Mars Debate

Opening statement:

Good audience members I would like to begin by talking about all

of the good things that private companies bring into our world.
Tesla, for example, has created cars that reduce the
environmental impacts of transportation and in turn reduce the
emissions that contribute to climate change. Countless private
companies supply the things you use daily. From the grocery
stores that supply your food to the hotels you stay in over spring
break vacation. Private companies has done so much good for our
economy and the people who work in it. They support so much of
our lives so why wouldn't we want them to help in our journey to
save the human race.

Each day our understanding of our earth and everything around

us expands, as well as our technology. At the same time concerns
are brought up about humanity's future on this planet. Because of
this, it is imperative that we colonize Mars to gain momentum. We
believe that the best way to do so is for NASA, the independent
agency of the United States, to partner with private companies to
colonize Mars.

We can all agree that settling on Mars is a crucial part of human

survival. There are many things today that greatly affect earth and
will soon lead to the destruction of it. Global warming and
overpopulation are an example of this. It is important to have a
backup planet should something apocalyptic happen.

Mars is the perfect planet to colonize because of its place on the

habitable zone. It is in a region of the solar system where liquid
water on the surface may be supported if concentrated
greenhouse gases could increase the atmospheric pressure. In
addition to that, it's soil contains water to extract, it isn't too cold or
hot, there's enough sunlight to use solar panels, gravity on Mars is
38% that of Earth's, which is sufficient for the human body to
adapt to, it has an atmosphere, and also the day-to-night rhythm
is very similar to ours here on Earth.

Our next contention is that because NASA has many government

restrictions it is important to have partnerships with private
companies. The government puts a lot of regulations and
restrictions on NASA about what they are allowed to do. They
 aren’t able to do this with private companies, so companies like
SpaceEx are able to make a lot more advancements in their
research and plans to get people into space. SpaceX is a private
American Aerospace manufacturer and space transportation
services company in California, founded by Elon Musk.

Similar to Space X, Mars One is a small private Dutch

organization that received money from investors by claiming it
would use it to land the first humans on Mars and leave them
there to establish permanent human colony. These are just a few
of the many revolutionary private companies that are breaking
boundaries in this mission. These companies are not restricted by
the government and can definitely progress the mission. The
private sector will find a way to develop technology and early
exploration. Space X has already developed technologies that can
get us to Mars sooner. We will talk about this further in our next
speech.

Our next contention is that without partnerships with private

companies NASA would not be able to make it to Mars. Private
companies can provide more funding for the mission. In order to
put the first people on Mars, there are many missions that have to
be done leading up to that such as sending robotic science scouts
to show the geological evolution of Mars and how it is comparable
to earths. NASA does not only use its budget for the colonization
of mars. Private companies can help with the cost in order to
provide the best technology possible.

Our final contention is that settling on Mars would involve a lot of

one-way missions and that is something that NASA is not willing
to do. As stated before, the government puts many restrictions
against NASA. Private companies do not have these restrictions
and with the right knowledge we can start the missions sooner
without any limitations.

Overall, it is crucial that we colonize Mars for the future of the

human race and the best way to do so is with the partnership of
private companies.

Arguments:
● Going to Mars is a crucial part of human survival
 ● NASA has restrictions and it is important to have partnerships with private companies. --
The private sector will find a way to develop technology and early exploration-- Space X
is a private company that has already developed technologies that could get us to the
moon in fewer years.
● NASA would not be able to make it to Mars without partnerships with private companies-
private companies provide funding for NASA
● Settling on Mars would involve a lot of one-way missions and that is something that
NASA is not willing to do.
Evidence/Supports:

Hello everyone, I will be expanding on what my partner has

already introduced.

As my partner has stated before, The Earth has been continuously

heating up for many years now. Dramatic effects of this are shown
all around the world today as ice is melting in both ice caps and
mountain glaciers. According to NASA in the article Climate
Change: How do we know, “Greenland lost an average of 286
billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while
Antarctica lost about 127 billion tons of ice per year during the
same time period”. Other effects of global warming can be seen
through the lakes around the world that are warming rapidly,
animals that are changing migration patterns and the plants that
are changing dates of activity. Bodies of water are rising till the
point where citizens can no longer live in their homes in certain
countries.

