SpaceX: Falcon 1 OPERATIONAL

[windnwar]

You seem to be offended at his long term vision for his company. He has stated several times before that he intends to work this one step at a time, building up each successive generation of rocket, while planning and designing the next step. He doesn't have to actually build the F-5 equivalent anytime soon, just keep working towards it. <br /><br />Understanding that several successful flights helps things, he is running a business and hyping his product is pretty common in order to attract interest in the product your building. Taking a marketing campaign as anything more then a marketing campaign or vision is silly at this point, to be offended by his aspirations is even sillier. I'd say be happy that one, unlike most of his competitors, his giving you a very detailed in depth look at his business in a way that most companies in his position wouldn't. He doesn't have to release all the data he has, he could just let us all sit here an guess an speculate to our hearts content, yet, every step, every learning experience and every error that's been made, he's publicly stated it in depth after, as well as the many ways they intend to address the problem. <br /><br />Hopefully through thier brief experience so far, they'll have learned enough to make the next launch a complete success, though if it isn't, it'll put them most likely one step closer to success. Learning in rocketry is often messy, but for a company as focused as they are, I really don't see them having an issue in long term success. And I certainly see them having a much more interesting future then Mr. Rutans suborbital jaunts. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>

 

[frodo1008]

I am actually far more offended at some of his supporters that are more against the established companies and what they have accomplished that I am with Elon Musk and his bragging rights.<br /><br />As I stated I am more than happy if he is entirely successful. To be realistic here he needs far more than even one perfectly successful flight of the Falcon I to show that his systems and ideas are reliable, let alone profitable. So at this time any talking about being in competition with UAL and the EELV systems is just hot air.<br /><br />As I stated also, bringing the cost of such launchings down is not really going to open up the space frontier to mankind, as these costs are already only a small part of such systems.<br /><br />In actuality, Rutan's sub orbital flights will have far more impact upon mankind eventually getting into space in a large amount (as will Bigelow's inflatable modules and space stations). In particular if Rutan and Virgin Galactic can not only show a very high reliability (100% is absolutely essential in the beginning at least), but also show a profitability in a reasonable time. Such profitability would then allow for going on to the next step. Which may not even be travel to orbit, but hypersonic travel using sub orbital flight to anywhere around the Earth in less than 2 hours instead of some 14 hours.<br /><br />I would actually think that such craft and such travel may very well be in concert with such an aircraft type of building experience as Boeings.<br /><br />Eventually, within a decade to two decades I can see full LEO travel with many people staying for various times on Bigelow's types of Space Hotels, possibly run be such as Paris Hilton (Sorry about that, couldn't resist!).<br /><br />Also in actuality, the competition for both UAL and spacex is going to be cheaper launches by those countries that have an advantage in the economic exchange rates between them and the US. So for the survival of the US launch industry in general I person