Research question: Should we be exploring space?
Sample Introduction paragraph:
Background
Hook
Humans have always looked up to the sky and wondered what
was out there. In 1969 the first human set foot on another world (the
moon). Since then people have spent trillions of dollars to send out
probes and robots reaching the limits of the solar system. Telescopes and
radio antennas are trained on other stars and galaxies searching for
exoplanets. It is unclear what the benefit is to doing all of this searching.
Frankly, the money could be better spent addressing the problems we
have on our planet rather than looking at our neighbors in the solar
system and for other far away worlds. There is little to no practical benefit
emerging from knowledge of space applicable to our daily lives and we
can spur innovation by planetary challenges rather than extra planetary
Thesis
ones.
Sample body paragraph:
Evidence
Reasoning
According to Space.com “US $1 billion in 1970s dollars was spent on
the (Viking mars lander) program, which when inflation-adjusted to 2016
dollars is about 11 billion USD.” During that period of time, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States was in the grips of a
recession that featured 10% unemployment, an unprecedented increase in
the homeless population, and the spawning of a new term “stagflation”
(Online Etymology Dictionary) to describe the effects of wage stagnation
and high inflation. The Viking program went on to land on mars in the face
of all of these problems. We all saw it on TV. In the end all we did was
prove that we could do it. Very little scientific information or practical
insights were gained by that program. The money spent on the space
program could have been used to house the homeless, start jobs programs
or provide food and care for those affected by this plight.
Claim