Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, never agreed with Elon Musk’s role in the space race. The famed astronaut, who passed away in August 2012, was not shy about giving his opinion on SpaceX’s then-nascent private space race business. An opinion that, according to Musk himself, was a blow to the businessman who, like many others of his generation, had the first astronauts on a pedestal. back to space is a new Netflix documentary that explores the intense space race that has erupted in recent years and the moments of confrontation between those who were already there and those who were to come.
How could it be otherwise, Elon Musk and SpaceX are the undisputed protagonists of this marathon. The businessman’s space company was one of the first to set foot on the accelerator of the private division of space exploration. And as a pioneer in this segment, she also had to face the process of conquering the universe, which had been NASA’s private preserve for decades. Allowing a private company to launch was for the United States 10 years ago a complex decision that goes beyond saving millions of dollars of investment. It was a matter of the state, which must be taken very seriously.
Right at the moment when back to space reveals those early moments when Elon Musk didn’t have the backing of someone who was an icon of the space race. Astronauts, engineers and politicians have expressed their rejection of the mere idea of a private company entering the space race. “It was not easy for everyone to agree”explains Lori Garver, General Manager of NASA back to space. However, it was Neil Armstrong’s own assessment, along with his Apollo IX teammates Gene Cernan and Jim Lovell, that hit Elon Musk the most 10 years ago. “Necessary requirements will be missed and problems will arise,” the astronaut said. “This is a project with a mission to nowhere. This is a bad idea, there are a lot of startups and small companies,” he said.
It was a hard blow for Elon Musk, who was doing an interview at the time that was compiled into a Netflix documentary. back to space, sincerely responded to Armstrong’s words. “For me, they are heroes, and it hurts a lot. It’s hard to hear what they’re saying, but I’d like them to come and see what we’re doing to change their minds.“, – Elon Musk explained, almost on the verge of tears.
Armstrong has never been on Elon Musk’s side
And the fact that the position of Armstrong and his colleagues regarding the activities of Elon Musk has been repeatedly confirmed. Since in 2010 then-President Barack Obama announced the entry of private companies into human spaceflight, the first astronauts to walk on the moon raised a cry into the sky. This became known to NBC via email. They urged Obama to restart the Constellation program to invest almost 6 billion euros in what they called “Commercial taxi services for astronauts”.
Questioning the future leadership of the United States in the space race, the panel argued that “the availability of commercial vehicles in orbit, as envisaged in the president’s proposal, cannot be predicted with certainty, but will likely take much longer and be more expensive than we expect.” . Without the skills and experience that the real operation of a spacecraft gives, The U.S. is likely to slip into mediocrity soon.”
The same position against the opening of commercial space, initiated by Obama, was confirmed in the US Congress. Following these statements, the group clarified that while they disagree on how new companies were allowed to participate in the space race, they supported the initiative of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and encouraged them to keep working to achieve their goals. This is exactly what Elon Musk did in the end, who, in response to Armstrong’s opinion, assured that he would continue trying to achieve his goal – going into space.
Finally, Neil Armstrong passed away in August 2012, long before Elon Musk’s SpaceX had begun making headway. That there was talk of space tourism or movies on the International Space Station – perhaps Armstrong could have a lot to say about that –. Vertical landing of missiles on offshore platforms in order to save costs for the production of each of the launches. The first rockets and the first manned launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon during its mission to reach the International Space Station. In addition, long before the company, along with other members of its group, again goes to the Moon with a crew – the one that Armstrong first set foot on in 1969 – and before setting itself the goal – somewhat ambitious – of getting people to Mars until the end of the decade.
Source: Hiper Textual
