Billionaires in Space

[BeBMan]

UK businessman Sir Richard Branson is about to realise a lifetime's ambition by flying to the edge of space.

He'll ride his Virgin Galactic rocket plane on Sunday to an altitude where the sky turns black and the Earth's horizon curves away into the distance.

The entrepreneur says he wants to evaluate the experience before allowing paying customers aboard next year.

The vehicle will set off for the 1.5-hour mission above New Mexico at about 08:30 local US time (15:30 BST).

Virgin Galactic will be providing an online stream of the event.

(...)

The only other near-market sub-orbital system belongs to Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos. He has a rocket and capsule he calls New Shepard, and he will fly on its inaugural crewed flight on 20 July.

(...)

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57790040

Aka Branson and Bezos in orbit. Bad idea I'd say!

I have seen enough Alien movies and Expanse episodes to know how it's going to end when superrich guys have much of a say in space exploration

Weyland Corp and Jules-Pierre Mao, never forget

[Dinner]

Roberts Space Industries here we come!

[Broken_Erika]

There is a petition calling for Bezos to not be allowed back on earth after he goes up there.

[Bereta_Eder]

close the border after they're gone

[Uncle Sparky]

Maybe we could levy a 'return to earth environment' tax... say $2 billion?

[Dinner]

There is a petition calling for Bezos to not be allowed back on earth after he goes up there.

Yes, it is amazing how ugly and stupid jealous people can become. Bezos only has money because people like, value, and use Amazon. If you don't like Amazon there are millions of other shops and even online retailers they can choose from.

[giblets]

It doesn't hurt that his employees can't take bathroom breaks

[-Jrabbit]

Time to load up on Spacely Sprockets stock...

[Dinner]

It doesn't hurt that his employees can't take bathroom breaks

Except they can and do.

[Egbert]

Yes, it is amazing how ugly and stupid jealous people can become. Bezos only has money because people like, value, and use Amazon. If you don't like Amazon there are millions of other shops and even online retailers they can choose from.

Using Amazon does not mean those customers like Bezos and I daresay a great many people have never heard of him. Nor does it mean jealousy.

Amazon distribution centres have had a number of unfavourable articles in press concerning employment conditions.

[Dinner]

Yes, and most of those articles were hit pieces from union groups who were hoping to unionize the company. Not exactly unself interested actors. Not to mention actors with a long history of lying.

[Egbert]

Yes, and most of those articles were hit pieces from union groups who were hoping to unionize the company. Not exactly unself interested actors. Not to mention actors with a long history of lying.

It seems to me that Amazon is getting the bulk of the bad press rather than say Walmart in America or Harvey Norman in Australia. Why is it Amazon getting the bad press?

[Dinner]

Yeah, that is true. And the unions were trying to and failing to unionize Amazon (because workers themselves didn't want it) while Walmart wasn't the target of a corrupt and lying unions.

Like I said, if people believe the debunked lies then they can shop else where but they don't do so. At some point the market has spoken. Lastly, yes. A huge amount of the "don't let the rich guy I keep buying stuff from to not return to Earth" bull **** is simple jealousy. "I am mad that some one else was smarter and harder working than me so now I am butt hurt and jealous."

[Egbert]

I was under the very distinct impression that unions have tried to unionise the Walmart workers in USA and Canada with very vigorous resistance from Walmart.

I also gather there have been union attempts to unionise Amazon workers with very vigorous resistance from Walmart.

I am not willing to jump to any conclusions and Bezos does seem to get a lot of negative press whether deserved or undeserved.

I do not shop with Amazon so none of it is my concern.

[Uncle Sparky]

Two Walmarts in Canada were unionizes, and closed within days of being certified.

[Thoth]

I haven't done business with Walmart since they closed the second union store in Canada.

[Bereta_Eder]

The fact that there are people like dinner who hold these ideas about worker unions is unfathomable.
Luckily they are confined in a third world nation with a gucci belt at the other edge of the world so all is relatevely ok for now.

Still I can't but feel sorry for dinner's countrymen that have to share their country with people like him.
It also speaks volumes about the abhorent state of US in very many indices.

Certainly an attitude that must be hammered on the head then beheaded with a sickle, figuratevely speaking of course


And certaintly contained, like the plague, for the good of humanity