Elon Musk's Latest Video Reminds the World Why We Love Space

For every criticism that exists about Elon Musk, one aspect can't be debated: the man is a dreamer. 

Articles, books, podcasts, and YouTube videos have debated the merits and practicalities of nearly all of Musk's creations, innovations, and upcoming ideas. However, a recent video posted on the SpaceX CEO's Twitter account sent a reminder that sometimes, innovation does more than solving a problem. 

"Why Falcon Heavy & Starman?" the billionaire entrepreneur said. "Life cannot just be about solving one sad problem after another. There need to be things that inspire you, that make you glad to wake up in the morning and be part of humanity. That is why we did it. We did it for you."

Musk originally revealed the video in two parts via his Instagram before putting the entire thing on the SpaceX YouTube channel. In just two minutes, anyone who watched the launch live (whether via the livestream or in-person near the Cape Canaveral area) is transported back to where they were for the event. 

For this writer, it transports her back to her office building in downtown Orlando, standing atop of the parking structure, watching the countdown and launch live before looking up seconds later to see the Falcon Heavy rocketing up through the sky. 

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SpaceX also doesn't cut out the mistakes with this launch. They left in the loss of the center booster, and they featured the standstill traffic found on roads near the Kennedy Space Center that caused enormous blockages for Florida residents. 

And at this year's SXSW panel for the TV show Westworld, Musk further explained why he did the seemingly crazy (or pointless or revolutionary, depending on who you ask) things for which he's known. 

"There are a lot of terrible things happening all over the world, all the time. There are lots of problems that need to get solved. There's lots of things that are miserable and kind of get you down."

Musk further explained that life has to be more than solving problem after problem. 

"This guy called Tsiolkovsky, one of the early Russian rocket scientists, had a great saying. Earth is the cradle of humanity, but you cannot stay in the cradle forever," Musk continued. 

The Falcon Heavy launch video was actually produced and edited by the creative team behind Westworld, and the SpaceX and Tesla CEO visited the Westworld set recently accompanied by his older brother Kimbal. 

 

On the Westworld set with my bro @kimbalmusk

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Mar 10, 2018 at 8:53pm PST

For those unfamiliar with the popular HBO show, Westworld is based on the 1973 film of the same name. It chronicles a theme park run and operated by androids called hosts. These hosts are frequently abused, sexually exploited, or killed by humans with no punishment for those actions. Eventually, the AI-driven hosts remember the trauma they've endured. The show dives into the nuances of artificial intelligence, the implications of sentient robots, and redefining consciousness. And just like the show's creators, Musk has never been one to hold back on his thoughts regarding AI and how to use it with caution.