CP ASTRONOMY

MRS. CARPINELLI

NASA SATELLITE PROJECT

The launch of Sputnik in 1959 signaled the beginning of the space age. While relatively few NASA projects (Apollo, Voyager, and the Shuttle for example) have become household names, the majority of NASA programs are unknown to the general public. This does not mean that they have no importance to the average person’s everyday life. Many of these programs have brought about a deeper understanding of the atmosphere, the oceans, and the star that gives us life. The continued functioning of these satellites is essential to maintaining our new technologies (wireless communications), our research into global conditions, and our understanding of the mechanics of the solar system.

However, in these days of more restrictive NASA budgets, more scrutiny is being placed on missions, both new and established. In addition, without an operational space shuttle, it is very difficult to save a satellite that degrades (begins to fall back to earth). The process of saving a satellite begins in committee, where a team first must prove that their satellite is more worthy than that of another team. This is, in effective, salesmanship, but it is rooted in a thorough knowledge of the role the satellite plays.

For your final project in College Prep Astronomy you and a team of two other individuals will select a recent NASA satellite and will research its mission. You and your team are the project managers for your satellite. You must obtain funding to continue the lifetime of your mission. In order to accomplish this, you must convince the Congressional Subcommittee on NASA Funding (me and several other teachers and administrators) that your mission merits continued funding. Should you fail to convince the committee, your satellite will be decommissioned, burning in the atmosphere (and you and your team lose your jobs!).

You will then develop a presentation to your class and the Subcommittee on your mission. Included in your presentation will be a brochure that details the history and the success of your mission thus far, what importance this has for the citizens of earth, and images of your satellite and its data. Your brochure will be due the day before your presentation so that I can photocopy it for the class. If your brochure is not ready the day before presentations begin, it will be YOUR responsibility to make 25 copies for the class. Failure to do this will result in a deduction from your grade. Your presentation will include the information in the brochure, but should not be a word-for-word reading of the brochure. You should, in addition, have a visual aide of some sort (PowerPoint, Overhead, Posters, Model, etc.). Your presentation will, of course, be more detailed than your brochure and should "sell" the idea that your satellite is of vital importance to the planet and therefore worthy of continued funding. Finally, you will turn in a bibliography of the information you used. Use the standard format for a bibliography. You should use a minimum of three websites for the information.

Your presentation will count as 50% of your project grade. The brochure will count as 30%. Your bibliography will count as 10% and your participation in the IMC will count as 10%. In addition, the two satellites per class that are deemed worthy of salvaging will get 10 bonus points. A copy of the grading sheet is shown below.

PRESENTATION (50 points)

Information Presented (25 points)

Satellite History 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Importance 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Insight 5 4 3 2 1 0

Public Speaking Skills (15 points)

General Skills (eye contact, etc) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Salesmanship 5 4 3 2 1 0

Visual Aide (10 points)

Quality/Readability/Relevance 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

BROCHURE (30 points)

Information Presented (20 points)

Mission Information 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Mission Images 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Design and Appeal (10 points) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

BIBLIOGRAPHY (10 points)

Required number of sources 5 4 3 2 1 0

Format 5 4 3 2 1 0

PARTICIPATION (10 points) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

SUBTOTAL---------------------------------------------------------------------->

DEDUCTIONS FOR LATENESS (10 points per day per element)---

ADDITION FOR SAVED SATELLITE (10 points) -------------------