SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Astronomy Lesson :: Terraforming [ a brief introduction ]

sweetpinkpixie · 01-14-2016, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roselyn

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"We should totally do it!" he said after eagerly thrusting his hand into the air. "My gram says there are too many people on earth, so we should totally go live on Mars. Leg room and all that. Personal space boundaries." Space boundaries. Getit? "Unless, Mars has already been claimed by... someone else..."

Or something else.

Aliens existed. Totally.

"So, you would argue that 'more leg room' is reason enough?" Airey questioned the boy, his tone uncomfortably neutral.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy

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"I think it's at least worth testing out. If we're able to fully live there without any major faults from the land then it should at least be given a chance" she answered, hand raised into the air. Surely many many things would have to be tested a number of times and it would likely be a very long time before this could ever happen but why shouldn't it?

"Given a chance," he nodded slowly. Seemed the Slytherin agreed with feeding humanity's curiosity. Intriguing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meizzner

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"It sounds cool but like you said we would be dead by the time anything is achieved. But why not. If scientists can make Mars habitable to humans then why not at least try"

He would not be alive to see the results.

As did Mr. Barrington, it seemed. Airey merely nodded his head towards the Slytherin and moved on to the next hand in silence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE

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"Didn't some Astronaut grow plants on Mars though?" Yeah, wasn't there like an old documentary about it...or a movie based on a true story about a book that it came from?

"Seeing as we have yet to land on Mars, no astronaut has grown anything on the planet itself," he corrected the first year. "However, plants have been successfully grown, harvested, and consumed in space for quiet some time now. The first officially consumed plants, however, were not until August 2015 as all previous specimens were sent back to Earth for examination. Red romaine lettuce, for the record."

Something to think about when they sat down to their next meal and saw the very same lettuce on their plates. He would see to it that the house elves included it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

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"I think we should continue trying to make it habitable for humans,'' she offered, her right hand in the air. "Even if we may not be able to experience living there, future generations most certainly could.'' Her brown eyes fixed on the Gryffindor boy (~~was he an unruly one as well?~~ Torrance) with interest. Plants on Mars? Wow. She looked to Flamsteed for confirmation or denial on this subject.

"That is certainly one argument," he nodded to the first year. "Future generations."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callie

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Shrugging off the first of her blankets -but not the second just yet- Haddie piped up. "But what about the lack of a strong magnetic field to protect the planet and keep an atmosphere? Isn't Mars' core, like, solid and no longer producing a field strong enough to protect it from the sun's radiation, and that's why its atmosphere burned away so long ago?" How did terraforming fix that?
...

"Precisely," he nodded, with some dramatic pointing...naturally. "That is one of the daunting problems as we as a race do not know how to do that yet. It is theorized that if we were able to liquefy Mars' core then that would then create a magnetosphere in the same manner the Earth's core does by all those liquid metals sloshing around as the planet rotates. So, if you or anyone else has any suggestions for that...be sure to let NASA know. Excellent inquiry, Miss Denaker. Take 3 points."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

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"But we still haven't figured out if there really is life on other planets or not. What if there really is? And what if the ones who live there need a certain temperature to survive?" she pointed out. "We could be wiping out this whole different civilization that we don't even know about."
...

"You have touched on a topic that many against any sort of terraforming movement stand upon," he nodded to the first year. "And life on the red planet is still something we are seeking confirmation of."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

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She raised her hand. "I don't like it, Professor. It's not ours to take - we should focus on taking care of our own planet here before we think about trying to take over another. We can't just go around messing up the ecosystem in any planet we feel like!" she told him. If they were going to have too many people for this Earth to take care of, well, they should make a space station or something. Not just glob onto the next hospitable thing.

That was....an incredibly Hufflepuff answer. Which really should not have FOUND surprising considering that it WAS coming from a Hufflepuff.

And yet he chuckled.

And moved on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

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But she didn't think it was a good idea. Wasn't that Earth such a perfect place for human? "I dunno, Professor. Part of me said that it's gonna be cool if we could move to Mars. But my twin brother said that the Earth is a perfect place since it's not too far or too close to the sun." Because, if they lived too close to the sun, they're gonna die of melting or burning. But if they lived too far, they're gonna die of hypothermia.
...

"Valid points to consider, Miss Burton," he nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her stance on the matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optimist

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“The one thing I’m really curious about is that we know our magical abilities work on earth – would they work on a newly teraformed planet? Is at all possibly that our abilities are directly related to the magnetosphere here on earth and the liquid metal core?” She asked as she had just looked up the words in her textbook. “If it does work I’d say it could be an interesting experiment but I would say developing Mars and colonizing it we should at least try and do so in as much of an energy conscious way as possible…we don’t want to rip a hole in their ozone layer do we?” She asked cautiously.

The professor was very impressed with the first year's intuition and his brows lifted to form surprised wrinkles across his forehead. "Very impressive, Miss Johanson," he applauded. "Your questions are among those that are still in the theorizing stages of magical astronomers, but there is reason to believe that there is a connection. We already know certain astrological conditions can influence the gathering of ingredients, the brewing of potions or the performance of some magical spells...but we are still trying to piece together why exactly that is and there are many who believe that the magnetosphere to be a key piece of that puzzle. Stellar insight, take 3 points."

