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What lasting change has Musk effected? The potential is certainly there, but the average person's life isn't much different than it would be had Musk never exis

What lasting change has Musk effected? The potential is certainly there, but the average person's life isn't much different than it would be had Musk never existed.

samstave 12y ago
Uh, the private space industry? Really, you don't see what is happening here? Who else mounted a private space company able to dock with that of the global governmental effort that is the ISS?
- Karellen 12y ago
  SpaceX is conceptually awesome, and it's incredible how far they've come already, and I find myself being unbelievably excited for the future of space travel and exploration whenever they put another Falcon 9 up there. (I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation of tonights/tomorrow morning's AsiaSat launch.) But. They're not there yet. At the moment, they're currently providing a launch facility that is equivalent to services offered by a number of other vendors, albeit at a slightly lower (currently) price. And the service they're providing really does not directly impact on 99.9% of the lives going on around you. Yes, their reusable launch system program is way ahead of anything else anyone is doing, but it's still experimental, and isn't yet providing benefits to even their direct customers, let alone anyone else. Musk hasn't made lasting change yet with SpaceX. I really, really hope he does. Becoming a multiplanetry species would be the biggest thing for Humanity since, well, fire, standing upright, or speech, and Musk seems to be the person best placed to make that happen in the next 20-40-odd years. But he's not done it yet.
- psychometry 12y ago
  Did you read my comment? The average person can't take advantage of anything offered by the private space industry.
  - cwp 12y ago
    The average person doesn't make use of communication satellites? Ok, maybe not directly, but without them you wouldn't be able to live sports on TV. http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/14/falcon-9-launches-orbcomm-og2-satellites-orbit http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/14/falcon-9-launches-orbc... http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/08/06/spacex-launches-asiasat-8-telecommunications-satellite-geosynchronous-transfer-orbit http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/08/06/spacex-launches-asiasa...
    - psychometry 12y ago
      Elon Musk did not invent communication satellites. In fact, he wasn't even born yet when they were invented.
      - cwp 12y ago
        So? Rockefeller didn't invent the internal combustion engine either.
Karellen 12y ago
Paypal.
- psychometry 12y ago
  Paypal was certainly an important development, but it's not exactly the Model-T of our time. Someone else would've built and funded a similar solution anyway.
jpatel3 12y ago
Its too early to judge, I think the with the Tesla its really deep connection how the average persons life will change in near future and greater good of the future generation. http://www.teslamotors.com/de_AT/blog/promise-electric-vehicles http://www.teslamotors.com/de_AT/blog/promise-electric-vehic...

What lasting change has Musk effected? The potential is certainly there, but the average person's life isn't much different than it would be had Musk never existed.

samstave 12y ago

Uh, the private space industry? Really, you don't see what is happening here? Who else mounted a private space company able to dock with that of the global governmental effort that is the ISS?

Karellen 12y ago
SpaceX is conceptually awesome, and it's incredible how far they've come already, and I find myself being unbelievably excited for the future of space travel and exploration whenever they put another Falcon 9 up there. (I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation of tonights/tomorrow morning's AsiaSat launch.) But. They're not there yet. At the moment, they're currently providing a launch facility that is equivalent to services offered by a number of other vendors, albeit at a slightly lower (currently) price. And the service they're providing really does not directly impact on 99.9% of the lives going on around you. Yes, their reusable launch system program is way ahead of anything else anyone is doing, but it's still experimental, and isn't yet providing benefits to even their direct customers, let alone anyone else. Musk hasn't made lasting change yet with SpaceX. I really, really hope he does. Becoming a multiplanetry species would be the biggest thing for Humanity since, well, fire, standing upright, or speech, and Musk seems to be the person best placed to make that happen in the next 20-40-odd years. But he's not done it yet.
psychometry 12y ago
Did you read my comment? The average person can't take advantage of anything offered by the private space industry.
- cwp 12y ago
  The average person doesn't make use of communication satellites? Ok, maybe not directly, but without them you wouldn't be able to live sports on TV. http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/14/falcon-9-launches-orbcomm-og2-satellites-orbit http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/14/falcon-9-launches-orbc... http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/08/06/spacex-launches-asiasat-8-telecommunications-satellite-geosynchronous-transfer-orbit http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/08/06/spacex-launches-asiasa...
  - psychometry 12y ago
    Elon Musk did not invent communication satellites. In fact, he wasn't even born yet when they were invented.
    - cwp 12y ago
      So? Rockefeller didn't invent the internal combustion engine either.

Karellen 12y ago

Paypal.

psychometry 12y ago
Paypal was certainly an important development, but it's not exactly the Model-T of our time. Someone else would've built and funded a similar solution anyway.

jpatel3 12y ago

Its too early to judge, I think the with the Tesla its really deep connection how the average persons life will change in near future and greater good of the future generation. http://www.teslamotors.com/de_AT/blog/promise-electric-vehicles http://www.teslamotors.com/de_AT/blog/promise-electric-vehic...