LOL.
I watched the launch. Man that rocket was amazing. And even more so the two side boosters came back and landed upright simultaneously. Incredible technology.
LOL.
I watched the launch. Man that rocket was amazing. And even more so the two side boosters came back and landed upright simultaneously. Incredible technology.
Just like in the old scifi movies when I was a kid. Never thought I would see a real rocket go backward on purpose.
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2000 Boxster S
2010 Volvo XC60
2011 GMC Denali HD 6.6L (sold)
2008 Cayenne S (sold)
1989 Targa (sold)
I've got two boys studying engineering at UCF...neither is a nerd (respectfully said as an engineer myself) yet both were texting me like crazy about the launch and beginning to grasp what it is they are witnessing....history.
The media paid attention when booster were unable to successfully land on a barge, even though it'd never been done. Once a success, it barely makes news.
Elon Musk is the Man. How cool is it to be that guy? What a great time to be an engineering student. I hope we are on the verge of a renewed era of space travel/exploration. Remember how cool it was to watch the moon landings?
dghii; maybe I am reading it wrong. Space X has already landed on a barge at sea.
Soooo...has Musk now officially passed Steve Jobs as the best product promoter?
I'll admit, I never really drank the Musk Kool-Aid, but I have to give him giant (planet sized?) kudos for creating a huge buzz...and I (regretfully) must admit that not only is he a visionary, but seems to be able to turn his "crazy" ideas into reality. For perspective, let's roll back the clock to when the Boxster was to be released and we are collectively reading some publication detailing how Porsche is going to build a roadster, while a few pages further in, there is an interview with someone who is claiming that they are going to start a new car company, build only electric cars and blatantly states "people will jump on a waiting list for a year just to get the chance to buy one....oh, and I'm going to build rockets too." At this point I am assuming that we all just shook our heads and laughed, tossing the magazine aside...without even finishing the article, or reading "and I'm going to colonize Mars." There might have even been something about matter transfer devices, battery operated of course.
(Note: Please don't take me to task on the presented timeline, or ask for a publication source.)
Its absolutely superb what he has done and brilliant but I think its just as important to keep perspective of the events. It will hopefully lead to a new era in terms of space exploration and renewed interest by another generation. The cost reduction should have massive implications if things progress as hoped.
So to get to my perspective point:
Nasa sent people to the moon AND brought them back with a minuscule fraction of the computing power and knowledge he has today and repeated the operation 6 times and brought 3 vehicles that they drove around.
The roadster has already stopped transmitting (about 4 hours after launch I think). Voyager 1 & 2 left 40 years ago and are still transmitting back to earth from the edges of our universe albeit it basic info but they're still going.
The shuttle was essentially a space delivery van that was intended for only 10 re-uses or 10 years yet they flew 130+ successful missions over 30 years.
Curiosity will be on Mars 6 years this year, takes selfies and sings itself happy birthday, how incredible is that???
Musk is fantastic but its important to remember that he is there because he is standing on the shoulders of giants, true geniuses that did it with slide rules and pencils.
I really think that should be highlighted as those events laid the oh so important foundation on which SpaceX has built and total respect to him for taking it and making it work!!
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Traco
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Older but no wiser.
2003 Boxster S, Seal Grey
Musk is fantastic but its important to remember that he is there because he is standing on the shoulders of giants, true geniuses that did it with slide rules and pencils.
...and those men at NASA stood on the shoulders of those that came before them (German/Nazi rocket scientists), and those men on the shoulders of those that came before them, etc., stretching all the way back to the first hominid to use a stick as a tool.
Gotta hand it to Musk, but man it takes some serious KoolAide to buy the crap at the end of the day. When looking under the surface just a little you find a company that is having difficulty with supply, manufacturing, reliability etc. Tesla is (sort of) the only game in town, and if they can get their corporate crap together can have a strong product. The only reason Tesla still exists is a lack of any real competition. When Porsche, Audi and other big makers bring out a competitive car, Tesla will most likely die on the vine. Meanwhile, the big media stuff is at least entertaining.
Pretty incredible to have a private company do such a large scale thing.
Still they went through all this effort to throw a F#%$ing car away
Marketing I guess.
They could have taken up a block of ice or bag of water to simulate lifting weight
Man humans are incredible at how ingenues we are at disposing of trash
Car probably had a sealed bearing in the electric motor that failed causing a catastrophic failure
If only Porsche had access to rockets
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2002 S - old school third pedal
Seal Grey
Ya know, to be a critic is easy. To do not so much. Elon has done in multiple industries.
Don't listen to the short sellers pushing stories trying to drive down the price. Only time will tell. Recall how the Prius was ridiculed at first. Now any manufacturer who can has a hybrid.
If I could buy a Model 3 today for list today, I would. But waiting for 2019 doesn't appeal. And by then, how many improvements will have been baked in to the next generation Tesla? And what will be the features and quality of the competition?
Some may have seen this but figure its Friday and worth a share.
Grab a coffee and look at it an PC so you can follow the conversations, who's transmitting and the video. There's too much happening for a small screen. If you have over the ear headphones put them on sit back. Blows my mind each time I watch it.