Elon Musk: Liftoff (1)

Summary

SpaceX successfully launched the white Falcon 9. Since then, SpaceX metamorphosed from the joke of the aeronautics industry into one of its most consistent operators. SpaceX sended a rocket up about once a month, carrying satellites for companies and nations and supplies to the International Space Station. Where the Falcon 1 blasting off from Kwajalein was the work of a start-up, the Falcon 9 taking off from Vandenberg was the work of an aerospace superpower. However, it didn't want to handle a few launches per year or rely on government contracts for survival.

Zip2, Paypal, Tesla, SolarCity -- they are all expressions of Musk. SpaceX is Musk. Its foibles emanate directly from him, as do its successes. So most of attention of the SpaceX' hiring model goes toward sppoting engineers who have exhibited type A personality traits over the course of their lives. The company looks for those who are obssessed with robot-building and with ooze passion.

Maybe SpaceX's original headquarters in E1 Segundo were not quite up to the company's desired image as a place where the cool kids want to work. This is not a problem for SpaceX's new facility in Hawthorne. Its structure looks like a gargantuan rectangular glacier that's been planted in the midst of a particularly soulless portion of Los Angeles Country's sprawl.

感想

看名人传记最大的感悟通常是“苦尽甘来”，人们常说：不经历风雨，怎能见彩虹。Musk等这一天等了好久啊，终于实现了自己的梦想，终于不再被人嘲笑，终于证明了自己。其实，人生的让每一阶段都是如此 -- 苦尽甘来。吃苦是迟早的事，取决于你自己。有的人很早就能清醒的认识到这一点，可有的人当他真正明白时已至暮年，只好后悔当初了。我们现在这么年轻，干嘛要安逸地过日子，年轻就是要去闯荡的，要去拼搏的，哪怕撞得头破血流也能笑着抬头。我还年轻呢，我怕什么。大不了重新再来。加油！

字词分享

1. huffing a puffing/limber up

This gives the impression of the Falcon 9 huffing and puffing as it limbers up before the journey.

huffs and puffs, annoyance or dissatisfactotion with a decision or situation loudly but do not do anything to change it.愤愤不满，生闷气

【例句】The British government huffed and puffed at the commision's decision.

【仿句】The liitle boy huffed and puffed at  the teacher's reproach.

limber up, prepare for an energetic ohysical activity such as a sport by moving and stretching your body. 做准备活动，热身

【例句】 A short walk will limber up the legs.

2. the apotheosis of

Part of it stems from SpaceX being the apotheosis of the Cult of Musk.

the apotheosis of sth,

1. the ideal or typical example of it.【典范，榜样】

【例句】The Oriental in Bangkok is the apotheosis of the grand hotel.

【仿句】Leifeng is the apotheosis of helping others.

2. If you describe an event or a time as someone's apotheosis, you mean that it was the high point in their career or their life. （事业/人生的）巅峰

【例句】That night was Richard's apotheosis.

【仿句】This award was her apotheosis.

3. cramped

The cramped Soyuz capsule that takes people to the space staton has mechanical knobs ...

crampted, not big enough for the people or things in it. 狭小的，狭窄的

【例句】In later yeard he lived in a rather crampted little flat in Bristol.

【仿句】The antizen lived in a rather crampted basement.

4. ooze

The object is to find individuals who ooze passion, can work well as part of a team, and have real-world experience bending metal.

ooze a quality or characteristic, show it very strongly. 凸显，洋溢（特性或特点）

【例句】Outwardly, he will ooze all his old confidence.

【仿句】Her appearance oozes confidence all the time.

5.anointed

The candidates that showed up would discover they were among only a handful of people who been anointed out of all the conference attendees.

anointed, choose 选定，指定

【例句】Mr. Olsen has always avoided anointing any successor.

【仿句】The party anointed him as the leader.