Animal Astronauts – Any Thoughts?

Hi Class! This week we will debate the issue of animal astronauts (click the link if you forgot about the reading). Your writing opportunity has three parts. First, choose a side in this debate and make a convincing argument(s) in support of your views. Secondly, read the posts of your classmates and refute (disagree) or support (agree) their position and provide reasoning. Finally, defend your own position when you have been challenged by your classmates.

Use your best writing skills and be involved in the debate. Part 1 (the side you choose) is due today. Parts 2 and 3 must be posted before next Wednesday (October 3).

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106 Responses to Animal Astronauts – Any Thoughts?

  1. JaXs0N says:

    Animals should keep going to explore space because humans are way smarter and more useful than animals! Plus we invented everything animals have done nothing to help us. Even if the animals die it is better than a family member blowing to shreds. Some animals are getting extinct so don’t use them, but cats, dogs, frogs and monkey’s should all keep going into space.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Quick Fix: no need for an apostrophe to make a plural noun (frogs and monkeys).

    • shaleyea says:

      Humans are the ones who imprisoned cats and dogs! They can live happily on there own,they can fend for them selfs,they were made for that! They don’t need us,but yet they stay with us,they stay because they love us. It’s not right if we return this love with death,terrorizing death in space! I have a dog,a dog who loves me,and I can’t picture it,knowing he could be sent onto space too! You try and imagine it.

    • Jillian says:

      Yes, thinking about a family members guts is not pleasent.

  2. spencer says:

    Animals have to continue going into space because, we can’t just send a human that has a family into space to die for just an experiment. I don’t agree with sending animals into space but if you just send a frog or something frogs don’t really have kids that they love and take care of like humans do. Also afterwords if the tests are complete chances are we won’t be sending anymore animals into space for a couple more years and when we do it will be for a good reason.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      An argument can lose power when you give the other side of the argument some credit. What you agree with is not necessary to mention. Be convincing.

    • drew says:

      WE MUST STOP PUTTING ANIMALS INTO SPACE .Why not just send people thet are in jail and that is there trial for maybe killing ten people. Also animals get put up into space against their will where as humans have a choice.!

      • Spencer says:

        But if you put someone in jail into space they will either just stay there and rot or they will crash land on earth and kill a whole buch of people. Also wouldn’t you rather a monkey die rather than you die? There is a chance that the animal might not die and if it does survive it will make history. I stand by my choices.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Are prisoners less important living creatures than animals? Humans make laws (and have had some horrible ones throughout history), so how is this a proper way to choose living research subjects? Finally, is it not true that prisoners have a will also?

    • shaleyea says:

      I agree with the frog part of what you said. I don’t mind if it’s a frog,or a mouse,or rat. I just can’t stand to see a dog,or a cat go into space. You can get that to! Just imagine you beloved dog or cat being killed in space! I can connect with that because I have both!

  3. rayne says:

    Humans would be better to go into space because they can tell you what you saw and what was out there. Humans would also know what to do out there instead of just sitting there. Animals cant tell you anything. I mean I know that it’s just for experimenting, but it’s a big waste of time.

    • JaXs0N says:

      No, animals need to go into space what if Bill Gates goes into outer space and dies, then we lose xbox to someone else that probably knows nothing.

    • Jillian says:

      Sam, a rhesus monkey, was one of the most well known monkeys of the space program. His name was an acronym for the U.S. Air Force S chool of A viation M edicine at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. He was launched on December 4, 1959, housed in a cylindrical capsule within the Mercury spacecraft atop a Little Joe rocket in order to test the launch escape system (LES). Approximately one minute into the flight, traveling at a speed of 3685 mph, the Mercury capsule aborted from the Little Joe launch vehicle. After attaining an altitude of 51 miles, the spacecraft landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Sam was recovered, several hours later, with no ill effects from his journey.

      Information from NASA

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Great research to defend a position!

        On another note, it is interesting to note the similarities between SAM and the Curious George story when George is an astronaut.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Machines have yet to be invented that can mimic (or copy) the way living cells work, thus animals must continue to be sent into space do you not agree?

