Midpack
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Another huge milestone for SpaceX, they've docked with the space station! SpaceX Dragon capsule makes historic space station arrival - CBS News
Another huge milestone for SpaceX, they've docked with the space station! SpaceX Dragon capsule makes historic space station arrival - CBS News
Since the USA, USSR, China and Elon Musk are the only ones to put an object in orbit and bring it back, I think he's entitled. When an individual matches an accomplishment only three superpower countries have managed in all history (and we've had to abandon our space program) - that's something noteworthy beyond great marketing IMHO...I love the headline and you've got to give Elon credit for great marketing also. I think we have been docking objects in space for nearly 50 years, since the days of Gemini or maybe even before that by the Russians. But SpaceX gets called historic.
Another huge milestone for SpaceX, they've docked with the space station! SpaceX Dragon capsule makes historic space station arrival - CBS News
Since the USA, USSR, China and Elon Musk are the only ones to put an object in orbit and bring it back, I think he's entitled. When an individual matches an accomplishment only three superpower countries have managed in all history (and we've had to abandon our space program) - that's something noteworthy beyond great marketing IMHO...
I meant more in admiring way as in "not only do Elon's companies make great products but he is doing a great job marketing it. " Similar to Jobs at Apple no doubt Apple products were well designed, but Jobs was the best high tech marketing guy. In Elon's case the products are amazing, but the guy is no slouch at getting publicity. We have seen more about space coverage in the last few weeks by the media than we've seen in the last few years, except for the sad news of the end of the shuttle.
Space X also has created a halo effect for Telsa. Last night I came really close to putting $5,000 down for an S coupe. I'm going to hold off until I (hopefully) get a chance to test drive one in July. Part of my justification for spending $50K on car from a start up car company, was well if this guy can design working rocket than an electric car should be easy.
Well, I'm still a fan and think Elon is a clever entrepreneur but "visionary" and "monumental" is a stretch for me. The electric car was invented in the early 1900's and we did land men on the moon in 1969. I don't recall people using Mac's, IPods, IPad's, IPhones or Itunes back then.
EvrClrx311 said:amazing... SpaceX has now accomplished what only 4 countries on this planet have done.
Perhaps more. Many of those supply ships are destroyed on reentry. That is ok if they are loaded with garbage, but not good if something needs to be returned in one piece. Only the shuttle could return large objects. Now Dragon can.
I guess I am just amazed at what is happening these days even if the Shuttle is no longer in operation. As I write this:
1. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is approaching the International Space Station.
2. A Rover are still operating on the surface of Mars.
Truly Amazing.
I guess I am just amazed at what is happening these days even if the Shuttle is no longer in operation. As I write this:
[...]
Truly Amazing.
Honestly, it's a little depressing.
When you really think about it, what great technological advancements can we lay claim to in the past 3 decades?
Technology is one of those things that appears to always be slow moving, unless you step back and really look at what things are like now compared to x number of years ago...
Here is a very small list of things that didn't exist when the last human set foot on the Moon...
1973 - MRI
1977 - Voyager I and II (humans sent something out of our solar system)
1978 - Genetic Engineering
1980 - Hepatitis-B Vaccine
1983 - DNA Mapping
1987 - Prozac
1990 - lithium ion batteries (power on the move)
1998 - Genetic Sequencing
2000 - Mainstream GPS (cheap enough for you and me)
2001 - Global Knowledge Center - Wikipedia becomes the first global user-generated encyclopedia (humanity is now archived for all to see)
2003 - Human Genome Project completed
2008 - Bionic Lens (computer on a contact lens to aid vision and memory)
2009 - SixthSense is a wearable computer and arguably the first augmented reality that will spark a future of human and machine merging
2012 - As of Monday 770 planets have been found outside of our solar system (three decades ago we didn't even if extrasolar planets existed)
Also some technologies that are brand new seem irrelevant, or less important, until you get a chance to look back at them years down the road and see exactly how they have changed humanity. The computer is a perfect example.
A lot of people are out there who think they would be ok in a world without computers, but they are missing just how much would be lost:
- ATM's
- Internet (Access to all of that data, the ability to read this post and talk to a complete stranger about a topic of interest)
- Medical applications (life extension and quality of life)
I think genetics in 30 years will be a similar story... when we are able to cure diseases and better peoples lives through genetic therapy we'll then live in a world where people will be horrified that just 50 years ago people died just because they were unlucky to be born with genetics predisposing them to cancers and mental disorders...
Technology is one of those things that appears to always be slow moving, unless you step back and really look at what things are like now compared to x number of years ago...
Here is a very small list of things that didn't exist when the last human set foot on the Moon...
Did you realize that we went to the moon BEFORE we invented the microprocessor?
Now if that isn't scary, nothing is...
Did you realize that we went to the moon BEFORE we invented the microprocessor?
Now if that isn't scary, nothing is...
Did you realize that we went to the moon BEFORE we invented the microprocessor?
Now if that isn't scary, nothing is...
They replayed the 60 Minutes segment on Elon Musk & SpaceX last night, with an update on the latest and most successful mission. The exchange about Cernan & Armstrong's comments to Congress and Musk's reaction to those comments still makes me very sad. SpaceX is not the only private/commercial firm in this race (Boeing, ULA, Lockheed Martin, ATK), but criticism of other programs seems to be less publicized or worse. Makes one wonder...
I wish Elon Musk and SpaceX the best come what may. Seems odd to oppose innovation to fill an obvious void/need for any pure reasons...
Here’s the statement [Chris] Kraft sent me on behalf of himself, Armstrong and Cernan:What CBS and 60 Minutes did on Sunday evening was a distortion of the facts and the truth regarding SpaceX and people such as Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and those of us that have been criticizing the present game plan of the U.S. Space Program.
We did not condemn the COTS Program. We commend SpaceX for their accomplishments and wish them every success in the future.
However, what they did — NASA and the US Space Industry did 50 years ago and without a road map. SpaceX had the benefit of all of this investment of the taxpayers money and without the taxpayers money today could not have accomplished the goals set by NASA — not by SpaceX.
But that is not the real story. The real story is what the U.S. did in the 1960’s revolutionized the space industry and not only Space but the entire U.S.Industry. Indeed the ROI of the taxpayers money and the resulting explosion of technology provided by this investment revolutionized the entire world.
What we (The past leaders of the U.S. Space Program) are concerned about is the lack of recognition that unless the U.S. continues to advance the state of the art and invest the taxpayers money in a rational and affordable Space Program we will become a second rate nation and be left behind by those who recognize what is required.