Friday, January 05, 2007

Jeff Bezos Launches his Spaceship

Call me crazy, but I think this video clip represents one of the most important and fantastic news events of recent memory. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, has tested his Blue Origin spaceship. This is the kind of thing that can happen when people of intelligence and resources to match are not distracted by silly wars and the misguided floundering of bad governments. It is this use of wealth and ambition that raises the bar for civilization. It is this kind of inspiration and ingenuity that changes the world and is long-remembered. I am not pleased with the half-hearted, jokey blog and news coverage of this event. To get a vehicle that is the size of a truck off the ground to a height of 300 feet and bring it back down again gently is an extraordinarily tough thing to do. It requires people with real brains and lots of experience. This is no model rocket. It's a big, heavy spaceship that keeps its balance perfectly. What a fantastic beginning. Well done! By the way, what if these guys set their sights on a car that does not burn carbon-based fuel and does not pollute? Can I request this as the next project after space?

Visit the Blue Origin website for more images.

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