Billionaires in Space

[Blackadder1916]

The billionaire space race is heating up with Bezos now surpassing Branson in height with his launch and flight today in the first crewed flight of the New Shepard vehicle.


It's almost as comical as a Mike Myers' movie. Maybe I have a juvenile sense of humour but doesn't Bezos' craft look suspiciously like . . .

 

[lenaitch]

. . . yes, it does, and a US morning show was having some fun talking around it.

One segment in the clip reminded me that a friend went to a school that was originally going to be called the Thousand Island Technical School and another to a school that was going to be called the Scarlett Heights Institute of Technology, until somebody realized (probably the graphics department while doodling potential logos).

 

[Remius]

I watched the launch and return today. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.

as much as these billionaires are taking flak for this sort of thing from some people I am glad to see the private sector advance and take over where government has let slide over the years.

Competition drives innovation.

the best part of that whole thing was watching that booster rocket land. Unreal.

 

[Weinie]

. . . yes, it does, and a US morning show was having some fun talking around it.

One segment in the clip reminded me that a friend went to a school that was originally going to be called the Thousand Island Technical School and another to a school that was going to be called the Scarlett Heights Institute of Technology, until somebody realized (probably the graphics department while doodling potential logos).

CANSOFCOM was originally to be named the Special Operations Group (SOG). During an initial recruiting briefing in a base close to Ottawa (rhymes with Smet) the newly appointed Commander said "Welcome to the Special Operations Group (SOG) briefing, bienvenue au Groupe des opérations spéciales) les GOS, bref." There were some serious snickers, and the name of the Command was changed shortly afterwards

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Nice carbon footprint for a lark.

 

[Maxman1]

As I recall, there was a petition to not allow Bezos back on earth.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

As I recall, there was a petition to not allow Bezos back on earth.

As Warren Kinsella said, "I am a big fan of sending billionaires to space, but I do not support their return..."

 

[daftandbarmy]

As I recall, there was a petition to not allow Bezos back on earth.

If he is allowed back next time he needs to lose the 'Curious George' hat

So, uhh, about Jeff Bezos's cowboy hat …​

Curious news anchor Jack Royer asked "Has Bezos always worn a cowboy hat? Or is this a new thing?" while musician Matt Scottoline wondered, "is Jeff Bezos going to wear a cowboy hat forever now is that his new thing."

Tech commentator Lance Ulanoff suggested that "Bezos picked up a cowboy hat in space." Which raises the question: Does Amazon deliver to space yet? (This feels like a good place to mention that Amazon did not respond to a request for comment about the hat.)

The jester-poets of Twitter described the headpiece as "emotionally vivid," "dopey," "inexcusable" and as "Curious George's hat." One suggested that "Jeff Bezos wearing a cowboy hat is the final form of every suburbanite who drives an F150." Another said that he "cosplayed Chuck Yeager," referring to the first pilot who exceeded the speed of sound.

"But can you imagine the sheer gut-wrenching terror in those first few seconds, when Bezos told his marketing dept that he was going to wear a cowboy hat," asked reporter Ian Young.

Meanwhile, Washingtonian assistant editor Daniella Byck posed a vital question: "Why do I feel like Jeff Bezos was wearing six tiny cowboy hats under his big cowboy hat."

The hat so irked one Twitter user who goes by PresidentBushranger that they tweeted, "I'm really hoping a mountain lion jumps out of the desert and eats Bezos hat. That would be good." Unfortunately for PresidentBushranger, mountain lions primarily prey on deer and small mammals - not ill-chosen cowboy hats.

So, uhh, about Jeff Bezos's cowboy hat …

Say you're one of the richest people in the world and you just so happen to be going to space. Now say you'd like people to focus on the fact that you're, you know, going to space. If that's the case, as it turns out, then you probably shouldn't wear a cowboy hat. Yet that's exactly what Jeff...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Brad Sallows]

And then there are the people who:
1. Know the song "Space Cowboy" by the Steve Miller Band;
2. Know that Steve Miller spent part of his youth in Texas; and
3. Noticed that the launch and landing were in Texas.

 

[Maxman1]

 

[daftandbarmy]

Selfish jerks....

 

[Infanteer]

Brilliant meme. Private enterprise is driving humanity to the next frontier, and are proving more adept at it than governments (see NASA's regression after the Apollo program). These folks should be applauded for putting their money towards endeavors that will eventually benefit the species, as opposed to just buying another yacht or island.

People will poo-poo it as tourism, but they're simply short sited.

 

[FJAG]

Brilliant meme. Private enterprise is driving humanity to the next frontier, and are proving more adept at it than governments (see NASA's regression after the Apollo program). These folks should be applauded for putting their money towards endeavors that will eventually benefit the species, as opposed to just buying another yacht or island.

People will poo-poo it as tourism, but they're simply short sited.

It's actually quite interesting. I recall the first space missions and even all through the shuttle years, to get someone into space was a massive job using up massive resources.

By comparison Bezos project was an economy of effort mission when you consider the relative scales of the thing. Granted folks went up in flight suits for a short period rather than one needing the full safety and protection equipment for a prolonged mission but all-in-all it looked like a step forward in simplifying space travel.

I'm not sure how much what of these guys pioneered will rub off on "serious" space exploration but it strikes me that the whole launch and ship recovery thing (especially when you can take an eighty year old up there) has leaped forward. Next step is increasing payloads (It wouldn't hurt if they put a few billion into researching small clean nuclear reactors either.)

 

[Infanteer]

Serious is SpaceX - "paradigm shift" is a term thrown around too freely at times, but Musk has created a legitimate paradigm shift in cost-effective access to space, and Mars exploration will be real in the next decade.

 

[suffolkowner]

I don't see the social value in it all and I think the scientific value isn't much higher, but if people want and can do it, all power to them

 

[Good2Golf]

I don't see the social value in it all and I think the scientific value isn't much higher, but if people want and can do it, all power to them

So how did you translate your response from paper in a typewriter to this forum?

Society might be a better place if we had more typewriters and few computers/smartphones…

 

[blacktriangle]

I don't see the social value in it all and I think the scientific value isn't much higher, but if people want and can do it, all power to them

I don't see much social or scientific value in Twitter, and yet millions find it a worthy use of their finite lifespans...

So opinions may vary.

 

[suffolkowner]

So how did you translate your response from paper in a typewriter to this forum?

Society might be a better place if we had more typewriters and few computers/smartphones…

It might

 

[suffolkowner]

I don't see much social or scientific value in Twitter, and yet millions find it a worthy use of their finite lifespans...

So opinions may vary.

yes they do

 

[Infanteer]

I don't see the social value in it all and I think the scientific value isn't much higher, but if people want and can do it, all power to them

Watch some Star Trek. Start with the Next Generation, and then move on to Deep Space Nine....