Lets

Leave Mars Alone By Mr. Hodgson In recent months, a NASA rover, the Curiosity, has landed on Mars and has

begun sending back pictures and gathering data about the red planet. For some, this successful mission with an unmanned rover has restarted conversations about whether our country should be investing in space exploration and about whether we should send astronauts to Mars. I dont believe that is a good idea and I hope the next president of the United States will keep those kinds of plans on the backburner for the future. While I can understand the interest in exploring Mars, I dont see how we can even justify the costs in terms of the money that we would need to equip a mission to travel that far. According to a study done by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), our country would likely to have to invest billions of dollars just for a manned mission to Mars. 1 The same study notes that, due to the constraints of space travel, the mission itself could not be a long exploration of Mars, and we can expect that it will be dangerous, too. Why spend billions of dollars for a short mission that may or may not have practical value for us? This does not make sense. In fact, since European countries are in the midst of planning their own collaborative mission to Mars2, perhaps as early as 2030, I suggest that we let our allies take the lead, and learn from their work. Or we could encourage more private companies to invest in space projects, such as the Mars One project3, and maybe even provide some government support for research. My hope is that the new president still supports science, and maybe even some form of space exploration through the use of manned satellites like the Mars rover, but not the kind of manned missions that takes money away from other programs here on Earth, such as education and the environment. Lets not waste our precious financial resources on a mission that might not prove to be worth the cost of investment.

Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:38 AM Comment [1]: Notice how I tried to use an engaging title. If I had just said, MARS, it would have been boring.

Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:39 AM Comment [2]: It is always good to recognize and acknowledge the opposition to your idea. This is an effective strategy. Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:40 AM Comment [3]: But then, make a strong statement about what you believe. This makes it clear to the reader what your own point of view is on the topic. Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:40 AM Comment [4]: This is where you start using some of your research to back up your ideas. Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:41 AM Comment [5]: NOTE: this number is so that you can reference that in the Works Cited at the bottom of the paper. I created this by using the FONT command, and then SUPERSCRIPT feature. This makes the number above the text.

Works Cited

Kevin Hodgson 10/7/12 9:42 AM Comment [6]: Remember that you are giving advice to the next president, so write as if that person is reading your piece. Be positive, but strong, in your opinion.

1. David, Weaver, and Duke Michael. "MARS EXPLORATION STRATEGIES: A REFERENCE PROGRAM AND COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE ARCHITECTURES." Mars Exploration Strategies. NASA, 1993. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/EXLibrary/DOCS/EIC043.HT ML>. 2. "Exploration of Mars." Exploration of Mars. Fact-Index.com, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.fact-index.com/e/ex/exploration_of_mars.html>.
3. "Mars One." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_One>.