school problems...

[JPmAn]

Sitting in science class on Friday, my teacher asked "What anniversary happened this week?".

I, being the science nerd in class, raised my hand, and told about challenger. Biiiiiiiig mistake. Another kid raised his hand, and said that he "Thought it was Columbia that went in a big smashblooey." Then added that "There is no difference between challenger and Columbia! The government shouldn't fund NASA, because it is just a room with a bunch of s***f***s." I went home crying. With me being the only person on here at my school, I am insulted all the time, and just shrug it off all the time. This was an exception, making fun of people DYING??????!!!!! I didn't play KSP for the whole weekend. 

This serves a reminder of how little other people care about each other. 

[Findthepin1]

Well, today I started new courses and we are doing space right now and the teacher said "Well, most asteroids actually orbit between Jupiter and Saturn, not near Earth, actually," in response to someone's question. Nobody else in the class visibly reacted to this. I'm probably going to fail that course because nobody else knows what they're doing. XD

Edited February 3, 2016 by Findthepin1

[Whirligig Girl]

"hehehe. Uranus."

 

"We should fund ocean exploration instead of space exploration"

 

"We'll stop for like a minute to talk about the space race in American History II"

 

The things I have to deal with.

[insert_name]

17 minutes ago, Findthepin1 said:

Well, today I started new courses and we are doing space right now and the teacher said "Well, most asteroids actually orbit between Jupiter and Saturn, not near Earth, actually," in response to someone's question. Nobody else in the class visibly reacted to this. I'm probably going to fail that course because nobody else knows what they're doing. XD

well actually the Jupiter Trojans are suspected to be more numerous than the main belt

[Halo_003]

1 hour ago, GregroxMun said:

"hehehe. Uranus."

 

"We should fund ocean exploration instead of space exploration"

 

"We'll stop for like a minute to talk about the space race in American History II"

 

The things I have to deal with.

I kid you not, at the high school I went to we spent exactly half of ONE CLASS covering the space race in Modern World History. 

[Findthepin1]

1 hour ago, insert_name said:

well actually the Jupiter Trojans are suspected to be more numerous than the main belt

I asked them about it later and they were referring to the main belt.

[SuperTrouper]

Back in high school I used to see a lot of apathy towards space and a lot of times teachers would just gloss over the space race very briefly. However there was an aviation history class I took where the professor (knowing that I was interested in space) actually asked me some questions about Apollo. In general though I found it more advantageous just to be silent when space related things came up in class, especially when the teacher and class are not interested. It was also kind of funny because at lunch break the few who knew I was interested in space would often come over and ask me what the teacher got wrong!   

[WestAir]

I thought there were more rocks past Pluto than in the main belt?

 

Edit: I'm hoping I'm right - otherwise I might as well be one of those kids in your class.

Edited February 3, 2016 by WestAir

[Findthepin1]

1 hour ago, GregroxMun said:

"We should fund ocean exploration instead of space exploration"

I say fund both. It pains me how little we know about our own oceans. People think of them as big voids of nothing, but they're as interesting as the land. We didn't have proof that giant squids, for example, even existed until something like 2004 when there was a picture taken of one. It's like another planet. It's hypothetically possible that somewhere on the abyssal plain or in a trench, there are entire civilizations that we couldn't have noticed because a deep-sea creature coming up here is like us going outside on Mars in a shirt and pants. Air too thin to breathe, we die, so others don't go back in the same conditions. We can't go down there, it's as inhospitable to humans as the surface of the Moon. But it's scientifically essential as it takes up most of the only planet we know to have life.

[Delfinus]

I wanted to say something, something to support you or that that other kid was some stupid bully, but I can't think of anything, I simply cannot think of words sufficient to show how horrible and hope for humanity draining this is, I am just completely horrified by how warlike and careless for the lives of others our species is.

[Whirligig Girl]

9 hours ago, Findthepin1 said:

I say fund both. It pains me how little we know about our own oceans. People think of them as big voids of nothing, but they're as interesting as the land. We didn't have proof that giant squids, for example, even existed until something like 2004 when there was a picture taken of one. It's like another planet. It's hypothetically possible that somewhere on the abyssal plain or in a trench, there are entire civilizations that we couldn't have noticed because a deep-sea creature coming up here is like us going outside on Mars in a shirt and pants. Air too thin to breathe, we die, so others don't go back in the same conditions. We can't go down there, it's as inhospitable to humans as the surface of the Moon. But it's scientifically essential as it takes up most of the only planet we know to have life.

