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BAEN BOOKS

TEACHER’S GUIDE TO GOING INTERSTELLAR

BY LES JOHNSON AND JACK MCDEVIT




Contents:



Recommended reading levels:

Going Interstellar is appropriate for a young adult audience. Classroom use of the book is most suitable for upper middle school to high school students.


* Some texts in Going Interstellar contain an abundance of high-level vocabulary. For these texts, only the words and terms that are pertinent to supporting a scientific or thematic understanding are included in the “Prepare to Read” section. It is recommended that students use a dictionary while reading Going Interstellar.



Background:

Published by Baen books in 2012, this anthology combines short science fiction stories with scientific essays, each addressing theories and possible scenarios concerning interstellar space travel.



Biographical information on the editors:



Initiating activity for Going Interstellar:

Consider preparing images of covers and segments of texts from early and modern science fiction magazines. Emphasize the idea that science is a collaborative effort, even in the world of science fiction, where ideas are shared and improved upon. Also make sure to distinguish for your students the difference between science fiction and hard SF. Your students might be surprised that science fiction and real-world science have a significant impact on one another.



CHOICES, Les Johnson



Major Characters:




Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. When Goss expresses that the tower in his dream “taunts” him, he is using what kind of figurative language?
    1. Foreshadowing
    2. Paradox
    3. Personification
    4. Irony
  2. What ensured that the minds of New Madrid’s inhabitants did not deteriorate as they hibernated?
    1. Regular injections of neurotransmitters
    2. A dream generator
    3. Being “connected” to individual external hard drives
    4. Being woken periodically to perform logic tests
  3. What literary device does Goss use when he refers to Earth-like planets as “Goldilocks worlds”?
    1. Allusion
    2. Metaphor
    3. Sensory language
    4. Illusion
  4. Whose voice is Goss relieved to hear?
    1. Vasquez
    2. An awakened colonist
    3. Artificial Intelligence
    4. His own
  5. When Goss refers to the people on Earth who decided which star systems held habitable planets as “smart people,” he is:
    1. Showing denial
    2. Employing sarcasm
    3. Expressing humility
    4. Utilizing hyperbole
  6. Goss has already hibernated for 1,959 ship-time years. According to A.I., how much longer must Goss hibernate in order to reach Epsilon Indi?
    1. Approximately 1,959 years
    2. 3,918 years
    3. 41 years
    4. Approximately 980 years
  7. What is the primary reason for why Goss is worried upon waking up from hibernation?
  8. What are three reasons that Goss chose to join the New Madrid mission?
  9. What is Vasquez’s primary reason for wanting to abort the New Madrid mission?
  10. Why does Goss decide to insert a real-life Earth experience of progressing from early to future eras into the dreams of New Madrid colonists?



Answers:

  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. c
  5. b
  6. a
  7. Goss understands that the New Madrid’s commander, first officer, and two medical officers are supposed to be the first people to be roused from hibernation so that they may safely wake the other travelers.
  8. Goss was tired of living in crowded Earth conditions, disliked the idea of living below ground on the moon or Mars, and looked forward to the challenge of pioneering space.
  9. Commander Vasquez feels that living another thousand years in virtual reality outweighs the hardship of living a normal human lifespan in a new colony.
  10. Goss wants to ensure that the colonists are prepared to handle the long-term labor of establishing a colony, a process that will not guarantee fantastic experiences, and whose progress will be slow and arduous.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. The colony traveling on the New Madrid must sleep and dream for many centuries before arriving at any cosmic destination. If you could choose to live a thousand dream years, would you? Do you agree with Commander Vasquez that in dreams people can “live like kings”? Does relative immortality have only positive implications? Justify your answer.
  2. Artificial Intelligence is depicted as having “thought” to awaken Goss from his dream-induced slumber. While Vasquez’s change of mind nearly destroys the New Madrid mission, A.I. provides Goss an opportunity to save an entire colony of humans. Based on textual evidence, what do you think is Les Johnson’s opinion about the value of Artificial Intelligence? Can A.I. truly make its own choices?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Whether in the distant past or distant future, pioneers have and will be forced to make difficult decisions concerning not only their own survival, but the survival of their culture in new lands. In the form of proper names, Les Johnson alludes to a famous pioneer, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, and the city of New Madrid, Missouri, which was founded by 18th century American frontiersmen. In small groups, have your students use the internet to research narrative accounts of the aforementioned pioneers, or other early pioneers, and the struggles and difficult choices that they encountered in their journeys. After reading “Choices,” each group should present a visual representation that illustrates similarities and differences between the researched pioneers and Johnson’s characters.



A COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Ben Bova



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. What adjective best describes Ignatiev’s attitude toward Deneuve?
    1. Apathetic
    2. Indifferent
    3. Furious
    4. Protective
  2. What is one mystery concerning pulsars that Ignatiev wishes to solve?
    1. Their life span
    2. Why they pulsate so precisely
    3. What materials they are composed of
    4. Their effect on planetary bodies
  3. What “deceit” annoys Ignatiev?
    1. AI is represented with human faces
    2. Sagan’s viewable star field is a simulation
    3. Nikki pretends to like Ignatiev
    4. The psychotechnicians are actually robots
  4. With what does Ignatiev compare his arguments with AI?
    1. Arguing with a stubborn child
    2. A “pavane” dance
    3. Playing a game of chess
    4. Playing a video game
  5. What is Artificial Intelligence’s “first priority”?
    1. To ensure the success of the Sagan mission
    2. To only obey its original protocol
    3. To protect the lives aboard Sagan
    4. To ensure its own survival
  6. What does Ignatiev remember when he considers shutting down AI?
    1. He had not finished his last chess game with AI
    2. His deceased wife
    3. That he was asked to be Gregorian’s best man
    4. A line from a book he had once read
  7. Why is the starship Sagan referred to as a “scoopship”?
  8. What is Ignatiev’s view of his role, including that of his fellow crew members, aboard the starship Sagan?
  9. What is the primary problem concerning communications between the starship Sagan and mission control on Earth?
  10. How does Ignatiev compare himself with Artificial Intelligence?



Answers:

  1. d
  2. b
  3. a
  4. c
  5. c
  6. b
  7. Sagan uses an invisible magnetic field to “scoop” in hydrogen atoms and ionize them. The hydrogen ions are then fused together into helium ions, providing in the process energy with which to operate the starship.
  8. Ignatiev feels that he and his crewmates are only present to check the electrical and mechanical devices that sustain Sagan. He believes that he and his crewmates are likely to die during their mission and are merely sacrifices to the greater mission objective.
  9. Communications take six years to transmit between the starship and mission control.
  10. He thinks they are both stubborn.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. What is the primary difference between the idea of immortality in “Choices” and “A Country for Old Men”? Does your own idea of what it means to be immortal compare or contrast with either Vasquez’s or Ignatiev’s?
  2. Consider why Ignatiev is disturbed by the fact that Artificial Intelligence is presented virtually with human faces. Do you agree that robots should resemble human beings? Or do you think that there should always be a clear distinction between Artificial Intelligence and humans? Why? Why not?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Ben Bova indirectly refers to science fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics.” Display Asimov’s laws and ask your students whether an artificial intelligence system can ever be programmed to accurately evaluate complex human emotions? What problems might arise if an artificial intelligence system cannot accurately read human emotion? What human experiences might an AI system never be able to understand? Follow up this discussion by having your students research progress and ideas within the artificial intelligence field. Some useful resources:



ANTIMATTER STARSHIPS, Greg Matloff



Prepare to read…



Essay Outline:


Early Antimatter History

Antimatter in the Early Cosmos

The Antimatter-Matter Interaction

Antimatter Factories:Natural Antimatter Factories

The Best Existing Human-Constructed Antimatter Factories

Future Antimatter Factories in Sol Space

How Do We Store Antimatter??—VERY, VERY CAREFULLY!!!

