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submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

Title says it all. I just watched Blue Origin land a bunch of rich space tourists and it’s being called a successful “mission”. IMO trying to massage egos of the vendor and participants as having something greater than an exclusive joyride with no greater purpose than to have personal bragging rights.

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

It gives me Oceangate sub passengers being called "mission specialists" vibes lol

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

Something in the back of my mind…the Ocean Gate passengers were given clipboards with some kind of paperwork to record what they observed. Can’t remember if that was busywork or attempt to legitimize the trips.

[-] [email protected] 21 points 4 days ago

I'm going on a mission to Las Vegas!

[-] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago

Good. Those heathens need to hear the word of God

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

The rate at which billionaires are doing incredibly dangerous things is far too low.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Normalize titanic tours

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

High cost, high risk activities should require a non-refundable insurance purchase that can be used for cleanup should something go wrong, environmental offsets, and any other unexpected costs.

Hell, private rocket launches should have to prepay cleanup costs.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

There are few things more useless than arguing over language. The problem with our billionaire space race isn't the branding.

Some people act like the editors of the dictionary can bend reality like the force, Green Lantern ring, and the Infinity Stones all rolled into one.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

If you can’t influence people with word choice, why have people been doing It for centuries?

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

history of the word mission

mission(n.) 1590s, "a sending abroad" (as an agent)

General sense of "that for which one is sent or commissioned" is from 1670s; meaning "that for which a person or thing is destined" (as in man on a mission, one's mission in life) is by 1805.

Meaning "dispatch of an aircraft on a military operation" (by 1929, American English)

was extended to spacecraft flights (1962), hence, mission control "team on the ground responsible for directing a spacecraft and its crew" (1964).

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

At this rate the up down motion and the penetration of the tip into the outer rim is so basic and over done, they may as well call it missionary.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

I like the idea of something like cruises. A voyage.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

They are literally strapped to enough explosives to kill them many times over. It may not require any skill, but it is certainly dangerous.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago

driving a car isn't a mission

[-] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago

Isn't that also true of anyone taking a regular commerical flight on an airliner? There's plenty explosive fuel in there to kill someone too

Much less dangerous, certainly, but I wouldn't count the engine as a reason for it being a "mission" unless the mission is testing that engine

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Is skydiving a mission? Is deep sea diving? Those are dangerous, but are as much novelties as these space flights.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago

I don't think it's just bragging rights. I think it's to figure out potential issues with transportation and colonization.

this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
124 points (95.6% liked)

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