6 ms·

You kinda missed the main point. Musk's business is focused entirely on improving existing, proven, old technologies.

kd5bjo 9y ago
Like digging tunnels under populated areas to make new rights-of-way?
simonh 9y ago
That's a very narrow, opinionated restriction of the term technology, but accepting it for the sake of argument, isn't that what Engineers do?
- afterburner 9y ago
  Engineers do all kinds of things, including wild leaps in technology. However, what he's actually done is make slightly better rockets and slightly better electric cars. He's not working on hyperloop, he's working on the more certain stuff.
throwaway84742 9y ago
Not entirely. He has delivered a number of “firsts”, such as rockets that land upright, and is about to deliver more: the satellite internet business will operate a constellation of satellites that is vastly larger than all satellites currently in orbit. This means they can only be automatically controlled. Frankly, even just delivering one innovation of this magnitude is impressive, being able to do it again and again deserves respect and admiration.
- rohit2412 9y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X Wait satellite internet business is new? What have you been smoking? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Internet_access https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Internet_access
  - throwaway84742 9y ago
    Satellite internet is not new. Flying and controlling thousands of satellites most definitely is new, however.
    - rohit2412 9y ago
      Viaweb, oneweb etc do this. And it may be an operational challenge, not nothing revolutionary
      - throwaway84742 9y ago
        Nobody flies thousands of satellites right now. There are about 1200 satellites in orbit _total_. And nobody controls their satellite constellations fully automatically. And even if OneWeb does end up launching its constellation, this is only viable with a reusable rocket fleet which is manufactured and operated by their main competitor. So I’m skeptical.
- Gravityloss 9y ago
  DC-X was a nineties rocket that flew and landed on its tail. It was not orbital though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXcTFfV3Ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXcTFfV3Ls
  - throwaway84742 9y ago
    All right. “Orbital rockets that land upright”. Better now?
    - DmenshunlAnlsis 9y ago
      You kinda missed the main point. Musk's business is focused entirely on improving existing, proven, old technologies. So we’re all in agreement then, very good.
      - throwaway84742 9y ago
        It’s kind of like saying that a motorcycle is an “improved bicycle”.
        afterburner 9y ago
        It's more like saying a self-balancing bicycle is an improved bicycle.
    - Gravityloss 9y ago
      There were separate technologies. Orbital rockets. Rockets with kerosene gas generator engines or balloon tanks or aluminium lithium tanks already. There were rockets that landed on their tail. These technologies were all combined into one.

Like digging tunnels under populated areas to make new rights-of-way?

That's a very narrow, opinionated restriction of the term technology, but accepting it for the sake of argument, isn't that what Engineers do?

afterburner 9y ago
Engineers do all kinds of things, including wild leaps in technology. However, what he's actually done is make slightly better rockets and slightly better electric cars. He's not working on hyperloop, he's working on the more certain stuff.

throwaway84742 9y ago

Not entirely. He has delivered a number of “firsts”, such as rockets that land upright, and is about to deliver more: the satellite internet business will operate a constellation of satellites that is vastly larger than all satellites currently in orbit. This means they can only be automatically controlled. Frankly, even just delivering one innovation of this magnitude is impressive, being able to do it again and again deserves respect and admiration.

rohit2412 9y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X Wait satellite internet business is new? What have you been smoking? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Internet_access https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Internet_access
- throwaway84742 9y ago
  Satellite internet is not new. Flying and controlling thousands of satellites most definitely is new, however.
  - rohit2412 9y ago
    Viaweb, oneweb etc do this. And it may be an operational challenge, not nothing revolutionary
    - throwaway84742 9y ago
      Nobody flies thousands of satellites right now. There are about 1200 satellites in orbit _total_. And nobody controls their satellite constellations fully automatically. And even if OneWeb does end up launching its constellation, this is only viable with a reusable rocket fleet which is manufactured and operated by their main competitor. So I’m skeptical.
Gravityloss 9y ago
DC-X was a nineties rocket that flew and landed on its tail. It was not orbital though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXcTFfV3Ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXcTFfV3Ls
- throwaway84742 9y ago
  All right. “Orbital rockets that land upright”. Better now?
  - DmenshunlAnlsis 9y ago
    You kinda missed the main point. Musk's business is focused entirely on improving existing, proven, old technologies. So we’re all in agreement then, very good.
    - throwaway84742 9y ago
      It’s kind of like saying that a motorcycle is an “improved bicycle”.
      - afterburner 9y ago
        It's more like saying a self-balancing bicycle is an improved bicycle.
  - Gravityloss 9y ago
    There were separate technologies. Orbital rockets. Rockets with kerosene gas generator engines or balloon tanks or aluminium lithium tanks already. There were rockets that landed on their tail. These technologies were all combined into one.