Space - The Final Frontier

[Chuckanut]

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.

3. A spacecraft is orbiting Mercury and sending back photos and other data.

and...

4. The fastest man-made object ever is on its way to Pluto.

Truly Amazing.

 

[Texas Proud]

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.

3. A spacecraft is orbiting Mercury and sending back photos and other data.

and...

4. The fastest man-made object ever is on its way to Pluto.

Truly Amazing.

I agree that it is fascinating... the one that amazes me the most is the Rover... something that was built for '90 days' sure has gone on a lot longer than planned....

 

[harley]

I've already told DW that the only way I'm ever going back to work is if they ever get the asteroid mining program going (and assuming they will accept unqualified, overweight old guys). Mining Asteroids? Billionaires Aim To Make it a Reality | Sci-Tech Today

This interview (What is an Astronaut's Life Worth?: An Interview with Robert Zubrin - Hit & Run : Reason.com) shows pretty clearly where I think NASA went wrong. There's no other aspect of working where that much money is spent to ensure safety. And I can guarantee that any astronaut would still go up even without all the excessive safety procedures. They're explorers, cowboys, adventurers. That's why admire them so much.

I've been waiting for this ever since I read The Man Who Sold the Moon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia back when I was 10 or so.

 

[donheff]

Back in 1969 I figured we would have colonies on Mars by now. Now I never give much credence to future forecasts, especially those about dramatic life extension technologies right around the corner.

But cudos for Elon Musk, SpaceX seems to be the real deal and Tesla engines are being installed in Toyotas and Mercedes.

 

[ratto]

I agree that it is fascinating... the one that amazes me the most is the Rover... something that was built for '90 days' sure has gone on a lot longer than planned....

Maybe this can be called over-engineering or overly pessimistic in projection? Gee, if we could achieve the same kind of outcome in our ER, it will be super!

 

[Midpack]

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.

3. A spacecraft is orbiting Mercury and sending back photos and other data.

and...

4. The fastest man-made object ever is on its way to Pluto.

Truly Amazing.

Agreed. We really can't afford NASA at least in it's former mold anyway...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Hey, y'all--you can always sign up for this, from the same folks that couldn't delivery 35 working mototaxis to us in Cuzco a few months ago! I'm sure they'll do a better job with a spaceship!
New Adventure: The Moon | The Adventurists

 

[MichaelB]

Hey, y'all--you can always sign up for this, from the same folks that couldn't delivery 35 working mototaxis to us in Cuzco a few months ago! I'm sure they'll do a better job with a spaceship!
New Adventure: The Moon | The Adventurists

Remind me never to ask you for a recommendation

 

[EvrClrx311]

I would love to see a Lunar base/colony before I die (not to actually visit, but just know humans are 'living there' in a rotation somewhat similar to what the space station does now)... at the rate NASA has been promising and then dropping programs such as these I'm not holding my breath that it'll happen in the next 40-70 years.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Remind me never to ask you for a recommendation

But once you get a new life insurance policy, maybe your wife will ask for some suggestions!

 

[MichaelB]

But once you get a new life insurance policy, maybe your wife will ask for some suggestions!

Sorry, no insurance. One of my guiding principles is always make sure to be worth more alive than dead. It's one of the reasons I stopped working.

 

[Texas Proud]

Sorry, no insurance. One of my guiding principles is always make sure to be worth more alive than dead. It's one of the reasons I stopped working.

How does not working make you worth more alive than dead

In my thinking, you are now an expense with no income..... and the pot of money can go a lot farther with one than with two...

SOOO, you have to be bringing more to the table than just 'not working' to be worth more alive than dead.... just saying....

 

[Bikerdude]

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.

3. A spacecraft is orbiting Mercury and sending back photos and other data.

and...

4. The fastest man-made object ever is on its way to Pluto.

Truly Amazing.

5. An SUV size Rover landing on Mars in August.

Mars Science Laboratory: Rover

 

[clifp]

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.

3. A spacecraft is orbiting Mercury and sending back photos and other data.

and...

4. The fastest man-made object ever is on its way to Pluto.

Truly Amazing.

I have been following the adventures of[-] Iron Men[/-] er Elon Musk with great interest. I had no idea that Mars Rover was still operating that is very cool.

