Overview
What is happening with NASA and our space program? What is SpaceX? How are entrepreneurs revitalizing America’s space exploration and making space flight more affordable? In this segment, John Stossel looks at entrepreneurship and innovation in space travel.

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Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Government and Science / Technology
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings

What students will learn
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• list differences between government incentives and business incentives;
• compare NASA to private companies such as SpaceX;
• discuss how entrepreneurs are changing the future of space flight; and
• theorize about the future of space travel.

Key concepts and terms covered
Free Enterprise, Government Contract, and Commercial Space Flight.

Sample discussion questions
• Prior to the 2020 launch, how long had it been since a spacecraft with astronauts aboard was launched? Whose spacecraft was it?
• “Apollo was purpose-driven,” Robert Zubrin said. What does that mean? Why is this significant to NASA’s success with the Apollo missions?
• Had you seen a floppy disk before? Where? What types of data storage have come out since the introduction of floppy disks?
• Now that there are competitors such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, launch costs are falling. Why?
• If space travel and tourism become more commonplace and affordable, would you go? Why / Why not?

What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 9-page Teacher's Guide includes a lesson description, learning objectives, key vocabulary, a fill-in viewing guide with answer key, discussion and analysis questions, and classroom activities.

Standards alignment
Aligned to state standards — use the SITC Standards Tool to match this video to the standards in your state.