Houston+Academy+for+International+Studies+-+Mary+Gonzales+&+Emily+Jackson

toc =Affirmative=

Contention 1 is Space Debris Space debris is reaching a tipping point. It will bring down satellites. Blake, ‘11

Specifically, space debris risks destroying satellites causing false alarms, Russian miscalculation, and accidental nuclear launches - leading to all out nuclear war Lewis 4

= = Contention 2 is Asteroids Threats from asteroid strikes are ever-present. High magnitude and aperiodic strikes shatter traditional considerations of “timeframe” and mean we should treat asteroid threats as imminent. This calculus is key to prevent extinction. Brownfield ‘4

Solar sails are key to stopping asteroids in two ways: First, solar sails can change asteroid trajectory; keeping them from hitting earth. Glister 11

Contention 3 is Fukushima Bad = Bad Developing solar sails is key to replacing nuclear powered engines. Berinstein ‘01

PLAN:


 * The United States federal government should demonstrate solar sail technology for purposes at least including spacecraft propulsion, mitigation of space debris, and asteroid deflection. **

Solvency The US must lead in funding new spaceflight endeavors – it’s crucial for other countries to bandwagon and solve Handberg ‘10

Current solar sail projects are falling short but a successful, large-scale demonstration effort can unlock their potential. The plan opens the door for future missions using solar sails. Foust 8 =Negative=

wegsdgfr