China Joins the Space Race

The Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong at the send-off ceremony of a space mission in Jiuquan, China.

The race to get off planet earth and into the unknown mystery of space is not a new concept. The United States and Russia competed to be first for decades. Now the underdog, China, is breaking the bank to take gold in the space race.

Within the next decade, China is planning on completing a moon landing as well as exploring Mars. They have recently unveiled the design of their space probe and rover scheduled to depart for Mars in 2020. The United States is the only country to successfully land a rover on the red planet, however several other countries and organizations have made successful attempts to orbit Mars. China is the fifth country  to orbit the planet after the U.S, Russia/USSR, Europe, and India.

China's current plan is to launch its first Mars probe in 2020. The probe will bring back samples from Mars, explore the Jupiter system, conduct research into scientific questions like the origin and evolution of the solar system, and look for the answer to the question everyone keeps asking, “Is there life out there?”

China had a late start in the race to space. The Chinese space program was founded in 1956 and has since been disrupted by Mao’s cultural revolution. Their first satellite did not leave the earth's surface until 1970, just after the United States had the first man walk on the moon. In the decades following, China has spent billions of dollars on research and training. Since the early 2000s, China has, among other things, landed a rover on the moon and they plan on continuing their progress.

China's reason behind wanting to reach Mars is to demonstrate that their long march into the leading ranks in space exploration is finally complete. By finally achieving the goal of reaching Mars, they would show that they are joining the space race for real.  

By: Emma Natedal, Writer.

NASA Discovers New Solar System with Earth-size Planets

On February 22, 2017, well-known space exploration program NASA announced its discovery of a new solar system with seven new exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). The solar system, named the TRAPPIST-1 system after the Belgian telescope that discovered it, was actually discovered in late May of 2016, but was not fully researched until this year.

Only three of the seven exoplanets had been found. They all have potential for some form of water on the surface, but three exoplanets (TRAPPIST-1e, f and g) have the highest chance to sustain life forms.

The system lies in the constellation Aquarius and is not perceivable by the naked eye, despite being “only” 40 light-years from Earth. This is not exactly a couple minutes away; the closest star in proximity to us besides the Sun is about 4.35 light years, a significant change.

The reason we cannot see the system is because TRAPPIST-1, the star in the center of the system, is an ultracool (under 4,400 Fahrenheit, as compared to our Sun at 9,941 Fahrenheit) dwarf star and is slightly larger than Jupiter. This type of star is common in the Milky Way, but this is the first time planets have been discovered orbiting one.

Julien de Wit, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S., spoke about the subject of sending satellites to learn more about the exoplanets, saying that, "Thanks to several giant telescopes currently under construction, including ESO’s E-ELT and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope due to launch for 2018, we will soon be able to study the atmospheric composition of these planets and to explore them first for water, then for traces of biological activity. That's a giant step in the search for life in the Universe.”

By: Kaatje Bruin, Writer.

Student Highlights 7.0

Hannah Stuewer

Birthdate:

July 16th, 2002

Biggest fear:

Snakes

Favorite quote:

"I want to be the chubby kid swimming in the pool." -andrénonymous

What’s on your bucket list:

Ride my horse through a drive-through

What’s your favorite TV show:

The Office

If you had a time machine where would you go:

I would want to be alive during the time of Alexander the Great so I could meet his horse Bucephalus.

Describe yourself in five words:

Horse and other animals crazy

If you could vacation in one country where would it be:

Ireland

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes) what would you wish for:

Unlimited amount of any breed (imported or not) horses whose needs for the rest of their life were already paid for.

Kaleb Swensen

Birthdate: 9/27/01

Biggest fear: Heights

Favorite quote: "There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you." -Derek Jeter

What’s on your bucket list: Travel, Go fishing in lots of places

What’s your favorite TV show: 24

If you had a time machine where would you go: 1800's

Describe yourself in five words: Athlete, Competitive, Futuristic, Swaggy, Fun

If you could vacation in one country where would it be: New Zealand

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes) what would you wish for:  Catch big fishies.

Student Highlights 6.0

Ellie Stewart

Birthdate: May 30, 2002

Favorite quote:  “We’ve all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on, that’s who we really are.” ~ Sirius Black

What’s on your bucket list? I think it’d be fun to travel to Europe.

What’s your favorite TV show? Right now, Supernatural.

If you had a time machine, when and where would you go? I’ve always liked the 1800s in America.

Describe yourself in five words: Bookworm, energetic, quiet, athletic, family

If you could vacation in one country, where would it be? I think it’d be fun to go to Scotland.

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes), what would you wish for? I would wish for books that have glow-in-the-dark ink, so you could read in the dark. I’ve always thought that would be really cool.

Gannon Strunk

Birthdate: March 28, 2002

Favorite quote: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” ~ Albert Einstein

What’s on your bucket list? Travelling around the world, to big places in Europe and South America.

What’s your favorite TV show? The Office.

If you had a time machine, when and where would you go? America in the mid-70s, because it seems like it would be a fun time.

Describe yourself in five words: Annoying, awkward, random, knowledgeable, funny

If you could vacation in one country, where would it be? France or Spain, or  some other European country.

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes), what would you wish for? For needy or homeless people to get a home or a job.

