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'''<h4>Hello Students, read the below article then on your own webpage on www.goodtoknow.com, write a short constructed response using "R-A-C-E-A-C-E" as instructed in class.</h4>'''
 
'''<h4>Hello Students, read the below article then on your own webpage on www.goodtoknow.com, write a short constructed response using "R-A-C-E-A-C-E" as instructed in class.</h4>'''
 
      
 
      
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       '''What are the two opposing view in the article?'''
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       '''If a person want to become an astronaut, what are the requirements?'''
 
       '''Use two details from the passage to support your response.'''
 
       '''Use two details from the passage to support your response.'''
  
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'''<h4>De Blasio says NYC school buildings will close for the rest of the year, but Cuomo says not so fast</h4>'''
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'''<h4>Thousands Apply to Become NASA Astronauts</h4>'''
  
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<br><br>New York City school buildings will not reopen this academic year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday, a decision that would add the nation’s largest school system to the long list of districts where in-person instruction has been canceled to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
 
  
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<br><br>Hours later, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the mayor had been premature in saying the city’s more than 1 million public school students would continue to learn remotely at least through June 26, the scheduled end of the school year. Such a move needs to be coordinated across the metro area and possibly even with New Jersey and Connecticut, according to the governor, who has a longstanding public feud with the mayor.  
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<br><br>In early March, the US space agency NASA  asked people who wanted to become astronauts to apply. Over 12,000 people applied, showing that interest is still very strong in the US space program.
  
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<br><br>It’s likely the mayor’s decision will ultimately stick, as public health officials and the governor himself have warned against rushing back to normal before it is safe to do so. If school buildings stay closed, about a third of the 2019-20 academic year will have been spent at home, an unprecedented undertaking that could have long-term consequences on the academic achievement and social-emotional well being of children.
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<br><br>As children, many people dream of becoming an astronaut. But the number of people who actually make it into space is quite small. Since the 1960s, only 350 men and women have been chosen for NASA’s astronaut training. Currently, NASA has 48 astronauts.
  
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<br><br>“Keeping the New York City public schools closed is a way to contribute to finally beating back the coronavirus,” de Blasio said. “Lord knows, having to tell you that we cannot bring our schools back for the remainder of this school year is painful. But I can also tell you, it’s the right thing to do.”
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<br><br>Between March 2 and March 31, 12,000 people applied to become NASA astronauts. That’s almost a record. In 2017, over 18,000 people applied. But this time NASA is requiring higher levels of education. They also gave people half as much time to apply.
  
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<br><br>While the city aims to open schools in September, de Blasio acknowledged that the timeline was “very initial and preliminary” and depends on the course of the pandemic. The education department is working on various contingencies, the mayor added.
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<br><br>Now comes the difficult part – choosing the right 12 people. Yes, you read that right. NASA will be choosing just 12 people out of the 12,000 who applied.
  
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<br><br>“Next school year will have to be the greatest academic school year New York City will ever have because everyone is going to be playing catch up,” de Blasio said. “We’re going to have to find a way to make up lost ground.”
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<br><br>So what does it take to become an astronaut? NASA now requires a master’s degree (a higher level college degree) in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math). You also need to have experience flying jet airplanes, though other work experience is also accepted.
  
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<br><br>The city hoped the announcement would give clarity and help schools and families plan for the next several months. But the effort seemed to backfire when, hours later, Cuomo referred to the closure as de Blasio’s “opinion.” Under an executive order, Cuomo has closed schools across New York until April 29, and up until that time, districts do not have to meet the legal requirement to provide 180 days of instruction. Schools that want to be closed beyond that must get special permission from the state, according to his executive order.  
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<br><br>The people who are chosen (called “Astronaut Candidates”) will also need to have near-perfect eyesight and be in good physical shape. They must be good at working with other people – able to lead, and able to work as part of a team.
  
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<br><br>“There has been no decision. That’s the mayor’s opinion. I value it,” Cuomo said. “But the decision will be coordinated.”
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<br><br>NASA will take over a year to choose the 12 Astronaut Candidates. First, they will decide which people who applied are highly qualified. Then they will hold a series of three interviews with the candidates. During the interviews, the candidates will also take part in activities, to see how they perform.
  
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<br><br>New York City has emerged as a disease hotspot, with roughly 94,410 COVID-19 cases, and nearly 6,400 succumbing to the illness, as of Saturday afternoon. The governor has said New York needs a massive testing system in place before going back to normal, and that system is only getting underway now.
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<br><br>In June of 2021, NASA will finally announce the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2021.
  
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<br><br>Meanwhile, the city is working on a “comprehensive” plan for the remainder of this school year, including a “full plan” for the 75,000 high school seniors expected to graduate this year, a parent helpline through 311, and “creative” new online programming.
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<br><br>The 12 Astronaut Candidates will then be put through a two-year training program. They will learn spacewalk skills, robotics skills, and how systems of the International Space Station (ISS) work. They’ll also learn to speak Russian to make it easier to work with astronauts from Russia on the ISS.
  
