this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2025
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Consequently, the South African billionaire has been put in charge of a so-called "Department of Government Efficiency" to excise $2 trillion from the national budget. Whether this advisory group will be able to take aim at the Artemis program remains to be seen.

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[–] john89@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 hours ago

"Government efficiency" is code for tax cuts for the rich.

It means that any social programs that we benefit from will suffer or disappear altogether.

What a world we live in. Stop having faith in government and start taking matters into our own hands.

[–] abcdqfr@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

The fact that such clear conflict of interest exists between spacex/NASA and putting musk in the MF whitehouse... I cannot say I'm surprised, anyway.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 11 points 18 hours ago

American voters decided that conflicts of interest don't matter. NASA will be lucky to survive this administration at all .

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 7 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Oh. NASA is getting scrapped?

I guess the only nation that will continue with spacecraft innovation will be china

[–] isles@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Oh no, you see, if we give public funds to private corps for space, that's better for the public.

Tap for spoiler/s

[–] Hackworth@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Hackworth@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)
[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 50 points 1 day ago (4 children)

He knows SpaceX can't deliver what they promised for the Moon program, so he needs to change the goalposts. Obviously NASA isn't suddenly going to request less of SpaceX, not without demanding back all the funding awarded. So he needs to have the Moon program replaced with a Mars program, where they don't need to deliver anything for the next 10-15 years and can delay time and time again.

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeap, starship looks cool but is entirely impractical for lunar missions.

Just to get to LEO its fuel is pretty much completely depleted. So to get it fueled up to attempt a trans lunar injection you're going to need an additional 8 launches, which all have to link up in orbit.

Not only is this going to be adding an incredible amount of additional cost, it's going to be much more dangerous.

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

There are no humans on starship when it is being re tanked in orbit, so no its not more dangerous to humans. SpaceX are experts at in space docking, proven by their dragon capsule that docks perfectly with the space station evey time, and a startship launch will eventually be cheaper than a Falcon 9 launch. Yes I believe spaceX when they say that because they have always proved the nay sayers wrong (flacon 9 landings) and will continue to do so in the future. So you're wrong calling it expensive, all launches to retank the lander will cost less than a NASA SLS launch that will actually take the humans to space.

You sound like a United Launch Alliance shill lol, that's the arguments they tried to use to win the contract over spacex too.

I think most of you hate on SpaceX because of musk, and I agree fuck musk, but spaceX is the most revolutionary space company in our generation and I can't wait to see them continue to prove you all wrong like they always do and keep advancing human space flight capabilities.

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

SpaceX is no further behind than any of the other contractors for artemis, everyone who knows anything about space and space policy knows that no contractor will meet the deadline trump set specifically because he wanted to be on the moon before the end of his second term (he thought he was gonna get reelected last time). Its common knowledge in the space community artemis will not be on time, and has already been delayed.

I fucking hate musk but you don't know what you're talking about, the new head of nasa is gonna be Elons freind Jared Isaacman anyway so it doesnt matter if they're late at all.

But you are sorta right on the tail end of your comment, I think musk wants to scrap artemis specifically so a new mission that is almost exclusively done by SpaceX can take its place. Primarily I think he wants SLS to die and starship to replace it.

Also Elon claims SpaceX is going to launch a starship demo to Mars during the next transfer orbit which is in 2026, and I really hope they do because as much as I hate that bitch space exploration is cool AF.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I always love the debate about fantasizing about anyone going to colonize Mars ..... we're having a hard time sustaining life here.

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Musk is a bigoted lying piece of shit and also a Mars colony could lead to useful discovery, even ones we never could have anticipated. Science should never need to prove itself as useful 100% of the time. Many important discoveries were made by accident.

I would never ever want Musk to be anywhere near decisions about a Mars mission, or anything else of consequence though. Among many other reasons , he likely would prevent such unanticipated discoveries by being a stubborn narcissist...

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I didn't realize humanity wasn't capable of working on both issues at the same time.

[–] formergijoe@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

See the problem with that is Elon would have to hire more people, which would hurt his bottom line and require his money bin to fill at a slower rate. That's unacceptable.

