“The
cost for my survival must have been hundreds of millions of dollars. All to
save one dorky botanist. Why bother?...Part of it might be what I represent:
progress, science, and the interplanetary future we’ve dreamed of for
centuries. But really, they did it because every human being has a basic
instinct to help each other out...I had billions of people on my side” (Weir 368-369).
Context:
In the great Age of Exploration,
when ships sailed into uncharted waters to discover new continents and cities
of gold, few of the explorers ever made it back to tell of their journey. Ships
sank, ran out of supplies, crews mutinied, while others simply vanished without
a trace. Yet few countries questioned whether the cost of human life was worth
the relentless drive to discover new lands and sources of wealth. Today, the
story is different: it is entirely plausible that the entire world would ban
together to save a single man, even at the cost of hundreds of millions of
dollars. Likewise, losing a single man, much less a crew of six, could end the
space program altogether (as it almost did in 1986, with the Challenger
explosion). Is this a realistic approach to exploring the Solar System? Can we
still explore ‘brave new worlds’ without losing a single man/woman?
Response: So for your First Paper, I want you to
argue whether sending human beings to explore and possibly colonize Mars is
worth the risk. Is NASA advanced enough—and ethical enough—to oversee such an
operation? Is it ethical to send a small crew to their possible doom simply to
advance our understanding of science and our footprint in the cosmos? How do
Watney’s logs help us re-evaluate our mission in space, and if this science
fiction story became reality, how would it change or challenge our priorities? You
might also consider why Watney survived to tell his tale. Are there enough
safeties in place to ensure that everyone has a reasonable chance of getting
back alive? Do we trust the men and women behind the computer screens? Or does
this story expose a dystopian future for the space program?
Requirements:
Requirements:
- Quote from the
book: this is your primary source, and I want you to use passages from the
book to support your ideas or to argue against them. Watney’s logs are the
basic voice you’re responding to in your conversation.
- 2-3 Secondary
Sources: I want you to find 2-3 sources that help you discuss this
difficult question and/or help you see different sides of it. Your sources
could be discussions about the book (but only one of these), articles
about Mars exploration, articles from NASA’s website, articles/books about
ethics or psychology relevant to the discussion, or anything about the
realities of space travel. Find voices that add an important dimension to
the conversation.
- Cite all sources
according to MLA Format (we’ll discuss this more in class) along with a
Works Cited page
- Page Requirement: ???
- Due Tuesday, February 2nd by
Comments
Post a Comment