Back to the Moon

By Karena Phan

NASA is on a mission to put the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. On May 16, the space agency took the latest step in that process. It announced the 11 companies selected to help produce advanced human lunar landers. These spacecraft are used to transport astronauts to the moon’s surface during a moon mission.

NASA has named this mission Artemis. In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon.

SAFE LANDING NASA is partnering with 11
companies to develop human landing systems (artist’s
concept above) that will transport astronauts to the moon’s surface.
NASA

NASA last sent people to the moon on the Apollo 17 mission. That was in 1972. Now, the agency wants to learn if humans can live there. “President Donald Trump has asked NASA to accelerate our plans to return to the moon,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine notes on the organization’s website. “This time, when we go to the moon, we will stay.”

The 11 companies NASA has partnered with will study human landing systems and develop models. “Our team is excited to get back to the moon quickly as possible,” said Marshall Smith. He is director for human lunar exploration programs at NASA. Partnering with the companies is “an important step” to achieving that goal, he adds.

The companies have been chosen from eight states. The better-known companies include SpaceX, in California, and Boeing, in Texas. Others include Blue Origin, in Washington; Dynetics, in Alabama; and Lockheed Martin, in Colorado.

NASA has awarded the companies a total of $45.5 million. Each company must also contribute to the total cost of the project. This will reduce costs to U.S. taxpayers. It will also encourage other companies to invest in NASA’s lunar projects.

Daily Announcements

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A New Museum

By Rebecca Mordechai with AP reporting

LADY LIBERTY LIVES ON The new Statue of Liberty Museum opens to the public on May 16. A refurbished version of the statue’s original torch (pictured) is one of the many artifacts on display.
DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES


A new museum gives visitors a fresh look at one of our country’s most important monuments. It’s the Statue of Liberty Museum. It opens to the public on May 16. The museum is located on Liberty Island. That’s off the southern tip of Manhattan, in New York City.

The new museum covers 26,000 square feet. That’s about half the size of a football field. It replaces the previous museum, which was in the statue’s pedestal. This will allow for more visitors than ever before. Each year, more than 4 million people visit Liberty Island. But only about 20% were able to enter the old museum.

“We looked at this small museum and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to . . . move it out to a place where more people could experience it?’” John Piltzecker said. He is superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island.

Admission to the new museum is free with the price of a ticket to Liberty Island. Inside, visitors can watch a film about Lady Liberty’s creation. They can also see artifacts, photos, and even the statue’s original, 3,600-pound torch. (That torch was removed in 1984 because of water damage.) A digital station lets visitors record what the Statue of Liberty means to them.

The $100 million project took 26 months to complete. It was privately funded. Those behind it hope that visitors will leave with a new appreciation for the iconic structure.

“Everywhere you go in the world, anywhere you see something about the United States, you see the Statue of Liberty,” said Stephen Briganti. He is president and CEO of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to United States. The American public got its first look at Lady Liberty in 1886.

Stop & Think! Why do you think TFK published this story the day before the museum opens? How might the story have been different if it were published after the opening date?


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Dino Discovery

By Rebecca Katzman

This is an artist’s rendering of the tyrannosauroid, Suskityrannus hazelae (left). It roamed the Earth 92 million years ago.
ILLUSTRATION BY AUDREY ATUCHIN

Twenty-one years ago, Sterling Nesbitt discovered the fossilized bones of a dinosaur in New Mexico. He was 16 years old at the time. In a study published on May 6 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, Nesbitt’s discovery has now been identified as a new dinosaur species.

The dino, known as Suskityrannus hazelae, was a type of tyrannosaurid. That means it was an ancestor of the T. rex. “The small group of tyrannosauroid dinosaurs would give rise to some of the biggest predators that we’ve ever seen,” Nesbitt said. He was the lead author of the study. He works as a paleontologist at Virginia Tech.

Scientists know that Suskityrannus hazelae was quite small. It was only a little larger than the skull of the T. rex. It weighed about 90 pounds. A T. rex could weigh up to nine tons.

The discovery fills an important gap in the evolution of dinosaurs. Suskityrannus hazelae roamed the Earth 92 million years ago. That’s more than 20 million years before the rise of the T. rex. “We don’t really have a lot of dinosaurs from this particular time period,” Victoria Arbour told Nova. She’s a paleontologist at Canada’s Royal BC Museum. She was not part of the study. “Anything we find is a huge increase in our knowledge,” she said.

The report about Suskityrannus hazelae comes just three months after North Carolina State University paleontologists reported identifying another tyrannosaurid. It is called Moros intrepidus. It was also a tiny relative of T. rex, and about 4 million years older than Suskityrannus hazelae.

Trade War Continues

By Constance Gibbs with AP reporting

China will increase tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. China announced the tariff increases on Monday. They will take effect June 1.

The increases are the result of a trade battle between China and the United States. President Donald Trump says China’s business practices are unfair to Americans. He has raised tariffs on $200 billion in goods imported from China. Raising taxes on imported items makes them more expensive.

China is fighting back. American goods such as soybeans, spinach, computers, and coffee will now be taxed as they enter China. China’s tariffs are meant to discourage people in China from buying American products.

TRADE WAR American and Chinese flags are posted at the free
trade port in Qingdao, China. On Monday, China raised tariffs on
American goods.
STR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

American and Chinese officials have been working on a deal that would end the trade battle. So far, no agreement has been reached. On Twitter, Trump wrote a message to Chinese president Xi Jinping. Trump said that China “will be hurt very badly” if he does not agree to a deal.

Larry Kudlow is Trump’s chief economic advisor. On Sunday, he spoke to Fox News. Kudlow said that the tariff increases will help the two countries come to an agreement. “It is a negotiation,” he said. “And part of the negotiation is taking action.”

Kudlow says China and the United States plan to continue trade talks.

Giraffes in Danger?

By Karena Phan with AP reporting

The giraffe may soon join the lion and elephant on the endangered-species list. In April, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service said it would consider putting it there. The agency said it had “substantial information” that led to that decision. Officials will do an in-depth review before making a final call.

Designating giraffes as endangered would restrict people from bringing the animals into the United States. It would also set aside federal money. This would be used for conservation efforts.

TALL ORDER The giraffe population has decreased dramatically

over the years. U.S. wildlife officials may list giraffes as 

endangered species.

VOLANTHEVIST/GETTY IMAGES

“Giraffes capture our imaginations from childhood on,” says Tanya Sanerib. She works for the Center for Biological Diversity. “But many people don’t realize how few are left in the wild.”

Giraffes currently live in 21 African countries. They have been wiped out in at least seven others. Conservationists say habitat loss and poaching are major threats. Since 1985, giraffe populations have decreased by 40%. There are only about 68,000 adult giraffes left. That’s less than a quarter of the African elephant population.

Some are against listing the giraffe as endangered. Safari Club International is a pro-hunting group. It says any restrictions “would reduce U.S. hunters’ willingness to pay top dollar for giraffe hunts.” The group says that money could be used to buy land to increase giraffes’ habitat. It could also be used to fund anti-poaching programs, the group says.