fandomhigh | Sociology of Space Travel, Thursday, 6th Period

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sociology of space travel

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 to ~~handwavily~~ write an essay next week." She gave a wry grin as the bell rang. "Have a good weekend!"

[OCD threads ~~coming~~ 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.]

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The sign-in sheet was in its usual place.

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?

What motivations did you hear in Kennedy's speech? What justifications did he offer to make it more acceptable, more palatable to the public? Are the points Kennedy makes in his speech worth that sacrifice to you? Do you think the public thinks those sacrifices are worth it?

...we all know it happens during videos. Especially longer ones with political speeches.

Laura takes a few moments after class to shut down her computer and straighten up.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with the letter...B..."

Janet Fraiser

Janet ~~whose player totally did not watch the video as her kidlet is playing the stupid Cars LeapPad game ad nauseum~~ sat and munched on her freeze-dried ice cream. "Mystery meatloaf is worse than this, trust me," she said. "It depends. During the Cold War, the American public thought it was absolutely worth it so that we could beat the Soviet Union."

Janet? Totally not about to fall asleep at all.

Hello! My work server is really frelled, so I can't roleplay and subsequently aid in the overload of the servers while I'm at work 'til they get the problem fixed. In a few weeks. Just so you know why I might be late (or was late, last week) signing into classes. Thanks!

Kaylee Frye

Sam Carter

"Are the points in his speech worth the sacrifice?" Sam considered. "Maybe. And I'm not sure the public ever really understands the sacrifices that are made in the name of exploration and new frontiers."

Marco

Marco was totally asleep.

D'anna Biers

Ill. Going to attempt interaction, may fail. May flail.

Naomi Wildman

Elizabeth Weir

Elizabeth might have leant her head on Janet's shoulder.

Not to sleep. Really.

Janet glanced over. "I thought you lived for political speeches," she whispered.

Elizabeth glanced up slightly. "Do you realize how many times I've heard this one?" she murmured. "Besides. Tired."

"Poor baby," murmured Janet. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Not really," whispered Elizabeth. "Was just a bit headachy."

"Did you take anything?" asked Janet. She didn't bother offering ibuprofen; Liz already knew she carried it with her.

"Mmmhmmm," replied Elizabeth.

Just get to feeling better. =) Interaction will be here.

No problem. I understand. Thanks for letting me know, though. =)

Roslin pursed her lips, nodding. "Without the Soviet Union as a catalyst, do you think you would have made it to the moon that quickly?"

"Do you think the idea of the astronaut might have permeated the culture quite so heavily if the public understood the risks involved?"

Sam sighed. "I think it was the right dream at the right time. The world was changing, and people believed anything could happen if you tried hard enough." Anyone listening might think she'd lived through part of it. "I don't think the public can understand the risks. There are too many intangibles."

"Is that a yes or a no?" asked Janet.

"Twas a yes," murmured Elizabeth.

"Ooh, I'm impressed," murmured Janet. She turned her head enough to press a kiss to the top of Liz's head. "You didn't try to tough it out."

You're welcome! I just hope they fix it soon. They're seriously cramping my goofing off; I'm actually (horrors!) almost caught up on everything! ;)

"I don't know if NASA would've gotten the funding otherwise," said Janet. "I don't think they would have, so no. They wouldn't have made it to the moon that quickly."

"I do take drugs sometimes," protested Elizabeth quietly.

"Of course you do," said Janet softly. She wondered if she could get away with slipping her arm around Liz's waist. "Usually when I shove them at you."

"Figured I'd take the hint," murmured Elizabeth.

"You're a smart woman," whispered Janet, smiling happily. She wriggled around just enough to slide her arm around Liz's waist.

"Out of the space program, you get velcro and micro components and other technological advancements. How might things be different now if you hadn't gone?" She folded her arms across her chest. It was a question she could really ask herself about Colonial life as well. What would have happened if they hadn't gone to the stars?

Laura pursed her lips as she considered Sam. It sounded like something Bill or Colonel Tigh would say -- the public can't understand the sacrifices of the military. In the middle of a fight for their lives, and the public can't understand. How were Terrans supposed to understand their own military without such pressure?

"As I understand it," she said, shifting her feet as she leaned against the front of the desk, "they chose test pilots because of the intangibles; it was felt they wouldn't panic in crisis situations. Maybe the public should have known a little more about being a test pilot as well?"

Heh. I'm just glad I didn't (a) have a meeting today and (b) got my latest last-minute task out the door. I hate short deadlines. Meh.

And here's hoping they do fix it soon. I know what it's like to have your style cramped like that. My last company would let me *read* LJ, but not log in and write to it. Go fig!

"Maybe, but the sixties were still relatively innocent, politically speaking--people still believed in shining perfect heroes, and needed to, to some extent," Sam said after some thought. "Knowing more would have taken away some of their faith in the pilots' abilities to get the job done and undermined the entire program."

Angela Chase

Angela wasn't asleep. She was just resting her head on the desk, and hoping Ms. Roslin didn't call on her.

Ugh, short deadlines are the WORST.

And thanks! So far there's nothing official, but I'm trying to make sure that it stays that way.

"Oh, if we hadn't gone into space?" Janet chuckled, slightly bitterly. "Things would be very different. The sheer number of technological advancements made in order to create spaceships, for one. For another, the scientific knowledge made from other planets is invaluable, whether there's a practical application or not."

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Sociology of Space Travel, Thursday, 6th Period

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