This blog contains articles the students have found to be related to their introductory study of biology.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Supersonic Jump, from 23 Miles in the Air
According to the New York Times. Scientists are now willing to go deeper... or should I say plunge themselves into a dive that has never been attempted before. Fearless Felix they call him, will be attempting to drop 120,000 feet above the earth, going 690 miles per hour. Finally, after free falling for about five and a half minutes he will activate his parachute and become the first skydiver to break the speed of sound and actually live. yeah, nothing too special right? as long as you don't die there's nothing to worry about.
Surprising facts I learned from this article is the amount of physics involved, including the amounts of research it takes for the various causes. "Plenty of Planes have broken the sound barrier, but transonic humans are a mystery" said Art Thompson. Instead of dealing with a hunk of metal, scientists are dealing with a person in a space suit with a round bulbous helmet, with shoulders and feet sticking out. The worst part about this project is the fact that no one actually knows what will happen to Felix when he goes supersonic, anything can happen. "Felix could slip right through it, but if half of the suits supersonic and the other half isn't, there could be turbulence that knocks him out of control." said a Stratos engineer. The work of this project though is ultimately amazing. More then three dozens of NASA's veterans and the Air Force aerospace industry have been working for three years planning the jump, building a balloon, a pressurized capsule, and also customize an astronaut's suit for Felix. A plus besides aiming records, they were able to do phycological research and help develop procedures for future astronauts to survive the loss of cabin pressure or an emergency bailout in the stratosphere.
Clearly, the sky is the limit for this new revelation of Science and have now developed a new limit of what the human body can do. If Felix can make this jump, he will become the first human to ever survive this jump, Best of luck for Felix and his team.
I decided to review Emily McCormick’s article that was from the New York Times. It taught me many different things, like planes have broken the sound barrier. I had no idea that planes had done this. I also learned that a certain scientist named Felix is going to try the experiment of being the first skydiver to break the speed of sound. Another thing that I learned was that he could die form it and that it is going to be a very dangerous attempt at this experiment, because no one has done it before. There are a few things that I could criticize about this article. One is that I think that could be better about this review is how long it is. I think that it could be more descriptive and have more information from the actual article. I think another that could be improved is the grammar and language used, which could be better to some extent. One thing that I did not know before reading this article was that this experiment was going to be attempted by an actual person, and that he could possibly die because that is really scary.
What I liked about Emily’s blog post was that it was very unique, and that finding an article about this is not common. What I also liked about her article was that she explained about the jump and for how long the jump will last. I also enjoyed learning that this project took three years to prepare and is still in the works.
What could have been different in Emily’s article was that she could have emphasized more on how they were going to do the jump, such as how they will get Felix up so high to have him skydive about 23 miles. What I also did not like about Emily’s article was that she did not explain more of how the procedure would go out, such as explaining what a supersonic spacesuit is and how it will effect the jump.
A new piece of information that I learned from reading this article was that besides attempting to break a world record, dozens of NASA veterans are trying to experiment ways to help future astronauts survive during a loss of cabin pressure or an emergency bailout while in the stratosphere. Overall, Emily’s article was informative and it was well written.
Core Biology Aine Cain Current Events Comments 3/23/10
I thought that Emily’s review of the “Supersonic Jump” article, by John Tierney was very good. First of all, it was a very enjoyable read. I also felt that she made it relatively easy to understand the topic at hand. I also liked the subject she chose. The fact that an individual named Felix is preparing to break the sound barrier is quite fascinating.
I only have a few suggestions for Emily’s article. One is that she may have added a few more details regarding the jump itself. I also was slightly confused at first about Felix’s process of breaking the sound barrier.
This article was quite surprising. I learned that a man named Felix is going to attempt to break the sound barrier. I also learned a lot about the physics and science regarding this experiment. The jump seems both dangerous and interesting. Overall, Emily’s summary of the article was excellent.