Overpopulation is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue. With

the submerging of bodies of land we are running out of space for
everyone who lives on this planet. Most contemporary estimates
for the carrying capacity of the Earth under existing conditions are
between 4 billion and 16 billion. Depending on which estimate is
used, overpopulation may have already occurred. Nevertheless,
the rapid recent increase in human population has created a huge
concern.

The climate related disasters around the U.S. have already cost
the government billions.
According to a source from Wordpress called Global Warming
:How Long Do We Have Left, ”We have already reached
dangerous levels. The heat waves throughout the northern
hemisphere this summer have cost plenty, to the economy, in
human suffering, ill health, even lives lost. The wildfires in
California this year were much worse than they would have been
without global warming. Just last year we set a new record for the
total cost of billion-dollar climate-related disasters. They cost the
U.S. over $300 billion”. Partnering with private companies will
allow the government to focus on may of the other issues in our
society that need attention and money. The government cannot
possibly give more money to NASA, but private companies can.
This is the only way that NASA will be able to make it to Mars and
solve the mountain of issues we are facing today.

Moving onto my next point. The government puts a lot of

restrictions on what NASA is allowed to do. For Example, NASA is
not allowed to send people on one-way missions as it is against
the safety regulations. To be able to send someone to Mars, one-
way missions are something that will have to happen in order to
establish a colonization. Our engineering capabilities and
understanding of radiation exposure must also expand. This is
something that the private sector could do. Private companies do
not have to deal with the regulations put on NASA, so they are
able to do more research about living on Mars and ways they can
send people into space more safely.

For Example, SpaceEx has been able to create a lot more

prototypes and plan missions to places like the moon, while NASA
isn’t able to because of the restrictions that the government puts
on them. According to SpaceEx in an article called Making Life
Multiplanetary, they are planning a trip to the moon in 2023 that
“will help fund development of SpaceX's Starship” that will
continue to allow SpaceEx to send people to the Moon and
develop their space program. With the right research and
technologies that private companies do provide, we will soon be
able to take as many one way trips as needed safely, and
effectively.

My next contention is that partnering with private companies will

help NASA to make more progress. NASA has not made much
progress when it comes to colonizing Mars. The president
appoints the person that is responsible for hiring certain people
 who work for NASA. People that are hired for the job sometimes
are not qualified and they are not getting very much done when it
comes to colonizing mars. If the mission is private,this will ensure
that we are making progress in our mission and making it a top
priority.

According to Space X in an article called Falcon 9 and Dragon to

Return Astronauts to space, they have already demonstrated the
launch and landing of falcon 59. If they are successful with their
follow up mission of this, they will be on the next step towards
sending a spacecraft beyond Earth’s orbit. As you can see Space
Ex has already made much more progress than NASA when it
comes to space exploration. This is why working with private
companies will allow NASA to expand their knowledge about
Mars.

You may say that corporations are corrupt and could try to exploit
Mars, but the government could fix this by regulating what
corporations are allowed to do. The private companies that work
with NASA should be innovating new technologies and helping to
actually colonize Mars while the government should be doing what
they do best, regulating.

My final contention is that even if the government continues to

fund NASA it wouldn't hurt for private companies to help with the
funding —According to Mars One in an article called Mission
Budget, their goal is to establish a human settlement on mars.
The estimated cost to put the first 4 humans on the moon is $6
billion. Every mission after that is estimated to be around 4 billion.
Staying long term on mars needs economic justification. Yes,
NASA gets a lot of funding every year but as stated before NASA
is not spending its entire budget on colonizing mars. Furthermore,
This is not NASA’s only priority. NASA must also explore other
parts of space, aeronautics, and flight research. In addition to the
budget from Congress, NASA also receives a lot of money from
private companies and the continuation of this will help in the
colonization of Mars.

Rebuttal:
● It is apart of human nature to explore and mars can and should be
settled on. Mars is the new world for this generation and many to come.
In the human spirit we inherit exploration, settlement, and colonization.
Failure to terraform and colonize mars would constitute a failure to live
up to our human nature.
● We are running out of resources on our planet and more resources exist
in space. Humanity's potential for growth is unlimited. If we don’t colonize
mars, we will be betraying our responsibility as members of the
community of life itself.

● There is a way to prevent invasive earth bacteria from destroying mars.

NASA goes to great lengths to sterilize spacecraft designed to land on
mars. NASA along with the private companies they are partnered are
working together to fill the knowledge gaps that come with the topic of
contamination mars. NASA would not be able to do this without the help
of private companies.

