Saturnalia Nobody thought Elon Musk could land a rocket on a barge...until he did. It remains to be seen, but if he can create a hyperloop which does for terrainian transport as his Falcon 9 rocket has for space, we might be reading a whole lot more about vacuum tubes in future editions of Trains!
Nobody thought Elon Musk could land a rocket on a barge...until he did.
It remains to be seen, but if he can create a hyperloop which does for terrainian transport as his Falcon 9 rocket has for space, we might be reading a whole lot more about vacuum tubes in future editions of Trains!
Two things:
No one in the industry thought SpaceX wouldn't be able to do it. Every player in the business had subscale prototypes and the concept dates to the 60s. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about it. The only difference is that SpaceX is willing to take the mass penalty on the first stage and it isn't clear if there's any real savings in refurbishing a first stage.
Secondly, if Hyperloop does what Falcon 9 does...cost roughly the same but have no major advantage over a competitive machine, but everyone fawns over the guy running the place?
CSSHEGEWISCH The ability to land the first stage of a launch vehicle on a barge is a nice trick but is it really worth the expense and what does it accomplish that hadn't already been done with the Space Shuttle? Musk has yet to demonstrate that he can mass produce electric cars at a level that can eliminate an 18 to 24 month wait after you place your order. I'm not sure that the hyperloop can be operated and maintained with the precision it appears to require.
The ability to land the first stage of a launch vehicle on a barge is a nice trick but is it really worth the expense and what does it accomplish that hadn't already been done with the Space Shuttle?
Musk has yet to demonstrate that he can mass produce electric cars at a level that can eliminate an 18 to 24 month wait after you place your order. I'm not sure that the hyperloop can be operated and maintained with the precision it appears to require.
Space Shuttle really wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The goal of Falcon 9 is to relaunch within days, not quarters. The launch costs of the Falcon9 versus a Space Shuttle are completely different leagues.
Musk is also just ramping up production at Tesla, give it time.
CSSHEGEWISCH Elon Musk comes across to me as someone who honestly believes that technological advances will somehow solve many social problems. Musk has yet to demonstrate that he can mass produce electric cars at a level that can eliminate an 18 to 24 month wait after you place your order. I'm not sure that the hyperloop can be operated and maintained with the precision it appears to require.
Elon Musk comes across to me as someone who honestly believes that technological advances will somehow solve many social problems.
The barrier is not having sufficient factory infrastructure, not technology. Perhaps he'll buy some underused assembly plants from the BIG 3? That would be somewhat analogous to Amazon's buying Whole Foods to get into the grocery business quickly.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
From USA Today. Musk looking to be able to tunnel "at a snail's pace" between NYC and Wash., DC.
The effects of sudden decompression in a vacume on the human body is not pretty. Think Explosive Decompression!!!
http://www.geoffreylandis.com/vacuum.html
Elon Musk comes across to me as someone who honestly believes that technological advances will somehow solve many social problems. The ability to land the first stage of a launch vehicle on a barge is a nice trick but is it really worth the expense and what does it accomplish that hadn't already been done with the Space Shuttle?
Everything old is new again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9FfI4-oRDo
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tunnels-mail-post-tube-london-rail-railways
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Maglev has also been tested, demonstrated, and put into regular service. However, it hasn't caught on due to cost and flexibility issues that I suspect the Hyperloop will share.
What do you think of this?
http://fortune.com/video/2017/08/02/first-look-at-the-hyperloop-one/
https://electrek.co/2017/08/02/hyperloop-one-top-speed-test/
https://electrek.co/2017/04/06/hyperloop-one-us-routes/
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