Facts about Plants,Science&Astronomy

Facts about Plants 1. Tiny plants called plankton live in the sea and make nearly three quarters of the earth's oxygen. The biggest is about 1mm across and the smallest is about 50 times smaller. 2. The tallest tree is the giant redwood called the Founder's tree, growing in the Humboldt National Forest, California, and is over 110mts high. 3. Some of the Sequoia trees in the USA are more than 4000 years old. 4. The kelp seaweeds along the Atlantic coast grow as long 6 mts, and the giant kelp of the pacific coast is even longer.

Facts about Science

1. The first machine to carry people up in the air was a balloon. It was built by the Mongolfier brothers and first flew in Paris in 1783. 2. In 1969, the Concorde was the first passenger plane to fly faster than sound. 3. The solar challenger was the first solar powered aircraft to cross the English channel in 1981. It's 262 km journey took 5.5 hours. 4. The longest pipeline in the world is 2856km long and is used for carrying crude oil. It runs from Edmonton, Canada to Buffalo, USA. 5. The world's largest hovercraft can carry over 400 passengers and 60 cars, and can travel at the speed of 120kmph. 6. The largest machine in the world is a coal digger in Ham Bach, West Germany. It is 220mts long and 85mts high, i.e. as tall as a 30 storey building. 7. One of the world's most powerful fire engine is the Oshkosh fire truck, used for aircraft fires. In just 3 minutes, it can spray enough foam to cover a football pitch. 8. Moving waves were used to produce electricity by Japan about 30 years ago.

Facts about Astronomy

1. Astronauts can become about 5cm taller while they are in space due to the absence of gravity. 2. The first artificial satellite to orbit the earth- Sputnik I, weighed 84kg and was only 58cm across. 3. The space shuttle Columbia, USA in 1981 was the first spacecraft that could be used again. 4. The amount of energy liberated in the form of light in a supernova explosion is so much that the explosion can be seen even during day.