ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2021-07-11 02:32 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2021-07-11 02:32 pm
Entry tags:
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic has made its suborbital test flight. \o/ My observations include ...
* Not quite 100% of rich people are useless assholes. There's always a nonzero fraction who do awesome things with all that money. The problem is, you have to shuck a lot of oysters to find those pearls.
* Particularly telling is that Mr. Branson hasn't changed his tune. He's saying exactly the same things after the flight as before it, and repeating them because nobody believes him. That's enough, quit pestering the man. Integrity and honesty may be rare, but they do exist.
* I'm amused by the style of the vehicle. Look at all the extra portholes! That's a hallmark of commercial flights, before they go to shutters and something like transparent aluminum for the roof. Spacers call them "peekaboo planes." Just keep in mind that, like on an oceangoing vessel, every aperture in the hull is a weakness and a potential failure point. But I swear, almost every spacefaring culture thinks of these things.
* This is not a joke or a publicity stunt or a way to fleece sheep. It's an important step in becoming a spacefaring species. Not just because it marks an economic threshold, but because looking down on the planet from space tends to change people. Mr. Branson got it. Welcome to the family, bro, and thanks for busting your ass on that step so more people could reach it.
* Not quite 100% of rich people are useless assholes. There's always a nonzero fraction who do awesome things with all that money. The problem is, you have to shuck a lot of oysters to find those pearls.
* Particularly telling is that Mr. Branson hasn't changed his tune. He's saying exactly the same things after the flight as before it, and repeating them because nobody believes him. That's enough, quit pestering the man. Integrity and honesty may be rare, but they do exist.
* I'm amused by the style of the vehicle. Look at all the extra portholes! That's a hallmark of commercial flights, before they go to shutters and something like transparent aluminum for the roof. Spacers call them "peekaboo planes." Just keep in mind that, like on an oceangoing vessel, every aperture in the hull is a weakness and a potential failure point. But I swear, almost every spacefaring culture thinks of these things.
* This is not a joke or a publicity stunt or a way to fleece sheep. It's an important step in becoming a spacefaring species. Not just because it marks an economic threshold, but because looking down on the planet from space tends to change people. Mr. Branson got it. Welcome to the family, bro, and thanks for busting your ass on that step so more people could reach it.
no subject
Yes ...
Everyone has flaws. What matters is what people accomplish in spite of them. Being rich can be a pretty serious handicap, but he managed to overcome that and do something amazing.
>> his company's working on that goal of expanding affordability, right? <<
That's a later step.
1) Develop reusable spaceflight. You can't do some important other things with single-use equipment, it's too damn expensive and tedious.
2) Commercialize spaceflight for rich people. Milk them for as much as you can -- they have it to spare -- and use it to subsidize further development.
This has the excellent benefit of getting rich people into space. That's not a frill. It's one of the few experiences with a real chance of getting a clue into them. It is worthwhile for even a tiny number of enlightenments, because each rich person has a great deal of power and influence, so motivating them to protect the planet is always a big win.
3) Then you work on pushing down the cost so that more people can enjoy spaceflight. This is really the refinement phase, and takes a while, but the more you do, the better it tends to get.
Just remember, folks, it is still space and it will kill you if you can. Making it a rich person's thrill doesn't mean it won't eat a few along the way. If that makes you uncomfortable, don't chase the golden ticket.
I'm just really pleased to see humanity moving up another step.
Re: Yes ...
(Anonymous) 2021-07-12 03:24 am (UTC)(link)One day I'll write a story where:
a) the poor gift economist who doesn't understand capitalism and lives with almost nothing [in the material sense] feels sorry for her rich friend who has crazy luxuries...but almost nothing in the way of companionship, and
b) someone uses prior cross-cultural experiences to realize, "Hey rich & poor culture are different, we need to teach [rich person] how to be nice according to our rules in our part of town."
Cue drama! Bwahahaha!