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Lilou Redon-Gabel

Mrs. Everett

Honors English 11.4

9 December 2016

National Priorities: Climate Change vs. Space Exploration

Humans have endeavored to explore and learn from the universe since we first looked up

at the skies. Space exploration has been made possible by the development of technology.

Technological advances gave to rapid industrialization, which has ultimately contributed to

climate change around the world. Global changes in climate have disrupted life and will continue

to disrupt human economic and social progress. Given the challenges facing the planet for its

sheer survival, the federal government should redirect resources earmarked for space exploration

to climate change research and space travel technology should be funded only by private

companies.

Prioritizing climate change research can best be accomplished by reorganizing funds

previously allocated to NASAs space exploration division into its Earth science department and

other environmental intelligence agencies. For fiscal year (FY) 2017, NASAs budget is $18.8

billion dollars; the space exploration division will be allocated $4.4 billion while the Earth

science division will only receive $1.9 billion (FY 2016). If space exploration were left for

other private aerospace companies to develop, the U.S. government could allocate the $4.4

billion to agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or to

NASAs Earth science division to engage in research to study the impact of climate change and

potentially slow its effects. NOAA is requesting $70 million more than their 2016 budget of $5.8

billion (FY 2017); since the funding requested is relatively less than the current national space

exploration budget, the demand is fairly realistic.

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Though space exploration will increase human understanding of the universe, climate

change has been negatively affecting international communities for years and if left uncontrolled,

chaos will rage throughout the world. The environmental effects of climate change such as global

warming can lead to social and economic instability among humans. Research has shown that

[... as] projected warming and drying continue to occur along with population growth, food

yields and nutritional health will be impaired (McMichael). When populations notice that

resources are lacking, panic usually occurs. Panic tears communities apart and creates social

disorder, and as a result, economic failure often follows. The effects of climate change will

negatively impact economic growth and will not allow communities to maintain economic

stability.

Agriculture is another victim of climate change as it suffers from the drastic changes in

weather (Hanna and Oliva), and this could leave many to face extreme poverty and hunger. Due

to changes in weather patterns, the US Environmental Protection Agency has predicted that by

the end of the 21st century, 20-30% of endangered plant and animal species will become extinct.

The shift in ecological conditions will allow for the rapid spread of disease and parasitic species

(Climate) that are potentially harmful to human health and agriculture. Climate change is

detrimental to human well-being and will only diminish global health.

Climate change is also linked to violence. Richard Akresh, a professor at the University

of Illinois, explains that recent research reveals that less rain and warmer temperatures ...are

linked to increases of conflicts at all scales, from interpersonal violence to war. This can be

observed from data that shows that an increase in global temperatures has provoked physical

violence in African communities. As temperatures continue to rise, researchers predict that by

2030, the number of African casualties resulting from conflict will have increased by 50% from

the numbers in 2009 (Burke et al). Another case of climate-change induced violence is in Syria;
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due to changing sea levels in the Mediterranean, Syria endured a three-year drought between

2007 and 2010 in their usually fertile farmlands. Analysts believe this drought provoked social

turmoil and civil war in Syria and crumbled the countrys weak political infrastructure (Kelley et

al.). The consequences of climate change are fast occurring and hard hitting, targeting the social

prosperity of communities and inflaming tensions between men.

Many private aerospace companies are capable of developing interplanetary and low-

earth orbit transit systems and have been investing in research to compete with NASA to provide

space transit for satellites and eventually humans. NASA could allocate more funds from the

U.S. government to their Earth science division without slowing U.S. space industry growth.

Many national private aerospace companies have demonstrated their abilities in independent tech

design by creating successful satellites and spacecrafts. For example, Boeing and Bigelow

Aerospace, both private companies, have designed and produced the Crew Space Transportation

(CST) -100 spacecraft in order to transport NASA astronauts to low-earth orbit destinations

starting 2017 (Crew). NASA is often dependent on smaller companies to provide

transportation for their astronauts, which indicates that these companies produce reliable, high

quality products. In 2011, NASA partnered with SpaceX. As a result, Dragon and Falcon 9,

designed by SpaceX, are used by NASA today to transport cargo to the International Space

Station (ISS). When Dragon successfully sent Falcon 9 to the ISS for cargo transport in 2012, it

...signaled the capability of the [private] industry to undertake such missions (Giacalone).

