares the kitchen counter a "black hole" because she can't find her sunglasses and she's sure she left them there, Mitchell takes up the case of the black hole kitchen counter. As he's investigating, one by one, all the other kids get involved in his process. As they learn about what a black hole really is, Mitchell discovers that science holds enough mysteries to keep him busy for many years. Curriculum: Black holes are strange little holes in space that are like vacuum cleaners that use gravity (instead of suction) to suck things in. A black hole is what remains when a massive star dies. They send out no light and have very strong gravity. Once a planet or star has been sucked into the black hole, it cannot escape, and compresses to a very small size.
"Which Moon is Best?" - Sean wants to be the first to walk on a moon, like his hero Neil Armstrong. When Sydney points out that 12 astronauts have already walked on our Moon, Sean thinks that rather than be the 13th to walk on OUR moon, why not be the first to walk on ANOTHER moon in our solar system? Sure, but which moon? The kids decide to compare the frozen moons Europa, which orbits Jupiter, and Enceladus, which orbits Saturn. They get help from Carrot and Celery, who fly them to each one, and Sean gets to walk on them. Curriculum: The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn each have around 60 moons - each of them unique. Interestingly, each gas giant has a frozen ice moon that contains a warmer liquid ocean under the surface: Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Enceladus. Each moon has its own similarities and differences. "Detective Mindy" - When Mitchell's mother declares the kitchen counter a "black hole" because she can't find her sunglasses and she's sure she left them there, Mitchell takes up the case of the black hole kitchen counter. As he's investigating, one by one, all the other kids get involved in his process. As they learn about what a black hole really is, Mitchell discovers that science holds enough mysteries to keep him busy for many years. Curriculum: Black holes are strange little holes in space that are like vacuum cleaners that use gravity (instead of suction) to suck things in. A black hole is what remains when a massive star dies. They send out no light and have very strong gravity. Once a planet or star has been sucked into the black hole, it cannot escape, and compresses to a very small size.
The kids join Celery in a space race between them, Uncle Zucchini, and Auntie Eggplant and Zerk. The course is all the way around the Asteroid Belt. / Sydney decides that Jet's robot, Jet 2, is lonely. She decides to design and build a robot companion for him, and names it "Sydney 2."
"Tiny Blue Dot" - A rollicking, song-filled recap of the Propulsion family's mission to Earth - as intergalactic travel writers, they really know their way around the Milky Way, and know the difference between a lovely, livable "Goldilocks Planet" like Earth, and the other, way less-livable planets! Curriculum: The Earth is a very rare and wonderful planet in the vastness of space, with its ideal size, its distance from its sun, its breathable atmosphere, liquid oceans, and ability to sustain life. "Earth Camping" - Mr. Petersen and Mitchell go camping with Carrot and Jet. The two dads have opposite approaches to setting up tents and preparing food, but when the dads get off track during a hike, the boys help them all find their way back using the compass, and the skills they've learned from their dads (turns out the kids were paying attention all along!). Curriculum: We can find our place outdoors by understanding how to find direction - north, south, east, and west. The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. A compass uses the Earth's magnetic field to find which way is north (the small magnet inside the compass is drawn by the Earth's magnetism to point to the north pole).
"Tiny Blue Dot" - A rollicking, song-filled recap of the Propulsion family's mission to Earth - as intergalactic travel writers, they really know their way around the Milky Way, and know the difference between a lovely, livable "Goldilocks Planet" like Earth, and the other, way less-livable planets! Curriculum: The Earth is a very rare and wonderful planet in the vastness of space, with its ideal size, its distance from its sun, its breathable atmosphere, liquid oceans, and ability to sustain life. "Earth Camping" - Mr. Petersen and Mitchell go camping with Carrot and Jet. The two dads have opposite approaches to setting up tents and preparing food, but when the dads get off track during a hike, the boys help them all find their way back using the compass, and the skills they've learned from their dads (turns out the kids were paying attention all along!). Curriculum: We can find our place outdoors by understanding how to find direction - north, south, east, and west. The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. A compass uses the Earth's magnetic field to find which way is north (the small magnet inside the compass is drawn by the Earth's magnetism to point to the north pole).
"What's a Satellite?" - An Earth-orbiting "telecom" communications satellite breaks down, and satellite TV service in Boxwood Terrace stops working. Three people can't watch their favorite shows and consequently get very upset. Jet decides to fly up to space and see what the problem is with the satellite, and hilarity ensues. Curriculum: A satellite is an artificial object that has been intentionally placed into orbit. Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Communications satellites receive signals from Earth and bounce them back to other locations, for everything from GPS to cell phone service to TV shows. Satellites are usually semi-independent computer-controlled systems. "Satellite Selfie" - The kids learn that they can use links to different websites to see a satellite view of their house. Mindy notices that Jet's house is not in the image. That's because these images are from sometime over the past 2 years, and not live images from space. With Dr. Rafferty's help, the kids identify the next time a satellite will pass over their neighborhood, and try to gather for a "space selfie" next to Jet's house. Curriculum: Satellites are objects that humans have placed into orbit around the Earth. Many have cameras in them. Some of these satellite cameras look "up" at the outer areas of space, and some look "down" at the Earth - they can even see our houses and cars!