● NASA will already be able to regulate companies in Mars because of the

funding they are receiving from private companies. The private
companies are funding NASA to be able to work with them and get to
Mars.

● Some people might say that companies will exploit Mars, but the
companies that NASA is already working with share the same goal to
colonize Mars for scientific purposes. There may be some companies
who want to exploit Mars, but those are not the companies that NASA is
and will be working with.

● You say that the private companies are corrupt but in reality it is the
government that is corrupt. As stated before, too many people that are
appointed by the government to work for nasa are soon being sent to
prison for crimes committed on the job.

● The government should be allowed to regulate the activity on Mars, but

private companies are the ones who should be colonizing Mars and
innovating new technologies for the advancement of space research.
The government needs to do what they do best, regulating people.

● There are options for shielding from radiation such as thicker hulls
or water jacketing but this increases mass, which increases the
price because of fuel consumption. If we can't protect the
astronauts with this we won't be going in the first place. NASA
cannot pay for this on their own and they need the help of paying
for this with private companies.

Rebuttal speech:
 We can both agree that we need to get to mars. Me
and my partner are arguing that NASA should partner
with private companies. Getting to Mars is not NASA’s
top priority, they have many other responsibilities as a
company. Also as stated before, other private
companies are getting farther than NASA in the
mission. You all said that we will contaminate mars
but There is a way to prevent invasive earth bacteria
from destroying mars. NASA goes to great lengths to
sterilize spacecraft designed to land on mars. NASA
along with the private companies they are partnered
are working together to fill the knowledge gaps that
come with the topic of contamination mars. NASA
would not be able to do this without the help of private
companies. Some people might say that companies
will exploit Mars, but the companies that NASA is
already working with share the same goal to colonize
Mars for scientific purposes. There may be some
companies who want to exploit Mars, but those are
not the companies that NASA is and will be working
with. Also it isn't feasible for congress to give NASA
more money. NASA will already be able to regulate
companies in Mars because of the funding they are
receiving from private companies. The private
companies are funding NASA to be able to work with
them and get to Mars. The private companies are
funding NASA to be able to work with them and get to
Mars. If the two forces work together the mission will
be taken very seriously. The government should be
allowed to regulate the activity on Mars, but private
companies are the ones who should be colonizing
Mars and innovating new technologies for the
advancement of space research. The government
needs to do what they do best, which is regulating
people.

Questions for crossfire:

 In what way do you feel that private companies will
exploit Mars?

How is the government going to be able to supply more

money to NASA when they obviously have so many
other issues they are also focusing on?

Are you aware that according to a study from Transparency

International called Corruption in the USA: The difference a year
makes, “7 out of 10 people believe the government is failing to
fight corruption, up from half in 2016”, so why would we want
such a corrupt government working to create something that you
think could easily become corrupt?

You say that congress should just give NASA more money. Did
you know that NASA already receives .49% of the total federal
budget (4.4 trillion) for the United States? That’s 21.5 billion
dollars that they receive. How much money do you believe is
enough? When is the government spending too much of their
budget on NASA?

Are you aware that NASA hasn’t made any progress on

getting to Mars? In recent news NASA cancelled a flyby
trip past Mars because the risk was to great.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, NASA must be allowed to have private partnerships with

companies to begin the process of colonizing Mars. The earth has
reached the point of no return with climate change, overpopulation, and
nuclear war. We have no choice as a species but to become multi-
planetary. Furthermore, It wouldn't hurt to have a backup planet should
something apocalyptic happen. Mars is the only other planet that could
be suitable to sustain human life due to the research scientists have
done to find water sources and the gravity that is similar to ours on Earth.
We must start working to colonize Mars before the inevitable demise of
our planet. To be able to do this we need private companies to help
supplement the money that NASA receives from the government.

With partnerships with private companies we will be able to make a vast

amount of progress, but also control the possible corruption of private
companies through the regulation from the government. We also need
these private companies to help expand our research and capabilities to
send people into space. Expanding our research will allow us to make
sure missions to Mars are more safe for the planet through sterilization of
spaceships and regulations from the United States government. We can
also continue to make sure that research and trips to Mars are safe for
the people who decide to take this brave step into the future. Through
these partnerships we will be able to save the human race safely and
timely.