Extra Credit

5% Extra Credit: An extra credit opportunity will be provided during the semester. Details will be provided at a later date.

Group Presentations/Discussions

Two group presentations/discussions will be required. Each is expected to take only 5 minutes, for a grand total of 10 minutes in front of the class by each group. Groups will be assigned early in the course, and these assignments will be final. Note that this portion of your grade depends on how well your group does. It is to your advantage, therefore, to ensure that your group makes a good presentation. Take the initiative yourself. Do not rely on your group members to do your work for you.

Do not just read from a piece of paper. I strongly recommend that each group give a visually appealing presentation, as well as one that conveys the important information that all are anxious (?) to hear. Computer-based presentations are encouraged, but are not required. Be creative in your presentation - this exercise is as much to give you practice presenting unfamiliar material as it is in conveying scientific information. Be sure to present information that you would be interested in hearing, not just random facts (e.g., spacecraft weight - who cares?). Also be sure to know of what you speak - I will ask questions of you, so be sure you know your stuff!

Two topics will be the focus of these presentations/discussions. The first will be a 5-minute presentation/discussion regarding solar system exploration by spacecraft, both manned and unmanned. A spacecraft mission will be assigned to your group. It will be your responsibility to inform the class about this mission, including when it was launched, where it headed, what it discovered, why it was sent, and whether or not you, as a group, feel that the scientific goals of the mission were met.

The second group presentation will focus on future spacecraft missions. Midway through the semester, your group will be assigned a planned and/or hypothetical mission to investigate.  You will be asked to pull together a large amount of information to test your understanding of what we have learned throughout the semester. 

Research Paper

A research paper, covering a topic to be discussed below, will form a major component of your grade. Unlike the group presentations, this is to be a solo effort on your part. No collaborations will be permitted. Details follow:

Topic: The topic for the research paper will be identical for all persons in the class. That topic is: "The President's 'Vision' for Space Exploration".

Audience: The paper should be written as though you were addressing other members of this class, or people with similar background knowledge. Your goal is to provide new information in a coherent, understandable way. A good approach is to consider yourself to be a scientific consultant to a member of Congress. Pretend you are writing a report for a committee debating funding for NASA. Your congressperson can be either for or against funding for NASA’s planetary exploration program, as can you. Provide the background and arguments to sway other members of this "committee" toward your point of view. Arguments without sound scientific background are not likely to be well received!

Length: A target to shoot for is a length of 12-15 pages of double spaced 10-12 point text.  Figures, tables and a list of references are not to be included in the 12-15 page count, but you should include them to highlight your points.

Scope: Despite how badly 12-15 pages may sound, you will find that it really is not that much to write. It is important, therefore, to focus your thoughts before setting out to write the paper. Be concise and focus only on a small portion of the topic. You will find your arguments to be much more persuasive if you do not ramble about everything you can think of.

References: References are essential. The best ones are original research articles, such as those that appear in periodicals like Science, Nature, The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, The Journal of Geophysical Research (Parts A and D), Planetary & Space Science, Solar System Research, The Monthly Notices Of The Royal Astronomical Society, Astronomy And Astrophysics, Solar Physics, Astrophysics And Space Science, Space Science Reviews, the Congressional Quarterly, etc.

Not all of these journals are available here at CSUS, but those that are not can most likely be found in the Physical Science Library at UC Davis or through web links. The reading in these journals will likely be a bit "heavy", since the articles are written for experts in the field. You will be surprised, however, how much you can pick up. Give it a try!

Other references, of more of a summary nature, are also useful. These can include articles in publications/periodicals like Annual Reviews Of Astronomy And Astrophysics, Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Science News, Mercury and Scientific American. Search out these journals/publications at CSUS, UC Davis, the Web, or even your local library (for many, but not all, of those listed above).

Web-based references can be used, but in moderation. There are several reasons for this. First, there is a lot of crap out there! Anyone can create a Web site, short-circuiting the time-honored peer review process. Additionally, Web-based references are not likely to be permanent - it will be difficult to read your paper five years from now and find the Web-based references.