"What's a Satellite?" - An Earth-orbiting "telecom" communications satellite breaks down, and satellite TV service in Boxwood Terrace stops working. Three people can't watch their favorite shows and consequently get very upset. Jet decides to fly up to space and see what the problem is with the satellite, and hilarity ensues. Curriculum: A satellite is an artificial object that has been intentionally placed into orbit. Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Communications satellites receive signals from Earth and bounce them back to other locations, for everything from GPS to cell phone service to TV shows. Satellites are usually semi-independent computer-controlled systems. "Satellite Selfie" - The kids learn that they can use links to different websites to see a satellite view of their house. Mindy notices that Jet's house is not in the image. That's because these images are from sometime over the past 2 years, and not live images from space. With Dr. Rafferty's help, the kids identify the next time a satellite will pass over their neighborhood, and try to gather for a "space selfie" next to Jet's house. Curriculum: Satellites are objects that humans have placed into orbit around the Earth. Many have cameras in them. Some of these satellite cameras look "up" at the outer areas of space, and some look "down" at the Earth - they can even see our houses and cars!
Jet is fascinated by the effects of wind on his saucer. He and the kids study how wind works, ending with Sean going on a wild saucer ride. / Jet is fascinated by Earthie golf, and Sean and Sydney try to teach him the rules. When the DSA builds a new mini-golf course, the kids team up against the grownups, and Jet gets to apply his new knowledge of force.
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
Jet takes the kids on a saucer tour all around the Earth to discover all the ways that water can be found. They visit Antarctica to look at the ice, and then compare that extreme to the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. / Sydney wants to enter a Commander Cressida story contest, but can't think up a good enough story. The other kids help, and they come up with a story about lassoing a comet to bring water to Venus, and then Mars.
"Sunday Drive" Parts 1 & 2 - After the Propulsions download their new version of their saucer dashboard operating system, things are out of whack. Their test drive to Mars - usually a simple trip - is complicated by the new dashboard. They zip to Venus and Saturn instead... and then finally land on Mars, so they think. They're actually in an Earth desert, Mars-like at first (hot, red soil, lack of water), but soon they realize where they are. A desert vs. Mars comparison is made. Before heading home, the family decides that the old, dependable saucer operating system works just fine for them. Curriculum: An Earth desert and a Mars desert have some similarities, but are also very different. A comparison is made between the two, including life or lack thereof, temperature, water, and soil.
"Sunday Drive" Parts 1 & 2 - After the Propulsions download their new version of their saucer dashboard operating system, things are out of whack. Their test drive to Mars - usually a simple trip - is complicated by the new dashboard. They zip to Venus and Saturn instead... and then finally land on Mars, so they think. They're actually in an Earth desert, Mars-like at first (hot, red soil, lack of water), but soon they realize where they are. A desert vs. Mars comparison is made. Before heading home, the family decides that the old, dependable saucer operating system works just fine for them. Curriculum: An Earth desert and a Mars desert have some similarities, but are also very different. A comparison is made between the two, including life or lack thereof, temperature, water, and soil.
Mindy is impatient for winter, because she wants to ice skate. So Jet, Sean, Sydney, and Celery fly to Saturn's icy rings to gather ice from them and return to build a Saturn-ringed skating rink around Jet's house. Jet, Sydney, Sean, Mindy, and Sunspot decide to make a scaled replica of the solar system using found items in their own neighborhood and in doing so learn that an Astronomical Unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
"Beep and Boop's Game" - The kids help Dr. Rafferty and Bergs get Mars Rover BOOP over a ravine on the red planet by simulating actions in the DSA "Mars Yard" using BEEP (Boop's sister)! Trial and error leads to success. Along the way, the kids learn just how scientists communicate with far away rovers - through satellites above Mars. The kids then solve a new mystery set up by Bergs, figuring out that Beep and Boop are communicating about... a game of Mars/Mars Yard tic-tac-toe they're playing! Curriculum: A good amount of communication between Mars and Earth goes through satellites. Rovers send images, along with instrument and status data, back to Earth. Extrapolating from the data, the scientists send commands to the rover, which can take 4-24 minutes to be received due to the distance. Rovers are often on their own, carrying out commands and sending image data to overhead satellites. The rover's commanders may tell it to move toward a new rock, grind a rock, analyze a rock, take photos, or gather other data with other instruments. "Constellation Prize" - When Mindy thinks she's found her own star, the other kids explain how stars are labeled and identified by constellations. Mindy eventually learns that she hasn't found a new star, but that she CAN create her own version of a constellation by connecting patterns in the sky. Curriculum: A constellation is a group of stars that make an imaginary shape in the night sky. In different parts of the world, people have made up different shapes out of the same groups of bright stars, like a game of connect-the-dots. In the past, constellations were useful for navigating at night and for keeping track of the seasons. They are now useful for identifying parts of the sky astronomers are studying. Because all the stars are at different distances, the constellations would look totally different to inhabitants of another planet orbiting another star.
"Beep and Boop's Game" - The kids help Dr. Rafferty and Bergs get Mars Rover BOOP over a ravine on the red planet by simulating actions in the DSA "Mars Yard" using BEEP (Boop's sister)! Trial and error leads to success. Along the way, the kids learn just how scientists communicate with far away rovers - through satellites above Mars. The kids then solve a new mystery set up by Bergs, figuring out that Beep and Boop are communicating about... a game of Mars/Mars Yard tic-tac-toe they're playing! Curriculum: A good amount of communication between Mars and Earth goes through satellites. Rovers send images, along with instrument and status data, back to Earth. Extrapolating from the data, the scientists send commands to the rover, which can take 4-24 minutes to be received due to the distance. Rovers are often on their own, carrying out commands and sending image data to overhead satellites. The rover's commanders may tell it to move toward a new rock, grind a rock, analyze a rock, take photos, or gather other data with other instruments. "Constellation Prize" - When Mindy thinks she's found her own star, the other kids explain how stars are labeled and identified by constellations. Mindy eventually learns that she hasn't found a new star, but that she CAN create her own version of a constellation by connecting patterns in the sky. Curriculum: A constellation is a group of stars that make an imaginary shape in the night sky. In different parts of the world, people have made up different shapes out of the same groups of bright stars, like a game of connect-the-dots. In the past, constellations were useful for navigating at night and for keeping track of the seasons. They are now useful for identifying parts of the sky astronomers are studying. Because all the stars are at different distances, the constellations would look totally different to inhabitants of another planet orbiting another star.
