A nice look into the power of “spectacle." For types like myself, who are awed by the data and engineering alone, we often lose sight that most people are only inspired by the spectacle…that which they can see with their own eyes.
Interestingly, Elon Musk recognized this very early on. His original goal for SpaceX was to buy a Russian ICBM and launch a greenhouse to Mars. He thought that he could inspire policymakers and the public to devote more resources to space exploration. He did not want to be in the space business.
He soon realized that the cost of rockets was unjustifiably high and realized that to inspire would require a rethinking of how rockets were designed and built. The rest is history.
A nice look into the power of “spectacle." For types like myself, who are awed by the data and engineering alone, we often lose sight that most people are only inspired by the spectacle…that which they can see with their own eyes.
Interestingly, Elon Musk recognized this very early on. His original goal for SpaceX was to buy a Russian ICBM and launch a greenhouse to Mars. He thought that he could inspire policymakers and the public to devote more resources to space exploration. He did not want to be in the space business.
He soon realized that the cost of rockets was unjustifiably high and realized that to inspire would require a rethinking of how rockets were designed and built. The rest is history.