UNIVERSAL
EDITION 39
FREE
From The Editor Welcome to another edition of Universal, produced by a team of under 25s who live and work in the City of Kingston, and are just trying our best.
and what that looks like to them. We love doing these collaborative pieces so readers get an insight in to what we are like and our personalities.
This edition we looked at the topic of space. We found our team all had a different idea about what came to mind when hearing the word space. Some of us thought of the universe, planets, stars etc others immediately thought about spaces around them, quiet spaces, safe spaces and outdoor spaces. We had a group brainstorm about what space is, what it looks like and how it makes people feel. We wanted to create an edition where every reader could find something to relate to and enjoy reading.
We have some new members to our team this edition so you may notice some new names and different styles of writing and illustrating. We love having new contributors and keeping the editions fresh and interesting. This edition we loved exploring the topic of space and bringing a fun interpretation to the word and we hope you love it as much as we do. We hope this edition encourages you to think about the wider universe we live in as well as how you can create happy and positive spaces around you.
Edition 39 is full of our team’s interpretation of what space means to them and is reflected in our pictures, words and designs. We explore the topic of aliens, the space race and look at a variety of living spaces. We also created a collaborative piece on how our team creates there own safe space
Interested in joining the team? Or looking to submit some work? Please contact Courtney on P: 1300 369 436 E: courtney.mcgill@kingston.vic.gov.au
All the best,
The Universal Team UNIVERSAL
EDITION 39
FREE
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Available for your reading pleasure at any time! Send Courtney an e-mail for more info
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Cover Design by Lila Ni Kingston Youth Services and the Universal team acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government
Contents
4
Comfort Space
6
Illustration Lila Ni
10
Safe Space Jack Crowe
Illustration Lila Ni
15
Open Spaces
Illustration Angharad Neal-Williams
12
The Martian Illustration Kelly Zheng
16
Race to the moon Jayden O’Halloran Design Sammar Bassal
20
Alien Evidence
Writing / Design Jack Crowe
8
Space
Memorable Spaces
Design Kelly Zheng
Writing / Design Sammar Bassal
13
Living Spaces Illustration Simone Jones
18
Space Dream Zheirally Bondad Illustration Lila Ni
22
Space Ocean
Illustration Sammar Bassal
14
Motherland
Writing / Design Jack Crowe
19
Moon Landing Anniversary Illustration Simone Jones
Sammar Bassal
Memorable spaces
The most underrated spaces in existence are the ones that we interact with every day, every week or even every month. They are spaces we take for granted until, maybe one day, we look back and realise just how many memories can be made within a single space. For starters, a space that I am sure we interact with almost every day is our homes. Now some people may be used to this idea more than others but imagining moving to a new house and having a fresh start in a new place. To me the concept is so foreign because I have lived in the same place for over ten years. That’s over ten years off taking my shoes of in the same place, heading to my bed first thing and then needing to go to the kitchen because I am hungry. What started off as a strange four walled space eventually became
the place, I knew I would return to. Soon enough however, I will move to a different home. The memories I have, will just stay with me because when I leave the space it will become the four walled space I saw when I arrived. Ready for the next human or humans to paint it over with their memories. There have been spaces that I thought would be with me till the end of time, the specific space in question was my local library. It wasn’t the prettiest or most modern form of architecture in our area, but it was a space I went to almost every day from prep onward. It was an environment that moulded my interests, some of opinions, many of my friendships (mainly with librarians) and potentially my reflective yet embarrassing writing style. However, it was a place I created
many memories and now in place of those memories is a car park. Some spaces in your life may not be there five or ten years down the line. They might become more carparks. Lastly there are those spaces that do stay with you, but they change so much that it doesn’t even feel like you were there. I visited my High school recently only to discover that a lot of the facilities had been renovated or repainted. The space I spent more than half my life with felt foreign to me. All you can do when looking back on a space is just that, look back. The memories and experiences that you lived through are unique to you. They are the paint to your canvas, that of which being the spaces that surround you.
