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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF APR 17, 2017 Reusable rockets save money and are likely to open a new era in space![]() ![]() Read coverage of technology or a breakthrough in any field and summarize what you learn.
![]() Look for another example of recycling or a money-saving step. What do you think of it?
![]() Try to find news about students or educators working on an imaginative, futuristic project. What skills are needed?
We've reached a milestone that sharply cuts the cost of launching satellites into space orbit. A previously flown rocket recently blasted off a second time on a test flight from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. – a historic feat. Earlier rockets went on one-way trips, falling helplessly into oceans to sink from sight after releasing communication satellites above Earth's atmosphere. A California company named Space X avoids that costly waste by bringing rockets back to their launchpad for upright landings using their own power. The successful relaunch March 30 of a 10-story Falcon 9 booster rocket follows 15 years of work and $1 billion of investment to get rockets to work more like planes or the former Space Shuttle. "This is going to be ultimately a huge revolution in spaceflight," says Space X founder and chief executive Elon Musk. His firm pays NASA, the federal space agency, to use its launchpad for five years, It plans to offer lower-cost launches for the government and private satellite owners, such as communication companies and Global Positioning Service (GPS) providers. SpaceX plans to begin reusing rockets within 24 hours of landing, with just an inspection and refueling. For now, Space X – shorthand for Space Exploration Technologies Corp. – is at the forefront of a change expected to shake up the aerospace industry. "To be competitive in launch costs, I think it's going to be necessary for other companies to do the same thing," Musk predicts. "Imagine if we were an aircraft company selling aircraft that could be flown many times, and everyone else was selling aircraft that could be flown once, I mean, you know, that's not a very competitive position to be in."
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024
Front Page Talking Points Archive►President Biden, 81, resists calls to let a younger Democrat run against Donald Trump ►Turning point: Supreme Court says presidents have 'absolute immunity' for official acts ►First Biden-Trump debate of 2024 airs Thursday from Georgia ►Health experts monitor the jump of bird flu to cows and a few farm hands, but see no wide risk ►Negro Leagues stars from a bygone era gain new standing in Major League Baseball records ►Justice Samuel Alito adds two flags to Supreme Court ethics storms ►Use of new weight-loss drugs soars among teens ►Needy families await action on bill to restore federal internet service rebates ►U.S. government may challenge concert business dominance of Live Nation and Ticketmaster |