Monday, May 18

9:00am American Experience: Chasing the , Part 1 - 9th thru 12th + grades

This is a documentary series about the , from its earliest beginnings to the monumental achievement of the first lunar landing in 1969 and beyond. The three-part series recasts the Space Age as a fascinating stew of scientific innovation and PR savvy, political calculation and media spectacle, visionary impulses and personal drama. The film features new interviews with a diverse cast of characters who played key roles in these historic events. Among those are astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Frank Borman and Bill Anders; Freeman Dyson, the renowned futurist and theoretical physicist; Sergei Khrushchev, the son of former Soviet premier , who played a prominent role in the Soviet space program as a rocket engineer; Poppy Northcutt, the 25-year-old “mathematics whiz” who gained worldwide attention as the first woman to serve in the all-male bastion of NASA’s Mission Control; and Ed Dwight, the Air Force pilot selected by the Kennedy administration to train as America’s first black astronaut. In part 1 explore the early days of the space race, the struggle to catch up with the and the enormous stakes in the quest to reach the moon. This episode reveals both the breathtaking failures and successes of the developing U.S. space program.

After watching this episode, choose from the following questions

and/or tasks to extend your learning

Question Box 1

 Why did humans want to go to the moon?  What is the acceleration of the rocket to overcome the earth's gravitational pull?  What year did Soviet Sputnik launch?  At what speed did Sputnik travel around the earth?  Why was Sputnik 2 launched?  What did Von Braun propose to the US?  Explain the third stage rocket motor of the Van Guard vehicle.  Who and how was Jupiter C launched?  After WWII what did the US get from Germany?  Who was ham?  Who was the first man in space?  What year did the cosmonaut fly around the world?  Who was Commander Shepard?  How much did space exploration cost the US in 1961?

Continued on the next page…

Question Box 2

 What did LB Johnson mean progress is going to result only by bold decisions that are made by cool heads?  Why was the US and Soviet Union at a political/space war?  Were these vessels used for war or space exploration?  Why did the Vanguard missile fail and how much money was allocated?  Why was Von Braun important to Germany?  What did Von Braun mean by taking life out of this planet into the universe?  Why were the German scientists more important than weapons?  Why did the 120 scientists become US citizens?  How did live television play a role in our space race?  Was exploration of space a leadership decision?

Box 3 (Tasks)

 In 1960, NASA’s budget was $401 million, which was 0.5% of the federal budget. In 1965, NASA’s budget was $5,092 million, which was 4.31% of the federal budget. How much of an increase was this? Why do you think the federal government approved such an increase? Use mathematics to justify your reasoning.  Explain with evidence, some of the scientific contributions made by the scientists that immigrated to the United States before and during WWII.

Box 4 (Enrichment)

 Trace the trajectory of Sputnik around the world. Make a model of a Rocket.  Make a timeline of all rocket scientists.  Make a book creator for each one of the right stuff astronauts.  Explain using evidence, who was Max Plank, and why did he decide to stay in Germany during WWII.  What was the Manhattan Project and what role did the recently immigrated scientists play in that project?

Box 5 (Extend/Real-Life)

 Project the year that humans would be on the moon again and Mars for the first time.  Does science have political implications?  How much is space exploration costing us now.  Write a speech explaining the advantages/disadvantages of an outpost on the moon.  Observe the moon and learn about moon exploration at this link: https://moon.nasa.gov/  Would you consider a STEM career? Why or why not? What would it be?