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Comment: Re:Why the moon? (Score 1) 237

>(which I believe that would run afoul of an international treaty) Not really. The Outer Space Treaty says anyone is allowed to settle other celestial bodies and use their natural resources, it just prohibits signatories from annexing or otherwise claiming sovereignty over extra-terrestrial territories. Signatories are also not allowed to drag nuclear weapons along, and that's the gist of it. It's for the best, really - why bother colonising space if we're just going to use it to prolong capitalism, nationalism and hate?

Comment: Re:rocket up and down video (Score 5, Informative) 167

by ZankerH (#43130515) Attached to: SXSW: Elon Musk Talks Reusable Rockets, Tesla Controversy
The video in question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=2Ivr6JF1K-8

This rocket (the Grasshopper RLV) is just a test article. It's a mass simulation of the first stage of a Falcon 9, which has been launched to orbit successfully 5 times in a row. The idea is to test and prove the re-usability concept on the Grasshopper RLV before adapting it to the first stage of the Falcon 9. They've only done small hops so far, but the plan is to continue launching the Grasshopper RLV with more and more fuel until it can replicate the trajectory of the Falcon 9's first stage and safely return, at which point they'd be ready to begin adapting the Falcon 9 first stage for a safe return and landing.

Comment: Re:Nice work ... (Score 5, Insightful) 89

by ZankerH (#43063965) Attached to: SpaceX Cargo Capsule Reaches International Space Station
It's really a misnomer to call the space shuttle reusable. "Rebuildability" is more like it. The things had to spend months after each flight being torn apart and having every part inspected over and over and a big chunk of them replaced.
The key to economic space flight is full and rapid reusability. Payload launchers need to become as reusable as passenger aeroplanes for space flight to become routine.

Comment: Re:Obvious Answer (Score 2) 604

by ZankerH (#42108259) Attached to: How Do We Program Moral Machines?
