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TRANSCRIPT
Axeology
The exciting new magazine from Years 12 & 13
Short stories from writers Charlie Hall and Josh Dayman
Must-see Christmas films for the chill season
Hannah Burnett on the common cold
and much more!...
Christmas 2015
2
Anthology - a collection of poetry or other
pieces of writing
Mixology - the art of preparing cocktails
Axe - destructive cutting or chopping
action
...Welcome to
AXEOLOGY
3
Hello!
Hello and welcome to AXEOLOGY. This is the first exciting
edition of what we hope will be an Axe Valley success. It
will make you laugh, cry in places, teach you something
new and more importantly smile.
It’s been a long and eventful term it seems; especially
with the addition of mocks that have been a lovely
Christmas present to us from the school. We have been
dressing up for Children in Need, washing cars for charity
and now we are counting down the days to the long
awaited Christmas holidays. If you are inspired by the ar-
ticles you read then by all means let us know and submit
your work to either of us for a bumper spring issue.
Meanwhile have a great holiday, stay safe kids, and see
you in 2016!
All the best,
Polly and Charles!
Editors
4
It's winter; that time of year when the sun has seemingly gone on holiday, Jack Frost comes to visit
and the Common Cold comes out to play. The snow may look pretty and glittery but the snowmen
are here at the unfortunate expense of temperatures exceeding 5 degrees C. And with these stupid-
ly low temperatures come low immunity to diseases and a high infection rate.
The most common illness in the winter is the common cold; so called because it is common and ap-
pears most in the cold seasons. The common cold is also known as rhinopharyngitis, nasopharyngi-
tis and acute coryza. This widespread illness, which brings misery to many of us in the winter, is
caused by a tiny virus, usually the rhinovirus. You might be wondering why it is called 'rhinovirus'.
Does it refer to that rather large, grey and wrinkly mammal with horns? The answer to that is quite
obviously no. A rhinoceros doesn't have anything to do with our human cold! The 'rhino' part refers
to the nose. The virus spreads though contact with infected droplets of moisture such as the mois-
ture released when you sneeze or cough. Once you have contracted the virus it takes a few days for
symptoms to develop although you will become contagious within this time.
The rhinovirus enters the body and injects its RNA into human cells hijacking them. However, the
virus mutates often which means that once we have become immune to one form of the virus it is
still likely that another form of the virus will cause another infection. The constant mutation of the
virus has made it impossible to produce an effective and long lasting vaccine against the common
cold. Therefore, we are only able to treat the symptoms and not the cause.
Everyone knows the symptoms of the common cold; they appear year after year, just like your
dad's bad Christmas jumper! Fatigue, a sore throat, coughs of various varieties and a constant
sneeze to go with the blocked or runny nose. These symptoms make it impossible to do anything!
The common cold is the real Grinch.
by Hannah Burnett
5
There are ways, however, to try and prevent the rhinovirus from invading. Firstly, wash your hands!
This is a vital layer of prevention against the common cold. Don't just rinse your hands with some wa-
ter; viruses do not drown. You must use soap to kill these nasty viruses and stop them from acci-
dentally gaining unauthorised access to your body and giving you the sniffles. People often pick up
these germs from doors or other surfaces. Our next important prevention technique is always clean
your work surfaces. Lots of people will just sneeze onto a table and leave the infected droplets for
someone else to pick up. What a lucky person. By using antibacterial surface cleaner, the germs are
destroyed and can no longer wreak havoc on you or anyone else; at least not from that surface. There
is also a way to stop your germs from even getting near to any other surfaces or people. The third
prevention method is to use a tissue when sneezing or coughing. The absorbent nature of the tissue
means that any infected droplets are captured and can't linger in the air waiting for their next victim.
The final piece of prevention advice is to not share food, drink or utensils with other people; your/
their saliva is an ocean of germs, one of which may be the rhinovirus. The saliva residue on these
things could easily lead to sickness. And, in case you hadn't quite twigged it, kissing also transmits evil
germs.
Spot the virus.
6
7
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a fire, hot chocolate and a good quali-ty Christmas movie. I am going to give you my top 3 favourite Christmas films - and they pretty much stay the same for each year. My number three movie is Bad Santa. In case you don’t know what this film is, it’s about, it’s about Santa. This is not the kind of cute snuggly Santa that every child dreams falls down their chimney on Christmas Eve; he is a depressed, alcoholic safecracker. The kids may think Santa’s waiting for them to fall asleep so he can creep into the house and leave their favourite presents, but he is in fact a stalker. Oh and I forgot to mention there’s an elf too. This is not the typical kind elf who doesn’t care about what size they are, he's an angry dwarf who has been by Santa’s side for eight years. They work as a ‘magic’ duo to crack safes around every department store that promotes Christmas. Santa is con-stantly drunk, satisfying customers in the plus sizes dressing rooms and there’s always sick around him; whether it’s the children on him or vice versa! So for an all round laugh I would recommend you try and watch this film this Christmas! I’m rating this movie four stars out of five! My number two movie is The Grinch That Stole Christmas. Now I will be surprised if you don’t know this film, but in case you don’t here you go: The Grinch is literally about The Grinch. He is a scrooge - he can’t stand anything to do with Christmas. We discover why through this laugh-out-loud, heart-tugging movie. You can’t forget Miss Cindy-Lou Who, who helps the Grinch discover the joys of Christmas and shows the other Who's that Christmas is about the people as well as the presents. I would rate this movie four stars out of five! Finally my number one movie is Elf! There is a reason why it’s shown on channel four every year: it’s the best Christmas movie invented. Buddy the elf started as a baby in an orphanage who managed to crawl into Santa’s present sack and was therefore raised by the elves - Santa’s little helpers. He then of course grew to an average sized human making him stand out of the crowd. Santa then allows him to travel to New York City, where Buddy finds his Father - a scrooge who’s on the naughty list. Buddy discovers the ‘delights’ of NYC, and helps his boring, mean father discover the vibe of a good Christmas - the way it should be! This hilari-ous, heart warming movie is a great for all the family. I am giving this movie a strong five out of five!
