Showing results by author "Ailynn Collins" in All Categories

Probes can explore the depths of space in ways that would kill human beings. The information they provide can spur countless innovations here on Earth. Learn how probes work and the exciting possibilities that their discoveries may inspire.

NASA's Orion spacecraft is pushing the limits of space travel and exploration like never before. The ultimate goal is a mission to Mars! Learn about the challenges that scientists, engineers, and astronauts must overcome to make this dream a reality.

In this Chinese folktale, an old woman spends years weaving, day and night, until one day she reveals a magical cloth. But moments later, the cloth mysteriously disappears! Now, her three young sons must set out on a long, mystical journey to find it.

It’s been six months since Fortuna colony was established on a moon in a distant solar system. The aliens who invited the colonists here have never shown themselves, but they’ve provided everything the human settlers need to thrive. However, after several people vanish without a trace, the colony leaders decide it’s time to leave. But before they do, the aliens provide a final delicious meal for their human guests.

Ethan keeps having the same nightmare. A huge creature stares out from the night sky and then reaches down to grab him. But it’s no dream . . . aliens have come to Ravens Pass! What peculiar plans do the extraterrestrials have in store for the odd little town? This thrilling Return to Ravens Pass tale will chill young listeners to the bone.

A group of six young miners are exploring Asteroid AX245 to find the mineral ixonium. It is the most valuable substance in the galaxy and is used to power interstellar travel. The group splits into three teams to explore some tunnels in the asteroid’s surface. But just before one team begins digging into the rock, they receive an urgent message. The other team reports seeing a black, gooey substance oozing out of the rock. Their report is cut off by their loud screams—and then total silence. What happened to Team Gamma? And what is the black goo that seems to have a will of its own?

Xenia thinks the forest behind her new home in Ravens Pass is creepy. She ventures in anyway, though, after her new friend Zef insists on exploring. As the girls wander between the ancient trees, the roots underfoot seem to shift and wriggle. Then they start to reach and grab. This forest isn’t just creepy. It’s hungry!

People have long been curious about the solar system. Since the 1960s, several probes, orbiters, landers, and rovers have been sent out to explore and study the planets and their moons. What incredible discoveries were made during these daring missions? And what will be needed for humans to visit the planets in person? Max Axiom and the Society of Super Scientists learn about various missions to other planets and the risks involved with sending people across the solar system and beyond.

Everyone on the Starlight is in stasis—everyone except Lon. The boy has woken up, even though the spaceship's long voyage isn't complete. Stranger still, he finds odd tubes hooked into the sleeping crew, and they all look pale and sickly. And then Lon discovers the biggest problem: Mysterious creatures have come aboard, and they're hungry for blood.

When Enzo Ma travels to Saturn's moon Titan to visit his friend, Jed Cresta, things are about to get complicated. When Enzo meets Jed's teacher and mentor, Dr. Penelope Lane, she seems short-tempered and behaves strangely. Later that night, Dr. Lane's behavior grows even more bizarre at a party honoring one of her fellow scientists. The next morning when she doesn't show up at the lab, Enzo and Jed decide to go to her quarters to see if she's okay. But when they arrive they discover Dr. Lane's dead body.

From the written word to the cell phone, human communication has come a long way. What might the future hold? Listeners can discover how virtual reality, holograms, and a fully connected "internet of things" may affect how they communicate in the near and distant future.

When 12-year-old Adam and his Mom buy an old wardrobe at a local furniture store, an old woman begins to yell at them. She claims that the wardrobe belongs to her, and that they have no right to have it. The store owner shoos away the old woman and apologizes, explaining that "The Witch" has been causing problems and shouting curses at people in the neighborhood for years. Everything seems fine until later that day. When the movers are delivering the wardrobe to Adam's apartment, its door suddenly swings open and The Witch falls out of it—dead!