By Tanish Pradhan
While speaking to CNBC last Thursday, Boeing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dennis Muilenburg made a statement which stirred up a fair bit of excitement. In a bold proclamation, he said, I firmly believe the first person that sets foot on Mars, will get there in a Boeing rocket. The line, which Fortune Tech promptly picked up and published to Twitter, received quite the cheeky reply from SpaceX founder, Elon Musk. Do it, he said.
Growing towards Mars
The statement by Muilenburg was made in response to CNBC host, Jim Cramer asking him whether he or Musk would, get a man on Mars first. To substantiate his claim, he went on to briefly explain Boeings mission to Mars. He said that they were working on National Aeronautics and Space Administrations giant rocket called the Space Launch system. This will be used to send new astronauts on deep space missions using the Agencys new Orion spacecraft. The rocket, 36 stories tall, is now in the final stages of construction and is expected to be test launched in 2019 to do a slingshot around the moon.
Elon Musk, however, is not someone who can be taken lightly in the race to Mars. He has gained worldwide recognition as the face of humanitys mission to colonise Mars. He has often said that colonising mars was his primary motive behind starting SpaceX. His passion to do the same was evident in his speech, Making Life Multiplanetary, delivered at the International Astronautical Congress in September. It makes one wonder whether his tweet really was a challenge. He could also have meant them as words of encouragement; to accomplish the same goal that he longed to.
Twitter buzz
Musks response to Muilenburgs statement, though, sent Twitter users into a frenzy. People began to admire the spirit of competition between these organisations. Many users also began to place wagers on who would win, the majority siding with SpaceX and Musk. A user even said that Boeing had a better chance of walking to Mars than beating Musk. Breaking through all the noise though was Boeings admirable response to Musks challenge. It read, Game on!
Destination space
Apollo 11 landed on the moon 48 years ago. Forty-five years ago, on December 19th, 1972, the last manned mission to the moon, Apollo 17, landed on the Moons surface. It was also the last time humans existed on a celestial body besides our own. It is a bit amazing, while sad, to think that the first and last lunar landing were not as far apart as the last landing and present day. It spelled the end of the era where space missions were not only about technological advancement but also about national sentiment.
This was, what many people claim, the boon of the Cold War. In their frenzy to outdo each other, the US and the USSR developed space-faring technology at such a pace, that in just a few years, humanity was leaps and bounds ahead of where it had been. It also had the pleasant side effect of the accidental development of technologies which had numerous alternate uses. From freeze-dried food to cordless vacuum cleaners, even water purifiers, all were a by-product of the space age.
In the future though, SpaceX and Boeing might prove that a Cold War isnt always needed for the by-products of competition. Competition between rival traders is the crux of free trade and can be seen frequently between large organisations. We have seen it with Microsoft and Apple and more recently between Facebook and Google. The results of these rivalries were not only better deals for consumers, it also meant the faster development of cutting-edge technology.
If the SpaceX-Boeing rivalry continues with the same spirit, it could mean rekindling the fire of the space age, around the world. Global citizens neednt engage in rivalries that arose out of nationalism and can celebrate the achievements of mankind as a whole. Corporates of tomorrow will surely play an immense role in taking us to greater heights of technological and scientific advancement. Humanity can peacefully ride the wave from the Race of Titans.
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