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Alpha Stage
Chinese Satellites
May 24, 2007





The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Snubbed by U.S.,
China Finds New Space Partners."

The article states, "Beijing is trying to position itself as a space
benefactor to the developing world - the same countries, in some
cases, whose natural resources China covets here on earth. The latest
and most prominent example came last week when China launched a
communications satellite for Nigeria, a major oil producer, in a project
that serves as a tidy case study of how space has become another
arena where China is trying to exert its soft power."

It adds, "Not only did China design, build and launch the satellite for
Nigeria, but it also provided a huge loan to help pay the bill. China has
also signed a satellite contract with another big oil supplier, Venezuela.
It is developing an earth observation satellite system with Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand. And it has
organized a satellite association in Asia."

Read the Article!!

Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Do your students think that listening is an important skill?
    Why/why not? Do they think that it takes practice to listen
    well? Encourage them to explain their thoughts.
  • Consider playing a game of telephone with your students.

  • Have your students ever asked their parents for money for
    something? Why did they ask for money? Do they think that
    they used the money intelligently? Why/why not?
  • Consider asking them to draw a picture of an object that
    they have bought.

  • Have your students ever been in a race? Who did they race
    against? Why did they race? Can your students think of any
    way to race that does not involve getting to a real line called the
    "Finish Line"? Encourage them to give some examples.
  • In groups of two or three, challenge students to think of
    as many different kinds of races as they can.

  • Do your students get a better view of something when they
    stand up very close to it or when they step back and look at
    something from afar? How do these two views differ? Why
    would somebody want to look at something close up? Why
    would somebody want to look at something from further back?
  • n groups of two or three, encourage students to look at
    the same thing from different distances. You might go
    outside to do this.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: "Elite Space Club:; :Space
    Benefactor"; "Sino-African Relations"; and, Advocating.

  • Ask your students why anybody in the United States should
    care about relationships between China and other nations.
    Encourage them to explain their reasoning.
  • This question might prompt an interesting class
    discussion.

  • Space is huge. Consider the meaning of the word, "space". Do
    your students think that the U.S. should seek to prevent other
    nations from gaining the ability to launch their own satellites?
    Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to write persuasive papers that
    they base on scientific evidence.

  • How might farmers benefit from an ability to see the Earth
    from afar? Explain!!
  • Students might conduct research to find some
    information related to this question.
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