4 ms·

It would be different if Musk did something new and innovative, but none of his work is actually novel. I find all his stuff to be completely uninspiring. Chi

It would be different if Musk did something new and innovative, but none of his work is actually novel. I find all his stuff to be completely uninspiring. China and India are also making cheap rockets. So what? Who cares?

syense 11y ago
correct me if im wrong, but those are governments creating those rockets, while elon is just a private citizen. the space program that he created would be unshackled from the states desires, be they good or bad.
- mozumder 11y ago
  Doesn't matter. Elon still relies on government funding because he's selling to government. It's no different than when Rockwell/North American built the Space Shuttle. The biggest problem is that his ideas are just so boring and uninspiring. How about a new idea for a change? (Hyperloop isn't more exciting than High-Speed rail) Being known for someone that "did something for slightly cheaper" isn't exactly awe-inspiring. Sucks that millennials are stuck with him for inspiration. I want to see new ideas from our tech innovators. The Mars Curiosity lander is an amazing example.
  - dba7dba 11y ago
    Doesn't matter. It DOES matter. :)
    - mozumder 11y ago
      Not at all.
      - deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]
      - patcon 11y ago
        You're wrong. :)
        mozumder 11y ago
        I have yet to see any broad visionary ideas from Musk/Space-X. Everything they're doing, and are planning on doing, has already been done.
        dba7dba 11y ago
        What other nation or private entity has come up with a visionary idea in space industry? Let me remind you he first thought about sending a life capsule to Mars on a former ballistic missile. Isn't that visionary enough ya? And how about Tesla?
        ForHackernews 11y ago
        > What other nation or private entity has come up with a visionary idea in space industry? How about building inflatable space stations? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Commercial_Space_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Commercial_Space_Stati... Or mining asteroids? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_Resources For my money, either of those is more "visionary" than "a rocket booster that costs somewhat less than previous rocket boosters". Now granted, they're both a lot less practical, and it's true that making things cheaper is often a crucial first step towards making them better.
        Nadya 11y ago
        >Everything they're ... planning on doing, has already been done. So landing a rocket after launch to re-use that rocket has already been done? Going to be interesting when they are the first to do so but it's already been done. I'd love to hear how you reason that. Doing things in a more efficient, cheaper manner means innovating new ways of development, testing, and building. More 'affordable' ventures into space can lead to an array of improvements. More research satellites being sent into space, as an example, because instead of costing $12 million to ship into space it costs $4 million [0]. I'm sorry you don't see the value in such things, but rest assured it is there. [0] figures made up, can't be bothered searching for accurate pricing
    - senna 11y ago
      No, it doesn't. Government money is like 90% of SpaceX revenue. If NASA says "I want a Y in your name", they WILL rename themselves to SpaceY.
      - greglindahl 11y ago
        SpaceX's manifest for this year [1] shows 7 US government launches, 6 commercial launches, and 1 SpaceX-paid R&D launch (Falcon Heavy). Yes the US government is pre-paying for some R&D for Crew Dragon, but no, it doesn't add up to 90% of revenue. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_Heavy_launches https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_He...
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
dba7dba 11y ago
China and India are also making cheap rockets. And SpaceX is making cheapER rockets. IN California, one of the most expensive state to do business in.
- ignoramous 11y ago
  I think that's a weak argument. Apple doesn't make the profits cause it builds iPhones in California. It does so because it chose the Eastern shores for a strategic reason. If your aim is to go cheaper, then to not take advantage of global-trade is really going to set one back by a significant margin. But I understand that Elon Musk is a patriotic South African who wants to create jobs for South Africans, in South Africa... oh, wait, I meant, the United States.
  - astrange 11y ago
    It's not possible to outsource spacecraft manufacturing because it's considered a weapons technology. You have to optimize at home instead. American satellites aren't even allowed to launch from Chinese rockets.

syense 11y ago

correct me if im wrong, but those are governments creating those rockets, while elon is just a private citizen. the space program that he created would be unshackled from the states desires, be they good or bad.

mozumder 11y ago
Doesn't matter. Elon still relies on government funding because he's selling to government. It's no different than when Rockwell/North American built the Space Shuttle. The biggest problem is that his ideas are just so boring and uninspiring. How about a new idea for a change? (Hyperloop isn't more exciting than High-Speed rail) Being known for someone that "did something for slightly cheaper" isn't exactly awe-inspiring. Sucks that millennials are stuck with him for inspiration. I want to see new ideas from our tech innovators. The Mars Curiosity lander is an amazing example.
- dba7dba 11y ago
  Doesn't matter. It DOES matter. :)
  - mozumder 11y ago
    Not at all.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
    - patcon 11y ago
      You're wrong. :)
      - mozumder 11y ago
        I have yet to see any broad visionary ideas from Musk/Space-X. Everything they're doing, and are planning on doing, has already been done.
        dba7dba 11y ago
        What other nation or private entity has come up with a visionary idea in space industry? Let me remind you he first thought about sending a life capsule to Mars on a former ballistic missile. Isn't that visionary enough ya? And how about Tesla?
        ForHackernews 11y ago
        > What other nation or private entity has come up with a visionary idea in space industry? How about building inflatable space stations? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Commercial_Space_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Commercial_Space_Stati... Or mining asteroids? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_Resources For my money, either of those is more "visionary" than "a rocket booster that costs somewhat less than previous rocket boosters". Now granted, they're both a lot less practical, and it's true that making things cheaper is often a crucial first step towards making them better.
        Nadya 11y ago
        >Everything they're ... planning on doing, has already been done. So landing a rocket after launch to re-use that rocket has already been done? Going to be interesting when they are the first to do so but it's already been done. I'd love to hear how you reason that. Doing things in a more efficient, cheaper manner means innovating new ways of development, testing, and building. More 'affordable' ventures into space can lead to an array of improvements. More research satellites being sent into space, as an example, because instead of costing $12 million to ship into space it costs $4 million [0]. I'm sorry you don't see the value in such things, but rest assured it is there. [0] figures made up, can't be bothered searching for accurate pricing
  - senna 11y ago
    No, it doesn't. Government money is like 90% of SpaceX revenue. If NASA says "I want a Y in your name", they WILL rename themselves to SpaceY.
    - greglindahl 11y ago
      SpaceX's manifest for this year [1] shows 7 US government launches, 6 commercial launches, and 1 SpaceX-paid R&D launch (Falcon Heavy). Yes the US government is pre-paying for some R&D for Crew Dragon, but no, it doesn't add up to 90% of revenue. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_Heavy_launches https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Falcon_9_and_Falcon_He...

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

dba7dba 11y ago

China and India are also making cheap rockets. And SpaceX is making cheapER rockets. IN California, one of the most expensive state to do business in.

ignoramous 11y ago
I think that's a weak argument. Apple doesn't make the profits cause it builds iPhones in California. It does so because it chose the Eastern shores for a strategic reason. If your aim is to go cheaper, then to not take advantage of global-trade is really going to set one back by a significant margin. But I understand that Elon Musk is a patriotic South African who wants to create jobs for South Africans, in South Africa... oh, wait, I meant, the United States.
- astrange 11y ago
  It's not possible to outsource spacecraft manufacturing because it's considered a weapons technology. You have to optimize at home instead. American satellites aren't even allowed to launch from Chinese rockets.