Solar System Exploration and the Search for Habitable Worlds

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Solar System Exploration and the Search for Habitable Worlds Tammie Washington (2037785) Marylhurst University Professor Jan Dabrowski 02/09/11 Solar System Exploration Humankind’s fascination with the solar system dates back to prehistoric and ancient civilization. Collectively, the sun’s system of planets, satellites, and small solar bodies hold the clues to how the solar system formed and evolved to its current state. [need a third sentence and thesis] [Need a Title] Habitability In order to determine whether a planet can sustain life a planet’s own basic properties and evolution, the architecture of its planetary system, and the hazards external to the planet, which hold the potential for changing in a deleterious way its life–sustaining environment. The Funding NASA is often guided by several initiatives such as the President’s Vision for Space Exploration, The National Aeronautics and Space Act, and the U.S. National Space Policy. The 10.8% increase in the President’s FY 2011 budget for planetary science signifies the . The Pioneers of Space Exploration In 2006, NASA collaborated with the National Research Council to develop a Solar System Exploration Roadmap for its Science Mission Directorate to be executed over the next 30 years. The basis behind the roadmap is to answer fundamental questions such as, how did life begin and evolve on Earth and has it evolved elsewhere in the Solar System? Since the Ranger mission in 1961, there have been 43 planetary explorations in development or completed. [Need a Title] The Sun’s Origin and the Evolution of the Solar System Scientists must understand the evolution of terrestrial planets and to discover the possible varieties and causes of diverse planetary environments. Numerous space missions have shown scientists that planets are susceptible to physical, chemical, geological, and biological

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