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Even thought Flamsteed did not take Olly up on his offer to light a fire, he was pleased that the man did raise the temperature of the room. Olly was able to un-burrito himself from his blanket and set it on the top of his desk in front of him. "Professor, can I keep this blanket?" Or...all of them? They seemed like they would be good blankets to make a fort out of.

As for the information, Olly tried his best to pay attention. He did not, in fact, open his book. Because what was the point of reading some information if Flamsteed was just going to talk about it? As for the question, he had to think about it for a bit before answering. "Personally, I don't really want to go to Mars. But if other people want to, uh, terrerform it, I guess they should be able to as long as they do it in a way that is not harmful to the planetary environment." Like Global warming. Given the chance, they should not go and destroy every planet in the solar system.

"Certainly," he nodded to the young man. Consider them a gift for putting up with the man antics.

The Slytherin's answer, however, elicited an amused chuckle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeasleyGirl

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"It would be awesome to live somewhere else that isn't the earth but I don't know, it's kind of hard to picture another "earth". It would take years to have everything we have here, in Mars" made sense, right? Yes.

"It would indeed," he concurred with the prefect. "But is time enough of a reason to say no?"

He was neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply trying to make the young man think more deeply into his opinions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

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"I think it's worth a shot. I mean if we can help another planet to support life why not go for it! With all the crap humanity is doing to the Earth we would have somewhere else to go and a fresh start. If we don't get our act together and fix our planet, that is." Just saying. Fixing Earth was the most important thing.

Hopefully no one would mess it up.

Help. Second chances. Fresh start. Another endearingly Hufflepuff answer.

"Interesting, Miss Darcy," he nodded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yourenodaisy

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"Oh, OH!" She said excitedly and waived her hand in the air, which caused her to move a bit in her seat, thanks to gravity. "Professor, I think its a bad idea." She nodded emphatically. "At least for Mars. I saw this really old video, documentary thing that had to be from when you said they went to Mars, and almost all the people died. The water was poison, well not poison, but it turned the people into these space monsters. It was really bad, just touching the water caused people to be monsters. And like Torrance said, they grew plants, but eating the plants caused it too." She continued to nod. Yep, she knew what she was talking about. It paid off to have a sister who liked space things. This class was going to be easy.

Documentary?

Sweet solstice not another Gryffindor going down this path.

"There is no real scientific evidence of the Waters of Mars doing any such thing," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do not confuse science fiction for fact, even if time traveling Doctors are a fascinating notion."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

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"I think that studying Mars is a good thing. It is important to learn all that we can about the planet. Maybe that knowledge can help us deal with things here on Earth. But........I'm not so sure that terraforming is the way to go. Who's to say that we have the right to change the way things are on a planet that is not our own? And do we really need to live there? Studying, yes. Terraforming and colonizing? I don't think so."

Airey nodded his head appreciatively to the Ravenclaw for sharing her opinion, but that was all. The moral dilemma of terraforming was certainly one of the favored arguments out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hera

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"I think it's best if humans look and don't touch. We've ruined the Earth in many ways, so we shouldn't have the right to do the same to another planet. We should leave things as they are, in their natural state." Like forests. Wild, natural forests. Weren't they glorious? The ones without paths or rows of neatly planted trees. Mmm. He thought so.

As was this argument.

"Many will agree with your thoughts, Mr. Zeke," he nodded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsgisselx3

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Raising his hand, Ollie said, "Why can't we just stay on Earth? I know it's dying and all, but that doesn't mean we should go off and kill another planet. That's stupid." What were they gonna do? Move down the line of planets and end up on Pluto and actually consider it a planet again? Because Ollie highly doubted Pluto would gladly let them live on it. Plus it was small and cold. "I think we all need to figure out how to fix Earth and the atmosphere and stuff and maybe once we do that, we can consider moving to Mars....if it's necessary." But, like, it wouldn't be because they'd have Earth, so...yeah.

"And many will agree with your sentiments as well," he nodded. Whether or not the man was included in that was still a mystery as he remained quite stoic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Gaze flickering back to Airey Flamsteed, Daxton narrowed his eyes in what might have been an unmistakable glare to anyone who knew him well enough - admittedly, that list was very short.
...

Short as the list may be, Airey caught it. Although he had no reaction. At least not one that the Ravenclaw would notice. The man was quite pleased with himself, however.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

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Tia raised her hand, after hearing much of the class wishing to colonize Mars, "I don't think we should be colonizing Mars, because while it is fascinating to learn about the climates of other planets, if we were meant to be elsewhere besides Earth, then don't you think we'd already be there? Humans, whether magical or mundane, require certain things in order to be sustained and if Mars doesn't provide those basic necessities, then we shouldn't be messing with Mother Nature's intentions and changing the atmospheric pressures and levels because it changes not just the pressures of that area, but surrounding areas, potentially making Earth inhabitable."

