(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "Newsdepth," movie and TV writers have gone on strike.

Simulating life outside Earth is the new frontier.

Margaret overviews the Space Race and Apollo 11 missions.

And we visit a family-run model train museum.

"Newsdepth" is now.

(upbeat music) More than 11,000 members of the Writer's Guild of America have gone on strike.

Hello, everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

The Writer's Guild of America, or WGA, is a labor union that represents writers in the motion picture, broadcast, and new media industries.

The writers of your favorite TV shows and movies took to picketing last Tuesday.

Picketing is a strike tactic in which workers stand outside their workplace with signs to bring attention to their issues.

The WGA is calling for better pay, arguing that streaming and on-demand services have increased the volume of work without increasing their wages.

This means that production on your favorite TV shows could be delayed until they come to some kind of agreement.

Chris Nguyen explains where things stand and how soon you can expect to see the impact on your screens.

- [Chris] The Writer's Guild of America preparing to hit the picket lines after failing to reach a deal with the major studios.

- As a union we're saying, "Pay us what we're worth."

- [Chris] The WGA says the rise of streaming and the shortening of traditional TV seasons are making it difficult for members to make a living wage.

- They're spending more money than ever on making these shows.

They're making more profits from them than ever.

But writers are making less money, they're employing us for less time.

- [Chris] The strike comes as many media companies have seen their stock prices decline, prompting cost cuts and layoffs.

- What Wall Street is demanding now is profits.

- [Chris] Late night TV shows will see the first impact because they rely on writers in real time.

Many of those hosts are expressing support for the writers.

- These people, these are our writers, and I'll stick myself in there 'cause I'm WGA too, and they're so important to our show.

- No one is entitled to a job in show business, but for those people who have a job in show business, they are entitled to fair compensation.

- [Chris] The strike could also delay the start of new seasons of other shows later this year.

- What you're looking at is sort of shows that you are anticipating a season coming up with in the next few months, could be delayed as much as a year, if not more, depending on how the strike plays out.

- Thank you, Chris.

The writers' strike is caused by changing trends in the media.

So that made us curious.

How do you usually watch TV?

Head online to vote in this week's poll.

You can choose between you watch TV live, on streaming apps, through social media, on the internet, for example, if you go to ideastream.org to watch "Newsdepth" every week, or you can choose, "I don't really watch TV."

Now, last week we ask you how much you read every day.

The results are in.

51% of you said you read more than 30 minutes a day.

That's good, that's the category I'm in, too.

24% of you said you usually read 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Our producer Natalia said that's where she would fall, but she's working on increasing that number.

13% of you said you read between 20 to 30 minutes.

12% of you said you read 15 to 20 minutes a day.

Meanwhile, screenwriters are not the only union not satisfied with their employers.

Postal workers in Maryland are rallying to protest employees shortages and conditions there.

Sam Ford has those details.

♪ Power authority forever ♪ - [Sam] It poured down rain today as postal service workers huddled under a small tent outside the Curseen-Morris Post Office on Brentwood Road Northeast, one of many protests Friday nationwide on working conditions and other issues.

Dena Briscoe is the American Postal Workers Union rep for D.C. - Supervisors' disrespect towards employees and the long work hours.

And the long worker hours are because of the staffing issues.

- [Sam] They complain it's so bad that most of the workers the postal service hires quit within a short time.

Montgomery County's union rep was at the tent as well.

- I believe they think that if the harassment will cause them to work harder or work better, oh, it ain't working.

It's a good place to work, we just have really bad managers.

- We are tired of being treated with disrespect, with being harassed, with being short staffed.

- [Sam] We asked the postal service for a reaction to the protest.

They released a one-sentence statement.

"The postal service certainly respects the rights of our employees to participate in off-the-clock informational picketing on issues of concern to their membership."

- Thank you, Sam.

A mission to the moon, or maybe even Mars, just wrapped up near Tucson, Arizona.

It's a simulated mission at the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2.

