SPACE TOPIC OVERVIEW DR. RYAN W. GALLOWAY SAMFORD UNIVERSITY

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Topic Wording

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RESOLVED: THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE ITS EXPLORATION AND/OR DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE BEYOND THE EARTH’S MESOSPHERE.

Lecture Overview

 Four Questions:     1) What?

2) Where?

3) How Much?

4) Who?

Question 1: What?

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EXPLORATION AND/OR DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE

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TERM 1: EXPLORATION

  MEANING : scientific investigation or searching

DISTINCT FROM MERELY USING SPACE

Term 2: Development

 Development: to improve existing resources Christine Lindberg, (Editor), OXFORD COLLEGE DICTIONARY, 2 Develop: Construct or convert so as to improve existing resources.

nd Ed., 2007, 380.     What constitutes “developing” space resources?

Experiments in space?

Militarizing space?

Building missile defenses in space?

Term 3: of space

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EXPLORATION AND/OR DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE IS LAUNCHING A SATELLITE TO EXPLORE EARTH TOPICAL?

Question 2: Where?

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BEYOND THE MESOSPHERE

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MESOSPHERE IS THE LAYER OF THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE FROM 50KM TO ABOUT 80KM

Two Questions

 Controversies: 1) Exclusively beyond?

 Are telescopes on Earth Topical?

2) Is beyond literal or figurative?

Can you “transcend” the mesosphere?

Question 3: How Much?

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SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE

Controversy One: How much is Substantially?

One measure: quantitative.

Clara Moskowitz, 2011  NASA will have to make do with about $18.5 billion , putting its budget roughly $240 million below last year's funding level. (April 15, 2011. “NASA's 2011 Budget Should Allow Flexibility Despite Cuts.” Online. Accessed May 9, 2011 at http://www.space.com/11411-nasa-2011-budget-cuts-constellation-funding.html

)

Quantitative Interpetations:

 In the context of science policy, “Substantially” means at least thirty percent.

 …solar gets a pretty substantial increase, about a 30 percent increase right now.  Dan Kammen, (founding director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory), 2010 “President Obama's Science Spending.” February 5, 2010. Online. Accessed May 8, 2011 at http://www.wbur.org/npr/123410020/president-obamas-science-spending ) *Lots of different percentage based definitions exist

Percentage Based Definitions

 Strengths:  1) Limits the AFF to large cases…  2) Provides the NEG ground to run disadvantages, etc.

   Weaknesses: 1) Arbitrary: difficult to figure out what percentage to use 2) Not contextualized to space exploration and development (hard to contextualize either)

Non-percentage based definitions

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Controversy 2: Is there a qualitative way to measure substantially?

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Unconditionally: Mean we do it without any precondition…

"Substantially: Essentially; without material qualification…” [Don Blewett, 1976 (Chairperson California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, Young v. Laura Scudder’s Pet, Inc. January 29, 1976. www.cuiab.ca.gov/precedent/pb181.doc.)]

Thoughts on Increase

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Controversy 3: Can you create a new program?

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Increase can be distinct from create

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Don’t spend money on solar powered satellites is that topical?

Controversy 4: Net Increase

 Net increase: meaning no trade-offs…  Increase: Term “increase…” refers to “net increase…” WORDS AND PHRASES CUMULATIVE SUPPLEMENTARY PAMPHLET, Vol. 20A, 07, 309.

Net increase in space exploration or development…utilizing existing resources or trading off within NASA’s budget isn’t topical.

Question 4: Who?

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THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT… ITS EXPLORATION AND/OR DEVELOPMENT WHAT DO THESE TERMS MEAN?

Controversy 1: Federal government

 Three branches of government  Legislative, Executive, Judicial  BUT…

NASA & other executive agencies

  Executive agencies NASA 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

is an executive branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program

[wikipedia]

[wikipedia]

Other Agencies

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DOD: Department of Defense

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DOD: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 scientific agency within the federal government focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere.

“

Its

” Exploration and/or development

 Controversy 1: Are private actors allowed?

 Its: Belonging to or connected with the thing or animal mentioned; the possessive form of it.

 Carol-June Cassidy, (Managing Editor), CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH, 2nd Ed., 2008, 464.   Photovoltaic power is so attractive that, in the long run, it is likely to be developed by private industry regardless of U.S. government policy. The question really is when and by whom? Eban Goodstein, (Prof., Economics, Lewis & Clark College), ECONOMICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, 2008, 399.

Controversy 2: Other countries?

 Are cooperative approaches allowed?  Joint exploration with Russia, China, EU?

 Are these “its” exploration?

Concluding Remarks

 Knowing the words in the resolution is key to debating them  Make sure you have definitions of every term  Make sure you think about how the terms can work for you…and against you…