What if you lived in space?

What if you were the first space generation living in an orbiting space habitat? Sounds cool, right?

All sixth, seventh and eighth graders (ages 10–14) living in the U.S. are eligible to answer this question by  entering an essay competition sponsored by Anousheh Ansari, the first female private space explorer, and her nonprofit Ahoora Foundation.

This year’s What If? competition is about living on an orbiting space station as the first step to building colonies on the moon or Mars. Students can form a team of two or work alone, and need to recruit an Adult Sponsor. Registration closes February 9, 2009. Check the What If? site for all the details and rules.

This year the Grand Prize winner will have the opportunity to participate in the Conrad Award Innovation Summit™ April 2nd – 4th, 2009 and Yuri’s Night both at NASA Ames Moffett Field, CA. Good luck!

Fun and Funky Websites

How Stuff Works

Is the cure for cancer a virus? What’s the world’s cheapest car? What if everyone in the United States flushed the toilet at the same time?

These are just a few of the weird and intriguing questions posed by the website howstuffworks.com.

Not only does the web site ask these questions, it also answers them in language that everyone can understand. Each short article offers a wealth of weird and wonderful information!

 

Customized Music

Have you ever switched on the radio only to find there’s nothing to listen to? And just as soon as you find a good song, it ends, only to be replaced by something truly awful.

Pandora is a web site that eliminates this problem. The only things played are what you want to hear. If you don’t like a song, you can give it a “thumbs down” rating. The program will automatically adjust itself to your tastes. The more songs and artists you rate, the better chance you have of experiencing uninterrupted musical bliss.

 

Homestar Runner

Ever wonder what would happen if a strongman, a Mexican wrestler with an attitude, and a ghost were neighbors? The Flash-animated cartoons at Homestarrunner.com consider this question, and the result is a lot of fun craziness. Homestar, Strongbad, Strongsad, and the whole gang have weird adventures every week. For those who enjoy an extra dose of hilarity, check out Strongbad’s emails.