NASA Missions

Today we are going to take a closer look at NASA, including it budget and some of their missions. We also want to start addressing the question of whether or not space exploration should be primarily a government funded and planned operation, or whether this would be better left to the private sector. Is it a good use of taxpayer money?

First, spend some time looking at some of the missions NASA is currently engaged in. You can find a list of their missions here (try to find one that is either current of planned for the future). You will have about ten-fifteen minutes to read about the mission and what it entails before sharing with the whole class. Try to find out as much as you can, including any cost estimates--you may have to search outside of the NASA website.

Next, we are going to have a debate tomorrow on whether or not the federal government should be spending billions of dollars on space exploration or not. Some people believe that this money would be better spent solving problems here on earth while others see the benefits of this research. You will each be assigned a side and will need to research and find points to support your position. You will have some time tomorrow to collectively work on your points before debating the other side.