Yesterday was a good day for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk! Musk, also the CEO of Tesla Motors and early founder of SolarCity, is a titan in the green energy industry and a true innovator in modern transportation technology. At 5:39pm, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral Florida. A mere 10 minutes later, the rocket successfully landed on a remote-controlled barge in the ocean.
In the 1960's Space Age, rockets were not reused. Technology then mandated that the expensive vessel be jettisoned into the ocean. (Note, space shuttles were reused, but not rockets). SpaceX, however, has nearly mastered a technique of landing the rocket vertically back on earth -- allowing for the majority of the rocket to be saved and reused. This advancement alone will lead to more frequent, affordable, and sustainable space exploration.
The Falcon 9 launch carried the Thaicom 8 satellite into orbit; Thaicom 8 is controlled by Thaicom, a broadcasting and data services company in Thailand. Their satellites service Asia and parts of Africa with increased internet access, bandwidth, and access to online data services. According to their website, the Thaicom 8 will "strengthen Thaicom's broadcast platform... providing South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa with broadcast and data services." (Read More about Thaicom 8 on Thaicom's Website)
Now, one might wonder how the story of Falcon 9 made it onto the Drover Rideshare blog. Are we planning on offering rideshare services to Mars? No... not yet. :)
We do, however, maintain a curiosity and interest in any technological advancements which will lead to more sustainable development and transportation in the future. We respect SpaceX's unique attention to preserving resources and materials as part of a larger effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Moreover, Tesla Motors, Musk's other company, is perhaps the most visible global innovator in green transportation; to date they have designed three consumer vehicles entirely powered by electricity.
Here at Drover, we are passionate about electrically powered cars because they have zero carbon emissions and do not require gasoline to run -- both features that make them more eco-friendly than standard combustion engines. As such, Drover has created a designated space for electric vehicles within our platform. Riders can specifically request an electric four-passenger vehicle via Drover Green, or an all-electric six-passenger vehicle via Drover Green Giant. Our goal in offering this is to encourage owners of electric vehicles to enter the ridesharing market, as well as support riders who wish to ride in more sustainable electric vehicles. Click here for more [Drover Ride Options]
Moving forward, we look hope to potentially offer discounted lease options to our Drovers (drivers) in order to give affordable access to electric vehicles. Our dream is for Drover's green ride options will spark a movement in the ridesharing industry and ground-travel at large, encouraging the world to be more aware of the carbon footprint combustion engines have. Further, we hope that an increasing number of people will want to be moved by electric vehicles as green transportation becomes more widely available. We see Drover as a key player in making electric transportation options more widespread and affordable in coming years.
To briefly circle back to SpaceX, we hope that they stay focused on minimizing negative environmental impact and improving sustainability as they move forward in their amazing endeavors.
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Patrizio Murdocca is Chief Web Developer at Drover Rideshare, a student at Vanderbilt University, and President of Interfaced Ministries (www.interfacedministries.org).
