4 ms·

Yeah if he focuses too much on SpaceX you get things like him launching a Tesla roadster into space. I agree with Buzz Aldrin that the exploration is better le

• simondotau 2y ago
  You do realise that when other space agencies have launched test rockets, they’ve loaded the cargo bay up with stuff like lumps of concrete? Launching the Roadster instead of a lump of concrete was entirely harmless fun.
  • talldayo 2y ago
    As a partial representative of humanity (and Starlink customer) speaking, I'd rather we shoot the brick of concrete into space and avoid giving aliens poor impressions about the cars we build. That's just my opinion though, I've always been adverse to mass-market masturbation.
    • simondotau 2y ago
      If the aliens are smart enough, they'd realise that the vehicle is clearly someone's unwanted garbage, which is pretty much exactly the case. The original Roadster is the vehicle which Musk had the least technical involvement with, and which was severely laden with technical debt courtesy of Eberhard and Tarpenning. (Most crucially, the pointless and arguably counter-productive use of the Lotus shell.) This technical debt nearly sank Tesla from the start, which would have basically turned US$100 million of Musk's money into ash. I'm not surprised that Elon had no love for it and was happy to see it flung into space... and maybe explode.
      • TimeBearingDown 2y ago
        The Lotus chassis may be counter-productive from a business standpoint, but it was also a beautiful and even poetic choice, representing a storied automotive legacy. Having one in space seems far better to me than almost any other lump they could have opted for.
        • deleted 2y ago
          [deleted]