[kabar]

Either way Musk has earned the drink. His company, SpaceX, is one of a handful that President Obama hopes will service the space station now that the shuttle is gone. Success would quiet critics and cement a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, making SpaceX the go-to taxi for supplies and, eventually, astronauts. It would also make Musk a 21st-century robber baron, extracting cash from the cosmos. With $4 billion in contracts and more than 40 other launches already booked, SpaceX has outpaced competition from companies backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, not to mention aerospace stalwarts like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

This fall he’s hoping for another term for Obama, the best friend of private space, Musk says. “Obama seems to care about inspiring events in the country,” Musk says. Romney, on the other hand: “He’s got that whole business-school thing going on, which I’m not a huge fan of. It’s hard to make a business case for inspiration.” For now Musk has more immediate worries, like the performance of his rocket with the whole world watching. Isn’t he worried he’ll suffer a Kim Jong-un-like fizzle? Nah, Musk says. Believe him. “Elon has huge steel balls,” his ex-wife notes on her blog. “He truly does.”

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Mr Musk may be on the wrong side of the political isle but this is the precursor to a privatized space program. Burt Rutan, Richard Banson and Elon Musk are pioneers. Obama is just a politician patting himself on the back.