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From wiki article on SpaceX: The first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket (Falcon 1) to reach orbit (28 September 2008) The first privately funded company

From wiki article on SpaceX: The first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket (Falcon 1) to reach orbit (28 September 2008) The first privately funded company to successfully launch (by Falcon 9) Orbit and recover a spacecraft (Dragon) (9 December 2010) The first private company to send a spacecraft (Dragon) to the International Space Station (25 May 2012) The first private company to send a satellite into geosynchronous orbit

Redoubts 11y ago
That's not a front though, that's just doing it with a different revenue stream.
- nitrogen 11y ago
  There was a lot of "first" in the previous comment, which might as well be synonymous with "front" in this context. As an example, Linux wasn't the first UNIX-like kernel or the even the first free UNIX-like kernel, but it (with GNU) was the first free UNIX-like kernel to bring a UNIX-like kernel to the mainstream PC world and span the entire vertical range of computing scale from microcontrollers to TOP500 supercomputers. I'd call that expanding the technological front. Edited for GNUtical correctness, which makes it quite a bit harder to read
  - Redoubts 11y ago
    >There was a lot of "first" in the previous comment, which might as well be synonymous with "front" in this context. Not really. It's literally doing what was done before, 30 years ago.
_nedR 11y ago
None of those things has had any affect on my life or the lives of anybody i personally know (yet). I booked a ride on Uber just the other day. edit: typo
- LeoNatan25 11y ago
  That is a ridiculous, close minded statement. You enjoy the fruits of space experimentation on the ISS every day. In addition, much of what is space technology today and the research done to develop it finds its way to civilian aviation, transportation and so many other fields. But you enjoy your naive, small scale, narrow point of view. Like a horse with a saddle, ignorance is a bliss.
  - _nedR 11y ago
    Wow. No need to go hyperbolic. First off, SpaceX had little/nothing to do with any of the stuff you mentioned. Second, I am not devaluing what SpaceX has done or is trying to do. I am a big fan actually of such ventures which strive to find new frontiers. My reply was in the context of this thread where lot of people are dissing Uber saying they are not a real technology company, and people lamenting the fact that a taxi company raised more money than a space faring company. I was pointing out the close-mindedness (if you will) of those people. Uber is having tremendous impact in the here and now across the world, and touching the lives of millions of people. What they have done is nothing to dismiss. Also the vision of the future they are working towards could be even more transformative (possibly save hundreds of thousands of lives a year). What SpaceX is trying is far more riskier and ambitious and its rewards for humanity (if it succeeds) lay further into the future and may end up having greater impact on the future of humanity (or it may not). In the interim its impact is limited (because it is a long-term project). It makes no sense to compare the two ventures as some competition. The worlds needs both. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Uber has a greater valuation than SpaceX. Uber provides greater value to their customers right now. And they could provide greater returns to their investors sooner (if they chose to ). SpaceX as of now is much more riskier investment and its real returns lay farther in the future.
  - eru 11y ago
    > You enjoy the fruits of space experimentation on the ISS every day. What has manned (!) space flight ever done for us?
    - 11y ago
EazyC 11y ago
Both Uber and SpaceX are technically 'transportation companies' in a loose sense. None of the things you listed above really further any field in basic science and academia. SpaceX's achievements simply sound cooler because it is with big rockets and more tangible to write down for record keeping. They are essentially using rocket tech in a new, different way that employs a new business model for success - which, surprise surprise, is exactly what Uber does as well but with terrestrial transport vehicles.

Redoubts 11y ago

That's not a front though, that's just doing it with a different revenue stream.

nitrogen 11y ago
There was a lot of "first" in the previous comment, which might as well be synonymous with "front" in this context. As an example, Linux wasn't the first UNIX-like kernel or the even the first free UNIX-like kernel, but it (with GNU) was the first free UNIX-like kernel to bring a UNIX-like kernel to the mainstream PC world and span the entire vertical range of computing scale from microcontrollers to TOP500 supercomputers. I'd call that expanding the technological front. Edited for GNUtical correctness, which makes it quite a bit harder to read
- Redoubts 11y ago
  >There was a lot of "first" in the previous comment, which might as well be synonymous with "front" in this context. Not really. It's literally doing what was done before, 30 years ago.

_nedR 11y ago

None of those things has had any affect on my life or the lives of anybody i personally know (yet). I booked a ride on Uber just the other day. edit: typo

LeoNatan25 11y ago
That is a ridiculous, close minded statement. You enjoy the fruits of space experimentation on the ISS every day. In addition, much of what is space technology today and the research done to develop it finds its way to civilian aviation, transportation and so many other fields. But you enjoy your naive, small scale, narrow point of view. Like a horse with a saddle, ignorance is a bliss.
- _nedR 11y ago
  Wow. No need to go hyperbolic. First off, SpaceX had little/nothing to do with any of the stuff you mentioned. Second, I am not devaluing what SpaceX has done or is trying to do. I am a big fan actually of such ventures which strive to find new frontiers. My reply was in the context of this thread where lot of people are dissing Uber saying they are not a real technology company, and people lamenting the fact that a taxi company raised more money than a space faring company. I was pointing out the close-mindedness (if you will) of those people. Uber is having tremendous impact in the here and now across the world, and touching the lives of millions of people. What they have done is nothing to dismiss. Also the vision of the future they are working towards could be even more transformative (possibly save hundreds of thousands of lives a year). What SpaceX is trying is far more riskier and ambitious and its rewards for humanity (if it succeeds) lay further into the future and may end up having greater impact on the future of humanity (or it may not). In the interim its impact is limited (because it is a long-term project). It makes no sense to compare the two ventures as some competition. The worlds needs both. There is nothing wrong with the fact that Uber has a greater valuation than SpaceX. Uber provides greater value to their customers right now. And they could provide greater returns to their investors sooner (if they chose to ). SpaceX as of now is much more riskier investment and its real returns lay farther in the future.
- eru 11y ago
  > You enjoy the fruits of space experimentation on the ISS every day. What has manned (!) space flight ever done for us?
  - 11y ago

EazyC 11y ago

Both Uber and SpaceX are technically 'transportation companies' in a loose sense. None of the things you listed above really further any field in basic science and academia. SpaceX's achievements simply sound cooler because it is with big rockets and more tangible to write down for record keeping. They are essentially using rocket tech in a new, different way that employs a new business model for success - which, surprise surprise, is exactly what Uber does as well but with terrestrial transport vehicles.