S A F E S PAC E Designed by Jack Crowe Artwork by Lila Ni
Space. It’s all around us.
SIMONE JONES
Space. It’s all around us.
My ideal safe space is just being anywhere with my family and closest friends. Not only do they make me feel safe, but they also allow me to be myself. Being able to be yourself is an important part of My ideal safe space isBeing just being anywhere with my feeling comfortable. around my favourite family and closest friends. Not only do they make people always makes me feel relaxed and free. It me feel safe, but they also allow me to be myself. is often hard for many people to open up and be Being able to be yourself is an important part of yourself, especially if you are really shy. I remember feeling comfortable. Being around my favourite the frustration of being at school and not being people always makes me anyone. feel relaxed free.and It able to be myself around I feltand so dull is often hard for many people to open up and be unhappy. But as soon as I got home, I felt so much yourself, especially if you arewith really I remember better because I could joke myshy. family and the frustration of being at school and not being they just get me, which would always boost my able toback be myself mood up. around anyone. I felt so dull and unhappy. But as soon as I got home, I felt so much better because I could joke with my family and they just get me, which would always boost my mood back up.
We have physical space, mental space, we have Earth and beyond, and we have our personal space. Undoubtedly, it has to be one of the most important things someone can have; we need our We have physical space, mental space, we have independence and our freedom to explore. We Earth and beyond, and we have our personal pretty much can’t live without it. Something that space. Undoubtedly, it hashaving to be one the most I find so interesting about thisof unlimited important things someone can have; we need our space within our imagination and universe is that independence and our freedom to explore. We everyone has a different idea of what it is and pretty much their can’t space live without it. Something that what makes their own. In some ways, Iit’s find so interesting about having this unlimited greatly connected to our personalities or can space within our imagination universe is that be entirely dependent to your and zodiac sign. Our everyone has a different idea of what it is and creative team of writers, designers and illustrators what makestogether their space their Inmakes some ways, have come to tell youown. what our it’s greatly connected to our personalities own safe space. Is it a warm and cosy spotor bycan the be entirely dependentby tobooks your zodiac sign. Our campfire surrounded and hot chocolate, creative teamat of home writers, designers and illustrators or is it simply surrounded by your family have come together to tell you what makes our and friends? own safe space. Is it a warm and cosy spot by the campfire surrounded by books and hot chocolate, or is it simply at home surrounded by your family and friends?
SARAH MONTZORBRY SARAH Safe spaces come in all shapes and forms. My safe MONTZORBRY space is wherever I can be with nature. Whether it
is on the back of a horse or sitting in a tree outside, I love to hear the birds and see the sky stretch over Safe spaces come in all shapes forms. My safe me. Since we cannot always beand outside, especially space is wherever I can be with nature. Whether now during the winter, my bedroom serves as anit is on the back of a Despite horse orbeing sittinginside, in a tree outside, indoor safe space. I still like Itolove to hear the birds and see the sky stretch over keep nature around me. I keep a lot of flowers me. Since we cannot always be outside, especially and crystals scattered across my bookshelves now during thea winter, my bedroom serves out as an and desk, and lot of my furniture is made of indoor safe space. Despite being inside, I still like wood. There are also a lot of blankets and cushions to keep my nature around me. Ifound keep a lot of up flowers around room. I'm often cozied in and crystals scattered across my bookshelves bed with a cup of tea and a book. My cat loves to and desk, and athese lot oftimes my furniture is made outthe of join me during and snuggles into wood. There are also a lot of blankets and cushions blankets with me. It is really important to me to around my room. I'mwhere often Ifound cozied in have this safe space can leave myup worries bed with a cup of tea and a book. My cat loves to behind and feel secure, whether I am indoors or join me during these times and snuggles into the outdoors. blankets with me. It is really important to me to have this safe space where I can leave my worries behind and feel secure, whether I am indoors or outdoors.
