Missions
Real decisions. No spoilers.
Real decisions from history, science and business, told up to the moment of choice. Your teen decides, defends the decision in writing, and only then learns what really happened.
Ages 13 to 15
The Ford Pinto · 1968 to 1970
The $11 Question
A small car must weigh under 2,000 pounds and cost under $2,000. A crash test just showed a problem.
See the case study
Chernobyl, Unit 4 · April 1986
The Night Shift Test
A safety test planned for the afternoon slides toward midnight, with a different crew.
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Apollo 13 · April 1970
Apollo 13: Bring Them Home
A tank fails 200,000 miles from home. Power, air and time are all short.
See the case study
The Grand Banks cod fishery · 1989
The Last Cod
Everyone shares one fishery. What will the other captains do?
See the case study
Britain's Industrial Revolution · 1790s
The Industrial Revolution
Steer a coal district through steam, money and crowded towns.
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Ages 16 to 18
Enron's board · 1999
The Partnership Vote
The star CFO wants to run side companies that trade with yours. The board votes tonight.
See the case study
The 2008 financial crisis · September 2008
The Lehman Weekend
It is Friday night. Lehman Brothers needs a path before markets open on Monday.
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The Tacoma Narrows Bridge · 1940
Galloping Gertie
A new bridge moves in the wind. How much risk is too much?
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Running a small business · Present day
The Food Truck Winter
Sales are slow and cash is tight. Hold the price, cut it, or spend to grow?
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Series
Series are short arcs of three to five missions in a suggested order. Each one keeps one kind of judgment in view across different times and places. Every mission still stands on its own.
Series · 3 missions
Holding It Together
A reactor, a company and a bank. Each time, a few people must judge how much strain a big system can carry.
The Night Shift Test · The Partnership Vote · The Lehman Weekend
Series · 3 missions
Engineers on the Line
A car, a spacecraft and a bridge. Three engineering calls where cost, time and safety pull in different directions.
The $11 Question · Apollo 13: Bring Them Home · Galloping Gertie
Series · 3 missions
Grow or Hold
A fishery, a country and a small business, each deciding whether to grow, hold steady or cut back, and who pays for the choice.
The Last Cod · The Industrial Revolution · The Food Truck Winter
Start with 15 free tutor messages.
Accounts open soon. Then a parent links their teen and they try a full mission, no card needed.