Overall+Analysis

Caroline: I found these three episodes very interesting and a rare combination of breadth and detail. Each episode covered a huge amount of material, but condensed down and with a focus on the essential concepts. Hawking’s real life examples were surprisingly easy to understand, made so by with help from the realistic CGI imaging, to illustrate his points, and his clear explanations. Another interesting aspect of this series was that Hawking introduced his own personal opinions in his explanations. I did not always agree with exactly what he said, mostly in the episode about alien life, but that personal aspect brings a deeper meaning to the ideas he presents. As Hawking is a physicist, all of his ideas adhere to the laws of physics that were developed, as he explains in one of his examples, on earth, by such brilliant minds as Isaac Newton. I know that these laws are “universal” but as I discussed in the analysis of the individual episodes, it’s very difficult to believe that these laws, developed using what we understand about conditions on earth and our relatively limited knowledge of our cosmic surroundings, can truly be applied to the entire vast universe. How can we really say that water essential to all life or that nothing can ever go faster than the speed of light? I have great respect for Stephen Hawking as he knows more about the universe than I could even imagine, but I can’t help but wonder about some of the assertions of the series. However, as a whole I learned a lot more about these topics than I did before, due to the depth in which the topics were explored. I could not have said that I actually understood why time travel is a potential reality, not something for magic and science fiction. In addition, beyond the questioning nature that many have in regards to the question “are we alone” I have learned where, why and how else aliens might possibly exist in our universe. I know understand how stars form under intense amounts of pressure and, I know of a planet light years away from here that could be the next home of the human race if we were to undertake the long and arduous journey. Like Darya, I always wondered how the government could justify spending so many billions of dollars on a space program when there are so many problems here within the United States, let alone on Earth. However, after watching this eye opening exploration of the cosmos, I understand the need we as a race have to gain as much knowledge about our universe as possible, whether it be to protect ourselves from alien invasion or find ourselves a new home planet.

I think that I learned a lot more than I expected to by watching this short series. Although the episodes were long and sometimes hard to follow, my perspective of the universe has vastly changed. Hawking often used real-life examples in order to explain hard-to-grasp concepts which helped me truly understand the immense size of the universe. I had not fully conceived just how large the universe was until watching this series. This realization really came to me during the last episode when Hawking described how long it would take for us to reach a planet most closely resembling Earth if we were in a space craft that traveled at speeds of eleven miles per second (It was some 350 thousand years). I often found that Hawking gave very detailed and interesting descriptions, also inserting his own views on a specific topic. Although it may have created a bias, Hawking always presents different theories that are also possible, such as in his description of the end of the universe, despite his own views on the matter. In general I do not pay much attention to scientific technological advancements made to this day, therefore the episodes were quite informative. In the second episode, Hawking explains a particle accelerator at CERN that is in an underground 16-mile long tunnel. This contraption in itself is one of a kind and can accelerate particles at speeds very close to the speed of light, which is an extreme accomplishment. What is even more interesting is that at this speed the particles are in a sense, time traveling. Technology, however, is not as advanced as we would like as it is clear that it will take many years if possible for scientists to create a space ship fast enough for humans to travel to planets with livable conditions. One thing that I did not agree with was that sometimes Hawking would make claims that seemed very absolute, yet are not completely certain. Although he has a very high reputation and much of what he says can be considered quite valid, I feel as though there should have been some variation or examination of counter arguments in some of his explanations, such as that of the possibility of aliens. Overall, however, I felt as though all three episodes made for a productive learning opportunity, delving into topics that we don't often learn of in great detail unless we take it upon ourselves to learn about outer space and its many mysteries. Also, prior to watching these three episodes, I did not have as much respect for the space program seeing as so much money is being spent on research projects that seem to go nowhere. After watching this series I have a greater understanding of the scientists who desire funding for research as the universe is vast and it seems that there is much left to be discovered in the future.
 * Darya:**

Stewart: