Paul Weissfellner
Prof. Fenn
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
October 17, 2016
This article, entitled “Can the U.S. Really Get Astronauts to Mars by 2030?”, was published in response to an enormous announcement by the Obama administration: the United States is planning on launching human-staffed missions to mars by 2030. This article takes a unique approach, in that it is about science but does not focus that much on the science itself. Rather, the emphasis is on what is possible; it lays out a series of common questions about the proposed mission and answers them in a clear, concise way. The science of the mission itself is extremely complicated: the engineering behind the rockets, the life support systems, etc. are all far too complex for the average person to understand, so the article attempts to take this exciting news closer to home by making it relatable and bringing as many people in, regardless of their level of scientific literacy.
You did well describing the article, and I like how you connected your analysis to specific points such as rocket engineering and life support systems. I would simply be careful with your wording, specifically with regard to your title. I understand your point, but an average person might take offense to your statement that “people are stupid.”