Skip to main content

Elon Musk dares the CEO of Boeing to race SpaceX to Mars

File photo: Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk smiles as he attends a forum on startups in Hong Kong, China January 26, 2016.
Whether it’s DC Comics versus Marvel, Nike versus Reebok, or Apple versus Microsoft, there is nothing like some friendly competition to raise the stakes — and spark a bit of crazy innovation in the process. Now we have our latest standoff to add to the collection: SpaceX founder Elon Musk versus Boeing. What’s at stake? Being able to lay claim to getting the first human to Mars, apparently.
The first shots were fired Thursday, December 7, when CNBC host Jim Cramer quizzed Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg over whether the established giant would be able to beat SpaceX. “We’re working on that next generation rocket right now with our NASA customers called ‘Space Launch System,’” Muilenburg said. “This is a rocket that’s about 36 stories tall. We’re in the final assembly right now, down near New Orleans, and we’re going to take a first test flight in 2019. And we’re going to do a slingshot mission around the moon.”
He added that, “Eventually we’re going to go to Mars and I firmly believe the first person that sets foot on Mars will get there on a Boeing rocket.” This is the second time Muilenburg suggested a similar triumph for Boeing, having previously said at a 2016 conference in Chicago that, “I’m convinced that the first person to step foot on Mars will arrive there riding on a Boeing rocket.”
Like waving a red rag to a Tesla Model 3, the statement quickly provoked Musk to respond on Twitter with the two words that may as well sum up his career: “Do it.”
OK, so on some level, this is Twitter drama, which usually peters out after a few hashtags and several retweets. But we’re talking about a man who was told his plan to take on the giants with an electric car was madness, but still succeeded; who has figured out how to land a rocket vertically; who is drilling giant tunnels underground for high-speed transportation; and — most importantly — who has been constantly talking up Space X’s rocket, which he plans to use to transport humans to Mars.
This is one wager we’re excited to see the outcome to. Whoever wins is going to be in line for some serious bragging rights.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meryl Streep wants to trademark her own name

Meryl Streep has won three Oscars, three Emmys and six Golden Globes during her 40-year long career on stage, screen and television. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File) Meryl Streep, the most celebrated actress of her generation, has filed an application to trademark her name. The application was filed with US Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, records show. It requests that the name Meryl Streep be trademarked for “entertainment services,” movie appearances, speaking engagements and autographs. Streep, 68, last week extended her record to 21 Academy Award nominations, this time for her role in “The Post.” She has won three Oscars, three Emmys and six Golden Globes during her 40-year long career on stage, screen and television. It is not clear why Streep would file a trademark application at this stage in her career and her attorney and publicist did not return a request for comment on Monday. Many celebrities trademark their names or catch phrases to pro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beijing’s struggle against pollution will be tough, take time: Mayor

Beijing’s battle against air pollution will take time and be very tough to win despite recent improvements, the acting mayor of China’s capital said on Wednesday. The city has been fighting to clean its notoriously smoggy air through steps such as pushing households and factories to switch away from coal to cleaner fuels like natural gas. “Further improvement in air quality (will be) extremely difficult,” acting mayor of Beijing, Chen Jining, said in a statement released during the city’s congress meeting. The central government’s intense focus on air quality means many local officials’ careers are linked to the success of efforts to tackle smog, making it unusual to speak candidly about the challenges of meeting tough targets. Beijing has chalked up a short-term success by cutting the annual average level of breathable particulate matter (PM 2.5) to 58 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017, beating a target set by the State Council in 2012. However, the city is still some way f...
Post a Comment
Read more

US slaps anti-dumping duty on polyester staple fiber from China, India

United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. (source: Wikimedia commons) The Trump Administration has slapped anti-dumping duties on stainless steel flangs and finer denier polyester staple fiber from China and India. Exporters from China and India received countervailing subsidies of 41.73 to 47.55 per cent and 9.50 to 25.28 percent, respectively, the US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross alleged Wednesday. As such he has instructed US Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China and India based on these final rates. “The US will no longer sit back and watch as its domestic businesses are destroyed by unfair foreign government subsidies. We will continue to take action on behalf of US industry to defend American businesses, workers, and communities adversely impacted by unfair imports,” Ross was quoted as saying by PTI. In 2016, imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China and India were ...
Post a Comment
Read more