The U.S. Federal Government should increase its exploration and/or development of space

Okay then, I will adopt a response structure similar to that of my opponent's. I will first present four points of my own with elaboration followed by a rebuttal to each of my opponents points. 1. Space Exploration has the potential to inspire a society of Scientists and Engineers. 2. By studying beyond the Earth we gain a better understanding of our planet and our place in the Universe. 3. Space research and exploration leads to technological and scientific advancements that benefit humanity and the planet. 4. The United States doesn't spend as much money as many believe on space related development. 1. Space Exploration has the potential to inspire a society of Scientists and Engineers. When NASA put a man on the moon in 1969, the entire world witnessed a first not just for America, but humanity. The object of many cultures folklore had become a reachable, conquerable destination. This left an unquestionable impression on anyone witnessing this event live on television across the world. This inspired a generation to pickup science and engineering in hopes of one day getting involved in something so monumental. A society abundant with scientists and engineers is a very positive payoff for the amount invested in the program. 2. By studying beyond the Earth we gain a better understanding of our planet and our place in the Universe. Global warming, or climate change can best be understood from what we have been able to gather from our study of the Earth's neighboring planets, such as Venus. On Venus, we have been able to calculate surface temperatures over 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to melt lead! [ 1 ] The reason this happens is because of a phenomenon known as the "greenhouse effect" which occurs when there are excess amounts of greenhouse gases[such as carbon dioxide, methane, or ozone] present in the atmosphere. This very real example helps us understand just how serious the concept is and how important it is to pay close attention to the matter. Other examples include the discovery of the origin of atoms, the formation of our Sun, or the Hubble telescope. Knowing about these discoveries tells us a lot about our place in the Universe, and teaches us a very important lesson about just how important it is to take care of our planet. Having this knowledge available to us also teaches us about the dangers of Universe, such as solar flares, asteroid impacts, or cosmic radiation, and prepares us for figuring out how to prevent, avoid, or minimize disaster. There's no guarantee such disasters won't happen in the very near future, having the knowledge and resources ready to combat it is a worthy investment. 3. Space research and exploration leads to technological and scientific advancements that benefit humanity and the planet. Before America entered into the Space Race there was nothing many of us take for granted today. Examples include satellite technology, the space station, Skylab, cell phones, telemedicine, or GPS navigation. The start of space research and exploration has had a ripple effect on past and present technology, and unfortunately present issues have caused NASA's priorities to shift. Without a major goal, and a decreased budget, NASA stagnates, and there's no schedule or restrictions to abide by that motivate anything major from happening. No research and development yields no new discoveries. The type of advancement that could be occurring through NASA is also decades ahead of what the private sector could achieve. The sooner we start making advancement, the sooner we can begin to reap the rewards. 4. The United States doesn't spend as much money as many believe on space related development. The most funding NASA has ever received from the government was approximately 5.5% of the annual budget in 1966 during the Apollo program. After 1975, the budget dropped off to values on average of less than 1.0 %, having an average of approximately 0.76 % of the national budget from 1998-2008. [ 2 ] It's also important to understand that not all of the money that goes to NASA is put toward space related projects. NASA also does work on aeronautics, so some of the budget is put toward other endeavors. [Could not find reliable data that specified difference] In terms of the knowledge, technology, and inspiration acquired, isn't the Universe worth a little bit more to us? I shall now address my opponents points: 1. There are too many problems on planet Earth. I disagree that because of the many problems on Earth we[America] should cease a healthy push toward a more vigorous space program. I happen to agree with my opponent that world peace would be essential for deep space exploration. However, the potential benefits that going it alone for now, and by that I mean Mars and Moon excursions, foster what I would lightly claim to be a "healthy space race." Imagine rather than mustering military might we focus more on trying to accomplish a common goal that is likely to lead to the same kind of benefits as the Apollo program and other space endeavors have. Also, there wasn't world peace when we launched the Apollo program, in fact we were well into the Cold War. Yet the fruits of the program which led to satellites which enabled the ability to see what the "other side" was up to, which could have been responsible for calming both sides down by allowing them to truly see what was going on in each others "back yards." 2. It is far too expensive. As I've already addressed in my fourth point, NASA has received at most 5.5% of the annual budget during it's lifetime, and the results of that higher percentage [Namely Apollo] marked the starting point of many technologies that eventually led to the components of what stimulates our economy to this day. If you could spend 'x' amount of dollars fostering a program that influences members of your society to pursue paths that promote careers that are essential to solving world problems, what would be your limit? 3. It is far too dangerous. I have to apologize to my opponent and claim that accidents do happen. Accidents are a part of learning and unfortunately great discovery and advancement often comes with that risk. Gasoline is dangerous yet we sit on gallons of the stuff as we drive to and from work day by day. There has even been serious attempts to make hydrogen a fuel source in cars eventually. Nuclear Power even has it's risks as we've recently been reminded of. We wouldn't have satellites, air planes, fossil fuels, or medicines if we didn't accept those risks associated with the benefits. You referenced "The Andromeda Strain" having it's "Hollywood ending" in which a miracle cure is somehow found to save humanity. However we must remember that the movie is also based on a "Hollywood premise" which we shouldn't take too seriously when concerning what we actually know and theorize about life[or disease] on other worlds. I understand your point about how helpless a crew would be rendered if a critical failure of some type were to occur. However these are challenges and risks the crew of a mission accepts, and there many people who feel the same way. These problems are viewed as challenges to engineers and scientists to solve and develop new technologies that can be reworked and applied to problems on the Earth. Seeing that the potential increase of knowledge, national pride, and technological advancement vastly outweighs the expenditures, it is perfectly reasonable to increase the federal spending on the advancement of space exploration. Look forward to round 3! [1] = http://solarsystem.nasa.gov... [2] = http://www.richardb.us...