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
Mindy is impatient for winter, because she wants to ice skate. So Jet, Sean, Sydney, and Celery fly to Saturn's icy rings to gather ice from them and return to build a Saturn-ringed skating rink around Jet's house. Jet, Sydney, Sean, Mindy, and Sunspot decide to make a scaled replica of the solar system using found items in their own neighborhood and in doing so learn that an Astronomical Unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
"Sunday Drive" Parts 1 & 2 - After the Propulsions download their new version of their saucer dashboard operating system, things are out of whack. Their test drive to Mars - usually a simple trip - is complicated by the new dashboard. They zip to Venus and Saturn instead... and then finally land on Mars, so they think. They're actually in an Earth desert, Mars-like at first (hot, red soil, lack of water), but soon they realize where they are. A desert vs. Mars comparison is made. Before heading home, the family decides that the old, dependable saucer operating system works just fine for them. Curriculum: An Earth desert and a Mars desert have some similarities, but are also very different. A comparison is made between the two, including life or lack thereof, temperature, water, and soil.
"Sunday Drive" Parts 1 & 2 - After the Propulsions download their new version of their saucer dashboard operating system, things are out of whack. Their test drive to Mars - usually a simple trip - is complicated by the new dashboard. They zip to Venus and Saturn instead... and then finally land on Mars, so they think. They're actually in an Earth desert, Mars-like at first (hot, red soil, lack of water), but soon they realize where they are. A desert vs. Mars comparison is made. Before heading home, the family decides that the old, dependable saucer operating system works just fine for them. Curriculum: An Earth desert and a Mars desert have some similarities, but are also very different. A comparison is made between the two, including life or lack thereof, temperature, water, and soil.
Mindy has finally turned five and is super excited that she is now old enough to go to space. But she's planned a tea party in the back yard. The kids convince Mindy to move her tea party to the Moon! In her first trip to space ever, Mindy gets to board the Propulsion family saucer and experience space travel, rounding out their Moon tea party with a quick trip out to Pluto and back.
"Total Eclipse of the Sunspot" - While Mindy, Jet, Sean, and Sydney are trying to use a solar panel to improve their energy efficiency, they notice that Sunspot is acting strange. It turns out that Sunspot was aware of an impending eclipse and was trying to alert the kids to the fact that the Sun would be darkened for a while. Curriculum: A solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. It's important not to look directly at the Sun during an eclipse, but you can watch it through the use of a box viewer. "Sean's Year in Space" - Sean is excited by NASA's "Year in Space" program on the ISS, and decides to try to live for a year in the tree house without ever coming down. The kids keep interrupting him, and finally, after only a short afternoon of trying, he comes down for dinner. Curriculum: The International Space Station, or ISS, is home to several astronauts at a time, who come and go in small capsules like the Soyuz. At this point, astronauts are even staying for a year at a time to study what happens to humans who live in micro-gravity for extended periods, so we can learn what will happen to us on long space voyages, like a trip to Mars.
"Total Eclipse of the Sunspot" - While Mindy, Jet, Sean, and Sydney are trying to use a solar panel to improve their energy efficiency, they notice that Sunspot is acting strange. It turns out that Sunspot was aware of an impending eclipse and was trying to alert the kids to the fact that the Sun would be darkened for a while. Curriculum: A solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. It's important not to look directly at the Sun during an eclipse, but you can watch it through the use of a box viewer. "Sean's Year in Space" - Sean is excited by NASA's "Year in Space" program on the ISS, and decides to try to live for a year in the tree house without ever coming down. The kids keep interrupting him, and finally, after only a short afternoon of trying, he comes down for dinner. Curriculum: The International Space Station, or ISS, is home to several astronauts at a time, who come and go in small capsules like the Soyuz. At this point, astronauts are even staying for a year at a time to study what happens to humans who live in micro-gravity for extended periods, so we can learn what will happen to us on long space voyages, like a trip to Mars.
Jet's robot Jet 2 needs new wheels if he's going to be able to rove over the surface of Mars. Jet and the kids try a bunch of different wheels, without success. In the end, they borrow the wheels from Mitchell's scooter, so Jet 2 can successfully navigate on Mars. The kids enter their karts in the big kid-kart derby, but this year they all have to design solar powered karts. Jet learns how solar panels work, and how batteries save up the energy so you can race even when clouds cover the Sun.
The kids and Sunspot attempt to build the tallest tower ever on the Moon, hoping to beat Jet's cousin's record. While building, the Moon's surface shakes. Huh? The Earth kids are amazed to learn that the Moon has quakes, and Jet is just as amazed to learn that Earthquakes exist. After learning about the causes of moonquakes, the kids attempt to build a Moonquake-proof structure. / Sean and Sydney are planning to take Jet to the DSA Open House the upcoming weekend. The Earth kids are nervous that he will get in front of a crowd of strangers and forget to keep the secret that he's an alien from Bortron 7. After a hilarious outburst from Jet, the kids are motivated to try to "train" him to behave less like an alien from outer space, and more like a "regular Earthie kid." Jet's doing well until he ends up using his Bortronian jet-pack to fly up to rescue the DSA weather balloon when it's about to get away in some bad weather.
