ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Student’s Name

Course

Date

Annotated Bibliography

Davis, Jason. “Let’s Talk about This Whole Moon vs. Mars Thing for Human Spaceflight.” The Planetary Society Blog. The Planetary Society, January 26, 2017. https://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2017/20170126-moon-vs-mars-hsf.html.

The article offers a comparison between Mars and moon to establish which of the two is the ideal destination for a space exploration mission. The author’s main point is that NASA is likely to send astronauts to the moon in the recent future, rather than to the mars. He offers an analysis of factors that will contribute to such an undertaking, such as the proximity of the moon, the fewer costs, less danger, and the potential of moons planetary exploration as a basis for mars missions. However, the author concludes that private entities such as Space-X may take humans to Mars before NASA does so.

Davis provides compelling evidence to support his stand that NASA’s intent to explore mass may have to wait for a longer period, with changes to visit the moon instead. Primarily, the author relies on interviews with space scientists and NASA officials to inform his stand that the moon is a far safer destination compared to the mars. In this regard, he connects the arguments presented by his correspondence. However, there are counterarguments such as Space-X, who wish to pursue their mission to the Mars before NASA.

The planetary society is a credible platform for space exploration information. Besides, the article was posted on January 26, 2017, hence up to date. It also contains relevant information about the topic of planetary explorations. Therefore, the source will inform the current argument that the government should be focusing on going to the mars and not the moon.

Grush, Loren. “Trump Repeatedly Asks NASA Administrator Why We Can’t Go Straight to Mars.” The Verge. The Verge, July 19, 2019. https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/19/20701061/president-trump-nasa-administrator-jim-bridenstine-artemis-mars-direct-moon-apollo-11.

The article explains President Donald Trump’s consistent lobbying for NASA to focus on going to Mars direct instead of missions to the moon. The author discusses the conversations held between the president and NASA officials in his oval office during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. In this case, Trump proposes that they should go straight to the moon. However, the NASA officials believe that they should build a gateway station on the moon where they would test their technologies in preparation for going to the moon.

Gush provides evidence to support her claims that Trump wants NASA to plan missions to Mars and not to the moon. Primarily, the author states that the president argued that it was not necessary to go to the moon again for the astronauts who had been there since 50 years ago. Therefore, going to mars would be a new undertaking. He quotes Trump’s tweet, “They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!” however, the NASA officials counter the argument with claims that the moon is a testing ground for technologies to be used on the journey to Mars to help astronauts survive.

The article is a reliable source and can be trusted. The Verge is a news website and does not include any adverts. Therefore, the information is not directed to influence the readers. The 2019 article is up-to-date and contains relevant information on the issue of space exploration. The author uses the demand for new technology and bigger things as the rationale for his argument. The source will inform the current study about the necessity of visiting the mars rather than the moon.

Ridley, Aaron. “Is It Better to Live on the Moon or on Mars? A Scientific Investigation.” Quartz. Quartz, October 18, 2017. https://qz.com/1105031/should-humans-colonize-mars-or-the-moon-a-scientific-investigation/.

There are numerous issues that make mars a more suitable space destination compared to the moon. The article compares and contrasts the two planets to help solve the debate about whether the unites states should be focusing on going to the moon or to the mars. The author, Aaron Ridley, argues that the mars are far more preferable for long term space engagements due to the presence of a good atmosphere, temperatures, as well as availability of water. Besides, mars have a relatively the same length of day as compared to earth and would therefore not require any adjustments as opposed to the moon.

The author provides adequate evidence to support his central claim that a mission to the mar is more preferred than one to the moon. For instance, he cites the differences in day observed n the moon, which would make life rather cumbersome for human beings. Besides, Ridley supports his claim with the evidence of higher gravitational force in moon and the presence of an atmospheres. He uses this evidence to warrant Mars’ coolness in comparison to the moon, which he considers a boring planetary body. However, there are several counterarguments such as the long distance between earth and mars which makes logistics a menace.

The article is a trustworthy source to inform this study. Primarily, the author is a space science professor and hence has authority to write in the field. Besides, the article is posted on the Quartz website, which is a platform for professionals. The source provided relevant information to the issue of space exploration. Besides, it was posted on October 18, 2017 which makes the article up to date. The article’s information supports my argument that the united states should be focusing on going to the Mars and not the moon.

Bibliography

Grush, Loren. “Trump Repeatedly Asks NASA Administrator Why We Cant Go Straight to Mars.” The Verge. The Verge, July 19, 2019. https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/19/20701061/president-trump-nasa-administrator-jim-bridenstine-artemis-mars-direct-moon-apollo-11.