These are all strong indications that aerospace companies are ready to step in and become the

new faces of U.S. space exploration.

Private aerospace companies are also working toward making space travel more

accessible and more environmentally friendly. Currently, shuttle projectors are unable to be

reused after they detach from the shuttle after takeoff. SpaceX intends to send humans to Mars
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using reusable vehicles so as to allow for more affordable travel; the company is aiming for a

$500,000 boarding pass (Mars).Though many believe NASA to be the only organization able

to lead astronauts into space, private companies are already preparing for manned space travel.

In September of 2016, the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, announced the companys goal to

make humans a multi-planetary species by leading a manned mission to Mars starting in 2030

(Leonard). Another private space company, Virgin Galactic, the worlds first privately-funded

commercial space line, aims to democratize space travel by creating more affordable methods

of transit through their WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo designs (These). Additionally, the

Sierra Nevada Corporation, another privately funded company, is currently developing a variant

design from their original Dream Chaser model, which is used to transport cargo to the

International Space Station. The Dream Chaser Space System will accommodate seven

astronauts and transport passengers to low-Earth Orbit destinations in the near future (About).

New cabinet members, who may be appointed as part of the recent election, have speculated

about how budget reorganizing within NASA will affect the future of human space travel;

however, numerous private companies are already working to make the universe more accessible

to man.

If private companies design the majority of national space exploration programs, the U.S.

government could reapportion money used to fund NASAs space exploration programs to

agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which leads the nation in

environmental intelligence. The NOAA requested a FY 2017 budget of $5.8 billion ($70 million

more than 2016) in order to better provide information and services to make communities more

resilient, evolve the National Weather Service (NWS) [and] invest in observational

infrastructure (NOAA). On November 19, 2016, the agency finally launched GOES-R, the

first of [their] highly advanced geostationary weather satellites (Barclay and Leslie).
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According to NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, GOES-Rs instruments will be capable of

scanning the planet five times faster and with four times more resolution than any other satellite

in our fleet. This satellite is very beneficial as data collected will allow for faster and more

accurate warnings and general forecasts; however, this design would only have been made

possible by the $10 million increase in funding allocated to the NOAAs National Environmental

Satellite, Data and Information Service department. An increase in government funding will

allow for more environmental intelligence projects like the GOES-R to become a reality.

NASA, which traditionally conducted space exploration and travel, will not suffer from

lack of government funding because technologies like satellites are necessary for weather

mapping and observing changes in land, sea and air. As NASA Deputy Administrator Dava

Newman explains, At NASA we explore: not only space, but also our home planet. In 2012

NASA employed a project called Operation IceBridge over Antarctica to survey and record the

changes in polar ice (Vias). Since polar ice diminishes in season every year, international sea

levels have risen. By conducting such research, NASA can better measure the rise in sea levels

and create projections for the next twenty years which may motivate coastal community

evacuation plans. NASA has also recently completed the construction of two Gravity Recovery

and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites; they will be utilized to monitor

glaciers, aquifers and sea levels (Buis). Another NASA satellite, called the Cyclone Global

Navigation Satellite System, will be launched in December of this year to look at hurricane

patterns around the globe; this eight micro satellite project may now be incomplete had NASAs

Earth science division not received $40 million in 2016. Allotting this division more funds will

allow for more technology development that can further climate change research. Collecting

climate change data is important and allows for the creation of research journals that are
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eventually presented to organizations like the United Nations (UN) to stimulate global awareness

and the creation of government policy.