JACK CROWE
My own safe space is both simple and complex. I’m introverted, so I find that the most comfortable place I like to be in, is my home. Specifically, I either like to be on my bed surfing Spotify for comforting My own safeor space is both and complex. indie songs, on my pianosimple stool, playing simple I’m introverted, so I find that the most comfortable chords with a catchy melody. There tends to be place I like to be in, myspace home. Specifically, I either a crucial element toismy however, which, like to be on my bed surfing Spotify for comforting of course, is my two-year old Chocolate Labrador. indie songs, or on like my any piano stool, simple He’s mischievous pet and playing never fails at chords with a catchy melody. There tends to be distracting me from the task at hand, but like any a crucial to my space which, the good boy,element he’s comforting and however, helps to reduce of course, is my stress in my life.two-year old Chocolate Labrador. He’s mischievous like any pet and never fails at distracting me from the task at hand, but like any good boy, he’s comforting and helps to reduce the stress in my life.
JACK CROWE
SIMONE JONES
SAMMAR BASSAL
Like any introvert my safest place is my home. Quick food source. Access to electricity and powerpoints. As well as the place where I can put my clothes on all the furniture and not have to Like any introvert safestexcept place isby my home. worry about beingmy judged, my mum. Quick food source. Access to electricity and to My safest places outside of that would have powerpoints. As well as the place where I can put be in community environments where I usually my clothes on all the furniture and not have volunteer. I couldn't narrow it down to one to worry aboutor being judged, community location, butexcept if i hadby tomy givemum. a shout My safest places outside of that would have tobe out Kingston Youth Services would definitely be environments where I usually oneinofcommunity them! The food, admittedly the perks but volunteer. I couldn't narrow it down to one most importantly the people make a magical community but ifi consider i had to give shout combinationortolocation, create what safeaspace. out Kingston Youth Services would definitely be one of them! The food, admittedly the perks but most importantly the people make a magical combination to create what i consider safe space.
SAMMAR BASSAL
LILA NI
I don’t have a set ‘spot’ where I feel safest. My criteria for any space to feel safe is generally the people I share it with. Regardless of the actually physical space I’m in, as long as I with people that I Ifeel don’t have a set with, ‘spot’Iwhere I feel safest. My comfortable feel safe and secure. criteria for any space to feel safe is generally the people I share it with. Regardless of the actually physical space I’m in, as long as I with people that I feel comfortable with, I feel safe and secure.
LILA NI
MOTHERSHIP By Jack Crowe
The mines grow them wealth like money on trees Greedy politicians craving their golden honey. Student activists plea for Earth’s wellbeing ‘But nothing matters like the economy.’ Corrupt governments are pouring sand Into a timeglass of stripped and barren lands. The Amazon burns as the media stands With students, children and celebrities holding each other’s hands. Coral reefs and habitats decay They make regrow but the oil takes them away. Let each party speak what they may But nothing is spoken to make Mother Nature stay. They’re talking of spacecraft, rockets and a mothership Saying intergalactic super Earths are worth the trip. They triumph the idea and acknowledge the risk Yes, fiction is hopeful, but it’s unrealistic. All the mothership does is abandon Earth alone A planet failed by abused power on a throne. All they say is that our generation groans But must we tell you there’s no place like home? Call us ignorant when we’re cleaning up their mess Only an epidemic of youth advocating against their stress. Maybe the money and luxury seems to impress But we’re here to rule our planet to success. It seems to be long term loss with short term economic glory Fulfil this, and there won’t be future generations to tell the story. Riddle our minds, but your actions are nugatory And if you remain this way, you’ll be sorry.
We don’t have a choice anymore. We can’t dream of populating new planets. We can’t fantasise that our world is safe. The reality is, no mothership is going to come down from the sky and take us to a new place. No sudden invention or natural event will heal the Earth’s rapidly changing climate. I feel that almost every person in some way or act, is trying to reduce their ecological footprint, but it’s not enough. We need the leaders of the world on our side. We need to commit to full renewable
energy and take necessary measures to preserve the environment around us. Undoubtedly, this will be hard to achieve, but it is more realistic than any other method to save our species - and others - from the threat of global warming. I understand that the use of fossil fuels can significantly contribute to a country’s economy, but the Earth doesn’t have a price. It’s now or never. We need to make the necessary sacrifices because we simply don’t have a choice anymore.
