EDITOR’S LETTER

Welcome to a very special issue of The Week Junior Science+nature. This month we’re celebrating World Space Week (4–10 October), and we are hugely excited to have space scientist, writer, TV presenter, and all-round space ace Dr Maggie Aderin-pocock to be our guest editor. Her phasers have been set to stun, so strap yourself in as we set off on a tour of the universe!

Hi everyone. What do you think of when you think about space? Do you imagine astronauts blasting off on adventures or peering deep into the universe with giant space telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)? Well, although I got to work on the JWST, much of my work as a space scientist has been observing our planet from orbit. Climate change is one of the biggest issues we’re facing right now. This is why I am so happy that this year’s World Space Week will focus on “space and sustainability”. Monitoring our planet from space makes Earth a better place for everyone.

I first got the space bug when I was very little. When I heard about the Moon landings I just thought, oh my goodness, that’s what I want to do – I want to get out in space! New missions to the Moon (see page 6) will inspire the next generation. The UK space industry is booming now, and we need not just space scientists, but space artists, space lawyers and space marketers. So, if you catch the space bug from reading this magazine, there’s a place for you, too.

You might think it’s just a crazy dream to go to space. Only about 600 people have ever travelled out there so far, but by having my big dream and by thinking big, it means I get to do things that I would have never thought possible as a child – like being the guest editor of The Week Junior Science+nature!

Remember to reach for the stars and have that big, crazy dream!

Maggie, guest editor

By Dr Maggie Aderin-pocock Illustrated by Chelen Ecija

Buster Books (out 29 September)

How did the universe begin? How long would it take to fly to a star? And what would happen if you fell into a black hole? Find out the answer to these questions and more in Am I Made of Stardust? by Dr Maggie Aderin-pocock. Dr Maggie is a space scientist and presenter of BBC’S The Sky at Night. Her answers are accompanied by photography from NASA and illustrations by Chelen Ecija. “I love talking to kids about space and astronomy – they have so many amazing questions. In this book I have taken some of my favourites and written answers so they can be shared with everyone,” she says.

We have five copies of Am I Made of Stardust to give away. For a chance to win a copy, go to sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk/books and fill in the form by 23:59 on 13 October*.