 

[Peter]

And, Voyagers 1 and 2, launched in 1977, are still fully functional and in regular communication with us. Distances from Earth are 11+ billion miles for Voyager 1 and 9+ billion miles for Voyager 2. It takes over 33 hours for a command to be sent by radio, and the response received.

 

[Koogie]

By coincidence, I saw my first Tesla in the "wild" on the weekend (not a common thing in Canada). It is a stunning little mobile.
I think I'm joining the Elon Musk FanBoy club. Is there anything this guy can't do ?
With all due respect to Steve Jobs, Elon seems like the real visionary genius and they should soon be erecting statues to this guy in California.

 

[Bikerdude]

By coincidence, I saw my first Tesla in the "wild" on the weekend (not a common thing in Canada). It is a stunning little mobile.
I think I'm joining the Elon Musk FanBoy club. Is there anything this guy can't do ?
With all due respect to Steve Jobs, Elon seems like the real visionary genius and they should soon be erecting statues to this guy in California.

Well, with all due respect, (I'm a fan of SpaceX) Steve Jobs did it without government subsidy's.

 

[Koogie]

Well, with all due respect, (I'm a fan of SpaceX) Steve Jobs did it without government subsidy's.

I'm not reflecting on how it was paid for. I'm just agreeing with the OP. Some amazing things going on right now and Elon is behind one of the most monumental new developments in recent memory in space travel.

 

[Bikerdude]

I'm not reflecting on how it was paid for. I'm just agreeing with the OP. Some amazing things going on right now and Elon is behind one of the most monumental new developments in recent memory in space travel.

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.

 

[harley]

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.

No, but to take your analogy further, people did have music players and telephones back in those days too. Personally, I'm not convinced the Apple stuff has improved life that much. They've certainly increased the distraction factor in the world. Although I'm glad to have made a lot of money on the stock.

 

[MichaelB]

How does not working make you worth more alive than dead

In my thinking, you are now an expense with no income..... and the pot of money can go a lot farther with one than with two...

SOOO, you have to be bringing more to the table than just 'not working' to be worth more alive than dead.... just saying....

Employment life insurance plus not yet vested stock options. The ratio of "alive vs dead" worth changed pretty substantially the day I quit.

As for your other message, don't think I haven't had that on my mind. We both are expense, and as long as the portfolio does ok I sleep easily because I take the credit. Of course, when the markets are tanking I don't sleep so well ...

 

[Texas Proud]

Employment life insurance plus not yet vested stock options. The ratio of "alive vs dead" worth changed pretty substantially the day I quit.

As for your other message, don't think I haven't had that on my mind. We both are expense, and as long as the portfolio does ok I sleep easily because I take the credit. Of course, when the markets are tanking I don't sleep so well ...

Ahhh... sorry to say that my stock options (and very very small in number... but it really does not matter) are worthless.... the stock price is LESS than it was 10 years ago... but, as mentioned, the number that I got were so few it really does not matter if they tripled... still not much money... a few thousand...

I found out how expensive it can be by getting married a few years back.... man, it was a shock... but since my DW does not know anything about finance, I at least got that whenever I am able to retire...

 

[Chuckanut]

I think the thing that impresses me about companies such as SpaceX is their willingness to take calculated risks while using new methods. The guys who built SpaceShip One are also innovative.

 

[clifp]

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.

Well let see he co-created a new payment system for the web.
But that is just how funds his real vision.

He wants to replace all internal combustion vehicles in the country with electric vehicles to help slow climate change.

He wants to establish a self sufficient colony of tens of millions on Mars.

The underlying reason behind both of these endeavors is "enhance the long-term survival of mankind". Mars is really a back up plan in case we screw up the planet.

I think as goal in life, "saving mankind from itself" qualifies as visionary.
It is actually even bigger vision than Gate's foundation of merely wiping out deadly diseases in Africa and other 3rd world countries.

Now for most people this is so delusional that you'd be locked up. Elon is crazy, but I'm pretty sure he is a visionary also.

 

[Chuckanut]

It's about 6:20 AM PDT and NASA TV has some great images of Dragon and the International Space Station in orbit. Great, clear, close images of Dragon with the Earth below it.