![[dept. logo]](../../../../images/depticon.png)
Essay 1: Cosmic Impacts
Natural disasters, whether they be floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, or snowy blizzards often are the lead buzz stories of TV and radio action news shows. Often these events severely affect large regions of the country and exact financial, physical, and personal hardships upon individuals. However, natural disasters of extra-terrestrial origins also can occur.In your essay, discuss in your own words (and be sure to support your viewpoints with references):
1. The evidence that such impacts have occurred in North America in the past, citing a specific example and the resulting effects.
2. What potentially would occur in Minnesota if a 1-km sized-object were to impact off the harbor in Duluth during the depths of winter.
3. The likelihood that such an event could occur (find some hard facts on the issue).
Some suggested references:
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory Press Release, February 2003
- Astronomy Magazine, February 2002, "Target Earth".
- Australian Spaceguard Survey
- Impacts and Defense Strategies (notes from an interesting organization called P.E.R.M.A.N.E.N.T.)
- NASA Asteroid and Comet Summary Site (good list of current and planned missions)
- Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (see FAQs for overview, plus other good links)
- Near Earth Object Report (Task Force findings and recommendations for UK)
- For a fictional account of events that may occur due to an impact:
"Lucifer's Hammer," Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (Fawcett Books, 1985 - ISBN 0449208133)
Essay 2: The Carbon Cycle
The Carbon Cycle (sometimes called the Carbon dioxide Cycle), helps regulate the composition and temperature of the Earth's atmosphere. Disruptions to different parts of the cycle could potentially cause drastic changes to our planet. In your essay, explain the different parts of the Carbon Cycle and how they interact with each other. Explain the mechanisms in the Carbon Cycle which allow it to self-regulate to some extent. Conclude your essay by discussing how each of the following scenarios might impact the Carbon Cycle and what the effect would be on the Earth's atmosphere and climate:1.) If plate tectonics suddenly ceased.
2.) If all photosynthesizing plants and algae became extinct.
3.) If humans continue to produce ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide on the same trend we have followed since the start of the industrial revolution.
Back up your conclusions with numbers and quantitative arguments.
Some suggested references:
- Your textbook: The Cosmic Perspective, Bennett, Donahue, Schneider and Voit - THIRD Edition
- About the Carbon Cycle at Woods Hole Research Center (http://www.whrc.org/science/carbon/carbon.htm)
- NASA's Earth Observatory Library: The Carbon Cycle (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/CarbonCycle/)
- NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory (http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/index.html)
- US Global Change Research Program (http://www.carboncyclescience.gov/)
Essay 3: Life in the Universe
Ten thousand years ago, the inhabitants of planet Nnim, circling an F8 star which resides in the Milky Way galaxy, launched their first scout ship in preparation for a program of interstellar colonization. On April 14, 2004, that ship encountered a violent storm as it entered Earth's atmosphere and crashed in the Mojave Desert. There were no survivors.After the wreckage had cooled down sufficiently, Earth scientists sifted through the debris and found a titanium case. The case was carefully opened and found to contain sheets of an almost translucent metallic substance covered with detailed markings that defied translation for many years. On April 14, 2024, twenty years to the day from the crash, an international team of linguists and cryptologists made the joint announcement that the sheets were the ship's journal.
Your essay assignment is to write an excerpt from that journal. Although the story line is fictional, the science must be correct and reflect our current best understanding of the issues.
The journal must include substantive and scientifically accurate material on the following three topics:
A. The method Nnim scientists used to discover planets around other stars. Why Earth was selected as a candidate target planet, while many other planets were rejected.
B. Considering the distance between Nnim and Earth, describe the most notable astronomical objects and phenomena that the ship's crew encountered during their journey from Nnim to Earth. The last part of the Nnimians' journey took them through the Solar System. They encountered Mars; describe why they decided that Mars was not an appealing planet to settle.
C. As the ship approached Earth, the crew made careful measurements of their target planet, including the composition of the atmosphere, and compared these to the original data obtained when the Earth was first chosen as a target, ten thousand years ago. Describe the scouting party's new assessment of the suitability of Earth for colonization, remembering that humanity has had a significant effect on the Earth's environment.