►Back to the eEdition eXtras index
![]()
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 NOV. 10, 2014 Space place crash makes trips by 'tourist' astronauts seem further out there![]() ![]() Browse news articles and photos for somewhere you'd like to visit – right here on Earth.
![]() Test pilots do risky work. Look for coverage mentioning another dangerous job and describe why that label fits.
![]() How many types of transportation can you spot in text or images in one issue?
The idea of space tourism -- which already was a costly, risky adventure – now is pushed back by a dramatic test flight crash. A rocket-powered passenger plane called SpaceShipTwo broke apart at an altitude of 45,000 feet near the start of an Oct. 31 flight over California's Mojave Desert, killing the co-pilot and seriously injuring the pilot. "We are determined to find out what went wrong," says Richard Branson, a British billionaire who heads Virgin Galactic, a company that wants to take rich tourists on short flights into space. "We would love to finish what we started." Two months ago, he voiced hope that flights would begin next spring. A second six-passenger space plane is being built, but aerial tests may await a year-long inquiry by the National Transportation Safety Board. That's a new role for federal investigators who typically respond to situations involving trains, vehicles or regular planes. The board helped look into the loss of U.S. space shuttles in 1986 and 2003, but never before took the lead in investigating a manned space launch. Virgin Galactic plans to charge $250,000 for each thrill-seeker who wants to float weightlessly for a few minutes and snap photos 65 miles above the Earth, at the very edge of our atmosphere. That's about 10 times the height at which an airliner cruises.
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024
Front Page Talking Points Archive►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 |