The moonshot is a halo program that, when executed in a non-profit form, ends up benefiting society as a whole due to smart people being cornered and forced to solve hard problems that typically have applicability elsewhere on Earth.

Edit: remember the Kennedy speech — We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy.

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WalterBright 3 hours ago | parent [-]

> when executed in a non-profit form

For-profits are of no benefit to society? Are SpaceX rockets a loser for society?

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anonymous_user9 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Are SpaceX rockets a loser for society?

That remains to be seen. By giving Musk the prominence to set up DOGE and destroy USAID, they've indirectly led to the deaths of almost a million people.

By launching starlink, they're also increasing the amount of aluminum in the upper atmosphere, which may have catastrophic effects on the ozone layer.

	▲	WalterBright an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Do government non-profit spacecraft not use aluminum? SpaceX rockets also are re-usable, which is environmentally better. They also cost about 10% of what non-profit rockets cost to launch. > they've indirectly led to the deaths of almost a million people. DOGE is a non-profit entity. Besides, why can't other non-profit governments pick up the aid?

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xattt 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Specific innovations tend to be protected via IP when they are developed privately and, as a result, “butterfly effect” developments in a completely different field from cross-pollination are less likely to occur later down the line.

	▲	WalterBright 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Patents expire. Also, engineers are pretty good about working around patents. Look at all the various AI implementations, for example. P.S. I oppose patents.