Paywalled, but link is a gift article from me
Wiping out wildlife is a small price to pay so that one day we might be able to rocket to barren, lifeless worlds that are totally uninhabitable.
Some day this world will be barren and lifeless and totally uninhabitable. I’m not defending Space X, but sooner or later we’ll need to leave. I wouldn’t be quite that dismissive of the need to get out there, but that’s not as urgent as the environment.
Some day this world will be barren and lifeless and totally uninhabitable.
“Some day” is likely to be several hundred million years, if not a billion years from now. That is hundreds and hundreds of times longer than our species has existed. To say that’s not as urgent as the environment is a pretty significant understatement. In fact, I’d say that threat is about as far from urgent as one could imagine.
That’s a best case scenario. A gamma ray burst could hit the planet tomorrow and we’re all gone. A madman with a bunch of nukes could trigger a nuclear winter. A massive volcano could darken the skies for years - wouldn’t be the first time. I’d like to see some progress just in case.
While I see the sarcasm, that statement is really pretty accurate. I mean, this rocket is probably the most important thing humans are doing right now. I can’t think of a higher priority project.
I can’t think of a higher priority project.
I can’t think of how it would be a priority at all.
A reusable rocket? It represents entering a new phase of humanity.
It’s a much more significant leap into space than the moon landing, because it greatly improves our access to space. If this thing works, if we end up with a working reusable rocket, it doesn’t just mean more satellites, or more astronauts, it means you and I can start going to space in our lifetime. It means people will start having jobs in space. It means we can finally start reaching out in a real way.