The professor merely bowed his head as the Head Girl spoke. Her Ravenclaw spiraling was highly illogical, however, but he kept such opinions to himself for now since the entire point of the discussion was just to share views.

And it was not as though she were quoting science fiction as fact.

Turn into monsters after drinking water on Mars indeed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VRSCIKA

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"I don't think I would believe it to be right to deform and subdue another planet to our whims. There is nothing wrong with the one we have, other than we need to try and fix what past generations have blindly broken. Mars is what it is, why does it need changed to suit us? We do not need to allow our population to expand so far that we must change other worlds simply to support our species. There is potentially so much to study, why should we destroy that by attempting to change it rather than understand it?" The sixteen year old supposed she felt that way about more than just 'terraforming' another planet but, it was certainly how she felt.

Seemed to be the majority of students were in line with this train of thought. While Airey was never really one to base decisions purely on a moral compass, however. Although there were parts of her argument that tug on his own scientific curiosity.

"Thank you, Miss Valke," he nodded before moving on to the next raised hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

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"I have to say, we should NOT waste valuable time, energy, and resources in ruining another planet. Terraforming is a highly unethical process, particularly since so much of the universe is still unknown to us." They had all just used the unknown to answer Airey's first question in class, after all. "I think that time and energy and galleons should be used to save this planet, or to find a healthier way for humankind to survive." What about living IN SPACE? LITERALLY? IN SPACE? WITH SNAILS AND SPACE HELMETS?

Davie tapped his chin, a new gesture he'd started to make him appear wise beyond his twelve years. "Can I ask how wizards factor into one's plans for or against terraforming, sir? Will we be using magic to transform the surface of the classroom the way you made it look like Mars up in here?" Oops, spoilers, sweetie???

And there was the more Ravenclaw answer he had been expecting more to jump on. The practical implications of allotting resources to the cause. Although ethics still came into the picture, as they always did and often times should.

His question, however, caused the astronomer's brows wiggle just a tad. "There will be no alterations done to any classrooms," he winked. "But you will have a better answer in regards to wizarding involvement - specifically those that you all will implement on our joint field trip - in some later Herbology lessons this term."

So, until then, sit back and enjoy the ride, Mr. David.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ameh

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"Doing experiments and stuff in a little tiny part of Mars might be okay..." a little plant plot, you know? "But turrfur-" waaaaaait for it, he'd get there "-er, terr-a-forming Mars might hurt it... we don't know how all its stuff works, right? If we change stuff for humans, it might throw off the um... the system thingy. It's not like Earth, and we know how Earth works but we still messed it all up."

Poor Earth.

The professor nodded at Mr. Song, thanking him silently for his thoughts. Although he did noticeably cringe at the word....thingy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

"Sure why not? As long as there aren't aliens living there, why not?" But Kitty had another question for Professor Flamsteed. "Is it possible to terra form Mars? I mean, is that something the Ministry of Magic is thinking about doing?" Also, did the Ministry of Magic ever send spaceships out into outer space? Kitty knew the Muggles did it, but she didn't know about the wizarding world.

"It is not a possibility right now given the current limitations on technology and scientific advancement. The Ministry of Magic itself does not have its own civilian space program nor does it have a department specifically set up to study aeronautics and aerospace research in the same manner in which muggles do, so the Ministry's involvement in the research being done on potentially terraforming Mars is very limited at this stage and not even on its agenda. Until muggles make their final decision, that is. You are welcome to write the current Minister with personal inquiries if you'd like, however."

As Astronomer Royal, however, he had a bit more involvement but only because he was playing both the magical and the mundane field in his line of work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

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So she was willing to play along. Dot raised her hand. "What gives us the right to colonize at all? If we can't take care of our own planet, why should we be allowed to go plowing through the galaxy mucking up other planets? Mars isn't broken. It's probably lovely and perfect as it is. All of time and space conspired to make it that dusty, cold, whirlwindy red dot in our sky. I don't think it's very fair of us to think we're better than all of time and space. We can't even compost properly most of the time."

"Quite the spirited response," he nodded at the prefect. Again, it seemed to be the majority of the class, however slim, agreed with this notion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeheeheeny

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He was overwhelmed. There was so much cool science, so many cool discussions going on, and he just... wanted to metaphorically give it all a hug. He loved this. All of this.

No hugging. Please. Metaphorically or not.

Airey's blue gaze fell on the first year, an approving nod heading Mr. Kettleburn's direction for his attentive listening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

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"I think potatoes can grow on Mars…" he added to what Tory said."So at least we can always have french fries and hash browns." he beamned. "But yeah something about Martian water is funky, other than the fact that its hard to find. But yeah like what Mel said-- how do we know if our magic can work there? Moving stuff around is easy with magic, but have you seen Muggles trying to move a couch? Its hilarious! But what if we're just like that on Mars? We'd be just like the Muggles-- worse even, since we're not used to doing things without magic."

"Research has been done by NASA and the Peru-based International Potato Centre on cultivating potatoes in Mars-like conditions here on Earth and these attempts have lead to some successful results. No human feces were used, however." Just to clear up THAT notion that perhaps some students were latching on to with their 'documentaries'.

