This May we take young readers on a journey from a galaxy far, far away to the streets right outside their door. Inspired by Star Wars Day, we explore how real discoveries from NASA, like distant planets and powerful forces such as black holes, connect to the imaginative worlds of Star Wars. We also shine a light on how public works engineers use similar problem-solving skills right here in our community!
Nasa and Star Wars
Scientists have discovered thousands of planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets—and some of them are a lot like places in Star Wars! For example, there are icy planets that remind us of Hoth, and sandy worlds with two sunsets like Tatooine.
Link to Article: https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/meet-8-star-wars-planets-in-our-own-galaxy/
Public Works in your Community
Public Works is where science and engineering come together to build and care for the world around us! For example, Long Beach Public works is working on updating the design and safety of the Shoemaker Bridge in Downtown Long Beach. The new state-of-the-art bridge will meet current Highway Capacity Manual design standards, enhances safety, and strengthen neighborhood connectivity.
Learn more here: https://www.longbeach.gov/pw/projects/shoemaker-bridge/
Black Holes
Black holes are among the most mysterious cosmic objects, much studied but not fully understood. These objects aren’t really holes. They’re huge concentrations of matter packed into very tiny spaces. A black hole is so dense that gravity just beneath its surface, the event horizon, is strong enough that nothing – not even light – can escape. The event horizon isn’t a surface like Earth’s or even the Sun’s. It’s a boundary that contains all the matter that makes up the black hole.
Link to Article: https://science.nasa.gov/universe/black-holes/
Ball Run Activity
In this engineering challenge, you will build a ball run from paper and tape, but there’s a twist! You want to make your ball run as slow as possible. How long can you make it take for the ball to get from the entrance to the exit?
Link to Activity: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/CE_p032/civil-engineering/ball-run-challenge-2026