Movies you don’t want to miss this Christmas!
by Lily Davis-Griffiths
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Meaningless by Josh Dayman
Once upon a time there was a-
No. no no no. scrap that opening, it’s too clichéd. Let me try again.
There once was a man named-
No. the story might not be about a man. And people might think I’m against feminism, or something. No, there has to be a good opening to this new idea.
It.
I like that. It’s short, but doesn’t give anything away. It’s just a shame the idea is gone now.
I remember watching a video, about a man who had all these creative ideas about game development, but never re-leased his work to anyone, as he never liked it. It was a sad story, as it ends with some heavy points to think about.
I can relate to him, I think.
Let me find a new idea quickly. I always do, ideas come quickly to me.
I can just never finish them.
In fact, I’ve been thinking about something which has been on my mind for a while…
No, never mind. Ignore me, I have a new idea.
It will be about a man who fights dragons!
No…
Someone who dies and becomes a ghost?
No…
How about a crime story?
No.
All these ideas and none of them will be finished. I can’t. I never do.
Drawing Hands by M. C. Escher
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I don’t know what it is, but it always plays out the same. I get a new idea for a good story, I start writing, thinking this time I’ll do it, that it’ll be the one.
Then it gets forgotten, or I lose interest.
It’s all meaningless.
About what I said before...what I was thinking about? Well, I was just going to say this:
If drive is what keeps people going, how do you go when you have no drive?
I think about that a lot, mainly because it’s true. Like my ideas for a story. If I have no drive, how can I expect to finish what I started?
That’s not all. What if I have the drive, but it wears off? What if my drive just isn’t enough!? What do I do then? I’m stuck. And I need help.
Thinking about it is meaningless. Because I know talking about it won’t change it.
But… I feel like I should tell you this. You listen after all.
I listen.
It’s not worth it, you won’t finish, it’s not good, people hate it, not a good idea, stop trying, why bother, you can’t, I need help, it’s hurting me, make it stop, I can’t go on.
A wall of literal writers block. Maybe that’s what’s stopping me? This... wall? I don’t know.
It’s meaningless.
My writing, my stories, my ideas. They are my life. It’s what I’m good at. All I’m good at, really. But… they’re meaning-less. Worthless. Useless.
Does that mean I’m meaningless?
No. yes? I don’t know. I’m stuck, my drive is gone, and I hate my work. Like the game developer I talked about before. It’s terrible! All of it!
If it isn’t done why bother starting?
It’s meaningless. I’m just...I’m going to for a bit. I’m sorry; I know you expected to read something fun and entertain-ing. But…I can’t. I have nothing. It’s all…
Meaningless?
Yeah. Meaningless.
Am I meaningless?
I’ve already asked that, but is it true?
If I can’t continue, I go backwards, which is pointless. I can’t excel in my work, and become successful, so why do I bother trying again and again and again and again!?
Is it because I hope one day, it’ll be different?
Maybe. But it doesn’t matter now. It’s all just…
Meaningless?
Yeah. Meaningless.
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Now it’s winter,
everyone fancies
snuggling up in-front
of the warm burning
fire with their fa-
vourite onesie and a
cup of hot choccy!
But, I would like to
think that we go
out and explore.
However, I know we
can’t always feel
bothered to put our
makeup on or dress
amazingly but hope-
fully my top tips
will change your
mind. There are so
many rules when it
comes to fashion
but ‘hey, rules
are meant to
be broken’.
Hopefully all you
beauties will be look-
ing fabulous this win-
ter.
After traipsing
through many fashion
magazines, digging out
clothes and seeing
what everyone else
thinks, I have finally
come to a conclusion
of how we students
can look our finest
this winter.
Oversized coats and
comfy sweaters are a
must have! When you
tie this with leggings
and some comfy
boots a whole
new comfy-yet-stylish
look arrives in your
wardrobe. Many shops
will have these availa-
ble in any price range
but look through your
last years to see if
you can bring it out
too. Faux fur may
not appeal to every-
one but putting a
faux fur vest over a
long sleeved top cre-
ates a winter look
that is simple yet
effective. It is also
very cosy. Bold prints
are very much in this
season so mix and
match with patterns
and bold colours
Fashion Update
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Jessica Boulton
muddled or going out
looking like a snowman;
even if your intentions
this Christmas is high!
Hope you all have a
wonderful Christmas
holiday and receive
lovely gifts. Stay warm
but stay stylish!
makes them very warm.