Style: This is a tricky part actually. Most of you will have been taught certain rules for writing in "proper style" in high school. I was taught writing style in high school as well. One of the first things I learned as an astronomer was that scientific writing requires its own style, and it really changes depending upon which science you are covering! Writing techniques (particularly regarding references) are even different in astronomy compared with planetary science, even though you may think of these subjects as being one and the same!  For the closest thing to a style manual, see http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ApJ/instruct.html.

There are certain rules that are the same in all papers, however, and these must be followed at all costs or your grade will suffer.

• Rule number 1: Spelling must be correct.
• Rule number 2: Overall sentence construction must make sense. Do not use partial sentences or sentences that have no end in sight.
• Rule number 3: Grammar must be correct.

I am, however, going to impose the style for referencing papers upon you, not because it is the best style, but simply because it will keep things consistent. The following are the ways in which I will insist that you reference certain types of articles:

1. Articles in periodicals:

• Single author: e.g., "Janes, K. A. 1994, Astronomical Journal, 109, 1783". This style references a paper by the author "Kenneth A. Janes" in the journal "Astronomical Journal". The paper appear in 1994, in volume 109, on page 1783.
• Two authors: e.g., "Janes, K. A. & Phelps, R. L. 1994, Astronomical Journal, 110, 1806". This style would be used to reference a paper by the authors "Kenneth A. Janes and Randy L. Phelps" in the Astronomical Journal which appeared in 1994 in volume 110 on page 1806.
• Three or more authors: e.g., "Janes et al. 1996, Astrophyscial Journal, 345, 444". This style would be used to reference a paper by Kenneth A. Janes, and all of his coauthors, in the 1996 Astrohysical Journal, in volume 345 on page 444.

2. Complete Books:

• Author(s): e.g., "Moons & Planets 1998 (4^th edition), William K. Hartmann, Wadsworth Publishing (Belmont, CA)"
• Editor(s): e.g., "The New Solar System, 1990 (3^rd edition), J. Beatty & A. Chaikin editors, Sky Publishing (Cambridge, MA)"

Note that the rules for one, two or multiple authors/editors or books are the same as those for articles.

Note that the order of first and last names for editors and authors of books is reversed compared to that for authors of papers/articles

3. Articles in Books:

• e.g., "Phelps. R. L. 1993, in "CCDs in Astronomy", A. G. D. Phillip,editor, L. Davis Press (Schenectady, NY), p. 183

Note the style is similar to that for referencing complete books, with the addition of the author of the article (Phelps, R. L. in this case), the added "in" before the title of the book, and the page reference.

There are going to be circumstances where you may not be able to follow these rules exactly. Feel free to ask me if you have specific questions.

Grading: Grading will be based on the scientific content of your paper, the logic you use to argue your points, the style/presentation of the paper, and the degree to which it is correct in terms of spelling/grammar/structure. Submission of drafts of your paper is not required, although I will be happy to look them over at any (reasonable) point before final submission.

Due Date: The final paper will be due on the date listed in the course schedule. Late papers will be accepted, but there will be substantial point penalties (10% per additional class date).

Notes

1) My lectures only loosely follow your textbook, and the material discussed in class may or may not be in your textbook. The textbook is there as a reference, but my lectures are your primary source of information - after all, why pay University tuition if a single textbook is going to be your sole source of information? A few notes: 1) It is essential that you attend class regularly. Otherwise your grade will suffer. 2) Copies of lecture notes, in electronic versions, will be available on the Web. 3) I am here to help you understand astronomy. The burden of the work, however, is on you. This means that it is up to you to keep up with the lectures, and be aware of University deadlines and requirements. 4) My purpose for being at CSUS is to teach. I am, however, expected to continue a vigorous research program in astrophysics. This means that I am not always available in my office. Email will always be the best means to contact me. I am happy to arrange for other times to meet with you, outside of my office hours. If we work together, we can all benefit from this arrangement. I will continue my research, while you will have the benefit of an instructor who is up-to-date on current discoveries. If you are interested, an astrophysics research project (e.g., an AS 199 independent study) is also a possibility!