When Elon Musk first talked about landing a rocket engine on a barge floating on the sea, retired U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly was skeptical. After SpaceX did it, Kelly was convinced never to doubt what Musk said again, including his recently unveiled plans for Mars.
WALKING THE TALK
Now retired, U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly is a veteran of four space flights. He holds the record for total accumulated days in space, as well as for the longest single mission by an American: a full year aboard the International Space Station (ISS). He clearly knows a thing or two about what’s possible in the realm of space flight, and he just told the world he doesn’t doubt Elon Musk when the SpaceX CEO shares his seemingly impossible plans.
“When Elon Musk said he was going to launch his rocket and then land the first stage on a barge, I thought he was crazy,” Kelly said on Tuesday during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box. “And then he did it. I’m not going to ever doubt what he says, ever again.”
During the interview, Kelly spoke about Musk’s revamped plans for getting to Mars aboard a redesigned BFR, the 42-engine rocket SpaceX unveiled during the 2017 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Australia last month. The astronaut says he doesn’t doubt Elon Musk will have the technology ready in five years to launch the BFR.