And no. No zombie creating water. He was going to simply bypass that part of the Gryffindor's answer...even if the zombie notion had not actually been implied.

--------------------

Checking his sundial watch, Airey figured it was time to move along. "As you can see, the decision as to whether or not we should terraform Mars - or any other celestial body for that matter - is one of diverse opinions. Humanity, as a whole, has been imagining how to create a new Earth as long as we’ve known that ours was dying. The primary debate at present, and one that several of you touched upon in your reflections, is whether or not humanity uses its resources to terraform another planet or to use those resources to fix our own planet. Just some more food for thought as we put this discussion aside for now and move on to something a bit more lively."

And speaking of food - or rather a reminder of a certain food fight from the previous night - it was time to put a bit more fun back into the evening and take a short break from all the scientific talk. The astronomer, while riveting by the topic at hand, could tell that minds were wilting and not quite fully back in an academic setting. His own thoughts quite distracted as well.

“Seeing as this is your first evening of classes here at Hogwarts,” he continued, giving his wand a bit of a flick to move his desk and the blackboard out of the way. “...and perhaps still need to burn off all of that nervous energy lingering from yesterday, I have opted to bypass the more technical aspects of terraforming in favor of capitalizing on experiencing what it's like to move around in one third of Earth's gravity felt on Mars with a little game we shall call....Space Globials."

Was that actually a word? Of course not. But there was no turning back now.

With another wave of his wand, the astronomer revealed five platforms floating above their heads that had previously been disillusioned. Thankfully, Miss Kettleburn had not accidentally hit any of them during her premature departure from her seat. In the center was a large platform holding an impressive ball pyramid made from bludger sized balls in white. In each corner of the room were smaller platforms in each house's color bearing its mascot.

"In this game, you will work as a team with your house to collect as many of balls as you can and keep them on your house's designated platform. To do this all you need to do is jump up and grab one from the center and then jump up to place it on your house's platform. The balls have been charmed to change color accordingly as well as stack themselves into a pyramid shape. You may steal balls from other houses as well by passing it to a teammate. But be warned, other houses - including the very one you are stealing from - may intercept your efforts and add to their own collection. When time is called, the house with the most balls in their platform wins."

Get it? Got it? GOOD!

"Now, push your desks off to the side and take your positions," he instructed, giving everyone a few moments to proceed. "Ready? Set. ENGAGE!"

OOC instructions:
there is large pyramid of white bludger sized balls in the middle of the classroom resting on a platform.

the number of balls is set and I will post informing you all when there are no longer any balls on the central platform.

one third gravity means that your character has the potential to jump up to 9 feet in the air depending on how much gusto they put into it.

the object is to, initially, leap up to grab one of the bludger sized balls from the platform and bring it back to your house’s platform.

balls will turn your house’s color while on your platform

you CAN steal balls from other house’s platform to bring back to your own and may begin stealing before the number of balls in the middle has reached 0
Stealing requires 1 post taking a ball from another house’s pile and 1 post passing it to a housemate (total of 2 posts minimum; no double posts)

Stealing attempts may be interrupted by members of the house under attack. However, the outcome of said blocking attempt may not be RP’d by the defending house. Be realistic with your RPing and remember that no one is invincible.

If a housemate catches the pass, the ball is that house’s to keep and add to their platform.

Passes may be intercepted. If a pass is intercepted by another house, the ball is that house’s to keep.

Please quote and title your posts appropriately. This helps me keep track of how many balls are where as well as helps your fellow RPers figure out what all is going on and where/how to get involved.
Taking from the middle (there is no blocking/stealing/passing necessary here!)

Stealing Attempt! (ex. Stealing Attempt from [Hogwarts House name])

Pass Attempt! the second post required when stealing from another house (ex. Stealing Attempt from [Hogwarts House name]! Pass Attempt!)

Defending Attempt! (quote the person you are defending against)

Pass Interception! (quote the person you are intercepting a pass from)

Catch! (quote the person you are catching a pass from)

Please also note that given the high pace energy of RP activities there is always the chance of someone posting the same actions as you intended before you (especially with interceptions). Make sure you preview before you post!

This activity will be open for at least 48 hours from the time of this post to give everyone plenty of time to participate

Minimum of 5 posts to get full credit. Extra credit possible for outstanding RPing.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

Please feel free to VM or PM me with any questions or ask them IC to Professor Flamsteed.

