Revealed: The billionaire baron who’ll ride Elon’s thrusting erection to the Moon and back SpaceX today named its first paying passenger it will fly around the Moon and back to Earth – and it's Japanese biz baron Yusaku Maezawa. Yeah, him. You know. Him. “SpaceX has signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle — an important step toward enabling access for everyday …
From the point of view of Elon Musk, the survival of humanity and its eventual escape from the solar system is more important than the ecological system of a planet which will anyway be burnt to a crisp sooner or later when it is engulfed by the sun.
It's a very long-term thing, but when you think of it, it's absolutely factual and there's nothing theoretical about it.
@ Ratfox
This is the best planet we've found so far though, and very commutable.
So is all this effort just in case humans havent died out by the time the lease is up and the earth burns up in the sun , in .. what ... 10 billion years?
Seriously , I wouldnt worry about it .
In the billion to one chance that humans learn to stop killing each other , and live in harmony with the planet , and thus survive long enough for the sun to be a problem - those people will be far better equipped to deal with it.
Preparing for it now is like a caveman trying to build an ocean liner
The above comment will get lots of downvotes as it looks like I dissed space , obviously a huge no no on this site.
I was actually responding to the specific perceived threat of the earth's orbit decaying and falling into the sun, or the sun reaching end-of-life and exploding , is there anyone here who thinks this is an issue we need to start preparing for?
hint: 5 billion years according to New Scientist
Long before 5 billion years our planet will be hit by many asteroids of mass-extinction size. Having orbital technology, both for the telescopes to spot theses asteroids and the tools to divert them is in everyone's interest.
That just leaves the threats of nuclear war, climate change, nutters with DNA sequences making bio weapons etc.
From the point of view of Elon Musk, the survival of humanity and its eventual escape from the solar system is more important than the ecological system of a planet which will anyway be burnt to a crisp sooner or later when it is engulfed by the sun.
It's a very long-term thing, but when you think of it, it's absolutely factual and there's nothing theoretical about it.
Mein Führer!... I... can... WALK!
> It was utterly bizarre
I figured it would be, which is why I avoided it. Musk is awkward at *best* and he's almost as bad of a public speaker as I am (I failed 7th grade because I absolutely totally categorically emphatically refused to do the required speeches to the class)
I may have a couple pints and watch it this weekend.
> Please click on this story
Actually I specifically came to El Reg because I knew you'd have a concise no-hype cut-the-bullshit article with the facts of the situation.
That depends on how well the resulting 'Art' is received, being the first artist to see the view from space should result in something with historical importance, but producing a lunar inspired interpretive dance routine would be well….
Which begs the question, how big are the windows on the BFR crew cabin?
"being the first artist to see the view from space should result in something with historical importance"
Just as a "near miss" isn't a "hit", so taking a trip that goes near the Moon is far more a case of not going there, that arriving.
Just like there is a big, big, difference between being one the tourists pressing their faces up against the railings of Buckingham Palace and being one of the privileged (or intruder) few who actually get to go inside. If I was putting up that money or putting my life on the line, I'd at least want a few rocks to bring back and to write my name in the dust.
I don't know? The crew of artists and sculptors should have the craft skills required to customise some CO2 scrubbers with a bit of cardboard some tape and a sock. Plus some lovely pretty paintings of explosions - and some less terse dialogue for the future movie.
The Bomber On the Moon was described as a B-17, but the photo in the story showed a B-29: a World War II vintage rather than Dr Strangelove era, so nothing as modern as a B-52. Of course, thats assuming you're thinking of the Sunday Sport story and its followup piece about launching a Shuttle to tow it back home.
Back on topic a bit: of course the Space-X flight will be just a remake of Apollo 8 rather than Apollo 11.
There is indeed. In this case, it is the difference between making a rocket and module that will reliably and safely chuck a number of human beings around the moon and back, or making a rocket that will chuck a module that has a lander that will reliably get to the moon, enter into orbit around it, get the lander on the surface, get it back to the orbiter, and get the orbiter back to Earth - and keep everybody alive all the way.
Personally, on a first try (for SpaceX), I prefer the basic round-trip option, thank you.
The next step up from a trip around the moon is to refuel the BFS-crew in orbit with the BFS-tanker. The BFS-crew could then land on the moon and return to Earth without further refuelling.
<embiggen>If</embiggen> Dearmoon and the first crewed LOP-G mission both launch on their no-earlier-than dates, Dearmoon goes first.
So when I "go to the Niagara Falls", which many tourists do, I am not really going to the Niagara Falls unless I'm in the Niagara river flowing over the falls?
Besides after selling the "First tourist around the moon" trip for millions or billions, he can still sell the "First tourist on the Moon" for even more!
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When everything is going wrong in one part of the business ("We can't make cars") announce something else for the fanboiz to slaver over ("Look! A Truck!"). In this case he's about to have his arse handed to him on a plate by the libel courts so of course he has found a passenger for a rocket which hasn't even been designed yet, let alone tested and certified for human flight.
Ian Johnston,
To be fair to him, I don't think this is distraction. I doubt the Tesla customers and shareholders care about SpaceX. I think it's more that he enjoys doing a bunch of different things.
Equally I don't think this is a distraction from him being an arsehole on Twitter - and possibly in general. Is he even self-aware enough to admit to himself that he did something wrong? Given he keeps doubling-down on his childish smearing of the bloke?
On which note, I must say I admire his restraint to only ask for £75,000 in damages. I'd have asked for more. Just on the prinicipal that Musk might not even notice the loss - but then the public admission that he was wrong and an arsehole may be more painful than even a few million.
Also, as someone else has said, the BFR has been at least partly designed. Haven't they already been testing the engines for a year?
The problem here is proving the damages. Did Musk slander him? Without evidence to the contrary yes. Has it caused damage to the person? No. £1 award on principle. To cause damage it has to impact what someone thinks of the person. Standard thought for a western man going to Thailand is pretty much what Musk is saying, therefore difficult to show any damage caused.
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