I feel very strongly that SpaceX would not have been able to get started, nor would we have made the progress that we have, without the help of NASA.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
We were young, we were pilots, and we were hungry to test the new technology of 'space machines.' And we all wanted to be first.
We should've asked China to be a portion of the space station. We should've worked out ways that we can... just give away the technology that we have that puts things up into space, with cooperation up above the atmosphere that's needed to help each other.
We believe SpaceX will become the world leader in space transport, and we want our investors to be part of that future.
As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of the Apollo frontier spirit.
SpaceX is only 12 years old now. Between now and 2040, the company's lifespan will have tripled. If we have linear improvement in technology, as opposed to logarithmic, then we should have a significant base on Mars, perhaps with thousands or tens of thousands of people.
SpaceX does seem to have had a run of bad luck, with its first three launches all failing.
SpaceX is a flat organization. Anyone gets to talk to anyone, and the best idea wins - even if it comes from an intern.
Science fiction was rocket-mad for about 40 years until aerospace hit a brick wall about 1970. I would not write off space colonisation or exploration completely, but we are profoundly ill adapted for going boldly into outer space.
We've got to get rid of the stuff on the space station somehow. So we do have a pretty significant capability to bring back stuff on SpaceX that you might not imagine.
So everything turned out fine, and we were given the opportunity to go to Washington and be briefed on the project of man in space, and given the opportunity to choose whether we wanted to get involved or not.