  4. melissa says:

    Animals should not go to space it isn’t fair. They should have a say in whether or not they go or not, but of course animals don’t talk. If animals were to go into space, yes it would be cool but it’s just cruel. It wouldn’t be fair to someone that one day a person would come by and take their pet and they’d never see it again now that is just not fair. Animals are intelligent creatures we should be making more not killing more.

    • JaXs0N says:

      Animals need to go into space because humans need to live longer to help out with the earth and if were killing humans then we will need to reproduce more and that won’t be good

    • Jillian says:

      Animals are intelligent! That is exactly why we should be sending them into space, if we train them they can even operate certain parts of the space craft. Plus there are way more animals than humans in the world.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      To extend your argument then, isn’t is true that all animals should be able to choose their owners? Naturally this would imply that people could not own animals.

  5. Gabrielle says:

    Thats just cruel! Animals are just as important as humans. How would you like it if you got shoved into a space shuttle by yourself and then died. You see think about how the animals would feel. What did animals do to the planet like really. They don’t deserve to die just for test. And if people decided to go into space thats there decision to go up there. Animals did nothing to deserve that.

    Thanks, Gabby

    P.S I approve this message.

  6. cassie says:

    Animal cruelty Because sending poor insentient animals and they die. Like people have a chose if they want to go or not. Animals don’t so i feel its not fair at all. Its so mean that they would ever do that! Like what if a mother of 10 puppies gos to space and she dies the puppies don’t get raised properly. Plus if they keep on sending the same animal up there they would come act-stink. Thats my argument!

    • spencer says:

      The puppies won’t remember their mom after like a couple months and chances are they will all get adopted to a family that cares for them. Also if they put the same animal up in space before they do that they will probably let the animal reproduce before going into space.

    • JaXs0N says:

      If the mother dies then they go to a shelter and get raised up there but we can’t kill humans just for going into space!

    • Jillian says:

      Sorry! Would you rather go up into space and suffocate or would you rather have a rodent go up instead? You or the rodent? Its your choice.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Quick Fix:
      – use ‘innocent’ rather than ‘insentient’
      – I is always a capital letter
      – use ‘extinct’ rather than ‘act-stink’

  7. emily says:

    Animals should never go into space! They are just as important as we are. Especially if it is just for experimenting something that is so out of this world! I can’t believe that people would be so selfish to put their needs first and not think about the poor animals that have no choice and risk their lives for NOTHING! Also even if they did make it back what proof would they have and they wouldn’t tell you anything. And last but not least dogs and other thing are like a best friend and they save peoples life and scientists repay them by killing them! Thats just wrong.
    P.S you guys make me sick in the stomach.
    Think of the animals please for the sake of their little hearts that could be over heated in space.

    • Jillian says:

      Animals should go into space! They are important to reaserch, and new technology and discoveries. Its not like there being experimented on, there just helping us learn new stuff!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Isn’t it true that the needs of domestic (house) pets are ignored too? Not all research animals die a sudden death. Additionally, research animals have save the lives of millions of people! Think of all the medicine we have today thanks partly due to research animals.

  8. megan laforge says:

    I didn’t want animals to keep going in to space because if they get taken from the wrong home and ti cold be a working dog.if dogs and cats go in to space than sooner than later there is not going to be any more.

    • spencer says:

      Before the animals go into space the people will probably let them reproduce. Also isn’t it better the animals die than you die don’t you think?

    • Jillian says:

      There are more animals than humans, they won’t go extint for a long time. Also animals go into space to help conduct scientific research only when absolutely necessary, and do you really think that humans are that bad? Of course they woudn’t send a special seeing eye dog or home help dog into space, NASA’s not that mean!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Isn’t it true there are many ‘wrong homes’ for animals? Animal shelters are always overcrowded and seeking donations, so why not help the animals so they can help humans at the same time?

  9. sydney says:

    Putting animals in space would be amazing to figure out how they would react different from humans. To put animals in space would be better than putting humans life in danger or caution. Animals have less of a life to live than humans any ways so if it was at the end of its life it wouldn’t matter in any way. Humans would be sad but it would be better to risk a animals life than your child or your mom. If you kill one they have more to produce than humans in a liter because humans take 9 months and animals take 4 or 5 months so there would still be more of a popularity

    • Kelsey says:

      Animals have just as much rights as we do. Just because they cant talk doesn’t mean they don’t live and love things. I think we should make a devise that lets animals speak so we can see how they feel about us shooting them into space.

