Story for kids

From the leaflet of Dolch Project, here is the story I wrote specially for you....Hope you like it

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India's Mission To Mars

After United States, Russia, and Europe, now it is India’s turn to make a trip to the Mars, 378million km away. 

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India’s launch of a small, unmanned satellite, Mangalyaam, to Mars is being described as a giant leap for its space program.

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The robotic satellite of 1,350kg is undertaking 10-month-long journey to Mars and is equipped with five instruments.

Image source: color camera 

There is a color camera for taking pictures.  It will take pictures of earth and moon when passing over the lunar planet on the way and finally of Mars from its orbit

Image source: Maritan exposheric neutron composition analyser 

There is also a thermal imaging spectrometer to analyze the thin Martian atmosphere and to map the surface and mineral wealth of the planet.

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The Mars Orbiter will have a single solar array with 3 panels of 1400x1800mm, capable of generating 750watts of power in Martian orbit. It is also equipped with 36AH Lithium-ion battery for power storage

Image source: orbit

The spacecraft will be placed into a highly elliptical orbit of 375km x 80000km

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More than 500 scientists have worked round the clock at their Bangalore-based Isro, If the Mars mission succeeds, India will be very proud of this mission.

Smally - The Miracle Dog.

Pets don’t talk or so we believe, especially those who cannot communicate with animals. But animals are the human being’s best friends. Not only are they good companions on the lonely days but they can also heal. They help lower blood pressure, promote a feel-good factor and help patients endure difficult medical procedures.

Do you have a dog at home? No? Or maybe your friend has one?

I once had a friend called Sunil. Everyday I saw him in the park sitting in a wheel chair. I used to play with my friends on the swings, seesaw and run around the park, sometimes plucking flowers. But Sunil just sat on a wheelchair, staring at the sky, at the plants and at the flowers but not really focused on anything. He never smiled at anybody. He could hardly move his neck because he had poor muscle control.  He was very lonely and he always looked so sad and quiet.

One day, his daddy got him a gift- a lovely furry dog.  They named her Smally. She was a very special dog; she was trained to be a good friend to lonely people. She was trained to put off the lights and throw away the thrash.

Smally was also trained to play with him.  They used to play a game of ball. Smally would bring the ball and drop it on Sunil’s lap. Then she would wait patiently for Sunil to move his stiff neck, focus on the ball, finally grab it and fling it for Smally to bring it back to him. They played this game over and over again.

Soon Smally and Sunil became good friends and developed an emotional bond with each other. Sunil wanted Smally by his side all the time. Even when he was sick, he felt good when Smally slept next to him and cuddled up close to him.

One day he came to the park with Smally. He had a smile on his face. Smally was very pretty dog. She had black and white fur. I walked to where Sunil was sitting on his wheelchair. I ran my fingers through Smally’s black and white fur. They were so soft to touch. As soft as cotton puffs. Many other children also came to play with Smally. I would sometimes hold Sunil’s hand too.

Everyday Sunil and Smally came to the park. We played together, sang songs together and sometimes, we even prayed together. Sunil started showing improvement. He learnt to focus his attention to what we sang. He started to enjoy my company  too.

 Sunil had Smally to play with him at home. He had many friends to sit around him in the park too.

Sunil was never ever lonely again.

Sea Otter - The Furry Mammal

If you plan to take Alaska Cruise, you are likely to see furry mammals along the beach, just about 3-4kms away from shore. They come to shore to rest and are often seen in groups. You will see them cleaning their fur, untangling knots, removing loose fur to squeeze out the water and blowing into their fur to dry it.

Yes, these cute mammals are Sea Otters, who are hunted for their thick furs.

You see them lying on their backs, eating the food in a special way, which means that they use their stomach like a dining table and place their food on it. They use their forepaws to tear apart and bring it to their mouth. It can chew and swallow small mussels with their shells. It consumes 160 different types of food that includes snails, crabs, starfish, octopus, sea cucumbers and several types of fish but avoids vegetarian items.

They have a small double loose skin under each foreleg that extends across the chest like pouch where they store rocks, which they use it to break open shellfish and clams. To open hard shells, it may pound its prey with both paws against a rock placed on its chest. It will repeatedly smash the shellfish against the rock until it breaks open to reveal the tasty meal inside.

The sea otter is diurnal. It has a period of foraging and eating in the morning, starting an hour before sunrise, then rests in midday, then continues foraging in the afternoon and subsides before sunset Females with pubs appear more inclined to feed at night.

The species exhibit a variety of vocal behaviors. The cry of a pup is often compared to that of a seagull. Females coo when they are content, males may grunt instead. Distressed or frightened adults may whistle, hiss or in extreme circumstance, scream.

Although you see them resting in groups, and can be playful and sociable, they spend much time alone. Each adult can meet its own need in terms of hunting, grooming and defense.

Sea Otters sometimes float in forest of kelp, or giant seaweed, in which they entangle themselves to provide anchorage in the swirling sea.

Do look out for them if you live on the pacific side of the earth, in the cold countries.

Or read more detail information of sea otters here.

Image source:National Geographic