Take Home Test (due tomorrow)

You may hand-write this and turn it in.



Question 1:  You are required to go to a meeting for government class, so you choose one of the the following two options.  (6)

Option A:  A school board meeting is focused on the approval of the new science standards.   There is a group of people who are protesting because the standards choose the 'false religion of the big bang and evolution' over 'Biblical Truth and creationism.'   What's the problem, and how do you solve it?

Option B:  Your cousin calls you in a panic, asking for advice.   S/he has had a reading done at a local fortune telling shop, and it said that, according to the stars and the planets, s/he is in a 'critical time of decision-making that must carefully be navigated to resolve the future.'   What type of postive/negative feedback should you give?

Question 2:  Pick one of the following constellations and use Stellarium to find the distances in light years, and the absolute magnitudes of the brightest 5 stars. Make certain that your table is not all picking the same constellation by working two people to one computer.(5)

• Draco
• Cassiopeia
• Cepheus
• Ursa Minor

Question 3:  Is it difficult to travel to another planet or moon?   Give at least four pieces of evidence to support your viewpoint.(5)

Question 4:  Would you rather settle on a distance planet or moon with plate tectonics/no atmosphere or with an atmosphere/no plate tectonics?  Explain your reasoning.(3)

Question 5:  You are on a camping trip with a friend.   Designate a phase of the moon that is not full, and tell me how you could use it to see how close it is to 7  (you can choose am or pm, just tell me which one). (5)

Question 6:  Why has understanding moons of the solar system been so critical to understanding Kepler's laws, day length, and the possibility of life? (5)

Question 7:  If you could design a mission to study ONE planet, which one would you choose and why?  Consider distance, composition, and benefits to humanity. (3)

Question 8:  Based on your reading, comment on one of the following:(5)

Option A:  Why Pluto should not be considered a planet if Neptune is considered a planet.  This is not just opinion, but must be based on evidence.

Option B:  The funding for a Near Earth Asteroid/Comet detection program as part of the US National Budget.