Simulated means it's pretend.

In this case, it's a training exercise imitating conditions of the job.

As Craig Smith tells us now, the special facility is a new frontier for simulating sustained life off of our earth.

- In a way, you're looking at life on the moon or life on Mars.

This is a special module off on the edge of Biosphere 2 where U of A researchers just completed a six-day mission to mimic life on one of those places.

(crowd applauds) Building on history, the hatch was unsealed by a member of the Biosphere crews from about 30 years ago.

Three women and one man crewed this latest mission in a smaller module near the original biosphere.

The module, called SAMS, us designed to be as close to a sealed moon or Mars habitat as we can manage on earth.

The crew lived in reduced air pressure, as they might on the moon or Mars.

They washed, cooked, and hydrated themselves with only about 60 gallons of water.

After six days, they had about 20 gallons left.

Crew members say your morning shower could easily use the 40 gallons that sustained them for six days.

- One of the points we all were reminded of is living within your means and living sustainably is not suffering.

It's just living.

And it doesn't hurt you to turn off the water when you don't need it.

It doesn't hurt you to soap your hands then rinse them.

- [Craig] Dr. Sherri Wells-Jensen is blind and a living symbol of the crew name, Inclusion 1, dedicated to the idea there's a future in space for people with a wide range of abilities.

Crew members say to succeed any mission has to make sure the technology works but also consider how well the people work together.

Crew Commander Cassandra Klos says you might compare the human factor to the isolation many of us lived in the depths of the pandemic.

- Where stakes are higher, your air outside of the habitat is unbreathable, and your crew dynamics, whoever you are living with at the time, is center focused.

These are tasks and these are human elements.

- [Craig] Crew members say six days was barely enough to get comfortable with their systems and with each other.

What they learned in that time will be part of the foundation for future missions to prepare us to live away from our planet.

- Thank you, Craig.

And that brings us to this week's write-in question.

We want you to simulate life on the moon and then tell us what it's like.

Jump over to our inbox form online to tell us how you picked your life in space.

And remember, you can also send a drawing with your description.

I'd love to see some artwork.

Before we could even imagine humans living on the moon, though, we first had to figure out how to get a person on the moon.

Back in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, there was a competition between nations to be the first one to reach outer space.

We called it the Space Race.

Neil Armstrong from Wapakoneta, Ohio and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin from New Jersey were the first humans to walk on the moon's surface.

Margaret recaps the Space Race and Armstrong's first steps on the moon for the Apollo 11 mission in this Spot on Science.

(upbeat music) - Okay, so this is embarrassing, 'cause obviously I'm not very good at the moonwalk, but hey, neither was Neil Armstrong when he first stepped on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

His bouncy stroll through outer space will always have a place in history as one of mankind's greatest accomplishments.

So let's rewind back a little, though, to the era of the Space Race.

Between 1957 and 1969, the United States and the Soviet Union, a now defunct group of 15 countries, including Russia, were competing to explore outer space.

(bell dings) The race began with the Soviet union's launch of the first manmade satellite into space.

They sent Sputnik I into orbit around the earth in 1957.

Sputnik spent three months circling the planet, and it made America speed up our own space pursuit.

The Soviet Union was also the first to send a man into space.

Yuri Gagarin was the man.

In 1961, his flight around the earth lasted for just a little over 100 minutes.

With these big accomplishments, the U.S. had a lot of catching up to do.

Less than a month after Yuri's flight, U.S. President John F. Kennedy vowed that we would land a man on the moon.

- We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.

Because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.

- And thus, the Apollo missions began, with each mission building up to the next.

The first several Apollo missions tested out equipment, and there was a lot to test.

The spacecraft that would take us to the moon had three main modules.

The command module.

This is where the crew spent most of their time.

But it only has about as much room inside as a car.

Tight quarters.

Apollo 11's command module was nicknamed The Columbia.

The service module, which includes the main rocket engine, and the lunar module, which is what separated from the other two to land on the moon.

