Synthesis Essay 3 - Space Exploration

The exploration of space has been dreamt of and implemented in the United States and in other countries for over 60 years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958 to plan and oversee all American space projects, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. Ever since its inception, space exploration has been controversial, with some saying it is an essential part of human progress and others saying that it is too expensive and dangerous to continue.

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source. Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develops your position on the notion that continued space exploration is productive and beneficial.

Your argument should be the focus of your essay. Use the sources to develop your argument and explain the reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, and so forth, or by using the descriptions in parentheses.

Source A (Kennedy) Source B (Logsdon) Source C (Federal Funding) Source D (Highfield) Source E (Gallup) Source F (Koren)