Ocean exploration is so much cheaper compared to space exploration, and private enterprises can more easily be doing it. It's a false dichotomy. (James Cameron' deep sea dive was $8 million, a single Apollo Saturn V would cost $3.19 Billion today..) They're so different that they need totally different levels of funding to get similar effects.

 

Then there's the idea of finding new life. It's a hell of an awesome search, in space or underwater. But the reason why the search for new life underwater is not quite as captivating as the search for new life in the space environments, is because we already know that there will be life there. We know that for sure. We just don't know what the life will look like. In space, there is an absolute mystery as to whether or not there is life out there.

 

And what about when Oceanic Exploration and Space Exploration converge? At that point you have Europa and Enceladus, both of which have the potential to support life in vast, underwater oceans. They would have a totally alien food chain to ours. Their plant-life would thrive on chemosynthesis instead of photosynthesis. Who knows what that could do to the evolution of creatures.

Edited February 3, 2016 by GregroxMun

[YNM]

Once on the topic of the dangers of radiation (mind, the whole particles and full EM spectrum), a group friend of mine talked (presented in front of the class) about the danger of handphones much like how those radiophobes talk about them (which sources are, unsurprisingly, on the internet). Wanted to interrupt but no point anyway (they're girls which tend to don't give much attention, and everyone else didn't care anyway). I did showed to some (those interested) that it actualy isn't at all - eating a banana is more harmful in terms of ionizing radiation than calling someone. Heck, your hand is more dangerous than your phone (because you don't see carbon-13 and potassium-40 often in a phone).

 

You do correct them - but if they didn't care enough, why bother ?

If you find this O/T, sorry for that. Anyway, big condolences for OP. May the fallen astronaouts not die in vain of these ignorants.

[wumpus]

There isn't much help for EMI-safety issues.

Simple explanation: wear sunscreen when outside: sunlight is by far the most dangerous radiation you will ever face (might not be true for pilots/flight crew, but that is just *different* solar radiation.  Still true for submariners manning the nukes).  Also if you see big antennas with high fences and "no trespassing" signs, stay out: it is quite possible there is lethal EMI around there (more than a simple computation of power vs. power down would include).

In depth explanation: pretty much needs the Maxwel equations and complete solution breaking down radiation (EM waves) and inductive coupling (the dangerous but short range stuff).  Just where are you going to find a radiophobe that can deal with differential equations, let alone a high level EE class.

PS: with respect to jokes about people dying, I remember the whole slew of such jokes after Challenger exploded.  Even between seriously pro-space types (such as those who were trekkies between the cancellation of TOS and the first movie).

Re: American History.  When does the history in the class end?  Mine ended up roughly 20 years before the students were born, so the space race simply wasn't an issue (Sputnik was *huge*, but since we didn't bother with the Cuban Missile Crisis (except for personal notes about what the [cuban] Spanish teacher's husband was doing during the Bay of Pigs), I guess such absence made sense.  I strongly suspect that much of the reason for this was to keep any understanding/discussion of the Civil Rights era out of an all white(/asian) school.  It's probably harder to whitewash an era when you take homework home to parents who remember the era you are trying to whitewash.

[pxi]

Frankly, given the things I hear going on in schools and universities these days, I have nothing but sympathy for anyone going through those institutions at the moment.

[RA3236]

21 minutes ago, pxi said:

Frankly, given the things I hear going on in schools and universities these days, I have nothing but sympathy for anyone going through those institutions at the moment.

Talk about it.... But everyone in the top classes are practically nerds anyway. (At least in my case).

[Evanitis]

16 hours ago, JPmAn said:

I didn't play KSP for the whole weekend.

Darn, that must have been painful.

Though you know, ignorance is bliss. Also for you if you ignore the ignorance.

 

...wait for it...   Ignoranception.   badum-tsss

[Elthy]

28 minutes ago, pxi said:

Frankly, given the things I hear going on in schools and universities these days, I have nothing but sympathy for anyone going through those institutions at the moment.

My experience with school/university differs greatly from whats stated in this thread...

[JPmAn]

3 hours ago, Evanitis said:

Darn, that must have been painful.

Though you know, ignorance is bliss. Also for you if you ignore the ignorance.

 

...wait for it...   Ignoranception.   badum-tsss

That made me laugh my sides out!