The kids and Sunspot attempt to build the tallest tower ever on the Moon, hoping to beat Jet's cousin's record. While building, the Moon's surface shakes. Huh? The Earth kids are amazed to learn that the Moon has quakes, and Jet is just as amazed to learn that Earthquakes exist. After learning about the causes of moonquakes, the kids attempt to build a Moonquake-proof structure. / Sean and Sydney are planning to take Jet to the DSA Open House the upcoming weekend. The Earth kids are nervous that he will get in front of a crowd of strangers and forget to keep the secret that he's an alien from Bortron 7. After a hilarious outburst from Jet, the kids are motivated to try to "train" him to behave less like an alien from outer space, and more like a "regular Earthie kid." Jet's doing well until he ends up using his Bortronian jet-pack to fly up to rescue the DSA weather balloon when it's about to get away in some bad weather.
While making a cake, Carrot and Mindy find they are one are short one ingredient, so they head to the store. But Carrot accidentally pushes a wrong button on the wagon's newly-updated control panel, and they take off into outer space! Using a diagram, methodical experimentation, and record keeping, Mindy and Carrot figure out how to properly fly the saucer back home, where they finally finish the cake. Mindy has a problem: now that she's been to space with the bigger kids, she realizes how much there is out there to see! How can she decide where to explore next? Sydney asks her mom, Dr. Skelley, who presents them with the very first edition of Commander Cressida comics! In reading the comic book, Mindy comes to appreciate that she, like Commander Cressida, can explore space "one adventure at a time."
As the kids get ready for Valentines Day by making their own valentines out of paper, Mindy continues to feel sad that little, frozen Pluto is so far out at the edge of the solar system. When Sydney shows Mindy a newly-downloaded, full-color image of Pluto as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft, Mindy is intrigued by Pluto's "heart" of ice. Mindy once again feels that Pluto deserves our love, since it's no longer considered a planet, but is orbiting out there at the edge of our solar system, like a big frozen Valentine. She asks Sydney to bring her own little hand-made Valentine to Pluto on her behalf. Sydney leads an expedition of the kids to Pluto to bring Mindy's Valentine, experience the frozen dwarf planet themselves, and bring back their report to Mindy. / Sydney is directing the kids in a backyard movie, making her version of a Commander Cressida story about the formation of a star. The other kids all have parts, but Sunspot has the lead - as the star! The kids' movie coincides with the celebration of a star being born near (a.k.a. 10 light years away from) Bortron 7!
As the kids get ready for Valentines Day by making their own valentines out of paper, Mindy continues to feel sad that little, frozen Pluto is so far out at the edge of the solar system. When Sydney shows Mindy a newly-downloaded, full-color image of Pluto as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft, Mindy is intrigued by Pluto's "heart" of ice. Mindy once again feels that Pluto deserves our love, since it's no longer considered a planet, but is orbiting out there at the edge of our solar system, like a big frozen Valentine. She asks Sydney to bring her own little hand-made Valentine to Pluto on her behalf. Sydney leads an expedition of the kids to Pluto to bring Mindy's Valentine, experience the frozen dwarf planet themselves, and bring back their report to Mindy. / Sydney is directing the kids in a backyard movie, making her version of a Commander Cressida story about the formation of a star. The other kids all have parts, but Sunspot has the lead - as the star! The kids' movie coincides with the celebration of a star being born near (a.k.a. 10 light years away from) Bortron 7!
Mindy has to go to bed when the Sun goes down, but she's having such a fun day with her friends. She asks Jet and the others to help her keep the Sun from going down. The older kids humor Mindy and try to help "slow down the Sun." All their efforts make Mindy so sleepy that she decides to go home and sleep. Sydney and Jet are having a hard time explaining to Mindy that the Sun doesn't move - the Earth is moving around the Sun, so the Sun seems to move. Then Sean comes over dressed as his science hero Galileo, getting ready to do a school report. Mindy asks "Galileo" to explain why the Sun seems to move, and Sean practices for his report by explaining how the planets move, in character as Galileo!
Mindy's mom has gradually been giving Mindy permission to go a little bit farther in the neighborhood on her own, and Mindy is trying to map out exactly what her boundaries are. Sean compares her "Mindyspere" to the helisophere-the boundaries of the Sun's influence. The kids get Celery to fly them out past the heliosphere into true interstellar space. Back on Earth, they make their own Voyager 1 (out of a wagon) and take Mindy to the outermost edges of the Mindysphere! / Sydney knows a lot about Boxwood Terrace's early history, and she tells Jet stories about a local pioneer who went by the nickname "Lone Star." He got that name because he was an early astronomer who liked the hills of Boxwood Terrace for their excellent views of the night sky, and built the first Observatory on the hill that now sits at the center of the Deep Space Array. As Jet imagines Sydney's story of Lone Star, the kids turn the story into a Western-flavored musical.
Mindy's mom has gradually been giving Mindy permission to go a little bit farther in the neighborhood on her own, and Mindy is trying to map out exactly what her boundaries are. Sean compares her "Mindyspere" to the helisophere-the boundaries of the Sun's influence. The kids get Celery to fly them out past the heliosphere into true interstellar space. Back on Earth, they make their own Voyager 1 (out of a wagon) and take Mindy to the outermost edges of the Mindysphere! / Sydney knows a lot about Boxwood Terrace's early history, and she tells Jet stories about a local pioneer who went by the nickname "Lone Star." He got that name because he was an early astronomer who liked the hills of Boxwood Terrace for their excellent views of the night sky, and built the first Observatory on the hill that now sits at the center of the Deep Space Array. As Jet imagines Sydney's story of Lone Star, the kids turn the story into a Western-flavored musical.
