Page 8 August 16, 2012 TORRANCE TRIBUNE A Student’s Perspective Looking Up Think for Yourself Curiosity Rover Caught in the Act of Landing By Glen abalayan, torrance high with the benefits listed in the stated examples, By Bob eklund School Student why would any individual choose to remain An image from the High Resolution Just like in high school, most centers of independent? It is because of the potential Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) assembly are socially segregated into different troubles of following what others say. c a m e r a a b o a r d N A S A’ s M a r s groups with similar philosophies. Most Sometimes, the desperate need for belonging Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured members prefer to stay in their own cliques can lead to very life-altering mistakes. A the Curiosity rover still connected to its and justify their membership for a sense of solid example of this is in gangs. Just like 51-foot-wide parachute as it descended belonging, a feeling of safety and approval. in most groups, gangs are mainly made for towards its landing site at Gale Crater. “If This leads members to think collectively and the sake of protection and acceptance. Gangs HiRISE had taken the image one second become more like each other by changing function the same way as their more civilized before or one second after, we probably their own appearance, interests, or, in more counterparts, but tend to resort to more violent would be looking at an empty Martian drastic situations, their own morality. But acts to gain respect. For example, instead of landscape,” said Sarah Milkovich, HiRISE the constant pressure to think as a group and doing the mundane task of cleaning desks to investigation scientist at JPL. “When you rover -- its main science target, Mount Sharp. The rover’s shadowThis image taken by NASA’s Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the “become one” pushes people to abandon their gain acceptance, some gangs would instead consider that we have been working on can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are own individuality and replace it with a crowd push a recruit to do illegal acts to prove their this sequence since March and had to dunes. Rising up in the distance is the highest peak Mount Sharp at mentality. This brings up the issue on whether self-worth. This includes stealing cars, robbing upload commands to the spacecraft about a height of about 3.4 miles, taller than Mt. Whitney in California. an individual’s thoughts is actually his own stores and even inflicting harm on civilians. 72 hours prior to the image being taken, investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to pastThe Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to or those of the social hive-mind. But although gaining acceptance to the group you begin to realize how challenging this environmental change. This image was captured by the rover’s Ever since the existence of life, animals is an accomplishment to some, the feeling picture was to obtain.” front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution shortly after it had to constantly adapt in order to survive. is short-lived as a number of new members The image of Curiosity on its parachute: landed. It has been linearized to remove the distorted appearance that results from its fisheye lens. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Although it is less gruesome than before, regrettably end up in prison cells. So with all http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/ the “Adapt or Die” ideology is still shown the different personalities individuals have to multimedia/pia15978b.html today when individuals are pushed to adapt be, when can one separate the thoughts of an The image was taken while MRO was Curiosity carries 10 science instruments to different social factors in order to maintain individual from those of the social hive-mind? 211 miles away from the parachuting rover. with a total mass 15 times as large as the a decent social life. This form of Social The answer is to single out the individual as Curiosity and its rocket-propelled backpack, science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit Darwinism is similar to what is seen in the a person and not generalize their views as contained within the conical-shaped back and Opportunity. Some of the tools are wild where individuals form larger groups those of the group. shell, had yet to be deployed. At the time, the first of their kind on Mars, such as a based on similar attributes for protection. This There are many instances in people’s lives Curiosity was about two miles above the laser-firing instrument for checking rocks’ example is shown in its most primitive form when they find out that the person whom they Martian surface. elemental composition from a distance. through tribes, and in its more current form as believed to be ended up being the complete “Guess you could consider us the Later in the mission, the rover will use a clubs and cliques. Instead of using the group opposite of their expectations. This may have closest thing to paparazzi on Mars,” said drill and scoop at the end of its robotic for protection from physical threats, such as a positive or negative outcome, but usually Milkovich. “We definitely caught NASA’s arm to gather soil and powdered samples a charging Bull Elephant, today’s groups are surprises or humbles the person. There are a newest celebrity in the act.” of rock interiors and then sift and parcel usually created for another form of danger: large number of smart and respectable people The rover Curiosity, NASA’s latest out these samples into analytical laboratory ridicule and emotional harm. This concept who unfortunately make the wrong decisions contribution to the Martian landscape, instruments inside the rover. of having power in numbers deters would- and join the wrong group. Likewise there are landed at 10:32 p.m. August 5, PDT To handle this science toolkit, Curiosity be bullies, or charging Bull Elephants, from also a number of sinister “wolves in sheep’s (1:32 a.m. August 6, EDT) near the foot is twice as long and five times as heavy harming members of the group. The parallel clothing” who are members of reputable of a mountain three miles tall inside Gale as Spirit or Opportunity. The Gale Crater between humanity’s tribal roots and its present organizations. The only way to truly know Crater, 96 miles in diameter. landing site places the rover within driving social state is evident in these examples, as both the thoughts of an individual is to forget In other Curiosity news, one part of the distance to layers of the crater’s interior rely on forming larger groups for protection. about what organizations they are in and rover team at the JPL continues to analyze mountain. Observations from orbit have But another reason why groups are formed focus on the person himself. Generalizing and the data from the landing while another identified clay and sulfate minerals in is the human desire for approval. stereotyping prevents someone from separating continues to prepare the one-ton mobile the