NASA comp. essay

“In the Solar System, Enceladus ought to be one of the highest priorities
for the world’s space agencies...”-David Catling.
Enceladus is a Saturnian moon, but what makes it special is that it has a
warm, salty underground ocean, and geysers which propel ice particles and
water vapor through deep canyons called “tiger stripes”. Each of the four tiger
stripes is sub-parallel and is approximately 84 miles long.
At first, when Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 went past Enceladus, NASA
scientists were convinced that it was nothing more than a ball of ice which was
314 miles across. Two decades later in 2005, while Cassini was passing
Enceladus, it noticed that the magnetometer detected a “disturbance in the
planet's magnetosphere around Enceladus's south pole.” During the second
flyby, the scientists confirmed that the disturbance was coming from the South
Pole and they also found out it was actually plumes of water vapors that were
resulting in the tiny atmosphere. Geysers shot ice particles at 800 mph, which
explains why they went all the way to Saturn’s E ring (which was the outermost
ring). Cassini found evidence that the ice particles were in Saturn’s E ring by
detecting some ice particles that came from Enceladus’s vents. Another thing
about the jets is that they shoot out organic materials, of which a sample
consisted of carbonated water and natural gas. 
Moving on, the other intriguing feature of Enceladus is its ocean. For
starters, the ocean went all around the planet, not just under the tiger stripes.
To be furthermore described, it is a warm, salty ocean consisting of saltwater
and a mixture of other organic chemicals. In 2006, Cassini was able to prove that
the plumes are feeding on liquid reservoirs of water, which proves Enceladus is
a reliable water source. Cassini also retrieved a sample of the plumes in 2008,
which was described as a dense “organic brew”. As the Cassini scientists got
more information, they also concluded in the years 2014 and 2015 that they were
dealing with an ocean of water, and that it covered the whole planet. They also
found out the ocean is warm because of the vents that are located on the ocean
surface, similar to “the hydrothermal vents that dot the ocean floor here on
Earth”. These vents also went up to about 200 degrees F, and as mentioned
before, they were the cause of some specific nanoparticles which were found in
Saturn’s E ring.
In conclusion, Enceladus is the best choice to research because of its
underground ocean and water-shooting plumes, as it is more likely to have life.
Its highly reflective surface also makes it easier to explore. Over the years,
instead of carrying out the three planned close flybys, the Cassini team added 20
more because Enceladus was so useful. “Those twenty flybys proved crucial to
developing an understanding of the mysterious icy world.” Many scientists now
are even arguing that Enceladus should have its own “unique craft”, designed
for its own environment.

Ramses The Great: Essay

(This one is a bit lengthy, but whatevs)

       The incredible Ramses II was the last major pharaoh of Egypt, who accomplished many
things, such as building more than half the temples that exist in Egypt today, such as the temple
of Abu Simbel, and the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. Ruling for a great 67 years, Ramses II (also
known as Ramses, or Ramses the Great) was thought to be the only pharaoh for more than two
generations of people. Crowned Pharaoh of Egypt at 18 years old, he ruled until he was 85 years,
which was when he died (Payne 164). Ramses was also slim and athletic because “His father, by
all accounts, had made him run two miles before eating breakfast every morning” (Payne 154).
One famous war Ramses II fought in was the Battle of Kadesh, which was an utter failure, but he
claimed it to be a huge success, which was painted on all of Egypt’s temples’ walls (Payne 160).
He, later on, signed the first peace treaty, with the Hittites, which, according to “The Pharaohs of
Ancient Egypt” by Elizabeth Payne, was a “...continuing success...celebrated ...by a great state
marriage between Ramses and the daughter of the Hittite king”. Although he loved her as much
as he could, his more treasured wife came later in his life, and her name was Nefertari. Ramses
the Great would have traditionally been believed to be the “Pharaoh of Exodus, due to a tradition
started by Eusebius of Caesarea” (Ramesses II paper). When Ramses II died, Egyptians thought
the world was going to end (which was true for the Egyptian empire, as it started to fall right
after Ramses II’s reign). They also lost their trust in the pharaoh later on, as they thought their
pharaoh was just a “week and foolish mortal” (Payne 168). Ramses the Great was the last
great pharaoh of Egypt, who also turned out to be the greatest pharaoh overall, because he
reigned for more years, fathered more children, and built more monuments than any other
pharaoh.

