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fandomhigh2007-01-25 02:00 pm
hera-rises.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2007-01-25 02:00 pm
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Sociology of Space Travel, Thursday, 6th Period
Roslin was fiddling with a file on her computer as the students entered. On their desks, papers were laid out, obviously text of a speech and some other copied material, as well as a package of freeze-dried ice cream. Behind the professor, the SmartBoard was lit, but no image was visible. This changed after a moment, and the desktop view of Laura's screen became visible. She closed out a word processing file, then switched over to a browser window. A video website had been called up, and it sat on the page while she began the class.
"Welcome back," she said, "I hope you had a good week and a good weekend.
"Last week, we discussed what 'alien' meant, and most of the discussion didn't focus on extraterrestrial beings, but more on things that were different -- unusual -- out of our frames of reference, and how we react to them. Also last week, I had asked each of you to view about three hours of television, a series based on the Apollo program here on Earth. What did you think? How realistic did you feel the program was?"
After a few minutes discussion, Roslin continued. "So, we know the entertainment industry embellishes things -- that seems to be one constant across the universe. What I'm going to show you today is a video of the 1962 speech made by President Kennedy at a...Rice University, in Houston, Texas. It's a little long at about twenty minutes, but I think it shows some interesting points."
Laura tapped a few keys, and a small player screen appeared. The video began streaming shortly thereafter. Despite the time period, the image was color, and the northeastern accent of the speaking president was very clear.
Once the video completed, with a few skips along the way, Roslin closed down the browser window. "Okay...what motivations did you hear in Kennedy's speech? What justifications did he offer to make it more acceptable, more palatable to the public?"
The discussion ran for a few minutes, after which she shifted gears a bit. "Now, we've seen what President Kennedy had in mind. You've seen, in the episodes, the technology available, and the way in which this was an amazing part of culture. Astronauts -- military test pilots, who were subjected to extreme training and environments -- became heroes and celebrities. Products related to the space program -- powdered orange drinks, even the freeze-dried ice cream on your desks -- permeated the culture.
"Open your ice cream now, and take a bite. Pay attention to how different it tastes from the ice cream you're accustomed to, and how different the texture is. This is what the astronauts were eating. From what I understand, this is one of the more palatable substances. Imagine worse. And imagine this type of food is all you get for a week, maybe more. You're sitting in a capsule with three other guys, in technology that had to be invented to get you there; there is no atmosphere outside, and if something goes wrong, you're probably dead. Are the points Kennedy makes in his speech worth that sacrifice to you? Do you think the public thinks those sacrifices are worth it?"
Finally, Roslin wrapped up the class. "Okay. We'll delve a little more into this topic as time progresses. No homework this week, but be prepared tohandwavily write an essay next week." She gave a wry grin as the bell rang. "Have a good weekend!"
[OCD threadscoming up! The video is RealAudio format, so if you can't stream it, the text is provided at the site. It's a little long and rambling, but a pretty good speech. His "encapsulated" history of science is pretty interesting.]
"Welcome back," she said, "I hope you had a good week and a good weekend.
"Last week, we discussed what 'alien' meant, and most of the discussion didn't focus on extraterrestrial beings, but more on things that were different -- unusual -- out of our frames of reference, and how we react to them. Also last week, I had asked each of you to view about three hours of television, a series based on the Apollo program here on Earth. What did you think? How realistic did you feel the program was?"
After a few minutes discussion, Roslin continued. "So, we know the entertainment industry embellishes things -- that seems to be one constant across the universe. What I'm going to show you today is a video of the 1962 speech made by President Kennedy at a...Rice University, in Houston, Texas. It's a little long at about twenty minutes, but I think it shows some interesting points."
Laura tapped a few keys, and a small player screen appeared. The video began streaming shortly thereafter. Despite the time period, the image was color, and the northeastern accent of the speaking president was very clear.
Once the video completed, with a few skips along the way, Roslin closed down the browser window. "Okay...what motivations did you hear in Kennedy's speech? What justifications did he offer to make it more acceptable, more palatable to the public?"
The discussion ran for a few minutes, after which she shifted gears a bit. "Now, we've seen what President Kennedy had in mind. You've seen, in the episodes, the technology available, and the way in which this was an amazing part of culture. Astronauts -- military test pilots, who were subjected to extreme training and environments -- became heroes and celebrities. Products related to the space program -- powdered orange drinks, even the freeze-dried ice cream on your desks -- permeated the culture.
"Open your ice cream now, and take a bite. Pay attention to how different it tastes from the ice cream you're accustomed to, and how different the texture is. This is what the astronauts were eating. From what I understand, this is one of the more palatable substances. Imagine worse. And imagine this type of food is all you get for a week, maybe more. You're sitting in a capsule with three other guys, in technology that had to be invented to get you there; there is no atmosphere outside, and if something goes wrong, you're probably dead. Are the points Kennedy makes in his speech worth that sacrifice to you? Do you think the public thinks those sacrifices are worth it?"
Finally, Roslin wrapped up the class. "Okay. We'll delve a little more into this topic as time progresses. No homework this week, but be prepared to
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