Antimatter Rockets



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. How does an electron belong to a “mirror world”?
    1. An electron duplicates itself when it comes in contact with an anti-electron.
    2. An electron is “mirrored” by an anti-electron to which it is attracted.
    3. When observing an electron, its composition appears flipped, as in a mirror.
    4. Electrons act opposite to their nature when they come in contact with anti-electrons.
  2. What is Paul Dirac’s name for a universal vacuum observed on a quantum level?
    1. a quantum ocean
    2. a wave vacuum
    3. a dynamic sea
    4. a calm water vacuum
  3. The presence of gamma rays in the universe substantiates the theory that the universe is divided into matter and antimatter halves.
    1. True
    2. False
  4. What is the primary challenge in dealing with gamma rays produced by Sanger’s antimatter rockets?
    1. directing the gamma rays behind the rocket as an exhaust
    2. decreasing the intensity of the highly radioactive gamma rays
    3. safely diffusing the gamma rays into all directions to decrease their intensity
    4. recycling some energy produced by the gamma rays to create more antimatter
  5. It is theorized that Hawking Radiation may be produced as black holes _____________.
    1. expand
    2. evaporate
    3. absorb light
    4. absorb gaseous bodies
  6. From where have terrestrial gamma rays been detected by NASA satellites?
    1. auroras
    2. nuclear factories
    3. spaceship launches
    4. lightning discharges
  7. All are limitations of current antimatter factories EXCEPT:
    1. Antimatter factories must be extremely large structures
    2. Antimatter factories emit radiation into the atmosphere
    3. Antimatter factories can only produce a small amount of energy for a short time
    4. Antimatter factories must be built underground
  8. What is the main characteristic of a Kardashev Type II civilization?
    1. It can completely harness the energy of the sun
    2. It can completely harness all of the solar energy striking Earth
    3. It can communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations
    4. It can colonize another planet
  9. Why is Robert Forward’s rocket more realistic to use than Eugene Sanger’s?
  10. How do antiparticles survive passage through solar flares?



Answers:

  1. b
  2. c
  3. False
  4. a
  5. b
  6. d
  7. b
  8. a
  9. While there is no known way to redirect gamma rays from Sanger’s rocket, Forward’s rocket produces pions which can be redirected with a magnetic nozzle.
  10. Solar flares sort particles by mass.



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Have your students divide into groups to explore recent developments and theories in rocket or vessel propulsion. Ensure that each group focuses on a separate development or theory. In the second half of class, or in the following class, have student groups debate which developments or theories are the least and most plausible. Some useful resources:



LUCY, Jack McDevitt



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. In what perspective is “Lucy” told?
    1. 3rd person subjective
    2. 1st person subjective
    3. 3rd person objective
    4. 3rd person omniscient
  2. What does Sara admit to not being good at?
    1. understanding news media
    2. feeling sympathy for humans
    3. getting along with other AIs
    4. small talk
  3. What adjective BEST represents the news media’s tone toward The Eagle Project?
    1. encouraging
    2. critical
    3. apathetic
    4. ambivalent
  4. What analogous relationship is created by a news show that Sara listens to?
    1. ending the space age … growing up
    2. wasteful government spending … military intervention in another country
    3. robot ship … Minetka
    4. finding the Coraggio … reviving NASA
  5. What does Denny Calkin believe that Sara is lacking?
    1. experience
    2. logic
    3. programming updates
    4. social skills
  6. When Jeri says that if she were on the Excelsior she would “keep going”, it is an example of:
    1. foreshadowing
    2. personification
    3. symbolism
    4. irony
  7. What literary device is Sara using when she says that traveling at 414 miles per second is “crawling along”?
    1. hyperbole
    2. connotation
    3. understatement
    4. paradox
  8. How does the reader know what Sara might look like?
  9. How does the Excelsior generate propulsion energy?
  10. What is the primary difference between the way that Excelsior’s Sara and Sagan’s Alice think?



Answers:

  1. b
  2. d
  3. b
  4. a
  5. d
  6. a
  7. c
  8. Morris confuses Sara with a lamp.
  9. The Excelsior uses grapplers to secure asteroids which provide hydrogen and propellants to a fusion engine.
  10. Sagan’s Alice uses pure logic to respond swiftly to questions and challenges, while Excelsior’s Sara displays human thought processes as she often hesitates in her responses while suppressing emotion or deliberating over options.



Critical Thinking Question:

Imagine that artificial intelligence systems may one day have consciousness, manifested in such characteristics as self-doubt, curiosity, anger, and even love. What complications might such an event create?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

In “Lucy,” the news media regularly criticizes the space program for being costly and unbeneficial. Ask your students to research technologies and other contributions to everyday life made possible by space programs and science fiction. In terms of contributions from the science fiction world, guide your students with names such as Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and William Gibson. Some other useful resources:



