Outline

Space Exploration Outline:

I)                   Introduction: I give a brief overview of topic, followed by my thesis statement:

a)      Humans need to expand to survive.

i)                    Future missions by NASA are planned to search for terrestrial planets. (Fridlund)

ii)                  It is thought that in today’s society it may be more practical to send robots on these missions. (Bhandari)

b)      Education of people about space exploration.

i)                    The more that people know about space, the more the issue of exploration will be able to be intelligently addressed. (Scarlatos)

c) Thesis Statement: If we wish to survive as a race, we must expand our existence beyond our planet alone. We cannot put it off any longer. If advancement towards space exploration is not made, the human race will eventually cease to exist out of our own procrastination.

II) The Politics of Space Travel: There are many conflicting views on whether humans should explore space, and how much they should. This can be a big issue in funding space programs.

        

a)   In 1967, a treaty was signed by the UN governing the principles of space exploration. (Faith)

i)              Different countries have different views on space exploration in terms of morality, necessity, and economy. (Coates)

b)   Many feel that space exploration is necessary for human beings. (Narenda)

i)              Human survival could be based upon prospective planet colonization. (Crawford)

c)   Some humans are wealthy enough to avoid private spaceflight now, and this could be a field that would lead to humans one day paying their way to colonization of planets (Dubbs)

III) Advancement into our solar system will greatly rely on technology.

a)   There are many needs we have as a race in a technological sense that we do not have yet, but could possibly attain through funding. (Krishen)

i)              There are people fighting for these grants and making good cases for them. Simple advancements in technology can change everything. (Crawford)

b)   Human-robotic partnerships may be the biggest tool in advancing us into the solar system. (Garvin)

i)              Robots will be able to withstand harsher conditions than humans, as well as keep humans out of danger. (Bogue)

ii)            Some robotic systems are already being put to use in space exploration. (Gelfand, Hoffstad, Margolis)

c)   There are great engineers working around the world on technology to be used and currently in use.

i)              In addition to robotic systems in use, there are engineers developing technology to be used soon. (Kahng, Li, Peh, Samadi)

ii)            The Hubble Telescope is possible the most famous astronomical instrument, and for good reason. (Aurora, Kirk)

IV) Physics is the makeup of everything, and the advancement of physics means the advancement of human beings.

a)   There are roughly 22,000,000 habitable planets discovered in our universe, and counting. (Fridlund)

i)              The knowledge of physics is helping us unveil the mysteries of outer space and paving the way for exploration. (Greene)

ii)            Radiation and other health problems are also being solved by physics. (Lehoucq)

iii)          The sun may be our biggest obstacle in space exploration. And who is there to help us with this problem? Once again, physics. (Brown)

b)   Colonization of planets will be our biggest goal. (Fridlund)

i)              We must decipher which planets are the “easiest” to possibly colonize. (Fridlund)

ii)            Particle astrophysics are a land barrier in space travel, and we are working into it. (Hallin, Hallman)

iii)          Gamma Rays have been featured in literature causing mutations, but their possible re-precautions are very real. And finding how to survive their effects will be crucial in colonization. (Catanese, Weekes)

V) Conclusion

         a) Importance

         b) Physics/technology

         c) Funding

         d) Presidential quote