Fake science huckster Elon Musk of Tesla fame is up to more taxpayer-subsidized shenanigans.
This time, he's developed a cartoonish-looking "Starship Hopper" spaceship for traveling to the Moon that is so hilariously not space-ready that it reportedly blew over from a simple gust of wind.
Despite being widely celebrated by the mainstream media as some kind of technological "breakthrough," Starship Hopper, a stainless steel-encapsulated, wannabe rocket ship, apparently can't even remain in an upright position without tipping over due to inclement weather.
The ridiculous pile of inoperable metal, which Musk's SpaceX venture claims will somehow have the ability to carry 100 passengers at a time to and from the moon, has quickly become the subject of scorn and ridicule all across the web.
"The Titanic of Spaceships," joked one ZeroHedge.com commenter about the fiasco. "[W]ill there be a band on board and will the music stop??"
"Good luck with that next round of financing, Elon. Just remind your investors there's no wind in space," jibed another.
For more news about technological endeavors aimed at bringing everyday people to space, be sure to check out SpaceTourism.news.
If Starship Hopper can't even stand up on the ground, how does Elon Musk expect it to actually launch?
The whole debacle would appear to be some kind of joke, except that Musk is dead serious about plans to begin testing short "hopping" flights with the thing over the next several weeks.
Though the original plans for Starship Hopper had the ship made out of carbon fiber, Musk has since replaced that material with stainless steel, which he describes as a "cheaper" alternative.
The stainless steel, of course, makes Starship Hopper look even more ridiculous and fake – like some kind of prop for a movie that, behind the shiny panels, is just plywood and air. But Musk and his team are actually planning to launch it in the near future.
"These flights will be similar to those that SpaceX performed in 2012 and 2013 with its Grasshopper test vehicle, Musk added in another tweet Thursday night," Space.com reported.
"The Grasshopper runs, which helped SpaceX get ready to land and re-fly Falcon 9 rocket first stages, reached a maximum altitude of about 2,500 feet (700 meters)."
It's all fun and games until you realize your tax dollars are funding this charade
If Musk was playing with his adult Legos, so to speak, on his own dime, this would all be something at which to simply laugh. But the truth that many people don't realize is that Musk is funding these and countless other projects using your tax dollars.
As we reported back in 2017, Musk's three companies – Tesla, SolarCity, and SpaceX – have all raked in at least $4.9 billion in government welfare payments to fund failed projects like this, as well as turn Musk himself into a multi-billionaire.
Musk is widely known to take advantage of government handouts, which he uses to make fake spaceships and other useless crap for his own personal enjoyment. At least it's finally becoming apparent, though, that this technocrat is a charlatan who is robbing the public coffers in order to enrich himself.
"If SpaceX was able to test its Starhopper quickly enough, there would be mounting pressure on similar projects by NASA, that are over budget and behind schedule. But unfortunately, who could have predicted a set back like, oh we don't know, wind?" joked ZeroHedge.com, rightfully mocking Musk for his latest failed endeavor.
"Good luck with that next round of financing, Elon. Just remind your investors there's no wind in space," the site added in jest.
Be sure to check out SpaceTravel.news and Spacecraft.news for more news like this.
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