       Unlike many other pharaohs, Ramses II ascended from a non-royal military family “from
the northeast Egyptian delta” (Ramses I). His grandfather, Ramses I, found favor with
Horemheb, and took the throne, starting the 18th dynasty. “As the elderly king had no son of his
own, he made Ramses coregent not long before his own death” (Ramses I). Then came Seti I,
who was Ramses II’s father. Seti I and Ramses I both “devoted themselves primarily to valley
affairs” (Payne 153). Finally, Ramses II was born to Queen Tuya and Seti I (Ramses II | 10 Facts
About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh) in the Delta (Payne 162). He was made Prince Regent when
he was 14 years old (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh,) and pharaoh
when he was 18 years old (Payne 154). Ramses the Great was also as athletic as he was smart,
because he was “every inch a god-king”, as described in “The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt” by
Elizabeth Payne. This book also mentions that, after signing a contract with the Hittites, he
marries the daughter of the Hittite King. “They were followed by strings of fine horses, herds of
cattle, and cartloads of gold and silver-her dowry…” (Payne 161-162). Although the pharaoh loved
his little bride more than anything, she was not his only wife. He had seven great royal wives and an infinite number of secondary wives and concubines. Because he had so many wives, he
also had the appropriate number of children-about 50 daughters and at least 100 sons.

       During the first four years of his reign as pharaoh, Ramses warred along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, retaking the coastal cities that were important to him as bases.
Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows, the “Hittites watched him and waited. Then they pounced”
(Payne 154). The battle of Kadesh was a battle between Egypt, led by Ramses II and the Hittite
empire, led by Mutuwallis (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh). It was a
major battle, as it was one of the earliest, and one that the greatest Pharaoh lost. At first, Ramses
II was fully confident, with his “force of twenty thousand soldiers and charioteers” (Payne 155).
His forces were then separated into sections-Amun, Ra, Ptah, and Sutekh, each holding about
5,000 men and archers (Payne 155). At this point, they started marching along the coastal road for
29 days, “through Canaan, south Syria, and the Bekaa Valley and finally approached Kadesh
from the south” (Ramesses II paper). The Hittites gained power when the gullible pharaoh was
tricked by two Hittite “deserters”, who were in reality Hittite spies. They lied to him that the
Hittite army was all the way up 120 miles to the north, in Aleppo, “too frightened to engage the
mighty army of Egypt” (Payne 156,) when they were actually just hiding on the other side of
Kadesh (Payne 157). After horrible torture had been done to a second pair of spies, they spilled
out the truth (Ramesses II paper) . “His Majesty asked, ‘Who are you?’ They replied, ‘We
belong to the king of Hatti. He has sent us to spy on you’. Lo, the king of Hatti has already
arrived, together with the many countries who are supporting him’... ‘They have their weapons
of war at the ready. They are more numerous than the grains of sand on the beach’... (Ramesses
II paper)” Finally, at the shock of a thunderclap, the Hittite troops struck the Ra Division, who
were completely unaware of the enemies. As the war went by, more Egyptian men were killed,
and Ramses II would have been to, if it weren’t for the Amun and Ra Divisions, who opened
their tent, loaded with booty, which caused the enemy to flee to the tent itself. Although neither
side could claim victory (Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses II,) Ramses II said to the Egyptians that he
alone had “to smite” 2,500 people of the Hittite force, as “he tied the reins around his waist...and
charged” (Payne 158). The Egyptians basically thought this major war was a success when it
was an utter disaster. Another group Ramses II had war with was the Sherden sea pirates, who he
defeated in the second year of his reign (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian
Pharaoh).

       In addition to fighting in one of the most famous battles of the Ancient World, Ramses
ultimately also signed a peace treaty with the Hittite Empire, the same nation he warred with.
The peace treaty stated that the two civilizations would also help each other in mutual protection
(helping each other in a war) and mutual assistance (giving each other food when needed). It
also stated that the two nations would catch the other’s criminal, and return it back to the nation.
This pact was signed by Ramses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite empire (Ramses II | 10
Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh). It was a continuing success when 16 years later,
Ramses the Great and the Hittite king’s eldest daughter were married (Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses
II). This, and many of Ramses II’s other acts “helped to solidify Egypt's borders on all sides,
allowing for increased internal stability” (Ramses II aka Ramses The Great).

