An international, cross-curricular exploration of Space Science, through on-line learning tools
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An international, cross-curricular exploration of Space Science, through on-line learning tools
Text of Online Discussions between the scientists and the students
AS Level teaching materials
Online Science Discussion | Online
English Discussion | Online RE Discussion
| Online Discussion of 'Other Matters'
Background
The Holy Cross School is a Catholic High School, formerly called Holy Cross
Convent School. As part of the STAR Project, we were involved in discussions
with Joe Kolecki, NASA Pathfinder scientist, on many levels.
Letter from Ali to Joe:
Dear Joe,
Hello! How are you? I hope everything is going well for you, and for all the other members of the STAR team.
My name is Alicia, Ali for short, and I am a student from Mr. Williams’ Year 12 English Language class, which is currently working on the STAR programme in order to aid our studies in several subject areas, including Information and Communication Technology, Modern Foreign Languages, Science, Mathematics, Art and Design, Photography, Psychology, Food Technology, Health and Social Care and, of course, English Language.
Dear Ali,
I am fine and hope that you are the same. It is a pleasure to meet you, even though our meeting is only a virtual one. I am impressed by your command of the language and your breadth and enthusiasm in learning. Mr. Williams's students have always brought the highest standards with them, and you, the most recent whom I have met, do not disappoint.
Apart from English Language, I am studying modern foreign languages, namely French, Spanish and Italian, and Media Studies at Advanced Subsidiary level. As evident from my choice of subjects, I am an enthusiastic linguist, and have a deep interest in philology.
My mother is Spanish and my father is English, and, at home, my parents have educated me to speak both languages from an early age. Being bilingual puts me at a great advantage in the competitive world of education and work, and has taught me to appreciate the skill of effective and fluent communication. It has also highlighted for me the value of language in an individual’s culture. As I am now researching, as part of an assignment on the English Language course, a person’s language, dialect or even accent can reveal a great deal of their personal background and cultural heritage. Languages are a vital tool in the process of learning and of living. It is thoughts like these that are fuelling some important ideas for my story on the fictitious space expedition to one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, Europa.
Do you know why they are called, "Galilean," and why there are only four? Also, do you know anything about conditions on this particular moon?
For example, I can create a multi-ethnic crew aboard the spacecraft. I could then use my language skills to record the way in which the crew members communicate with their loved ones back home on Earth in several different languages, thus recognising and celebrating the wealth of the cultural heritage aboard the spacecraft. One of the astronauts could make a video diary in his or her native tongue expressing all their emotions in order to be sent to Earth for family and friends to watch. This would support the STAR programme’s multi-lingual activities, and highlight the importance of language in communication.
Your focus on the crew is a crucial factor in creating an effective story. The counterexample to your thesis can be found in any of Hollywood's newest (i.e., last 20 years or so...) productions in which the human factor is all but thrown out the window in favor of special effects - computerized glitz comprising quickly paced sound bytes, brilliant flashes of light, incoherent strings of images, and so on, that do little more than to cause a general disorientation of the audience. (Maybe this Hollywood phenomenon is really an "artistic" reflection of society's more general disorientation anyway. Who knows...?)
My father is a sales manager for a major telecommunications company in London, namely City Of London Telecommunications (COLT). I have visited his workplace on several occasions for brief work experience sessions, and I am very much aware of the world’s dependence on technology and the international race to obtain the latest forms of this. I would greatly appreciate your advice in researching the way in which NASA makes use of the latest modern technology to enhance space expeditions.
Communication - the ability to communicate - is the single most vital tool that any of us possess. Imagine the mathematical prodigy who can prove any theorem, solve any problem, but cannot tell what he/she did. The now famous Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, came close to being one such. Ramanujan was born in Erode, a small village about 400 km southwest of Madras. He grew up in extreme poverty. Having no books, He invented his own mathematical language and symbols to develop number theorems of Mozartean proportions; his work was later translated in more standard terminology by himself and the British mathematician, Hardy. Thank God that the two of them came together!
Everything is, ultimately, language. The proof of this statement lies in the fact that one can learn any field well enough to pass college examinations merely by studying the appropriate lexicons in the field. I know. I've done it. The field I chose was astronomy. I had in my possession a little field guide, a popular Time-Life book called, "The Universe," written strictly for the intelligent lay person, and a dictionary of aeronautics and astronautics ( Philosophical Library - now out of print). Eventually, I abandoned the other books in favor of the dictionary.
