International Space Station

As mentioned in the Benson article in the textbook, the International Space Station is iconic in the history of man kind’s exploration of space.  It is the culmination of hard work from countries all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Russia, European nations, and Japan.  However, as also mentioned in the article, the ISS has yet to prove very much worth to space exploration, other than draining billions of dollars in funding.  It is the single most expensive thing ever built and it is completely underused.  It has sat at low-earth orbit for years without contributing much at all.  In order to utilize its assets, NASA and the rest of the world’s space programs, must choose to send the space station elsewhere in order to collect more data on things yet to be discovered in space.  There is talk of moving the station to the moon’s orbit, however, the moon has already be explored several times in the past; once again, proving this idea to be useless.  I propose that NASA moves the station into Mars’ orbit.  Colonizing Mars has always been a hot topic in the space exploration forum, and if humanity continues to treat the earth the way it has for the past decades, a new planet may need to be colonized.  NASA must take steps into further exploration of Mars if there is ever to be a back-up plan.

Source Blog

One of the sources I chose for my next essay topic, “What is a Healthy Lifestyle,” is a website called The Center for Reintegration.  The website is dedicated to giving information on how to live a healthier life.  For example, there are links on the page for nutritional tips, weight management, exercise tips, wellness consultation, etc.  As in any research paper, the research and citations are the biggest part of a well written essay.  The information that is used in the paper has to be solid, but at the same time, it must be credible.  For this site, the sources for the articles are very credible.  According to the advisory board link at the bottom, those involved in the site are mostly those in the medical field or hospital personnel.  If anyone would be considered a credible source on how to live a healthy lifestyle, they would be the people to go to.

Paper 3 Topic

For my concept that I would like to define, I have chosen the idea of a “healthy lifestyle.”  This is a term that can have a plethora of meanings, which makes it a highly debatable subject.  For some, being “healthy” constitutes a solid and diverse diet.  Others feel like exercising on a regular basis means being healthy as well.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people feel that as long as you’re happy with the lifestyle that they live, they are living a normal, healthy life.  The concept is very debatable because there are so many different ideas of how you can be healthy.  All of which I mentioned above can help one to feel good about their overall health.  For me, healthy is being able to exercise on a regular basis, eating right, and having a positive mindset in everything I do.  However, I am completely willing to recognize that for others, as long as they are happy with the way that they are living, they choose what makes them feel healthy.  I find this to be a very interesting topic due to the influx in the obesity rate that has taken place recently in the U.S..