Did you watch Crew Dragon?
My family had so much fun watching NASA and SpaceX launch Crew Dragon on Saturday. It was an inspirational moment in a year with lots of turmoil. But of course, one of the most amazing parts is the economics!
Crew Dragon was the first commercially developed ship to launch humans into orbit. That means it was the first time a business developed to rocket instead of the government. And what happened? The cost was about HALF as much as when the government develops it.
If you want a good read filled with economics and public choice theory, checkout this essay on the rocket the government is still developing. TL;DR: it’s super expensive and already obsolete.
Black Lives Matter
I’m sure you’ve been paying attention to the news, but I wanted to add my voice. What happened with George Floyd was a tragedy. It’s a tragedy not just because it’s one more example of the inequities in the world. It’s a tragedy because that was a human being, a child of God, who was murdered by the hands of a brother. There will be plenty of political fallout from this, but I hope no matter what happens in the discourse, you remember that this man had divine potential and you never rationalize his death.
If you’re interested in how we keep seeing police act with impunity (especially the past few days) then here’s a short summary by an economist.
Movies + Math = Success!
Do you have a movie that inspires you every time you watch it? When I was 14 I watched Remember the Titans nearly every day before my freshman year because it got me excited for my first year of football.
Well this week’s video is about a movie that inspired African girls to pass their math tests. It’s research that has stuck with me and makes me think we could do many simple things to close gaps in education.