01-14-2016, 06:39 AM	#148 (permalink)
sweetpinkpixie Wizarding World RPG Admin Gladrags Mod Minister for Magic Alley Proprietor Leprechaun Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Paths Posts: 40,850 Hogwarts RPG Name: Professor Cox Ravenclaw Graduated Hogwarts RPG Name: Briallen Ashburry-Hawthorne Gryffindor Third Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Nyle Harden Hufflepuff Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Iris Harden Ravenclaw Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Calliope Barrington Slytherin Third Year Ministry Department Head: Charles Hollingberry Minister's Office Ministry Department Head: Airey Flamsteed Mysteries Diagon Alley Proprietor: Zachaël Lufkin Owl Post x12 x12	astronomizzle ♧ gryffinDORK \| & the rest is drag ♣ #badluckDerf Quote: Originally Posted by Roselyn ... "We should totally do it!" he said after eagerly thrusting his hand into the air. "My gram says there are too many people on earth, so we should totally go live on Mars. Leg room and all that. Personal space boundaries." Space boundaries. Getit? "Unless, Mars has already been claimed by... someone else..." Or something else. Aliens existed. Totally. "So, you would argue that 'more leg room' is reason enough?" Airey questioned the boy, his tone uncomfortably neutral. Quote: Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy ... "I think it's at least worth testing out. If we're able to fully live there without any major faults from the land then it should at least be given a chance" she answered, hand raised into the air. Surely many many things would have to be tested a number of times and it would likely be a very long time before this could ever happen but why shouldn't it? "Given a chance," he nodded slowly. Seemed the Slytherin agreed with feeding humanity's curiosity. Intriguing. Quote: Originally Posted by Meizzner ... "It sounds cool but like you said we would be dead by the time anything is achieved. But why not. If scientists can make Mars habitable to humans then why not at least try" He would not be alive to see the results. As did Mr. Barrington, it seemed. Airey merely nodded his head towards the Slytherin and moved on to the next hand in silence. Quote: Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE ... "Didn't some Astronaut grow plants on Mars though?" Yeah, wasn't there like an old documentary about it...or a movie based on a true story about a book that it came from? "Seeing as we have yet to land on Mars, no astronaut has grown anything on the planet itself," he corrected the first year. "However, plants have been successfully grown, harvested, and consumed in space for quiet some time now. The first officially consumed plants, however, were not until August 2015 as all previous specimens were sent back to Earth for examination. Red romaine lettuce, for the record." Something to think about when they sat down to their next meal and saw the very same lettuce on their plates. He would see to it that the house elves included it. Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 ... "I think we should continue trying to make it habitable for humans,'' she offered, her right hand in the air. "Even if we may not be able to experience living there, future generations most certainly could.'' Her brown eyes fixed on the Gryffindor boy (~~was he an unruly one as well?~~ Torrance) with interest. Plants on Mars? Wow. She looked to Flamsteed for confirmation or denial on this subject. "That is certainly one argument," he nodded to the first year. "Future generations." Quote: Originally Posted by Callie ... Shrugging off the first of her blankets -but not the second just yet- Haddie piped up. "But what about the lack of a strong magnetic field to protect the planet and keep an atmosphere? Isn't Mars' core, like, solid and no longer producing a field strong enough to protect it from the sun's radiation, and that's why its atmosphere burned away so long ago?" How did terraforming fix that? ... "Precisely," he nodded, with some dramatic pointing...naturally. "That is one of the daunting problems as we as a race do not know how to do that yet. It is theorized that if we were able to liquefy Mars' core then that would then create a magnetosphere in the same manner the Earth's core does by all those liquid metals sloshing around as the planet rotates. So, if you or anyone else has any suggestions for that...be sure to let NASA know. Excellent inquiry, Miss Denaker. Take 3 points." Quote: Originally Posted by Anna Banana ... "But we still haven't figured out if there really is life on other planets or not. What if there really is? And what if the ones who live there need a certain temperature to survive?" she pointed out. "We could be wiping out this whole different civilization that we don't even know about." ... "You have touched on a topic that many against any sort of terraforming movement stand upon," he nodded to the first year. "And life on the red planet is still something we are seeking confirmation of." Quote: Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom ... She raised her hand. "I don't like it, Professor. It's not ours to take - we should focus on taking care of our own planet here before we think about trying to take over another. We can't just go around messing up the ecosystem in any planet we feel like!" she told him. If they were going to have too many people for this Earth to take care of, well, they should make a space station or something. Not just glob onto the next hospitable thing. That was....an incredibly Hufflepuff answer. Which really should not have FOUND surprising considering that it WAS coming from a Hufflepuff. And yet he chuckled. And moved on. Quote: Originally Posted by RandomRaven ... But she didn't think it was a good idea. Wasn't that Earth such a perfect place for human? "I dunno, Professor. Part of me said that it's gonna be cool if we could move to Mars. But my twin brother said that the Earth is a perfect place since it's not too far or too close to the sun." Because, if they lived too close to the sun, they're gonna die of melting or burning. But if they lived too far, they're gonna die of hypothermia. ... "Valid points to consider, Miss Burton," he nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her stance on the matter. Quote: Originally Posted by Optimist ... “The one thing I’m really curious about is that we know our magical abilities work on earth – would they work on a newly teraformed planet? Is at all possibly that our abilities are directly related to the magnetosphere here on earth and the liquid metal core?” She asked