SpaceX - is it a pipe dream?

[robfosters]

When it comes to travelling around the world super fast, am I imagining it or was there a story a while back about a train being developed that floats above the track and can move at breakneck speed?

 

[robfosters]

Maglev trains.

Yeah, I know maglevs, but it was something else. Hyper something.

 

[robfosters]

Hyperloop.

That’s the one. I believe that’s Musk as well. It’s nothing like SpaceX, but it’s more realistic and train journey times of 15-20 minutes London to Paris is pretty awesome. And to be able to get to somewhere like Spain in the same time as flying but without the hassle of airports, delays and whatnot, would be fantastic.

 

[Vore]

SpaceX generally misses deadlines or target dates for delivery of X - I don't think it is a pipe dream though. Few years ago watching shuttles was the norm, now it's rockets landing vertically on a barge in the middle of the ocean in choppy seas and 50 knot winds. I am just glad someone is looking up, like Carl Sagan said: 'For all its material advantages the sedentary life has left us edgy, unfulfilled, even after 400 generations in cities and villages we haven't forgotten, the open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood. We invest far off places with a certain romance, the appeal I suspect has been meticulously crafted by natural selection as an essential element for our survival.'

I just hope I am not worm food before all the cool stuff happens

 

[firstborn]

I just hope I am not worm food before all the cool stuff happens

Unless you are still a fetus then forget it

 

[Vore]

Well I should have contextualized cool stuff, I still geek out about Voyager 1 & 2, they have been incredible, Cassini was the G.O.A.T probe, Juno was exceptional and the rovers have been great. Would love to be around for drilling on Enceladus - for the time being The Expanse will have to be the entertainment .

Still love listening to Juno entering Jupiters magnetosphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFIJnzrjArg

It's a good time to be alive

 

[Glaucus]

The Mars challenge is certainly very exciting but it will be interesting to see how they plan to overcome the issues which have so far hindered it. Long term exposure to zero gravity and radiation. Several people crammed in a small capsule for over a year - we're not talking USS Enterprise here, which needs to carry enough fuel, oxygen and food for the trip (assuming unmanned craft have carried supplies in advance for the planetary expedition and return journey). It's a vision to get excited about to be sure but, other than the money, we were being told in the 1970's Mars was going to follow on almost immediately from the Moon shots (or so my Brooke Bond tea cards told me). Instead, we actually regressed to no further than high Earth orbit for manned space flight the last 45 years...

these are not small ships. Also radiation isn't actually an issue if you accept risk that you will have an increased risk of cancer. 825cubic meters of pressurised space with a mars transit time of 3-6months, these aren't apollo style capsules.

 

[Rroff]

these are not small ships. Also radiation isn't actually an issue if you accept risk that you will have an increased risk of cancer. 825cubic meters of pressurised space with a mars transit time of 3-6months, these aren't apollo style capsules.

Radiation can be mitigated to quite an extent just by a mixture of route and shielding - though IIRC with current technology Mars is just about doable (in terms of exposure within reasonable limits) when the setup is right for the shortest journey time and stretching the limits otherwise.

 

[Malevolence]

Radiation can be mitigated to quite an extent just by a mixture of route and shielding - though IIRC with current technology Mars is just about doable (in terms of exposure within reasonable limits) when the setup is right for the shortest journey time and stretching the limits otherwise.

Did you see that program on the BBC a week or so back about the private space business? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0953y04

Would've been nice if they went into more detail, but they touched on some really interesting research about hibernation and resistance to radiation when in such a state. Apparently animals have some inbuilt resistance.

 

[Amp34]

YEah, TBH space tourism and international flights are not the main aim of most of these companies. They’re going after the commercial work, largely satellite launching and the potential for other paid transportation in the future (production in space with goods/materials being transported up and down). The opportunities to get to Mars, to travel around the world at hypersonic speeds and space tourism are generally a side effort and will be seen as a way of making a little extra cash on top of what’s being made on the commercial side.

Ovviously that’s not every company however - some are specifically aiming at “space” tourism.

 

[Azza]

When it comes to travelling around the world super fast, am I imagining it or was there a story a while back about a train being developed that floats above the track and can move at breakneck speed?