THE RACE TO THE MOON
WRITTEN BY JAYDEN O’HALLORAN In the early 1960s, the US was trailing in the Space Race with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had put the first satellite in space (Sputnik 1) and the first human in space (Yuri Gagarin). But just over a month after Gagarin made that historic orbit of the Earth aboard Vostok 1, US President John F. Kennedy told Congress that the US ‘should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.’ Such a goal was incredibly ambitious at the time, given that the Space Race was only in its infancy. NASA was established just three years previously and no American had yet achieved Earth orbit at the time (although Alan Shepard had reached space). In February 1962, John Glenn completed 3 orbits of Earth in February 1962 aboard Mercury 7, becoming the first American to reach Earth orbit. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963, but the US kept going in space exploration and the Gemini program in the mid 1960s saw the US seemingly take the lead in the Space Race. The first two Gemini missions had no crews but from Gemini 3 to the conclusion of the
program with Gemini XII, all the flights had two person crews. The three men that would be chosen for the historic Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, actually made their first trips into space as part of the Gemini program; Armstrong flew in Gemini 8, Collins in Gemini 10 and Aldrin in Gemini 12. Like many other early astronauts (or cosmonauts if they were Soviets) they all had backgrounds in the military. Collins and Aldrin served in the Air Force whereas Armstrong served in the Navy. The success of the Gemini program saw the launch of the Apollo program, and it seemed JFK’s incredible promise was within reach. But the first crewed flight of the program, Apollo 1, would prove disastrous. Apollo 1 never flew after a fire in the cabin during a test in January 1967 killed the crew and the command module. The next 3 flights (Apollo 4, 5 and 6) were unmanned as they tested the Saturn V rocket (which would eventually be used for all the crewed Apollo missions that would reach the moon) Apollo 7 resumed manned flights, which was a test flight in Earth orbit. Apollo 8 later in 1968 heralded a major milestone as it became the first crewed
Apollo 9 was another Earth orbit flight, which was a test flight with the entire spacecraft, the command and service module and the Lunar Module. Apollo 10 was seen by NASA as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the first moon landing, as it tested all the key components of the spacecraft. As it was deemed a success, Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, and four days later, Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon with one of the most famous quotes of all time. Armstrong insists he said ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’; but listeners on Earth did not hear the ‘a’. Australia directly played a huge role in the historic broadcast, as two of the three satellites that relayed the live coverage were from Australia; Honeysuckle Creek near Canberra and most famously, the Parkes Observatory in rural New South Wales. In fact the signal quality from Parkes was so superior that NASA used it to deliver the pictures for the majority of the 2 1/2 hour broadcast.
All 3 men made their way back to Earth four days later, and were quarantined to prevent the spread of anything contagious that they may have picked up from the moon. This process was dropped after the third successful lunar landing after proof emerged that the Moon was barren of life. Four men actually set foot on the moon before the 1960s ended, as Apollo 12 landed prior to the end of 1969, and eight other men would set foot on the moon before NASA decided to end the Apollo program in 1972. It could have been 14 men in total that set foot on the moon, but Apollo 13 in 1970 was forced to abort the lunar landing component of the mission after an oxygen tank failure two days in. The USA won the Space Race and have made significant scientific discoveries with unmanned satelittes and Space Shuttles over the last 50 years. It is hoped in the next few years astronauts would return to the moon, with the major goal of man setting foot on Mars in the future.
MOON IMAGE SOURCED: HTTPS://FINEARTAMERICA.COM/FEATURED/VINTAGE-MOON-MAP-CARRIE-MARTIN.HTML
spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the moon, orbit it, and then return. All 3 men on the flight; Frank Borman II, James Lovell Jr and William Anders were named Time magazine’s Men of the Year as a result.
