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Zack Murphy
Ms. McAlister
ENG 112-103
9 July 2017
Mankind has been fascinated with space for thousands of years. It was only recently that
humans started to make discoveries about space and less than fifty years ago that the first man
walked on the moon. In the 1600s Galileo was proving that Earth was not the center of the
universe. Just 300 years later mankind started to put satellites and eventually people into space.
The world is in an age of rapidly changing technology and countries with space exploration
programs need to be able to keep up with the technology. In order to fuel new innovations, make
new discoveries, and forge good relationships with other countries the United States needs to
In his article, Yost mentions some of the inventions that were created by NASA. For
some, seeing the amazing things that NASA does can inspire them to go out and make something
new. In the Deep Space Exploration article, Smith discusses the fact that space exploration drives
people to want to explore past the Earth. It could be argued that without NASA the human race
may not have all of the great innovations that they have come to enjoy. NASA has discussed the
possibility of being able to land on an asteroid to refuel during a long flight. This could be the
beginning of a new age of space travel. Having enough fuel to make it there and back is one of
the biggest problems faced by those in the space exploration industry. These types of new
projects could allow mankind to go further than ever imagined. With the ever growing amount of
advancements in technology there is no telling what the next ten or twenty years will bring.
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The many missions NASA has launched have fueled may new discoveries that could
someday change the world. From the Mars rover to the Moon landing NASA has accomplished
some truly incredible things and they are just getting started, as long as they have the funding.
NASA has sent many missions to almost every planet in the solar system, each one returning
invaluable information. There is so much that space could teach that it is crazy to think that
anyone would not be in favor funding its exploration. However, with budget cuts, NASA is
having to push back dates and even get rid of projects that they do not have the money for. The
percentage of the total budget going towards NASA is at an all time low. This means that NASA
will have to pick and choose which project they want to work on more because they dont have
The International Space Station is not owned by any one country and therefore forces the
astronauts inside of it to get along with whoever may be living with them. There are many
different countries that contributed the the construction of the ISS. The ISS is one of mankinds
greatest achievements. It is basically a giant house and laboratory that is floating in space. This
can help in many ways because the astronauts learn to get along with one another, which can
lead to countries liking each other. Sometimes astronauts from different countries will all a ride
to the ISS together. This means that the governments of the countries will be involved and can
Some people are very against the idea of space exploration. There are people like Peter
Pawlick who wrote about how NASA needs to stop focusing on manned space craft missions.
Pawlick argued that robotic missions can go further and have no potential harm to anyone, while
still being able to transmit data from the site they landed at. This is a very interesting concept
because NASA has landed on multiple planets and moons with robots, while their manned
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missions have only made it to the moon. Others, like Yost, claim that NASA as a whole needs to
have its funding cut so that the money can be used elsewhere. He argues that the amount of
money that is spend on NASA could help millions all around the world, but instead it is being
Space Travel will always be on the mind of humans. NASA will always be able to
advance their crafts and go deeper into the great unknown. The only thing stopping that from
happening in twenty years, instead of one hundred, is funding. There is only one way to find out
what is really out there and that is to explore. NASA is responsible for inventions, discoveries,
and keeping up international relations. They are a vital administration and should be treated like
Works Cited
Challenges and Opportunities for Human Space Exploration: Hearing Before the Subcommittee
United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, April 23, 2013. ,
Deep Space Exploration: Examining the Impact of the President's Budget : Hearing Before the
Hepp, Aloysius F. In-situ Resource Utilization for Space Exploration: Resource Processing,
Kring, David A. "NASA Budget Booms." Science News 95.15 (2014): 351. USRA. Universities
Pawlick, Peter and Richard A. Grant. Point: Human Space Flight Is a Pointless Waste of
"Prof Sir Martin Rees: human spaceflight - is it worth the money and risk? As Major Tim Peake
becomes the first British astronaut to spacewalk, the Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees
argues that unmanned missions are the future of space exploration; As Major Tim Peake
becomes the first British astronaut to spacewalk, the Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees
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argues that unmanned missions are the future of space exploration." Telegraph Online, 15
Talk it out: Space Exploration. UWIRE Text, 10 Mar. 2016, p. 1. Academic OneFile.
"Trump places emphasis on exploration in new NASA funding." UPI News Current, 21 Mar.
Yost, Keith. "Should We Cut NASA Funding?" The Tech - Online Edition. MIT, 09 Apr. 2010.
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