28 thoughts on “Elon’s Presentation On Mars Plans”
It is missing a part that I consider crucial. Put a constellation of Starlink satellites in Martian orbit to provide global navigation and communication before trying to establish residence on the planet.
Now that Musk has taken a step back from trying to save the country, will SpaceX progress as fast as people predicted when they complained about him trying to save the country?
I strongly suspect the answer to your question is ‘yes.’ Not that SpaceX wasn’t progressing while Elon was (mostly) gone. And not that DOGE won’t be doing the same in his absence now that it’s a going concern. Elon has said he still intends to look in on DC from time to time. Good, say I.
Perhaps… Keeping the SpaceX development team motivated and moving in the same direction must be like herding cats. The personal touch and most importantly “being there” instead of playing at being a political figure can only help from a leadership view point — “Follow Me! instead of “Follow orders!”, as it were.
Musk is hardly “playing” at being a political figure. Ask the Democrats, whose decades-old criminal infrastructure has been undergoing a controlled implosion by DOGE, just how much “play” is going on here.
Musk, a long-time soft lefty, got his initial dose of red-pilling when he bucked the Covid Reich in Newsomistan (aka California) five years ago. He quickly saw the progressive proto-totalitarianism then underway for what it was, realized its victory would completely derail his AI and Mars plans and promptly went all-in with his “life, fortune and sacred honor” as the saying goes.
In this, he was a maverick even among his fellow “tech bro” billionaires who, where they were not enthusiastic participants in the progressive treason, were, at best, spineless weasels who dutifully bent over and grabbed their ankles for whatever the Democrat putschists cared to do to them. Many of these, of course, are singing very different tunes now that Musk’s major political risk has proven successful and rendered it safe to do so.
The dangerous implication is that without Musk, SpaceX will turn into just another pointless Americo-Marxist organization. He’s in his 50s and fat, with another 15 years of productive life at best.
Every human organization seems to succumb to entropy eventually. Look at what Southwest Airlines used to be under Herb Kelleher. Look at what’s happened to it in just the last few years.
Sometimes the slide to entropy takes awhile (Boeing). Sometimes, it can happen quite quickly once the founder is not longer running it (Southwest) — especially if private equity gets hold of it.
He’s a bit pudgy, but not fat in any pathological sense. His mother is 77 and his father is 79. Both are in good health. I think he’s got quite a bit more than “15 years” of productive life ahead – assuming his security detail stays sharp.
Kwast would be okay. But the Administratorship of NASA has probably never been as unimportant as it is now and the trajectory is all downhill. Isaacman will be more important to the future of American manned spaceflight outside of NASA over the next few years than he would have been as its head. As an agency, NASA has an engine out and is trailing smoke.
Would Isaacman – or any other nominee – made much difference regarding the NASA budget cuts? I don’t think so. The administrator can certainly lobby – push for fave projects and money.
But the NASA budget is in Congressional hands now. Not sure whether Isaacman (or anyone else) will matter much at this point.
You are probably right, but I was looking at it as Isaacman being the only person that could maybe save NASA from itself. Perhaps we will be surprised who Trump is able to find to put in charge, but at this point, I think there is nothing to save.
I was at a dinner party last night chatting with a person, who had run his own machine shop. The topic of NASA came up, and he asked, “has NASA done anything recently?” It hasn’t, not in terms of human spaceflight. To the extent it has, it is because SpaceX provides it with a capability to keep ISS resupplied with cargo and humans. Without Musk, who most NASA employees I know loath online, ISS would already be in the Indian Ocean.
It’s gonna take a few months to get an administrator now, since the confirmation machine clock is now reset to zero. And it may almost be an advantage that there isn’t a permanent administrator this summer, since now whoever that ends up being won’t have to publicly stump for budget cuts which will be ferociously unpopular within the agency, and quite unpopular on the Hill, too.
It’s quite possible that this is what finally sank Isaacman’s nomination, because it had become increasingly clear that he was unhappy with some of OMB’s proposed cuts. With Elon gone, the sharks were able to take advantage to use that to sink him.
Isaacman could have spent the next few years arguing with Congress and the unions but he will have to settle for being a billionaire who flies jets and spacecraft,
I thought Isaacman was a mistake from the get-go. I think maybe they settled on him as the only name they could come up with who wasn’t a deep-state shill.
It is missing a part that I consider crucial. Put a constellation of Starlink satellites in Martian orbit to provide global navigation and communication before trying to establish residence on the planet.
There was mention of putting Starlinks in Martian orbit, iirc.
However, did you catch the bit about how big the next starlinks will be?
Wasn’t much in it but interesting nonetheless.
Now that Musk has taken a step back from trying to save the country, will SpaceX progress as fast as people predicted when they complained about him trying to save the country?
