A topic presentation for the 2011-2012 policy debate season

1. To Boldly Go… A topic presentation for the 2011-2012 policy debate season

2. The Topic Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.

3. Conceptualizing the Topic • One way to look at the debate: • Leaving the Planet (External) • Technology, Resource, Exploration, & “Salvation” Advantages • Colonization/Frontierism, “Salvation,” and Technology criticisms • Aiding the Planet (Internal) • Geopolitical, Energy, Economic, Military, & Environmental Advantages • Militarization and Technology criticisms • Things that affect both: • Spending/Economic concerns • Politics • Tradeoffs with other programs • Private v. Public sector funding (especially with the end of the US shuttle program

4. The Status Quo • End of the Shuttle Program: 30 year program intended to service space station, deliver and retrieve payloads from space, and perform service missions in orbit • Obama’s Space Policy: • Utilize commercial and Soyuz rockets for launches (discussed later) • Develop Heavy Lift Vehicle to lower cost of delivering payloads to space • Transition Orion capsule from crewed flights to emergency vehicle for ISS • Imaging: the Hubble, Spitzer, and Webb Space Telescopes

5. Leaving the Planet:Externally Focused Affirmatives

6. Colonization • Most likely candidates for colonization include orbital colonies, the Moon, Mars, and NEAs (Near Earth Asteroids) • Less ideal possibilities exist on the poles of Mercury, atmosphere of Venus, main-belt asteroids and other planets’ moons • Advantages: Human diversification, technological advancement • Disadvantages: Highly expensive, technology doesn’t currently exist, “salvation” problem devalues Earth-based life • Requires “bootstrapping,” the development of a sustainable biosphere

7. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): “How do we survive once we’re there?” • Solar power to propel and sustain space vehicles • Producing Oxygen: The Sabatier Reaction heat & pressure with nickel catalyst CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Martian Atmosphere Brought Methane Oxygen released by (96% CO2) from Earth (fuel) electrolysis, hydrogen recycled • Just add food, shelter, and momma’s love, and you too can survive on Mars! • Mining: minerals and metals found on planets and asteroids for construction and repair • National Space Society (NSS): “Returning to the Moon to stay” (LCROSS impacts encourage this conclusion)

8. Asteroid mining • Asteroids are rich in valuable and useful metals such as iron, nickel, gold, titanium, platinum, manganese, and other heavy metals • Many of these are essential to ISRU processes • Others could eventually be returned to Earth for a profit, although doing so would decrease their value on earth

9. Terraforming: Planetary Engineering • Atmospheric engineering proposed by Carl Sagan in the 1961 Science article “The Planet Venus” • The process of modifying the ecology of a planet or moon to mirror that of Earth, making it suitable for carbon-based life • Anthropocentric vs. Cosmocentric Ethics: The need to sustain human life vs. the intrinsic value of diverse universal ecosystems

10. Constellation Program • Former US space policy, cancelled February 2010, intended to further human spaceflight and solar system exploration • Goals: • Rockets designed for International Space Station (ISS) access (competes with private sector initiatives like the SpaceX Dragon capsule) • Moon and asteroid missions serviced by updated Orion capsule

11. SETI Cases: They are out there… • Combined work of private, government, academic, and non-profit research looking for extraterrestrial life • Primarily radio signal analysis but also optical • Criticism that research is an inefficient use of resources at best or pseudoscientific and myopic at worst • Fermi paradox: problem of uneven technologies

12. Aiding the Planet:Internally Focused Affirmatives

13. Solar Powered Satellites (SPS or SBSP) • Photovoltaic Cells in geosynchronous orbit that beam solar energy to a collection dish on earth via laser or microwave • Not filtered through atmosphere or effected by weather, making collection over 150% more efficient; current PV technology transfers at a rate over 50%; 24 hour collection • Military use: Is beamed directly to point of use, eliminating supply line concerns

14. Miniaturized satellites • Small satellites, from 2 to 1,000 pounds, used for communications, data transfer, and large satellite observation • Greatly reduces cost to build, launch, and maintain satellites • Lower financial risk allows for frequent updating and increased experimentation

15. Star Wars: Military Satellites • Military use of satellites date to early days of space exploration with the CORONA program • Pentagon looking to cut its $26 billion budget on space projects • Despite publicly opposing military-use satellites, China is reportedly developing a reconnaissance and guidance satellite that would allow it to project power beyond the mainland

16. Space Elevator • An effort to solve the massive cost of lifting payloads into space • Technological Constraints: • Must be over 24,000 miles high in order to reach geosynchronicity • Cable must be strong enough to support itself and payloads • Must protect travelers from radiation

17. Solar Storm Warning Systems • Solar flares can disrupt and damage Earthly electronics and communications • NASA currently operates a Solar Dynamics Observatory SDO to track solar changes before, during, and after eruptions • Additional analysis of magnetic data needed to understand solar storms and prevent damage to electronic systems

18. NEOs: Near Earth Objects • NEOs are classified as 1.3 AU (Astronomical Units) or closer to the Earth • NASA recommended in July 2010 to establish an Asteroid Defense Office to track, characterize, and prevent Earth-asteroid impact • Private initiatives in the lead

19. Outer Space Treaty: Who owns space? • Entered into force in 1967 • Governs state and non-state actors • Prohibits WMDs and claiming sovereignty over celestial bodies • Currently no similar treaty regarding the moon or banning all weapons (Space Preservation Treaty)

20. Keeping House: Space Junk Cleanup • Over 500,000 pieces of “space junk” in orbit at speeds of over 15,000 mph • Threaten satellites, travel, and ISS • Numerous ideas: lasers, magnets, nets, fines for polluters • What’s the harm, really? • Closing velocities are what’s important, not velocity relative to earth • Space is much bigger than we give it credit for (volume, not surface area)

21. Arguments Common to All Case Areas

22. Cost: That’ll be $10,000, please! • Cost to develop, build, and operate one space station: $100 billion (about 0.7% of US GDP) • “Substantial” increases could carry a much larger price tag. • NASA’s entire budget currently around $19 billion

23. Tradeoffs • NASA’s commercial airline projects, contracted with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grummon, are slated for development in 2025 • NASA currently fighting to save Webb telescope from being cut • International projects: Soyuz, ISS support, heavy lift vehicles

24. Privatization & Internationalization • The ISS is a good example of an internationally funded R&D and implementation effort • Companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and Ad Astra Rocket Company are developing launch and propulsion capabilities to replace the US Shuttle • Private sector and international spending could avoid political and economic impacts of US government funding

25. Questions? Comments? Frustrations? Presentation available online at http://minnesotaurbandebateleague.wikispaces.com/Curriculum