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shoobiedoo | on: SpaceX catches the Starship to end Flight 15
What actually is the point of all this? I'm not trying to be a snarky contrarian, I've never had any interest whatsoever in space, star trek, "what's out there?", so I genuinely don't get it.

I'm not trashing people's interests, obviously I am the odd man out in not giving a damn, I just don't see what we're trying to achieve when there are so many issues we can't even figure out on earth.

arjie | parent | next
> damn, I just don't see what we're trying to achieve when there are so many issues we can't even figure out on earth

Earth issues are mostly coordination problems. Space issues are technological problems. Elon Musk has been very successful at solving technological problems: electric vehicles, space flight, mind-machine interfaces.

It makes sense that people like him who can solve technological problems point their attention and substantial agency to the things that their unique skills place them in a position to solve.

The Elon Musk of coordination does not currently exist. One must imagine that the kind of person or school of people who instituted NATO and the US-Japan MDA and turned our one-time enemies into our staunchest allies were people of such caliber but there’s no one I know today who qualifies for that.

Musk definitely has mastered firm-level coordination but clearly national coordination (let alone international coordination) is a problem beyond even him. His teams nearly religiously point the same way, and they have achieved wonders. It is truly remarkable what these people have done. Good for them, and I’m glad to see them at it!

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origini | root | parent
Elon Musk is not the person building any of it. Not EVs, Space Flight or mind-machine interfaces.

He is reckless and ignorant and yes it works for some of his stuff and it doesn't work for others.

His ignorance alone in DOGE probably killed children and humans. Don't get me wrong, US of America doesn't has to pay for aid around the planet even if they contribute massivly to climate change and consumes a lot of resources importet around the planet, but his abrupt cancelation and involvment in USAID killed chilrden and humans.

Do we also ignore everything else if you list up things which are only positive? Like Boring company? Solar city? Buying Twitter and manipulating democracy around the planet? Doing an Ad tour in front of the White House and disrespecting anyone else who can't buy themselves next to Trump?

DivingForGold | parent | next
Perhaps you don't have any clue that earth and it's inhabitants are very, very likely to be the only one, - - or, of the very few planets in our known universe, with such a sequence of events over millions if not billions of years that allow us to be living beings, evolving - - while out in space is a vacuum, intense radiation, no oxygen, no food or water for many hundreds if not thousands of light years distance away. Incredibly few of our species grasps this fact and actually appreciates it ...
hparadiz | root | parent
These people are completely useless. They would never come out of the cave or the forest. They'd sit in the village they were born in forever never knowing what is beyond the horizon. Never tasting the fruits of the universe forever content with only what they can see only to be wiped out by a random virus or errant rock from the sky. I am so so thankful for the engineers, scientists, and literally every junior dev at SpaceX right now.
oceanplexian | parent | next
If you don’t get it, nothing anyone says is going to convince you otherwise.

The people who “had an interest” in pursuing the unknown built the entire modern world that you exist in, since so many things have some connection back to the space program, including ironically the very device you’re using to express your opinion. So it’s probably worth paying them a little respect.

shoobiedoo | root | parent | next
> since so many things have some connection back to the space program, including ironically the very device you’re using to express your opinion.

Well there you go. I did not know that. And yet, instead of saying, "The space program is useful because of X and Y, it's pretty cool actually, I recommend book Z about it.", I get replies that I am a lost cause who doesn't respect scientists.

Unreal. I could have a more balanced conversation with a Muslim imam about religious beliefs.

origini | root | parent
So we did the moon landing btw.

Shouldn't you be able to articulate a proper answer without any issues?

Is it an engineering feat? Yes.

But i would bet James Webb Telescope and Moon landing were a lot bigger?!

hparadiz | root | parent
A single one of these Starship's payloads can deliver a telescope approximately 20-25x larger than the James Webb Telescope.
origini | root | parent
Okaaayyy? We still were able to send James Webb up without a Starship?

Soooo?!

Its cheaper okay, we can send up bigger things good but the comment stated

"So it’s probably worth paying them a little respect."

It sounds like i get down to my knee for Space-X and i still don't get it

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jddkj | parent | next
Well considering we gave SpaceX a contract to get us to the moon and for that to happen it needs to do something ridiculous like 20+ in orbit refueling yeah it's a pretty important thing to criticize.
philipwhiuk | parent | next
What's the point of heating sand - we barely have enough food to feed our pre-industrial society.
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