On any given day, I set myself the task of choosing a word, pursuing its various cross references, working out any-and-all pertinent equations, and writing the results in a notebook. I did not write stories, as you are about to do: I wrote short but [ and this was an important condition] coherent essays. As they developed, the essays quickly exposed the gaps in my learning, which only a further pursuit into the dictionary was able to fill. Several year later, I met an astronomer - one of my co-workers at NASA, in fact - who was also a lecturer at a local university. He convinced me to attempt his newly written collection of exams for first year college astronomy. I scored an average grade of 98/100!
Thus, the power of the lexicon!
Today, I collect dictionaries. I have - or intend to have - at least one dictionary for every subject that I am aware of - including (most recently) social work. Two new dictionaries of social work have just made their appearance in our local bookstores and I hope soon to obtain copies for my library.
The main part of my story will be set aboard a very specialised spacecraft, so it is vital for me to have a good general understanding of the Information and Communication Technology used by NASA in order to describe the quotidian life of the astronauts accurately and effectively. Some investigation into modern ICT and even some possible futuristic innovations in science and technology will enable me to stress the importance of language in communication throughout my story. To do this efficiently, it will be necessary for me to incorporate specific ICT lexis into my story.
I agree.
My mother is a Business Spanish teacher, and I am conscious of the need for the use of specific vocabulary that both of my parents’ jobs require. Based on my research into the philology of vocabulary from various subject areas, such as scientific terminology based on Latin and Greek words, I could even experiment with the invention of new words to describe technology innovations of the future. I trust that through conversing with you, Joe, an expert in spacecraft-environment interactions, I will be able to gather and share plenty of highly relevant material for my story.
I had another co-worker (now retired) whose wife was on the etymological staff for the Merriam Webster Dictionary. He made it his regular mission to collect new terms for her to include in her files. I will certainly do my best to help you in this regard.
I would like to take time now to say that I feel honoured to have this wonderful opportunity of participating in such a unique educational learning programme. I am intrigued by the theme of outer space exploration, and motivated by the possibility of working with a NASA scientist and the chance of becoming a published author.
Remember that the term, "NASA scientist," is only a title, and that titles and an appropriate number of pence will by you a cup of coffee. I am, first and foremost, a human being, husband, father, and grandfather who enjoys picking things apart to see what makes them tick and then sharing the results with whomever will listen; a person who has also had the immense good fortune of discovering how to make a decent living doing just that - what he most enjoys!
From what I have heard from my teacher, you, Joe, are evidently a highly enthusiastic and educated NASA scientist, specialising in Mars, and I am fully confident that you will prove to be an invaluable educational source, and possible friend, throughout the course of this project.
I hope, friend! And yes, I have some acquaintance with Mars.
I thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer me whilst working on the STAR programme, and I promise to input one hundred percent commitment and interest.
I look forward to communicating with you again soon.
Likewise,
Joe Kolecki
NASA/GRC/PPD/DLN
Ali
At 12:57 PM 11/1/2005 +0000, you (L.C Williams) wrote:
Dear Joe,
This is a paragraph omitted from Ali's original letter.
From Ali:
On another occasion, I would very much enjoy discussing with you the philosophical and religious implications of finding life on another planet. I know that languages and media are subject areas that I can research and feed directly into my work on the STAR project. However, I realise that any religious discussion between us will have to be limited to the classroom at Holy Cross, as it would be unprofessional for a NASA scientist to infuse their religious views with discussions about space. Nonetheless, Mr. Williams has informed me that you are a Catholic, as I am, and therefore I consider you a valuable source of ideas, and a highly appropriate discussion partner. I will give this topic a great deal of thought and endeavour to establish my arguments for and against it, although I am aware even at such an early stage that this is a very sensitive issue where many different view points can be gathered.
Ali
FROM: Joseph C Kolecki
DATE: Tue, 01 Nov 2005 14:28:14 -0500
TO: Lawrence Williams
SUBJECT: Re: Religious aspects
Ali,
I am most excited to openly discuss these things with you.
Let's have at it!