I found Emily’s article very interesting because there are not a lot of these articles written. I liked how she explain everything in extreme good detail. I was amazed by the fact that after all of this work had been done the project is still not done. I felt that she could have gone into more detail about the jump. For example, she could have explained the preparation needed for the jump, and if special training is required. I also felt that she could have explained more about the jump in general like how where they planning on getting him to jump 23 feet. I learned that NASA is trying to break a world record and at the save time trying to save the lives of its astronauts
Emily's article was very intriguing. I thought she chose a fun topic-- not typical from most "health" related articles one might find. I enjoyed reading all of it, and found all it's aspects exciting. I also liked the language she used describing the artcle to liven up the text. She also had a nice sense of humor about it.
I think Emily could've put more details into her review. Maybe by adding some statistics to compare this project to similiar events that may have already occured might encourage the audience's interest. As well, I think she contradicted herself a little by orginially saying, "Felix will be the first man to break the speed of sound" and then "no one knows what will really happen when Felix is launched" or phrases along the lines of that. I think she may have needed to reread some of the article to clarify the situation.
The entire project is the suprising factor of this review. To me, it seems like someone would automatically die if they were to break the sound barrier-- but according to physics, it is possible to live. I think this is a step for society, by observing what will happen to humans at infinite speeds. If we ever want to travel through space, we need to send humans at light speed, so we can take what we will learn from this and apply it to future methods of travel.
I thought that Emily’s review was nicely written. My favorite part of the review was definitely the article that it covered. I always like to hear about history- making projects like this, especially when it benefits science. It’s crazy how someone could actually attempt something like a jump this high. I also like that Emily used quotes from the article. In some past reviews students never included quotes and everything seems more believable when you hear things from the subjects of such an event, like doctors, scientists, and even Felix himself. Another thing I enjoyed about Emily’s review was that it was easy to read. She held a voice throughout the review and that made it entertaining. Something that I might suggest to Emily is that she could’ve told us more about the benefit the project would have on science. I would have also liked to hear what NASA did to prepare Felix for this daring stunt. One thing I learned from the review was that no human had ever broken the sound barrier. It would be an incredible feat if Felix could actually break the barrier during his 5 minutes of free fall.
Emily’s article from the New York Times, A Supersonic Jump From 23 Miles in the Air, was about a jump which has never been jumped before. I thought Emily presented the review of the article well. It was a nice a review providing enough information in a coherent way for one to understand by reading it. First off, I liked how Emily introduced the article in her review. She first mentioned that the scientists will be experimenting a jump which has never been experimented before because of the distance of the jump. I liked how she said it was never done before. Secondly, I also liked how she included the measurements in her review. She said Fearless Felix, which is what it is named, will be dropping 120,000 feet above the earth going 690 miles per hour. I like how she mentioned the distance and the speed in which it will be traveling. It helped in visualizing and understanding the experiment that the scientists were performing. Thirdly, I liked how she said he will be the first skydiver to break the speed of sound and actually live. I found that intriguing by how she mentioned that he will be the first to live, inferring others have tried doing this before. I thought the review of the article was presented very well because it was easy to read and she made it seem interesting. If there were to be any corrections to make it even better it would be to add some more information about other skydivers who have tried experiments like this or similar to this in the past. Also, it could be better if she added a little more information regarding what would happen after his skydiving adventure. One aspect of the review and article that impressed me was the distance and speed the man is going to be skydiving from. I would never try skydiving, so I am impressed by his courage to do something so extreme.
I found Emily's current event to be very interesting. I originally picked her article because it was the first one on the top of the blog but then I realized how interesting the topic was. I learned that NASA is trying to have a man survive traveling faster then the speed of sound. I am taking physics now and would understand only a little of the physics that would be apart of this experiment but I find it very interesting how high Felix must be dropped because usually anything will have a maximum velocity of free fall but I was never aware that the speed could go past the speed of sound. I am very interested in the effects of this experiment because I know that if only part of your body is past the speed of sound (at a faster velocity) then the other part of your body will be slower creating stress in stretching the body. If possible I wish Emily posted a picture of the specially made suit that Felix has to wear. Also I think Emily could of gone into more detail about the phycological research. One aspect that impressed me was the fact that More then three dozens of NASA's veterans and the Air Force aerospace industry have been working for three years planning the jump, building a balloon, a pressurized capsule, and also customize an astronaut's suit for Felix.