LESSER BEINGS, Dr. Charles E. Gannon



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. What adjective best represents Harrod?
    1. ambivalent
    2. rebellious
    3. neutral
    4. loyal
  2. What punishment would Harrod face if he obeyed a House Lord other than his own?
    1. a whipping
    2. death
    3. public embarrassment
    4. a lowering of military rank
  3. Why are House Shaddock’s Evolved so young?
    1. They murdered and took the places of their Elders
    2. House Shaddock believes that their young are blessed
    3. Leaders of House Shaddock spent many days in cryogenic sleep
    4. House Shaddock expected Exile and anticipated a long interstellar voyage
  4. What is an example of a deceit Bikrut uses against Overlord Verone?
    1. that he cherishes Harrod
    2. that he behaves humbly toward Overlord Verone
    3. that he intends not to go into Exile
    4. that House Mellis is in possession of nuclear weapons
  5. According to Harrod, instituting the Rite of Exile is analogous to:
    1. committing murder
    2. releasing pressure
    3. obeying tradition
    4. maintaining order
  6. Bikrut’s opinion that Harrod’s refusal to give up access codes to House Shaddock is both “well done” and “stupid” is an example of:
    1. irony
    2. foreshadowing
    3. paradox
    4. antithesis
  7. What is ironic about Ackley being Raised to sul-Shaddock?
  8. According to Overlord Bikrut, what characteristic does Harrod lack in order to be Evolved?
  9. What is the primary consequence to the people of Kalsor Tertius when their Great Ark is destroyed?
  10. Why does Harrod want to land the Great Ark amidst a series of islands instead of upon the mesa?



Answers:

  1. d
  2. b
  3. a
  4. d
  5. b
  6. c
  7. Ackley remains in the lowest position in a House of Evolveds.
  8. Harrod lacks the instinct to dominate other humans, making him a “lesser being.”
  9. Without the Great Ark, the former colonists of Kalsor Tertius can no longer institute the Rite of Exile.
  10. Harrod fears that upon the mesa environmental disasters might destroy his entire race, whereas divided among islands, his race may only be partially susceptible to disaster.



Critical Thinking Question:

  1. Even when betrayed by Bikrut, Intendant Harrod remains loyal to him. Does true loyalty forgive unfair treatment? What does it mean to be truly loyal? Can loyalty for yourself outweigh loyalty to others?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Harrod fears that his race is doomed to everlasting warfare due to a genetic flaw in its makeup. Have your students research recent discoveries in the science of genetics. Your students might write persuasive papers or organize a debate on whether genetics ultimately determines human fate, or whether humans can act against their “programming” to gradually influence their genetic makeup. Articles on genetic studies might be esoteric, but much information on how genes have been discovered to affect our lives may be found by simply searching “recently discovered genes” on Google.



FUSION STARSHIPS, Gregory Matloff



Prepare to read…



Essay Outline:


Early Fusion History

Project Orion—Birth of the Interstellar Dream

Projects Daedalus and Icarus—The British Interplanetary Society (BIS) follows Up

The Fusion Ramjet



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. What concept of Albert Einstein’s proposes that mass literally bends space-time?
    1. special relativity
    2. mass-energy
    3. general relativity
    4. rest energy
  2. Nuclear fission can be described as:
    1. Small radioactive nuclei combining to grow larger
    2. The splitting of a radioactive nucleus into more nuclei and neutrons
    3. A single radioactive nucleus growing after being combined with other particles
    4. Heating radioactive particles until they explode violently
  3. The concept of rest-energy shows that:
    1. All mass stores both kinetic and potential energy
    2. Energy increases with mass
    3. An object regains mass as it expels energy
    4. An object’s energy decreases when it is at rest
  4. What adjective best illustrates Einstein’s feeling toward the “chain reaction” discovery?
    1. ecstatic
    2. disappointed
    3. anxious
    4. proud
  5. How did a graphite coating protect a small steel sphere from a nuclear blast?
    1. The coating evaporated, carrying off energy from the explosion
    2. The coating remained around the ball as it could stand extreme temperatures
    3. Graphite insulated the sphere, maintaining a non-destructive temperature
    4. None of the above
  6. Repeated nuclear explosions behind an Orion rocket ensure:
    1. A constant velocity
    2. A build-up of potential energy
    3. A decrease of potential energy
    4. An increase in velocity
  7. Explain one challenge with ramjet technology.
  8. What is a limitation in accelerating and decelerating fusion rockets?
  9. In Jack McDevitt’s “Lucy,” how does Sara decelerate her fusion starship Excelsior?
  10. What kind of “breakeven” in the development of fusion reactors is most desirable? Why?



Answers:

  1. c
  2. b
  3. b
  4. c
  5. a
  6. d
  7. Possible answers: Electromagnetic scoops might cause a braking effect; we do not have the technology to control powerful thermonuclear reactions.
  8. Accelerating and decelerating fusion rockets requires enormous amounts of fuel.
  9. Lucy swings the ship around, using the force from the engines to brake the ship.
  10. “Technological breakeven” is most desirable because it ensures that the amount of energy produced by a fusion reactor is at least ten times greater than the energy input.



