Space Exploration To what extent is funding for

Space Exploration To what extent is funding for space exploration absolutely necessary?

Do Now: How could funding for space exploration be considered necessary? Wasteful?

Why did the US initially explore space? ● ● ● 1941 - On January 23, NACA breaks ground on the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory (AERL). 1943 - Langley Power Plants Division completes its move to Cleveland, and the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory is officially dedicated. 1955 - Neil Armstrong begins his career at Lewis as a NACA test pilot. And the 10 x 10 Supersonic Wind Tunnel was completed. 1969 - On July 20, Apollo 11 lands first man on the moon; at the controls is Ohio astronaut Neil Armstrong. NASA Lewis takes pride in its contributions. Bruce T. Lundin is named Center Director. And the Space Power Facility is completed. 1981 - First space shuttle launched using technology developed by Lewis 1993 - The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) is launched from the shuttle Discovery (mission STS-51). The satellite is controlled from the ground station at Lewis.

The Cold Space Race The ongoing Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States motivated space exploration. Both nations emphasized their space exploration efforts as a way to secure national security, and to gain political and military dominance throughout the world.

Discuss in your groups! Evaluate the source in your groups. In your group’s opinion, how do you believe funding for space exploration should be utilized?

Today, China and Russia wield significant power in space, where they can bring down Earthlaunched missiles. China went so far as to shoot down one of its own satellites to test its capabilities in a space war, an exercise detailed in a 2015 report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. “It used to be that space was a sanctuary, ” says Victoria Samson, Washington director of the Secure World Foundation, a non-profit space policy think tank. “Once you got your asset (i. e. satellite) into orbit, you could do what you wanted to do. Now there’s a real concern that the backbone of our national security capabilities could be interfered with at a critical point. ”… “Defending space assets is critical, ” says Jeffrey Hoffman, a former shuttle astronaut who now leads the Man Vehicle Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “When many people talk about militarization of space, they think of offensive weapons. I think the critical issue is being able to defend our communication and navigation assets. ” That requires money. Air Force leaders have requested a 20 percent increase for space systems: $7. 7 billion in the 2018 federal budget the Trump administration sent to Congress in May… The Trump administration wants to cancel five NASA earth science missions and slash NOAA’s budget for studying the Earth, weather, and oceans—including ground and spacebound sensors…Samson and other policy watchers say cuts to NASA’s and NOAA’s satellite monitoring programs are driven by the Trump administration’s hostility toward (and denial of) climate change.

Total National Debt The total national debt has increased exponentially in recent years, and will continue to grow with the current Administration’s tax plan.

The United States spends more on the military than any other country around the world.

NASA’s Budget Similar to our military, NASA’s has a larger budget than any other space agency in the world.

NASA’s budget expenditures helps to enrich the economies of each states around the country.

And the tax burden is relatively low to fund NASA’s yearly budget (largest tax contributions go towards Medicare, Social Security, and Defense).

Discuss in your groups! How can funding for space exploration be justified as the national debt continues to grow?

Colonies on Mars Musk's commentary, titled "Making Humanity a Multi. Planetary Species” https: //www. youtube. com/watc h? v=yho. Qd. Rz. Ru 8 o Should we consider colonizing another planet (like Mars)? Why/why not?

Discuss in your groups! Should we consider spending more on space exploration when the Earth is being devastated by climate change? Justify your response.

Cloud Seeding The US could be developing next generation technologies like cloud seeding the help increase rainfall in times of drought.

Summary: Address the aim and let’s pick our groups for Friday’s debate!

Socratic Seminar Big Question: To what extent is funding for space exploration absolutely necessary? -Why could space exploration be considered important? -How could space exploration benefit society (and solve problems)? -How could the militarization of space be considered beneficial? Harmful? -How could space exploration impact the federal/state/local economies? -Why could funding for space exploration take attention away from other important matters? Sources to consider using: Wired Magazine, NASA, NOAA, Scientific American, Air and Space Magazine, Journal of Space Exploration