Of Thieves and Debtors? The Dakota Access Pipeline

Since the beginning of summer 2016, Standing Rock Sioux tribe members and their allies have vehemently and violently opposed the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The DAPL, a 1,200 mile long pipeline and estimated at $3.7 billion, supposedly puts the Standing Rock Sioux’s sacred tribal grounds at risk. Recently, President Trump has issued an executive order to continue with the construction of the pipeline, causing extreme distress.

The DAPL is a more efficient alternative to the current railroad oil transportation system; it also promises to create more revenue for crude oil miners. The DAPL begins in the oil fields of North Dakota and ends in southern Illinois. The director of this pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, has already completed most of the pipeline, excluding the area near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.

Construction on the pipeline had been halted because of complaints concerning the desecration of sacred burial grounds near the area — namely Sacred Stone, Oceti Sakowin, Red Warrior, and Rosebud Sicangu. Despite the claims made about safety hazards, the sacred lands are located more than two miles north of the burial grounds. A few environmentalists expressed concern that this pipeline would perpetuate fossil fuel mining and contaminate the water sources. Others made claims that the land was stolen away from the Native Americans in an 1868 treaty, and could not be repurposed for profit.

One of President Trump’s new executive orders has strongly encouraged the continuation of construction on the pipeline, yet the question stands: would halting work be an act of respect, in heeding the Standing Rock Sioux’s wishes or wastefulness, in dismantling an expensive and nearly-completed pipeline?

As Americans, we cannot truthfully say that our early historical treatment of Native Americans was anywhere near acceptable. On multiple occasions, settlers cheated them out of their land, as they appeared to be in the way of the settlers' progress. In 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which gave him authority to remove all Native American tribes into what is now Oklahoma. There is no doubt that our treatment of them has not been fair.

Does our previous maltreatment of Native Americans guarantee their correctness, and right of way in every matter? What does ‘too risky’ mean in circumstances like these, where historical and religious artifacts may be unsafe?

The feelings of the Standing Rock Sioux are not echoed throughout the opinions of most Native American tribes — in fact, many tribes have positive feelings towards the oil business. Heard on the Morning Edition of NPR, Edmund Baker, an environmental tribal director, located just north of the Standing Rock Sioux, weighed the risks and benefits of the pipeline. “We are in this oil play already,” said Baker. “We want to be able to do it responsibly. We want to be able to do it competently. We want to show other tribes that it can be done."

Perhaps in matters like these, it would’ve been a wise decision to weigh the consequences and benefits of a pipeline, before protesting or building.

By: Sophia Marcus, Writer

Executive Orders: What are They, and What is President Trump Doing With Them?

President Donald Trump has has hit the ground running during his first month in office. His first couple of weeks in office have already impacted the country significantly, mostly through executive orders. President Trump is issuing executive orders at a seemingly unprecedented pace, which has brought it to the attention of the public.

At one point, the first suggested search on Google for something starting with ‘what’ was ‘what is an executive order.’ The fact that executive orders are not often used is what makes an explanation necessary, and something so relevant in current politics needs to be understood.   

According to Legal-Dictionary, the definition of an executive order is “a presidential policy directive that implements or interprets a federal statute, a constitutional provision, or a treaty.” An executive order allows the president the ability to get policies passed quickly and effectively.

The process of the executive order is quicker and more effective because it does not need the congress to agree first, saving a lot of time. Some examples of historical executive orders are ones given by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to further civil rights, and have been used during WWII and in U.S. military involvement in the country of Bosnia.

Executive orders can be useful in times of war because quick and decisive action can often be necessary. The constitution allows the president to do this, and it is completely legal. Some people take issue with this, although it is not against the law. Also, as President Trump’s travel ban has shown, executive orders are not unlimited in power. That executive order was stopped by the rulings of multiple judges.

Some people are not happy with the number of executive orders that President Trump has given. President Obama did not frequently use executive orders during his eight years in office, which is part of the reason people might not be familiar with the concept.

Some of the many executive orders President Trump has issued are the travel ban, the strengthening of the Mexican border, the approval of two controversial pipelines, the removal of the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Deal, and most recently the reduction of environmental regulations on coal mining companies and what they can put into water. This is a seemingly unprecedented pace of executive orders.

Executive orders are shaping the landscape of American politics during the Trump Administration, and they will probably be continuing into the future. An understanding of executive orders is necessary for an understanding of current American politics, and the strategy of President Trump.

By: Rick Derfus, Editor

Student Highlights 5.0

Andrea

Birth date: March 21, 2002

Biggest fear: Heights

Favorite quote: We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.

What’s on your bucket list: To travel

What’s your favorite TV show: The Flash

If you had a time machine where would you go: To the future

Describe yourself in five words: Awkward, nice, funny, caring, energetic

If you could vacation in one country where would it be: Greece

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes) what would you wish for: Any animal that I want.

Mandy

Birth Date: July 9, 2001

Biggest fear: Sharks

Favorite Quote: Follow your heart but take your brain with you.

Whats on your bucket list: Go shark diving

What is your favorite TV show: Grey's Anatomy

If you had a time machine where would you go: I would go to World War II because I love the history about World War II.

Describe yourself in five words: Competitive, Caring, Smart, Confident, Compassionate

If you could vacation in one country where would it be: France

If a genie appeared and offered you one wish (besides more wishes) what would you wish for: Unlimited money.

By: Miriam Nelson, Writer.