The FY2019 budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) w

The FY2019 budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was $21.5 billion of which a significant portion is used for space exploration. Space exploration is expensive — several years earlier, the NASA Curiosity rover Mars mission alone cost $2.5 billion. In comparison, the FY2019 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ocean exploration activities was $42 million, more than 500x less than NASA’s overall budget.
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Imagine you are testifying before the House Budget Committee. (You may choose whatever position you wish, e.g., more funds for ocean exploration, keep things the way they are, etc.) Create a transcript of your testimony, laying out and supporting your position and your “ask” of Congress. Your argument(s) may include scientific, economic, policy and other components.
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Open your testimony with, “Mister/Madam Chairman, Members of the Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen,” and go from there. There is no “correct” answer. You’ll be evaluated on how well you define, organize and support your position.
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Please Note:
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This is not a completely fair comparison
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Intrinsically higher cost of space exploration
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Space program includes earth-observing satellites, including oceans and coastal regions
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You should explain to your audience the difference between exploration and research. Is there a difference? The two are certainly related, but how would you characterize the difference? For a non-technical audience (one that you may be asking to increase funding), this distinction is arguably important.
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You should also address how exploration can lead to such things as conservation or other benefits, using examples presented in class, readings, or elsewhere. Examples should be specific and supported. Again, it’s important to draw the distinction between exploration and research.
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Guidelines
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Use this space to provide specific guidelines for students to follow. Please see the sample below.
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Your paper should be a maximum of 2 single-spaced pages. It should be well-structured/organized, make your points clearly and convincingly, include citations (not counted as part of the length of your paper), reflect critical thinking, be clear if a statement is your own opinion or one based on cited sources, avoid the words “awesome” and “amazing,” contain proper grammar and be free of spelling errors.