Joe Kolecki
Dear Joe,
Thank you very much for your encouraging reply! Your practical help and moral support have increased my confidence in the STAR project and have provided me with some innovative and exciting ideas for my work. Thank you in particular for the personal anecdotes you shared with me regarding communication and language, I can include these in my story, as they are highly relevant examples of the themes I wish to address and highlight the importance of language and communication in daily life. Your personal experiences are humorous, entertaining, interesting, engaging and authentic material with I value very much. Your collection of dictionaries also intrigues me. Personal hobbies and artefacts are indicators of an individual’s personality, background and culture. This is yet another idea which I can incorporate into my story.
As I explained in my last letter, the main part of my story will be set aboard a specialised spacecraft. I would be really grateful if you could give me a few pointers to help me start effective research into this area, as it is vital that my story is scientifically accurate and that I produce a credible account of a modern space expedition. For example, are there any similar artificial satellites or spacecraft that have already been sent to space on missions resembling the one I will describe in my story which I could research? What are the main areas that I need to explore before I endeavour to design my own spacecraft? I would welcome your guidance.
I have carried out some preliminary research into this subject. I know that Jupiter has sixty moons, including the four Galilean satellites Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. I know that the Galileo spacecraft explored the moons for eight years whilst orbiting Jupiter, from 1996 to 2003. This is a recent space expedition that may be well worth researching in order to gather information for my story.
In response to your questions from your last e-mail, I believe these moons are called ‘Galilean’ as they were discovered by Marius Galileo (Europa was discovered by him in the year 1610). With regards to the conditions on Europa, I know that it has a very thin oxygen atmosphere and a smooth shell of frozen water covering its surface; both conditions being friendly to life. I have also found out that if you are navigating with a compass, you should remember that Europa’s magnetic field changes periodically as the planet passes through Jupiter’s own magnetic field. This variation suggests that there could be a large amount of material beneath Europa’s surface that conducts electricity. Could this be a large ocean of salty water? Perhaps, after some deeper investigation, the response to this question could be the answer to the ‘what if’ question in my story? In any case, I will have to decide this once I feel that I have gathered enough firm evidence to prove this theory. If not, as I am still in the early stages of developing my story, I may find another more appropriate hypothesis to incorporate into my account. I would be more than happy to discuss this with you at a later date.
I look forward to hearing from you again, and hope that things will continue to run smoothly for you and the rest of the team. Again, I thank you for all your highly positive and encouraging comments.
God bless!
Your friend Ali
Work on the story now intervenes: see related documents.
FROM: Joseph C Kolecki
DATE: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:35:28 -0500
TO: Lawrence Williams
SUBJECT: Re: Ali's story, again!
Hi Ali and Lawrence,
Great story! In the style of A.C. Clark and others whom I admire! I have attached a copy with comments and notes!
Many thanks,
Joe Kolecki
Hi again,
I wanted to comment some more that Ali's story strikes a perfect balance between the extraordinary and the mundane.
Her person-to-person interactions are so very recognizable as typical day-to-day people-interactions whose immediate familiarity provides both a good story and its foundation. After all, people are what we are all about. And, in the final analysis, people are what Ali's story is about. Bravo!
Her treatment of the science is excellent for providing a very exotic stage upon which her characters interact. In this setting, they are enabled to reveal something of themselves in a unique way. Enough is actually said so that, by inference, the attentive reader may deduce [or speculate about] a great deal more. Wells was a master at this sort of device. So was Beethoven (to jump tracks from literature into music). Beethoven once said that it is better to leave the audience wanting more than to saturate them to the point of fatigue. (My paraphrase...) Ali's story strikes this balance very nicely.
And finally, THANK YOU, Ali, for bringing the curtain down before landing on Europa. The story is compact and comprises an artistic whole just the way it is. Nothing lacking, nothing overdone. To have said anything more would have been to burst the bubble. The story teller, and the musician or artist, must blow and maintain a bubble of illusion for her/his audience, balancing elements of reality and non-reality (e.g., in music, the impressionism of C. Debussy - cf., especially works like Clouds). Ali's story had plenty enough fiction, what with the future voyage, its objective, and the characters. What an absolute relief [for me] to have Europa left alone to remain a mystery before, throughout, and after the telling of the tale! Again, bravo! In this regard, you have done A.C. Clark one better, I think! I, for one, LOVE mystery!
Postscript: I also appreciate Ali's cameo appearance in her story as Leon Lear. Sagan did something similar when he appeared as Eli Arroway in his novel, Contact. (Only Sagan's was not a cameo appearance; Eli was his main character.)
Again, nice work!!!
Joe
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