That’s the one. I believe that’s Musk as well. It’s nothing like SpaceX, but it’s more realistic and train journey times of 15-20 minutes London to Paris is pretty awesome. And to be able to get to somewhere like Spain in the same time as flying but without the hassle of airports, delays and whatnot, would be fantastic.

Did you forget Google existed in these 11 minutes?

 

[SPG]

Hyperloop train bomb threat....

Only a matter if time before airport style security turning up 3 hrs before your journey baggage allowances etc etc.

Pipe dream and a complete waste of time that and Musk is one nastiest people you could ever want to meet.

Space ex is pretty much Indian rocket scientists under contract outside of the USA due to the national security job restrictions.

TESLA is a bunch of millenials all scrambling to get one up on each other to polish the shoes of every manager above them and then get the manager to polish shoes.

 

[Aneskimo]

Interestingly there was a 6 part program about mars and getting the first humans to arrive and set up a colony there. It was actually ok if your into that sort of thing but in it Musk has quite a role as a head the company taking them there, and they encounter various problems along the way.

 

[Skillmister]

His current companies have been losing money since their inception, he's not selling much and his "innovations" have little/no practical purposes (hyperloop?).

Yeah Tesla's are barely selling and have little/no practical purpose

 

[Glaucus]

Yeah Tesla's are barely selling and have little/no practical purpose

and spacex hasn't changed the rocket market.
His entire post is so wrong.

 

[FoxEye]

Online virtual worlds won't require travel and will effectively enable teleportation. I think these worlds will be more captivating to people than the physical world in future and sectors like real estate, manufacturing will switch to digital.

Also if robotics progresses, there is the possibility of hiring an android at the other side of the world and controlling it within VR.

LOLs, there's the small problem of us not being digital beings.

Owning a virtual island with a virtual mansion and a ton of virtual food means nothing, if your physical body is starving and cold with nowhere to live

I'm afraid this is the biggest pile of **** I've read in a while. Until we are just patterns of signals in a network, we're going to be primarily focused on the real (physical) world. All the virtual worlds (of which there are already plenty) are just recreation, like watching TV. A source of entertainment, and a place to buy and sell hats.

 

[Chojin]

LOLs, there's the small problem of us not being digital beings.

Owning a virtual island with a virtual mansion and a ton of virtual food means nothing, if your physical body is starving and cold with nowhere to live

I'm afraid this is the biggest pile of **** I've read in a while. Until we are just patterns of signals in a network, we're going to be primarily focused on the real (physical) world. All the virtual worlds (of which there are already plenty) are just recreation, like watching TV. A source of entertainment, and a place to buy and sell hats.

We don't need to be digital beings to interact with digital environments. We already do that on the Internet, increasingly so with each generation. Your assertion of people being primarily focused on the physical world is amusing when everyone is glued to screens these days.

Take for instance eSports, which will be a billion dollar industry in the next couple of years. Digital and with no need to travel. Lightfield technology will allow people around the world to watch other sports events as if they are in the stadium. VR will replace video conferencing and make business communication around the world even easier (probably increasing the cost of air fares). There is a fundamental question of why people need to travel, and the reasons are becoming less so every year.

Currently VR is lacking a killer app but once that appears then all bets are off. My argument is that VR will reach a critical mass making Elon Musk's rockets economically unviable for Earth transportation.

 

[FoxEye]

We don't need to be digital beings to interact with digital environments. We already do that on the Internet, increasingly so with each generation. Your assertion of people being primarily focused on the physical world is amusing when everyone is glued to screens these days.

Take for instance eSports, which will be a billion dollar industry in the next couple of years. Digital and with no need to travel. Lightfield technology will allow people around the world to watch other sports events as if they are in the stadium. VR will replace video conferencing and make business communication around the world even easier (probably increasing the cost of air fares). There is a fundamental question of why people need to travel, and the reasons are becoming less so every year.

Currently VR is lacking a killer app but once that appears then all bets are off. My argument is that VR will reach a critical mass making Elon Musk's rockets economically unviable for Earth transportation.