SPACE DREAM
ZHEIRRALY BONDAD
I’ve always dreamed of exploring space, a place filled with mysteries and unknowns that can’t be seen by the naked eye. I would look up and see unending questions all while the answers stare right back at me. During the day, the space above is stolen by the sun, who doesn’t share the spotlight as his light fills the space. Not even the clouds could steal away the glory as the sunlight gleams behind them. But then it’s not long before the sun takes his rest and the moon stands in front, shielding the world from the blinding light and casting but a halo of white beneath her. As the sky darkens with the absence of light, the stars take it upon themselves to fill the darkness with their twinkling lights. Looking up at them now, they seem to be dancing, winking at me with glee as their colours blink rapidly. They beckon me towards them, and I wish nothing more than to join them. And so I do. With a countdown...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... blast off! I lift from the ground, defying gravity as I fly past the clouds, their embrace cold around me as they wish me luck on my travel. I pass by the moon, who smiles so brightly, I’m almost blinded. Past the planets I go, over the giant Jupiter with its immortal storm, Saturn with its magnificent rings, and eventually past Pluto the mini-planet. Despite flying on my own in this journey, I’m far from lonely, as the space around me is filled with floating rocks and debris, left behind as evidence of collisions from millions of years ago. Further and further I go and before long, I leave the milky way as it spirals continuously behind me. Until at last, I stop. And I’m in empty space. Or at least as empty as space can be. Surrounding me are galaxies upon galaxies of different shapes and sizes. Some with arms stretching from its centre that chase each other in an unending spiral, some looking like a
stretched-out ball, and others that have no distinct shape at all, looking like the chaotic form it is. Also surrounding me, of course, are the countless stars littering about, as far as my eyes can see. Looking at them closer, I see that they’re all in different stages in life. Starting from its creation within their nebulae, then growing into a giant red gas, before finally exploding into a colourful cloud of light. As I marvel in their sight, they beckon me once again, to join them in their jubilant dance. Away I go, dancing with the stars and their lights twinkling as my music. When suddenly, the music becomes frantic. I look up and see darkness approaching, and I know instantly what it is. Another type of star, its life after death, coming back with a vengeance as it pulls towards it everything it touches. The lights warn me as they keep their distance and I heed their warning. The darkness draws nearer and nearer towards me but no matter how fast I retreat, its gravity fights me and it pulls me backwards. Closer and closer it pulls as I’m compelled towards the centre of the darkness. Closer and closer it pulls still until finally… I’m no longer moving. I open my eyes and the first thing that greets me are the mischievous twinkling of the stars, far beyond my reach. I’ve always dreamed of exploring space, and this time was still as adventurous as the last.
ALIEN EVIDENCE Are we really alone?
I honestly cannot comprehend how some people don’t believe in aliens. We live on a single planet out of billions. Earth is merely the size of a marble compared to some of the stars and planets stretched throughout our universe. To say that there is another intelligent lifeform out there is an understatement. Considering the size of our universe, how could there not be alien races? I’m not saying that there could be aliens walking among us, but I do think that we could surely find evidence of them existing light years away. It would be pretty cool anyways… Evidence of space began when Galileo eagerly asked people to peer through his telescope and gaze at the moon. At the time, people deemed him insane, sinful and immoral, the existence of our solar system and the moon transcending Christianity at the time. However, as time progressed, so did society’s acceptance, numerous other astronomers unveiling the rest of the solar system and what lies beyond the Milky Way. With so many revelations about the universe, it was inevitable that people began to hypothesise about the existence of other lifeforms. A prime example: the Martians and their infamous flying saucers. Yet even before the discovery of the moon, the possibility of alien races was acknowledged in ancient civilisations, such as Ancient Egypt.