Mindy has finally turned five and is super excited that she is now old enough to go to space. But she's planned a tea party in the back yard. The kids convince Mindy to move her tea party to the Moon! In her first trip to space ever, Mindy gets to board the Propulsion family saucer and experience space travel, rounding out their Moon tea party with a quick trip out to Pluto and back.
Jet, Sydney, Sean, and Sunspot join Celery as she competes against her brother, Uncle Zucchini, in an "Earthie-style race with a winner"! The race is tight until Celery uses the kids' proposed secret "strategy" - a "gravity assist" off of Jupiter, to increase their saucer speed, and win! / Jet uses his Bortronian skills to test his first experimental Time Machine so he and his Earthie friends can go back to an exact time - 3 minutes earlier - in order to see a spectacular moment in a meteor shower that they missed. A mistake happens the first time, so he keeps trying to go back in time to fix the first mistake, but more mistakes keep happening and snowball into hilarity.
Jet, Sydney, Sean, and Sunspot join Celery as she competes against her brother, Uncle Zucchini, in an "Earthie-style race with a winner"! The race is tight until Celery uses the kids' proposed secret "strategy" - a "gravity assist" off of Jupiter, to increase their saucer speed, and win! / Jet uses his Bortronian skills to test his first experimental Time Machine so he and his Earthie friends can go back to an exact time - 3 minutes earlier - in order to see a spectacular moment in a meteor shower that they missed. A mistake happens the first time, so he keeps trying to go back in time to fix the first mistake, but more mistakes keep happening and snowball into hilarity.
Mindy's mom has gradually been giving Mindy permission to go a little bit farther in the neighborhood on her own, and Mindy is trying to map out exactly what her boundaries are. Sean compares her "Mindyspere" to the helisophere-the boundaries of the Sun's influence. The kids get Celery to fly them out past the heliosphere into true interstellar space. Back on Earth, they make their own Voyager 1 (out of a wagon) and take Mindy to the outermost edges of the Mindysphere! / Sydney knows a lot about Boxwood Terrace's early history, and she tells Jet stories about a local pioneer who went by the nickname "Lone Star." He got that name because he was an early astronomer who liked the hills of Boxwood Terrace for their excellent views of the night sky, and built the first Observatory on the hill that now sits at the center of the Deep Space Array. As Jet imagines Sydney's story of Lone Star, the kids turn the story into a Western-flavored musical.
Mindy's mom has gradually been giving Mindy permission to go a little bit farther in the neighborhood on her own, and Mindy is trying to map out exactly what her boundaries are. Sean compares her "Mindyspere" to the helisophere-the boundaries of the Sun's influence. The kids get Celery to fly them out past the heliosphere into true interstellar space. Back on Earth, they make their own Voyager 1 (out of a wagon) and take Mindy to the outermost edges of the Mindysphere! / Sydney knows a lot about Boxwood Terrace's early history, and she tells Jet stories about a local pioneer who went by the nickname "Lone Star." He got that name because he was an early astronomer who liked the hills of Boxwood Terrace for their excellent views of the night sky, and built the first Observatory on the hill that now sits at the center of the Deep Space Array. As Jet imagines Sydney's story of Lone Star, the kids turn the story into a Western-flavored musical.
Mindy has finally turned five and is super excited that she is now old enough to go to space. But she's planned a tea party in the back yard. The kids convince Mindy to move her tea party to the Moon! In her first trip to space ever, Mindy gets to board the Propulsion family saucer and experience space travel, rounding out their Moon tea party with a quick trip out to Pluto and back.
Jet, Sydney, Sean, and Sunspot join Celery as she competes against her brother, Uncle Zucchini, in an "Earthie-style race with a winner"! The race is tight until Celery uses the kids' proposed secret "strategy" - a "gravity assist" off of Jupiter, to increase their saucer speed, and win! / Jet uses his Bortronian skills to test his first experimental Time Machine so he and his Earthie friends can go back to an exact time - 3 minutes earlier - in order to see a spectacular moment in a meteor shower that they missed. A mistake happens the first time, so he keeps trying to go back in time to fix the first mistake, but more mistakes keep happening and snowball into hilarity.
Jet, Sydney, Sean, and Sunspot join Celery as she competes against her brother, Uncle Zucchini, in an "Earthie-style race with a winner"! The race is tight until Celery uses the kids' proposed secret "strategy" - a "gravity assist" off of Jupiter, to increase their saucer speed, and win! / Jet uses his Bortronian skills to test his first experimental Time Machine so he and his Earthie friends can go back to an exact time - 3 minutes earlier - in order to see a spectacular moment in a meteor shower that they missed. A mistake happens the first time, so he keeps trying to go back in time to fix the first mistake, but more mistakes keep happening and snowball into hilarity.
It's evening at the cul-de-sac, and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean's telescope - one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell's dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn't like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others, like a white card is easier to see than Cody's black sweater. This amount of brightness is called "albedo." The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There's way more sand, and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the larger and smaller beach is caused by the tides - the rising and falling of the ocean.
Sean's nervousness about flying out to visit the remote Neptune is soothed by Jet's suggestion - an improvised, fun "Neptune tune." It works as our kids, Sunspot, and Celery fly to the faraway eighth planet! / When the kids discover that they've missed all 63 of Jet's Bortronian birthdays, they decide to celebrate the one-year anniversary of him landing on Earth instead... with an "Earthday birthday" surprise party!
