My issue with Musk sending a Tesla into space

Started by Coveny, February 10, 2018, 01:15:08 AM

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trdsf

Quote from: Unbeliever on March 20, 2018, 03:44:09 PM
Well, apparently it wasn't just a Tesla that they sent into space:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2OTtIFnC50
Fortunately, it wasn't the bible sent up on the glass storage unit, but the Foundation trilogy.  And a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  And a towel.  :)
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." -- Barbara Jordan

Hydra009

Quote from: trdsf on March 21, 2018, 09:17:24 AM
Fortunately, it wasn't the bible sent up on the glass storage unit, but the Foundation trilogy.  And a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  And a towel.  :)
Excellent choices.  :)

Cavebear

Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on March 21, 2018, 05:57:22 AM
Let's not forget that the Moon is a harsh mistress.

Actually, our Moon may be the easiest way off Earth. 

1.  It WAY easier and faster to get to the Moon. 

2.  The Moon's gravity is less.  Safer to land on and leave.

3.  The Moon's gravity is less, part2.  Easier to move heavy stuff around in. 

4.  The Moon CAN be reached in an emergency.  Mars is a couple of years away.

5.  One step at a time!  When we are children, we learn to cross a street.  Them we learn to go down the block.  Them across town.  Don't underestimate gradual learning.  And I agree completely that one can learn too slowly, but also try to learn too fast.  Neither works; the slow-goers and the fast-goers tend to fail.  I think colonizing the Moon is the right balance.  We are in a point of time to try it successfully.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Hydra009

Agreed.  The moon is an excellent beachhead.  Plus, it has helium-3, which is a nice incentive to get out there.

Cavebear

Quote from: Johan on February 10, 2018, 12:47:20 PM
Warning: Long post.

Many years ago I attended a talk by Burt Rutan while at an aviation convention. Look him up if you don't know who he is. Burt and his sideburns spoke for the better part of an hour and half. He started by talking about how the Wright flyer that flew in 1903 doesn't look much at all like the airplanes we have today. The Wright flyer is really sort of proof of concept machine and nothing more. It could fly short distances and carry one passenger at most. But it really didn't have much utility beyond that and never would. The design just didn't allow for the kind of utility that would be needed if any kind of aviation industry was ever going to happen.

So fast forward 20 years and lots of aircraft design innovations happened which collectively led us to the default aircraft design we still use today. Almost none of those design innovations happened at the hands of the Wright brothers. Instead they happened at the hands of countless individuals who had looked at what the Wright's had achieved and said if they can do it, maybe I can do it better. In those early years, aircraft companies sprung up in garages and back yards all over the country. Lots design ideas were tried. Some worked well, others failed miserably. But all those different individuals trying all those ideas are what led to the design innovations which allowed a commercial aviation industry to be born and begin to grow. IOW it wasn't the Wrights who gave us commercial aviation, it was all those other folks who decided to try their hand at the game and see what improvements they could make.

Burt's talk then shifted to the 1950's and 1960's and the space race. He talked about how NASA showed us that rockets could be built that could get us into space and get us back. But unlike the early 1900's there was no revolution which followed with people deciding to see what kind of rocket they could build in their back yard. There was no movement of private individuals and companies deciding to try their hand at space travel and trying to figure out what innovations could be found to make it more practical and affordable.

That never happened with space travel the way it did with air travel. But imagine if it did. Where would be today if hundreds of startups had appeared in the late 60's all trying to make their own space vehicle designs. Its easy to imagine that had that happened, getting into space would be much more affordable and accessible today.

So if Elon wants to try to light that spark by putting one of his cars in space, let him. Its an early first step in getting us to a place where private space vehicle companies are innovating and moving the needle slowly closer to a world where space travel is as common as getting on bus.

Could he have done it differently and loaded the thing with experiments? Sure. But guaranteed he would have gotten 1/10 the amount of press coverage. So put experiments on board and maybe this flight leads to one or two more flights. Or make it a press event like he did and this flight leads to ten or twenty more. Which is better? Elon is a big picture guy and he hasn't failed much so far. There are certainly worse horses you could bet on.

I agree.  And that is saying a lot about everything you said.  So, for once, I am just agreeing.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!