Talk:Elon Musk

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Musk is audaciously stating rather novel ideas on the technical capabilities and costs of missions to Mars

This BBC interview, with BBC Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos, contains substantial additional details from Elon Musk about the technical possibilities (physics) and current projections of costs (economics) of SpaceX missions to Mars; it also provides a timeframe: no sooner than ten years but likely before 20 years. Significant and audacious statements! Whether someone thinks any of this is possible or not, this source will certainly be a valid Wikipedia source for supporting the history of such claims by Musk as this article evolves in the future.

Mars for the 'average person', Jonathan Amos, BBC News, 20 Mar 2012.

I believe, but am not certain, that this is the first news source with this rather high degree of detail and specificity on the Musk's Mars transport thinking. And I should perhaps point out that Musk is fairly careful to clarify that just because something is technically possible (physics) does not mean that the task WILL be carried out. So I did not read this, or hear the interview, as Musk stating emphatically that SpaceX would be carrying humans to Mars in nn years for $dd; but his views are likely notable in the context of a Wikipedia biographical article about Musk. Cheers. N2e (talk) 04:22, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

This is making the rounds in mainline media sources. The magazine Nature has picked this up, and has other secondary source backup of the future plans of Mr. Musk. Backing up the biosphere, Nature, 7 Apr 2012. N2e (talk) 04:15, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

There are always those who vigorously defend the impossibility of achieving something as fact. Funny thing, they are usually ultimately wrong, and history never remembers their names either. 184.183.173.20 (talk) 16:01, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Musk is going BIGer on the Mars project as the year progresses: Inside Elon Musk's Mars Math, Big Think, 29 Nov 2012

What's the Big Idea?

"Musk is throwing out a bunch of numbers here, but they are not as random as they may seem. In order for his project to be economically feasible, the cost of space travel will have to be drastically reduced. So here's what needs to happen. An initial group of 10 colonists will need to pay $500,000 a pop for the one-way trip to Mars. As the colony becomes increasingly self-sustainable -- and fewer resources need to be transported from Earth -- that will free up more space for additional human cargo. Transporting more and more paying customers, and relying on a "rapid and reusable" rocket, is key to Musk's price improvement strategy."

Cheers. N2e (talk) 03:39, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

• Elon Musk sheds more light on plans for Mars colony, Washington Post, 26 Nov 2012.

"The colony, which Musk says he would like to be a public-private joint venture (far from alien territory for Musk’s SpaceX) would have up to 80,000 inhabitants. The first group of adventurers would include fewer than 10 people, with each paying $500,000 for the ride on a reusable rocket fueled by liquid oxygen and methane. The first colonists would land with equipment to begin generating crops, leveraging the nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere as well as subsurface ice. According to Musk, the venture would require approximately $36 billion in funding."

paypal

he did not co-found it. he co-founded a company that acquired it.

that should be made clear. 70.54.37.2 (talk) 16:31, 19 May 2012 (UTC)

he oversaw the construction of the first electric car of the modern era, the Tesla Roadster?

How can this unreferenced statement remain part of the lede of this wiki? Wishful thinking if not a grandiose statement. Especially given that the EV1 began development in 1990 (while Musk was still in high school) and brought to market in 1996? Both cars were produced in volume far below typical "mass produced" totals but even so the EV1 predated the roadster by 10+ years! Is this someone's twisted definition of "modern era"?? I'd just change it but I thought I'd discuss it first, in case some editor here has some other text of automotive history they would like to employ.WopOnTour (talk) 20:33, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

While I agree this statement could likely be reworded in a more NPOV manner, I would like to point out that the Tesla Roadster was the first electric automobile that was licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation for serial production for some time, having performed safety & crash tests and other similar tests needed for such a production license. That is not trivial and certainly does need some sort of distinction.

Arguably the EV-1 never really even achieved that standard, and it should be noted that the EV-1 was never really offered for sale either (General Motors leased all of the vehicles for many reasons too numerous to go into here). Yes, that would require some sort of modifying of the statement, and it would take some additional research to find reliable sources of information to back up how long it had been since a major automobile manufacturer offered a serial production automobile for sale to the general public, but it is something that is factual and verifiable at that point.