1. You said "estate agents will switch to digital". This is nonsense. For one, there is infinite housing available in virtual spaces and you can't really make a profit on something that costs nothing to create and can be produced in unlimited numbers. Second, virtual worlds exist atm for entertainment purposes. You still need a physical house no matter what. VR is no different to playing golf, watching TV, listening to music. You cannot replace the need for real, physical resources by having VR resources; just like you can't make up for having no physical food by watching lots of TV

2. e-Sport is tiny, tiny, tiny compared to football, golf, boxing, F1, etc. Sure South Korea. Yes, we all know about those guys Globally, e-sport is almost insignificant.

3. VR does not, cannot, will not replace stimulation from real world pursuits. Not until we have Matrix-like technology (potentially, never). Even if/when we do, many will prefer doing things "for real", rather than living their lives in a fake world. Those who at the current time are more attached to their virtual, online existence than their existence in the real world are suffering from addiction, social dysfunction, or other personality disorders. I went through it at one point, but thankfully now I'm much better The real world offers far more than any VR can do or will do, and your existence in the real world is more beneficial, productive and meaningful, always.

But mainly it was your assertion that we would "switch to VR" and start ignoring our physical needs that I market out as BS. You simply can't choose VR over the real world. Unless you want to die a slow, painful death

 

[Chojin]

1. You said "estate agents will switch to digital". This is nonsense. For one, there is infinite housing available in virtual spaces and you can't really make a profit on something that costs nothing to create and can be produced in unlimited numbers. Second, virtual worlds exist atm for entertainment purposes. You still need a physical house no matter what. VR is no different to playing golf, watching TV, listening to music. You cannot replace the need for real, physical resources by having VR resources; just like you can't make up for having no physical food by watching lots of TV

Virtual space does cost something; the labour required to create it. There will be many disciplines involved in this just like real estate. Yes you need a physical house but whether it is an expensive penthouse suite or a basement dungeon will not be important.

2. e-Sport is tiny, tiny, tiny compared to football, golf, boxing, F1, etc. Sure South Korea. Yes, we all know about those guys Globally, e-sport is almost insignificant.

F1 has revenues of around $2 billion so at the current rate eSport will surpass it in the early 2020s. Other sports will be next.

3. VR does not, cannot, will not replace stimulation from real world pursuits. Not until we have Matrix-like technology (potentially, never). Even if/when we do, many will prefer doing things "for real", rather than living their lives in a fake world. Those who at the current time are more attached to their virtual, online existence than their existence in the real world are suffering from addiction, social dysfunction, or other personality disorders. I went through it at one point, but thankfully now I'm much better The real world offers far more than any VR can do or will do, and your existence in the real world is more beneficial, productive and meaningful, always.

But mainly it was your assertion that we would "switch to VR" and start ignoring our physical needs that I market out as BS. You simply can't choose VR over the real world. Unless you want to die a slow, painful death

Don't underestimate how much technology will progress in the VR to give people the requisite dopamine rush. Social media is a competition for attention and what better way than to move it to VR. You talk about addiction, social dysfunction etc.. what is your reference point? Because it could be argued with current technology such as smart phones that behaviour is already mainstream. You label VR as recreation and everything else as real world pursuits. But really many of the latter are just recreations of things our ancestors did with a purpose e.g. running, hiking, sailing, shooting. Then you have overpopulation making living in congested cities and having a round of golf cost prohibitive / impossible. How many people race cars online vs on a real race track? I'm not even championing this myself - I prefer the physical world - but this is the way I think it will turn out.

 

[Glaucus]

WTF they are actually starting work on a tunnel, Baltimore to DC
https://electrek.co/2017/10/19/elon-musk-boring-company-hyperloo-baltimore-dc/

Larry Hogan, Governor of the State of Maryland, confirmed that they are working with the company for a “rapid electric transportation” system between Baltimore and Washington DC:

Our administration is proud to support The Boring Company to bring rapid electric transportation to MD – connecting Baltimore City to D.C. pic.twitter.com/5DoLSLDesP

— Larry Hogan (@LarryHogan) October 19, 2017