This month saw not one, but two private space launches that happened because two billionaires wanted to go into space. Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic made one flight, while Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame made another, and used a rocket that his other company Blue Origin designed and developed.
There's no doubt that both of these events are historically significant and each in their own way contributed to the exploration of space. Richard Branson came back OK with his passengers and Jeff Bezos came back OK too with his. But guess which one got a lot of criticism?
That would be Jeff Bezos, who as far as can be determined, is the world's richest man. I perused a lot of online comments and there are a lot of people out there who are angry at him. He was criticized for spending a whole heap of money on a "carnival ride" instead of helping the poor, and yes, he was accused of not doing his "fair share".
I can't exactly be described as being a fan of any billionaire who is out there (I've met one of them but won't say who). It doesn't bother me that they're billionaires and I'm not........I have a great wife and although I suffer from the occasional recurring malcontentedness, I really wouldn't want to trade places with anyone. King Solomon, in his time, was the world's richest man, and he called it "meaningless". (Yeah, I know that old joke, money can't buy happiness but it can rent it). He didn't get to take so much as a clipping off some old shekel when it was his time to go, so what good, in that sense, did it do him? But let's get back to Bezos and his flight.
It's my opinion that some of this criticism is borne out of envy. And it wouldn't surprise me if a large percentage of his critics thinks he should sit down and write out checks for $100,000 and mail it to them on the grounds that he doesn't "need" the money and wouldn't miss it. It's also my opinion that his critics aren't really sincere in their upsetness (is that a word? If not I just invented it). I mean, the big rage for a lot of people these days is to go on Facebook or Twitter to gripe about these kinds of things so that their friends will think they "care" about social justice. In other words, they want to be seen bitching about Bezos. In their own minds, they think this makes them "important".
But let's look at some cold hard facts here.
When Bezos was raising the money needed for this rocket ride, he didn't send any of his critics a bill. In other words, he did not confiscate money from anyone out there so that he could do this. He made money by recognizing early on a business opportunity, transforming an online book delivery business into the giant it is today. Amazon grew because people used their services. No one held a gun to anyone's head to make them use Amazon. OK? Are we clear on that?
Second, those scientists, engineers, and aerospace workers who made that rocket were paid. Do any of his critics know that? Hello? From the way his critics talk, you'd almost think they were his slaves! Jeff Bezos did not lock all of his money into some vault somewhere so that he could visit that vault and count what's in it whenever he's bored. He put that money to work and formed a company, and his company is making it.
Now is Blue Origin a great place to work? Well I know some people who work there now and a few who no longer work there. I know what they think about it. And yes, I've heard stories about Amazon warehouses. But let's get one thing straight: neither one of those entities is the Department of Corrections and no one at either place has to be in an orange jumpsuit 24/7. Would I work at Blue Origin? I've been contacted by their third party recruiters, but have turned them down for the reason that I don't think I would like living in Seattle.
The fact is, is that Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada are doing some neat things that most other companies can't. (In case you were wondering, some of the aforementioned our customers of my employer). Spaceflight ain't easy, never has been, and human spaceflight is even less easy. Don't believe me? Get a job as an engineer qualifying flight hardware, and then get back to me.
Anyway, whatever you think of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or any other of these billionaires.........I'd rather have them spend their money on developing space technology instead of paying people to rob liquor stores.
