Monday February 3, 2003

Assignments for Monday February 10, 2003

0. Do not forget Christopher Shinohara's and Heather Enos's talk on 
   Saturday (11 am Thomas 100).  You are all invited to lunch after 
   the talk.

1. Review Red Mars, Part V "Falling Into History", for continued 
   discussion.

2. In light of the Columbia Incident, we are going to sidetrack and
   spend some time contemplating the accident itself and the lessons
   learned in terms of space policy and human exploration of space.
   Your assignment is to read as much of the information as you can
   on The Challenger mission and accident using the links provided.  
   Also, browse the links for Columbia.  

   We will hold an open discussion on both, including some technical
   aspects of the Challenger accident based upon that investigation.

3. During the last hour we will have Dr. Robert Melton (Professor of
   Aerospace Engineering, PSU) visit the class.  He will inform us of
   the details of the Columbia, show simulations of the re-entry and
   breakup and help us understand the overall implications for the
   Aerospace Industry and the Shuttle Program.

4. Papers for Pascal Lee's "talk" are due.