Writing Assignment 2

Topic
Write a concise summary of one of the following Great Observatories:

Compton Gamma Ray Telescope
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope

NOTE: The Hubble Space Telescope is not an option for this writing assignment.

Your summary should cover the mission as a whole, describing what scientists had hoped to learn from the observatory before it flew, the reasons for using a spacecraft as opposed to a ground-based telecope, the types of science that can be learned from the observatory's region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the instruments on the observatory, the major scientific findings (results), and any interesting or important events that have occurred during the mission.

Length
Your paper should be 3-5 pages (plus the bibliography), typed using a 12 or 14 point font, with reasonable margins (3/4 to 1 inch), and 1.5 line spacing. Double-sided printing is strongly encouraged but not required.

References
References must be cited in-text (e.g., [Tariq (2007), p.72]) and complete in a bibliography. Be sure to give your sources credit for facts and ideas, not just for direct quotes. All websites used must be referenced, including the name of the person who wrote the content you have cited from the site (i.e., the author, who is not necessarily the person who maintains the site), the date the site was updated, and the date that you accessed the site. Appropriate reference styles can be seen here. Note that we additionally require the date that a website was updated.

Important: You must use at least two non-website resources when researching your paper. The best sources are often newspapers, magazines, and professional journals (e.g., Aviation Week & Space Technology). See Shoshe during her office hours if you have questions about how to look up information in hardcopy or microfiche periodicals.

Wikipedia is not an acceptable source of information for writing assignments in this class!

Grading
Keep the grader's comments on your first essay, as well as the feedback and punctuation sheets, in mind when writing this paper. Stick to official and reputable sources when doing your research. If you have any questions about sources or your topic, come see the TA during her office hours.
The grading criteria for this assignment, in order of priority, will be:

• How clearly and concisely you summarize the objectives and instruments of the observatory
• How clearly and concisely you summarize the major scientific findings (results) of the observatory
• How effectively you use materials other than just what was presented in class and provided as readings on the course web site
• How well you get the technical level of your paper right. It should be neither more nor less technical than, say, a Scientific American article. Don't oversimplify, don't get too technical, and don't use technical terms you don't understand well enough to explain them clearly.
• The quality of your writing (including proper use of grammar, punctuation, etc.)