Elon Musk - Making Humanity A Multiplanetary Species

[happyuk]

I think Elon Musk is probably a genius, but I have one or two persistent doubts about him.

For a start I would prefer someone with an IQ of 120 who thinks it's 100, rather than someone with an IQ of 150 who thinks it's 190, and I think there is a little bit of that with Elon. That's his trouble - he thinks he can do anything.

In terms of sheer technical prowess I would choose someone like Wang Chuanfu, the entrepreneur behind Chinese battery company BYD over Elon Musk any day. This guy is like a modern day Thomas Edison in that he just goes out and learns and applies whole new technologies by himself.

By the way I also think Amazon's Jeff Bezos is also utterly brilliant, albeit also utterly ambitious. I would never bet against Bezos. Bezos seems more inclined to keep quiet and knuckle down whereas Musk takes to Twitter way too often with his ideas as a means of pumping up his stock. By the time Tesla get to market with an economically viable car they will likely have many other competitors. Every other day it's Elon saying "next year cars will be able to self drive for XYZ miles with 1 recharge while going at speeds of silly mph" without ever having delivered the original product.

Investors think electric vehicles are the future, and they're probably correct. Tesla currently leads in electronic vehicles, so the thinking goes that Tesla must be a great buy. This ignores two important principles in business:

1. Price matters. A lot. Just because EVs will probably some day replace petrol-cars doesn't mean investing in the company that makes them is a good investment. It's like buying property in a place you know in decades to come is going to be really popular. If you can get the property really cheap, all well and good. But the expectation may already be priced in, so at a high price it's not a good buy. Even your predictions prove right, you could still get hosed.

2. Being first to market with a product—in this case, an electric vehicle—is rarely an advantage in the long-term. Other competitors aren't sitting there doing nothing. Case in point: Palm being first to the market with smartphones.

[happyuk]

Posted by ozmirage (here)

Posted by Daozen (here)
I saw what you wrote about trains. I 100% agree that trains are the best form of transport, but we still need to solve the problem of road travel.

The myriad problems associated with road travel are reduced or eliminated once 80% to 90% of land transport is by rail. Coincidentally, in the 1920s, 90% of all travel was by rail.
. . . . .
In 1920, 90% of all travel was by electric traction rail (streetcars), average fare - $0.05. ($36.50 annual cost for taking a round trip every day; 730 x 5 cents.)
In 1920, you could buy a brand new Ford Model T for $300.00
In 1935, you could buy a brand new Plymouth for $565.00.
In 1979, you could buy a Honda Accord for $7000.00.
In 2012, you can buy a Ford Focus for $16,500.00
In 2012, 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard on NYC mass transit - Cost: $104, reduced fare $52
(per annum = $ 1248 / $ 624)


Taken for a Ride (documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-I8GDklsN4
....

Adding overhead catenary power for streetcars / trams, buses, and trucks may allow for extended range for battery powered / hybrid vehicles, too.

Transitioning 80% of long distance trucking to rail would reduce petroleum consumption below domestic production levels. Containerized freight could be locally delivered by short haul hybrid trucks. But the major gripe with rail freight is speed. Due to a confluence of regulations and tax policy, most mainline railroad tracks are limited to 79 MPH. Changing the regulations and building a moderate speed (ex: Class 6 : 110 MPH to Class 8: 160 MPH) passenger and freight service would lure shippers to “go Rail!”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_s..._United_States

Excellent point about the use of electric streetcars. From what I've read this was by far the cheapest and safest means of transporting people at the turn of the century, and still would be now if it wasn't various political factors that conspired to hasten their demise, replacing them with diesel powered machines.

[Star Tsar]

Wow now that's a Big Falcon Rocket!!!

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
SpaceFlightNow.com

SpaceX Releases First Pictures Of Falcon Heavy Rocket

Published 20th December 2017



SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk released the first images of his company’s Falcon Heavy rocket Wednesday, showing the massive triple-core booster almost fully assembled inside its hangar at the Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A, where it is scheduled to lift off some time in January.

Read all about it here: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/spac...cket-1.3729791

[Star Tsar]

Latest from Space X

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
Space X

Falcon Heavy Demo | Static Fire

Took Place & Published 24th January 2018

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=sNgByUWwFKU

Everyday Astronaut Report

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kDiJh8loTOE

[Star Tsar]

Live right now

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
Everyday Astronaut

LIVE @ Falcon Heavy

Live @ Time Of Posting

Live from just 3 miles away! Ask whatever questions you have about this massively exciting launch!!!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xoI7sFyAirY

Space X Livestream

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c

[Star Tsar]

Live "Starman's" Perspective

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M

[Cidersomerset]

Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy rocket launches successfully

10 minutes ago


Elon Musk has just launched his new rocket, the Falcon Heavy,
from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

read more...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42969020

===================================================


SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket

CBS News

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PqCRjLYwV7E

Published on 6 Feb 2018
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, thundered to life Tuesday
and shot away from Florida on the power of 27 engines and nearly 5 million pounds
of thrust, kicking off a spectacular maiden flight to send founder Elon Musk's cherry
red Tesla Roadster on a "just for fun" journey beyond the orbit of Mars.

[Cidersomerset]

This is from yesterday and is pretty good and who does not like a bit of Bowie...
It shows how they hope the launch will go.

Falcon Heavy Animation

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Tk338VXcb24

Published on 5 Feb 2018
When Falcon Heavy lifts off, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the
world by a factor of two. With the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons
(141,000 lb)---a mass greater than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew,
luggage and fuel--Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next
closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at one-third the cost.

Falcon Heavy's first stage is composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose
27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff,
equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.

