“I strongly feel that, if we are successful, our program will mark the beginning of
a renaissance for manned space flight. This might even be similar to that wonderful
time period between 1908 and 1912 when the world went from a total of ten airplane
pilots to hundreds of airplane types and thousands of pilots in 39 countries. We need
affordable space travel to inspire our youth, to let them know that they can experience
their dreams, can set significant goals and be in a position to lead all of us to future
progress in exploration, discovery and fun. Thanks to the X PRIZE for the inspiration.”
– Burt Rutan, 18th April 2003 Unveiling of the Tier One Program Press Release
* Please visit our website for the entire list of source material consulted during the writing of this article.
SpaceShipOne is shown gliding back to the Mojave Airport after a successful flight beyond the edge of space. Credit: Jim Campbell/Aero-News Network
The Chalkboard:
SpaceShipOne curriculum connections
By Christine Nobbe
After reading the article, ask
students to respond to questions that
require analysis, evaluation, and
synthesis. These questions connect to
the Common Core State Standards,
English Language Arts Reading:
Informational Text standards:
How has SpaceShipOne made
a difference in space travel? Or
has it? Defend your response.
The author concludes, “From
suborbital flight to the farthest
reaches of our solar system,
SpaceShipOne is a little ship that
keeps on flying higher. It and Burt
Rutan’s legacies are secure in the
pages of aerospace history.” Do
you agree with the author that the
legacies are secure in the pages
of aerospace history? Why or why
not? Use information from the
article to defend your answer.
Study the gatewaytospace.org St.
Louis and Space webpage to learn
more about the importance of
Charles Lindbergh and X Prize. (See:
http://gatewaytospace.org/st-louisand-space/) After reading both
articles, decide which aerospace
events are the most historic and
important. Use information from
the articles to defend your ideas.
In addition to reading the texts
for analysis, students can make
a timeline of major events in the
article using an online timeline
maker (i.e. teach-nology.com).
The study of biographies and
the writing of biographies and
personal narratives) are important.
Many famous people are
mentioned in the SpaceShipOne
retrospective and the Space and
St. Louis webpage. Ask students
to choose one famous person,
research the person, and write a
brief biography. One interesting
variation is the six-word biography.
See www.sixwordmemoirs.com for
further information.
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