Science Adventures

Ever wonder how birds can fly or how to find the sweet spot on a baseball bat? The world around us offers many opportunities for exploring science--for asking questions and figuring out how things work. Discover some of the fascinating and entertaining possibilities of science through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint.

Level 1

Under the Sea: Did you know that sharks have been in the oceans for more than 400 million years? Take a virtual dive under the surface and meet dolphins, whales and other creatures.

https://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/sea.html

Explorers Club: The ozone layer is important because it shields us from the sun’s harmful radiation. Try some stories and games that teach you about water, air and wildlife and why it’s important to protect the environment.

https://www.epa.gov/kids

Kids Space by Liftoff to Space Exploration: Astronauts wear space suits equipped with an air pack and a built-in radio. Learn what it takes to become an astronaut, find out what space shuttles are like, try some games that teach you about astronomy and determine how much you would weigh on other planets.

https://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/kids/

Level 2

The Tech Museum of Innovation: Discover: Lasers are used everyday in hospitals, supermarket scanners and CD players. Get an in-depth look at such topics as robotics, satellites, earthquakes, DNA, color theory, and even take a virtual climb of Mount Everest.

https://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/

The Yuckiest Site on the Internet: What causes hiccups, dandruff or zits? Learn the answers to these and other questions as you take a guided tour of all the weird, gross and wonderful things your body can do, as well as a special journey to the wild and wacky world of worms and roaches.

https://www.yucky.com/

Discover: Canadian Museum of Nature: What is it like to study beetles in Venezuela or plant life in the Arctic? Find out by reading illustrated field reports by scientists from all over the world. Increase your own knowledge through natural history notebooks, nature movies and various games, including a dinosaur detective quiz.

https://www.nature.ca/english/discove.htm

Level 3

The Exploratorium: Wonder how Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa could hit so many home runs? This extensive site introduces you to the science behind sports and also lets you experience optical illusions and the wonders of space. You can even test scientific principles through more than 100 experiments that can be done at home.

https://www.exploratorium.edu

The Franklin Institute Science Museum: How do volcanoes erupt? What causes thunderstorms? Explore such topics as weather forecasting, the human heart, insects and simple machines. Get some advice for science fair projects.

https://sln.fi.edu/tfi/virtual/vir-summ.html

National Air and Space Museum Exhibitions: Whether it’s a bird or a plane in flight, the four forces needed are weight, lift, thrust and drag. Learn about what makes an airplane fly, how a spacecraft stays in orbit, the achievements of Latin American aviators and the space race; you can even view a special Star Wars exhibit.

https://www.nasm.edu/nasm/exh/NASMexfea.htm

Explorer’s Quest

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

How old would you be on Jupiter if you were born Feb. 10, 1989.?

Clue: See Kids Space

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 80 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: August Wilson has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his plays.

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Sean Lyman, Kurt Mitthof, Tom Shrake and Anna Manring.