My last advice to you
ladies is to invest in
some warm scarves, ear
-warmers and gloves
that can be worn to
warm you up this win-
ter and make a fashion
statement.
My last words to you
is to not to over bun-
dle! We all know what
it is like when you over
layer and when delayer-
ing we end up getting
hot, frustrated and re-
gretting why we put
them on the first
place. Plus I don’t
want any or you get-
ting
to create a statement
outfit that could be
dressed up with some
simple jewelry. On the
other hand, don’t for-
get the neutral colours
too, this may look au-
tumnal but really it
just makes your look
more casual yet can
also jazz up a denim
skirt. Everyone has
some ankle boots, even
if they are last year’s
or this year, you can
put these with some
skinny jeans and pull
up your socks enough
to see them out of
your boots! I must
admit this
12
Tell Me Truly… What has Christmas become? Polly Huscroft
The 25th of December, in my personal opinion, is one of the greatest days of the year. This is purely because Christmas Day allows you to get away with
things that you wouldn’t even dream of at any other time in the year. On Christmas Day it is deemed acceptable to wake up at five in the morning, crack open the bubbly by nine, eat enough food to feed an army and listen to your family rant about how they are going to put the world to rights. One thing that I do think to myself though, howev-er, is how much money and preparation goes into these festivities that a majority of people partake in at Christ-mas? From this question I thought that I would try and shed some light onto Christmas.
Put it this way, did you know that 70 per cent of us carry a gene that makes the brain detect sharp, bitter flavours, resulting in the dislike of Brussel sprouts? I never truly believed that my family never liked them; I thought that they were just
using it as an excuse to get away with not eating them. Although 9875 tonnes of sprouts are consumed in Decem-ber each year, this to me seems like a truly extravagant amount. Did you also know that 10 million turkeys were consumed last year in the UK? This statement goes to show that 76 per cent of families around the UK will be serv-ing up a succulent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive meal this Christmas; I can safely say that I’ll be part of the 76 percent eating turkey this Christmas. Henry VIII was the first English monarch to eat turkey on Christ-
mas day; it was Edward VII however that carried on the tradition. The alcohol figures are extraordinary. Dur-ing December in Britain there is a 40 percent increase in alcohol consumption and, if you don’t believe me, 600 million units of alcohol are consumed by we Brits during
December 2014. This statistic is then reflected when you find out that 35 million bottles of wine and 250 million
pints of beer were consumed over Christmas last year. 25 million Christmas puddings were eaten last year, seeing this statistic as somebody that truly loathes Christmas pudding I find
this one a little hard to believe. However the fact that all this extra food consumption means that the average per-son could put on an extra 5lbs (2kg) in weight isn’t a surprise to me, I’ve seen how much I can get through over Christmas.
It’s not just the amount that we consume over Christmas which is shocking… We spend a fortune! £74.3 bil-lion is the expected total retail spend by UK households in the run up to Christmas and more than one third of this will be additional Christmas spending on food,
drink, clothing and toiletries. Last year 44.3m hours were spent online shopping across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, that is an amazing amount of time to be sat at a computer browsing the internet. DHL identi-fied December 13th as the busiest day for Christmas shopping. In previous years it has seen an uplift of as much as 99 per cent on that day compared to the usual volume of packages at DHL service points which I must say is quite
an achievement. Royal mail estimates it deals with 700 million Christmas cards and 40 million parcels sent by internet shoppers during the Christmas period; my question to them is whether
all of them will be delivered in time. But 32,000 temporary jobs have been created by Amazon and Royal mail this year for the Christmas season in anticipation of a surge in demand. This statement is quite easily proven when you hear that 4.1m orders were received by Amazon on the busiest day last Christmas. That is the equivalent of 47 or-
ders per second. On a slightly scary note, on average £37.04 is stolen by thieves per family in the UK during the Christmas season.
13
However, it does seem as though we are wasting our money when we look back at what we throw away over Christ-
mas. 30 per cent more rubbish is produced over the Christmas period. £2.4 billion is wasted on uneaten, discarded food and unwanted gifts and £28 on average per person is
spent on food and drink that will get thrown away. Roughly one billion Christmas cards that are sent will end up in bins across the UK. Additionally, wrapping paper is a massive issue. It has been said that you could gift wrap the Island of Jersey with the amount of wrapping paper thrown away each Christmas and this year it has been predicted that the amount of wrapping paper estimated to be thrown away in the UK this Christmas could stretch around the equator nine times or to the moon if each sheet was laid end to end. It’s amazing really if you think about it… Remember the
gifts that you get that you hate the dreaded unwanted gifts? One in five unwanted gifts end up at the back of the cupboard and another fifth of them are passed on to someone else as a gift. In a survey completed last year it was shown that two
per cent of unwanted gifts are thrown away and that nearly half of the adults questioned would consider selling un-wanted presents online, putting the money towards something that they really want which to be honest I believe is a perfectly reasonable response.
