We had to make an essay for Capstone, here it is! I hope you will like it!
Capstone Essay
My Capstone topic is SpaceX vs. NASA to Mars. I chose that topic because I am interested in learning more about space. I think Capstone has been very interesting so far. I believe that NASA will win the race to get to Mars because they have more experience with space, and their budget is a lot higher so they can afford better rockets.
Let’s talk a little bit about SpaceX. SpaceX has only recently begun to explore Mars. The company was started by Elon Musk in 2002. Currently SpaceX and Elon Musk are working on building the BFR (Big Falcon Rocket). SpaceX is planning to spend $10 billion on its plan to colonize Mars. The plan includes a large rocket, codenamed the BFR, which blasts a spaceship carrying up to 100 people into orbit before returning to the launch pad. The rocket will then be used to refuel the transport ship. SpaceX has built the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon spaceships as test models. The company is also using the transport ships to make money by launching satellites for customers. SpaceX is currently working on a timeline for its plan and making the rocket more affordable.
Now, let’s talk about NASA. NASA is currently working on the Mars 2020 rover. They’re also doing some research on how they can land on Mars, if there’s life there, and if there’s materials for something living there to eat/drink. NASA has actually found water on Mars. They also found out that Mars uses the sun and the moon, it also gets down to -200 degrees fahrenheit at night, so that’s a possibility that there’s life on Mars. NASA is currently working on the SLS, which is the rocket they will use to get to Mars. They say it’ll be the biggest and most powerful rocket in the world. NASA is planning to spend $2.15 billion on the SLS.
We will now compare NASA and SpaceX. NASA has always had more experience than SpaceX, mainly because they’ve had so many people there, and that NASA has been around for 59 years and all they’ve been doing is exploring space. NASA also has a large budget of $18.5 billion. SpaceX has little experience because they’ve only been around for 16 years, they don’t have very many people, either, and their budget is $1 billion.
In conclusion, as you can see by the examples and facts that I have given, I believe NASA will be the first program to get to Mars because they have more experience, more money so they can afford better rockets, and their dedication to space exploration.