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Investigation:

Matloff addresses Einstein’s valid concerns about the destructive uses of the chain reaction. In small groups, have your students research technological discoveries or developments that could be used both constructively and destructively. Examples of such technologies might be atmosphere-manipulation devices, or even the internet. Allow each group to present a graphic illustrator to exhibit possibilities for each technology. You may also have your students develop their data into pro/con papers.

Some useful resources:



PROJECT ICARUS—A THEORETICAL DESIGN STUDY FOR AN INTERSTELLAR SPACECRAFT, Dr. Richard Obousy



Prepare to read…



Essay Outline:


Motivations for Project Icarus

Origins and Birth of Project Icarus

Icarus: A Lesson in Mythology

Purpose and Ambitions of Project Icarus

Parallel Objectives

Nuclear Fusion—A Propulsion Scheme for the Future



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. According to the Fermi Paradox, what contradicts high estimates of extraterrestrial civilizations?
  2. What is new about Sir Arthur Eddington’s interpretation of the mythological Icarus?
  3. Why is deceleration a major concern for an interstellar probe mission?
  4. Considering that a fusion-based propulsion system falls only at 2 on the Technology Readiness Level scale, it seems as though humans have a long road ahead of them in terms of developing technologies for successful interstellar travel. Based on a previous essay in this anthology, what other “scale” does human civilization fall low on, and what does our placement on this scale express about humanity?
  5. What is primarily unique about the Project Icarus research team?



Answers:

  1. A lack of evidence for such civilizations.
  2. Icarus did not fail in flight, but rather illuminated deficiencies in the flying-machines of his era.
  3. In order for a probe mission to be considered successful, the probe must decelerate enough so as to have adequate time to survey a planet and its solar system.
  4. The Kardashev scale puts humanity below a Tier 1 civilization, defined by being able to harness all of the sun’s energy absorbed by Earth.
  5. The team collaborates almost completely via the internet, with only some communication via internet telephony.



Critical Thinking Question:

  1. Though the Kardashev scale provides a rational framework for envisioning the future of humanity, imagine the possibility that Earth humans might never breach the confines of the Milky Way Galaxy. If we knew that Earth would be our primary home for the remaining lifespan of our civilization, by what tiers might we measure our success as a species?



Creative Writing Assignment: Have your students read the “Daedalus and Icarus” myth. This myth can be found in Ovid collections, in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, and as a reworking by Anne Terry White. After reading, ask your students to rewrite the myth in either a contemporary or future setting; suggest that an outer space setting is welcome. Students may also illustrate key moments in their myths by hand or on computer.



DESIGN FLAW, Louise Marley



Major Characters:



Prepare to read:



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. Isabet considers that even if an antimatter containment ring is positioned only a fraction of a centimeter off, it may result in a dangerous leak. What adjective best expresses this condition?
    1. unpredictable
    2. trivial
    3. precarious
    4. volatile
  2. What is a common characteristic between Isabet and her fellow ring techs?
    1. They all want to participate in interstellar voyages
    2. They all experienced poverty on Earth.
    3. They all want to work at Starhold.
    4. They all are small due to malnourishment.
  3. What are humans doing on Ganymede?
    1. building an antimatter plant
    2. mining extraterrestrial artifacts
    3. setting up a gigantic satellite
    4. building a starship
  4. Why does Skunk argue that he and his fellow ring techs will not live long enough to witness interstellar travel?
    1. They are small and unfit for interstellar travel
    2. They will probably die on Earth, which has become a violent place
    3. Ship design will eventually improve so that ring techs are no longer needed
    4. They are being exposed to more gamma rays than other people
  5. All of the following adjectives describe the only female that Isabet meets at Starhold except:
    1. composed
    2. unemotional
    3. nonchalant
    4. stoic
  6. On what does Isabet blame for her disinterest in intimate relations with other people?
    1. her experiences in shelters on Earth
    2. her vulnerable size
    3. her abuse from Tye Dye
    4. her obsessive focus on her job
  7. What is contradictory about Isabet’s description of Ganymede and Starhold?
  8. What does Isabet compare to crawling through the sealing ring?
  9. Why does Isabet enjoy working inside maintenance tubes?
  10. Recall Matloff’s essay on fusion starships. How was Freeman Dyson’s experience with his government similar to Isabet’s experience with North America’s command?