Sean's nervousness about flying out to visit the remote Neptune is soothed by Jet's suggestion - an improvised, fun "Neptune tune." It works as our kids, Sunspot, and Celery fly to the faraway eighth planet! / When the kids discover that they've missed all 63 of Jet's Bortronian birthdays, they decide to celebrate the one-year anniversary of him landing on Earth instead... with an "Earthday birthday" surprise party!
Sean is planning his first sleepout under the stars with his Space Scouts troop, but the weather is threatening, and it looks like his sleepout will be rained out. The kids get help from Mitchell , building a weather observation station to make a weather prediction, and visit the DSA for further help by tracking the weather with satellites. A total eclipse of the Sun is coming to Boxwood Terrace! The kids prepare a Total Eclipse song and dance to perform at the DSA, where the whole town is gathered for the event. Meanwhile, Sunspot attempts to explain the eclipse to all the local animals so they won't think it's night and sleep through it.
After an afternoon on the Moon, Celery, Jet, and Sunspot discover, as they fly to Earth, that they have mistakenly left Carrot on the Moon! Then the saucer malfunctions and they receive news of a possible solar storm headed their way. In a nail-biter, Jet and Sunspot do a mid-outer space repair job - as per Celery's instructions -with Carrot comically adapting to the Moon environment. In the end, the saucer is fixed, Carrot is rescued, and the solar storm heads in the opposite direction of the Moon. / When a loud thunderstorm hits the neighborhood one evening, the Propulsions are woken up. They gather in the kitchen as the noisy storm rages on, and Jet is too excited to get back to sleep. Carrot, Celery, and Sunspot are sympathetic - they're in the same boat! During the night they all learn about Earth storms as compared to storms on other planets. And then they all try to get Jet to fall back asleep, a seemingly impossible task. They use more and more absurd methods, until Celery has a conventional Earthie solution: sing a lullaby.
After an afternoon on the Moon, Celery, Jet, and Sunspot discover, as they fly to Earth, that they have mistakenly left Carrot on the Moon! Then the saucer malfunctions and they receive news of a possible solar storm headed their way. In a nail-biter, Jet and Sunspot do a mid-outer space repair job - as per Celery's instructions -with Carrot comically adapting to the Moon environment. In the end, the saucer is fixed, Carrot is rescued, and the solar storm heads in the opposite direction of the Moon. / When a loud thunderstorm hits the neighborhood one evening, the Propulsions are woken up. They gather in the kitchen as the noisy storm rages on, and Jet is too excited to get back to sleep. Carrot, Celery, and Sunspot are sympathetic - they're in the same boat! During the night they all learn about Earth storms as compared to storms on other planets. And then they all try to get Jet to fall back asleep, a seemingly impossible task. They use more and more absurd methods, until Celery has a conventional Earthie solution: sing a lullaby.
"Tiny Blue Dot" - A rollicking, song-filled recap of the Propulsion family's mission to Earth - as intergalactic travel writers, they really know their way around the Milky Way, and know the difference between a lovely, livable "Goldilocks Planet" like Earth, and the other, way less-livable planets! Curriculum: The Earth is a very rare and wonderful planet in the vastness of space, with its ideal size, its distance from its sun, its breathable atmosphere, liquid oceans, and ability to sustain life. "Earth Camping" - Mr. Petersen and Mitchell go camping with Carrot and Jet. The two dads have opposite approaches to setting up tents and preparing food, but when the dads get off track during a hike, the boys help them all find their way back using the compass, and the skills they've learned from their dads (turns out the kids were paying attention all along!). Curriculum: We can find our place outdoors by understanding how to find direction - north, south, east, and west. The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. A compass uses the Earth's magnetic field to find which way is north (the small magnet inside the compass is drawn by the Earth's magnetism to point to the north pole).
"What's a Satellite?" - An Earth-orbiting "telecom" communications satellite breaks down, and satellite TV service in Boxwood Terrace stops working. Three people can't watch their favorite shows and consequently get very upset. Jet decides to fly up to space and see what the problem is with the satellite, and hilarity ensues. Curriculum: A satellite is an artificial object that has been intentionally placed into orbit. Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Communications satellites receive signals from Earth and bounce them back to other locations, for everything from GPS to cell phone service to TV shows. Satellites are usually semi-independent computer-controlled systems. "Satellite Selfie" - The kids learn that they can use links to different websites to see a satellite view of their house. Mindy notices that Jet's house is not in the image. That's because these images are from sometime over the past 2 years, and not live images from space. With Dr. Rafferty's help, the kids identify the next time a satellite will pass over their neighborhood, and try to gather for a "space selfie" next to Jet's house. Curriculum: Satellites are objects that humans have placed into orbit around the Earth. Many have cameras in them. Some of these satellite cameras look "up" at the outer areas of space, and some look "down" at the Earth - they can even see our houses and cars!
The kids get information from Dr. Rafferty and then travel to outer space to confirm the amazing fact that there is no sound in outer space... even though Jet is convinced he's heard sounds all over the solar system. / After Mindy laments the fact that she's still only 4 and still can't go to space with the other kids, Sydney, Jet, Sean, and Sunspot plan a full makeshift, cobbled together "Day in Space" right there in Jet's yard. Mindy's day ends on a nearby hilltop where they all watch a real, amazing, actual space event - the Leonid Meteor Showers shooting across the sky!
The kids get information from Dr. Rafferty and then travel to outer space to confirm the amazing fact that there is no sound in outer space... even though Jet is convinced he's heard sounds all over the solar system. / After Mindy laments the fact that she's still only 4 and still can't go to space with the other kids, Sydney, Jet, Sean, and Sunspot plan a full makeshift, cobbled together "Day in Space" right there in Jet's yard. Mindy's day ends on a nearby hilltop where they all watch a real, amazing, actual space event - the Leonid Meteor Showers shooting across the sky!
