Just remember SpaceX, you taking taxpayer funds for the R&D of the crew module. We the US tax payers own it!
I’ve been very impressed with SpaceX, and it got me back to my space interests. However the last couple of news releases etc. are changing my opinions on the company.“Private US Company SpaceX hopes to put an astronaut on Mars within 10 to 20 years, the head of the firm said.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110423/ts_alt_afp/usspacecompanyspacex_20110423154740Sorry this is way over the top for me. I would prefer in the future less hype, and more concrete technical advancements. It’s uncomforting your firm receiving millions of US taxpayer funds for crew designs, then to have this hype put out there. Just remember SpaceX, you taking taxpayer funds for the R&D of the crew module. We the US tax payers own it! So in the future less is more….
FYI, the 10-20 years thing was in response to a specific question about Mars timelines, and not a press release in any way. I'm also not sure I see how the CEO talking about future plans has any negative impact on the work SpaceX is currently doing on LEO crew capsules.
I agree the Mars thing is a bit overblown, but if NASA had a specific "don't do business with nutty brilliant people", then they would need to never do business with Branson, Rutan, Carmack, Masten, Bigelow, Diamandis, or Musk. We don't want that do we?
Not to mention Von Braun et. al.
No kidding! Von Braun was dreaming of ways to put people on Mars, in space stations, on the Moon, etc., long before any of this rockets had reached orbit.
So let's cut Musk some slack for doing the same and engaging in a bit of hyperbole when the opportunity presents itself. Musk has a vision and potentially the means to execute. We could use more of both.
This is probably just wishful thinking, but another possibility is that it wasn't (intentional) hyperbole. For example, maybe Musk has as-yet-unannounced friend(s) with even more money than himself (along the lines of Larry Page or Paul Allen) interested in partnering with him and providing the funding for human Mars missions. There's plenty of good reasons for why something like that wouldn't be announced for at least a few more years.
Quote from: Prober on 04/23/2011 08:42 pmI’ve been very impressed with SpaceX, and it got me back to my space interests. However the last couple of news releases etc. are changing my opinions on the company.“Private US Company SpaceX hopes to put an astronaut on Mars within 10 to 20 years, the head of the firm said.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110423/ts_alt_afp/usspacecompanyspacex_20110423154740Sorry this is way over the top for me. I would prefer in the future less hype, and more concrete technical advancements. It’s uncomforting your firm receiving millions of US taxpayer funds for crew designs, then to have this hype put out there. Just remember SpaceX, you taking taxpayer funds for the R&D of the crew module. We the US tax payers own it! So in the future less is more….FYI, the 10-20 years thing was in response to a specific question about Mars timelines, and not a press release in any way. I'm also not sure I see how the CEO talking about future plans has any negative impact on the work SpaceX is currently doing on LEO crew capsules.
Quote from: neilh on 04/23/2011 09:00 pmQuote from: Prober on 04/23/2011 08:42 pmI’ve been very impressed with SpaceX, and it got me back to my space interests. However the last couple of news releases etc. are changing my opinions on the company.“Private US Company SpaceX hopes to put an astronaut on Mars within 10 to 20 years, the head of the firm said.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110423/ts_alt_afp/usspacecompanyspacex_20110423154740Sorry this is way over the top for me. I would prefer in the future less hype, and more concrete technical advancements. It’s uncomforting your firm receiving millions of US taxpayer funds for crew designs, then to have this hype put out there. Just remember SpaceX, you taking taxpayer funds for the R&D of the crew module. We the US tax payers own it! So in the future less is more….FYI, the 10-20 years thing was in response to a specific question about Mars timelines, and not a press release in any way. I'm also not sure I see how the CEO talking about future plans has any negative impact on the work SpaceX is currently doing on LEO crew capsules.The reporter is from the Wall street Journal. The story was picked up by AFP. On Yahoo this was front page news.
Quote from: edkyle99 on 04/23/2011 11:26 pmNo kidding! Von Braun was dreaming of ways to put people on Mars, in space stations, on the Moon, etc., long before any of this rockets had reached orbit.Yup; von Braun was definitely "nutty brilliant". And as you point out, von Braun used many popular outlets to promote his vision, not just space- and engineering-nerd venues.So let's cut Musk some slack for doing the same and engaging in a bit of hyperbole when the opportunity presents itself. Musk has a vision and potentially the means to execute. We could use more of both.And no, I'm not suggesting that Musk and von Braun are equals. They are very different animals. Both had/have a vision, but very different paths to execution. Different times and circumstances call for different means and measures.
We are in the very same or worse times as when Apollo was phased out. The president said we’ve been to the moon, why go there again? Let’s do an asteroid landing. Please.Need I go on where this kind of thinking goes?
Quote from: Prober on 04/24/2011 03:11 amWe are in the very same or worse times as when Apollo was phased out. The president said we’ve been to the moon, why go there again? Let’s do an asteroid landing. Please.Need I go on where this kind of thinking goes? If I understand your message, you are suggesting that claims of plans for Mars, etc, made by Mr. Musk endanger NASA funding?Here's how I view things. NASA funding is already endangered, Musk or not. Both U.S. political parties agree that big budget cuts are required, trillions of dollars worth, so they are coming. Social programs will be cut, and so will defense and science and payouts to farmers for not farming, etc. It all has to be cut, and we'll all have to pay more taxes too. NASA won't weather this storm unscathed. The current lack of firm future planning makes it a giant target for cuts. SpaceX, in my view, isn't going to Mars or even Earth orbit by itself. It is currently existing largely on NASA funding. The company's plans for Falcon Heavy show that it wants big DoD money too. So the coming budget cuts aren't going to be good for NASA or any contractor, including SpaceX. But the cuts have nothing to do with Mr. Musk's vision of the future. They are a result of decades of the U.S. living beyond its means while not defending its manufacturing base and its middle class. - Ed Kyle