Sophie Knox- Space X

Summary- Elon Musk’s company, Space X, just successfully launched a rocket carrying 64 rockets into orbit. This is unprecedented and set a new world record. The rocket also reused a booster
that has already flown to and back from space; they have so far only reused boosters from Falcon 9 rockets, and hope to continue using the parts. The satellites were contructed from 30 different organizations and serve various purposes. Trevor Paglem created a piece of artwork which was carried up into space. His Cubesat will deploy a 100 foot reflective balloon, and disputed his good intentions, astronomers worry that it will make astronomy harder, or become space trash and damage other satellites. This rocket was actually supposed to be launched in early November and the set backs caused worry, but it seems everything worked out in the end.

Analysis: We can compare this to when the first satellite ( Sputnik I) was sent into orbit because both established a precedent. The historical context of this article is before there was any confirmation that the trip was successful (the article  updated it at 1:57 P.M informing that SpaceX completed their mission). The audience was for anyone in the world and did not specifically try to target a group. The purpose of the article was to inform the public of what could be a huge scientific success, and give people background knowledge of SpaceX’s plan. The point of view of the author is strictly a reporter, and to only state facts not opinions.


https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7xywnx/watch-spacex-launch-64-satellites-aboard-a-twice-used-rocket