Answers:

  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. d
  5. c
  6. a
  7. She describes Ganymede as “massive” and “delicate” and Starhold as “massive and graceful.”
  8. Isabet compares crawling through the sealing ring with having to choose between evils at shelters.
  9. Isabet feels safe inside the tubes because no one can bother or harm her.
  10. Both Dyson and Isabet felt that their concerns for other peoples’ or their own safety were not being taken seriously.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. Marley exhibits how common flaws in human nature, such as male chauvinism, might remain an issue well into humanity’s future. Assuming that improvements in human nature do not necessarily follow from technological advancement, what other natural flaws might accompany humanity as we venture into outer space?
  2. Even though Marley presents a civilization whose technological capabilities presently far exceed our own, travelling between Earth and Ganymede still takes long intervals of time. What other limitations might accompany humanity into an era of interstellar travel?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Remind your students that even though “Design Flaw” takes place in the considerable future, Isabet and her crewmates imply that such hardships as poverty, starvation, and discrimination still exist on Earth. Divide your students into small groups and ask them to brainstorm what societal faults or limitations might follow humans into outer space. Ask each group to make a list of disorders in their own society, such as homelessness, crime, drug abuse, violence, mental illness, etc. Allow each group to voice several of its ideas, allowing your class to come to a consensus on a top five or ten list. After coming to a consensus, ask your students to write a short reflection on discoveries or realizations they may have had during the activity.



TWENTY LIGHTS TO ‘THE LAND OF SNOW’: EXCERPTS FROM THE COMPUTER LOGS OF OUR RELUCTANT DALAI LAMA, Michael Bishop



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. What is the best indicator of Greta’s age during the beginning of her journey?
    1. Greta’s sickness upon waking from ursidormizine hibernation.
    2. Greta’s playfully developmental language
    3. Greta’s memory of the Dalai Lama
    4. Greta’s doubt that she is the reincarnated Dalai Lama

  2. What image does Larry use to explain to Greta a soul’s reincarnation?
    1. one candle lighting another
    2. one candle trading places with another
    3. one soul swimming into another soul
    4. one fish swimming from its tank to another tank
  3. Captain Xao’s expression that “We’ll need every hand on the ground once we’re all down on Guge” is an example of:
    1. hyperbole
    2. pun
    3. metonymy
    4. personification
  4. Why must Guge be settled on its terminator?
    1. The terminator maintains habitable temperatures.
    2. The terminator most closely resembles Old Tibet.
    3. The terminator region harbors Guge’s most breathable atmosphere.
    4. The Kalachakra’s trajectory ensures arrival directly at Guge’s terminator.
  5. What technology on Kalachakra functions unpredictably?
    1. inducing ursidormizine slumber
    2. shedding spent fuel tanks from Kalachakra
    3. bringing ursidormizine hibernators up-phase
    4. maintaining artificial gravity
  6. What serves as a “miracle” supporting the belief that Greta is the reincarnated Dalai Lama?
    1. Greta correctly chooses items that once belonged to Sakya Gyatso.
    2. Sakya Gyatso’s monkey approaches Greta and embraces her.
    3. Greta remembers being visited by Sakya Gyatso when she was four.
    4. Sakya Gyatso’s monkey gives clues to Greta as she chooses Gyatso’s belongings.
  7. All are reasons that China supported the Tibetans in building a starship except:
    1. China wanted to be the first nation to build a multigenerational starship.
    2. China wanted to rid itself of the presence of the 21st Dalai Lama.
    3. Exiling the Tibetan people by starship was seen as a more tolerable form of “ethnic cleansing”.
    4. Chinese manufacturing industry boomed as it contributed to the starship’s construction.
  8. When Greta refers to her almost year-long hibernation as a “nap,” it is an example of:
    1. hyperbole
    2. understatement
    3. sarcasm
    4. irony
  9. According to Greta’s father, Simon, Buddhists aspire to:
    1. material happiness
    2. endless reincarnation
    3. detachment from material things
    4. understanding the meaning of life
  10. What pair of adjectives best describes the tone in which “The Land of Snow” ends?
    1. lighthearted and optimistic
    2. foreboding and ominous
    3. despairing and anxious
    4. bittersweet and hopeful
  11. Explain how Greta shows her Western influence when she asks her fellow Tibetans to submit sand mandala designs.
  12. According to Greta, when did the tradition of creating and destroying sand mandalas come to an end on Kalachakra?
  13. What purpose for Greta will laying Captain Xao’s body upon planet Guge serve?
  14. What is symbolized by the destruction of a sand mandala?
  15. What gift does Minister Trungpa give Greta?



