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>Elon is awesome, but the founders of NASA contracting companies, intel, car companies, etc didn't reach bill gates levels of wealth This might be true. But El
by kunle 14y ago
>Elon is awesome, but the founders of NASA contracting companies, intel, car companies, etc didn't reach bill gates levels of wealth
This might be true. But Elon stands to be the first private citizen with a chance to reach the moon or Mars. The chance is (admittedly) slim, but the expected value of being commercially successful at reaching the moon or Mars is exponentially greater than Microsoft.
- jmj42 14y agoI don't think the change is that slim. Elon is the type of person who knows his limits and pushes them. His goals tend to be grand, but, with effort, achievable. I'd be more surprised if he didn't reach the moon or Mars
- chc 14y agoWhat is the expected value of a private party reaching Mars? What are they going to get from it?
- stcredzero 14y agoThe first individuals to reach North America didn't become ultra-rich. But North America did eventually produce unprecedented new wealth. Zubrin has argued that the colonization of Mars is analogous to North America, and will produce unprecendented wealth. http://www.nss.org/settlement/mars/zubrin-promise.html http://www.nss.org/settlement/mars/zubrin-promise.html
- mohawk 14y agoHate to be a pedant, but the first people who reached North America were massacred by the ones who followed.
- stcredzero 14y ago> Hate to be a pedant, but the first people who reached North America were massacred by the ones who followed. No, good point. That one doesn't count as pedantry on your part, but as a d'oh on my part!
- CamperBob2 14y agoDepends on whose logos are on the rocket.
- kunle 14y agoHard to say. I'm completely speculating but I'm imagining that between the natural resources present there and the possibility of colonizing the planet, there's economic potential. That being said, very difficult to calculate.