Elon Musk and the New Owners of Space – SOME MORE NEWS

Hi. Companies owned by Elon Musk are now essential to how nations explore space and get connected on satellite internet. Perhaps Musk and other billionaires shouldn't be able to do unfettered capitalism in the cosmos? Especially when they claim to be driven and inspired by stories of moneyless space communism?

Hosted by Cody Johnston
Executive Producer - Katy Stoll
Directed by Will Gordh
Written by Helen Floersh and David Christopher Bell
Edited by John Conway
Produced by Jonathan Harris
Associate Producer - Quincy Tucker
Post-Production Supervisor - John Conway
Researcher - Marco Siler-Gonzales
Graphics by Clint DeNisco
Head Writer - David Christopher Bell

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:56 - SpaceX and Starlink
07:24 - Too Bad They're Run By Elon Musk
20:44 - Space Junk
25:26 - Who Owns Space?
31:12 – The Death of the ISS
39:45 - Space Fighting in Space
43:51 - Elon Doesn't Get Star Trek

[ChosenOne]

I refuse to call it SpaceX, it will always be SpaceTwitter to me

[chrisplaysdrums]

“Greatest capitalist” needs to be recognized as the insult that it is.

[barl]

The privatization of space is disgusting. It’s like watching as everyone cheers on every dystopian cyberpunk film

[elmerzcosta]

I'm sad Cody didn't also mention that this trip to space made Shatner realize that everything good is down here on Earth and we are destroying it. He felt like it was at a funeral, not a celebration. And as soon as he lands, one of the billionaires responsible for the destruction of the blue marble we sit at in the middle of the empty darkness of space, brings out a champagne bottle... Shatner's wife died of because of her alcoholism. So it's just fail after fail from one of the richest people ever.
The rich are so detached to real life, and I hate that no one in positions of power realize that and keep letting them decide the direction we're going as a species

[zephirock]

Man the clip of William Shatner trying to make a statement about the beauty of what he just experienced only to be interrupted by Bezos screeching about champagne is rough to watch...

[Brannen]

These billionaires don't want Star Trek. They want Dune.

[CavishBeka]

I simultaneously feel sorry for you to still have to talk about that dude, and happy that I get to watch you drag him once again.

[spacebees]

I said out loud right before you did "he's never actually watched star trek has he?"

Like cops with punisher logos, repubs listening to ratm, thinking homelander is a good guy... some people really just don't absorb their entertainment. Like someone who watches any movie and at the end thinks "that was fun, I watched a movie"

[StraveTube]

Man, I forgot how depressing the Shatner / Bezos clip was. I remembered it was sad, but the disconnect between the two men was even worse than I remembered. So bad. Good lord.

[brentbuckalew]

From someone working at NASA's orbital debris program office, thanks for covering this. Glad to see that more people get informed about this.

[thebaccathatchews]

There was an episode of Doctor Who where they landed on a space station where people had to buy oxygen and if they couldn't afford it they'd die. That is our future in space under Elmo and his ilk.

[emiebex]

"We didn't vote for Elon Musk" - Trump Supporters
Well considering he just bought Trump an entire Presidency ya kinda did.

[RHCole]

This depresses me. I am a space nerd, have been one since I was a tiny child wearing a flight suit until it no longer fit. The optimism of space exploration and sci-fi shows like Star Trek has kept me buoyed over the last nearly 10 years as our lives on Earth have deteriorated, but now even that is tainted by the pessimistic reach of capitalism.

To quote a large naked blue man, "I am tired of this world-these people. I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."

[thisisSatori]

The death of the ISS is so utterly saddening to me. Space should be about cooperation for all of humanity, not for every government and private company to extract as much as possible and then keep it from each other. I'm not naive, I know it was basically inevitable. And still. The ISS was a symbol to me and it's deeply upsetting to see it go.

[jacoblojewski]

"We're gonna make Starfleet"

Oh you mean the space exploration organization where members aren't paid at all and are promoted purely on merits? The whole not being paid thing kinda being a big cornerstone thing, and only possible because human needs are entirely taken care of by a post-scarcity society? That Starfleet?

[Viking_Wizard]

Everyone saying it's not going to be like Star Trek, you're forgetting the evil mirror universe.

We are the evil mirror

[Imperialsquirrel]

Musk's the most rizzless man I've ever seen, how does he keep getting away with this

[equious]

Selling hardware to both sides of a conflict sounds a lot like war profiteering.

What's the penalty for war profiteering?

[fluffycritter]

In Star Trek, it wasn't the creation of warp drive that led to the massive societal changes, it was our warp drive leading us to be contacted by the Vulcans who then proceeded to show us a more enlightened way of life and an understanding that there's more to life than seeking wealth and glory. In some readings it's because the Vulcans saw us as insignificant, but then *really* didn't want us to be unleashed onto the galaxy without better sociological training first.

[Tester-shmn]

SPACE! Is no longer the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism…