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AT: Alternate Causalities



[____]

[____] Government funding of a clear space policy is necessary to sustained the industrial base.
Jim Maser, Chairman of the Corporate Membership Committee, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 3/30/2011, at a Hearing on “A Review of NASA’s Exploration Program in Transition: Issues for Congress and Industry,” Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, US House of Representatives, http://www.prattwhitney.com/media_center/executive_speeches/jim_maser_03-30-2011.asp
Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of waiting until we have all the answers. We must not “let the best be the enemy of the good.” In other words, selecting a configuration that we are absolutely certain is the optimum configuration is not as important as expeditiously selecting one of the many workable configurations, so that we can move forward. This industry has smart people with excellent judgment, and we will figure the details out, but not if we don’t get moving soon. NASA must initiate SLS and MPCV efforts without gapping the program efforts already in place intended to support Constellation. The time for industry and government to work together to define future space policy is now. We must establish an overarching policy that recognizes the synergy among all government space launch customers to determine the right sustainable industry size, and plan on funding it accordingly. The need to move with clear velocity is imperative if we are to sustain our endangered U.S. space industrial base, to protect our national security, and to retain our position as the world leader in human spaceflight and space exploration. I believe that if we work together we can achieve these goals. We are ready to help in any way that we can. But the clock is ticking. Thank you again for the opportunity to address the committee today. I look forward to responding to any questions you may have.

Constellation Key to Space Exploration



[____]
[____] The constellation program is the first step to exploration and colonization of space.
Christian Chrisomoto, technical researcher, 11/12/2010, “NASA’s Constellation Program Planning to Take Initiative for Moon Colonization”
The Constellation program started as a planned successor to the Apollo program. It is a multi-faceted project that concentrated on three primary factors: the need to apply improved technologies to current spacefaring technology, the need to go beyond the current achievements in space travel and the need to initiate research to eventually colonize other planets. The program was literally meant to be taken as a first step towards the future human exploration of the entire interplanetary neighborhood. Application of advanced 21st century technology would be crucial for the Constellation program’s success. On the navigation and safety part, the Orion crew module and the Altair lunar module will be installed with the most advanced computers to aid astronauts in their journey. Spacesuits will be redesigned and redeveloped to provide astronauts with highly improved mobility during extra-vehicular activity. Numerous fail-safe devices are to be installed to ensure the safety of the crew; even if the mission doesn’t turn out to be a success. Various systems are also slated for research and improvement to make the astronauts’ stay at the moon better and much more pleasant. The Apollo program previously used the gigantic Saturn V rocket to send both the Apollo Command/Service module and Lunar module into the moon. The Constellation program however, plans to launch both modules separately. This was a plan to cut costs of lifting heavier payloads off into space, and also because of the large difference in size of both modules. Upon reaching low-Earth orbit, both modules would be docked together, and would be guided on its trip to the moon by an Earth Departure Stage. The initial plan of the Constellation program was to send astronauts to the moon by the year 2020 and let them stay for about a week. The next stage involves the establishment of a base camp that would let more astronauts stay for about half a year. After that, NASA plans to create a permanent thriving colony that can live on the moon using the resources available there by the year 2030-2050.


Space Exploration Impacts



[____]
[____] Colonization will help solve energy and resource problems on Earth by giving us more resources.
NASA, 2010Space Colonization”, NASA Headquarters Library, March, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/colony.htm
One of the major environmental concerns of our time is the increasing consumption of Earth's resources to sustain our way of life. As more and more nations make the climb up from agricultural to industrial nations, their standard of life will improve, which will mean that more and more people will be competing for the same resources. While NASA spinoffs and other inventions can allow us to be more thrifty with Earth's treasures, once all is said and done, its raw materials are limited. Space colonies could be the answer to the limitations of using the resources of just one world out of the many that orbit the Sun. The colonists would mine the Moon and the minor planets and build beamed power satellites that would supplement or even replace power plants on the Earth. The colonists could also take advantage of the plentiful raw materials, unlimited solar power, vaccuum, and microgravity in other ways, to create products that we cannot while inside the cocoon of Earth's atmosphere and gravity. In addition to potentially replacing our current Earth-polluting industries, these colonies may also help our environment in other ways. Since the colonists would inhabit self-supporting environments, they would refine our knowledge of the Earth's ecology.



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