Health and Safety also manages to kick off over Christmas and on this rare occasion their panic seems justified. Did you know that roughly 80,000 people every year need hospital treatment for injuries such as cuts, falls and burns over the Christmas period? Do you know as well have dangerous your fairy lights are? Last year they caused 20 fires and that
around 350 people a year are hurt by Christmas tree lights, injuries include
falling whilst putting them up, electric shocks and burns from faulty lights. People majorly hurt themselves whilst deco-rating their homes, about 1,000 people a year are injured by their Christmas tree, usually while fixing stars, lights or
other decorations to the higher branches and another 1,000 people a year are hurt when decorating their homes, with the most common injuries being falls from unstable chairs or even out
of the loft.
In conclusion, it appears that Christmas has become an excuse to drink, over indulge, spend in excess, be wasteful and be reckless in our decorating. It definitely seems as though we have begun to lose the true meaning of Christmas which is in essence to be thankful for what we have and the company that we have to share the day with, it isn’t about the material good that we manage to pick up along the way. Therefore I’d like to end my article with a couple of facts and
figures that map out how the “experts” predict that your Christmas is going to go. The “experts” believe 8.39am is the time in which the first chocolate is eaten, 9:57am is the time of the first family row, 11.07am is the time the children will first be told off, 11.48am is the time the first alcoholic drink is con-sumed and finally 4.58pm is the time the first person will fall asleep on Christmas Day. With this in mind, how closely do you believe that these facts and figures
relate to your Christmas this year? Did they happen last year or the year before that? Think about it for a while and see, you may surprise yourself.
14
Day 100 by Charlie Hall
Today would mark Eid al-Fitr. It means the festival of breaking of the
fast, and marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting,
on the 1st of Shawwal. But now I can only acknowledge it as the 6th of
July. It is a day like any other day now. I sit here in my degrading and
squalid cage, with nothing but dry porridge and stagnant water to keep
me alive. I cannot fast on this, even if I had the choice. My allocated
name is Anthony Carter. My real name, my Muslim name, is Abdul Rabb
Alli. What I am writing now is forbidden. If this was to be found in my
cell, I would be executed by them.
15
Thump. Thump. I can hear the ironclad footsteps of the guards approaching.
Thump. Thump. I slide my diary under my stained pillow with great haste. Thump.
Thump. My pulse raises, my heart lurching from my chest. They rattle their batons
over the iron bars of our cages for their own amusement, attempting to aggravate
us. Some of us cry, some of us scream. They approach my cell, their eyes fixated up-
on me.
“Anthony Carter?” I stay silent, refusing to answer to my false identity. “Anthony
Carter?” they taunt again. “I do not know who Anthony Carter is, but I know I am
not him.” A surge of retaliation fills my veins. The whole corridor falls silent as each
resident peers through the bars of their cell to watch the commotion unfold. They
know what is coming, as do I.
The cell door flies open, smacking against the iron bars and echoing a metallic
screech down the corridor. “Get up, little man,” one of them commands. I raise my-
self up, my shaking and trembling skeleton nearly crumbling under my own weight.
The tallest of the pair proceeds to restrain me.. I hear my rib cage crack and shatter
into tiny pieces as the other guard swings his baton in to me. Once. Twice. Three
times. My body is like a child’s paint pallet, mixtures of yellows, greens and blues all
over. They throw me to the floor and I land in the pool of blood and spit I had just
so unwillingly produced. “Allahu Akbar.” I mutter to myself. “Allahu Akbar.”
16
I think they have gone now. They always travel in pairs: one to hold me, one to punish
me. To punish me on one charge and one charge only. I am guilty of being innocent of
being Muslim. I do not say Allahu Akbar to incite fear into my captors. I do it to en-
courage hope in my fellow captives. Allahu Akbar is not a war cry. It is not to signify
evil or hatred. It has been tainted by killers and murderers, who have corrupted its
true, heartfelt meaning. It simply means ‘God is beautiful’. Fear and hatred of the
Muslim culture was forged in the fire started by these murders, who screamed these
words as they lit the flame.
“What’ve you got there?” My heart stops. I hear the person tap on the bars of my
cell, attempting to get my attention. I’m speechless, sounds and murmurs churning
out from my mouth in no structured order. “The truth.” I finally manage to construct
a sentence. “You’re living in the truth here and now. Turn around.” And so I do. This is
it surely. Looking at me is a tall and bulky figure, dressed in a sleek grey suit and
sporting a wooden cane. It’s him. The leader of them all. He carries himself in a
creepy and calm manner, remaining on the other side of the bars. He points to the
diary in my hand. “A diary. Hmm. Leather casing, yellow paper. Very similar to the one
I left in the dining hall the other day by accident. Tut. Tut. A thief in my prison. You
people are all the same.” I raise myself up and walk to him. We are both centimeters
apart, his warm horrid breathe attacking my face. The iron bars are all that holds us
apart. “We are not. My parents were Muslim. Their parents were Muslim. I am Abdul
Rabb Alli. I am a Muslim. And I am not afraid of you.”
17
He looks at me and smiles. “You should be.”