It's evening at the cul-de-sac, and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean's telescope - one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell's dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn't like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others, like a white card is easier to see than Cody's black sweater. This amount of brightness is called "albedo." The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There's way more sand, and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the larger and smaller beach is caused by the tides - the rising and falling of the ocean.
Sean's nervousness about flying out to visit the remote Neptune is soothed by Jet's suggestion - an improvised, fun "Neptune tune." It works as our kids, Sunspot, and Celery fly to the faraway eighth planet! / When the kids discover that they've missed all 63 of Jet's Bortronian birthdays, they decide to celebrate the one-year anniversary of him landing on Earth instead... with an "Earthday birthday" surprise party!
Sean's nervousness about flying out to visit the remote Neptune is soothed by Jet's suggestion - an improvised, fun "Neptune tune." It works as our kids, Sunspot, and Celery fly to the faraway eighth planet! / When the kids discover that they've missed all 63 of Jet's Bortronian birthdays, they decide to celebrate the one-year anniversary of him landing on Earth instead... with an "Earthday birthday" surprise party!
After an afternoon on the Moon, Celery, Jet, and Sunspot discover, as they fly to Earth, that they have mistakenly left Carrot on the Moon! Then the saucer malfunctions and they receive news of a possible solar storm headed their way. In a nail-biter, Jet and Sunspot do a mid-outer space repair job - as per Celery's instructions -with Carrot comically adapting to the Moon environment. In the end, the saucer is fixed, Carrot is rescued, and the solar storm heads in the opposite direction of the Moon. / When a loud thunderstorm hits the neighborhood one evening, the Propulsions are woken up. They gather in the kitchen as the noisy storm rages on, and Jet is too excited to get back to sleep. Carrot, Celery, and Sunspot are sympathetic - they're in the same boat! During the night they all learn about Earth storms as compared to storms on other planets. And then they all try to get Jet to fall back asleep, a seemingly impossible task. They use more and more absurd methods, until Celery has a conventional Earthie solution: sing a lullaby.
After an afternoon on the Moon, Celery, Jet, and Sunspot discover, as they fly to Earth, that they have mistakenly left Carrot on the Moon! Then the saucer malfunctions and they receive news of a possible solar storm headed their way. In a nail-biter, Jet and Sunspot do a mid-outer space repair job - as per Celery's instructions -with Carrot comically adapting to the Moon environment. In the end, the saucer is fixed, Carrot is rescued, and the solar storm heads in the opposite direction of the Moon. / When a loud thunderstorm hits the neighborhood one evening, the Propulsions are woken up. They gather in the kitchen as the noisy storm rages on, and Jet is too excited to get back to sleep. Carrot, Celery, and Sunspot are sympathetic - they're in the same boat! During the night they all learn about Earth storms as compared to storms on other planets. And then they all try to get Jet to fall back asleep, a seemingly impossible task. They use more and more absurd methods, until Celery has a conventional Earthie solution: sing a lullaby.
It's evening at the cul-de-sac, and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean's telescope - one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell's dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn't like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others, like a white card is easier to see than Cody's black sweater. This amount of brightness is called "albedo." The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There's way more sand, and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the larger and smaller beach is caused by the tides - the rising and falling of the ocean.
The kids get information from Dr. Rafferty and then travel to outer space to confirm the amazing fact that there is no sound in outer space... even though Jet is convinced he's heard sounds all over the solar system. / After Mindy laments the fact that she's still only 4 and still can't go to space with the other kids, Sydney, Jet, Sean, and Sunspot plan a full makeshift, cobbled together "Day in Space" right there in Jet's yard. Mindy's day ends on a nearby hilltop where they all watch a real, amazing, actual space event - the Leonid Meteor Showers shooting across the sky!
The kids get information from Dr. Rafferty and then travel to outer space to confirm the amazing fact that there is no sound in outer space... even though Jet is convinced he's heard sounds all over the solar system. / After Mindy laments the fact that she's still only 4 and still can't go to space with the other kids, Sydney, Jet, Sean, and Sunspot plan a full makeshift, cobbled together "Day in Space" right there in Jet's yard. Mindy's day ends on a nearby hilltop where they all watch a real, amazing, actual space event - the Leonid Meteor Showers shooting across the sky!
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
Celery has souped-up the family saucer, adding new features for the kids to use, including a robot arm. They test drive it with a trip to the Moon. / Jet takes care of Mitchell's dog Cody for the weekend, and attempts to teach him some new tricks.
Celery has souped-up the family saucer, adding new features for the kids to use, including a robot arm. They test drive it with a trip to the Moon. / Jet takes care of Mitchell's dog Cody for the weekend, and attempts to teach him some new tricks.
"Sunday Drive" Parts 1 & 2 - After the Propulsions download their new version of their saucer dashboard operating system, things are out of whack. Their test drive to Mars - usually a simple trip - is complicated by the new dashboard. They zip to Venus and Saturn instead... and then finally land on Mars, so they think. They're actually in an Earth desert, Mars-like at first (hot, red soil, lack of water), but soon they realize where they are. A desert vs. Mars comparison is made. Before heading home, the family decides that the old, dependable saucer operating system works just fine for them. Curriculum: An Earth desert and a Mars desert have some similarities, but are also very different. A comparison is made between the two, including life or lack thereof, temperature, water, and soil.
When the kids experience an earthquake in Boxwood Terrace, Celery takes them up into space to study the Earth's plates and fault lines from above. / Jet's overactive cousin Zerk comes to Earth for a visit, and the kids show him around the neighborhood.
