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How SpaceX and the Quest For Mars Almost Sunk Tesla Motors

Posted by Soulskill on from the rocket-bucks-versus-car-bucks dept.

braindrainbahrain writes: Elon Musk and his rocket company are well known to Slashdottters. This article and book excerpt tell the story of the creation of SpaceX and how it almost sank Musk's other company, Tesla Motors. Musk recalls, "I could either pick SpaceX or Tesla or split the money I had left between them. That was a tough decision. If I split the money, maybe both of them would die. If I gave the money to just one company, the probability of it surviving was greater, but then it would mean certain death for the other company." But then, at the last moment, years of work at SpaceX finally paid off: "[O]n Dec. 23, 2008, SpaceX received a wonderful shock. The company won a $1.6 billion contract for 12 NASA resupply flights to the space station. Then the Tesla deal ended up closing successfully, on Christmas Eve, hours before Tesla would have gone bankrupt. Musk had just a few hundred thousand dollars left and could not have made payroll the next day." Also, it turns out the inspiration for SpaceX was the idea of sending mice to Mars.

7 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. The mice again! by Flavianoep · · Score: 4, Funny

    Also, it turns out the inspiration for SpaceX was the idea of sending mice to Mars.

    What would be to point of sending mice to Mars?... unless it was about sending the mice to Mars.

    --
    Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
    1. Re:The mice again! by itzly · · Score: 4, Funny

      What would be to point of sending mice to Mars?

      Because it's hard to type in a space suit.

    2. Re:The mice again! by peragrin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well australia started as a human penal colony. Mars can start a bit smaller as the mouse penal colony. i propose we include all mousketeers too.

      I then propose we grant honoury mousketeer status to bieber.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  2. Re:Mice to mars? Wtf... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's phase2, phase1 is just getting the cat food up there

  3. Re:Mice to mars? Wtf... by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ground control to major Tom...

    --
    God spoke to me
  4. Father of Dragons by tool462 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I could either pick SpaceX or Tesla or split the money I had left between them. That was a tough decision. If I split the money, maybe both of them would die. If I gave the money to just one company, the probability of it surviving was greater, but then it would mean certain death for the other company."

    I go through the same mental calculus every morning as my kids eat a week's worth of food in one breakfast.

  5. Re:So basically we're living in the best timeline? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    soon they will recombine and give us affordable rocket packs.

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.