Guantanamo Bay by Banksy
18
Dear Doctor
I have come to the conclusion that this is a big enough problem to bring to you... I mean I know
that it’s not only me that it affects but I feel that it has got to the point I need some kind of
help. It’s the vending machine at school! It’s literally robbing the majority of sixth form of their
lunch money. So here is what happens... you put the amount of money in for the snack you
desire, wait a couple of seconds and the product just presses itself up against the glass teas-
ingly; so you are left gazing at it longingly. I mean we tried to solve the problem ourselves but
somehow banging the glass several times relentlessly and getting a huddle of boys to rock it to
and fro only seems to amuse it. The fact that we are told to walk all the way to the canteen to
ask for the key is beyond a joke too; this isn’t the quest for the One Ring – it’s meant to be con-
venient. I guess what I am saying is that deep down I think the school itself is trying to teach us
some sort of metaphorical lesson on the disappointments of life… or maybe dating. Either that
or they’re just trying to rob us to pay for more astro turf. Please help with these shady dealings;
as I have to ask my mum for extra lunch money, and she’s starting to think that I’m spending it
on something far more exciting than a glorified version of one of those claw machines you get
at arcades.
Dear anon
This is hardly difficult to come up with a solution now is it? What is it with you sixth formers
eating so much junk food? Sounds to me that it would be less hassle to just live without
this obsession. But if you cannot possibly resort to this, then maybe, just maybe you
should try walking to the Flamingo Pool? You know… that huge building about 50 metres
past the school canteen. It contains about four variations of vending machines that I am
sure aren’t providing you with ‘shady dealings’. But then again this might be a bit too much
effort for you. It seems to me as if you would rather let your money be sucked in by the
rustlers themselves. If you really want to push the boat out you could all walk to town and
buy something the good old fashioned way? Oh wait, do you need some kind of technology
to do that for you as well? Anyway, let’s face it; you probably need the exercise.
Doctor, Doctor!
19
Dear Doctor,
I hope you can help me with. I just don’t think I can cope with this for much longer. It’s
the school microwave. Every single day as soon as you walk through the double doors
the stench just hits you. The entire common room is contaminated with the disease
that it gives off. I’m convinced that’s the reason everyone is leaving! It’s even worse if
you want to attempt to use the thing… Well first of all you’ll have to scrape the four
inches of thick grime off the top!! AND once you open the thing that’s when you know
it’s bad. Your eyes begin to sting and water, the smell scorches all the way through
your sinus completely tearing it up, this then makes you gag like a slowly-drying gold-
fish! You know what; you’re actually lucky if you don’t catch anything whilst attempting
to avoid brushing your hand up against the splodges of ‘Uncle Ben’s Mexican pasta’
and the ‘Reggie Reggae extra spicy burgers’ splatted all over the roof of the thing.
Actually the crispy buttons are the worst, jammed with old pieces of food and crumbs
from god knew what. Basically what I’m trying to say is I just need you to help before
Dear anon,
There are two solutions for this problem. The first is that instead of complain-
ing to me and wasting my time, why don’t YOU get off your lazy backside and
go clean the bloody microwave yourself. A bit of bleach and vanish will do the
job; just make sure you put in enough elbow grease to demolish the
‘disease’ once and for all. You’ll be doing everyone in sixth form a favour.
Secondly, how about you actually eat proper food instead of all this micro-
wave rubbish? Ever heard of a salad? Or why don’t you even try the nutri-
tious delicacies available more locally? A bit of binjuice is always good for the
immune system and undercooked chips require more energy to digest so are
20
Matthew Mortimer explores The Dangers of Space Exploration
Millions of people watched the launch of the Soyuz TMA-17M on Tuesday, as it carried Tim Peake into space. The lift off was routine, the Soyuz launched from a remote desert area of Kazakhstan. Peake has now become
the first Britain to board the International Space Station (ISS) after docking occurred at 17:33 GMT. However, it was not without drama as after several failed docking attempts, the crew had to manually steer the craft to
the hatch. What could have been a disastrous moment was thankfully resolved. However, sometimes space exploration is less forgiving, launches are less routine, and some astro-
nauts have never returned home.
Space Shuttle Challenger had its first flight of its total of 10 in 1983. Challenger flew three missions a year from 1983 to 1985. Its 10th launch took place in 1986. The crew consisted of
7, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Resnik .The launch date of the Space Shuttle Challenger was continually
pushed backwards due to bad weather and also mechanical problems. The launch was finally scheduled for 11:39:13 EST on January 28th, 1986. However conditions were still not
preferable. Temperatures were very low and ice was observable on the launch platforms.
Huge rockets are used to launch the Space Shuttle into orbit. These are known as solid rocket boosters (SRBs). These SRBs were held together by complex joints. An O-ring in a joint of
one of the joints had been highlighted as a possible weak point in the crafts design. These rings flex to and fill the joints to ensure the hot gases do not escape. Many prominent engi-
neers argued that the design was weak and may fail in certain conditions, but NASA ignored all of these warnings and decided to press ahead with the launch.
Upon launch, everything appeared to be operating smoothly as Challenger left launch pad 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, the cold weather meant that the O-rings had hardened
so they failed to plug the gaps in the SRB joint. It was only on review of cameras on the launch platform that smoke could be seen coming from the joint on launch. As the Shuttle ascended
hot gas began to leak through a growing hole in one of the SRBs joints. Flames rushed from the joint and a clear plume became visible. At T+72.284, the right SRB pulled away from the ex-
ternal tank. The communication captured by the crew cabin recorder came just half a second after this movement, when Pilot Michael J. Smith said "Uh-oh." At T+73.124 the external tank
suffered a complete structural failure, the LH2 and LOX tanks ruptured, mixed, and ignited, creating a huge fireball that enveloped the entire craft. At an altitude of 15km, the rocket broke
up. The shuttle was torn apart by aerodynamic forces due to the speed that it was travelling at.
