Sky Trackers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sky Trackers
Sky Trackers (VHS cover)
Created by	Jeff Peck Tony Morphett
Directed by	Mario Andreacchio Julian McSwiney Steve Jodrell
Starring	Petra Yared Zbych Trofimiuk Emily-Jane Romig Steve Jacobs Anna-Maria Monticelli
Composer(s)	Cezary Skubiszewski
Country of origin	Australia
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Patricia Edgar
Producer(s)	Margot McDonald Patricia Edgar
Cinematography	David Foreman Nino Martinetti
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	ACTF Productions
Release
Original network	Seven Network
Original release	19 March (1995-03-19) – 10 September 1995 (1995-09-10)

Sky Trackers is an exciting 26-part Australian children's television adventure series. It's all about science and features kids living at special space-tracking stations in Australia. There was also a separate TV movie with the same name. Both the series and the movie were created by Jeff Peck and Tony Morphett. Patricia Edgar was the main producer for the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF).

The Sky Trackers movie was filmed in 1990 at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. This is a real space tracking station near Tidbinbilla in the Australian Capital Territory. The TV series came later, with a brand new cast including Petra Yared and Zbych Trofimiuk. It was filmed at the Australia Telescope Compact Array in the New South Wales outback, close to Narrabri. The series first aired in Australia in 1995 on the Seven Network. Even though the series and movie share some character names, their stories are not connected.

The idea for the Sky Trackers series came from Australia's main science agency, the CSIRO. They asked Patricia Edgar, who led the ACTF, to create a show that would encourage girls to consider careers in science. The series aimed to make science fun and exciting for all kids. It showed them the amazing opportunities in science and what scientists actually do.

Sky Trackers the series won some big awards! It won the Australia Film Institute's Award for Best Children's Drama Series in 1994. Zbych Trofimiuk, who played Mike, also won the Young Actor award. The show also won awards at the Cairo International Film Festival for Children in 1994 and the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards in 1995.

What is Sky Trackers About?

The Sky Trackers series mixes adventure, teenage friendships, and scientific discoveries. It focuses on three kids who live at a space tracking station in the Australian outback. Their parents are scientists who work there, surrounded by huge white satellite dishes.

Meet the Main Characters

• Nikki: She's 13 and absolutely loves science. Her biggest dream is to become an astronaut and be the first person on Mars! She's a huge fan of Mike's famous astrophysicist dad.
• Mike: He's 14 and enjoys playing electric guitar, horse-riding, and rollerblading. He doesn't get along well with his dad, who works too much. Mike thinks "science sucks" when he first arrives. But he quickly becomes good friends with Nikki and her younger sister, Maggie.
• Maggie: Nikki's younger sister, who joins them on their adventures.

Adventures at the Space Station

Together, Nikki, Mike, and Maggie have many exciting adventures. They use the station's high-tech equipment to solve problems and help people. Imagine tracking meteorites, searching for hidden treasure, or listening for signals from outer space! They also see amazing auroras, find secret caves, and even hunt for UFOs. Through these adventures, they learn a lot about the world, themselves, and each other. They experience life, friendship, arguments, and laughter together.

Who Stars in Sky Trackers?

Main Actors

• Petra Yared as Nikki Colbert
• Zbych Trofimiuk as Mike Masters
• Emily-Jane Romig as Maggie Colbert
• Steve Jacobs as Tony Masters (Mike's dad)
• Anna-Maria Monticelli as Marie Colbert (Nikki and Maggie's mom)

Other Important Characters

• Paul Sonkkila as Frank Giles
• Marco Chiappi as Christian
• Rosalind Hammond as Elfie

Learning with Sky Trackers

The Australian Children's Television Foundation created special learning materials for schools based on the Sky Trackers series. These were called Curriculum Packs.

Educational Packs for Schools

• Sky Trackers: The Environment: This pack taught about protecting our planet, waterways, and how humans affect nature.
• Sky Trackers: Space: This one covered rockets, space events, radio telescopes, and even the SETI project. It also looked at science, culture, and ethics.
• Sky Trackers: Family and Self: This pack explored family relationships and how to deal with difficult feelings.

Each pack included three Sky Trackers episodes on video. The young actors introduced the episodes. Teachers also received notes and ideas for questions and activities. These materials were for students in upper primary and junior secondary school (around ages 10-14). The episodes combined science, space, environment, and family stories. They encouraged kids to think, discuss, question, and explore different topics.

Today, you can find these educational resources as downloadable PDF files on the ACTF's website. Clips from Sky Trackers are also used in another ACTF resource called What's Fair. This helps teach ethical thinking in schools.

Sky Trackers Books and Videos

Penguin Books Australia published a novel based on the series, also called Sky Trackers.

The Sky Trackers movie was released on video by Village Roadshow. The TV series was also released on video in nine different collections. The first set of episodes became available to the public in June 1995.

Sky Trackers Around the World

The Sky Trackers movie was sold to TV channels in Canada and Germany in 1996.

The Sky Trackers series was incredibly popular and sold to 105 countries! It did especially well in Europe. It was shown in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Ireland. A deal was also made with France 2 in 1995. In 1996, a pay TV channel in Italy and a channel in Poland also bought the series.

The series was also sold to many other countries. These included the Philippines, Nigeria, Turkey, Israel, Iceland, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka. It was even shown in the United States on the WAM! teenage channel.

Awards and Recognitions

Sky Trackers received several awards and nominations for its quality and impact.