Lesson plan

Rocheworld

Rocheworld (first published in serial form in 1982; first book publication, under the title The Flight of the Dragonfly, 1984) is a science fiction novel by Robert Forward which depicts a realistic interstellar mission using a laser driven light sail propulsion system to send the spaceship and a crew of 20 on a one-way journey of 5.9 light-years (ca. 34 trillion miles; ca. 56 trillion km) to explore a contact binary planet that orbits Barnard's Star, which they call Rocheworld, and where they make many startling discoveries. It had four sequels, written in collaboration with Julie Forward Fuller and Margaret Dodson Forward, which detail the exploration of the other worlds in the Barnard System: Return to Rocheworld, Marooned on Eden, Ocean Under the Ice, and Rescued from Paradise.

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Article summary

Rocheworld (first published in serial form in 1982; first book publication, under the title The Flight of the Dragonfly, 1984) is a science fiction novel by Robert Forward which depicts a realistic interstellar mission using a laser driven light sail propulsion system to send the spaceship and a crew of 20 on a one-way journey of 5.9 light-years (ca. 34 trillion miles; ca. 56 trillion km) to explore a contact binary planet that orbits Barnard's Star, which they call Rocheworld, and where they make many startling discoveries. It had four sequels, written in collaboration with Julie Forward Fuller and Margaret Dodson Forward, which detail the exploration of the other worlds in the Barnard System: Return to Rocheworld, Marooned on Eden, Ocean Under the Ice, and Rescued from Paradise.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. publication date: 1985 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  4. publication date: 1993 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  5. release date: 1990 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the publication date is "1985". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. The record states that the publication date is "1993". What evidence would count against this claim?
  6. The record states that the release date is "1990". What evidence would count against this claim?
  7. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  8. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373600282

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.