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We're Going to Space, and Government is Not Invited
By:
Donna Hancock
2014-04-04 Hour 2 Michael Belfiore from Ernest Hancock on Vimeo. 2014-04-04 Hour 3 Michael Belfiore from Ernest Hancock on Vimeo. Michael Belfiore is an author, journalist, and speaker on the innovations shaping our world. He has written about game-changing technologies for the New York Times, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian, Air & Space, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, and other outlets. He is an International Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award finalist. Michael has appeared as a commentator on the Fox Business Network, Bloomberg Radio and TV, CNN, CTV’s Canada AM, NPR’s Marketplace and Morning Edition, Showtime’s Penn & Teller: BS!, and C-SPAN. He has delivered his message of change to audiences at Noblis, Medtronic, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Rutgers University, and other organizations. Michael’s Rocketeers: How a Visionary Band of Business Leaders, Engineers, and Pilots Is Boldly Privatizing Space is the first book to chronicle the birth of the commercial space age and show how innovative companies are radically changing how we reach space and creating potentially vast new markets in the process. His book The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs is the first book to go behind the scenes at the Pentagon agency that gave us the Internet, the first satellite positioning system, and many other game-changing innovations. Visionaries are making it possible for private space travel to anyone who can afford the ticket, lunar missions, planetary and asteroid mining, and back here on earth, super fast, super efficient cars. 1. ElonMusk.Com  Elon Musk is an engineer and entrepreneur who builds and operates companies to solve environmental, social and economic challenges. He co-founded PayPal and currently drives strategy, development and design at two companies he created, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Tesla Motors, and oversees a third company, SolarCity, which he co-founded. He led SpaceX’s efforts to be the first private company to successfully launch and dock a spacecraft with the international space station TESLA MOTORS was founded in 2003 by a group of intrepid Silicon Valley engineers who set out to prove that electric vehicles could be awesome. TESLA'S BATTERIES AND POWERTRAINS will help lessen global dependence on petroleum-based transportation and drive down the cost of electric vehicles. By cooperating with other car manufacturers, we hope to put more electric cars on the road.  TESLA MODEL S At the heart of the vehicle is the proven Tesla powertrain, delivering both unprecedented range and a thrilling drive experience. With a rigid body structure, nearly 50/50 weight distribution and a remarkably low center of gravity, Model S offers the responsiveness and agility expected from the world’s best sports cars while providing the ride quality of a sedan. 2013 Tesla Model S P85 vs 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z51: Tesla Model S Performance vs Dodge Viper SRT10 Drag Racing:
 TESLA MODEL X Designed from the ground up to blend the best of an SUV with the benefits of a minivan, as only an electric car can. It is an automobile above category, built around the driver. It artfully provides unfettered performance and brilliant functionality.  TESLA SUPERCHARGERS Tesla Superchargers represent the most advanced charging technology in the world, capable of charging Model S 16x faster than most public charging stations. We will soon roll out 120 kW Superchargers, which are 33% faster than our current version and can replenish half a charge in as little as 20 minutes, for free. It works by delivering DC power directly to the battery using special cables that bypass onboard charging equipment.  MAP OF CURRENT SUPERCHARGING STATIONS. CLICK ON MAP TO SEE LOCATION OF FUTURE STATIONS Tesla Superchargers allow Model S owners to travel for free between cities along well-traveled highways in North America and Europe. Superchargers provide half a charge in as little as 20 minutes and are strategically placed to allow owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops.
TESLA LITHIUM ION BATTERY PRODUCTION FACILITY Battery goes on to the bottom of the car...
 SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.