    • Gabrielle says:

      Animals have already been in space. The humans can decide if they want to go or not animals can’t animals are just as important!

      • Spencer says:

        Every one can’t just say animals don’t have a choice but humans do. I’m just saying that it will make it easier for the people that agree with animals going into space.

  10. Jillian says:

    Animals are very important in the well being of humans. If we didn’t have animals to help us with our journeys a lot of people would have died. Do the animals like living in micro-gravity? Does floating instead of walking confuse them? “Amazingly, they adapt very quickly,” says Laura Lewis, a member of NASA Ames Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. “Within 5 minutes, mice are floating in their living spaces, grooming themselves, and eating, just as they would on Earth.” Think about it, would you rather have a human die, friend, or relative instead of a mouse? How do we know that they don’t like it, it just might be an animal version of a carnival ride! So, animals or humans? You decide.

    • jacqueline says:

      Well NASA could send humans that just don’t care about what will happen up there instead of mans best friend or other creatures.

      • Jillian says:

        Humans care what happens to them “Up there”. If dogs really are mans best friend then its there job to help us out “Up there” Even if it does mean risking there life for us. Who should it be? You or a dog?

  11. Kelsey says:

    Animals can’t be shot up in space! First of all they are helpless. They can’t chose to go, they are forced . Second they can’t state there opinion, if animals could talk they would be very mad at us. We shouldn’t volunteer animals first we should go up before them! Most people don’t even think about how animals have feelings too. They live and they have family but if we shoot them in space they could die and loose they wonderful lives at home.

  12. kayla says:

    animals should not go into space because if you were that animal and your rocket was about to crash how would you feel? also we have the choice if we want to go into space animals don”t we just put them in the space shuttle and blast them off and they cant do anything about it.frogs,guinea pigs ,cats and dogs are all pets to us first we took away there habitats now they are dying because of scientists want to see how they react in space if they were meant to be in space they would be in space instead of on earth!

  13. shaleyea says:

    Animals should not be sent to space! Humans are smarter and can work out problems, most animals don’t even have thumbs! We should not be sending animals out to space because they can’t report what happened or what they saw if the mission was successful. They can’t even talk! We can always use the same technology we used with curiosity. That would solve all sorts of problems we have, plus, just give it a couple of years and we will have the technology to have the spaceship talk to us! We already have that with the new I-Phone 5!

  14. drew says:

    Animals must stop going to space because they are going against their will. Also why not send criminals into space because they have killed people.

  15. jacqueline says:

    Against animals in space!
    Imagine your a dog taken away from your home, then thrown in to a space ship and then your in space. How do you feel about it. That has been happening for the past 50 years, and is still happening now.
    animals are suffering from this injustice, and they all can’t say no!
    they cant go up to a scientist at NASA and say “i don’t want to do this, so I’m going home.”
    many accidents have happened through this injustice and i say why don’t we send a person who doesn’t care what happens to them up there.
    sending animals up there for human wants is WRONG!

  16. kobe says:

    Animals should keep to going to space because they are kinda like humans and they need the same needs as a human

  17. Dylan says:

    Animals are a living thing to why do they have to die when you say it does not matter if an animal goes to space they were born to live not die in 10 seconds if we get to live a full happy life they should to thats why we should stand up and say that it is wrong just think if they were sending a dog to space what would you do if you were that dog just waiting to die think everybody is scared of death so because the look different they don’t matter what would you do if your dog had to go to space what would you do just replace it thats wrong. now think do you want to KILL or HELP can they say no say it for them.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Punctuation Police: Readers expect punctuation. Please resubmit your post with punctuation.

    • Jillian says:

      Dogs are mans best friend. They love us, care for us, and protect us. For example a dog named Lakia, the first dog to orbit earth went up, and because of her scientists learned that humans can survive take off.