       During his years as a pharaoh, Ramses the Great built many monuments, such as Abu
Simbel. Abu Simbel was constructed by the First Cataract of the Nile, “with its giant statues of
himself before the portals” (Payne 163). This great temple took about 20 years to build, finishing
at year 24 of Ramses the Great’s reign (Ramesses II paper). Before anyone could enter the
temple when it was discovered in 1813 by the famous Swiss Orientalist and traveler Ludwig
Burckhardtan, an enormous pile of sand and rubble almost completely covered the entranceway
(Ramesses II paper). The feat of removing the rubble was achieved by the great Paduan explorer
Giovanni Battista Belzoni, who managed to penetrate the interior on August 4, 1817 (Ramesses
II paper). Another great monument Ramses II built was the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, with its
“forest of pillars so big around that 100 men could stand atop each” (Payne 163). Ramses II also
built the Ramesseum, which is a memorial temple complex situated close to Luxor (Ramses II
aka Ramses The Great). “The Greek historian Diodorus Siculo marveled at his gigantic and
famous temple which is now no more than a few ruins” (Ramesses II paper,) but some things that
survived were the “Pylon of Ramesses” which is useful as a historical document and the statue of
Ramses II, which used to be 56 ft high, but because of harsh conditions broke apart, with only
the torso and the base remaining (Ramses II aka Ramses The Great). Some smaller temples he
constructed include the temple of Hathor and Nefertari, which is known as the small temple, and
a Temple of Seti I, right next to the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak (Ramesses II paper). Ramses II is
also known for carving his cartouche on other pharaohs statues, as well as using earlier pharaoh’s
monument rubble to create some of his own buildings.

       After reigning for a long 67 years, Ramses II died in 1188 B.C., probably in Abu Simbel
at the age of 85 (Payne 164). Before he died his most loved wife Nefertari, also died. Ramses II
was a great architect, builder, and warrior pharaoh who took Egypt to one of its richest points in
history. After he died, Egypt went into deep trouble, and even though “the valley seemed more
prosperous and stable than ever...a closer look revealed unmistakable signs that Egypt’s great
days were coming to an end” (Payne 164).

Works Cited

Payne, Elizabeth Ann. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, 1964. Print.

Laukens, Dirk. “Ramses II aka Ramses The Great-Ancient Egypt Online” Nov. 2015.
http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ramses-II.html. Dec. 15th, 2016.

Writers and editors, New World Encyclopedia. “Ramesses II-New World Encyclopedia”
MediaWiki. June 25th, 2015. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ramesses II. Dec.
15th, 2016.

Anirudh. “Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh-Leonardo Newtontic” . Sept.
26th 2015. https://learnodo-newtonic.com/ramses-ii-facts. Dec. 15th, 2016.

“Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses II-Encyclopedia.com” 2004.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/ancient-history-egypt-biographies/pharaoh-egypt-
ramses-ii#1G23404705349. Dec. 15th, 2016.

The Odd One Out

I vividly remember my first day of school in 3rd grade. I went to the library, and everyone was staring at me, including the teacher. I was the only Indian in the entire classroom, and I definitely felt in their actions that they didn't want to include me in their activities. The librarian welcomed me inside, and I remember that the teacher was very kind, but the students were light-years apart from even talking to me. I just had to face it: I was not like the other Armenians in the class (most of the people in Glendale, CA were Armenian).

            Since I was formally in 3rd grade only for a month before summer started, I came in at the end of the year (in the perspective of the other students). Being that I was a new kid at the end of the year, they might have wanted to give me a hard time, but the fact that I still remember every day of that class has to say something about their behavior.

              On the fourth day of school was when the real conflict began. When the teacher asked the daily "star of the day" questions, this one kid always got the answer. Although, I wanted to change that, so I answered it right that day, and suddenly so many people were talking to me. During recess, some "cool kids" decided to make fun of me for being different, but they were also angry that I took away their precious medal. I couldn't talk back to them, but I also couldn't just walk away because there were too many of them. Suddenly, I felt tears in my eyes, and I couldn't take it anymore. I told the teacher and she said she would deal with those bullies. That was the first day of my life that I felt like I wanted to go back to India.

