While I plan on eventually addressing the entiretiy of the points made by Elon Musk at the International Astronautical Congress this past Friday, I did want to, at current, focus on one thing that has really gotten under my skin; the fact that SpaceX has, as I’ve heard others say, down-scaled and in some ways re-designed the Interplanetary Transport System they presented last year.
It’s now a smaller, more Saturn 5 scaled rocket, using only about 30 engines vs the 40+ in the original design.
I will say this much, I do prefer this design, as it clearly seems to have actually been thought out more than the original proposition was. The problem I have is, as it always is, with the fan base.
Falcon Heavy is, at this stage, more of a stepping stone to the BFR than its own goal oriented vehicle, or at least that’s how it seems to me.
You see, as I’ve mentioned before, when the ITS was originally announced, many criticized the size, scale, and complexity of it as inherently risky or dangerous. Some proposed a smaller version would be fine, while others, like me, too notice of particular aspects which seemed risky and addressed those points.
We were met with hostility in mass.
So, to see now, a year later, many of the very complaints we had being addressed by SpaceX; to see them also realizing where problems in the original proposition were and for them make changes similar to what we thought would be good, and to see the SpaceX fans have a positive reaction to this when they gave us shit over it is absolutely insulting.
To me, it helps prove the Cult of SpaceX as much as any random comment found online does. They could go on and on about whatever they want, but to be so hypocritical as to treat us with honest skepticism like scum, yet when SpaceX does the very things we recommended to them the fans applaud? What’s the difference in our suggesting such and them taking such action? Were we not correct in our criticisms to at least some degree?
Obviously yes, but we will never get the apologies we deserve for the hostile reactions given to our often quite polite, but honest, criticisms of elements of an idea – not even the whole idea, but just an element that needs work.
As I have said before, and will say again, the issue isn’t as much with SpaceX, as wildly over ambitious as their plans are, or as much of a hype machine they have going for them, but instead is in the people who follow them – those who hang on every word, those who defend the company against any criticism and when SpaceX changes its mind about something, they defend even that – they treat it as a company which can do no wrong.
That attitude is why I call it the “Cult of SpaceX.”