From “To Mars or Not?” by Ray Jayawardhana

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In the mid-1990s, NASA dedicated nearly half of its budget for planetary exploration to Mars alone. That is largely because Mars is a potential habitat for past—or future—life. Mars is also, in many ways, the next logical destination for human space travelers beyond our moon, which the Apollo astronauts visited between 1969 and 1972. Mars is only about half the size of Earth, with a very thin atmosphere dominated by toxic carbon dioxide gas, a frigid climate, and massive dust storms. Yet those conditions are preferable to the hellish temperatures, bone-crushing pressures, and acid rain on our other neighbor, Venus. This is why American and European space programs have turned their focus to Mars.

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In 2010, President Barack Obama announced a new direction for NASA, including a call to develop new rocket technologies to send humans beyond the moon. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow, and I expect to be around to see it,” he declared in a speech at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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This new national space policy replaced President George W. Bush’s 2004 plan, which would have included a return to the moon by the year 2020. Some critics, including Neil Armstrong, the first person to step on the moon, disagreed with the change in direction. President Obama responded, “I just have to say pretty bluntly—we’ve been there [to the moon] before…. There’s a lot more space to explore and a lot more to learn when we do.”

1. in creon’s first words to the chorus, what are the “storms” that threatened to destroy the ship of state?   polynices’ invation of the city with foreign armies was the “storms” eteocles and polynices decided to switch the crown every year, but after eteocles’ first year decided not to share it with polynices. polynices joined forces with foreign armies to invade the city and tried to take the crown from his brother, where he and eteocles killed each other   2. examine creon’s opening speech. what are his concerns? how does he feel about the city and its citizens? what are his motivations for banning the burial of polyneices? what would drive creon to place the concerns of the collective citizens over those of his family?   in creon’s opening speech, his concerns are to count on his citizens to rule. in addition, he wanted to give a clear message by not giving a proper burial to polyneices, if creon gave a proper burial to polyneices his people would think that he was an allied to the foreign forces that invaded the city and threatened the peace of his people.   creon placed the concerns of the collective citizens because he has no use for those who put individual concerns over the needs of his people 3. pay attention to creon’s speech at the beginning of the scene. what does creon think someone’s first loyalty should be and what comes second? do you think he is correct under some conditions? do you think he is wrong in some conditions? explain those conditions. creon thinks someone’s first loyalty should be with the concerns of the collective citizens and second comes our individual wants. i think he is correct because true loyalty takes place in the benefits of many not of a few.   4. what news is the sentry reluctant to deliver?   the sentry is reluctant to say that polyneices had a burial. 5. who does the chorus suggest might have done this?   the chorus suggests that the gods have done that 6. what is creon’s reaction and who does creon think is responsible? creon reacted abruptly and thinks it was a man who bribed his guard to bury polyneices

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