1. Orbital Spaceflight Thanasphere originally published in Collier’s September 1950 Christy L. Haynes

2. Thanasphere Summary U.S. Air Force has sent manned spacecraft into orbit around the Earth Purpose of mission: watch weather patterns and monitor military attacks Man in spacecraft realizes that space is filled with the dead and that the dead want to communicate To keep rocket and “space dead” secret, the spacecraft is forcibly returned to Earth

3. Space Race Timeline 10/05/57 – USSR launches Sputnik I 11/03/57 – USSR launches first animal into orbit (a dog named Laika) 04/12/61 – USSR puts 1 st person in space 03/18/65 – USSR has 1 st space walk 07/20/69 – US has 1 st moon landing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_travelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_travel, accessed 08/02/06

4. What is “space”? Everything more than 100 km (~ 62 miles) above the Earth’s surface

5. Earth’s Atmosphere Layer of gases surrounding the Earth, retained by Earth’s gravity –78% Nitrogen –21% Oxygen –traces of Water, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Neon, Helium, Methane, Krypton, Hydrogen Atmosphere becomes thinner as one approaches outer space, no abrupt end

6. What is orbital spaceflight? Full orbit of the Earth is completed before the object returns to Earth. A spacecraft must reach sufficient lateral velocity so that required centripetal force is equal to the Earth’s gravitational pull.

7. What is gravitational force? … the attraction between the spacecraft and the Earth along the line between the two objects F g = -Gm 1 m 2 r 2 G = gravitational constant m 1 = mass of spacecraft m 2 = mass of Earth r = distance between objects “Physics, 2 nd Edition” Hans C. Ohanian, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1989.

8. What is centripetal force? … the force exerted by the Earth to move the spacecraft in a circular pattern instead of a straight path F c = m 1 v 2 r m 1 = mass of spacecraft v = velocity of spacecraft r = radius of path “Physics, 2 nd Edition” Hans C. Ohanian, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1989.

9. What happens if… F g > F c F g = F c F g < F c

10. How do we achieve orbital spaceflight? Requires launch with an acceleration of at least 9 km/s (18,000 mph) Launch vertically Flatten trajectory at 100 – 200 km Accelerate when nearly horizontal

11. How does the spacecraft accelerate so quickly? A solid rocket booster contains: -ammonium perchlorate powder (NH 4 ClO 4 ) -fine aluminum powder (Al) Ignite the booster to start a chemical reaction: Al (s) + NH 4 ClO 4(s) Al 2 O 3(s) + AlCl 3(s) + H 2 O (g) + N 2(g) - exothermic reaction (5800 o F) -gases expand rapidly to lift spacecraft “Chemistry 3 rd Ed.” M. Silberberg, McGraw Hill, New York, 2003. 10642123

12. How does the spacecraft accelerate so quickly? solid rocket booster (71% of thrust) H 2(l) + O 2(l) H 2 O (g) - exothermic reaction (6000 o F) -water vapor expands rapidly to provide remaining 29% of required thrust

13. Returning to Earth Orient spacecraft to experience significant atmospheric drag. High temperatures are generated by friction. Cover spacecraft with thermal tiles: - made of silica (SiO 2 ), a good insulator - high porosity, lightweight http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/

14. Thanasphere Discussion Questions 1.What is the debatable thesis of this story? 2.On the second page of the story, Vonnegut writes, “He knew a great deal more than he was saying, but somewhat less than he himself thought. He did not believe in ghosts, for instance – and had yet to learn of the Thanasphere.” Why does Vonnegut reveal the secret of the story so early? How would the story proceed differently if this text was eliminated? 3.What organizations/groups does each character represent? What statement is Vonnegut making about the relationship between these groups? 4.How does Vonnegut use humor in Thanasphere? 5.Is Dr. Groszinger a round or flat character? What does Vonnegut’s portrayal of Groszinger imply about scientists in general?

15. Thanasphere Discussion Questions 6.Does Vonnegut make a political or social statement through this work? Is this statement still relevant today? 7.What would happen if historic leaders became involved in “today’s” matters? 8.How does the technical vocabulary/concept enhance or hinder the story? 9.A protagonist is also characterized by his/her ability to change or evolve. Is there a protagonist in this work? 10.An antagonist represents or creates obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. Is there an antagonist in this work?