Through mapping the complexities of spatial inequality, I examined the geographic differences in economic and socio-cultural inequality across the state of Indiana. I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana in an upper-middle class neighborhood that undoubtedly limited my ability to see inequality. Examining inequality in my home state provided me with a deeper understanding of the gap between rich and poor within the state, how Indiana fits into the growing wealth gap in the United States, and how income inequality further impacts access to education, housing, and healthcare. I collected data from the US Census Bureau for Indiana and Indianapolis, as well as the three richest and poorest cities in the state, St. John, Zionsville, Carmel, Gary, East Chicago, and Muncie. Across the state and the seven cities studied, I measured educational attainment, employment status, health insurance coverage, housing costs, and income in the past 12 months. In Indiana, less than 25% of the population over 25 has a Bachelor’s degree. Rates of health insurance coverage vary greatly across the cities studied, but are fairly consistent across racial lines within cities. Income distribution varies drastically across the state, and by race across the seven cities in this study; however, single mothers, regardless of their race or ethnicity, are far more likely to be impoverished compared to the average in each city. In the three richest cities, populations are almost entirely white, while populations in the three poorest cities are almost entirely African American. Economic differences are not the only indicator of inequality in Indiana; socio-cultural differences also underlie many aspects of poverty and inequality. Mapping how inequality varies in terms of race, gender, and location provided a stronger sense of how geography affects the distribution of wealth and resources, and who is impacted the most.

What drives a space program? As more and more countries search for new areas of expansion, we must ask ourselves: who among them will be the leaders of space exploration in the 21st Century? This question has become extremely relevant due to the presence of a possible Modern Space Race. 2018 – 2020 will see more space missions from more countries than at any time since the Cold War Space Race. Although it is not a race to score firsts, there is a definite air of competition in the current space exploration scene. This literature review examines the driving factors behind the first space race and the current state of the emerging actors in space exploration. Studying the Cold War Space Race is important in helping us understand what sustains such a large-scale competition for space, along with the consequences that it might bring. For example, space and culture formed an interdependent relationship that seemed to feed into each other in a closed and self-sustaining cycle in that the space race generated a space-based culture in the United States, which in turn supported the US space program’s continued existence. Comparing the two different races may lead to a better understanding of the state of the Modern Space Race.