Comments on: SpaceX does it again! Incredible. https://habitablezone.com/2016/05/09/spacex-does-it-again-incredible/ Tue, 12 May 2026 20:11:45 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/05/09/spacex-does-it-again-incredible/#comment-36509 ER Thu, 12 May 2016 14:56:46 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=57490#comment-36509 No matter how fast the planes can fly, if you spend more time waiting in line at the airport, or sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off than you do in the air, then taking the train or driving yourself makes more and more sense. And what good does it do you to fly from LA to New York in an hour if you still have to spend two hours in traffic on the freeway on your way to and from the airport? Remember the Concorde? It became an expensive toy, a luxury, for rich people, developed at public expense with the tax dollars of those who would never be able to afford a ticket. No one NEEDS to cross the Atlantic in two hours. Its a solution looking for a problem. The Elon Musks of this world have a tendency to ignore the true costs of their progress. I'm all in favor of reusable spacecraft IF it cuts costs and leads to more space exploration. But I want to see a system in place and saving money before I give it my blessing. These sound like the same promises they were making for the Space Shuttle. No matter how fast the planes can fly, if you spend more time waiting in line at the airport, or sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off than you do in the air, then taking the train or driving yourself makes more and more sense. And what good does it do you to fly from LA to New York in an hour if you still have to spend two hours in traffic on the freeway on your way to and from the airport?

Remember the Concorde? It became an expensive toy, a luxury, for rich people, developed at public expense with the tax dollars of those who would never be able to afford a ticket. No one NEEDS to cross the Atlantic in two hours. Its a solution looking for a problem. The Elon Musks of this world have a tendency to ignore the true costs of their progress.

I’m all in favor of reusable spacecraft IF it cuts costs and leads to more space exploration. But I want to see a system in place and saving money before I give it my blessing. These sound like the same promises they were making for the Space Shuttle.

]]> By: mcfly https://habitablezone.com/2016/05/09/spacex-does-it-again-incredible/#comment-36465 mcfly Tue, 10 May 2016 06:36:13 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=57490#comment-36465 Shortly after the first successful sea landing, Musk gave a press conference in which he said the eventual goal for the recovered boosters was to have them ready for relaunch after little more than a quick hose-down and refueling. He noted that a jetliner can be ready to go again just a few hours after landing, and I get the sense he isn't a guy who spends much time being facetious. Shortly after the first successful sea landing, Musk gave a press conference in which he said the eventual goal for the recovered boosters was to have them ready for relaunch after little more than a quick hose-down and refueling. He noted that a jetliner can be ready to go again just a few hours after landing, and I get the sense he isn’t a guy who spends much time being facetious.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/05/09/spacex-does-it-again-incredible/#comment-36464 ER Tue, 10 May 2016 02:53:13 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=57490#comment-36464 This is definitely a brilliant accomplishment, even more so if they can repeat it regularly and reliably. But the true measure of success will be if they can cut the LEO cost over long periods of time over multiple launches, recoveries and refits. Forget the factor of 100. If they can give us a savings of 2X or 3X over a long period it will be more than worth it. This is definitely a brilliant accomplishment, even more so if they can repeat it regularly and reliably.

But the true measure of success will be if they can cut the LEO cost over long periods of time over multiple launches, recoveries and refits. Forget the factor of 100. If they can give us a savings of 2X or 3X over a long period it will be more than worth it.

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