Answers:

  1. b
  2. a
  3. c
  4. a
  5. d
  6. b
  7. a
  8. b
  9. c
  10. d
  11. Greta promotes competition between Tibetans, which contradicts the mandala’s symbolic message of community.
  12. A sand mandala was prematurely destroyed when Kalachakra’s artificial gravity momentarily shut down.
  13. Captain Xao will represent the Tibetan’s first sacrificial alms to planet Guge.
  14. The destruction of a sand mandala symbolizes the impermanence of life.
  15. Minister Trungpa gives Greta a photo of Sakya Gyatso as a young boy holding his infant sister.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. Bishop illustrates a culture in which souls are believed to transfer between bodies in order to maintain an undisputed line of enlightened leadership. Consider what Bishop’s story reveals about how your society establishes its leaders? In what ways do we put our “souls” into our leaders, or candidates?
  2. When as a young child Greta wonders whether or not her parents liked each other, she refers to Stephen Hawking’s quote that “People are not quantifiable,” which was Hawking’s response to the question of how he compared to Albert Einstein. How does Hawking’s idea disagree with the notion that The Dalai Lama repeatedly reincarnates?



Summary Activity/Inquiry-based Exploration:

In a quick-write, ask your students whether or not they wanted Greta to become The Dalai Lama, and have them justify their answers in discussion. Display the terms predestination, divine election, religious rebirth, and bloodline. Tell your students that they will be researching cultures around the world that believe that leaders are involuntarily assigned their power. Divide your students into small groups and have them each research a single culture whose leader came into or sustained power through ideas and beliefs represented in the aforementioned terms. On chart paper or posterboard, ask each group to write a brief summary about their chosen leader/line of leaders, along with a T-Chart that exhibits both positive and negative attributes of their chosen leader/line of leaders. Allow for brief discussion after each presentation.



SOLAR AND BEAMED ENERGY SAILS, Les Johnson



Prepare to read…



Essay Outline:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. Who first conceived of the idea that outer space contains a “cosmic breeze”?
    1. Arthur Compton
    2. Sir Arthur Eddington
    3. Johannes Kepler
    4. Robert Forward
  2. What is the name for the momentum that sunlight creates?
    1. solar pressure
    2. solar thrust
    3. photon force
    4. solar force
  3. Where in our solar system would a solar sail be too far from the sun to gather sufficient momentum?
    1. Saturn
    2. Mars
    3. Uranus
    4. Jupiter
  4. What does Johnson compare to the space shuttle and the solar sail?
  5. What was the purpose of the Russian Znamya mirror?
  6. Why did the NanoSail-D lose low Earth orbit?
  7. What are two challenges in manufacturing solar sails in outer space?
  8. How does Robert Forward suggest that a solar sail be decelerated?



Answers:

  1. c
  2. a
  3. d
  4. Johnson compares the space shuttle to the hare and the solar sail to the tortoise.
  5. The Znamya mirror was intended to reflect solar light in order to illuminate portions of Earth ground at night.
  6. Upper atmospheric winds dragged NanoSail-D back into Earth’s atmosphere.
  7. There is currently no infrastructure built in space to house a solar sail factory, and transferring raw materials between Earth and space will be difficult.
  8. A solar sail might be decelerated by having a detachable inner sail that uses laser light reflected from the outer ring of the sail.



