Call me a cynic, but the only word I see there is "if".
Yeah well, you probably would have been cynical of SpaceX when their first three launches failed. Now they are on track to dominate the entire industry, even without reusability. Looking at Musk's history, when he says something is possible, you can be quite sure that success is in the set of possible outcomes.
I mean, who's SpaceX's biggest customer? The US Government.
They are the world's cheapest launch service provider and that is without re-usability. They will likely become the dominant launch provider in the world. If they get re-usability to work economically, this will enable mass launches of inexpensive satellites, which could change the entire communications industry. Musk doesn't think small.
I suppose its not a bad thing to have just in case but I don't see the reasoning behind the fixation on it as a design requirement and their ranting about its "importance" in press releases. In almost 300 manned space launches a Launch Escape system has only been of verifiable use in a single incident(Soyuz T-10-1).
The same rockets used for the launch escape will also be used as a propulsive landing system that can land like a helicopter.
Companies like SolarCity basically install solar systems for no money up front, and then lease them back to you for a period. For many houses, even with these fees, the SolarCity systems will save the homeowner quite a bit of money. Licenses to sell power back to the grid are usually restricted, even in states they are allowed. If you have a battery system installed, you will no longer have to sell your excess solar energy back to the grid. You'll simply be able to store it in your battery for later use. Thus, homeowners with these systems may not have to apply for licenses for their solar systems, since they will not be doing net-metering. This will allow many users to install solar panels who couldn't before. It removes the ability for utilities and/or state governments to restrict the number of homes with solar panels. This is why these batteries will likely have a huge impact.
Still pretty scary that a simple counter like that can cause a chain of events that chucks off the power completely. How can this be possible?
Yeah. Imagine if it happened on final approach.
I remember supporting an office with win95 and Access. I had tech support conversations that almost went like this:
Him: My computer just crashed.
Me: So what did you do then?
Him: I rebooted it.
Me: Well there's your problem. Reboot the computer again. Then tap the computer gently and pray to the god of your choice and reboot a third time...
Him:
Certainly it's preferable to 'Rich people sitting on their wealth'.
The amazing thing about Elon Musk is that when he was a student he actually lived on $1/day for a while. He said that knowing he could live on so little was quite freeing, enabling him to take more risks.
I really don't think of him as your typical billionaire.
Can anyone explain why Jeff Bezos is doing the same thing that SpaceX is already doing ?
To lower cost to orbit
The only difference I see is that they want to use LOX/LH for first stage. And even then, they plan to go to LOX/LMethane after that.
Of course, competition is always nice to have.
Yeah, the only difference is that Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, two years before Space X was founded, and only just now launched his first rocket. Bezos sounds like the Justin Hammer of the commercial space industry.
Why purchase it in the first place if I still have to rely on the grid? Seems like a waste of money unless it is strictly for backup purposes only. And even then, it won't run what is needed like electric heat or A/C unless you purchase multiple units. Then natural gas and propane generators would be much more cost effective.
You purchase it so that you can store grid electrical energy while the rates are low overnight, and use it when rates are high during peak hours.
Uhhhhhh...gigafactory?
"That's not an argument!!!"
Yeah, it's called posting on an iPad
Electric stove, oven, washer, dryer, air conditioning, refrigerator, electric heat, TV, DVR, etc.
There's no way that it would power a home in the US. I can hear the constant squealing of the overload notification already.
Then draw from the grid when you are cooking. Or buy two or three.
Tesla dont make batteries they just buy them from Panasonic, American business in a nutshell, buy $product from Asia and tell everyone you made it, Americas is just Asias best salesman, nothing innovative here (except PR) at all.
Uhhhhhh...gigafactory?
To do nothing is to be nothing.
