In the past few weeks, two U.S. billionaires have presented their latest visions of extending human civilization into the Solar System. It is an old idea, but on the surface Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk appear to have the ambition, funds and sheer chutzpah to at least get the ball rolling. Both have space vehicles flying, skilled engineering staffs and businesses unrelated to spaceflight that can subsidize their lofty enthusiasms. But the ways they are tackling the problem could not be more different.
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, both approaches were on view Sept. 27, the second day of the annual gathering of space experts from around the world. In the morning Rob Meyerson, who runs Blue Origin for Bezos, gave a half-hour presentation on his company’s work on the suborbital New Shepard vehicle that has now flown to the edge of space five times with the same engine.
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