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I would hate to see SpaceX become an acquisition of NASA, or a nationalised company of the US Federal Government. Stranger things have happened, of course, but

by alpine 14y ago

I would hate to see SpaceX become an acquisition of NASA, or a nationalised company of the US Federal Government. Stranger things have happened, of course, but if Musk wants to retire to Mars, he had best be concerned with this.

natep 14y ago
By what mechanism, exactly do you think this will happen? He has no plans to sell. He'd like to go to Mars himself, but not if he doesn't think the mission of SpaceX would continue without him. So...that leaves it becoming 'a nationalised company of the US Federal Government"....aka, the gov't takes it over by force? How likely do you really think that is? It only took over Ford because they were bankrupt, so all he needs to worry about is not going bankrupt, which I'm sure he's thought of already.
- alpine 14y ago
  He has no plans to sell It is a brave man that gets in to bed with the government thinking he can withstand the intolerable pressure they can bring, if they decide, to bend his will. Nationalisation... How likely do you really think that is? Surely, it is for the oracles to strike a claim on future events, but when you consider gold confiscation in the 1930s, oil nationalisation in the 1950s, the absurd nationalisations of the 1970s, and the crony-saving bail outs of the 'Too Big to Fails' in recent years, it is obvious, I would think, that politicians are happy to corrupt the free market when it benefits their short term interests.
  - alpine 14y ago
    How many NASA contractors have been nationalized in the past? Probably not zero, if you are genuinely interested. However, lazy quips aside, the past is not the future.
  - wtracy 14y ago
    How many NASA contractors have been nationalized in the past?
    - natep 14y ago
      None that I can think of or find, and space firms get bought all the time. I worked with someone who stayed in the same building for many years as it changed hands multiple times. Nobody ever told me they worked for "X, now NASA"--it was usually "Hughes, now Boeing" or "Y, now L-3." Individual contractors, however, can and do get hired by the government, but it depends on the NASA center. Most of the people at Goddard are actually contractors, not government employees, I believe.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
joshuahedlund 14y ago
I'm pretty sure I've read (though I could be wrong) that SpaceX is already profitable from contracts to launch commercial satellites, even without NASA's budget dollars.
- alpine 14y ago
  That's wonderful - the more private contracts they win the better - and the brighter all private space initiatives will hopefully be. Unfortunately, accepting several million dollars from the US government leaves SpaceX (and other Musk ventures) vulnerable to government meddling. When the government starts to meddle in your business, they are the ones that decide where to stop. You cede control of your company's destiny often when you accept the first cheque.

by alpine 14y ago

natep 14y ago

By what mechanism, exactly do you think this will happen? He has no plans to sell. He'd like to go to Mars himself, but not if he doesn't think the mission of SpaceX would continue without him. So...that leaves it becoming 'a nationalised company of the US Federal Government"....aka, the gov't takes it over by force? How likely do you really think that is? It only took over Ford because they were bankrupt, so all he needs to worry about is not going bankrupt, which I'm sure he's thought of already.

alpine 14y ago
He has no plans to sell It is a brave man that gets in to bed with the government thinking he can withstand the intolerable pressure they can bring, if they decide, to bend his will. Nationalisation... How likely do you really think that is? Surely, it is for the oracles to strike a claim on future events, but when you consider gold confiscation in the 1930s, oil nationalisation in the 1950s, the absurd nationalisations of the 1970s, and the crony-saving bail outs of the 'Too Big to Fails' in recent years, it is obvious, I would think, that politicians are happy to corrupt the free market when it benefits their short term interests.
- alpine 14y ago
  How many NASA contractors have been nationalized in the past? Probably not zero, if you are genuinely interested. However, lazy quips aside, the past is not the future.
- wtracy 14y ago
  How many NASA contractors have been nationalized in the past?
  - natep 14y ago
    None that I can think of or find, and space firms get bought all the time. I worked with someone who stayed in the same building for many years as it changed hands multiple times. Nobody ever told me they worked for "X, now NASA"--it was usually "Hughes, now Boeing" or "Y, now L-3." Individual contractors, however, can and do get hired by the government, but it depends on the NASA center. Most of the people at Goddard are actually contractors, not government employees, I believe.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

joshuahedlund 14y ago

I'm pretty sure I've read (though I could be wrong) that SpaceX is already profitable from contracts to launch commercial satellites, even without NASA's budget dollars.

alpine 14y ago
That's wonderful - the more private contracts they win the better - and the brighter all private space initiatives will hopefully be. Unfortunately, accepting several million dollars from the US government leaves SpaceX (and other Musk ventures) vulnerable to government meddling. When the government starts to meddle in your business, they are the ones that decide where to stop. You cede control of your company's destiny often when you accept the first cheque.