Physics 160/360 - Planetary Science: Prioritizing Exploration

Physics 160/360 - Planetary Science: Prioritizing Exploration
Spring 2012 - Schedule

Class will meet in Appleton Hall of Numbers room 117 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am until 12:20 pm.

Required Text: Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022. This book can be purchased, or you can Download a free pdf, or it can be read online. I reccomend you download the free pdf just in case the web site is broken or gone when you need it.

Note that this schedule is tentative and all plans are subject to change.

OPAG Prestentation

Technology group 1 Prestentation

Technology group 2 Prestentation

JAXA Prestentation

Venus Prestentation

SBAG Prestentation

Education Prestentation

Inner Planets Presentation
Inner Planets Second Presentation (2/21)
mars Presentation
Outer Planets Presentation
Satellites Presentation

Tuesday, Jan. 10 - Introduction
Goals for today:
- Introduce the topic of the class
- Go over course requirements and the syllabus
- Listen to original Decadal Survey Talk
- meet everyone and discover what background they bring to class
Assignments:
- Read Chapter 1 of the text book.
- Due via e-mail to the instructor by Wednesday, January 11th at 2 pm is a list of questions about the chapter (minimum: 10). Since you are not expected to know ANYTHING about planetary science, this should include all the questions that the reading brings up about the planets.
Thursday, Jan. 12 - Background info
Goals for today:
- Learn basic background information about the solar system
- Assign questions to answer
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail on Monday, January 16th by 1 pm is a list of websites you visited (be sure to give EXACT links to the subpage, not the main page as I will be clicking the links from your e-mail). Also include in the e-mail the answers to your assigned questions.
  - NASA's Solar System page Make sure you check out the "Planets" link
  - Nine planets Make sure you also read the Intro/FAQ and Overview pages.
  - Wikipedia in this case, is pretty good for basic information
Tuesday, Jan. 17 - Science Questions answered
Goals for today:
- Students present answers to questions they were assigned
- Continue class discussion
Assignments:
- Read about Enceladus, an exciting moon of Saturn.
  - Cassini observed the active south pole of Enceladus by Porco et al., 2006
  - Cassini Encounters Enceladus by Spencer et al., 2006
- These articles are journal articles used by professional scientists to communicate results of their research. YOU are not their prime audience. As such, there will likely be some things you will not understand. Write up a list of questions and e-mail it to me by Wednesday, January 18th at 2 pm. Check out some of last week's web sites (or google) for the answers and include what you find in the e-mail.
- Finally, include in your e-mail your ranking of the panels in the order of their interest to you.
Thursday, Jan. 19 - Enceladus
Goals for today:
- Go over the recent discoveries on Enceladus
- Ask questions about Enceladus
- How do we answer questions?
- Break into groups to use data to answer a question
Assignments:
- Use Cassini images of Enceladus to answer your questions.
- As a group, write up the results of your investigation. One write-up per group is due (include pictures and measurements) via e-mail by Monday, January 23rd at 2 pm. You must send a microsoft word or pdf document.
Tuesday, Jan. 24 - Using spacecraft data
Goals for today:
- Each group presents the answer to their science question using Cassini data
- Discuss limits of data and other questions that could be answered
- assign people to panels
Assignments:
- Read Chapter 2 of Visions.
- Find white papers relevant to your panel.
- Send e-mail by Wenesday January 26th including questions about the chapter (minimum of 5) and a list of white papers with any comments you might have on them (no need to completely read at this point).
Thursday, Jan. 26 - Panels meet
Goals for today:
- Go over questions regarding chapter 2
- Class discussion
- Panels decide how to break up white papers
Assignments:
- Panels meet and write up summary of white papers for presentation, due by e-mail on Monday, January 30th at 10 am.
Tuesday, Jan. 31 - Panel reports on white papers
Goals for today:
- Each panel will present a summary of the relevant white papers for their panel
Assignments:
- Read chapter 3
- Summary of chapter and list of questions due via e-mail by Wednesday, February 1st at 1 pm. This summary should include what you think about the themes and questions proposed. Do you agree that they are important? Are they general enough or too general?
Thursday, Feb. 2 - Themes and priority questions
Goals for today:
- Discuss chapter 3
Assignments:
- Read the chapter corresponding to your panel (4-8)
- Due via e-mail by Monday, February 6th - chapter summary and list of questions (one per group).
Tuesday, Feb. 7 - Panel meetings
Goals for today:
- Each panel meets separately with the instructor to discuss their chapter, address question and consider next steps
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail by Wednesday, February 8th at 1 pm is a list of presentations, papers, or other imformation that is important to your panel (only one e-mail per panel)
- By thursday you should understand the highly proposed missions from your panel
Thursday, Feb. 9 - More panel meetings
Goals for today:
- Each panel meets separately with the instructor to discuss proposed missions, are there other articles that need to be read? Experts to be contacted?
Assignments:
- Finish reading ancilary material for your panel.
- Read your panel's presentation to the 12/2009 AGU meeting.
- Prepare Tuesday's presentation.
- Any final questions to the instructor are due by Monday, February 13th at 8 am!
Tuesday, Feb. 14 - Panel Presentations
Goals for today:
- Each panel presents their results, including mission priorities. No discussion this time
Assignments:
- Due Wednesday, February 15th by 2 pm via e-mail is a list of questions for the other panels (one e-mail per panel)
Thursday, Feb. 16 - Panel Questions
Goals for today:
