Congratulations to the SpaceX team and Elon Musk! However, I could care less about that car. The symbolism is unnecessary, however benign. I want to see the video of the exploding center stage. It was after all, a major malfunction resulting in catastrophic failure. Other than that it was almost the thrill of a lifetime. I say “almost” because nothing could be more meaningful than the many ‘firsts’ of the original Space Race, the history of the NASA missions that led to Apollos 8 through 17, and their lessons learned in aeronautical engineering and space exploration.
“It was after all, a major malfunction resulting in catastrophic failure. “
In the realm of Aerospace safety “catastrophic” has a specific technical meaning. That does not quality. The primary mission was complete.