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Your Friday Afternoon Brings A Smile To Robert Heinlein's Ghost

May 25, 2012
By .
Geekery, Science, Technology

One hesitates to suggest that there could be a good higher than threatening to bomb one's political opponents, but human survival off this planet, indeed, human expansion into and conquest of the galaxy, may be one of those things.

As I type this, the SpaceX Dragon capsule has just docked with the International Space Station.  And you can watch it on the internet.

This is one small step for free enterprise, one giant leap for mankind.  The government won't ensure that humans escape this planet before the comet hits, giant tsunamis strike, the core reverses polarity, or the Daleks arrive.  The government couldn't find a clue if Colonel Mustard was appointed head of Homeland Security.

Private enterprise will save us, even if it has to destroy the earth to do so.

Last 5 posts by Patrick Non-White

8 Comments
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8 Comments

  1. Patrick  •  May 25, 2012 @9:34 am

    And of course the instant I hit post, the live feed went off. There will be press conferences and mission updates all day, and live footage of unloading will commence at 5:30 a.m. eastern time tomorrow.

  2. Ken  •  May 25, 2012 @9:34 am

    I, for one, welcome a giant KFC logo on the moon, so long as I can get extra dipping sauce at my Four Seasons Moonbase resort.

  3. Jim Hall  •  May 25, 2012 @9:58 am

    I watched the live feed for a little bit when the capsule was about 30 minutes out. Then I had to go to work.

    As someone who grew up outside of Edwards AFB in the X-15 days, it's hard to describe how cool this is.

  4. A leap at the wheel  •  May 25, 2012 @10:06 am

    Ken – That's not a KFC logo on the moon, that's a mass driver.

  5. Windypundit  •  May 25, 2012 @10:25 am

    Yeah, I have thoughts of D. D. Harriman going through my head. This is a major sci-fi geek moment.

  6. Brad Warbiany  •  May 26, 2012 @7:23 am

    If I'm ever to get into space, it will be due to private enterprise. Governments are more than willing to put humans into space, but they regard it as a spectator sport.

  7. Hikaru Katayamma  •  May 28, 2012 @4:44 pm

    Wow. This makes me sad that I didn't check up on your column on Friday. The fact that you referenced R.A.H. makes you all the more epic of a lawyer.

  8. marco73  •  May 30, 2012 @12:23 pm

    SpaceX Dragon. What a bad-ass name for a spacecraft!