Apollo 11's lunar module was nicknamed The Eagle.

It wasn't until Apollo 7 that people hopped aboard the spacecraft.

The next couple missions tested out various modules and orbit around the moon.

That brings us to the big mission, Apollo 11.

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida with three brave astronauts aboard.

Neil Armstrong, mission commander.

He was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and had a career as a naval pilot.

Michael Collins, command module pilot.

He served as a test pilot and major general in the Air Force before working with NASA.

And Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lunar module pilot.

He was a fighter pilot with the Air Force.

The astronauts tucked inside Apollo 11's spacecraft were pushed into space by the Saturn V rocket, which was as tall as a 36-story building.

The journey to the moon is about 250,000 miles.

So yeah, it takes a pretty big rocket to get there.

Later, on July 20th, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module safely in a moon crater known as the Sea of Tranquility.

Hours later, they exited the module.

Armstrong took those first steps on the moon and famously declared... - [Neil] It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

- It's estimated that about 530 million people watched Armstrong take those first steps on the moon.

Armstrong and Aldrin spent about just over 21 1/2 half hours on the moon surface.

While they were here, they gathered moon rocks and took photos.

They also left behind an American flag, and a couple of footprints, too.

Then it was time to connect back with the command module.

The three astronauts headed back to Earth.

Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969 to a hero's welcome.

Now, the three astronauts of Apollo 11 will always be remembered for their brave mission to the moon and for helping pave the way to the next out-of-this-world destination.

Mars walk anyone?

- Thanks, Margaret.

Wow, tech has come a long way since then.

I mean, we even have robots in the classroom now, right?

Hey, have you ever programmed a robot?

How about this, have you ever programmed a robot using colored lines and computers?

We recently visited Mrs. Witt's and Ms. Weber's fourth grade class at Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood.

They taught us all about their Ozobot and impressed us with their skills in problem solving and computer programming.

For that, they're winning this week's A+ award.

Ozobots are small, spherical robots that you can direct using code that you write.

Code is a set of instructions or a system of rules written in a programming language.

Sabir told us that one of the cool things about Ozobots is that you can code them using instructions that tell the robot to follow a color, and each color tells the robot where to go.

Or you can write more traditional computer code using a programming language on your computer.

Xavier told us that colors even control the speed of the movements and that you can make them do stunts.

Zainab was proud of how well her classmates were doing with the coding, considering they only used the robots about six or seven times.

Jasper added that the coding gets more complicated as you get more experienced with the Ozobots.

Bei told us that he's working on a set of voice commands for his Ozobot.

Can't wait to see how that turns out.

And Adrian told us that the robots can respond to music.

I don't know about you, but I kind of want an Ozobot of my own now.

Well, the highlight of our visit was when they showed us a commercial they created using the Ozobots.

It features ketchup-flavored potato chips.

Turns out, I guess, that Ozobots love ketchup-flavored potato chips.

I can honestly say I prefer something different.

But this week's A+ award goes to Ms. Witt's fourth grade STEM students at Harrison School in Lakewood for how well they programmed their Ozobots, even though they have questionable taste in potato chips.

So last week we ask you to tell us what you've learned this year and what you're looking forward to next school year by writing a valedictorian speech.

Let's hear all about your experiences by opening up our inbox.

(upbeat music) Alice from Elmhurst Elementary in Toledo wrote, "If I was valedictorian, here's what I would say.

I am thankful for my teacher for teaching me and my classmates for making this school year fun!

It is a gift to be able to learn at my school.

Not all schools are as good as ours.

I did have help from friends, thank you."

And thank you for writing, Alice.

Gunesh from Valley Forge Elementary in Huber Heights has set his goals for next year.

"Dear Newsdepth, I learned it is just normal things like math, science, ELA, social studies, but I really want to improve my art.

My art teacher already presented two of my art pieces in Wayne High School, but I want her to present more so I am trying really hard to make that dream come true."

Sariyah from Summit Road Elementary in Reynoldsburg has put in a lot of work for her community.

