Introduction | Invitation | Exploration | Explanation | Taking Action | Conclusion
Introduction | Invitation | Exploration | Explanation | Taking Action | Conclusion
You are part of a team of planetary scientists and explorers contracted by a firm representing the OTHERWORLD, a planetary system from the star Alpha Centuri. Your team's task is to investigate various PHENOMENA that interest the Prime Scientific Society (PSS) of the OTHERWORLD. Your team should use Terrra Firma Data Bases available on the World Wide Web and on CD-Roms secured from the OTHERWORLD Resource Center. Your team will have to provide a written report to be submitted to the Prime Scientific Society Bulletin Board. You will also have to make presentation to a Representative of the Prime Scientific Society.
Imagine swooping into The Solar System in a space ship traveling at warp speed headed toward what your astronomers have called the BLUE PLANET. They are very interested in having your team study the planet remotely. Your team is also required not to do any harm to the Blue Planet and its inhabitants, and to be sure that you are not observed by the "intelligent" species inhabiting the planet. To insure this, you have been traveling in the "Stealth" Space Ship X-38(see below), the first known Stealth ship in the UNIVERSE. As you orbit the BLUE Planet, look "down" on its surface and discuss your first impressions with your team. In a sentence or two, write a journal entry in your Stealth Log, numbered entry 777230915.
Stealth Space Ship from Alpha Centuri
Your team is going to remotely investigate Impact Craters, and one of the other Phenomena that you have contracted to study for the Prime Scientific Society:
1. You will find the materials to set up an Impact Crater Research Site in your space ship. Use the materials and instructions located there to find how these features are formed on the BLUE Planet and its major satellite, THE MOON. Do this research first. Make sure that you make at least one digital photograph of your investigation, and load it onto your work station computer. Seek help if you are not sure how to do this, as well as copy images from the Internet.
2. Select one other Phenomenon from the Chart to investigate after completing your Impact Crater Research. Use the resources and database to provide the answers to the questions that the Prime Scientific Society wants answered.
BLUE Planet Phenomena Chart
Phenomenon Task Questions and
Resources BLUE Planet
Databases Impact Craters Find out what are impact
craters, how they form and key features of such
sites How do craters form? What are
bolides? How does the mass of bolides affect the size and
other features of impact craters? Craters! Handout and Lab
Materials Quakes and Cracks Study the pattern of
earthquakes on the Blue Planet and provide visual
data explaining the extent of quaking on the
planet. What is the pattern of
earthquakes on the Blue Planet? What is the extent of the
data base of Earthquakes established by the Intelligent Life
on the Blue Planet? How can the point of an earthquake be
located? What can you say about the energy released by
Earthquakes? Interesting Blue Planet Toy
for simulating Earthquake waves Earthquake
Information Center for the Blue Planet Radical Temperature Changes in
the BIG OCEAN. Compare and contrast these
phenomena and report on the predicted affects of the Blue
Planet's weather patterns. What are these radical
temperature changes? How do they appear to affect the
weather on the Blue Planet? The "Intelligent life" refers to
these phenomena as El Nino and La Nina. Tell us how these
are different. What seems to cause these differences?
Provide a map view of each phenomena. La
Nina Phenomenon: Unusually Low Ocean Temperatures in the
Equatorial Pacific El
Nino Phenomenon: Unusually High Ocean Temperatures in the
Equatorial Pacific Volcanoes Identify specific volcanoes
and report on their activity and history and implications
for the planet. See
a volcano erupting. What is a volcano? Where are
volcanoes located on the Blue Planet? What is the shape and
structure of volcanoes? What impact do volcanic eruptions
have on the environment of the Blue Planet. Provide maps and
images of this phenomena. Hurricanes and
Tornadoes Find out how hurricanes and
tornadoes form, their patterns, and potential impact on the
Blue Planet. What do these phenomena look
like from your space ship? What patterns seem to describe
the behavior of hurricanes? Are these the same kind of
phenomena as tornadoes? What can you tell us?
Special site
Terra Server: Satellites Images all over the Blue Planet
Discuss your findings among members of your sub-team. What did you learn about the phenomena that you investigated? What does this tell you about the BLUE Planet? Summarize your findings and prepare for a digital and poster report. Your poster report should be set up as follows:
Task:_________________________________________________________________________
Key
Questions Findings
How do your findings compare to other planets that your research team has investigated or knows about? What are some important things that you could tell the "Intelligent" species on the BLUE Planet about this phenomenon and how your knowledge could be used to improve the quality of their life.
Hopefully you have learned some new things about the BLUE Planet. You might continue your research by checking data bases gathered by an earlier team that visited the BLUE Planet and actually landed in Roswell, New Mexico. You might also tune into one of the BLUE Planet's favorite TV show, the X-Files. Do you recognize anyone in the show?