Landsat 5 Satellite Sets World Record

Decades after Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union, there are still records being set by satellites in outer space. For example, the Landsat 5, a satellite launched by NASA on March 1, 1984, has just recently set a world record for being the longest orbiting satellite in history.

Landsat 5 was initially launched as a cooperative effort between NASA and USGS (United States Geological Survey) to take satellite photographs of the Earth using a multi-spectral scanner system and a thematic mapper. The photographs the Landsat 5 has taken over the years show how the world has been changing from shrinking glaciers and forests to wildfires and volcanoes. Through the years, these photos have helped scientists understand how the world is changing and how people are changing it.

It is hard to believe that the Landsat 5 has survived in space for almost 29 years. When it had first launched into space, Ronald Reagan was president and the country was gearing up for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which seems like ages ago.

The Landsat 5 has orbited the Earth more than 150,000 times, which means that it has traveled over four billion miles in space. Not bad for a satellite that was only supposed to last for three years.

Technology and its Many Uses

Tablets, smart phones, laptops and more — today’s technology seems to have no bounds, and new products are constantly being developed. The revolutionary idea of being able to carry valuable information and entertainment in the palm of your hand is something that has truly driven the development of different types of devices.

The traditional desktop computer was at the forefront of technological advancement when it was first created. Laptops gave desktops legs, giving users the ability to make their information portable to different locations. Today, smart phones and tablets give people the ability to go online through a small, handheld device. These devices can connect to wireless internet signals, giving people a way to do a variety of tasks, including: checking social media sites, streaming movies and TV shows, playing games, and more. Aside from these, technology can be used in the classroom, in the workplace, and in the home as well.

Technology in the modern age has made information and entertainment instantaneous. Companies have even created convenient applications to make navigating to their site or product easier for users. However, all applications, products, and sites cater to particular audiences for their specific needs.

What do you use your technology for? Perhaps your kids use your tablet to play some fun, educational games that you have chosen for them to play. Maybe your kids like taking photos on your phone, or you show them some of their favorite TV shows and movies on your laptop or tablet. Whatever the use, children in today’s society are consuming a great deal of media through a wide array of technological devices. When it comes to entertaining and teaching your children, conventional toys seem to have become all but obsolete. Educational games and applications have taken the children’s education and entertainment industry by storm, providing children a way to interact with fun, lively, and visual games.

Tell us about how you use your technology. Every individual uses their technological devices for various reasons, ranging from entertainment to child use. Comment below and let us know about what you use your technology for the most. Let us know about your favorite devices, apps, and other forms of technology!

One Giant Leap for Mankind

With all the hours of hard work that your kids put in around the Math Blaster Space Station, have you ever caught yourself wondering about what it might be like to travel into the unknowns of outer space? Currently, only a handful of private citizens have already had the opportunity to orbit through space. However, with the recent proposal by a privately funded company to start manning missions to the moon, commercial spaceflight may be more of a realistic goal for the near future than ever before. In a matter of a few years, you could be booking yourself on a flight as one of the first space tourists or better yet, an official astronaut.

Now, that dream is as close as ever to becoming a reality. As companies like Richard Branson’s much talked about Virgin Galactic are actively accepting reservations for future trips into space. Depending on your chosen package, deposits for Virgin Galactic flights can range anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million. However, with the rate at which technology has been advancing in this field and with the development of new spacecrafts, there is now more than one company making waves in the market of commercial space travel.

More recently, Colorado-based start up, Golden Spike has made headlines promoting their plans for privately funded commercial flights that would take people from earth all the way to the moon. With the first flights scheduled for as early as the year 2020, the company prices each trip at about one and a half billion dollars. The plan was announced by CEO, Alan Stern, a former director from NASA on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the last moon landing, which occurred in 1972.

Although the costs of these flights may not be practical for average citizens, the announcement marks a great opportunity for the advancement of space programs worldwide. As technology and research proceed forward, we can expect that elite list of space tourists to grow at unprecedented speeds. And in the case of Golden Spike’s plans for flights to the moon, Neil Armstrong’s iconic words from the legendary Apollo 11 flight seem most fitting as this venture can easily be considered “one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.”

Math Blaster Fact of the Day!

