commit: 7c0643c2f1a546edf24459981dbe5028e53a06ad
parent e304bcede89b6564c38a03749b7b011e3c7e134e
Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2021 08:56:46 +0100
Correction: Shotwell is the COO
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/content/blog/Starship.gmi b/content/blog/Starship.gmi
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ That's why I'm excited about Starship.
Alas, the program is not without its problems. The greatest challenge it faces now is that it must be done within a regulatory framework which is concerned with its impact on the environment near the launch site. I'm on the books as being staunchly against the "move fast and break laws" approach favored by Uber et al, so I hope very much that SpaceX is able to pull it off within the constraints of the law. The FAA just announced a delay in their verdict on the environmental impact of the program to the end of February, which will delay the first test launches until March at the earliest, but could also, given a negative review, delay it for years or longer. I really hope that it works out for SpaceX, because I want to live to see humans on other planets, and we need this program to start launching soon for that to happen.
-It's also worth addressing the weird relationship that the Internet has with SpaceX. I think this has a lot to do with the asshole who acts as the public face of the company: Elon Musk. I find this really unfortunate, because I believe that this program is profoundly important regardless of Musk's involvement, and Musk has very little to do with what's going on at SpaceX, despite appearances. The company is led by its CEO, Gwynne Shotwell, and the actual work is undertaken by thousands of extremely talented and passionate engineers -- not by Musk. It's also unfortunate that, because of Musk's apparent position at the helm, much of the enthusiasm for the project is tied up to some extent with the same cult-like Musk fanboys who fawn over every tweet and try to scam each other into buying some cryptocurrency garbage.
+It's also worth addressing the weird relationship that the Internet has with SpaceX. I think this has a lot to do with the asshole who acts as the public face of the company: Elon Musk. I find this really unfortunate, because I believe that this program is profoundly important regardless of Musk's involvement, and Musk has very little to do with what's going on at SpaceX, despite appearances. The company is chiefly led by its COO, Gwynne Shotwell, and the actual work is undertaken by thousands of extremely talented and passionate engineers -- not by Musk. It's also unfortunate that, because of Musk's apparent position at the helm, much of the enthusiasm for the project is tied up to some extent with the same cult-like Musk fanboys who fawn over every tweet and try to scam each other into buying some cryptocurrency garbage.
A lot of negativity also probably rubs off from Jeff Bozos, Blue Origin, and the dick rocket, or Richard Brandson's severely out-of-touch Virgin Galactic, both of which are vanity projects of rich assholes and not serious space projects. Neither of their vehicles are capable of what I consider to be the minimum threshold for being taken seriously as a space company, which is making it to LEO. Space is just 100km straight up -- it's not that hard to get there. What's difficult is not just going 100km straight up, but also going several kilometers per second sideways, so that when the Earth pulls you back down you fall over the horizon and miss. Neither of these two rich space clowns has accomplished this feat, but SpaceX did it 26 times in 2020 - fully half of all orbital launches globally in that year - and did it for a fraction of the cost of anyone else. Not only is SpaceX a serious player in the space industry, they are the 500 pound gorilla in the space industry. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are a joke.
