Friday, March 27, 2015

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Space Tourism

Will space tourism become a reality sooner rather than later? The prospects look good. Here are a few more articles that look at the issue.




11 Questions About Space Travel Answered

Space Balloons

Wealthy Chinese Lining Up to Blast Off


And in semi-related news, Vox had a story on things the US government spends more money on than NASA. Definitely worth a look.



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Space X

In addition to Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic project, fellow billionaire Elon Musk of Tesla Motors and PayPal fame is also in the space race. Despite the obvious similarities, there are also many differences between SpaceX and Virgin Galactic.



Read the following articles and conduct research on your own to find three similarities and three differences between these two projects. Write a paragraph for each similarity and difference between SpaceX and Virgin Galactic.



Enter the Dragon 

SpaceX Landed a Rocket on a Platform

Elon Musk's Mission to Mars

Commercial Space Travel Blasts Off in 2014

Monday, March 23, 2015

Virgin Galactic

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Mobile and Virgin Airlines and a host of other ventures, is one of the primary leaders in the commercial space tourism field. His project, Virgin Galactic, has been in development for more than ten years and its goal is to allow ordinary citizens, albeit wealthy ones, the opportunity to go into space.




Last year, Virgin Galactic suffered a setback with the crash of one its test flights, but that does not seem to be stopping their plans.

Virgin Galactic: Richard Branson's Space Company




Richard Branson's Blog Post After the Crash

Virgin Galactic Fliers Reassess Plans After Crash

Virgin Mobile is working out of Spaceport America, located in New Mexico, a tax-payer funded $250 million dollar facility.

Spaceport America

New Mexico Legislature Wants to Sell Spaceport America

Spaceport Woes Bedevil New Mexico

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you be willing to reserve a seat (if you had the money) on Virgin Galactic? Why or why not?

2. Does this seem like to big of a risk, especially allowing ordinary citizens to take part in these flights?

3. If a spaceport was proposed for a rural area in Missouri, supported by taxpayer dollars, would you support it?

Friday, March 20, 2015

Friday Forum: March Madness

The NCAA basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, started yesterday with its usual games of upsets, last-second dramatics, and blow-outs. Regardless of the outcome, millions of Americans love watching the games (and betting on them).


We're going to begin today with a pre-assessment.

1. How many years has there been an NCAA basketball tournament?
2. How many teams are in the tournament?
3. How much is estimated to be wagered on the tournament worldwide?
4. What are the odds of a perfect bracket?
5. How much did CBS and TBS spend on a 14 year contract with the NCAA to televise the games?
6. How much did CBS and TBS earn in ad revenue last year from the tournament?
7. How much lost worker productivity (in dollars) is estimated due to the tournament?
8. Approximately how many Americans fill out a bracket?
9. How many teams were in the first NCAA basketball tournament?
10. How much money did Warren Buffett and Quicken Loans offer for a perfect bracket last year?







March Madness by the Numbers V9
Source: WalletHub

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The World of Private Space Travel

If the Mars One project seems unlikely to come to fruition, what about other forms of space travel? If we can't colonize Mars, will citizens be able to fly into space for short periods or vacation in space on a space station? What companies are involved in these projects and how close are they to being a reality?

Two of the leading private companies are led by a pair of billionaires, Elon Musk and Richard Branson.



Vox has a series of cards that look at some of the more common questions concerning private space travel. Read through the cards to get a better understanding of where we are in the development of private space travel, including space tourism and mining.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Mars One: Headed for Disaster?

Now that we've seen the plan for the Mars One mission and met some of the finalists, we need to evaluate whether or not this project is ever going to get off the ground. Mars One has many critics and skeptics in the scientific community.



Here are a couple of articles that outline the concerns, hazards, and realities of their attempt to colonize Mars.

Is a One-Way Trip to Mars Doomed to Fail?

Mars One: Exciting Adventure or Hoax?


These two articles focus more on the costs involved and the reality of funding (or lack thereof).

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Thinks Mars One Mission Will Fail to Get Financial Backing

Mars One Project is Doomed to Failure and Could Endanger the Future of Science


Discussion Questions:

In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle, funding or lack of scientific technology for sustained living on Mars?

Is it ethical to send humans to Mars (with no way to bring them back) with all of the dangers involved?

Do you think this is a more of a publicity stunt/financial scam than it is a genuine mission to Mars?

If Mars One does not raise the money necessary, what should they do with all of the contributions? 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Mars One: The First Space Colony on Mars?

In addition to NASA and other countries' space programs, there are also many private enterprises that look to explore space and develop commercial space travel, even colonization. One of the most ambitious projects is Mars One, a plan to start colonization on Mars starting within the next decade. There is even a contest to determine who will be the first inhabitants.

