WFI 2011: A SPACE TOPIC ODYSSEY

Prefatory comments

I am not an expert. I hold degrees in political science and communication, not theoretical physics.

The only morally permissible space jokes are Star Wars related.

The Resolution

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

Mesosphere

Who are the ad wizards who came up with that one?

What it is: the zone of the Earth’s atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere.

What it is not (at least not now): a subterranean section of the Earth’s mantle.

Mesosphere, cont’d.

So, what is out there?

Planets Stars Nebulae Galaxies Orbitals and NEOs Dark matter and

black holes Solar System

The Solar System

Terrestrial planets Jovian planets Trans-Neptunian

region Asteroid belt Oort cloud

American Space Policy

Cold War origins (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo)

Space Shuttle Space Dominance

(Reagan/Bush) End of crewed

space flight (Obama)

America’s Space Infrastructure NASA DOD NOAA/OSC

International Space Context Russia China European Union Japan India ISS OST

Space policy at a Cross-Roads Cost, cost, cost Physics Human space

flight Private Sector Leadership or

Dominance

Global space issues

Debris Appropriation Finite resources Equitable

development Environmental

factors

Affirmatives

7 Major categories: Colonization Resources Military Space access technology Propulsion Technology Space science Pseudo-topical mechanisms

Extra-solar colonization.

Inter-generational flight.

Von Neumann probes

Life-seeding.

Inner-solar Colonization

Mars: A) Robotic B) Manned C) One-way/Two-

way Moon Titan

Resources

Asteroid/NEO mining

Lunar mining Lunar solar power Space Based Solar

Power

Military affirmatives

Space weaponization

SBI/BMD ASATs SBL KEWs

Space Technology

Constellation Reusable launch

vehicle Rail-guns Space elevator

Propulsion technology

Solar sails Nuclear

detonations Ion engines Anti-matter

Remote exploration

Asteroid mapping/defense

Deep space/origins research

ISS (expand or new)

Remote sensing Search for

Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)

Pseudo-topical Mechanisms

Property rights recognition. Consortiums New international regimes

Impact/advantage controversies The Lifeboat Hegemony/

Leadership Economy Energy/

Environment Space weapons Space debris

Whacky stuff Contamination/

Viruses International law International

relations