When the kids experience an earthquake in Boxwood Terrace, Celery takes them up into space to study the Earth's plates and fault lines from above. / Jet's overactive cousin Zerk comes to Earth for a visit, and the kids show him around the neighborhood.
"Beep and Boop's Game" - The kids help Dr. Rafferty and Bergs get Mars Rover BOOP over a ravine on the red planet by simulating actions in the DSA "Mars Yard" using BEEP (Boop's sister)! Trial and error leads to success. Along the way, the kids learn just how scientists communicate with far away rovers - through satellites above Mars. The kids then solve a new mystery set up by Bergs, figuring out that Beep and Boop are communicating about... a game of Mars/Mars Yard tic-tac-toe they're playing! Curriculum: A good amount of communication between Mars and Earth goes through satellites. Rovers send images, along with instrument and status data, back to Earth. Extrapolating from the data, the scientists send commands to the rover, which can take 4-24 minutes to be received due to the distance. Rovers are often on their own, carrying out commands and sending image data to overhead satellites. The rover's commanders may tell it to move toward a new rock, grind a rock, analyze a rock, take photos, or gather other data with other instruments. "Constellation Prize" - When Mindy thinks she's found her own star, the other kids explain how stars are labeled and identified by constellations. Mindy eventually learns that she hasn't found a new star, but that she CAN create her own version of a constellation by connecting patterns in the sky. Curriculum: A constellation is a group of stars that make an imaginary shape in the night sky. In different parts of the world, people have made up different shapes out of the same groups of bright stars, like a game of connect-the-dots. In the past, constellations were useful for navigating at night and for keeping track of the seasons. They are now useful for identifying parts of the sky astronomers are studying. Because all the stars are at different distances, the constellations would look totally different to inhabitants of another planet orbiting another star.
The kids join Celery in a space race between them, Uncle Zucchini, and Auntie Eggplant and Zerk. The course is all the way around the Asteroid Belt. / Sydney decides that Jet's robot, Jet 2, is lonely. She decides to design and build a robot companion for him, and names it "Sydney 2."
The kids join Celery in a space race between them, Uncle Zucchini, and Auntie Eggplant and Zerk. The course is all the way around the Asteroid Belt. / Sydney decides that Jet's robot, Jet 2, is lonely. She decides to design and build a robot companion for him, and names it "Sydney 2."
"Total Eclipse of the Sunspot" - While Mindy, Jet, Sean, and Sydney are trying to use a solar panel to improve their energy efficiency, they notice that Sunspot is acting strange. It turns out that Sunspot was aware of an impending eclipse and was trying to alert the kids to the fact that the Sun would be darkened for a while. Curriculum: A solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. It's important not to look directly at the Sun during an eclipse, but you can watch it through the use of a box viewer. "Sean's Year in Space" - Sean is excited by NASA's "Year in Space" program on the ISS, and decides to try to live for a year in the tree house without ever coming down. The kids keep interrupting him, and finally, after only a short afternoon of trying, he comes down for dinner. Curriculum: The International Space Station, or ISS, is home to several astronauts at a time, who come and go in small capsules like the Soyuz. At this point, astronauts are even staying for a year at a time to study what happens to humans who live in micro-gravity for extended periods, so we can learn what will happen to us on long space voyages, like a trip to Mars.
Jet is amazed to find out that the entire Earth doesn't have the same season at the same time. So he flies with Sydney and Sean from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere to compare and experience holidays in winter and summer...all in one day! Mindy feels bad that she's the smallest kid in the group, so sympathetic Jet and friends use a shrink-ray and become her size. The plan goes awry, and Jet, Sean, Sydney, and Sunspot become the size of mice. Mindy has to follow intricate diagrams to reverse the shrink-ray!
Jet is amazed to find out that the entire Earth doesn't have the same season at the same time. So he flies with Sydney and Sean from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere to compare and experience holidays in winter and summer...all in one day! Mindy feels bad that she's the smallest kid in the group, so sympathetic Jet and friends use a shrink-ray and become her size. The plan goes awry, and Jet, Sean, Sydney, and Sunspot become the size of mice. Mindy has to follow intricate diagrams to reverse the shrink-ray!
"Space Junk" - After learning about space junk, the kids are determined to help do their part to clean up their "space neighborhood." They meet up with Uncle Zucchini, a long-time galaxy garbage man! Using Bortronian technology, they start a cleanup. During the course of the day, our kids learn that recycling is necessary both on Earth and in space! Curriculum: The outer space region around Earth swarms with millions of pieces of man-made space junk that create potential hazards. Objects as small as 4 inches can be seen by radar or optical telescopes on Earth. Cleaning the debris is a challenge. Trips to larger objects could remove them from orbit, but that's expensive. Another proposal is using lasers to provide a path-changing push that wouldn't damage the object. "Scientific Sean" - Jet is fascinated by Earth paper airplanes when he watches Sean casually fold one. Jet suggests that the kids challenge each other to build the plane that will fly the farthest, and still carry the payload of a message. Sean wants to use the Scientific Method to solve the distance/size issues. CURRICULUM: The Scientific Method is a simple set of rules that scientists use the world over, to make sure that they are doing their experiments correctly and in a way that they can repeat. But great science comes from both the application of this simple set of rules AND from imagination and inspiration.
Celery has souped-up the family saucer, adding new features for the kids to use, including a robot arm. They test drive it with a trip to the Moon. / Jet takes care of Mitchell's dog Cody for the weekend, and attempts to teach him some new tricks.
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