Reusable Space Rockets

Have you ever wondered what was out in outer space?  Have you ever wanted your cell phone to have improved internet connection, or the ability to connect to anywhere in the world?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, then the invention of the Falcon 9, also known as the first reusable space rocket, will have a great affect on your life.  The Falcon 9 was invented by the company SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk. Musk is previously famous for being a co-founder of Paypal, and CEO of Tesla  Motors.  He founded the company SpaceX in 2002, with one major goal in mind, being able to colonize Mars.  They have started by building smaller space rockets, like the Falcon 9.  The Falcon 9 is a rocket that is currently being used to transport satellites into space, and supplies into space stations.  Contrary to a space shuttle, these rockets are not used for transporting astronauts.  The Falcon 9 rockets are different than normal rockets, because they are able to be landed, and then reused without needing to build a new one.  The ability for these rockets to be reused is completely changing space travel.  The reason for reusing space rockets is to save millions of dollars in the construction of new rockets. If SpaceX is able to save money, then there are a countless amount of different ways that the funding can be spent.  With the cost of sending the rockets into space reduced, the rockets can be used more often, which leads to the improvement of the services that the satellites provide, like your cell phone's internet connection, and popular social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.  Also, using the rockets more often leads to more improvements that make the rockets better, which can lead to improved space travel, and improve the space flight of astronauts in the future.

A Falcon 9 rocket landing

Elon Musk's main reason for inventing the Falcon 9 rocket is costs. One of the main problems with starting the company SpaceX was that they don't receive government funding, like the company NASA.  That means that they are limited to what they are able to accomplish because they simply can't afford it.  But, with the falcon 9 being reusable, they are able to save lots of money by not having to build a new rocket.  Musk himself said that "It means you can fly and refly an orbital class booster, which is the most expensive part of the rocket ... Since the cost of launching a Falcon 9 is around $60 million, launching on a used rocket could cost around $40 million" (Grush, Loren).  Now that they have about $20 million in extra funds, then they can continue to advance their rockets, and test them more often. Often use can lead to more improvements on the rockets, getting as many benefits out of it as possible, and being able to reach their goal of mars even quicker.

The Falcon 9 is having immediate benefits, as well as some long term benefits as well.  One of the immediate impacts is the technological services that it is providing by bringing the satellites into earth's orbit.  According to Elon Musk, "This satellite, called the SES-10, will eventually sit in a high orbit of 22,000 miles, and provide communication services to all of Latin America," (Grush, Loren).  The satellites that the rockets bring up are providing many services not previously accessible to those areas of the world, and it is revolutionizing the lives of people across the world.  Another immediate impact is the food and supplies that these rockets are bringing to astronauts in space stations.  Those supplies being brought up are helping the astronauts perform to the best of their ability, and keep making new discoveries of their own, to help america, and the world gain knowledge of outer space.  One of the long term impacts is how reusable rockets can be used in the future.  Like mentioned before, rockets are different from shuttles, but shuttles still use rockets to propel it into space.  But, rockets that shuttles use are discarded after one single use.  Elon Musk said that "Up until now, practically all rockets have been expandable, so they're basically thrown away once they launch into space.  That means an entirely new rocket has to be built for each mission to orbit, (Grush, Loren).  So theoretically, the reusable rocket could be used to launch space shuttles.  That would drastically decrease the cost of each launch, which means they could improve the space shuttle, and improve space travel for astronauts.  Improved space travel could lead to Elon's true goal of reaching mars, as well as many other greatly beneficial space discoveries that have the potential to impact the entire world.

I bet that some people are wondering, what is the point of improving space travel?  Shouldn't we put that money to other uses, or worry about any negatives with this invention?  There are some people might view this invention as a negative, because the money put into these rockets could be used in other, more important ways.  Well, according to CNN, NASA only uses $18.7 billion of the american budget, which is less than 1% of the budget, (Adamu, Zaina).  Since SpaceX doesn't receive any government funds, they spend a lot less money than NASA.  That means that for a very small amount of money, space innovations like the Falcon 9 are very practical for america, and the entire world.  Also, another issue people have with SpaceX in general is that they are not connected to NASA at all.  Many would feel like that would improve almost all inventions made by the company, but especially the falcon.  That is a problem that I agree with.  While the reusable rocket is still in the testing phase, it is still something that could greatly benefit NASA.  Also, NASA has the money to greatly help SpaceX with their goal.  So, if the two companies were to work together on this reusable rocket, then it could improve so much quicker, and lead to even greater discoveries.  I feel that the two companies did work together, then the Falcon 9 rocket, and all the benefits that come with it, would greatly improve, meaning great things for the entire world.

Galileo's Telescope

This invention reminded me about the importance of the perfection of the telescope by Galileo during the renaissance.  Hans Lippershey is the inventor of the original telescope.  Galileo, who was fascinated by the night sky, was using Lippershey's telescope, and noticed major flaws with it.  So, he designed his own telescope, which laid a pathway to the modern day telescope, as well as changing the world's knowledge of space at the time.  In that aspect, Galileo's telescope is similar to the Falcon 9 rocket.  The rocket is a perfection of previous rockets used, and is changing space travel possibilities, as well as technology to improve lives around the world.  Both inventions had the same effect on society, which is why I think they are similar inventions.

Works Cited

Adamu, Zaina. “Exploring Space: Why's It so Important?” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 Oct. 2012, lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/20/exploring-space-whys-it-so-important/.

Calderone, Julia. “SpaceX Just Released Incredible New Photos of Its Historic Rocket Landing.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 12 Apr. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/spacex-rocket-landing-ocean-barge-photos-2016-4.

Forbes. “Elon Musk.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Oct. 2017, www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/.

Grush, Loren. “SpaceX Makes Aerospace History with Successful Launch and Landing of a Used Rocket.” The Verge, The Verge, 30 Mar. 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/3/30/15117096/spacex-launch-reusable-rocket-success-falcon-9-landing.

Plotner, Tammy. “What Is Galileo's Telescope?” Universe Today, 13 July 2016, www.universetoday.com/15763/galileos-telescope/.