Despite this, the more robust crew cabin survived the breakup of the launch vehicle. The cabin slowly tumbled into a ballistic arc and within 10 seconds
the cabin was in free fall. The forces at this stage were not enough to injure, meaning the crew were most likely still alive as well as conscious. The cabin
hit the ocean surface at roughly 207 mph, with an estimated deceleration at impact of well over 200 g which would have killed anyone still alive. On
March 7th, divers from the USS Preserver identified the remains of the cabin on the ocean floor. Inside the twisted debris of the crew cabin they found the bodies of the astronauts, which
were nearly unrecognizable after ten weeks of submersion in salt water and scavenging marine life. Upon examination of the cabin, it was discovered that several switches Pilot Mike
Smith's right-hand panel had been moved from their standard launch positions. Tests established that neither force of the explosion nor the impact with the ocean could have moved these
switches. This suggested that as they fell to their deaths Smith tried in vain to restore electricity to the module. All recovered non-organic debris from Challenger is buried at a former mis-
sile silo at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 31. It is believed that around 55% of Challenger was never found and lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The major disaster was viewed by millions. Payload specialist Christa McAuliffe was a school teacher selected for the mission. Due to her presence, NASA arranged for many US public
schools to view the launch live on NASA TV. As a result, many who were schoolchildren in the US in 1986 watched the launch and the disaster live. The space shuttle fleet was shut down for
3 years after the disaster, with the incident raising many questions about the operations of NASA. They chose to attempt the launch and ignore warnings due to the frustration of moving
back the launch date, this decision ultimately leading to the death of the 7 crew.
Space travel has come a long way since the Challenger disaster, and is still developing. Many argue that safety is far more of a priority now that the rush to explore space has somewhat
subsided. However, the risks involved are still huge; there is absolutely no margin for error. As Tim Peake blasted off to the ISS, many people watching questioned whether they would be brave enough to partake in such a
hazardous mission. At many points during the evolution of space travel it has been questioned whether the reward outweighs the risk and cost.
The huge fireball created when the LH2
and LOX tanks ignited.
21
Matthew Mortimer explores The Dangers of Space Exploration
Millions of people watched the launch of the Soyuz TMA-17M on Tuesday, as it carried Tim Peake into space. The lift off was routine, the Soyuz launched from a remote desert area of Kazakhstan. Peake has now become
the first Britain to board the International Space Station (ISS) after docking occurred at 17:33 GMT. However, it was not without drama as after several failed docking attempts, the crew had to manually steer the craft to
the hatch. What could have been a disastrous moment was thankfully resolved. However, sometimes space exploration is less forgiving, launches are less routine, and some astro-
nauts have never returned home.
Space Shuttle Challenger had its first flight of its total of 10 in 1983. Challenger flew three missions a year from 1983 to 1985. Its 10th launch took place in 1986. The crew consisted of
7, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Resnik .The launch date of the Space Shuttle Challenger was continually
pushed backwards due to bad weather and also mechanical problems. The launch was finally scheduled for 11:39:13 EST on January 28th, 1986. However conditions were still not
preferable. Temperatures were very low and ice was observable on the launch platforms.
Huge rockets are used to launch the Space Shuttle into orbit. These are known as solid rocket boosters (SRBs). These SRBs were held together by complex joints. An O-ring in a joint of
one of the joints had been highlighted as a possible weak point in the crafts design. These rings flex to and fill the joints to ensure the hot gases do not escape. Many prominent engi-
neers argued that the design was weak and may fail in certain conditions, but NASA ignored all of these warnings and decided to press ahead with the launch.
Upon launch, everything appeared to be operating smoothly as Challenger left launch pad 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, the cold weather meant that the O-rings had hardened
so they failed to plug the gaps in the SRB joint. It was only on review of cameras on the launch platform that smoke could be seen coming from the joint on launch. As the Shuttle ascended
hot gas began to leak through a growing hole in one of the SRBs joints. Flames rushed from the joint and a clear plume became visible. At T+72.284, the right SRB pulled away from the ex-
ternal tank. The communication captured by the crew cabin recorder came just half a second after this movement, when Pilot Michael J. Smith said "Uh-oh." At T+73.124 the external tank
suffered a complete structural failure, the LH2 and LOX tanks ruptured, mixed, and ignited, creating a huge fireball that enveloped the entire craft. At an altitude of 15km, the rocket broke
up. The shuttle was torn apart by aerodynamic forces due to the speed that it was travelling at.
