How Billionaires Musk, Bezos And Branson Are Doing More Than Racing To Space

How Billionaires Musk, Bezos And Branson Are Doing More Than Racing To Space

No sooner did Jeff Bezos' rocket ship return with him and three other astronauts from its brief trip to space than scolds, critics, comics and bloviating politicians piled on with contumely and scorn. Nine days before, Sir Richard Branson was greeted with catcalls and derision when he ventured into space"”or at least near it"”in his spaceplane. Elon Musk has experienced his share of skepticism and criticism for his space efforts. As this episode of What's Ahead makes clear, it's the revilers and belittlers who are spaced out. These three billionaires are engaged in serious aeronautical breakthroughs. Their efforts have shaken up stale and stodgy bureaucracies in both the government and the private aerospace sectors. Musk's rocket technology, for instance, is the best in the world, which is why NASA and the military use him to launch satellites. His advances have reduced the cost of launches by a factor of 20! Sir Richard's projects hold the promise of enabling us to go from New York to Tokyo in two hours. These men are masters at making marketing splashes, but don't let that blind you to the awe-inspiring pioneering work they are doing. Follow me on Send me a secure tip Steve