Though NASAs Earth Science department focuses on climate change research, they also

develop technologies with practical functions that have relatively low environmental impact; this

promotes job security rather than diminishing career opportunity, as some have expressed their

concern with lack of division diversity. For example, the agency is working to create low-carbon

aircrafts by using a hybrid electric concept in order to reduce the effects of nitrogen and carbon

emissions (Kilkenny). This will help reduce aircraft emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen

oxides which have led to the growth of the tropospheric ozone; this ozone is toxic to all living

things and is not a natural greenhouse gas (Johnson et al.). NASA expects outside-the-box

thinking (Skytland) from their employees so engineers from both the Earth science and space

divisions are often not specific to division and are able to work equally well for both. If NASAs

Earth science division is prioritized, more technologies like low-carbon aircrafts can be

developed, thus enabling NASA to focus not only on climate change research but also to create

methods of transport that use cleaner energy and will not further harm the environment.

The United States does not have to give up space exploration and travel, the government

simply has to readjust priorities to address what is most currently relevant. The private sector has

stepped in so that the federal government is now free to allocate its resources to areas where

there is a need for investment. Climate change spares no one in its attack; it targets everything in

its path as it becomes increasingly worse. More funding to develop climate change prevention

methods and technology will help international communities to better prepare for disaster and

develop sustainability. Private companies are already developing major technologies and

transport systems for NASA, proving their competence and ability to lead space exploration
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missions and tech design. This will allow for what were previously NASA space exploration

funds to become funding for both NASAs Earth science division and NOAA.
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Works Cited

About Dream Catcher. Sierra Nevada Corporation. Sierra Nevada Corporation, 2016.

Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Akresh, Richard. Climate Change, Conflict and Children. The Future of Children vol. 26 no.1

(2016): 51-71. JSTOR. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016

Barclay and Leslie. GOES-R Heads to Orbit, Will Improve Weather Forecasting. National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Department of Commerce, 2016.

Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Buis, Alan. First GRACE Follow-On Satellite Completes Construction. National Aeronautics

and Space Administration. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 14 November 2016. Accessed 25

Nov. 2016.

Burke, Marshall B. Warming Increases the Risk of War in Africa. HighWire Press vol. 106 no.

49 (2009): 20670-20674. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0907998106. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Crew Space Transportation System. Boeing, 2016. Accessed 24 Nov. 2016.

CYGNSS Mission. Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System. National Aeronautics and

Space Administration, 2015. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

FY 2016 Presidents Budget Request Summary. National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, 2016. Accessed 3 Dec. 2016.

Giacalone, Joseph A. The Evolving Private Spaceflight Industry: Space Tourism and Cargo

Transport. ASBBS Proceedings vol. 20 no.1 (2013): 643. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Hanna, Rema, and Paulina Oliva. Implications of Climate Change for Children in Developing

Countries. The Future of Children vol. 26 no. 1 (2016): 115132. JSTOR. Accessed 26

Nov. 2016.

Johnson, Colin et al. Impact of Aircraft and Surface Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides on
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Tropospheric Ozone and Global Warming. Nature vol. 335 (1992): 69-71. Nature

Publishing Group. doi:10.1038/355069a0. Accessed 26 Nov. 2016.

Kelley, Colin P. et al. Climate Change in the Fertile Crescent and Implications of the Recent

Syrian drought. HighWire Press vol. 112 no. 11 (2015): 3241-3246 PNAS. doi:

10.1073/pnas.0907998106. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Kilkenny, Nancy Smith. Researchers Advance Propulsion Toward Low-Carbon Aircraft.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 5 January 2016. Accessed 24 Nov. 2016.

Leonard, David. SpaceX Founder Set to Unveil Humans-to-Mars Plan in September. Scientific

American, 23 August 2016. Accessed 25 Nov. 2016.

Mars. SpaceX. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., 2016. Accessed 25 Nov. 2016.

McMichael, Anthony J. Globalization, Climate Change and Human Health. Global Health vol.

368 (2013):1335-1343. The New England Journal of Medicine. doi:

10.1056/NEJMra1109341. Accessed 26 Nov. 2016.

Skytland, Nick. Cultivating Creativity. Open NASA. National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, 2012. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Climate Impacts on Ecosystems. 30

September 2016. Accessed 25 Nov. 2016.

United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FY 2017 NOAA Budget

Summary. 2016. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Vias, Maria-Jose. NASA Nears Finish Line of Annual Study of Changing Antarctic Ice.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 18 November 2016. Accessed 25 Nov.

2016.
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