"Dear Newsdepth, me and my friend Nathalie got exemplar for caring about our community and our school.

We've been working on sending our board of education a letter and solutions on how we can save money and make our school have renewable energy.

Thank you, Newsdepth."

Thank you, Sariyah.

Julius from John P. Parker School in Cincinnati thinks we can all do a little better.

"Well, we have a whole new year ahead of us, and wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, a little more loving, and have a little more empathy, and maybe next year at this time we'd like each other a little more."

Bay from Roxboro Elementary in Cleveland Heights is taking a big step next year.

"I learned a lot of things this year, such as how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, fraction.

We also learned how to make a solid five paragraph essay.

I'm looking forward to seeing my friends next year because I'm gonna miss my friends.

I'm also going to look forward to middle school.

I've never been to middle school because I am in elementary school."

Thanks, everyone, for your letters.

It made me really reflect on this past year, too.

And this year I think I learned just how important representation is.

We have to share and consume stories about people with different skin tones, different cultures, different backgrounds, different mental and physical abilities, and people with different opinions for all of us to be able to grow.

Now, some of you watching might be graduating this month from elementary school, middle school, even high school.

So you probably understand how much hard work it takes for someone to make it through the finish line.

For this next student, it got pretty challenging to make it to the end, but at the age of 81, Janice Hall can finally say she is a college graduate.

At one point in her life, Janice had been working toward earning her degree, but a serious car accident prevented her from reaching her goal, and it took until she retired nine years ago for her to be able to get back to the classroom.

Julianne Grohowski takes us to Janice's graduation.

- [Julianne] College graduation, a time to celebrate success, reflect on years of hard work in school, but mostly wonder about the future ahead and plan what comes next in your new adult life.

That's the story for most graduates, but not all.

- [Speaker] Whether you are 21 and finished at breakneck speed or you're 81 completing the dream of a college degree, yes, Janice Hall.

(crowd cheers) - [Julianne] This is Janice Hall, 81 years old and now a graduate of Bethel University.

- To receive the accolades and the love and the support that I've received throughout this day has been wonderful.

- [Julianne] At one point in life, Janice had been working towards earning her degree, but a serious car accident prevented her from reaching her goal.

In the years since, she's raised a large family of three children, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

She's had an extensive career in human resources and working under some of South Bend's mayors.

She's even received impressive rewards.

The one she's most proud of is a key to the city of South Bend.

- My mother's been resilient, she's persevered, and she has met the challenge, not only today but over her lifetime.

- [Julianne] But clearly, no battle is too big, because it's what has brought her to this moment.

- Janice Lorraine Hall.

(Crowd Cheers) - [Julianne] She says she couldn't have done it without her Rollator to help her get across the stage.

But most importantly, she couldn't have done it without her family, who have been there every step of the way.

- Thank you, Julianne.

A high school freshman in Kentucky is celebrating getting a perfect score on the college readiness test, the ACT.

Amogh is a first-generation immigrant from India and will be honored by his school district.

First generation means someone is the first in their family lineage to achieve something.

In this case, it means Amogh is the first of his family to be born in the United States.

Kelly Dean spoke with the student and his family.

- I write the code to create games that people can play.

- [Kelly] With a hobby like writing gaming codes, South Warren freshman Amogh Patnaik might be the only one who was surprised by his perfect ACT score.

- The hardest part was science and reading.

I came back thinking I completely flunked it, and then I got a 36 on them, so that was crazy.

- I'm just, "Oh my God, you did it, man!"

Awesome, super awesome, super happy I was.

- [Kelly] The Patnaiks moved to the U.S. from India in 2008 and have been in Bowling Green for the past 12 years, a place they now call home.

- And Warren County has so much of opportunities, I wouldn't go back for anything else, the things that they have here as options.

- [Kelly] Amogh's parents, Ritu and Sujit, say that being in America, and specifically in Bowling Green, will benefit their oldest son's future in the STEM field.