THE BIG SHIP AND THE WISE OLD OWL, Sarah A. Hoyt



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. Historical records from the archives on Nia’s ship are being translated into:
    1. English
    2. a new language formed by combining preexisting languages
    3. every language that is spoken on the ship
  2. According to the nursery rhyme, why might the owl need to explain the way to Alpha Centauri?
    1. The ship’s navigational computers might be destroyed.
    2. Directions were only given to the administration, all of who may die unexpectedly.
    3. The path to Alpha Centauri might need to change due to unforeseen cosmic obstacles.
    4. The civilization aboard the ship might forget the purpose of their voyage.
  3. Nia views herself as:
    1. extraordinary
    2. cowardly
    3. average
    4. dangerous
  4. According to Nia, what is unknown about the planet to which her society is travelling?
    1. whether its atmosphere is fully breathable
    2. its level of biological development
    3. whether its existing intelligent civilization will welcome Nia’s society
    4. if it is actually a myth created by the administration to create a false hope
  5. Which pair of adjectives best describes the administration on Nia’s ship?
    1. secretive and domineering
    2. transparent and democratic
    3. primitive and spiritual
    4. disorganized and laissez faire
  6. How does Nia pass on her history to her children?
    1. in writing
    2. in songs
    3. through spoken storytelling
    4. through computer programs
  7. List two powers that the administration has over the ship’s inhabitants.
    1. How does Nia’s ship produce sunlight?
    2. What does Nia believe that most people aboard her ship primarily care about?
    3. According to Nia, what is the benefit of the human race expanding throughout the universe?



Answers:

  1. a
  2. d
  3. c
  4. b
  5. a
  6. b
  7. The administration can decide how many children a woman can have, and how many “luxury rations” a person is allowed. (Other possible answers might include: The administration may investigate civilians for antisocial behavior; they do not allow premarital sex; they monitor civilian work).
  8. Nia’s ship uses a system of mirrors to reflect sunlight into the ship.
  9. Nia believes that most of her people care primarily about obtaining luxury rations.
  10. The human species will be so widespread that no single calamity can render the entire race extinct.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. How does the way in which humans measure societal status in “The Big Ship and the Wise Old Owl” compare and contrast with how societal status is measured in “Lesser Beings”? What do people value most in each story?
  2. Nia observes that her fellow shipmates are mainly concerned with personal comfort (luxury rations) and how many children they are allowed to have, and with whom. Nia remarks, however, that the ship’s lifeboats are more comfortable than the ship’s lodgings. What might this suggest about life aboard the ship?



Suggested Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:



SIREN SONG, Mike Resnick



Major Characters:



Prepare to read…



Plot Summary:



Quiz/Reading Comprehension Questions:

  1. “Siren Song’s” narrator accuses the media of:
    1. creating false news
    2. borrowing ideas from other sources
    3. reporting rumors
    4. having a bias for a specific racing ship
  2. All are rules for Great Regatta racers except:
    1. They cannot deviate from a predetermined course
    2. They must pass within a thousand miles of checkpoints
    3. They cannot land on any solid surface
    4. They cannot warn other racers of potential dangers
  3. What does FarTrekker not trust?
    1. navigational computers
    2. his fellow crewmates
    3. the news media
    4. the Siren song
  4. How does FarTrekker try to regain lost time in the race?
    1. He sails around the Asteroid Belt
    2. He sails through a dense section of the Asteroid Belt
    3. He accelerates the Argo with lasers
    4. He lightens the Argo’s payload
  5. When does the Siren song begin to play?
    1. When FarTrekker begins thinking of his lost love
    2. When the Argo crew discovers Anthemoessa
    3. When small asteroids begin to pelt the Argo
    4. When Vladimir falls asleep over Argo’s control panel
  6. How is news of the race being gathered?
    1. The racing ships are sending transmissions back to Earth
    2. Unmanned satellites are filming the race along the route
    3. Media ships are posted along the route
    4. Computer tracking programs are sending data to Earth from each ship
  7. What emotional effect does the Siren song have on FarTrekker?
  8. If Leucosia were the actual name of FarTrekker’s lost love, what might she have died from? Use a dictionary to make an inference.



Answers:

  1. b
  2. a
  3. a
  4. b
  5. d
  6. c
  7. The song reminds FarTrekker of his lost love Leucosia, but it makes him happy rather than sad.
  8. Leucosia takes from the prefix leuko-, which may be used to refer to white blood cells. Leucosia might have died from cancer.



Critical Thinking Questions:

  1. How does the motif of ocean sailing contribute to the tone of “Siren song?”
  2. In your opinion, what events will suggest that humans are ready to explore space? If you think we are ready now, explain your reasoning.
  3. In way ways can outer space never fundamentally change human beings?



Summary Activity/Inquiry-Based Exploration:

Have your students read Book XII of Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus is lured by sirens; and Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Ligeia,” in which a man is haunted by the memory of a former lover. Assign your students a prompt that begins with two quotes: “History repeats itself,” and “…nothing ever truly dies. The universe wastes nothing. Everything is simply, transformed” (said by Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008). Let the remainder of the prompt read: In an analytical essay, compare one of the assigned readings to Resnick’s “Siren Song,” making thematic and real-world connections.

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