posted 09-01-2010 01:31 PM               

I preferably want to do something related to the moon landings and the Apollo programme, but when I suggested that as a topic to my teacher she said it was too broad, however she did say I could narrow it down a bit and maybe choose a particular element of the moon landings or perhaps an individual related to it.

posted 09-01-2010 02:30 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
Bales response and how he knew what the alarms were when others did not.

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posted 09-02-2010 04:36 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
The call was made by Jack Garman. Bales simply passed the message on.

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I am sure there are a number of us that could write a paper for the students but the reason they are tasked to do the paper is to learn.

posted 09-02-2010 11:50 AM               

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Originally posted by AstroAutos:
I could narrow it down a bit and maybe choose a particular element of the moon landings or perhaps an individual related to it.

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• Direct ascent vs. Earth-orbit rendezvous vs. Lunar-orbit rendezvous and John C. Houbolt's role in reaching the decision as to how to land men on the Moon;

• Profile the NASA career of Joe Engle, contrasting how he came to space agency already having flown in space but missed his opportunity to walk on the Moon -- and why.

• Flags on the Moon, wherein you could discuss a range of topics: the Space Treaty and the sovereignty of the Moon; differing accounts over how the original U.S. flag was obtained; how the flag was flown and deployed; the difficulties encountered planting the flag and what the fate of the flags are today.

posted 09-02-2010 01:16 PM               

Your teacher is quite right and you should concentrate on one particular aspect of the Apollo programme. I'm not altogether certain of what level you are at in the education system, but I guess this is for a dissertation at A-level.

Meticulously list ALL the books and articles you consult. Also, make sure you reference any quotes you may use.

Avoid any aspect which has been covered before in detail. Teachers and examiners have nasty suspicious minds and are quick to spot things which have been copied. Top marks are given to work which shows some evidence of original research.

Following on from this, if possible select a topic that you come to fresh and without any pre-conceived notions.

Don't be afraid to express your own conclusions. So long as you can justify them you are just as entitled to your own view as anyone else. That's why history is such a wonderful subject to study.

Try to pick a topic which has material that is available to consult but not necessarily mainstream and will show that you have done some individual research - but not copy.

Take copious notes while researching. Once done, organise them and then write your topic from your notes.

Finally, I wish you every success. Let us know what you choose and how you get on.

posted 09-02-2010 03:15 PM               

This by the way is for my Leaving Cert year next year (the equivalent of the A-Levels) & will account for 20% of my entire marks in History so it's very important.

I have to have my title and a good idea of what my project will consist of by October 5th but I want to be well prepared and have a good idea hopefully in the next week or so.

posted 09-02-2010 04:32 PM            

A lot of students can use other people's sources to write about historical events. Normally, they will have no choice. You must be one of the few who have met some of these people first hand.

posted 09-02-2010 05:05 PM               

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Originally posted by FFrench:
If you have documented evidence of conversations with or talks by some of the astronauts and flight controllers you have met (perhaps a talk you attended ended up online), to be able to examine part of the manned space program mixed in with first-hand recollections you witnessed from a participant would certainly make your paper stand out.

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posted 09-03-2010 02:04 AM               

If you can find a common theme that fits all the astronauts you have met and a historical context - fine. Use their quotes to add and enhance your topic. You say you have a one on one interview coming up. Why not use that to ask specific questions.

Remember, that personal experiences have to be set in a historical context.

posted 09-03-2010 06:13 AM               

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Originally posted by Paul23:
If you were required to do that then you could have a look at Kennedy's motivation for setting a moon landing as the goal for NASA.

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posted 09-04-2010 10:19 AM               

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Originally posted by canyon42:
Something on the efforts to "convert" the Apollo astronauts into practical lunar geologists would catch my interest.

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posted 09-04-2010 10:58 AM               

• To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration by Don E. Wilhelms

• Moon Trip: A Personal Account of the Apollo Program and its Science by Dr. Elbert A. King

posted 09-04-2010 07:45 PM               

I'd like to buy a copy of Don Wilhelm's 'To a Rocky Moon' so if anyone has a copy email me as on Amazon the prices are all far too high, and when I found one for $5, it wouldn't ship to Ireland.

posted 09-05-2010 06:49 AM               

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Originally posted by AstroAutos:
I think so but my parents are apprehensive.

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posted 09-06-2010 07:58 AM               

The risk with a subject like this is you might find you are having to do a lot of checking back to your original remit to make sure you are discussing the historical aspect and implications and not the technical skills required to turn a pilot into a geologist.

posted 09-06-2010 12:20 PM               

Thanks for your opinions.

The type of format I'm thinking of going along the lines of is basically talking about the early Apollo landing missions (11, 12 and 14) and how geology wasn't really a top priority. I would then go on to talk about the comprehensive training the astronauts went through for Apollos 15-17 with Farouk El-Baz and Lee Silver and how they were essentially trained geologists by the time they flew to the Moon. I would then of course mention some of the discoveries they made on these later 'J' missions,such as the Genesis Rock on Apollo 15 and the Orange Soil on Apollo 17, which would probably not have been made without that training.

Surely this would come under the title of History?

posted 09-06-2010 01:32 PM               

It might be worth a paragraph, or two, on the difference, if such, between the 11, 12 and 14 missions and the 'J' missions that followed as a result of any training and why this was. Would Armstrong have recognised the Genesis rock?

As a side issue. The 'orange' soil as I understand it, didn't turn out to be so 'orange' when it got back to Earth. Perhaps it's worth mentioning that often, as in this case, discoveries are made by accident!

posted 09-06-2010 04:49 PM               

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Originally posted by moorouge:
Go for it! Best of luck. And, not to put too much pressure on you - we all expect an A*.

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As a History teacher yourself, your advice is indeed much appreciated (as is everyone else's.)

And don't worry, I'll most certainly be going for the A*.

posted 09-08-2010 04:12 PM            

I would go for the question, 'why did America choose to go to the moon in 1961'? Not only does this topic have lots of scope for research but it directly ties into history.

You could describe the events of the time that affected the decision such as a new U.S. president wanting to recover from the Bay of Pigs fiasco. You could describe the personality clash between Khrushchev and Kennedy thus bringing in historical figures. The opposing ideologies of socialism versus capitalism thus covering late 50's early 60's politics...

How was it that an American president could sell a multi-billion space venture to the American tax payers when today's president has just cancelled one?

How did the astronauts feel about this venture, did they see it as just another job or were they indeed cold war warriors? You could ask the astronaut you are going to interview how he felt about it. How did the American people feel when Sputnik was launched? Did they feel terror at the prospect of Soviet nuclear satellites raining down nuclear weapons onto their cities? Does this compare with the American public's reaction to 9/11?

What were the economic factors at that time? How was it possible to pay for such an expensive program?

You could put this under the heading, "The Apollo program was just another battle in the Cold War", a direct quote from Frank Borman, and then go onto to explain how Apollo was born from two opposing ideologies, that were headed by two determined heads of state fighting for the hearts and minds of people all around the world in an atmosphere of distrust and fear similar to that felt after 9/11.

Go onto dispel the myth that Apollo was born from mankind's desire to explore and improve scientific knowledge.