Suncoast student is national semi-finalist in interplanetary essay contest

Freshman Hunter Jarrell was a semi-finalist for a national essay contest hosted by NASA designed to give students a taste of life as a scientist. Picking a target for a spacecraft to observe is usually a task for a select group of mission scientists. The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenged students in grades five through 12 to join the NASA science team studying Saturn. Students study three possible targets that the Cassini spacecraft can image during a given time set aside for education. They choose the one image they think will yield the best science results and explain their reasons in an 500 word essay. More than 2,300 students from 37 states entered the contest, and Hunter's article rose to the semi-finals.

Hunter and other Physics students in science teacher Erich Landstrom’s classes watched videos about the Cassini mission, which has been in orbit around Saturn since 2004; Saturn's moon, Iapetus; Saturn's moon, Dione; and Saturn itself. moon Iapetus). Landstrom modeled how the essay proposal would be written like a scientific investigation for students to explain what questions do they hope will be answered by taking this picture?

Hunter Jarrell's Essay: C2 - ID# 201

Any of the options for the Cassini pass by will provide great scientific insight, but I think that Dione would provide the most useful information. I think Dione will be the best target for the fly by because it will give us a better understanding of the surface and exosphere, it might give us clues on to why it turned, and its the last chance we have until 2015.

First off, I think that the Cassini should fly by Dione because it will allow us the opportunity to get a better view and understanding of the surface of Dione. These pictures will let us study the ice cliffs and what they could be composed of other than water. We could also figure out what is under the solid surface and in the liquid interior. With these images we could figure out the effect of long term bombardment of fine powder from Saturns E ring. We could also gain some more information on the composition of the exosphere and the effect of it on the geology of the moon.

In addition to finding out about the planets characteristics the fly by could help us to achieve understanding of why the satellite has rotated. Using past pictures for earlier Cassini flybys of craters on the surface of Dione NASA determined that Dione had rotated around its axis. This is still a mystery to us and I want it to be resolved. We could get better pictures with this fly by of the patterns and maybe use that to discern the answer. With more up to date pictures we can compare them to the older pictures and see if Dione has rotated anymore.

Finally, this flyby will be the only chance we have to image Dione until 2015. There are endless possibilities that we could get with this view. Things that we haven't even thought of could be put into light. This is what science is about, observing and finding conclusions. If we squander this opportunity then we will have to wait another two years before we have the chance again.

In my opinion I believe that Dione would be the best target for the upcoming Cassini mission. I believe this because it could give us better or new information about the surface, possibly solve the mystery of why it rotated, and its the last chance for 2 years. I hope that you will consider my take on which target should be picked.

The Science Planning Team designed three possible observation opportunities. Each of the three has scientific merit (and, in fact, Cassini imaged all three -- there was a winner for each target in each grade group ). Target number one is an image of Saturn's mysterious moon, Iapetus. Target number two aimed the camera at Saturn's moon, Dione, and Target three produced a full-color mosaic of Saturn and its rings. Student participants examine the three possible observations taken by Cassini and are tasked to choose the one they think will yield the best scientific results. This choice must then be supported in a 500-word essay.
The contest meets U.S. National English and Science Education Standards By participating in the essay contest, students will be able to:

• Work with a real, current NASA mission
• Apply their critical thinking skills
• Applying their writing skills
• Learn how to conduct research
• Gain confidence in their ability to "do science"
• Learn something new, and form questions about a place they may never have heard of
• See themselves in the roles of scientists
• Watch videos by young Cassini scientists and engineers, and see that scientists and engineers come from diverse backgrounds
• See that scientists have different opinions and priorities when choosing where their spacecraft will target images

NASA sent certificates of participation to all students who entered, with winning essays posted on a NASA website http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday12thedition/winners2013/

Seminole Ridge student is national semi-finalist in interplanetary essay contest

Freshman Courtney Muscarella was a semi-finalist for a national essay contest hosted by NASA to answer the question: where should NASA’s next big mission to the outer solar system go: Saturn’s moon, Titan, or Jupiter’s moon, Europa?

Courtney and other students in science teacher Erich Landstrom’s Earth-Space Science classes watched videos about astrobiology and the engineering challenges of exploring Titan and Europa, then wrote an essay (500 words or fewer) explaining which moon to send a spacecraft to explore, if you could, and why. Students included information about the instruments they would put on the orbiter and balloon or lander. The Titan mission would include a Titan orbiter and a Titan balloon. The Europa mission would include a Europa orbiter and a Europa lander. Teachers submitted the contest entries on their students’ behalf. The deadline for submission was Feb. 28, 2013.

NASA sent certificates of participation to all students who entered, with winning essays posted on a NASA website http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/contest/

Courtney Muscarella’s Essay: ID# 212

Considering our economy at the moment space exploration is very expensive. Taking this into consideration, how this money is spent or where we chose to explore, should be selected carefully. Previous missions like the Cassini investigation that orbited Saturn, delivered NASA researchers with interesting information and images of the planet’s moons. Astrobiologists (scientists who study and search for life beyond Earth) are now pondering if life could be sustainable on the planet’s largest moon: Titan. I believe NASA should explore Titan with an orbiter and a touch-and- go balloon. Below I will discuss these two pieces of technology and what they can provide for astrobiologists.

To begin, we should use a touch-and-go balloon to explore Titan. Doing so is more beneficial than a lander because a lander is only able to explore one area and with a vast complex region such as Titan a lander just won’t cut it. It will leave various areas undiscovered. A balloon can travel near the moon by flowing in the wind’s direction. It can touch and go from place to place as it collects data. We can investigate Titan’s dunes and how they formed, the lakes that do not necessarily contain water, and the equatorial region. Processes occur in the moon’s atmosphere to form complicated molecules that create a layer of haze. This haze layer acts almost like a shield blocking light from reaching the surface. The complicated molecules combine in several ways that scientists have yet to understand. They believe these molecules make up the dunes on Titan. Investigating Titan with a balloon could most likely answer the mystery case of Titan’s dunes. Likewise, I believe the balloon should collect lots of data such as soil samples, temperature, and so on. Knowing more about Titan through the touch and go balloon can help us to learn more about whether life was once present there or could ever be.

Furthermore, once the balloon has collected all of this data it needs a way of getting back to us here on Earth. Traveling there to receive it is out of the question as it would take 9 years to send a spacecraft to this moon. An alternative option is using an orbiter. This piece of machinery is able to photograph Titan while orbiting around it. Also it is receiving the information from the balloon and sending it back here to Earth. In addition, using a balloon and an orbiter will help astrobiologists to learn about this moon and they can compare the new information to tell us more about Earth. We may find answers to questions such as how our solar system formed and where else in the solar system life could be sustainable.

To conclude, I believe if NASA chooses to send a mission to Saturn’s moon Titan they are making the best and most educational choice. I also think astriobiologists may be able to form and answer several interesting questions about whether Titan can hold life.

Transit of Venus 2012

(With my apologies to the late Charles Shultz -- the original Peanuts strip was for the July 20, 1963 solar eclipse. I hope that others had better weather conditions and enjoyed the view).

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