[Free Registration/Login Required] For this lesson, 8th graders analyze two nonfiction articles and a short video that look at NASA, changes to the space shuttle program, and future possibilities in the United States space program. They examine author purpose and conflicting points of view expressed in these resources, then create a piece of writing that presents their ideas about the future of U.S. space research using arguments and evidence from the articles and video. A rubric is provided for assessing the writing.