THE ‘WOW SIGNAL’
It’s a frequent occasion for us to receive some eerie and odd signals from space. Although, these generally are extremely weak and meaningless, simply being sounds that have pondered throughout the universe from light years away. In the instance of somewhat stronger signals,
scientists can predict it to be from stars exploding in neighbour solar systems, also being meaningless in the sense of alien discovery. The ‘Wow Signal’ defied this. In 1977, Jerry Ehman sat next to the Big Ear radio telescope, believing that August 15th would be a casual day at work. This all changed when the radio telescope captured a signal from outer space that lasted for a dramatic 72 seconds (an unheard occurrence at the time). On the reading, the strength of the signal was so strong, Ehman cited the print with ‘Wow!’ (hence the name of the signal). With the hope and triumph of it originating from an alien lifeform, enthusiasts were suddenly dismayed at the discovery made by Professor Antonio Paris. Paris found that the origin of the signal came from a pair of comets passing by Earth, emitting a cloud of hydrogen gas to trigger the radio telescope. This may debunk one of the most convincing theories of alien existence, but that doesn’t mean it’s unlikely to reoccur.
STRANGE STRUCTURES
We may lack physical evidence of aliens (so we think), but there are particular ancient structures and artwork that defy human capabilities. An obvious example are the pyramids in Egypt frequently questioned for how the civilisation managed to construct such a marvellous landmark. This, like most extraterrestrial theories, can be debunked by the assumption that they utilised roads to stack the heavy bricks. Despite this, there
are a few other examples that leave scientists stratching their heads. The Nasca Lines are a group of patterns and shapes sketched into rocks in the desert of Peru. Putting crop circles to shame, they include over 800 straight lines and roughly 70 sophisticated patterns of animals and plants, some of which are extended for almost 50 kilometres! The craziest fact about them is that they weren’t even discovered until 90 years ago, when people could travel in planes and observe the land below. Unable to be identified from the ground, the lines can be difficult to study. After numerous scientists investigated the discovery, most have concluded that they are a form of irrigation to water the Nasca’s crops between 1 and 700 A.D. Considering these lines are formed from rocks that have been removed from the Earh’s surface, many people have posed the queston of whether alien UFOs are responsible for engraving the lines. Ultimately, it seems astonishing that in years of basic and primary knowledge and tools, this Peruvian civilisation was able to create structures of such great size and detail. Even today, this could take centuries to replicate.
THE BLACK KNIGHT
The story of the Black Knight satellite is a suspicious and mysterious eyebrow-raiser. While human kind has never encountered physical contact with the object, its presence has been recorded on numerous accounts. Nicholas Tesla was the first to find evidence of the spacecraft. Similar to the Wow Signal, Tesla detected strange and powerful emissions from a source in space. This was prior to the Wow Signal in 1899, meaning the radio waves would have been significantly more impressive if the modern technology was available. Tesla and other scientists soon dismissed the signal to
have originated from pulsar stars, which transmit a repetitive signal in a steady beat. Interestingly, the signal did not follow the continuous beat of the theorised stars, having varied time delays between them. Restrained by other work, Tesla neglected the discovery. Not convinced? It gets even deeper… Similar signals were detected in the 1920s by radio operators which were – once again – disregarded. Surely enough, one astronomer/scientist took interest in them, Duncan Lunan researching the anomaly in the 1970s. What he concluded from his studies were that the signals were being created by a probe circulating Izar – a star located in the Bootes constellation. Not only did he determine its location, but hypothesised that it is 13 000 years old. Unfortunately, three years later he revisited his research and found evidence contradicting his theory. While there is a myriad of stories surrounding this shadowed satellite, the most convincing sighting lies with Gordon Cooper, an astronaut whom claimed the title of being the first person to sleep in space. Voyaging into space for Project Mercury, he claimed that he saw green lights emitting from the so-called satellite. Even mission control could detect the presence of the object. Although this was a dramatic claim, Cooper later ignored the sighting when summarising the results of the project, stating that he had never seen anything at all. Is it a cover up made by NASA? Was he brainwashed? I guess we’ll never know.
Written and designed by Jack Crowe Sources: futurism.com armaghplanet.com national geographic.com