Elon Musk -Mice in space-1

Musk重新起航，来自space 的召唤。

Musk started to revisit his childhood fantasies around rocket ships and space travel and to think that he might have a greater calling than creating Internet services . 

从最初的想法到付诸实践，Musk经历了观念的brainstorm和目标的逐渐清晰。最初将老鼠送往太空的想法→火星绿洲（Mars Oasis）→预想在俄罗斯购买发射器→购买失败，萌生自造rocket念头→网罗人才，成立科技公司。在这一过程中，我们看到从最初送老鼠到太空的设想演变成为实现人类太空旅行的升华。

Forget the mice. Forget the plant with its own video feed growing --or possibly dying --on Mars . Musk would inspire people to think about exploring space again by making it cheaper to explore space. 

Musk总是能准确把握未来的趋势，紧握先机，付诸实践。从Zip2， Paypal，spacede的经历中可见一斑。当人们还对互联网懵懂之时，Musk已经预见到导航，搜索和map结合的巨大潜力，创立了Zip2 ; 当人们还在质疑网上交易时，Musk已经预见到未来支付领域的前景，大手笔投入Paypal；当人们对火星知之甚少，甚至漠不关心之时，Musk已经看到太空领域发展的无限前景，开启人类成为multiplanetary species的新纪元。这里的一个感触就是Musk的成功模式=先知+先行。 

对于事物发展敏锐的觉察在Musk身上尤为突出、是Musk异于常人的重要一点。更为重要的是，他不仅看到了方向，而且付诸实践。这让我想起来刚刚读完的一本小书Charles Darwin .达尔文结束环球旅行后，就一直在秘密做进化论方面的研究，并形成了进化论的理论。但是当时上帝创世论盛行，他根本没勇气发表自己的观点和理论。如果不是1858年发生一件事，他可能到死都不会将自己的研究公诸于世。那一年一位叫Wallace的科学家将自己的一篇文章寄给达尔文，希望他能帮助出版，达尔文一看大吃一惊，Wallace竟然也提出了进化论的观点！这时他才着了急，担心别人可能会抢占先机（someone else would get credit for a theory he 's discovered years ago ）,才公开了自己进化论的理论。从这件事上，我们看到达尔文虽有先知，但他没有先行，以至于险些错过了先机。

中国古人常讲，天时、地利、人和。 读完这一部分，我突然发现还真是这么回事。

天时：火箭的商业化市场放开。a whole new market might open for both commercial and research pay-loads if a  company could drastically lower the price per launch and perform larunches on a regular schedule .

地利：Musk为什么搬到了LA？ Musk had picked Los Angeles with intent . It gave him access to space or at least the space industry ....while he didn't know exaclty what he wanted to do in space ,he realized that just by being in LA he would be surrounded by the world's top aeronautics thinkers . They would help him refine any ideas. 事实的确如此，正是在这样的环境之中，Musk得到了启示，经历了brainstorm。 

人和：赴俄罗斯购买发射器失败后，Musk踌躇满志提出了自己造火箭，底气就来自于他手里有王牌团队，尤其是一位造火箭的奇才Mueller.

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两个有意思的词  gung-ho ! ho-hum!

1、They knew all too well the stories of gung-ho millionaires who thought they could conquer space only to lose their fortunes .

gung-ho ,哈哈没错，就是“干活”  gung ho=very enthusiastic 狂热的 

例：He has warned some of his more gung ho generals about  the consequences of an invasion.

Only to do :意料之外的结果  /    Only doing :意料之中的结果

例1：I arrived at the shop only to find I’d left all my money at home.

例2：He died ,only leaving nothing but debts .

2、As word traveled aroung the spacecommunity about Musk’s plants ,there was a collective ho-hum.

ho-hum 这个词就是打哈欠发出的那个声音，有木有？表示无聊= think something is not interesting, remarkable, or surprising in any way.无聊的;平淡无奇的

例：My general reaction to this news might be summed up as "ho-hum."

3 、甚合我意 一拍即合  Much to Musk’s liking , Musk and Cantrell hit it off .

4、混日子  He muddled through colledge .