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I’ve been waiting for this for a while. This is a really good market niche. And being human spaceflight capable is also really good. Peter Beck, who once claim

I’ve been waiting for this for a while. This is a really good market niche. And being human spaceflight capable is also really good. Peter Beck, who once claimed he’d eat his hat if they made a reusable rocket, sure made a big 180 on the topic, and I couldn’t be happier! Speaking of, watch the announcement video: https://youtu.be/agqxJw5ISdk https://youtu.be/agqxJw5ISdk I’m also GLAD they copied the Falcon 9 design (which is as old as scifi and was demonstrated by DC-X and Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace) for the first stage landing concept. Better to use what works instead of just making a novel approach just for the sake of novelty or Not Invented Here. Rockets ought to land on a pillar of flame like God and Heinlein (EDIT: and apparently the Soviet Cosmists) intended: https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo Also, RocketLab has a TON of ex-SpaceXer employees... I’ve long said that the high churn (for aerospace, but not any higher than typical tech company) of SpaceX, while not necessarily really good for SpaceX, is really good for the industry as a whole.

deleted 6y ago
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potench 6y ago
I think you intended to link to a different video showing rockets landing on pillars of flames. Can you edit your comment or drop the real video link because I’m very intrigued?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- Robotbeat 6y ago
  I fixed it. :) https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo
- imglorp 6y ago
  And Buck Rogers comics from the 30's had tail-sitters before Heinlein. Some were rockets (tractor, from the nose) and some "ultronium" antigravity. http://nick-stevens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/buck-rogers-2.jpg http://nick-stevens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/buck-roge...
njarboe 6y ago
Elon Musk is really shooting for a self-sustaining city on Mars and SpaceX is his part of working towards that goal. He really is happy for competition and wishes there was more of it. He has stated that he is sometimes concerned that SpaceX has too many of the best people. With these other rocket companies doing well and drawing top talent, he is probably less concerned about that at this point.
- Judgmentality 6y ago
  Something tells me he's going to be perfectly content to settle for richest man on Earth.
  - jiofih 6y ago
    What’s that something? His recent getting rid of possessions says he doesn’t care much...
    - Judgmentality 6y ago
      Honestly it was a lazy comment and I should've deleted it. Rather than derail this thread with an argument about Musk, I genuinely encourage you to downvote that comment (if you hadn't already replied to it I'd delete it).
    - mempko 6y ago
      If he didn't care much, he wouldn't be the richest man on earth.
      - testnew2 6y ago
        Absolutely no one would have ever suggested that electric cars and rockets were the way to become rich. Instead back when he invested in and or started these companies people would have told him it was a quick way to become poor. I really dont think he was ever seeking becoming the richest person in the world.
croddin 6y ago
I've never seen anyone big enough to actually follow through on eating a hat. Props Peter Beck.
- RivieraKid 6y ago
  I doubt he ate a whole hat. He probably just put a bit of a hat into his mouth without eating it.
  - Robotbeat 6y ago
    He showed it. I take the video to be accurate (he really did eat a small part, but not the whole thing), and not misleading. I’ve eaten much worse. Now if only more people would be as willing to correct course when their previous opinion was proven incorrect. This alone is one reason I really like Peter Beck.
  - jrv 6y ago
    I mean, there's a dude who ate an airplane. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito
- geenew 6y ago
  Werner Herzog ate his shoe: "In 1979, Les Blank took a detour to film German filmmaker Werner Herzog honoring a vow he made to Errol Morris that he (Herzog) would eat his shoe if Morris ever actually made one of his films he was forever talking about. Stung to action, Morris directed Gates of Heaven and Herzog, true to his word, returned to Berkeley to consume one of his desert boots at the UC Theater. Blank's film documents Herzog's strongly expressed belief that people must have the gutts to attempt what they dream of." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGcWTIWYDMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGcWTIWYDMQ (just the lead-up..) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kii4jQ7XHuY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kii4jQ7XHuY (shoe-eating..)
- schoen 6y ago
  Scott Alexander at least chomped on his hat in response to this 2017 incident involving Maciej Ceglowski: > 12. (4/9/17) G.K Chesterton On AI Risk was an April Fools’ joke and not meant seriously. But it did criticize Maciej Ceglowski’s piece where he accused singularitarians of not caring enough about the poor. The fake Chesterton of the piece said that if Ceglowski himself gave to charity at the same level as the people he was criticizing, he would “eat his hat”. Ceglowski pointed out that he does indeed give a lot of money to charity, including a $15,000 donation last year. Under the circumstances, I felt honor-bound to eat my hat and post a video of it on Twitter. https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/01/g-k-chesterton-on-ai-risk/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/01/g-k-chesterton-on-ai-r... https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/848396684862275584 https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/848396684862275584
inglor_cz 6y ago
It is pretty risky publicly betting on some technological progress not happening :) At least if no known laws of physics would be broken by achieving said progress.
nickik 6y ago
> And being human spaceflight capable is also really good. What does that even mean? Going threw the NASA certification? Why would NASA even do that? There is capsule that could even launch on the rocket that currently exists. We will see if it is a good market and if they will be able to execute.
- FrojoS 6y ago
  I think it requires a safety factor of >1.4 for every part.
  - nickik 6y ago
    Lots of stuff: https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2C https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2... But even if you design to those standards, doesn't mean you will actually get certified. And as SpaceX learned, the interpretation of those specification are not easy. So if you just build something without constantly working with NASA, and have their cooperation, you are unlikely to get certified.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

potench 6y ago

I think you intended to link to a different video showing rockets landing on pillars of flames. Can you edit your comment or drop the real video link because I’m very intrigued?

