An opinion piece on a need for focus

In the wake of SpaceX's most recent anomaly:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/...acex-to-focus/

rick jones
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Le 02/09/2016 à 20:47, Rick Jones a écrit :
In the wake of SpaceX's most recent anomaly:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/...acex-to-focus/

rick jones

“Sending thousands to colonize Mars may just have to be put on the
back burner until he can send three people to ISS.”

Interesting article.

On Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 6:51:47 AM UTC+12, Rick Jones wrote:
In the wake of SpaceX's most recent anomaly:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/...acex-to-focus/

rick jones
--
Don't anthropomorphize computers. They hate that. - Anonymous
these opinions are mine, all mine; HPE might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hpe.com but NOT BOTH...

The thing that sets SpaceX leagues ahead of all other aerospace companies is its long-term vision. Making humanity a space-faring species. Colonising Mars. He's a strong executive.

In contrast, Eisenhower set up NASA without a strong executive within the agency so NASA could not chart its own course beyond the President's direction. That way a future administration could curtail and eventually end civilian space programme which Eisenhower opposed. He thought civilian space wasteful of resources and a national security threat that could be easily penetrated by US enemies and was forced to approve what Congress wanted after Sputnik. The only real executive vision was vonBraun - and he was sidelined after Apollo and largely silenced during Apollo.

Musk is stirring up the visionary elements around the world and I find it interesting that when a set back occurs, 'expert' opinion urges him to set aside visionary long-term goals and focus on the task at hand - as if that alone will spell long-term success.