as she had just looked up the words in her textbook. “If it does work I’d say it could be an interesting experiment but I would say developing Mars and colonizing it we should at least try and do so in as much of an energy conscious way as possible…we don’t want to rip a hole in their ozone layer do we?” She asked cautiously. The professor was very impressed with the first year's intuition and his brows lifted to form surprised wrinkles across his forehead. "Very impressive, Miss Johanson," he applauded. "Your questions are among those that are still in the theorizing stages of magical astronomers, but there is reason to believe that there is a connection. We already know certain astrological conditions can influence the gathering of ingredients, the brewing of potions or the performance of some magical spells...but we are still trying to piece together why exactly that is and there are many who believe that the magnetosphere to be a key piece of that puzzle. Stellar insight, take 3 points." Quote: Originally Posted by littledhampir Even thought Flamsteed did not take Olly up on his offer to light a fire, he was pleased that the man did raise the temperature of the room. Olly was able to un-burrito himself from his blanket and set it on the top of his desk in front of him. "Professor, can I keep this blanket?" Or...all of them? They seemed like they would be good blankets to make a fort out of. As for the information, Olly tried his best to pay attention. He did not, in fact, open his book. Because what was the point of reading some information if Flamsteed was just going to talk about it? As for the question, he had to think about it for a bit before answering. "Personally, I don't really want to go to Mars. But if other people want to, uh, terrerform it, I guess they should be able to as long as they do it in a way that is not harmful to the planetary environment." Like Global warming. Given the chance, they should not go and destroy every planet in the solar system. "Certainly," he nodded to the young man. Consider them a gift for putting up with the man antics. The Slytherin's answer, however, elicited an amused chuckle. Quote: Originally Posted by WeasleyGirl ... "It would be awesome to live somewhere else that isn't the earth but I don't know, it's kind of hard to picture another "earth". It would take years to have everything we have here, in Mars" made sense, right? Yes. "It would indeed," he concurred with the prefect. "But is time enough of a reason to say no?" He was neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply trying to make the young man think more deeply into his opinions. Quote: Originally Posted by Squishy ... "I think it's worth a shot. I mean if we can help another planet to support life why not go for it! With all the crap humanity is doing to the Earth we would have somewhere else to go and a fresh start. If we don't get our act together and fix our planet, that is." Just saying. Fixing Earth was the most important thing. Hopefully no one would mess it up. Help. Second chances. Fresh start. Another endearingly Hufflepuff answer. "Interesting, Miss Darcy," he nodded. Quote: Originally Posted by Yourenodaisy ... "Oh, OH!" She said excitedly and waived her hand in the air, which caused her to move a bit in her seat, thanks to gravity. "Professor, I think its a bad idea." She nodded emphatically. "At least for Mars. I saw this really old video, documentary thing that had to be from when you said they went to Mars, and almost all the people died. The water was poison, well not poison, but it turned the people into these space monsters. It was really bad, just touching the water caused people to be monsters. And like Torrance said, they grew plants, but eating the plants caused it too." She continued to nod. Yep, she knew what she was talking about. It paid off to have a sister who liked space things. This class was going to be easy. Documentary? Sweet solstice not another Gryffindor going down this path. "There is no real scientific evidence of the Waters of Mars doing any such thing," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do not confuse science fiction for fact, even if time traveling Doctors are a fascinating notion." Quote: Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 ... "I think that studying Mars is a good thing. It is important to learn all that we can about the planet. Maybe that knowledge can help us deal with things here on Earth. But........I'm not so sure that terraforming is the way to go. Who's to say that we have the right to change the way things are on a planet that is not our own? And do we really need to live there? Studying, yes. Terraforming and colonizing? I don't think so." Airey nodded his head appreciatively to the Ravenclaw for sharing her opinion, but that was all. The moral dilemma of terraforming was certainly one of the favored arguments out there. Quote: Originally Posted by Hera ... "I think it's best if humans look and don't touch. We've ruined the Earth in many ways, so we shouldn't have the right to do the same to another planet. We should leave things as they are, in their natural state." Like forests. Wild, natural forests. Weren't they glorious? The ones without paths or rows of neatly planted trees. Mmm. He thought so. As was this argument. "Many will agree with your thoughts, Mr. Zeke," he nodded. Quote: Originally Posted by itsgisselx3 ... Raising his hand, Ollie said, *"Why can't we just stay on Earth? I know it's dying and all, but that doesn't mean we should go off and kill another* planet. That's stupid."** What were they gonna do? Move down the line of planets and end up on Pluto and actually consider it a planet again? Because Ollie highly doubted Pluto would gladly let them live on it. Plus it was small and cold. *"I think we all need to figure out how to fix Earth and the atmosphere and stuff and maybe* once we do that, we can consider moving to Mars....if it's necessary." But, like, it wouldn't be because they'd have Earth, so...yeah. "And many will agree with your sentiments as well," he nodded. Whether or not the man was included in that was still a mystery as he remained quite stoic. Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir Gaze flickering back to Airey Flamsteed, Daxton narrowed his eyes in what might have been an unmistakable glare to anyone who knew him well enough - admittedly, that list was very short. ... Short as the list may be, Airey caught it. Although he had no reaction. At least not one that the Ravenclaw would notice. The man was quite pleased with himself, however. Quote: Originally Posted by PhoenixRising ... Tia raised her hand, after hearing much of the class wishing to colonize Mars, "I don't think we should be colonizing Mars, because while it is fascinating to learn about the climates of other planets, if we were meant to be elsewhere besides Earth, then don't you think we'd already be there? Humans, whether magical or mundane, require certain things in order to be sustained and if Mars doesn't provide those basic necessities, then we shouldn't be messing with Mother Nature's intentions and changing the atmospheric pressures and levels because it changes not just the pressures of that area, but surrounding areas, potentially making Earth inhabitable." The professor merely bowed his head as the Head Girl spoke. Her Ravenclaw spiraling was highly illogical, however, but he kept such opinions to himself for now since the entire point of the discussion was just to share views. And it was not as though she were quoting science fiction as fact. Turn into monsters after drinking water on Mars indeed. Quote: Originally Posted by VRSCIKA ... "I don't think I would believe it to be right to deform and subdue another planet to our whims. There is nothing wrong with the one we have, other than we need to try and fix what past generations have blindly broken. Mars is what it is, why does it need changed to suit us? We do not need to allow our population to expand so far that we must change other worlds simply to support our species. There is potentially so much to study, why should we destroy that by attempting to change it rather than understand it?" The sixteen year old supposed she felt that way about more than just 'terraforming' another planet but, it was certainly how she felt. Seemed to be the majority of students were in line with this train of thought. While Airey was never really one to base decisions purely on a moral compass, however. Although there were parts of her argument that tug on his own scientific curiosity. "Thank you, Miss Valke," he nodded before moving on to the next raised hand. Quote: Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl** ... "I have to say, we should NOT waste valuable time, energy, and resources in ruining another planet. Terraforming is a highly unethical process, particularly since so much of the universe is still unknown to us." They had all just used the unknown to answer Airey's first question in class, after all. "I think that time and energy and galleons should be used to save this planet, or to find a healthier way for humankind to survive." What about living IN SPACE? LITERALLY? IN SPACE? WITH SNAILS AND SPACE HELMETS? Davie tapped his chin, a new gesture he'd started to make him appear wise beyond his twelve years. "Can I ask how wizards factor into one's plans for or against terraforming, sir? Will we be using magic to transform the surface of the classroom the way you made it look like Mars up in here?" Oops, spoilers, sweetie??? And there was the more Ravenclaw answer he had been expecting more to jump on. The practical implications of allotting resources to the cause. Although ethics still came into the picture, as they always did and often times should. His question, however, caused the astronomer's brows wiggle just a tad. "There will be no alterations done to any classrooms," he winked. "But you will have a better answer in regards to wizarding involvement - specifically those that you all will implement on our joint field trip - in some later Herbology lessons this term." So, until then, sit back and enjoy the ride, Mr. David. Quote: Originally Posted by Ameh ... "Doing experiments and stuff in a little tiny part of Mars might be okay..." a little plant plot, you know? "But turrfur-" waaaaaait for it, he'd get there "-er, terr-a-forming Mars might hurt it... we don't know how all its stuff works, right? If we change stuff for humans, it might throw off the um... the system thingy. It's not like Earth, and we know how Earth works but we still messed it all up." Poor Earth. The professor nodded at Mr. Song, thanking him silently for his thoughts. Although he did noticeably cringe at the word....thingy. Quote: Originally Posted by Goblinfrog "Sure why not? As long as there aren't aliens living there, why not?" But Kitty had another question for Professor Flamsteed. "Is it possible to terra form Mars? I mean, is that something the Ministry of Magic is thinking about doing?" Also, did the Ministry of Magic ever send spaceships out into outer space? Kitty knew the Muggles did it, but she didn't know about the wizarding world. "It is not a possibility right now given the current limitations on technology and scientific advancement. The Ministry of Magic itself does not have its own civilian space program nor does it have a department specifically set up to study aeronautics and aerospace research in the same manner in which muggles do, so the Ministry's involvement in the research being done on potentially terraforming Mars is very limited at this stage and not even on its agenda. Until muggles make their final decision, that is. You are welcome to write the current Minister with personal inquiries if you'd like, however." As Astronomer Royal, however, he had a bit more involvement but only because he was playing both the magical and the mundane field in his line of work. Quote: Originally Posted by Cassirin ... So she was willing to play along. Dot raised her hand. "What gives us the right to colonize at all? If we can't take care of our own planet, why should we be allowed to go plowing through the galaxy mucking up other planets? Mars isn't broken. It's probably lovely and perfect as it is. All of time and space conspired to make it that dusty, cold, whirlwindy red dot in our sky. I don't think it's very fair of us to think we're better than all of time and space. We can't even compost properly most of the time." "Quite the spirited response," he nodded at the prefect. Again, it seemed to be the majority of the class, however slim, agreed with this notion. Quote: Originally Posted by feeheeheeny ... He was overwhelmed. There was so much cool science, so many cool discussions going on, and he just... wanted to metaphorically give it all a hug. He loved this. All of this. No hugging. Please. Metaphorically or not. Airey's blue gaze fell on the first year, an approving nod heading Mr. Kettleburn's direction for his attentive listening. Quote: Originally Posted by Steelsheen ... "I think potatoes can grow on Mars…" he added to what Tory said."So at least we can always have french fries and hash browns." he beamned. "But yeah something about Martian water is funky, other than