  18. Kaleb says:

    Animals should go to space instead of human. what would you rather have you sister or mom or brother or dad or any of your famliy or have you pet

  19. shace says:

    I don’t think animals should go into space because if they get stuck in a situation they don’t know what to do because they only know what to do from things they learned from there habbitat because thats where they lived all there lives. Only humans should go into space beacuase we’re not as cute.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Quick Fix: the lives belonging to them = their lives

      Please elaborate on your point about being cute as a reason to go (or not go) into space

  20. Jacob says:

    I am against the idea of sending animals into space because like Dylan said the animals don’t have a choice to go up there or not. people would just put them in a space ship and send them up there.Also the animals would suffer and probably die in space. I think humans should still go into space because they have more intelligence’s bigger and stronger and can communicate with other humans.

  21. Issac says:

    Animals should NEVER go into space it is wrong. Animals have done no wrong to us but yet we harm them.Is it right to hurt animals? Is it right to take their freedom and life from them. Do animals deserve this cruel thing that has happend to them? It is done for our safety but is it necessary for poor innocent animals to all die over us? Maybe they suffered before they died, maybe some little puppies who never asked to be there were found dead after the space shuttle crashed but they don’t care then they go to a pound and get more pups to go into space with very little chance to survive then it just keeps going until they find a way to make it work but how many lives of animals were taken? ALOT. What good have we ever done to animals we are taking up their land and making alot of species extinict and are also destroying their land with global warming something that we humans have created. Honestly humans are REALLY selfish. what if you got a new kitten and then it got shot up into space would you like that? I would rather see ONE human die rather then 150 monkeys die. Not to be a bad person but there are people dying each and every single day. Sending animals into space has killed alot of animals and if it keeps going on those animals could be gone forever. If people are so smart why don’t they realize that this is animal cruelty don’t think animals are as important as we are? Don’t you think that they have the same amount as freedom as we do? I do, ” so stop putting animals into space!”

    • Jillian says:

      So, you’d rather put your family in a situation of grieving and sorrow, because you would rather send your self up to explore than a cat or dog? This is exactly what rodents are for. Like before, do the animals like living in micro-gravity? Does floating instead of walking confuse them? “Amazingly, they adapt very quickly,” says Laura Lewis, a member of NASA Ames Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. “Within 5 minutes, mice are floating in their living spaces, grooming themselves, and eating, just as they would on Earth.” We are not hurting them, or damaging them we are just furthering our understanding of space, and what environments humans can live in. Everyone should thank these courageous animals in helping us and saving our lives.

    • shaleyea says:

      I like your strong words you used! Great job!!

    • Jake says:

      or we could just eat them ‘-‘

    • Jacob says:

      Yea Issac your right they should never send animals to space LONG LIVE THE ANIMALS !!!!

  22. Jake says:

    Animals should not be sent into space simply because they would do more use for us down here,and, think about it would you rather send a chicken up to space or would you rather eat it? It is not because I am a hunter that dose not affect my decision at all i just would rather be healthy and uneducated then smart but hungry. Ever here the saying “curiosity killed the cat” well same thing here but literally!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Quick Fix:
      – when comparing use ‘than’; then is used when putting events in chronological order
      – our ears ‘hear’ (ever ‘hear’ the saying – not ‘here’ the saying)

  23. serena says:

    I dont think that animals should go into space because they are not able to understand the reason as to why they are sent to space. The animals cant voice their feelings on going to space but humans can. It places unnesasary fear on them.

  24. Issac says:

    Jill like I said no one cares about rodents but I don’t want to see 50 dogs over one human

  25. Issac says:

    Jill didn’t you read the where it said MANY ANIMALS DIED!!??

  26. Tyler says:

    its mean that people are sending animals in to space because there is not allot of animals in some parts of the world. So they student send animals into space. Animals have family’s to so stop sending animals in to space. They dont no how to live in space like we do.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Quick Fix:
      – it + is = it’s
      – use ‘a lot’ (meaning many or several) rather than ‘allot’ (meaning to put aside an amount for something)
      – never use an apostrophe for plural nouns (families)

  27. Issac says:

    Animals should never go into space!!!!!!!!!!!

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