 SpaceX DRAGON Dragon is a free-flying spacecraft designed to deliver both cargo and people to orbiting destinations. Dragon made history in 2012 when it became the first commercial spacecraft in history to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and safely return cargo to Earth, a feat previously achieved only by governments. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth. Currently Dragon carries cargo to space, but it was designed from the beginning to carry humans. Under an agreement with NASA, SpaceX is now developing the refinements that will enable Dragon to fly crew. Dragon's first manned test flight is expected to take place in 2-3 years.  SpaceX GRASSHOPPER SpaceX’s Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. The largest rocket-powered VTVL ever flown, Grasshopper consists of a Falcon 9 first stage, a single Merlin 1D engine, four steel landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure. Grasshopper 325m Test:
 SpaceX FALCON 9 Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. As the first rocket completely developed in the 21st century, Falcon 9 was designed from the ground up for maximum reliability. Falcon 9’s simple two-stage configuration minimizes the number of separation events -- and with nine first-stage engines, it can safely complete its mission even in the event of an engine shutdown. Falcon 9 made history in 2012 when it delivered Dragon into the correct orbit for rendezvous with the International Space Station, making SpaceX the first commercial company ever to visit the station. Since then SpaceX has made a total of three flights to the space station, both delivering and returning cargo for NASA. Falcon 9, along with the Dragon spacecraft, was designed from the outset to deliver humans into space and under an agreement with NASA, SpaceX is actively working toward that goal.  SpaceX FALCON HEAVY Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket, a launch vehicle of scale and capability unequaled by any other currently flying. With the ability to lift into orbit over 53 metric tons (117,000 lb)--a mass equivalent to a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel--Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, at one-third the cost. Falcon Heavy draws upon the proven heritage and reliability of Falcon 9. Its first stage is composed of three Falcon 9 nine engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate nearly 4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit. Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of flying missions with crew to the Moon or Mars.
SolarCity.Com  SOLAR CITY is a national leader in clean energy services. We make clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Our approach is to install systems to the highest engineering standards while making the switch simple for our customers. We've revolutionized the way energy is delivered by giving customers a cleaner, more affordable alternative to their monthly utility bill. 2. Lunar Landing Prizes - Google Lunar XPrize  The Google Lunar XPRIZE, the largest international incentive based prize of all time, aims to do something humanity has never accomplished: the safe landing of a private craft on the surface of the Moon. More than half of the world’s population has never had the opportunity to view a live transmission from the lunar surface. The Google Lunar XPRIZE aims to create a new “Apollo” moment for this generation and to spur continuous lunar exploration with $30 million in incentive based prizes. In order to win this money, a private company must land safely on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 meters above, below, or on the Lunar surface, and send back two “Mooncasts” to Earth. Teams may also compete for Bonus Prizes such as exploring lunar artifacts or surviving the lunar night, and can be awarded prize money earlier by completing terrestrial or in-space milestones. All of this must be completed by December 31, 2015. The race is on! Here are two companies that are involved in the competition... MoonExpress.Com  MOON EXPRESS We are blazing the trail to teh moon to unlock it's mysteries and resources for the benefit of life on earth and our future in space.
Moon Express will send a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing exploration and commercial development. The opportunity is simply driven by advances in technology. What used to require the unlimited budgets of a superpower, are now within reach of private enterprise. Trailer: MX-1 Lander Unveiling Behind the Scenes: Astrobiotic.Com  Astrobotic Technology Inc. is a Pittsburgh based company that delivers affordable space robotics technology and planetary missions. Amidst the burgeoning commercial space industry, Astrobotic is pioneering affordable planetary access that promises to spark a new era of exploration, science, tourism, resource utilization and mining. The catalyst is a race to the Moon led by Google Lunar X PRIZE teams and countries like China and India. For the first time in history, start-ups and universities are competing with nations to land on the Moon. Astrobotic was spun out of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in 2008 and operates under a Sponsored Research Agreement that exclusively licenses space robotics technology to the company. a Mobility Testbed Rover Completes First 100-Meter Drive Test:
3. Asteroid Mining PlanetaryResources.Com  Planetary Resources is establishing a new paradigm for resource discovery and utilization that will bring the solar system into humanity’s sphere of influence. Our technical principals boast extensive experience in all phases of robotic space missions, from designing and building, to testing and operating. We are visionaries, pioneers, rocket scientists and industry leaders with proven track records on"and off"this planet.
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