I’ve always been a big fan of magnetic levitation trains in vacuum tubes like the Virgin hyperloop. This project is inspiring. It could bring the globe together and better the lives of everyone on the planet. The concept is from Musk and it’s awesome on many different levels, but he’s not backing that horse. He wants to go to space, but rather than working with the maglev technology of a Startram he’s trying to re-invent the wheel with fossil fuel based rockets. To add insult to injury for his first package into space he sent a Tesla as a publicity stunt. I share the sadness for the waste of an opportunity for research and advancement that this represents.
http://www.iflscience.com/space/not-everyone-is-happy-about-elon-musk-se...
And it’s not like Musk isn’t renewable energy conscious. His solar collecting shingles are very nice, and pretty cool. Even if I’m his Powerwall is un-inspiring it’s at least an attempt to move away from fossil fuels.
Now I tried to think positively about this. I tried to convince myself that this is just advertising, and it’s working. I should admit that a lot of people are talking about it. I’ll also admit that as this was the maiden voyage so as Musk said, “there is a good chance this monster rocket blows up”, but the whole thing just seems like such a waste to me. He could have easily sent up expendable experiments, or I’m sure he could have gotten some investors to take a risk with a contingency that if the rocket blew up they wouldn’t have to pay for the trip, but if it was successful they had to pay him and he could have recouped some much-needed capital on his passion project.
I get the infatuation with space, but it just seems like to me that he’s throwing reason out the window in pursue of his dreams.
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My only problem with Musk is that he started selling flamethrowers to the general public...totally irresponsible!
Note: Those rockets don't use conventional fossil fuels. They do use chemicals but it isn't gas or oil based.
His car, he can do as he pleases with it.
I adore that there is an increased excitement about space exploration. Good for Musk!
Mark, you wrote that you think he is throwing reason out the window to pursue his own dreams. It may not seem reasonable to you but it obviously is to him. They are his dreams. Why shouldn’t he pursue them?
You see it as a lost opportunity? Perhaps that would be the case if the activity were based on your goals. However, he spent his money to accomplish his goals.
I am excited about space exploration for the first time in a long time. The government seems to have lost it's vision. Mars seems like a real possibility now!
I'm not against his goal, dream, or spending his money to accomplish getting to Mars. I have issue with the dummy payload of a Tesla rather than using probes that could have provided more data about Mars and other planets in the galaxy. Take a step back and think about how many small cheap probes he could have fit in the space/weight of that car that could be speeding off in different directions around our universe. 100s of them going in different directions sending information and pictures (from our latest technology cameras not the old crappy ones we used in the past) from the depths of space. The cost wouldn't be much different than the value of a Tesla and the knowledge would be priceless for human advancement. Even if he would have sent up commercial products with a risk clause that if it blows up they don't have to pay, but if it works they get it at half price would have been more reasonable. (and it's not like he doesn't need the capital...)
Coveny: Perhaps he will hire you as an efficiency expert!
Joking aside! If he put probes into space, who would monitor that information? He is not in astrophysics business. He wants to put live humans on Mars.
And yet the Tesla has a live feed monitoring it so basically he sent one 1.5 ton probe...
Dumb me forgot about the launch, and you can see it from my house.
Elon Musk is my idol ☺️
I'm not convinced he could "easily" have done this: "He could have easily sent up expendable experiments, or I’m sure he could have gotten some investors to take a risk with a contingency that if the rocket blew up they wouldn’t have to pay for the trip, but if it was successful they had to pay him and he could have recouped some much-needed capital on his passion project." (OP). Sounds easy.
It would have been a distraction even to have delegated that. He is already running SpaceX and Tesla and has interests in half a dozen other projects.
Hawkins and NASA already have the designs for nanocraft to send to alpha centauri that each cost around a smart phone to make. If we say $300 per probe, and launching the Tesla into space cost 6 million. How many probes do you think he could have launched? How hard do you think getting someone else to fund that with the risk that it might blow up? Hell the Tesla alone is worth a couple 100 thousand wasn't it like the first one ever produced from the factory or something like that? I'm sure some collector would have paid top dollar for it, it's not like there isn't a waiting list to buy Tesla's as it is.
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/nasa-nano-starship-breakthrough-starshot
Yes, you make your point very well, Mark. However, I was reading an article in the Economist (behind a pay wall) that talks about his management style. I don't think it is as simple as you make it appear.
Delegation isn't a matter of saying "I delegate this to you and here's the cash to do it", end of story. Management 101 insists that all three stages of supervision are required,
1. give direction or instruction
2. check the instruction is being carried out correctly
3. check the result is the one intended.
And Musk is described as both a macro and (not a micro) but a nano manager too.
I'm unsure, but I still think its possible that the number of space probes he might have launched instead of his car is zero.
Thanks.
I haven't looked into his management style but since posting this article I have had numerous people tell me what a great businessman Musk is, and I just don't see it. I think he's a great inventor, who is ok at business. It's kind of funny I think of him like the real life Tesla who had these awesome ideas but struggled to get the backing to make them happen while edison was a good businessman, and a weak inventor who did much better. I respect Musk greatly but I won't disagree with your assessment of his management skills.
In another thread I had a good argument that Tesla motors had been posting a negative profit for a while now and the car was an attempt to bring that back into the positive. (while SpaceX has been doing well) I haven't seen any supporting information on it yet, but it's the best argument I've seen for using the Tesla car over something that makes money for SpaceX or increases research. The numbers he's dealing with a huge so I'm sure he's struggling to get investors, and having both his solar business in trouble (the new tariff is going to hammer that already hurting company) and Tesla motor in trouble doesn't make his life easy.
Oh, and remember it was just a rocket test. I think the car was supposed to go to Mars and the last I heard it had missed its target. As it happens it doesn't matter and it is just more space junk. Fortunately, it isn't junk cluttering Mars orbit the way the Earth's orbit is cluttered.
Musk doesn't sound like someone who wastes useful resources. There must be a reason for his actions and I think you hit the nail on the head about advertising his activities.
I'll admit that their are a lot of "what ifs" surrounding the subject of what could have been used for ballast.
But I think it's also kind of funny to listen to people talking about how they could have done it better...... And yet this is the billionaire CEO of Tesla, Space X, and Solar City. It seems to me the guy probably has pretty good insight and decision making skills.
@Fishy Re: "But I think it's also kind of funny to listen to people talking about how they could have done it better...... And yet this is the billionaire CEO of Tesla, Space X, and Solar City. It seems to me the guy probably has pretty good insight and decision making skills."
Now THAT is a brilliant statement, dude! Lovin' it! LOL
It's an appeal to authority. It's the same one used to justify Trump/CEOs making the tons of money they make over the people working the production floor. Also I know Solar City isn't doing well, and the new tariff is going to hurt them worse. I just heard that Tesla motor is also not doing well. SpaceX hasn't made a dime to my knowledge even if it has people lined up to use the service. So the appeal that he has a bunch of business and therefore he must be right falls apart. It does tend to sell well with people, for some reason there is this belief that you get paid what you're worth... and that's just ludicrous. You get paid the cheapest a company can get you for.
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