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Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla  (Read 8621 times)

LesPalenik

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2018, 09:27:49 pm »

Much more important and inspirational development than a 5g gram weight reduction on the latest smartphone.
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Rob C

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #21 on: February 08, 2018, 04:54:36 am »

The reality is that space exploration and the related technologies, just as sea exploration before it and even land exploration before that, have unlocked benefits for humans and helped with many of the concerns and issues that people raise as "why aren't we spending money on THIS instead?" comments.

No, it's not the same thing at all.

We live on this planet and will continue so to do to until we end up destroying our ability to continue. It makes perfect sense to know as much about our habitat as we can learn. The Moon and space are not where we live, and as a species we never can. Even some places on Earth are out of limits for humans unless via centuries of acclimatization. We already have enough nuclear weapons to wipe out several worlds.

Unquestionably, rockets make for fine spectacle, but that confuses the issue of what makes sense and what is a waste of resources and a distraction. I'm surprised that anyone can seriously claim it to be better to let any part of humanity live badly because it's wonderful and better to blow resouces on vainglorious showmanship.

We already have our satellites showing us how we can get along just fine not knowing how to read maps; we already have a zillion tv channels not worth the time of day or night; we can already post messages from our rowing boat mid-Atlantic. What the hell more technology do we need in order to feel fulfilled as human beings? I guess trying to help lift others out of the Dark Ages, here on Earth, is too much to expect.

By no means does it diminish the value or relevance of the "why are we not spending on this" alternatives.

Rob

davidgp

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #22 on: February 08, 2018, 05:07:21 am »

Martin Kristiansen

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #23 on: February 08, 2018, 08:15:15 am »

Inspiring. And to think he is an immigrant from a shithole country.
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Commercial photography is 10% inspiration and 90% moving furniture around.

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #24 on: February 08, 2018, 08:29:53 am »

Poor asteroids ... 😉


tom b

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #25 on: February 08, 2018, 09:30:11 am »

Tesla's one billion loss in three months.
 
Maybe missing Mars and hemmoraging one billion in three months may be a problem.

Glad it's not my problem,
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Tom Brown

Rob C

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #26 on: February 08, 2018, 10:10:36 am »

Tesla's one billion loss in three months.
 
Maybe missing Mars and hemmoraging one billion in three months may be a problem.

Glad it's not my problem,

Yeah, but then with his new rocket pack, maybe he can get away from it all - just like Bond! Or Major Tom.

William Walker

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #27 on: February 09, 2018, 09:01:55 am »

Inspiring. And to think he is an immigrant from a shithole country.

 :) We in that "shithole country" sit back and smile....!
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Telecaster

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #28 on: February 09, 2018, 03:25:30 pm »

Speaking of stuff in orbit, here's a video compiled from International Space Station footage of the ball o' rock & water we live on. It was put together by Seán Doran, also a skilled processor of JunoCam imagery. In 4K.

https://youtu.be/Xjs6fnpPWy4

-Dave-
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Telecaster

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #29 on: February 09, 2018, 04:34:57 pm »

Projected orbit of the Tesla (the green ellipse), but will likely be revised based on ongoing observation & calculation. It'll intersect our orbit but won't come close to us for centuries at least. Same goes for Mars.  :)

-Dave-
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Telecaster

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #30 on: February 09, 2018, 04:48:35 pm »

Rob, the human species makes its bones by outrunning the expectations and desires of its members who dream of plateau & equilibrium & stasis. This will continue for as long as we are who we are. Leave the refusal to look beyond the horizon to the chimpanzees.

-Dave-
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MattBurt

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #31 on: February 09, 2018, 05:50:38 pm »

We live on this planet and will continue so to do to until we end up destroying our ability to continue. It makes perfect sense to know as much about our habitat as we can learn. The Moon and space are not where we live, and as a species we never can. Even some places on Earth are out of limits for humans unless via centuries of acclimatization. We already have enough nuclear weapons to wipe out several worlds.

This kind of reminds me of people saying the early European explorers we going to just fall off the edge of the earth.
Or even just questioning the use of a New World since they already had the Old World.

