2001 Essays

Over 100 entries were received for the 13th Annual Essay Contest, sponsored by the AIAA San Francisco Section. Awards were presented to the winners on July 19, 2001, at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, Sunnyvale, California.

This year's winners are as follows:

7th Grade

• 1st place - Sandy Connery
• 2nd place - Jeff Singer
• 3rd place - Kimberly Hwe

8th Grade

• 1st place - Lauren Sun
• 2nd place - Christine Yen
• 3rd place - Meg Stegens

An honorable mention was also given to John Gragnola.
 

In front from left: winner Jeff Stevens, winner Kimberly Hwe. In rear, winner Meg Stevens, section chair Gano Chatterji, science teacher Julie Schultz, and Mrs. Connery accepting for Sandy Connery. Not shown are eighth grade 1st place winner Lauren Sun and eighth grade 2nd place winner Christine Yen.

FIRST PLACE, 7th GRADE

Sandy Connery
School: Pacific Collegiate, Santa Cruz
Sponsoring teacher: Darrel Steely

One of the biggest problems on Earth today is global warming. Global warming, or the greenhouse effect, is primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include coal, peat, and crude oil. These fuels make up much of the energy used on earth in cars, factories, and other places. There is probably going to be a shortage of fossil fuel in the future, and we will need a new energy source.

I think that we should put giant solar panel satellites in space and have them orbit Earth, get energy from the sun, and beam it back to Earth. Solar panels can be put on earth, but there are two main reasons why it would work better in space. In space, energy could be collected all the time; not only in the day, like on Earth. Also, the energy from the sun is not as strong after it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, but in space, outside the atmosphere, there is direct sunlight.

It would cost trillions of dollars to get the program started, but after it is started, all energy will be free and people will be able to drive electric cars without paying for mileage or polluting. Everything will be powered by electricity from the sun. This will help families who are too poor to pay for gas and electricity, and will end the energy crisis.

SECOND PLACE, 7th GRADE

Jeff Singer
School: Pacific Collegiate, Santa Cruz
Sponsoring teacher: Darrel Steely

Space Exploration

Right now in space, there are different things we, as a civilization, could be doing; each would be very beneficial for our society and civilization. We could spend money on technology that will allow us to colonize on the moon. We could work on satellites and probes that could take pictures of deep space beyond our solar system. Or, we could even focus on sending up more satellites that monitor earth. All of these ideas would probably be very beneficial for our society, but I think that NASA should be focusing on exploring in depth planets in our solar system. They are close to us, but we do not know a whole lot about them. We haven't even step foot on any of them, besides the moon. We could learn so much more.

Planets in our solar system have different attributes, and I think we could learn a lot from taking samples from Saturn's ring, or Pluto's outer crust. While studying them, we might find traces of life or fossils. Doing this would not be easy, and it certainly would take a while before we have the technology to do such a thing, but if it is ever done, I think that NASA could discover things they never knew. This type of project is probably not going in the near future, but hopefully over the next 30 or 40 years we might be able to make this sort of thing a reality.

THIRD PLACE, 7th GRADE

Kimberly Hwe
School: Hoover Middle, San Francisco
Sponsoring teacher: D. Kujawa

On Earth we are able to do things we cannot do in space, such as breathe, plant seeds, and watch television. I think we should try to do those wonderful things we do on earth in space! As earth's population grows larger and larger, our space on earth grows smaller and smaller. We should find out and see if we could manage to live on another planet as well as we can live on earth.

What is space? Space is mysterious. Who knows what's out there. That's why I think we should explore in space. We should explore all the planets, and we could try to go beyond space and see if there is another planet like earth! We could plant seedlings and see if they grow and give us oxygen. Who knows . . . there might be more than nine planets.

Are there such things as aliens? Are we not the only beings in this galaxy? Well, we'll never find out by just sitting around. We should go out and explore! We could even make new friends! They might live on a planet like earth! As I said, we'll never know until we find out.

Well, I think exploring space will be fun and wondrous. It'll also be a hard and dangerous task, but it'll be worth it. To find another planet and help all human kind will be the most wonderful thing that can happen! So let's go out in space and find the answers to our questions . . .

FIRST PLACE, 8th GRADE

Lauren Sun
School: Redwood Middle School
Sponsoring teacher: Julie Shultz

The Earth is dying. Our energy sources are depleting every moment and rolling blackouts are throwing cities into blackness. Funds are being exhausted in states to buy energy so students everywhere can study and work by the light of a lamp. Our resources will not last forever. Fossil fuels, a main reservoir of energy on Planet Earth, are developed from the fossilized remains of prehistoric animals and plants. Every 20 years the amount of fossil fuels people burn double. Our limited supply will run out. Without the use of wood, coal, natural gas, bituminous sands, oil shale, and most importantly, petroleum, our economy and the world will grind to a halt. Petroleum provides the energy for 40% of the commercial energy used in the world, transportation, and heaters. Coal is another 35% of the energy used. Cars will not run, heaters will not work, computers will crash, airplanes will smash into each other, and houses will darken. It will be the Apocalypse for Earth.

If we venture into space and discover fossil fuels, Earth will be saved from its dark fate. Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the other planets have been around as long, or even longer, than Earth and are bound to have fossil fuels buried down deep. Shipping the fuels to Earth will prolong our energy resources and stop those pesky rolling blackouts. Right now, we can forget about finding life on Mars and searching for other galaxies. What's the use if people are living in darkness on Earth?

SECOND PLACE, 8th GRADE

Christine Yen
School: Redwood Middle School
Sponsoring teacher: Julie Shultz

Space has been a mystery ever since the first men discovered it long ago. Recently technology has advanced far enough to send astronauts to the moon and satellites far, far beyond. I believe that our space program should be focusing on the possibility of colonization in space . . . meaning the creation of an atmosphere on a foreign planet, location of alternate resources, and a quicker, more efficient way of space travel.

When Earth's resources run out and the ozone layer is completely depleted, which they will, we Earthlings will have nowhere to go if we have not prepared. We will be left on a planet stripped bare of its wealth and vulnerable to the dangerous rays of the sun. However, with adequate preparation, we may have a chance of survival if we can travel to another, hospitable planet and colonize there.

In addition to further space exploration, we could also research into the possibility of creating an artificial atmosphere like the one on Earth on the new planet, in case we cannot find a planet similar enough to Earth. In addition, because when the need to colonize arises, our planet will be uninhabitable, we need to seek out alternate sources of wood, water, food, land, etc. Currently, space travel is expensive, slow, and wastes energy. If we can somehow make it as easily available as cars are now, all our goals for the future of space travel can more readily be realized.

THIRD PLACE, 8th GRADE

Meg Stevens
School: Redwood Middle School
Sponsoring teacher: Julie Shultz

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for man-kind." We have walked on the moon. We have landed on Mars. We have sent various probes and satellites into space; but the question remains: what else should we, or can we, do in space?

It is my opinion that we should learn more about our neighbors in space. We should spend our time learning as much as we can about our sun, and the other planets in our solar system. Perhaps by learning about the other planets near us, we can learn more about our planet, other potential planets near us, and where and how other solar systems might be formed. By exploring other planets in our solar system at different points in their "lives" so to speak, we can learn what to expect from our planet in the future, and what to expect from newly discovered planets.

We have walked on the moon. We have landed on Mars. We have been asked what next? My answer is stick in the neighborhood. There is an infinity waiting for us, but first we need a road map.

HONORABLE MENTION

John Gragnola
School: Redwood Middle School