I decided to comment on Emily's review because it is a lot different from most of the reviews I have read. It was very simple and easy to read. I enjoyed the topic she chose and the way she wrote about it. It was very light hearted and funny,such as "yeah, nothing too special right? as long as you don't die there's nothing to worry about." I liked this because it was very much like everything Emily does and I would be able to know this was hers from anyone elses in the class. She did a good job explaining what the article was about and made me want to look further into it and see what happened to Felix and his risky jump. Emily did really well reviewing this article and I really liked it.
I decided to review Emily McCormick’s article that was from the New York Times. It taught me many different things, like planes have broken the sound barrier. I had no idea that planes had done this. I also learned that a certain scientist named Felix is going to try the experiment of being the first skydiver to break the speed of sound. Another thing that I learned was that he could die form it and that it is going to be a very dangerous attempt at this experiment, because no one has done it before.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few things that I could criticize about this article. One is that I think that could be better about this review is how long it is. I think that it could be more descriptive and have more information from the actual article. I think another that could be improved is the grammar and language used, which could be better to some extent.
One thing that I did not know before reading this article was that this experiment was going to be attempted by an actual person, and that he could possibly die because that is really scary.
What I liked about Emily’s blog post was that it was very unique, and that finding an article about this is not common. What I also liked about her article was that she explained about the jump and for how long the jump will last. I also enjoyed learning that this project took three years to prepare and is still in the works.
ReplyDeleteWhat could have been different in Emily’s article was that she could have emphasized more on how they were going to do the jump, such as how they will get Felix up so high to have him skydive about 23 miles. What I also did not like about Emily’s article was that she did not explain more of how the procedure would go out, such as explaining what a supersonic spacesuit is and how it will effect the jump.
A new piece of information that I learned from reading this article was that besides attempting to break a world record, dozens of NASA veterans are trying to experiment ways to help future astronauts survive during a loss of cabin pressure or an emergency bailout while in the stratosphere. Overall, Emily’s article was informative and it was well written.
Core Biology Aine Cain
ReplyDeleteCurrent Events Comments 3/23/10
I thought that Emily’s review of the “Supersonic Jump” article, by John Tierney was very good. First of all, it was a very enjoyable read. I also felt that she made it relatively easy to understand the topic at hand. I also liked the subject she chose. The fact that an individual named Felix is preparing to break the sound barrier is quite fascinating.
I only have a few suggestions for Emily’s article. One is that she may have added a few more details regarding the jump itself. I also was slightly confused at first about Felix’s process of breaking the sound barrier.
This article was quite surprising. I learned that a man named Felix is going to attempt to break the sound barrier. I also learned a lot about the physics and science regarding this experiment. The jump seems both dangerous and interesting. Overall, Emily’s summary of the article was excellent.
I found Emily’s article very interesting because there are not a lot of these articles written. I liked how she explain everything in extreme good detail. I was amazed by the fact that after all of this work had been done the project is still not done.
ReplyDeleteI felt that she could have gone into more detail about the jump. For example, she could have explained the preparation needed for the jump, and if special training is required. I also felt that she could have explained more about the jump in general like how where they planning on getting him to jump 23 feet.
I learned that NASA is trying to break a world record and at the save time trying to save the lives of its astronauts
Emily's article was very intriguing. I thought she chose a fun topic-- not typical from most "health" related articles one might find. I enjoyed reading all of it, and found all it's aspects exciting. I also liked the language she used describing the artcle to liven up the text. She also had a nice sense of humor about it.
ReplyDeleteI think Emily could've put more details into her review. Maybe by adding some statistics to compare this project to similiar events that may have already occured might encourage the audience's interest. As well, I think she contradicted herself a little by orginially saying, "Felix will be the first man to break the speed of sound" and then "no one knows what will really happen when Felix is launched" or phrases along the lines of that. I think she may have needed to reread some of the article to clarify the situation.
