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Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

spacex.com

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Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#361

Post by moosey »

ElComradio wrote: post #311
cscurmudgeon wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple. They are jealous they are on the sidelines.

In the same way nerds got beat up because the jocks are just jealous of their brains? There can be criticisms of a plan to send a few people to die in a metal box millions of miles away at incredible cost that do not require jealousy as a motivator.

And yet there will be many capable people lining up for a suicide mission to Mars if that's what it comes to. Not just to be the first, but so that their potential sacrifice will change the future of humanity.

My lack of skills necessary as a programmer to help, and my health issues mean that I can't really do anything but cheer from the sidelines. There will be mistakes, but sometimes you have to jump into the river with both feet if you wish to cross.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#362

Post by dragonwriter »

nappy-doo wrote: post #300
mikeash wrote: post #148

Some of the comments here make me think of crabs in a pot pulling down the ones who try to climb out. Nobody's making you participate in this venture. If you don't like it, then you're free to go do whatever it is you do like. You might think Musk could better direct his efforts and resources elsewhere, but most other billionaires don't do anything all that interesting, they just invest their money in mundane stuff,…

I don't know of any billionaire that's run for president. /s

What, you've never heard of H. Ross Perot?

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#363

Post by rebootthesystem »

mikeash wrote: post #148

Some of the comments here make me think of crabs in a pot pulling down the ones who try to climb out. Nobody's making you participate in this venture. If you don't like it, then you're free to go do whatever it is you do like. You might think Musk could better direct his efforts and resources elsewhere, but most other billionaires don't do anything all that interesting, they just invest their money in mundane stuff,…

HN achieves excellent S/N, even with some negativity. It's run very, very well. I go back to USENET and pre-internet fora. In some cases it was impossible to have intelligent conversations because six users "owned" the list. Nah, this is really good. Negativity and all. I've run into moderators a few times and, in retrospect, it's always fair and justified.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#364

Post by moogly »

dudus wrote: post #277

Watching live the announcement and presentation by Elon on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1YxNYiyALg Where the hell did they get this audience from? Is this hosted on a frat house with some academic invites? There's a dude jokingly saying that burning man felt like mars with a lot of shit and no water, there's a guy plugging his comic book, there's a guy making a joke on how we should send Michael Cera to Mars, a g…

Musk has a, let's say, assorted fan base. Lots of, let's say, unusual personalities tend to come to his shindigs.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#365

Post by mikeash »

richcollins wrote: post #325
mikeash wrote: post #148

Some of the comments here make me think of crabs in a pot pulling down the ones who try to climb out. Nobody's making you participate in this venture. If you don't like it, then you're free to go do whatever it is you do like. You might think Musk could better direct his efforts and resources elsewhere, but most other billionaires don't do anything all that interesting, they just invest their money in mundane stuff,…

We are being made to participate in this venture via taxes. That said, its incredibly exciting.

Not yet, although that is apparently the plan. If someone argued that it should be entirely privately funded, I'd be fairly sympathetic, although I don't agree.

(It is indirectly funded through some tax dollars with things like their ISS resupply missions, but that's money the company would get with or without a Mars plan, and could easily just take as profit instead.)

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#366

Post by elevensies »

mxfh wrote: post #316
dudus wrote: post #277

Watching live the announcement and presentation by Elon on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1YxNYiyALg Where the hell did they get this audience from? Is this hosted on a frat house with some academic invites? There's a dude jokingly saying that burning man felt like mars with a lot of shit and no water, there's a guy plugging his comic book, there's a guy making a joke on how we should send Michael Cera to Mars, a g…

It's super weird, also that refueling question: People have to wait weeks in space to just get refueled? Why not send 4-5 tankers (supposedly reusable) up first and then refuel almost instantly? That thing seems really low scale/budget.

The goal is to maximize re-use in order to minimize cost, for a tanker to fuel a tanker in orbit you'd need two tankers. So 1 booster + 1 transporter + 1 tanker, vs. 1 booster + 1 transporter + 2 tankers. If the trip takes 100 days, adding 3 weeks is 20% longer, and you might get it 20% cheaper by saving one spacecraft ... I can see it going either way.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#367

Post by ythl »

norea-armozel wrote: post #338

My greatest fear is that space will become the playground for the rich and powerful where the rest of humankind is left to suffer on an overpopulated, polluted Earth. We as a society can't live on the kindness of individuals to achieve a better future and that goes double for leaning on SpaceX and Elon Musk. They are a for profit venture and that means unless you're rich enough to pay your way then you have to pay wi…

Don't worry. If anything, space will become the graveyard for the rich and powerful once they realize how poorly the human body fares in high-radiation, low gravity environments.

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#368

Post by __derek__ »

mintplant wrote: post #258
mikeash wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're free to advocate for other things, but most of the critics aren't doing this, they're just shitting all over this idea and then making vague waves in the general direction of other ideas. Further, why so much focus on this particular billionaire, who at least is focusing pretty hard on driving progress even if you don't agree on the precise direction, and ignoring all the ones just wasting it, or being activel…

> Further, why so much focus on this particular billionaire, Personally, I'm worried by the fact that it's a billionaire driving this, nevermind which one in particular. If and when SpaceX colonizes Mars, what sort of life will the people up there live? Will it be a Musk dictatorship? A corporate fiefdom? Rich people remaking society in their own image wasn't exactly the space dream I grew up with.

International law (i.e. the Outer Space Treaty[1]) does not cease to apply in the event that it's a corporation that does the exploring.

[1]: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty_of_1967#Ar...

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#369

Post by shuntress »

ElComradio wrote: post #311
cscurmudgeon wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple. They are jealous they are on the sidelines.

In the same way nerds got beat up because the jocks are just jealous of their brains? There can be criticisms of a plan to send a few people to die in a metal box millions of miles away at incredible cost that do not require jealousy as a motivator.

This (almost) as accurately describes the Apollo program. Are you saying we should not have gone to the moon?

*There's criticism: "Maybe it would work better with Type A rather than Type B" and there's _criticism_: "Thats stupid and you are stupid for thinking its not stupid"

Re: Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species [video]

#370

Post by t4nkd »

mikeash wrote: post #339
goatlover wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're also free to critique an idea that's been put out there in public. The so called free market of ideas where people get to express their opinions on said idea. Or do you only want to see cheerleading? Because not all ideas are good, or feasible, or appropriate for now. The might be ahead of their time, and so forth.

My dictionary defines "critique" as "a detailed analysis and assessment of something." That is not what I'm seeing here, nor is it what I'm arguing against. I have no problem with people arguing against SpaceX's Mars plans, either on the basis that the plan is infeasible, or that he should be doing something else. I have a huge problem with people arguing against it on the basis that the commenter doesn't like it and…

Juxtapose this desire against the fact this is in reply to a user named "goatlover" and it's hard not to laugh.
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