Category Archives: Business

Business, Space

The SpaceX Press Conference

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Elon is saying that the mission was completely successful, but they lost the first stage. First relight to gentle the entry was successful, but the second one to come into the ocean resulted in an exceedance of attitude control authority for roll. Centrifuged propellant shut down engine prematurely. But they’re getting all the pieces, so they’ll be able to figure out how to fix for next time.

[Update a few minutes later]

First and second stage engines performed better than predicted. Pad also worked well.

[Update a few minutes later]

Second stage shut down prematurely, but didn’t affect mission, apparently. They know why and will fix for next flight. Next two flights won’t attempt first-stage recovery, in order to maximize payload for customers. [All via @Jeff_Foust]

Next recovery attempt will be on CRS-3. Vehicle may also have landing legs (implies attempt at flyback to land, not ocean — today’s flight must have inspired confidence).

[Update a while later]

I mistyped above. The second stage didn’t shut down prematurely, it had a problem with restart. But I think it was just a test of the vehicle, and didn’t affect the primary mission.

Business, Space, Technology and Society

Eight Minutes To Launch

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Things are looking good for a Falcon-9R launch from Vandenberg. I’ll be watching for it from the balcony in Redondo Beach.

[Update a while later]

Looks like everything went perfectly. Just waiting to hear if they had a successful relight and splashdown of the first stage. We didn’t see it from our place, though. Not sure if the house next door was blocking, or what. Next time we’ll go to the beach.

Business, Economics, Health, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Our (Near) Future Lifespan

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Four visions.

I think it’s a mistake to call the fourth one “immortality.” A better phrase is “indefinite lifespan.” Unless our understanding of the universe is wrong, we’ll all die eventually, when it gets cold. And medical breakthroughs won’t save us from having an ACME anvil dropped on us.

Absent backups, that is. Which is philosophically unsatisfying, from the standpoint of identity.

But we need to start thinking about policy in terms of scenarios three and four, and ObamaCare is a disaster on that front (as is social security, lifetime tenure for academics and judges and popes, etc.). Plus, if people are going to continue to be born, and not die, we will eventually need other places to live than this planet.