Despite this, the more robust crew cabin survived the breakup of the launch vehicle. The cabin slowly tumbled into a ballistic arc and within 10 seconds
the cabin was in free fall. The forces at this stage were not enough to injure, meaning the crew were most likely still alive as well as conscious. The cabin
hit the ocean surface at roughly 207 mph, with an estimated deceleration at impact of well over 200 g which would have killed anyone still alive. On
March 7th, divers from the USS Preserver identified the remains of the cabin on the ocean floor. Inside the twisted debris of the crew cabin they found the bodies of the astronauts, which
were nearly unrecognizable after ten weeks of submersion in salt water and scavenging marine life. Upon examination of the cabin, it was discovered that several switches Pilot Mike
Smith's right-hand panel had been moved from their standard launch positions. Tests established that neither force of the explosion nor the impact with the ocean could have moved these
switches. This suggested that as they fell to their deaths Smith tried in vain to restore electricity to the module. All recovered non-organic debris from Challenger is buried at a former mis-
sile silo at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 31. It is believed that around 55% of Challenger was never found and lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The major disaster was viewed by millions. Payload specialist Christa McAuliffe was a school teacher selected for the mission. Due to her presence, NASA arranged for many US public
schools to view the launch live on NASA TV. As a result, many who were schoolchildren in the US in 1986 watched the launch and the disaster live. The space shuttle fleet was shut down for
3 years after the disaster, with the incident raising many questions about the operations of NASA. They chose to attempt the launch and ignore warnings due to the frustration of moving
back the launch date, this decision ultimately leading to the death of the 7 crew.
Space travel has come a long way since the Challenger disaster, and is still developing. Many argue that safety is far more of a priority now that the rush to explore space has somewhat
subsided. However, the risks involved are still huge; there is absolutely no margin for error. As Tim Peake blasted off to the ISS, many people watching questioned whether they would be brave enough to partake in such a
hazardous mission. At many points during the evolution of space travel it has been questioned whether the reward outweighs the risk and cost.
The crew of Challenger flight STS-51-L
The crew cabin can be clearly
seen flying from the explosion
cloud
22
Q: What kind of key opens a banana? A: A monkey!
Q: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? A: Because he felt crummy
Q: What do you call a fake noodle? A: An impasta
Q: Why is Peter Pan always flying? A: He neverlands!
Pete’s Comedy Corner
23
Ma
r 2
1–
Ap
r 2
0
Ap
r21
– M
ar
21
M
ay
22
—Ju
n 2
2
Jun
23
—Ju
l
23
Se
p 2
4—
Oct
23
O
ct 2
4—
No
v 2
2
Ari
es
Tau
rus
Gem
ini
Can
cer
Lib
ra
Sco
rpio
Ho
rosc
op
es by
Jes
s C
ryst
al-B
allt
on
an
d C
har
lott
e o
f th
e W
estl
ake
You
r fa
te w
ill a
lway
s
be
wo
rkin
g fo
r th
e
nex
t tw
o m
on
ths,
yo
u
will
be
pu
t in
th
e ri
ght
pla
ce a
t th
e ri
ght
tim
e...
wh
o k
no
ws
wh
at c
ou
ld h
app
en?
Emb
race
th
e co
lou
r
red
th
is w
eek
an
d
sho
w s
om
e lo
ve.
Tues
day
will
be
in
you
r fa
vou
r so
sit
bac
k an
d r
elax
to
see
wh
at h
app
ens.
Peo
ple
will
be
mag
neti
sed
to
Peo
ple
are
no
tici
ng
you
r p
rese
nce
an
d
per
form
ance
th
is
mo
nth
; so
str
ike
a
po
se. Y
ou
nee
d t
o f
eel
mo
re c
on
fid
ent
and
mak
e yo
urs
elf
feel
pro
ud
fo
r w
hat
yo
u
ach
ieve
th
is m
on
th.
You
may
als
o b
e fe
el-
ing
stro
ng
to m
ake
pla
ns
for
you
r fu
ture
at a
car
eer
leve
l. Fr
i-
day
will
be
you
r b
est
day
th
is m
on
th s
o y
ou
You
r th
ou
ghts
will
be
shar
ed w
ith
oth
ers
du
e to
yo
u b
ein
g th
e
wis
est
on
e. Y
ou
nee
d
to lo
ok
and
see
in
wh
at p
rogr
ess
is
nee
ded
to
mo
ve f
or-
war
d f
rom
so
me-
thin
g th
at is
an
no
y-
ing
you
. May
be
gain
an in
tere
st in
an
ad
-
ven
ture
. Th
e b
est
we
ek d
ay f
or
you
is
Wed
nes
day
an
d L
ilac
and
Yel
low
are
yo
ur
This
is a
go
od
mo
nth
fo
r ge
ttin
g in
tou
ch w
ith
yo
ur
dee
per
fee
lings
.
You
nee
d t
o t
ry a
bre
ath
tak
ing
exp
e-
rien
ce, s
om
eth
ing
that
will
giv
e yo
u a
thri
ll. Y
ou
nee
d t
o
face
th
ose
fe
ars.
You
r b
est
day
of
the
we
ek is
Mo
nd
ay
and
yo
u n
eed
to
loo
k o
ut
for
the
colo
urs
blu
e an
d
You
r en
thu
sias
m t
o-
war
ds
som
eth
ing
you
love
is in
spir
ing
the
oth
ers
aro
un
d y
ou
.
Som
eth
ing
tells
us
that
yo
u’r
e h
old
ing
on
to s
om
eth
ing
you
sho
uld
hav
e le
t go
of
ages
ago
. An
yth
ing
that
yo
u w
ill e
xper
i-
ence
th
is m
on
th
sho
uld
lead
to
hap
pi-
nes
s. Y
ou
r st
ylis
h
styl
e sh
ou
ld b
e em
-
bra
ced
wit
h c
olo
urs
of
blu
es, p
inks
an
d
vio
lets
. Fri
day
is a
day
You
sh
ou
ld b
e fe
el-
ing
real
ly g
oo
d
abo
ut
con
nec
tin
g
wit
h s
om
eon
e yo
u
are
fam
iliar
wit
h.