- Clarify Panel Questions through discussion
- Panels determine how to address each
Assignments:
- Panels meet and come up with answers to other groups' questions. Due via e-mail to EVERYBODY by Friday, February 17th at 5 pm.
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - More Panel Presentations
Goals for today:
- Each panel reports on answers to questions, discussion allowed
- Make list of top priority missions from each panel
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail on Wednesday, February 22nd at 1 pm is a priotized list of the top five missions including justification for the order (one per person)
Thursday, Feb. 23 - Class Discussion
Goals for today:
- Discuss mission and NASA priorities. At this point, we have heard from the community. What do YOU think?
Assignments:
- After break we will be reading chapter 9 if you want to start over break
Spring Break February 27th - March 2nd
Tuesday, Mar. 6 - Recommendations
Goals for today:
- Go over the steering committee recomendations
Assignments:
- Read chapter 9
- Due via e-mail by 1 pm on Wednesday March 7th is a summary of the findings including your opinion (2-3 pages)
Thursday, Mar. 8 - Mission Recommendations
Goals for today:
- Discuss mission recommendations
Assignments:
- Read chapters 10-12
- Due via e-mail by 8 am on Monday, March 12th is a summary of the findings and your opinion of them (2-3 pages)
Tuesday, Mar. 13 - Other reccomendations
Goals for today:
- Discuss reccomendations of the steering committee, would you change anything?
- What would you tell your congressman about NASA and space exploration?
- Discuss misstion teams. Each must include a team leader, a science advisor, and a cheerleader
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail by Wednesday, March 14th is a list of missions you would like to work on and why. Also can include missions you wouldn't want to work on and why. Also must include what role you'd like to play in the mission.
- Due via e-mail by Monday, March 19th at 2 pm is a draft letter to your congressman about NASA and planetary exploration.
Thursday, Mar. 15 - Mission meetings
Goals for today:
- Get together in mission groups (will be different from panel groups). Missions can (and should) change from what was proposed to the Decadal
- Discuss missions with instructor.
Assignments:
- Read about the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). Explore these pages, click on links.
  - Official page
  - overview
  - Wiki, be sure to look at the section about discoveries
  - Planetary society. Be sure to check out the links to recent headlines.
- Also due by Monday, March 19th at 2 pm a list of links that you visited (besides those above) and any questions you might have. Send e-mail to instructor and tyler_nordgren@redlands.edu.
Tuesday, Mar. 20 - MER
Goals for today:
- Learn about a current, very successful mission.
- Compare your proposed mission to this mission.
- If time, meet in groups
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail by Wednesday, March 21st is an email to the instructor listing one thing you learned in class today.
Thursday, Mar. 22 - Mission team meeting
Goals for today:
- Mission groups meet and determine what must be read.
- Do readings, gather background information
- Develop mission proposal
- E-mail instructor with any questions, but must be ready to wait a full business day for any answer, so no questions after Thursday at noon.
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail by Monday, March 26th at 2 pm is a short update on group projects.
Tuesday, Mar. 27 - LPSC discussion
Goals for today:
- Discuss NASA night from LPSC
Assignments:
- Ask good questions!
Thursday, Mar. 29 - OPAG
Goals for today:
- Determine group presentation order
- Call in to the OPAG meeting in St. Louis
Assignments:
- Work on Group projects
- Grading for group projects:
  - Does the group address their original goal/question?
  - Is it clear the group found the most important information on their topic and understood it?
    - This would include clear references to sources, some might be non-web based.
  - Is it clear the group spent time looking at several tens of web pages in order to find the best sources?
  - Is it clear that the group combined information from multiple sources?
  - Is it clear that the group had original thoughts and deep discussion about the topic?
  - Is it clear that the group brought in information learned inside the classroom into their project?
  - The entire group will receive a grade on the presentation based on the above criteria
  - The presenter will receive a grade based on the presentation only:
    - Did it end on time?
    - Was it interesting to listen to?
    - Was it well organized?
Tuesday, Apr. 3 - Group presentation
Goals for today:
- One group will present their project
- Questions will be asked by others (counts toward participation)
Assignments:
- Ask good questions!
- Take good notes
Thursday, Apr. 5 - Group presentation
Goals for today:
- One group will present their project
- Questions will be asked by others (counts toward participation)
Assignments:
- Ask good questions!
- Take good notes
Tuesday, Apr. 10 - Group presentation
Goals for today:
- One group will present their project
- Questions will be asked by others (counts toward participation)
Assignments:
- Ask good questions!
- Take good notes
Thursday, Apr. 12 - Wrap Up/Discussion
Goals for today:
- Discuss projects and final papers
Assignments:
- Due via e-mail by April 19th at 9 am are the final papers:
  - 5-6 page Group paper. This paper should summarize what was presented by the group and include answers to any questions asked during the presentation. One per group.
  - Informal e-mail describing how the group project went
    - How did you feel about working in a group
    - Did the group work week together?
    - How did you feel about your contribution to the group?
    - How did you feel about others' contributions?
    - Would you like to work in a group again or would you rather work on a topic of your own choosing?
  - 1-2 page "letter" to a congressperson about NASA and space exploration. Must include name and address of your actual congressperson.