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 1 points 21 hours ago

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ SpaceX has hired a significant number of people at Starbase for the Starship program and are still hiring for said program

[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Did SpaceX promise anything with the moon? I thought their goal was, and had always been, just Mars?

[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Spacex is fairly central to the current Artemis moon missions. They are building the lander from the Lunar Gateway (Moon orbiting station) to the surface and back. SLS will take people from Earth to the Lunar Gateway.

[–] a1studmuffin@aussie.zone 7 points 18 hours ago

Straight out of the movie "Don't Look Up". A proper life initiating art imitating life moment.

[–] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 19 points 22 hours ago

Such a shame that Musk will tarnish all the amazing achievements of SpaceX engineers... What they achieved is absolutely incredible...

[–] LaLaLa@ani.social 85 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Gee wouldn't have anything to do with sabotaging his competition so he can corruptly profit? Sounds like someone needs to drain the swamp of this scum.

[–] freeman@sh.itjust.works 51 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

He is not even sabotaging his competition. Starship is supposed to be part of the program and despite the spin will not be ready.

So he wants to cancel the program that has real deadlines so he can keep promising he will colonize Mars in the next 5 years, which he has been claiming for some time now.

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

he HSS been

That's a funny auto correct. Do you talk about high speed steel a lot?

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

His Ship’s Ship

[–] freeman@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

Nope, no clue why it auto corrected to that, or that I even managed to mistype has.

[–] jago@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

But if you drain a swamp, scum is all that remains.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Tax the rich and suddenly there will be enough money to go to both.

[–] leftytighty@slrpnk.net 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

This isn't necessarily true and making this argument gives people an easy way to refute the idea of raising taxes.

Kropotkin conveyed it best:

It is told of Rothschild that, seeing his fortune threatened by the Revolution of 1848, he hit upon the following stratagem: “I am quite willing to admit,” said he, “that my fortune has been accumulated at the expense of others, but if it were divided to-morrow among the millions of Europe, the share of each would only amount to five shillings. Very well, then, I undertake to render to each his five shillings if he asks me for it.”

Having given due publicity to his promise, our millionaire proceeded as usual to stroll quietly through the streets of Frankfort. Three or four passers-by asked for their five shillings, which he disbursed with a sardonic smile. His stratagem succeeded, and the family of the millionaire is still in possession of its wealth.

We need more systemic change. Granted, a tax policy could be permanent systemic change, but without corresponding political and economic change it's just as likely to be undone immediately.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago

Guy who promised he'd be to the Moon by now try to destroy Moon program to cover up his massive failure.

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 3 points 20 hours ago

Im so annoyed we don't do more with the moon. we should have machines building structures there and trying out anything we would attempt to do elsewhere to see how well it works.

[–] Soulifix@kbin.melroy.org 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You want to excise the national budget, do you? Well, start with the fucking national defense budget spending. There you go.

[–] ChippiChappa@ani.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Touch the MIC get the flick.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 2 points 1 day ago

In Russia it's a trip out window, in US it's a sudden suicide.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)
hello Kind person my name is elon and i am south african prince and have big fortune . i am asking help for please send me tax fee of $5 000 for retrieval of funds . then i receive $5 000 000 fortune and give you $2 000 000 . 

thank

elon musk
south afrika pricne
[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

Adrian Dittmann is that you again dagnabit you and your internet scams

[–] Hirom@beehaw.org 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The Moon seems more strategic than Mars on the short term, and it's easier to get there, so it make perfect sense to get to the moon.

Exploring Mars sounds exciting, but having a permanent Mars colony or city is a waste of resources. Mars is a cold, toxic desert with an extremely thin unbreathable atmosphere. So let's visit and study Mars, but let's not bother trying to live there.

[–] BurningRiver@beehaw.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Mars is so underrated, it really needs a hype man. The beaches there are amazing, the climate is great, what else do you need? I think Elmo should lead the expedition there and scope out the best places to live. In fact, let’s call it Project Watney.

[–] Hirom@beehaw.org 2 points 1 day ago

Okay let's send him, but with fuel for a one way trip only.