Being able to leave our planet and live somewhere else just might come in handy one day.
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-MattB

Rob C

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2018, 06:19:57 am »

This kind of reminds me of people saying the early European explorers we going to just fall off the edge of the earth.
Or even just questioning the use of a New World since they already had the Old World.

Being able to leave our planet and live somewhere else just might come in handy one day.

But this is dream: were it even physically possible, how many of Earth's population do you imagine could afford a seat? You really think you are going to be able to be put to sleep, shot into space and then wake up, have a good, healthy fart, brush your teeth and sally forth in your space suit and find everything ready and waiting for you, complete with band of musical "toy" soldiers to welcome your arrival? Really? Comparisons with exploration on a planet we already inhabit, which we are designed to inhabit, is a red herring of an argument. Especially so when one considers just how much of this planet of our own we still find ourselves unable to inhabit.

And of course, none of the counter-arguments so far have touched on why it might be better to continue relegating so many millions of our own species to lives of squalor, disease, hunger and thirst rather than cleaning up this part of our domestic act before looking beyond to new places we might despoil.

One good thing I am prepared to cede: sexual harassment would then become very difficult from within a space suit...

Rob

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2018, 09:13:46 am »

O tempora! O mores! Rob The Socialist!  :D

Peter McLennan

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2018, 12:59:44 pm »

But this is dream: were it even physically possible, how many of Earth's population do you imagine could afford a seat?
Rob

I think, Rob, that you're missing the point.  Space exploration makes it possible for everyone to see what we're putting at risk. Absent this imagery, we're all ignorant.  With continued ignorance comes continued destruction.

Watch a little of Telecaster's link to "Orbit", preferably on a BFTV and not a laptop screen, and report back.

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Rob C

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #35 on: February 10, 2018, 01:06:20 pm »

O tempora! O mores! Rob The Socialist!  :D


Hardly; the rationalist.

:-)

Rob C

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #36 on: February 10, 2018, 01:13:03 pm »

I think, Rob, that you're missing the point.  Space exploration makes it possible for everyone to see what we're putting at risk. Absent this imagery, we're all ignorant.  With continued ignorance comes continued destruction.

Watch a little of Telecaster's link to "Orbit", preferably on a BFTV and not a laptop screen, and report back.


But Peter, we have seen our blue planet, the Moon, other immense, useless lumps of gas and dust that serve us not as future abode. Knowing we float in space is not something that needs further proof; what we need above all is a little bit of common sense back here on Earth. I think that is worth spending loose cash on more than looking the other way and deeply into the kaleidoscope of past and future.

Peter McLennan

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #37 on: February 10, 2018, 02:06:10 pm »


But Peter, we have seen our blue planet,

Arguably not like this. Maybe you have, but many haven't.  And certainly not with this clarity.

Quote
I think that is worth spending loose cash on more than looking the other way and deeply into the kaleidoscope of past and future.

We're not looking the other way.  We're looking at ourselves. As we've never been able to do before.
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Farmer

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #38 on: February 10, 2018, 04:32:28 pm »

You're still missing the point, Rob.  Space exploration accounts for about 0.05% of global GDP.

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/150-people-in-astronomy/space-exploration-and-astronauts/general-questions/921-how-much-money-is-spent-on-space-exploration-intermediate

It's peanuts, but it gives us huge returns in terms of technological advancement quite apart from the inspirational aspects and the contribution to the economy in terms of jobs and so on.

For further perspective, this is about 1% of the global creative arts economy.  Yes, we spend about 100 times more on global creative arts than on space exploration.  So if we taxed the global arts economy just 1% we could direct that to your stated goals without having any significant impact on that sector.

https://www.citylab.com/life/2015/12/the-global-creative-economy-is-big-business/422013/

And before you decry that loss the arts, the most significant portion of that is television.
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Phil Brown

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Elon's Tesla
« Reply #39 on: February 10, 2018, 04:45:40 pm »

Or put it this way: how many billions are spent on fashion and cosmetics industry?
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