Space X: The First Commecial flight to reach orbit!
 

I am both excited and nervous about this. On the one hand it will open space in a way that it hasn't been open in the past. On the other, it will open space in a way that it hasn't been open in the past.

Commercial exploitation of Space is almost as worrying as the weaponization of Space.

Nonetheless... a great achievement has been made.

AND this in the same week as China's first space walk... interesting.

Could this be the beginning of a new space race? Can the US government afford to play this time? What do you think this means for the future of Space Exploration?

I don't think the US government could compete in a space race right now. I think personal billionaires, like Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch and those folks could do it, as could huge corporations like Coke.

I really really really want to believe we'll get somewhere with it all, but the nay-sayer in me makes me think it won't happen in my lifetime. I don't think there is anything habitable close by, and terraforming or creating something habitable, building something habitable, just aint gonna happen anytime soon.

It's a great idea and something to look forward to, but it would be nice if we could take the money spent on space exploration and fix what we have here before we try to fuck shit up throughout the galaxy.

Only one comment?

This is fucking HUGE! THis is really what science should be. We really shouldn't rely on governments to be doing all this shit for us, it's gotta be us. And children. Children are our future.

I've gotta get tickets for this!!!

Elon Musk is also responsible for the all-electric Tesla Roadster; truly a great man.

Note that they didn't actually place a satellite in orbit around Earth – it says that the speed was 5200 meters per second, but you need at least 7900 m/s to put a satellite into the orbit, which requires more than twice the energy. Their rocket just went very far up, and then fell back down onto the Earth.

Still, a great achievement.

From my perspective, I think that we (humanity) are on the cusp of an outward explosion into space. We are at the point where there are many parallel programmes to establish ourselves out there. No matter what happens to one of the major attempts, I think that the pace with which we insinuate ourselves off planet is only going to pick up exponentially.

I agree with Leto.
Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always thought that the spin-off of technologies from space research have had wonderful applications on Earth, like, Tang. Seriously, medical technologies, fabrics, electronics, communications, etc. While we need to figure out how to live here, I believe we have to push the space envelope every chance we get.
Turn outward, not inward.

don't forget about the pen that can write upside down!

Classic line from That 70's Show:
I'm gonna be an astronaut cause it says here they get all the Tang they want!!!

Charlatan, can you explain why you believe commercialization is as worrying as weaponization? I can only see increases in access, product develop, exploration and a decrease in cost.

I suppose I see the commercialization of space much in the way someone back in the 1800s might have viewed the West. It was a great natural space that was eventually conquered, colonized and commercialized. It does open us up to a lot of good things but there will be a lot of negative that will come with it... including (I would suggest) wars.

If someone is going to make a profit in space... someone will inevitably have to defend that source of income. What is true on Earth is true in Space.

Pure science will not last long in the face of commercialization.

Come visit your Orbital Burker King today! The best view of ANY fast-food chain, EVER!

Charlatan, I think you may have a point.
How about those develop the technologies that allow one to merely survive for any amount of time out there.
Could they possibly get a stranglehold over a population?
Who is it who said "Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic?" That could apply to the Average Joe like me who can't solder a part on a PCB as it is? Imagine if it's an air scrubber?

The malfunction casts doubts on the ability of private space companies to provide transport services for NASA during the five years between the retirement of the space shuttle fleet and the completion of NASA’s next generation rocket system, which is not expected to be ready until 2015. NASA has invested hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars as part of a partnership with SpaceX to develop the first commercially-operated rocket designed to take cargo to the space station. If SpaceX can’t execute a successful launch soon, those plans could start to fall apart, prompting Congress and the government to re-evaluate SpaceX’s ability to play a major role in space.
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Jenilopaz

That is awesome.