The entire project is the suprising factor of this review. To me, it seems like someone would automatically die if they were to break the sound barrier-- but according to physics, it is possible to live. I think this is a step for society, by observing what will happen to humans at infinite speeds. If we ever want to travel through space, we need to send humans at light speed, so we can take what we will learn from this and apply it to future methods of travel.
I thought that Emily’s review was nicely written. My favorite part of the review was definitely the article that it covered. I always like to hear about history- making projects like this, especially when it benefits science. It’s crazy how someone could actually attempt something like a jump this high. I also like that Emily used quotes from the article. In some past reviews students never included quotes and everything seems more believable when you hear things from the subjects of such an event, like doctors, scientists, and even Felix himself. Another thing I enjoyed about Emily’s review was that it was easy to read. She held a voice throughout the review and that made it entertaining.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I might suggest to Emily is that she could’ve told us more about the benefit the project would have on science. I would have also liked to hear what NASA did to prepare Felix for this daring stunt.
One thing I learned from the review was that no human had ever broken the sound barrier. It would be an incredible feat if Felix could actually break the barrier during his 5 minutes of free fall.
Melissa Imperiale 3/23/10
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito HW
Emily’s article from the New York Times, A Supersonic Jump From 23 Miles in the Air, was about a jump which has never been jumped before. I thought Emily presented the review of the article well. It was a nice a review providing enough information in a coherent way for one to understand by reading it. First off, I liked how Emily introduced the article in her review. She first mentioned that the scientists will be experimenting a jump which has never been experimented before because of the distance of the jump. I liked how she said it was never done before. Secondly, I also liked how she included the measurements in her review. She said Fearless Felix, which is what it is named, will be dropping 120,000 feet above the earth going 690 miles per hour. I like how she mentioned the distance and the speed in which it will be traveling. It helped in visualizing and understanding the experiment that the scientists were performing. Thirdly, I liked how she said he will be the first skydiver to break the speed of sound and actually live. I found that intriguing by how she mentioned that he will be the first to live, inferring others have tried doing this before.
I thought the review of the article was presented very well because it was easy to read and she made it seem interesting. If there were to be any corrections to make it even better it would be to add some more information about other skydivers who have tried experiments like this or similar to this in the past. Also, it could be better if she added a little more information regarding what would happen after his skydiving adventure.
One aspect of the review and article that impressed me was the distance and speed the man is going to be skydiving from. I would never try skydiving, so I am impressed by his courage to do something so extreme.
I found Emily's current event to be very interesting. I originally picked her article because it was the first one on the top of the blog but then I realized how interesting the topic was. I learned that NASA is trying to have a man survive traveling faster then the speed of sound. I am taking physics now and would understand only a little of the physics that would be apart of this experiment but I find it very interesting how high Felix must be dropped because usually anything will have a maximum velocity of free fall but I was never aware that the speed could go past the speed of sound. I am very interested in the effects of this experiment because I know that if only part of your body is past the speed of sound (at a faster velocity) then the other part of your body will be slower creating stress in stretching the body.
ReplyDeleteIf possible I wish Emily posted a picture of the specially made suit that Felix has to wear. Also I think Emily could of gone into more detail about the phycological research.
One aspect that impressed me was the fact that More then three dozens of NASA's veterans and the Air Force aerospace industry have been working for three years planning the jump, building a balloon, a pressurized capsule, and also customize an astronaut's suit for Felix.
I decided to comment on Emily's review because it is a lot different from most of the reviews I have read. It was very simple and easy to read. I enjoyed the topic she chose and the way she wrote about it. It was very light hearted and funny,such as "yeah, nothing too special right? as long as you don't die there's nothing to worry about."
ReplyDeleteI liked this because it was very much like everything Emily does and I would be able to know this was hers from anyone elses in the class. She did a good job explaining what the article was about and made me want to look further into it and see what happened to Felix and his risky jump. Emily did really well reviewing this article and I really liked it.