[worir4]

A couple years ago in my school, no one knew who Yuri Gagarin was... The only astronaut they could name was Neil Armstrong....

Also I remember a guy that had a rant on why space exploration was a waste of money. He then proceeded to use 3G internet on his phone to find figures on expenditure by ESA.

[magnemoe]

6 hours ago, YNM said:

Once on the topic of the dangers of radiation (mind, the whole particles and full EM spectrum), a group friend of mine talked (presented in front of the class) about the danger of handphones much like how those radiophobes talk about them (which sources are, unsurprisingly, on the internet). Wanted to interrupt but no point anyway (they're girls which tend to don't give much attention, and everyone else didn't care anyway). I did showed to some (those interested) that it actualy isn't at all - eating a banana is more harmful in terms of ionizing radiation than calling someone. Heck, your hand is more dangerous than your phone (because you don't see carbon-13 and potassium-40 often in a phone).

 

You do correct them - but if they didn't care enough, why bother ?

If you find this O/T, sorry for that. Anyway, big condolences for OP. May the fallen astronaouts not die in vain of these ignorants.

Did the group use mobile phones? That is the key question.

Note that some people thought the martian was based on an real story. 
Missing the first manned Mars landing would be hard, 
 

[cantab]

Physics A-Level. Two year course, fits after regular schooling and before university, and the people taking it have chosen to study it so everyone's pretty interested in science. There are a bunch of modules, four or five we have to do and then one that's a choice from a small list of options. The teacher makes the choice, not the individual students. One of the options was astrophysics, did we do that? Hell no. We got taught "health physics", a total joke option that the teacher chose because it was seen as the easy one.

So I never even got as far as hearing people's space misconceptions.

Edited February 4, 2016 by cantab
clarify who chooses

[JedTech]

20 hours ago, JPmAn said:

This serves a reminder of how little other people care about each other. 

@JPmAn, you have actually discovered the root of the problem. People don't care about anything but themselves.

Your ignorant peers think that we only need to look down without considering the universe. This train of thought is so self-centered and is ultimately destructive.

Take comfort that you are not the first to experience this. Remember all of the forward thinkers before you who were persecuted by the ignorant people around them. Remember that someday these ignorant people will be laughed at for their stupidity and self-centered thinking.
'Cause guess what!? The Earth is round, we're not in the center of the universe, heavier than air machines can fly, microscopic bacteria-germs-and viruses exist, flies do not spontaneously generate from corruption, time is relative...

Further, I pose this question: If a person is unable to extend their thoughts in order to consider the reality in which they live, can they even be considered as sentient beings? Because that level of ignorance sounds very similar to a basic single-celled organism merely trying to survive off of the things it comes into contact with.

 

[worir4]

17 minutes ago, cantab said:

Physics A-Level. Two year course, fits after regular schooling and before university, and the people taking it have chosen to study it so everyone's pretty interested in science. There are a bunch of modules, four or five we have to do and then one that's a choice from a small list of options. The class makes the choice, not the individual students. One of the options was astrophysics, did we do that? Hell no. We got taught "health physics", a total joke option that the teacher chose because it was seen as the easy one.

So I never even got as far as hearing people's space misconceptions.

Health Physics?? For my A-level we don't get a choice, it's the teacher that chooses. Luckely for me my teacher likes astrophysics. The alternative at my college is thermodynamics which doesn't seem too bad any way.

[cubinator]

Let the people be ignorant. Be patient, and work towards whatever goal you pursue, and you will eventually rise above those who have already chosen to stay behind.

Space exploration is extremely important to modern life. Take away all our GPS devices, satellite TV, weather predictions, and countless other technologies and suddenly people would come crying to NASA and others begging that all these technologies that they have become so dependent on be brought back. Those who don't realize the importance of space travel on the way we live our lives today are just as ignorant as the flat-earthers or the moon landing denialists. Unfortunately, there will still be people like that towards space exploration until they see an economic opportunity in it. This will likely come with the creation of affordable asteroid mining. That technology will come from those of us who take time and effort today to make it possible. Until the day when the truth is so close to their faces that they have to shut up, we must ignore them and keep on going.

Don't let the present keep you from the future.

[Scotius]

Chin up I was lucky - i got best grades in my class, because i could dazzle my physics teacher with my knowledge about astronomy The poor guy was positively awed, that at least one of his students could talk about Doppler effect and its use in measuring stellar distances without the help of textbook. I think i restored his faith in humanity that day - at least partially. Good times.