Playing Math Blaster on your mobile device gives you the ability to play anywhere anytime, but how about your B.F.F.s? Coordinating to play with your B.F.F.s at a specific time can be a challenge. Now you have the ability to see when they’re online to battle out to be the top cadet! Since there are so many fun opportunities to hang out with your B.F.F.s, it would be deeply disappointing if you had to miss out on all the excitement while blasting from a mobile device!

The image of the green cell phone means this B.F.F. is blasting from a mobile device!

Check out your B.F.F. list to see for yourself! An image of a cell phone will appear next to a person’s username who is protecting the Space Station on a mobile device. Phew! What a relief! Now you can rest assured that you’ll always be in on the fun with your B.F.F.s and they’ll surely be there for you when you need a hand.

Let Max know if you like playing the Math Blaster apps on your mobile device!

Send in Your Coolest Screenshot and it Might be Chosen for all of Math Blaster to See!

Have you ever wanted to show all the Blasters in the Space Station the impressive blasting you’re doing and cool places you’re going? Well, now you CAN! Show us Math Blaster through your eyes by submitting a screenshot you think is worthy of greatness!

Whether you’re fighting off alien invasions or going head-to-head with a B.F.F.’s Mutt in Nebula Knockout, there’s always a thrilling moment to capture! Follow the instructions below to learn how to take the perfect screenshot. Each day, Max will be checking for entries and choosing his favorite shot. His pick for screenshot-of-the-day will be posted to the Math Blaster homepage for all to see!

But the fun won’t stop there! At the end of each week we’ll be picking one image from the top 5 entries to be featured as an in-game loading screen! Imagine playing Math Blaster and seeing your screenshot pop up between games; exciting stuff, right?

So, are you ready to get started? Then be sure to read through the guidelines below before submitting your screenshots.

Ready to submit you pictures? Here’s what you need to know!

Math Blaster® Website Awarded the kidSAFE® Seal of Approval!

Parents, you will be pleased to hear MathBlaster.com has earned a new safe and child-friendly website award!

Math Blaster® has been certified by the kidSAFE® Seal Program. The kidSAFE® Seal Program is an independent certification service and seal program that reviews and certifies the safety practices of children-friendly websites and applications, including kid-targeted game sites, virtual worlds, social networks, PC and mobile apps, web-connected devices, and other similar online and interactive products. Click on the seal below or go to www.kidsafeseal.com for more information.

In keeping with kidSAFE’s® requirements that certified websites provide safe chat features, structured rules and educational information about online safety, procedures for handling safety issues and complaints, the ability of parental control over the child’s account, and the age appropriate marketing, advertising, and content, we are pleased that our efforts in that area have been recognized. We understand and appreciate the need for safe online environments for your child and continue to structure our sites to ensure the highest level of safety for our users.

Wow, we are so proud to have this kid safety certification for our site, to only help ease the minds of all the parents that your children are on a safe, exciting and educational website. We are always continuing to better Math Blaster® in every aspect, especially child safety.

Take Math Blaster With You Wherever Your Family Goes!

Are there days where your kids just can’t get enough of Math Blaster? Then make sure to check out all our available Math Blaster Mobile apps. That way, your kids can keep the Space Port safe even when they’re away from home! Stop by the iTunes App Store to get started with Math Blaster mobile, today!

HyperBlast

Solve as many math problems as you can to finish the race!

HyperBlast is a fast-paced, single player racing game made for Blasters looking to get some extra practice with their math drills. In this app, Blasters race through a high-speed tunnel packed with all kinds of cosmic obstacles like those menacing math problems! Players have access to various levels including lessons in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

B-Force Blaster

Save the Spaceport by blasting through quick flying aliens, fireballs, and other targets!

B-force Blaster is an app of intergalactic intrigue, where your kids’ Blasters do all they can to protect the Math Blaster Space Port by zapping past aliens, targets and fireballs. This simple arcade style shoot game is filled with a ton of fast moving targets, so extra practice is always helpful. Although it’s not one of our math-focused classics, this app is sure to help better develop hand-eye coordination, focus, and fine motor skills.

Space Zapper

Defend the Space port while working on math drills!

Another math drill based app, space Zapper allows your kids’ Blasters to help defend the Space Port by blowing through approaching asteroids and using their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills! The app includes 20 different lessons, so your kids can keep learning while also practicing at levels they’ve already mastered.

With the approaching holiday season, any one of these apps would make an excellent travel game. Check them out and let us know what you think of Math Blaster’s mobile apps! All three apps are available now for iPad, iPhone, and the iPod touch.

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