Answer TWO of
the following…
Q1: Why does
China agree to help NASA rescue Watney? What compromise does this force China
to make…and what compromise does NASA have to make in return? Do you feel this
is ultimately a positive, cooperative enterprise, or does it leave either the
US or China ahead?
Q2: Do you feel
it was ethical of Mitch to leak the e-mail about the “Rich Purnell Manuever” to
the crew of Ares 3? Is he acting in the crew’s best interests, knowing how they
will react to this knowledge? Likewise, was NASA wrong in concealing it from
the crew?
Q3: In a
slightly related question to #2, do you agree with the crew’s decision to
munity and pursue the Rich Purnell Manuever? Does a crew have a right to go
against the expressed wishes of NASA simply to save a colleague or follow their
own morals? Does this set a dangerous precedent for future
astronauts/missions?
Q4: Do you feel
losing contact with NASA is a mixed blessing for Watney? Does being on his own
ultimately save his life? Would NASA have come up with the same survival
techniques, or would their bottom line get in the way of a happy ending?
Q1. China agrees to help NASA save Watney because they want to have the first Chinese person on mars. NASA can work on the weight limitations with their booster that has enough fuel to orbit mars. Publicity is the big key for both China and the US. China wants to seem equal to the US and will have one of the Chinese chosen and trained for the Area 4 trip.. Its more of a cooperative enterprise because two space stations will work together.
ReplyDeleteQ3. Yes I agree with the crews decision because Hermes was built to last all Area missions and has only used up half its life and the crew could get Watney rescued. The crew doesn't really have a right to go against NASA because they are employees to the company but they are right to go back and try to get Watney because it seems like the best choice and they are all very well-trained astronauts. It will be risky for future space travel missions because they will be using up over a hundred days to the Hermes mission and can cause wear and tare.