the fact that its hard to find. But yeah like what Mel said-- how do we know if our magic can work there? Moving stuff around is easy with magic, but have you seen Muggles trying to move a couch? Its hilarious! But what if we're just like that on Mars? We'd be just like the Muggles-- worse even, since we're not used to doing things without magic." "Research has been done by NASA and the Peru-based International Potato Centre on cultivating potatoes in Mars-like conditions here on Earth and these attempts have lead to some successful results. No human feces were used, however." Just to clear up THAT notion that perhaps some students were latching on to with their 'documentaries'. And no. No zombie creating water. He was going to simply bypass that part of the Gryffindor's answer...even if the zombie notion had not actually been implied. -------------------- Checking his sundial watch, Airey figured it was time to move along. "As you can see, the decision as to whether or not we should terraform Mars - or any other celestial body for that matter - is one of diverse opinions. Humanity, as a whole, has been imagining how to create a new Earth as long as we’ve known that ours was dying. The primary debate at present, and one that several of you touched upon in your reflections, is whether or not humanity uses its resources to terraform another planet or to use those resources to fix our own planet. Just some more food for thought as we put this discussion aside for now and move on to something a bit more lively." And speaking of food - or rather a reminder of a certain food fight from the previous night - it was time to put a bit more fun back into the evening and take a short break from all the scientific talk. The astronomer, while riveting by the topic at hand, could tell that minds were wilting and not quite fully back in an academic setting. His own thoughts quite distracted as well. “Seeing as this is your first evening of classes here at Hogwarts,” he continued, giving his wand a bit of a flick to move his desk and the blackboard out of the way. “...and perhaps still need to burn off all of that nervous energy lingering from yesterday, I have opted to bypass the more technical aspects of terraforming in favor of capitalizing on experiencing what it's like to move around in one third of Earth's gravity felt on Mars with a little game we shall call....Space Globials." Was that actually a word? Of course not. But there was no turning back now. With another wave of his wand, the astronomer revealed five platforms floating above their heads that had previously been disillusioned. Thankfully, Miss Kettleburn had not accidentally hit any of them during her premature departure from her seat. In the center was a large platform holding an impressive ball pyramid made from bludger sized balls in white. In each corner of the room were smaller platforms in each house's color bearing its mascot. "In this game, you will work as a team with your house to collect as many of balls as you can and keep them on your house's designated platform. To do this all you need to do is jump up and grab one from the center and then jump up to place it on your house's platform. The balls have been charmed to change color accordingly as well as stack themselves into a pyramid shape. You may steal balls from other houses as well by passing it to a teammate. But be warned, other houses - including the very one you are stealing from - may intercept your efforts and add to their own collection. When time is called, the house with the most balls in their platform wins." Get it? Got it? GOOD! "Now, push your desks off to the side and take your positions," he instructed, giving everyone a few moments to proceed. "Ready? Set. ENGAGE!" OOC instructions: there is large pyramid of white bludger sized balls in the middle of the classroom resting on a platform. the number of balls is set and I will post informing you all when there are no longer any balls on the central platform. one third gravity means that your character has the potential to jump up to 9 feet in the air depending on how much gusto they put into it. the object is to, initially, leap up to grab one of the bludger sized balls from the platform and bring it back to your house’s platform. balls will turn your house’s color while on your platform you CAN steal balls from other house’s platform to bring back to your own and may begin stealing before the number of balls in the middle has reached 0 Stealing requires 1 post taking a ball from another house’s pile and 1 post passing it to a housemate (total of 2 posts minimum; no double posts) Stealing attempts may be interrupted by members of the house under attack. However, the outcome of said blocking attempt may not be RP’d by the defending house. Be realistic with your RPing and remember that no one is invincible. If a housemate catches the pass, the ball is that house’s to keep and add to their platform. Passes may be intercepted. If a pass is intercepted by another house, the ball is that house’s to keep. Please quote and title your posts appropriately. This helps me keep track of how many balls are where as well as helps your fellow RPers figure out what all is going on and where/how to get involved. Taking from the middle (there is no blocking/stealing/passing necessary here!) Stealing Attempt! (ex. Stealing Attempt from [Hogwarts House name]) Pass Attempt! the second post required when stealing from another house (ex. Stealing Attempt from [Hogwarts House name]! Pass Attempt!) Defending Attempt! (quote the person you are defending against) Pass Interception! (quote the person you are intercepting a pass from) Catch! (quote the person you are catching a pass from) Please also note that given the high pace energy of RP activities there is always the chance of someone posting the same actions as you intended before you (especially with interceptions). Make sure you preview before you post! This activity will be open for at least 48 hours from the time of this post to give everyone plenty of time to participate Minimum of 5 posts to get full credit. Extra credit possible for outstanding RPing. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! Please feel free to VM or PM me with any questions or ask them IC to Professor Flamsteed. __________________ We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back......................................... But now we're seeing all the beauty in the broken glass..................................... The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like Last edited by sweetpinkpixie; 01-14-2016 at 09:28 PM.