[MD Expat in PA]

And the Tesla with the dummy Spaceman in a space suit and the “Don’t Panic” on the GPS (a nice nod to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Bowie’s Life on Mars being played, was sure a lot more fun to watch than a concrete block being launched into space. I wouldn’t call that a publicity stunt as I would call it brilliant marketing and getting people interested in space travel.

The thing is that some people have been poo pooing this launch because the center core booster was lost and Spaceman’s Tesla didn’t end up on the exact elliptical Mars to Sun orbit as intended, but I saw an interview with Musk prior to and after the launch where he said something to the effect of, “it would be a success as long as it lifts off and doesn’t blow up on the launch pad”. So as far as I can tell it was a great success and the side by side landing of the two booster rockets was spectacular.

Many people don’t remember or are unaware how many tests of the Atlas rocket either blew up on the launch pad or shortly after. That’s how it got the nickname the “At Last Rocket”.

[ctdonath2]

I just don’t grasp how so many on FR are so utterly blinded with rage by the ignorant “Musk got money from the gov’t” (he didn’t - he was given a tax cut) that they can’t see the monumental achievement of building & launching a _reusable_ rocket capable of sending 64 tons to Mars.

I don’t know what could possibly satisfy these people. What could Musk do “right” such that they would stop condemning him? Usually such requests reveal that such people just won’t take “yes” for an answer - cognitive dissonance.