- To see that Kentucky has this opportunity for kids like him, that they can go to Gatton, is a great big of a deal, because not everybody gets that chance everywhere else in a state.

- [Kelly] While that magic number 36 might shape the direction of one's future, wise beyond his years, Amogh reassuring his peers that the weight of the standardized test won't be the only thing that matters.

- It really frees the rest of my years of high school up for doing more productive things like learning how to be a better writer and getting more extracurriculars.

And I think that'll help my college applications.

- [Kelly] His eyes and heart set on the future, Amogh and his parents grateful for a job that brought them here to the states over a decade ago.

But it's opportunity that keeps them here to stay.

- Yeah, you can say country of opportunity, that's what they call it.

- All aboard!

Now we're headed to check out some model trains at the Corner Field Model Railroad Museum.

Tom, Sr., his wife Vicki, and their two kids, Tom, Jr. and Ashley, have managed to get their dream of a family-run museum right on track when they started to share their hobby of 50 years with visitors.

Trains run on multiple tracks through elaborate city and country landscapes, all designed by the Elesh family not far from here in Geauga County.

Carrie Wise takes us there in this week's Sketchbook.

(pencil sketching) - [Carrie] The trains here talk, steam, whistle, and at times, whizz right by.

The museum is a family affair started from a lifelong collection and passion for trains.

Getting everything up and running took the Elesh family about 15 years.

- The layout is 32 by 145 feet and we're very proud of the size and the way it is 'cause it's the biggest in our area.

- [Carrie] The elaborate display features intricate details from Amish buggies to handcrafted picnic tables, with much of this layout paying tribute to Northeast Ohio.

- [Tom] We have a city amusement park, which you might see is replicated to Geauga Lake, which has an operating rollercoaster called the Big Dipper.

- [Carrie] The Elesh family's large collection also incorporates trains and pieces people have donated to their museum.

(wedding march playing) - There's a 70-year old white church on the layout, and it has a wedding going on.

He knew the gentleman, he had passed away from cancer, but he was really special.

That is one of my favorite pieces.

- [Carrie] Visitors can lose track of time taking in all of the scenes throughout the layout, which features a mix of city and country life.

- As you come into my side, we have the Amish area, more like Geauga County area, more like Cleveland, east side of Cleveland.

We all took turns on different creativities and we basically would go travel around and we would get ideas of different buildings, how things would look, the nature.

So we kind of would get a good replica.

- [Carrie] Ashley Elesh and her brother Tom, Jr. run the trains and control the features on opposite ends of the museum.

Two popular pieces on Ashley's side include the drive-in theater and the rocket ship ride.

- Everyone loves the rocket ships, as everyone thinks of Euclid Beach Park.

They were also at Geauga Lake Park, and everyone always talks about the cars that they ride on 'cause the kids and families always talk like, "Oh, they actually work," and they do.

They actually start and stop.

- [Carrie] Of course, the trains delight, too.

Keep an eye out for the bullet that speeds along the outside track and watch the trains brought in on the roundhouse.

It all gets people talking.

The museum also includes the trading post train shop, carrying on the name of a longtime Cleveland business where Tom.

Sr. once worked.

- Today, it's because we had this massive train display, I get the chance to share it with the children of the country and our world, and that's very important to me.

- Wow, thanks, Carrie.

Hey, did you notice all the details in their displays?

Pretty impressive.

You know who's really good at also sniffing out details?

NewsHound.

Let's see what his keen nose picked up on this week for our Petting Zoo segment.

(upbeat African music) (dog barks) Hey there, NewsHound.

Looks like you are on the trail of something good.

Ooh, look how focused he is.

And there he goes.

What do you have for us?

Aha, you found a puppy training with a police department to become a therapy dog.

To learn what this K9's job will be, click the petting zoo button on our website.

And thank you, NewsHound.

Well, that's all the time we have for today, but you can keep the conversation going, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here, 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Or you can even tweet us.

Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Child] "Newsdepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music)