This is what Real Billionaires do

[RainCaster]

Today Jeff Bezos launched another Blue Horizin rocket and it was spectacular. Perfect landing too.

Elon Musk had been launching rockets as well.

Paul Allen and Richard Brandon have been focussed on reaching space too.

These guys will own the future. They have a vision that goes far beyond the current election. They will be remembered in history for their vision and foresight.

Another who says he is a billionaire has spent his money to become famous and powerful. He will be remembered in a very different light. Let this be a lesson to all who live for their ego.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. The only possibility of having

real space flight, real colonies on the Moon or Mars is going to be through private companies.

The start of space flight did not a strong government presence and funding, but going forward it's going to be in the private sphere.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Why?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Because public funding

is always going to be problematic.

The fact that we haven't been back to the Moon in more than 45 years is a tribute to that. The fact that we no longer operate a Space Shuttle, and apparently have no plans whatsoever to build new ones is beyond sad. I recently read that despite Trump's pretension that we'll return to the Moon, a planned Moon Rover has been cancelled.

Space Tourism, for profit, has the possibility of actually getting us back into space permanently.

45 years. That means no one, with rare exceptions, under the age of 50 can remember the last time we landed men there. Two generations have grown up since then.

I'm 69, so I recall very well the space program, the Mercury 7, the very first sub-orbital flights, JFK's commitment to go to the Moon and return a man safely within the decade. It was an exciting, heady time. I also remember a lot of criticism of the space program, that we shouldn't be spending any money for that so long as any citizen went hungry. Well, people here are still going hungry, still have inadequate health care, but we never spent erstwhile space program money on those things.

Here's another way to think about it: Imagine what kind of cars we'd be driving if they'd only ever been government funded.

[jimmy2.0]

6. Only because the government, as it is

only funds the defense department. In another place we'd be living like the Jetsons.

[3Hotdogs]

2. Then comes the question, is launching a rocket the best contribution to humanity?

Yeah, its fun to own the world's biggest bottle rocket. Meanwhile, Gates is donating money to cure disease.

What would you do if you (or maybe you already are) a billionaire? -- or even a multi-millionaire?

[House of Roberts]

3. Paul Allen and Richard BRANSON

Actually it's SIR Richard Branson, to be accurate. Too cool a guy to get his name wrong even if only a typo.