Quantity has a quality all of its own. Apollo-era NASA consumed 1.5% of the entire federal budget. You're right that SpaceX is still catching up, but they're doing it on a lot less than that to say the least. (Compare: 1980-present NASA has arguably never done anything as exciting as the Apollo programme)
Red Dragon (assuming goes ahead as planned) will be the heaviest payload ever landed on another planet - an incremental improvement to be sure, but a real one. Mars sample return will be a concrete new thing that NASA never managed. Watch this space.
Red Dragon (assuming goes ahead as planned) will be the heaviest payload ever landed on another planet - an incremental improvement to be sure, but a real one. Mars sample return will be a concrete new thing that NASA never managed. Watch this space.