We are going to take the next few days and examine the Mars One mission and determine if this is a viable and realistic project or not.





Is this a project you would want to be part of? Thousands of people across the world have applied to be among the first humans on Mars and the final selections will be made by an online vote.









Is this just a really ambitious reality TV show or something that will actually come to fruition?

Read more about the Mars One Project, their mission, and the applicants at the Mars One website.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Friday Forum: Apple Watch--the Next Big Thing or a Bust?

This past week Apple revealed more about its newest product, the Apple Watch, which is set to go on sale next month. The entry level watch costs $349 while the upper end model will sell for as much as $17,000. But what exactly does the watch do to warrant such a price? Will "smart watches" be as ubiquitous in the future as smart phones today?

The Apple Watch:





Here are a few articles on the Apple Watch and its upcoming release.

Apple Watch: Success or Failure?

Hands on the Apple Watch

The Apple Watch will Flop: Here's Why


Discussion Questions:

1. What is the purpose of the Apple Watch? Will it replace smart phones?

2. Would you want an Apple Watch? Why or why not?

3. What do you see as the greatest benefits of the Apple Watch? Drawbacks?

4. Where do you see the Apple Watch in one year? Five years? Ten years?



Wednesday, March 11, 2015

NASA Missions

Today we are going to take a closer look at NASA, including it budget and some of their missions. We also want to start addressing the question of whether or not space exploration should be primarily a government funded and planned operation, or whether this would be better left to the private sector. Is it a good use of taxpayer money?

First, spend some time looking at some of the missions NASA is currently engaged in. You can find a list of their missions here (try to find one that is either current of planned for the future). You will have about ten-fifteen minutes to read about the mission and what it entails before sharing with the whole class. Try to find out as much as you can, including any cost estimates--you may have to search outside of the NASA website.

Next, we are going to have a debate tomorrow on whether or not the federal government should be spending billions of dollars on space exploration or not. Some people believe that this money would be better spent solving problems here on earth while others see the benefits of this research. You will each be assigned a side and will need to research and find points to support your position. You will have some time tomorrow to collectively work on your points before debating the other side.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Space Travel: What is NASA's Vision for the Future

Space travel will be conducted by both the government (NASA) and private companies. NASA recently retired the space shuttle program and now is in the development phase of future space missions, including continued space station missions, a return to the moon, deep space orbit, and exploration of Mars and other planets. Today, we will be looking at the future of NASA and their programs.






For NASA, sending a person to Mars is simple, dealing with Congress is hard

NASA's Orion Tests Future of Manned Spaceflights

The Future of Humanity Rests in Deep Space

10 Strange Projects in Development at NASA

Monday, March 9, 2015

Space Travel: What's on the Horizon?

The 20th century saw humans fly for the first time with the Wright brothers. Within 50 years, commercial plane travel became common. Now in the 21st century, many people speculate that we will have commercial space travel in the next fifty years. Is this a reality or still science fiction fantasy? Who will be the driving force behind space exploration and travel? The government or private enterprise? Is the technology available? Is it a wise investment of money? Who will be able to go? Where will we go? These are just a few of the questions we will be looking at over the next few weeks.

To begin, we will watch this video that provides a nice overview of some of the potential for future space travel.


Friday, March 6, 2015

ISIS Assessment

Please click on this link to access the assessment on ISIS. Please make sure your answers are thorough and complete.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

The Sunni vs. Shia Divide

Some of the problems associated with ISIS relate back to the major divide in Islam between the Sunni and Shia Muslims. Here are a few questions we would like to address:


  • What is the source of division or conflict? How did it originate?
  • Approximately how many Sunni Muslims are there? Shia Muslims?
  • What countries are majority Sunni? Which ones are majority Shia?
  • How did the Iranian revolution of 1979 change the Sunni/Shia relations? What two countries were at the center of the conflict?
  • How did the 2003 invasion of Iraq lead to more sectarian violence?
  • Where does ISIS fit into all of this? How does this Sunni/Shia divide help them?
  • Does this divide in Islam in any way resemble the divide in Christianity?
The Council on Foreign Relations has an excellent overview of the divide between Shias and Sunnis. We'll start with a video that explains some of the key points before looking at their feature story.








Key words: sectarian, secular, schism, apostate



Monday, March 2, 2015

Is Obama's ISIS Strategy Working?

Last week we looked at President Obama's strategy outlined in September to degrade and destroy ISIS. Now, six months later, have we made any progress? Let's look again at some of the key points.

Airstrikes in Iraq & Syria

Train and Arm Syrian Rebels

Train and Equip Iraqi Army

International Coalition

Obama has insisted that US troops will not get involved on the ground in fighting ISIS. But, is that necessary for victory?




The US Should Not Send in Troops

The US Should Send in Troops