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<br><br>De Blasio acknowledged the trauma the school closures have inflicted on students, many of whom are losing relatives and members of their school communities.
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<br><br>Not everyone who is accepted into the program is certain to become an astronaut. There are many challenging parts to the astronaut training, and the candidates must successfully complete them all.
  
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<br><br>“Look at what they’ve had to witness and experience, and think about those kids who are grieving right now,” he said, adding that the city will focus on mental health for families and educators.
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<br><br>The new class of astronauts will be the second under NASA’s new space program, Artemis. The goal of the Artemis program is to put people back on the moon by 2024. NASA hopes to use what it learns during the moon exploration to help with its larger goal of sending people to Mars by 2030.
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<br><br>The transition to remote learning continues to be a massive challenge for families and educators. While many students with computer access and internet connections have been logging on for virtual classes since March 23, tens of thousands still lack the resources to get online, despite the city’s best efforts to get devices into the hands of those in need. Others are working with printed packets that schools have mailed home.
 
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<br><br>De Blasio said 66,000 devices have been distributed to date, and that every child who needs one will have a device by the end of April. The city estimates it will provide another 240,000 devices to families.
 
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<br><br>City schools began taking attendance last week, and de Blasio has previously said that the numbers were discouraging. But the city has yet to publicly disclose the figures, making it difficult to gauge how many students may be left behind.
 
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<br><br>While the decision to keep buildings shuttered was “painful” to make, bringing students back a few weeks would not have made a significant difference in terms of academics, the mayor said, noting that several individual schools would likely need to be shuttered regardless because of coronavirus cases.
 
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<br><br>In-person graduation ceremonies are likely out of the question this year. Already, the state has eased up on testing typically required to earn a diploma.
 
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<br><br>“We do not want to see these seniors robbed of their future,” de Blasio said. “That’s going to be a primary objective. To all the seniors out there, we are going to help you. We are going to communicate with you and we are going to find out what you need.”
 
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<br><br>Though unsurprising and understandable, Saturday’s decision was a “really painful moment,” said Suzy Ort, an assistant principal at Park East High School in East Harlem.
 
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<br><br>“I feel so bad for the students and the families, particularly the seniors — the loss of graduation and the senior memories and last moments,” Ort said.
 
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<br><br>Her team is focused on finding ways to keep seniors engaged through the rest of the year, and hoping the education department will allow for a pass-fail grading system to take some pressure off, “because I think we’re dealing with an unprecedented situation that is all about trauma and people are really, really, really suffering.”
 
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<br><br>Looking forward, she’s concerned about the 130 incoming ninth graders they admitted for next school year, who won’t be able to participate in an in-person orientation or visit the school before the fall.
 

Revision as of 23:52, 14 April 2020

Hello Students, read the below article then on your own webpage on www.goodtoknow.com, write a short constructed response using "R-A-C-E-A-C-E" as instructed in class.

 
      If a person want to become an astronaut, what are the requirements?
      Use two details from the passage to support your response.

Thousands Apply to Become NASA Astronauts




In early March, the US space agency NASA asked people who wanted to become astronauts to apply. Over 12,000 people applied, showing that interest is still very strong in the US space program.



As children, many people dream of becoming an astronaut. But the number of people who actually make it into space is quite small. Since the 1960s, only 350 men and women have been chosen for NASA’s astronaut training. Currently, NASA has 48 astronauts.



Between March 2 and March 31, 12,000 people applied to become NASA astronauts. That’s almost a record. In 2017, over 18,000 people applied. But this time NASA is requiring higher levels of education. They also gave people half as much time to apply.



Now comes the difficult part – choosing the right 12 people. Yes, you read that right. NASA will be choosing just 12 people out of the 12,000 who applied.



So what does it take to become an astronaut? NASA now requires a master’s degree (a higher level college degree) in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math). You also need to have experience flying jet airplanes, though other work experience is also accepted.



The people who are chosen (called “Astronaut Candidates”) will also need to have near-perfect eyesight and be in good physical shape. They must be good at working with other people – able to lead, and able to work as part of a team.



NASA will take over a year to choose the 12 Astronaut Candidates. First, they will decide which people who applied are highly qualified. Then they will hold a series of three interviews with the candidates. During the interviews, the candidates will also take part in activities, to see how they perform.



In June of 2021, NASA will finally announce the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2021.



The 12 Astronaut Candidates will then be put through a two-year training program. They will learn spacewalk skills, robotics skills, and how systems of the International Space Station (ISS) work. They’ll also learn to speak Russian to make it easier to work with astronauts from Russia on the ISS.



Not everyone who is accepted into the program is certain to become an astronaut. There are many challenging parts to the astronaut training, and the candidates must successfully complete them all.



The new class of astronauts will be the second under NASA’s new space program, Artemis. The goal of the Artemis program is to put people back on the moon by 2024. NASA hopes to use what it learns during the moon exploration to help with its larger goal of sending people to Mars by 2030.