I would suggest something like this wording (fill in the dates and models to something appropriate):

Elon Musk oversaw the development of the first serial production electric automobile for sale to the general public since the introduction of the 1959 Henney Kilowatt.

Alternatives and fact checking might be worth doing here, but I think this is a start. --Robert Horning (talk) 20:58, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

Concur with Robert Hornings start, assuming the fact-checking is done. It would be more NPOV if that is the correct take. N2e (talk) 01:46, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

these statements are still flawed given that the Tesla did not actual manufacture these chassis,as the roadster chassis were all produced by Lotus.The term "serial production" doesnt change anything. All of the EV1s were "serial production" vehicles as well. So all that's left is "1st EV offered for retail sale" I suppose. It's all poorly referenced and far from NPOV in any case WopOnTour (talk) 07:17, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

I can find reliable sources which show that the chassis for the Roadster was original. Elon Musk did admit in a recent interview that his original intention with the Roadster was to simply put an AC Propulsion motor into a Lotus Elise, but by the time they were through with the certification process and trying to conform to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations that they essentially had a brand new vehicle. I think the only thing in common with the Elise was the headlights and just a few other minor common parts like the cigarette lighter. That Lotus was the manufacturer is irrelevant in this context and certainly not a reason to be dismissive of the vehicle.

In terms of trying to make this neutral, offer some reasonable alternative instead of simply culling this sentence. --Robert Horning (talk) 13:26, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Musk quotations in the article

Per WP:BRD, starting a discussion here. User:Calliopejen1 made a Bold edit in good faith to improve the article, by removing a section of about a half dozen Musk quotations. I'm not so sure that the quotations are inappropriate for a WP:BLP article; each one is sourced with an inline citation, are not defamatory, are relevant to the broad sweep of Musk's life and philosophical outlook, etc. So I Reverted. Let us now Discuss. What do others think on the matter? Cheers. N2e (talk) 14:43, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree with you totally New worl —Preceding undated comment added 14:46, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't think they should be in the article unless they can be integrated fully into the narrative content rather than be added as a list of unrelated quotations at the end (this is no better in my view than a list of trivial miscellany). I don't think there is a single biographical featured article with a list of quotations (though please feel free to prove me wrong), showing that this is not the optimal way to write an article. There is Wikiquote for the collection of quotations, and the best solution might be to start a page at Wikiquote (if none exists yet), and to link to it in the external links section. Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:22, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm not against a process of increased integration of the quotes into the descriptive prose of this BLP article. But I do think that, on balance, those specific quotations represent a good cross-section of some of Musk's own, sometimes provocative and unique, world view—so they ought not to just be deleted out of the article.N2e (talk) 05:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Any other views from other editors on this matter?

Nationality

Werner von Braun is described in Wikipedia as a German. Why is Musk described as an American, and not a South African?203.184.41.226 (talk) 05:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Seconded. Born and raised in South Africa = South African. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.160.208.172 (talk) 21:04, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Inventor?

I believe Inventor should be removed from Occupation. Elon Musk has not invented anything that I can find. All his businesses use know technology unless someone can find a unique item he did, in fact, invent. 216.116.162.226 (talk) 22:11, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

I believe he has a couple of patents to his name (I found some in a quick search of the USPTO database) and he has been instrumental in the design of the Falcon rockets. Does that qualify as an "inventor"? It might even be a nice idea to list those patents in some fashion. --Robert Horning (talk) 23:14, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

In regards to patents, I just did a search and all of them are ideas from his former company, Zip2. They are all based in software and none appear to be things he currently uses. Having the patents could classify him as an "Inventor", but the question is, Should it be listed as his occupation? I would argue that it should not be included as his occupation is not inventing, and his wealth did not come from inventions but his business and entrepreneur sense.

In regards to the Falcon, I would say that would not justify the title because it is not an invention (unless I am missing something). It is the application of known technology. Any novel ideas used in the design were probably designed by employees at his company, unless proven otherwise.

I am not trying to discount what he has done, but I just do not think the title "Inventor" accurately reflects his occupation. 216.116.162.226 (talk) 22:01, 22 May 2013 (UTC)