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Robotbeat 6y ago
I fixed it. :) https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo
imglorp 6y ago
And Buck Rogers comics from the 30's had tail-sitters before Heinlein. Some were rockets (tractor, from the nose) and some "ultronium" antigravity. http://nick-stevens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/buck-rogers-2.jpg http://nick-stevens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/buck-roge...

njarboe 6y ago

Elon Musk is really shooting for a self-sustaining city on Mars and SpaceX is his part of working towards that goal. He really is happy for competition and wishes there was more of it. He has stated that he is sometimes concerned that SpaceX has too many of the best people. With these other rocket companies doing well and drawing top talent, he is probably less concerned about that at this point.

Judgmentality 6y ago
Something tells me he's going to be perfectly content to settle for richest man on Earth.
- jiofih 6y ago
  What’s that something? His recent getting rid of possessions says he doesn’t care much...
  - Judgmentality 6y ago
    Honestly it was a lazy comment and I should've deleted it. Rather than derail this thread with an argument about Musk, I genuinely encourage you to downvote that comment (if you hadn't already replied to it I'd delete it).
  - mempko 6y ago
    If he didn't care much, he wouldn't be the richest man on earth.
    - testnew2 6y ago
      Absolutely no one would have ever suggested that electric cars and rockets were the way to become rich. Instead back when he invested in and or started these companies people would have told him it was a quick way to become poor. I really dont think he was ever seeking becoming the richest person in the world.

croddin 6y ago

I've never seen anyone big enough to actually follow through on eating a hat. Props Peter Beck.

RivieraKid 6y ago
I doubt he ate a whole hat. He probably just put a bit of a hat into his mouth without eating it.
- Robotbeat 6y ago
  He showed it. I take the video to be accurate (he really did eat a small part, but not the whole thing), and not misleading. I’ve eaten much worse. Now if only more people would be as willing to correct course when their previous opinion was proven incorrect. This alone is one reason I really like Peter Beck.
- jrv 6y ago
  I mean, there's a dude who ate an airplane. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito
geenew 6y ago
Werner Herzog ate his shoe: "In 1979, Les Blank took a detour to film German filmmaker Werner Herzog honoring a vow he made to Errol Morris that he (Herzog) would eat his shoe if Morris ever actually made one of his films he was forever talking about. Stung to action, Morris directed Gates of Heaven and Herzog, true to his word, returned to Berkeley to consume one of his desert boots at the UC Theater. Blank's film documents Herzog's strongly expressed belief that people must have the gutts to attempt what they dream of." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGcWTIWYDMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGcWTIWYDMQ (just the lead-up..) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kii4jQ7XHuY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kii4jQ7XHuY (shoe-eating..)
schoen 6y ago
Scott Alexander at least chomped on his hat in response to this 2017 incident involving Maciej Ceglowski: > 12. (4/9/17) G.K Chesterton On AI Risk was an April Fools’ joke and not meant seriously. But it did criticize Maciej Ceglowski’s piece where he accused singularitarians of not caring enough about the poor. The fake Chesterton of the piece said that if Ceglowski himself gave to charity at the same level as the people he was criticizing, he would “eat his hat”. Ceglowski pointed out that he does indeed give a lot of money to charity, including a $15,000 donation last year. Under the circumstances, I felt honor-bound to eat my hat and post a video of it on Twitter. https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/01/g-k-chesterton-on-ai-risk/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/01/g-k-chesterton-on-ai-r... https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/848396684862275584 https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/848396684862275584

inglor_cz 6y ago

It is pretty risky publicly betting on some technological progress not happening :) At least if no known laws of physics would be broken by achieving said progress.

nickik 6y ago

> And being human spaceflight capable is also really good. What does that even mean? Going threw the NASA certification? Why would NASA even do that? There is capsule that could even launch on the rocket that currently exists. We will see if it is a good market and if they will be able to execute.

FrojoS 6y ago
I think it requires a safety factor of >1.4 for every part.
- nickik 6y ago
  Lots of stuff: https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2C https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2... But even if you design to those standards, doesn't mean you will actually get certified. And as SpaceX learned, the interpretation of those specification are not easy. So if you just build something without constantly working with NASA, and have their cooperation, you are unlikely to get certified.