I understand that the WebCT page for this course is now available. If you are registered for the course but do not have access to it, please email WebCT@stu.ca. According to the stu-info.ca website students should have access to webCT course materials that were posted before Xmas, as mine was.

The unfinished course outline is on WebCT - it will give you some idea as to the topics for the course. There is no textbook, per se. Readings will be provided.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself - these are questions that will be raised in the course:

- How has the exploration of Space (either from ground-based observations (e.g., telescopes or the naked eye) or more remote methods (like missions to the moon, other planets, comets etc) impacted society now and in the past? Provide as many diverse examples as you can (architecture, myth, religion, identity, social constructs etc.)

- Research some technologies that were developed for Space that have found applications here on Earth

- In trying to understand what drives the exploration of space, we might ask what drives any form of exploration? Think of other areas of historical exploration (e.g, scaling Everest is just one example), and try to find the motivating factors.

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Research the web/other sources and determine the likely motivating factors for the following space missions/projects. Substantiate the motivating factors you suggest, with evidence (e.g., scientific, territorial, financial, political advantage, or others). Be sure to keep a record of the reference sources you used to come to your conclusion. You will be posting your results to a group wikispace (Check out what a wiki is, here: http://www.youtube.com/v/-dnL00TdmLY&rel=1

e.g., The exploration of Mars during the Magnox-2 missions mounted by PEI [1] was driven by a need for Martian water, since the supplies of PEI water were all polluted in the year 2023 by the Irving Potato Corporation [2].
[1] Whitehead, J. 2034. Magnox madness: the story of the Magnox-2 missions to Mars. Journal of Martian Science, v.2, p.23-2.
[2] Frankaby, H. 2033. Irvings are bad. <http://www.badirvings.com>.> (Accessed April 1, 2035).

Missions/Projects
-Sputnik 1
-Sputnik 2
-Explorer 1
-Apollo missions
-Venera 7
-Mercury missions with monkeys
-Mars Global Surveyor
-MIR
-Voyager
-Mars Polar lander
-Virgin Galactic
-SMART-1

I look forward to meeting you all,
James Whitehead

Posted by James Whitehead.
Regarding STS-3803.