This
sh
ou
ld e
nab
le
you
to
lift
th
e n
ega-
tive
vib
es o
ff o
f
you
r m
ind
th
is
mo
nth
. Kee
p t
hin
gs
sim
ple
an
d g
ain
som
e st
abili
ty. T
he
bes
t d
ay f
or
you
is
Tues
day
an
d c
ol-
ou
rs a
re d
eep
red
s,
24
No
v 2
3—
De
c 2
1
De
c 2
2—
Jan
20
Ja
n 2
1—
Fe
b 1
9
Feb
20
—M
ar
20
Jul
24
—A
ug
23
A
ug
24
— S
ep
23
Sagi
tta-
Cap
ri-
Aq
uar
ius
Pis
ces
Leo
V
irgo
Ho
rosc
op
es by
Jes
s C
ryst
al-B
allt
on
an
d C
har
lott
e o
f th
e W
estl
ake
A f
rien
d m
ay a
cco
m-
pan
y yo
u in
mak
ing
the
rig
ht
dec
isio
n o
n
a p
rob
lem
an
d y
ou
sho
uld
tak
e t
hei
r
advi
ce. Y
ou
sh
ou
ld
reco
nsi
der
th
e ro
u-
tin
e yo
u m
ay h
ave
to
mak
e t
hin
gs r
un
mo
re s
mo
oth
ly t
his
may
mak
e y
ou
mo
re
mo
tiva
ted
fo
r so
me
-
thin
g yo
u w
ant
to
ach
ieve
. Yo
ur
bes
t
day
is S
atu
rday
as
you
may
fee
l yo
u g
et
You
be
ing
pro
du
ctive
hel
ps
you
to
pu
sh
you
r w
orr
ies
asid
e
and
fo
cus
on
so
me
-
thin
g yo
u h
ave
a p
as-
sio
n f
or.
Ho
wev
er
you
nee
d t
o r
eco
nn
ect
wit
h t
hin
gs t
hat
matt
er t
o y
ou
mo
st
and
iro
n o
ut
tho
se
diffi
culti
es y
ou
may
be
faci
ng.
Su
nd
ay is
yo
ur
lazy
day
bu
t b
y co
n-
cen
trati
ng
on
so
me
-
thin
g yo
u lo
ve y
ou
can
be
sure
to
tu
rn t
his
You
sh
ou
ld e
xpre
ss
you
r fe
elin
gs m
ore
an
d
it is
imp
ort
ant
to li
ste
n
to t
hem
. An
y te
nsi
on
or
sad
nes
s sh
ou
ld b
e
ligh
ten
ed
up
wit
h a
little
hu
mo
ur
or
a d
is-
trac
tio
n. Y
ou
sh
ou
ld
wip
e yo
ur
slat
e c
lean
and
sta
rt n
ew. T
he
bes
t d
ay o
f th
e w
eek
is
Thu
rsd
ay a
nd
yo
ur
colo
ur
is g
old
du
e to
mo
ne
y b
ein
g an
im-
po
rtan
ce in
a p
arti
cu-
It's
a ti
me
fo
r la
yin
g
low
, co
nn
ecti
ng
wit
h
tho
se c
lose
st t
o y
ou
,
and
en
joyi
ng
fam
iliar
surr
ou
nd
ings
an
d
pe
op
le. Y
ou
se
em t
o
be
mo
re p
rod
ucti
ve
in p
riva
cy o
r w
he
n
you
re
mo
ve y
ou
rsel
f
fro
m t
he
hu
b o
f ac
-
tivi
ty. Y
ou
r b
est
day
of
the
we
ek
is T
hu
rs-
day
an
d t
he
colo
urs
of
the
sea
are
th
e
The
re is
go
od
en
er-
gy in
yo
ur
soci
al li
fe
this
mo
nth
an
d y
ou
are
incl
ined
to
sho
win
g yo
ur
app
re-
ciati
on
to
war
ds
tho
se in
yo
ur
life
.
The
ke
y to
su
cces
s
at t
he
mo
me
nt
is
givi
ng
atte
nti
on
to
oth
ers
an
d le
ss o
n
you
rse
lf. T
he
be
st
day
of
the
wee
k is
Sun
day
an
d t
he
co
l-
ou
rs o
f th
e su
n e
n-
The
re c
an b
e a
ple
asan
t se
nse
th
at
the
wo
rk y
ou
are
do
ing
at t
he
mo
-
me
nt
is s
om
eth
ing
that
tru
ly c
on
trib
-
ute
s to
yo
ur
futu
re.
The
imp
ort
ant
thin
g
is t
hat
yo
u'r
e se
ein
g
just
ho
w im
po
rtan
t
the
"litt
le t
hin
gs"
are.
Th
is c
an h
elp
you
in im
pro
vin
g
som
eth
ing
you
do
n’t
like
. Yo
ur
favo
uri
te d
ay o
f th
e
we
ek is
We
dn
esd
ay
and
ear
thy
gre
en
s
25