              During one of the later days, when someone was introducing me to tetherball, they decided to bully me while at it, cause that's always fun. He threw the ball with extra force, and me, the new kid, didn't expect that and it hit me square in the face. I still remember getting up and playing with him again and again. I knew that some of the older kids were watching me and thinking, "Man, that kid sucks at tetherball", but I wasn't about to go lecture them on my struggles. I had a game to play. I had a game where I had to stand my ground. Ultimately, that game is life.

Heroism in Religion

In Hinduism, Hanuman is one of the many gods that are worshipped and one of the central characters

to the Indian epic, Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Hanuman is the one who saved Rama’s wife, Sita, from

the evil king Ravana. He is known for his eternal devotion to Rama (another god; the subject of the

Ramayana), ultimate strength (he lifted an entire mountain just to bring the herb that saved Lakshman

[Rama’s brother]), inner self-control, and heroic intentions.

Some Hindu concepts that highlight the moral code of Hindus are Karma and Dharma. Karma shows

that kind and compassionate thoughts and actions yield positive results, and this helps one reincarnate as a

human in a higher class. Dharma, on the other hand, is more personal to each individual. It is the set of

duties that is specific to each person based on their gender, caste (Brahmins are high, Untouchables are

low, etc), and age. Hanuman’s values are something that every Hindu strives for. He is known as the

living embodiment of the Karma Yogi- one whose devotion (in this case, to Rama) is demonstrated

through hard work or service. Many even consider Hanuman to be the greatest devotee ever, ready to give up his life at any

moment. Hanuman’s ability to completely put down his ego, while essentially being the first

superhuman, shows us humans that we still have a long way to go. The first time I heard of Hanuman was in a Hindu temple. My grandpa said, “Hanuman is superior to Spider-man, Superman, and Batman combined”. As I looked at all of the paintings of

Hanuman’s good deeds, I realized that he would forever be my role model. I thought, and still think,

that he represents the good inside not just Hindus, but people all over the world. If he has the ability

to travel between planets but still think of himself as lower than another being, we can at least try to

achieve a fraction of the goodness of his heart.

My Best Friend

Just Another Bromance

During Middle School, I was a nervous wreck. Well, I still am, but that’s not the point. While I was carpooling with my friend to a cross country meet in 7th grade, a random kid also carpooled with us. This was the moment in history that would spark the greatest friendship that I have ever had, thus far. Soon, I became friends with this kid, whose name is Miguel. His favorite color is green. He rode his bike to target to get ingredients for his protein shake. I know, he’s weird.

One day, I was bogged down with a history presentation. I tried to tell myself that it wouldn't take that long, but deep down I knew I would probably pull an all-nighter. Throughout the day, I slowly got sucked into the prospect of doing homework forever, as it never seemed to end. As I gloomily thought about the near future, I hear the sharp, screeching bell ring in my ears. I went towards where Miguel and I usually sit. I thought I would at least get some joy from playing games on my phone, but reality can never be predicted. When I was talking to Miguel, my homework crept into the conversation and soon we were talking about ways to find online cheats to the worksheets. Somewhere in the middle, Miguel said, "It's alright, Sunny. You can do this. I believe in you, and you already know that you can call your main man if you ever need help with your presi. Like FDR said, "The only thing to fear is fear itself". See? We're already talking about history over here!"

I smiled. "Thanks, dude. Although, I doubt you'd be able to help, considering you couldn't stop yourself from talking during your math final last year!!!" (This was a HUGE running joke between me and Miguel. After he failed that test because he was talking, I mentioned it every day and criticized him. If he was here right now and heard me talking about him failing the math test, he would walk out the door).

All jokes aside, his advice really did help me get better at doing homework quicker. Moreover, he was able to successfully encourage me to finish my work whenever I was feeling down, greatly increasing my productivity. Overall, Miguel showed me how extraordinary a friendship can be, and what they can accomplish. I still strive for his positiveness to this day.