December 2015 - 15th Street News

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NEWS 15th Street

Volume XLV, Issue 7, Dec. 04, 2015

Table of Contents

Kids’ Snow Day Activities

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Winterizing Vehicles

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How to Keep Pets Healthy This Winter

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Holiday Shows

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Locations Offering Free Christmas Dinner

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Holiday Recipes

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Christmas caution - Hoverboard horror son’s hoverboard caught fire while charging and destroyed her home. Jessica Horne said in an interview with WGNO it was like watching fireworks, then minutes later the entire house was on fire. Florida man Timothy Cade released a video that showed the hoverboard catching fire twice, despite efforts to put it out. The video captured the battery shooting out of the board. The Consumer Product Safety Commission encouraged consumers to report product safety issues. Over the past three months, at

least eight injuries have been reported involving hoverboards that required immediate attention, but none of which have been related to fires. The hoverboard caught fire while charging, according to Horne. The London Fire Brigade reported two incidents in two weeks in October that left them warning consumers to keep an eye on their hoverboards while they charge. “If people are going to buy one, they should go through a reputable retailer,” said Andy Vaughan-Davies, a fire investigations office for the London Fire Bri-

RSC hosts light ceremony to spark holiday joy Community-open event offered s’mores, hot chocolate, carriage rides, crafts as trees around campus lit up with holiday lights

gade in an interview with Buzzfeed News. Because of safety concerns, New York City has banned riding on city streets and safety experts encourage riders wear helmets, wrist guards and kneepads. The UK announced a nation-wide ban on these gadgets, which ironically sent sales rising by 215 percent according to AppliancesDirect.co.uk. Popularity of this tech toy is slowly growing in the metro and Oklahoma has yet to set any bans What happened to Mars’ atmosphere in place. On Sept. 21 NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft entered Mars‘ orbit. MAVEN discovered what happened to Mars’ atmosphere, which scientist say was once thick enough to preserve vast oceans on the surface of the planet.

MAVEN SPACECRAFT

Magnetometer boom

Launch weight: 5621.8 pounds

“Gulf-wing” solar array

Articulated payload platform

Photo by Christian Tabak

by Christian Tabak Assistant Editor

RSC celebrates the holiday season with a ceremony to light the Christmas tree in the Campus Mall.

More than 100 students and community members gathered in the Campus Mall for the annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony hosted Dec. 1. The event opened with performances by the Westfall Elementary School Choir and the Destiny Christian Elementary School Choir and was followed with remarks by RSC President Jeanie Webb. “This is my favorite time of the year. This [ceremony] is about the community, this is about the kids and, most importantly, this is about the most wonderful time of the year,” Webb said. The theme for this year’s ceremony was “Let it Glow,” and Webb thanked the Physical Plant for their work in setting up the campus’ extensive light display as well as the leadership scholarship students for their participation with the celebration’s activities. “This is about family and friends gathering around to drink hot cocoa and talk with Santa. This year is extra special for me because I’m able to bring my grandson here for his first Christmas,” said psychology major Chametra Reece. In addition to the lighting and choirs, the celebration featured a variety of activities both inside the Hub and around the campus mall for families to enjoy. Activities included horse-drawn carriage rides, crafts, roasting s’mores and taking photos with Santa.

See more photos on Page 4

MARS ATMOSPHERE

High-gain antenna

95.32% Carbon Dioxide 2.7% Nitrogen 1.6% Argon 0.13% Oxygen 0.08% Carbon Monoxide

Remote sensing package

measures global characteristic of upper atmosphere and ionosphere

SOLAR WIND EROSION OF MARS’ ATMOSPHERE EARLIER MARS MARS NOW Magnetic field

Atmospheric loss was accelerated during solar storms in March

Solar wind Solar wind • Stream of charged particles

A warmer core generates a stronger magnetic field

• Travels at 1 million mph • Strips atmosphere at rate of 1/4 pound every second

A cooled down core decreases the magnetic field’s strength allowing solar wind to strip the atmosphere leaving surface water vulnerable

Source: NASA, University of Colorado Graphic:Tribune News Service

The MAVEN gives NASA proof that Mars’ atmosphere is deteriorating.

Sun is stripping Mars’ atmosphere away by Becca Stokes Online Editor Reports from NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission indicated the sun is stripping away Mars’ atmosphere through solarwinds. Data collected from MAVEN was calculated by researchers to determine that solarwinds strip away gas from Mars at 100 grams per second. It was noted the rate of erosion increases with solar storms. All planets are impacted by these waves of charged particles, mostly made up of electrons and protons, known as solar winds.

See MARS, Page 3

Photo courtesy of Tribune News

by Kelsey Morgan Editor-in-Chief One of the hot items for Christmas gifts this year is the new hoverboard. Sleek, smooth and shiny, hoverboards were introduced to the market early this year, with the main advertisements and promotional marketing being done on Vine, the six-second video app for smartphones. Hoverboards’ target audience is from 15 years of age to mid-30s. However, safety concerns are starting to rise amidst videos being released of these hands-free scooters spontaneously catching on fire. One woman in Louisiana said her


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