Following liftoff, the two side boosters separate from the center core and return to
landing sites for future reuse. The center core, traveling further and faster than the
side boosters, also returns for reuse, but lands on a drone ship located in the Atlantic Ocean.

At max velocity the Roadster will travel 11 km/s (7mi/s) and travel 400 million km (250 million mi) from Earth.

[The Moss Trooper]

I was just watching the live-cam posted by Star Tsar, the Tesla car passed Earth then there must have been at least 20 - 30 'objects' appearing from all sorts of different trajectories, and especially 2 that were stationary and started flashing blue, white, yellow & green........... Awesome.

Guess what happened next?

Camera switched to a shot of the Falcon engine for about 10 seconds, then screen blank and a message along the lines of, "sorry, there is a technical fault."

Priceless!!


22:55 ......... This is phenomenal! They have to keep cutting the feed, There is SO much activity up there....... I'm aware of lens-flare, satellites, shooting stars, debris, etc, but a lot of what I've just been watching ain't covered by those. Changing trajectories, travelling in groups......... Ahhhhh, brilliant!

[Star Tsar]

Also it was great for all those flat Earthers out there!

[Cidersomerset]

What's next for Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket

ABC News

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MpH0dUp2BAo

Published on 7 Feb 2018
Tesla founder Musk told ABC News he "didn't really think this would
work" after his Falcon Heavy rocket successfully blasted into space

[Star Tsar]

Let's check in on StarMan!

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
Gianluca Masi

Observation Of Tesla Roadster Across The Stars

Streaming live @ time of posting

See Tesla Roaster live, online, through a telescope!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gqlMQW2VZ1Q

[Cidersomerset]

Interesting article more for the timing.....and they mention Space X at the end.

Report: Trump administration looks into privatizing International Space Station

CBS News

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=sB-KR5Xc5xc

Published on 11 Feb 2018
The Trump administration is considering a plan to cut off federal funding for the
International Space Station and turn over parts of it to private industry, according
to the Washington Post, which cites an internal NASA document. But the plan would
likely face strong opposition. CBS News space analyst Bill Harwood joins CBSN to discuss.

[Wind]

Ever seen this movie?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_to_Mars

I thought that it had an interesting timeline, 2020.

What humans eventually found on Mars was of course quite something else.

[Cidersomerset]

The barren desert preparing astronauts for life on Mars

It looks like something out of a sci-fi film.

But this is the desert where scientists and volunteers test pressure-simulating

suits in the inhospitable conditions of the Oman desert to prepare for life on Mars.

10 Feb 2018... From the section Science & Environment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVgIddtluHg
read more...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science...r-life-on-mars


===================================================
===================================================

Ever seen this movie?

Yeah like Star Gate and many other movies they take concepts from alternate
books/research or now direct from the web and start to tell a good story which
usually ends up in disaster or a shoot out , but this one did go to an ancient
civilisation on Mars waiting to be awoken a bit like the Arnie classic Total recall
but more believable as these things go.....

Mission To Mars - The End ?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=XDvyeQw8cBs

[Wind]

Don’t spoil the best part! It’s not as impactful if you haven’t seen the whole movie.

I saw that movie actually a long time ago in the theaters. Probably ever since if not before it I’ve dreamed about the red planet. Mars was like Earth and most of human souls came from there. We probably might have similar DNA to the martians. Who would have known what kind of truths are revealed in ”entertainment”.

[Agape]

I thought that Elon Musk is somehow smarter and more ethical than the other guys . His Tesla technologies and opinions would seem to suggest the option .

Movies are more entertaining than reality in this case, in my opinion .

I simply think that trying to grow vegetables in 50kg pressure suits in inhospitable soil for 20 billion dollars when and while you have billions of people starving on this very planet who do not have to starve at all but you fail to provide them access to clean water and help them grow their vegetables in far less extreme conditions

is called vanity of human undertakings and fascination with Self.

Sorry if I say what I think .

Of course I used to see these differently when I was a kid and quite differently now after years witnessing the real struggle of the human community for survival .

Something is telling me that the vanity and self-fascination of human spirits disregarding survival and well being of its own species must have a threshold .

That someday some celebrity will say no to the gold fashioned show and buy their girlfriend ticket to cinema instead.

History taught us so many lessons ..

think of the ancient vimanas , flying vehicles of the Mahabharata and their space program . It’s all been here before it collapsed and turned to ashes .Even if Mars once hosted civilisation it is not inhospitable for no reason .

People are like big children . Sometimes it’s cute but not if we never learn ..

[Cidersomerset]

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from California

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MOxXkuK6Yt8

Published on 22 Feb 2018
SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California. The rocket was carrying a Spanish radar-imaging satellite. CBS
News space consultant Bill Harwood joins CBSN with more about the launch.

[Star Tsar]

Full webcast

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
SpaceX

PAZ Mission

Recorded & Published 22nd February 2018

SpaceX is targeting a Falcon 9 launch of the PAZ satellite to low-Earth orbit on Thursday, February 22 from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The instantaneous launch opportunity is at 6:17 a.m. PST, or 14:17 UTC. The satellite will be deployed approximately eleven minutes after launch.

Falcon 9’s first stage for the PAZ mission previously supported the FORMOSAT-5 mission from SLC-4E in August 2017. SpaceX will not attempt to recover Falcon 9’s first stage after launch.

Starts @ 5 minutes

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-p-PToD2URA

Everyday Astronaut's coverage:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=JZ_Tp9qjviw

[Cidersomerset]

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts Spanish communications satellite into space

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=U4XstuxnSAs

Published on 5 Mar 2018
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the program's 50th flight thundered
away from Cape Canaveral early on March 6, 2018, carrying a
Spanish communications satellite