I strongly suspect the answer to your question is ‘yes.’ Not that SpaceX wasn’t progressing while Elon was (mostly) gone. And not that DOGE won’t be doing the same in his absence now that it’s a going concern. Elon has said he still intends to look in on DC from time to time. Good, say I.
Perhaps… Keeping the SpaceX development team motivated and moving in the same direction must be like herding cats. The personal touch and most importantly “being there” instead of playing at being a political figure can only help from a leadership view point — “Follow Me! instead of “Follow orders!”, as it were.
Musk is hardly “playing” at being a political figure. Ask the Democrats, whose decades-old criminal infrastructure has been undergoing a controlled implosion by DOGE, just how much “play” is going on here.
Musk, a long-time soft lefty, got his initial dose of red-pilling when he bucked the Covid Reich in Newsomistan (aka California) five years ago. He quickly saw the progressive proto-totalitarianism then underway for what it was, realized its victory would completely derail his AI and Mars plans and promptly went all-in with his “life, fortune and sacred honor” as the saying goes.
In this, he was a maverick even among his fellow “tech bro” billionaires who, where they were not enthusiastic participants in the progressive treason, were, at best, spineless weasels who dutifully bent over and grabbed their ankles for whatever the Democrat putschists cared to do to them. Many of these, of course, are singing very different tunes now that Musk’s major political risk has proven successful and rendered it safe to do so.
The dangerous implication is that without Musk, SpaceX will turn into just another pointless Americo-Marxist organization. He’s in his 50s and fat, with another 15 years of productive life at best.
Every human organization seems to succumb to entropy eventually. Look at what Southwest Airlines used to be under Herb Kelleher. Look at what’s happened to it in just the last few years.
Sometimes the slide to entropy takes awhile (Boeing). Sometimes, it can happen quite quickly once the founder is not longer running it (Southwest) — especially if private equity gets hold of it.
He’s a bit pudgy, but not fat in any pathological sense. His mother is 77 and his father is 79. Both are in good health. I think he’s got quite a bit more than “15 years” of productive life ahead – assuming his security detail stays sharp.
Isaacman’s nomination was pulled. He’s out.
Who will the next nominee be?
There’s no way to tell because Fox News doesn’t have a dedicated space reporter.
William Shatner?
Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend.
Eric Berger is hearing that retired Air Force General Steven Kwast may be in poll position.
Kwast would be okay. But the Administratorship of NASA has probably never been as unimportant as it is now and the trajectory is all downhill. Isaacman will be more important to the future of American manned spaceflight outside of NASA over the next few years than he would have been as its head. As an agency, NASA has an engine out and is trailing smoke.
Unbelievable. Sabotage.
Would Isaacman – or any other nominee – made much difference regarding the NASA budget cuts? I don’t think so. The administrator can certainly lobby – push for fave projects and money.
But the NASA budget is in Congressional hands now. Not sure whether Isaacman (or anyone else) will matter much at this point.
You are probably right, but I was looking at it as Isaacman being the only person that could maybe save NASA from itself. Perhaps we will be surprised who Trump is able to find to put in charge, but at this point, I think there is nothing to save.
I was at a dinner party last night chatting with a person, who had run his own machine shop. The topic of NASA came up, and he asked, “has NASA done anything recently?” It hasn’t, not in terms of human spaceflight. To the extent it has, it is because SpaceX provides it with a capability to keep ISS resupplied with cargo and humans. Without Musk, who most NASA employees I know loath online, ISS would already be in the Indian Ocean.
It’s gonna take a few months to get an administrator now, since the confirmation machine clock is now reset to zero. And it may almost be an advantage that there isn’t a permanent administrator this summer, since now whoever that ends up being won’t have to publicly stump for budget cuts which will be ferociously unpopular within the agency, and quite unpopular on the Hill, too.
It’s quite possible that this is what finally sank Isaacman’s nomination, because it had become increasingly clear that he was unhappy with some of OMB’s proposed cuts. With Elon gone, the sharks were able to take advantage to use that to sink him.
“Approximately 53% of NASA’s workforce is in a bargaining unit that is represented by a labor union.”
https://www.nasa.gov/careers/nasa-unions-bargaining-units/#:~:text=Unions%20at%20NASA,of%20Government%20Employees%20(AFGE).
Isaacman could have spent the next few years arguing with Congress and the unions but he will have to settle for being a billionaire who flies jets and spacecraft,
I thought Isaacman was a mistake from the get-go. I think maybe they settled on him as the only name they could come up with who wasn’t a deep-state shill.
Maybe Musk or Bezos will make a buyout offer?
Pennies on the dollar?
You know who would be great as NASA administrator? John Carmack.
Seems like a long time ago when Carmack was working on those hydrogen peroxide engines.
Yeah, and he has since gained a lot of management experience at Meta running Oculus Rift.
After considering the opinions of Zimmerman, Malcolm and others, I’m coming around to the idea that this is a good thing.
It is, at the very least, not a bad thing.