View Full Version : Space-X
I see that after a near ten year hiatus, we are launching people into space again. That is a very good thing.
Hurrah for egotistical billionaires.
The launch made me feel like a kid again. Plus, I love the 2001-Space-Odyssey design of the craft and the suits.
The launch made me feel like a kid again. Plus, I love the 2001-Space-Odyssey design of the craft and the suits.
They did strike me as more stylish than the normal government issue. Sort of how a Bond villain would dress up his minions. And let’s face it, the Shuttle was about as cool as my dad’s old Country Squire.
frugal-one
5-30-20, 10:12pm
Who is paying for this?
Who is paying for this?
The taxpayer of course. It's interesting though to see how SpaceX has diminished the cost per launch as opposed to NASA. They've developed re-usable rockets which dramatically lower the cost per launch, perhaps by as much as half. I don't think it would ever occur to the government to do that.
I thought the most interesting part of today's launch was watching the Stage One rocket land itself on a recovery ship named "Of Course I Still Love You". There's another one named "Just Read The Instructions".
frugal-one
5-31-20, 11:32am
The taxpayer of course. It's interesting though to see how SpaceX has diminished the cost per launch as opposed to NASA. They've developed re-usable rockets which dramatically lower the cost per launch, perhaps by as much as half. I don't think it would ever occur to the government to do that.
I thought the most interesting part of today's launch was watching the Stage One rocket land itself on a recovery ship named "Of Course I Still Love You". There's another one named "Just Read The Instructions".
Great. Just what we need! The damn wall and now this also unneeded expense. What a waste.
I believe it's been funded by the gov't to a tune of $5 billion or so...but Elon Musk, Google and other shareholders own Spacex. Unless I've read wrong.
I love this. Guess I’m in the minority.
It beats spending billions on wars.
ToomuchStuff
6-1-20, 11:52pm
I love this. Guess I’m in the minority.
It beats spending billions on wars.
Yeah, because wars have had nothing to do with the space program........
(friends grandfather was brought over in operation Paperclip)
I love this. Guess I’m in the minority.
You’re not alone.
People are so cynical lately ...
People are so cynical lately ...
I suppose if you’re only capable of drawing bitter lessons from the past and present, you’re pretty much condemned to be prematurely disappointed by the future.
You’re not alone.
Nope, not alone at all. I've always gloried in our space escapades. I haven't had Tang in years but I do still appreciate having a ballpoint pen that writes upside down (I understand the Soviets were stuck with pencils).
I'm indifferent to space travel, but I find Elon Musk repellent, FWIW.
frugal-one
6-2-20, 12:26pm
I love this. Guess I’m in the minority.
It beats spending billions on wars.
I'd feel better if they spent the money on things that would help people now. We are trillions in debt and money is being wasted on this IMO.
Nope, not alone at all. I've always gloried in our space escapades. I haven't had Tang in years but I do still appreciate having a ballpoint pen that writes upside down (I understand the Soviets were stuck with pencils).
I always thought the Space Pens were pretty cool as a kid and bought a couple from REI not long ago. They are great for writing on slick greeting cards or anything with oily finger prints. I can verify that they also write underwater and you can still get refill ink cartridges. I've given them as gifts. (I actually just used mine today to sign my Donald J. Trump stimulus check). The Soviet solution seemed quite practical.
Great. Just what we need! The damn wall and now this also unneeded expense. What a waste.
I think it is a long-term needed expense, and not a waste, statistically, at all.
Every now-and-then, very large rocks strike the Earth, causing incredible damage. Being technologically capable of dealing with such things is essential to the survival of our species.
Kinda like global warming though, it is such a long-term threat that nobody wants to do anything about it now...
And space exploration leads to significant advances in various fields, so that's good.
And space exploration leads to significant advances in various fields, so that's good.
Well, while a useful side effect, I'm not sure that's the most efficient way to make some of the advances.
I bet Velcro and Tang could have been cheaper to develop if not done by NASA :-)
I'm indifferent to space travel, but I find Elon Musk repellent, FWIW.
I suspect that many great achievements involve a sociopath somewhere in the background.
ApatheticNoMore
6-2-20, 3:24pm
I suspect sociopaths do far more harm than good, and life in general would be improved greatly for everyone if they could be kept from having power of any sort.
It makes me sick........we've ruined this planet, now we're trying to expand. Makes me sick. I don't want to look at the moon and think people are there, doing whatever damage they do. I only want to see stars in the night sky, and not crap from humans.
I suspect that many great achievements involve a sociopath somewhere in the background.
You may be right, unfortunately.
Well, while a useful side effect, I'm not sure that's the most efficient way to make some of the advances.
I bet Velcro and Tang could have been cheaper to develop if not done by NASA :-)
:D I was thinking of loftier inventions than those. But I agree they all could have been developed without the expense of space travel.
It makes me sick........we've ruined this planet, now we're trying to expand. Makes me sick. I don't want to look at the moon and think people are there, doing whatever damage they do. I only want to see stars in the night sky, and not crap from humans.
I don’t share the view of humanity as a sort of disease or vermin species. Maybe it’s because I read too much SF in my formative years, but I’m not sickened at all by the thought of people traveling through space. I kind of like the idea.
I suppose it would be fair to say that the satellites that give us things like the internet, modern weather forecasting, and GPS are an offshoot of the space program. I'd guess that at some point, if not now, space debris could become an issue where collisions and interference are an issue. At least Elon is recycling some of the rockets.
I think it is a long-term needed expense, and not a waste, statistically, at all.
Every now-and-then, very large rocks strike the Earth, causing incredible damage. Being technologically capable of dealing with such things is essential to the survival of our species.
Kinda like global warming though, it is such a long-term threat that nobody wants to do anything about it now...
I don't think we need to go up and see it first hand. We have mega-telescopes that could do the trick and we could determine how to handle in the future. Say what you want, it is a waste. We need the money for other things first IMO.
ToomuchStuff
6-3-20, 12:30am
It makes me sick........we've ruined this planet, now we're trying to expand. Makes me sick. I don't want to look at the moon and think people are there, doing whatever damage they do. I only want to see stars in the night sky, and not crap from humans.
Just look up in the sky, there are lots of planets without human life on them.
Just look up in the sky, there are lots of planets without human life on them.
I was thinking that--given the incomprehensible vastness of the universe--humans can only muck up an infinitesimal corner of it. And better one of the whirling rocks in our orbit than the earth itself.
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