Tesla founder Elon Musk gets his Space-X rocket off the ground!

[WopOnTour]

Can't help but admire what this guy has accomplished
Making the first commecial space flight a reality was obviously no easy task

http://www.latimes.com/business/mone...,2690527.story

[vdiv]

Afterward during the press-conference Musk was asked about the synergies between Tesla Motors and SpaceX. He said that the lightweight aluminum body construction developed by SpaceX was used by Tesla on the Model S and the battery technology developed by Tesla was used by SpaceX. He also compared building space crafts to building cars, they have to be reproducible, safe, reliable and last 12+ years. Musk looked beaten up, this person never sleeps.

What his company accomplished is truly an impressive feat. The Dragon capsule was filled to the brim with cargo and with the Falcon 9 rocket it is designed to carry 7 people (+ cargo) into LEO. He beat the established defense contractors who have extensive aerospace experience such as Boeing and Orbital. Hats off to Elon Musk, the person who can be credited for the Volt and other EVs from major manufacturers being in existence today.

[Raymondjram]

I consider him a new Thomas Edison, who went from one idea and invention to another and started many companies (one which is General Electric). But we know that it was all started by the Department of Defense and NASA, who began the space programs, the development of military weapons, and the need to communicate all their computers under a big netowrk.

DARPA was formed, and under its control we have the Internet. Then companies joined the Internat and began to sell in the World Wide Web, the first auctions began, and eBay was formed. Then Elon Musk began PayPal as a means of safely paying for Internet purchases and auctions. eBay bought PayPal and Musk became a millionaire.

But he kept going, starting up Tesla and now SpaceX. So he thanks NASA and the Government for the success of the Falcon 9 liftoff, which was lauched at a NASA facility. Therefore, what started all of this is back to help him.

As for information about SpaceX, here is their homepage with a detailed list of the accomplishments and plenty of photos:
http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

[AZ EV Driver]

Can't help but admire what this guy has accomplished
Making the first commecial space flight a reality was obviously no easy task

Impressive indeed. But I have to say I really respect those engineers in the early 60s in their white shirts, thin ties, and flattop haircuts studying their sliderules looking for first time solutions. The massive computing power came from between their ears.

VIN # B0985

[Skotty]

From the SpaceX website:

Explaining the significance of the day, Musk stated, “This mission heralds the dawn of a new era of space exploration, one in which there is a significant commercial space element. It is like the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s when commercial companies entered what was originally a government endeavor. That move dramatically accelerated the pace of advancement and made the Internet accessible to the mass market. I think we’re at a similar inflection point for space. I hope and I believe that this mission will be historic in marking that turning point towards a rapid advancement in space transportation technology.”

[drbruns]

Can't help but admire what this guy has accomplished

WOT- couldn't agree more

[bababooey]

Really happy for them.

Here he is taking a bow in front of cheering employees shortly after the solar arrays deployed.
http://vimeo.com/42616884

Some bloggers and media types are calling him a real life Tony Stark. Kind of cringeworthy if you ask me and I'm sure someone as modest as him thinks the same.

[WopOnTour]

The SpaceX capsule "Dragon" splashed down today after a successful first mission

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...928543468.html


WOT

[ahaer]

I love when Elon makes off-handed references to Dr Evil - like when he was talking about the dragon LIDAR he said something like "LIDAR uses lasers to determine the distance" and he did the air-quotes and emphasis when he said "lasers" LOL