EDITOR’S LETTER

Happy New Year! For many readers, this magazine will be your first issue of The Week Junior Science+nature. Whether you received a subscription as a Christmas present or our zinger of a cover caught your eye in the shops, welcome aboard!

With every issue of Science+nature we take you on a journey of discovery, opening your eyes to awesome inventions, visiting the wildest parts of the planet, meeting extraordinary people and amazing animals and explaining the universe. We also talk about the important issues facing humans on Earth. This helps you to make up your own mind about what you think and to take smart decisions to change your future. We want you to aim high in life and be inspired to dream big dreams.

When I was growing up, I dreamed of blasting off to space. Flying my spaceship, I would zoom past the planets and chart a course to distant star systems. Now thatfuture is getting one small step closer. In early 2022, humans are set to take another giant leap. Spacex’s fantastic Starship will attempt to orbit the Earth (page 9), and NASA’S magnificent SLS rocket will begin a new series of missions to return humans to the Moon (page 44).

Keeping it cosmic, in the latest episode of our Mysteries of Science podcast (out 7 January), Ciaran and I investigate the curious question of how to talk to aliens. Yo u can also join Fun Kids Radio in sending your own message to the stars – find out how on page 52. Plus, don’t miss the chance to talk to astronauts on the International Space Station with the Astro Pi Challenge (page 32).

I’d love to hear about the places that you’d like to visit – in the world, the solar system or even beyond. Drop us a line at

hello@science-nature.co.uk