How many animals have been to space?
Carol Ann
Due to the large numbers of eggs, bacteria and small insects involved, it’s difficult to give an accurate answer to this, but the final figure is quite large – certainly several hundred. During the 1950s and 1960s, the USSR alone sent over 50 dogs into space. Over 30 monkeys have been sent into space by the US, USSR and France. Monkey astronaut names included Mike, Patricia, Baker, Abel, Martine, Pierette, Zabiyaka, Ivasha, Lapik and Multik.
HOW DOES KEVLAR STOP A BULLET?
Tom Boon
Kevlar is able to stop a bullet due to its molecular structure. It’s a light polyarylamide plastic fabric that has a high tensile strength. This means it takes a huge amount of energy to make its fibres stretch even a little. Each Kevlar molecule looks like a long twisting coil. During polymerisation these coils of molecules become tangled, causing them to be hard to stretch. Inside a bulletproof vest are many strips and layers of Kevlar. When a bullet hits the vest, it tries to force itself through the layers, but to do this it must push the fibres apart. The fibres are woven and resist this very effectively. The movement is translated into a stretching force on the fibres. Some will break, but most will absorb the energy