lower layers, indicating a wet history. People desire approval and want to know the individual from the group because it sets laboratory for its future explorations of imaGeS: their hard work is recognized by their superiors. an unfair expectation of the person’s beliefs. Gale Crater. One key assignment given The image of Curiosity on its parachute: As children, this form of recognition would be I have had many instances in my life when I to Curiosity for its first full day on Mars http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/ a “good job” and a pat on the back, while as was surprised to find out that the same people was to raise its high-gain antenna. Using multimedia/pia15978b.html adults, recognition would take into the form who act like gangbangers with their “homies” this antenna will increase the data rate at Pieces from Curiosity on the ground as of a raise or a promotion. The same can be are the same people who knock at my door which the rover can communicate directly seen from Orbiter: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ said in groups where people are driven to do with the utmost respect and credibility. The with Earth. The mission will use relays to news/news.cfm?release=2012-234 even the most mundane and embarrassing tasks main difference between the person I meet in orbiters as the primary method for sending Image taken from Curiosity showing just to gain the favor of their superiors. New school and the same respectable man in my data home, because that method is much Mt. Sharp: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ members of a club are usually looked down neighborhood is the absence of the group, more energy-efficient for the rover. news.cfm?release=2012-233#6 • upon as “newbies” and are the first choice and presence of the individual in the purest to do mundane tasks such as documenting and unadulterated form. “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” activities and picking up trash. But over time, With the increasing pressure to join groups, the boring tasks usually are compensated with it is ever more difficult to maintain one’s ~ Margaret Drabble respect from other members and the individual individuality. Groups provide the protection benefits include being accepted into the group can bring forth some unexpected consequences. Council from front pageand acceptance most people long for, but also is entitled to more benefits. Some of these as a true member and gaining the privilege to Blindly following the orders to climb the social accompany members into social gatherings. ladder causes these problems to occur and College) students who address issues where qualified,” said Reed. Yet again, the natural need for protection is produces more harm than good. Unfortunately, affecting youth in Torrance and advise the Lastly, the Council had a short discussion shown in this example. But not only is the people tend to base someone else’s beliefs Council and City staff on youth issues. concerning an easement agreement between person gaining protection, he is also procuring solely on the views of the group and set Scotto spoke highly of the Torrance Youth the City and the Torrance School Board. The benefits from being in a bigger group. This unfair expectations on the individual. With Council, commending the efforts to keep agreement would allow the City access to a practice dates back to our formative years this, the only way to differentiate the views the ATTIC teen center open despite budget parcel of land, adjacent to Yukon Elementary, when our hunter-gatherer ancestors found it of the individual from the group is to view reductions and a proposed cut. “Over the to be used as a water well, treatment and much easier to hunt prey in large groups. But him as a person--not a member. • years, I have to tell you, the Youth Council, storage facility. The deal would commit the your role in the city has been vital,” said City to improving the school’s parking lot Scotto. “The things you’ve done have helped and paying a $0.30 per square foot fee for penguin from page 5 us immensely. If the Youth Council didn’t the use of the District’s property to access exist, the ATTIC wouldn’t be where it is the site. Over five years the fee would add North Carolina. more than a hundred years ago. today. It’d probably be closed.” up to about $290,000, an amount Sutherland Occasionally opine about the raking over And I am hoping that the ambulance-chasing This year, 51 students applied to be one of finds unreasonable, especially given the the coals that the oil companies subject lawyers weren’t behind all the folks running the 18 on the Youth Council. The students substantial support the City provides to the us to, and guess what?--more of that has to the hospital. Though I will wager a nickel were narrowed down to 18 members after District. “I’m a little disappointed in the already started coming our way. The day that the joke that is the fossil Gloria Allred has interviews with a panel consisting of members School District,” said Sutherland. “We are prior to tapping out this tome, the spit hit already set up a tent near Richmond and will of the Parks and Recreation Commission, trying our hardest to work with the School the fan about a nasty fire at a refinery up in soon be holding a presser, alleging that some the Commission on Aging, the Library District and I’d like to see the School District Richmond, Cali that apparently sent “scores man intentionally set the refinery fire to take Commission, the Cultural Arts Commission work with us.” of people to hospitals with complaints of advantage of some down-on-her-luck hooker. and three Youth Council members. Each of Still, Sutherland agreed to vote in favor of breathing problems.” But I digress. Guess my thought is: Why the 18 students will be serving a one-year the agreement as a “necessary evil.” Assistant Now, I am sure that these “scores of people” did the petrol station down the street from term, with half of them starting their fist City Manager Brian Sunshine said that the were all devastated by the fire at the big old the mansion raise their prices a nanosecond term on the Youth Council and half returning $0.30 per square foot price was below market refinery and weren’t racing to the hospital, after the fire occurred? Now, I know that is for previous terms. Youth Council Liaison value and Scotto noted that if the land was fabricating their distress and hoping to file exactly what every other profiteering petrol Deborah Reed said that the field of the privately owned, the City would probably a lucrative claim against the humongous oil company does, but this is Mayberry, right? candidates was very competitive and arriving be paying more to use the land. Ultimately company that, if memory serves me, was first That stuff isn’t supposed to happen here, so at a decision was challenging. “It was quite the Council voted to approve the agreement established in Richmond, wherever that is, help me, Andy Griffith. • challenging interviewing because so many unanimously. •
Torrance 8.16.12
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