Dear Comrade

Dear Comrade the Leader, Episode 210

Elon Musk is a South African American born in South Africa.

Introverted from an early age and buried in books, sci-fi fantasy novels, and computers (and Japanese animation), his spirit seemed to always be waiting for a signal to enter the inventor’s path.

He had been in South Africa until high school, but the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union were just such signs for him as an adult.

“From now on, the world will be led by the United States. The United States is taking the lead in energy such as oil, and the United States is the first to send a man to the moon. If I go to the US, I will be able to get the real engine, the initial capital, to make my dreams come true.”

He emigrated to the United States, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in physics and attended Stanford University, but his intention was always to build his own business.

Elon Musk, who dropped out two days after being admitted and jumped into Silicon Valley, California, where the dot-com bubble was in full swing, started a local information service provider called Zip2 at the age of 23 and sold it back for $20 million. raise funds for

He also established X.com, an online banking service, and achieved greater success in an online payment service called PayPal after mergers and acquisitions with competitors.

However, it soon became clear that he was not yet an inventor or innovator, but as an entrepreneur, he was a kid.

“No, what is this… … !! Did someone hit the back of the head while on vacation?”

“I’m sorry, Elon. But X.com, what kind of porn site is it? haha!”

While Musk was on vacation to Australia, members of former competitors, who were looking for an opportunity, convened an emergency board meeting and fired Elon as CEO.

When Musk was away, Elon heard of the coup that brought together former employees of their merged company on a flight back from Australia, and by then it was all over.

“You made me ‘Steve Jobs’! Damn it, there’s really no one in the world to trust!”

After being kicked out of the company he founded, Musk had to re-examine his business and life.

Fortunately, at the time, PayPal was considering selling the company to a larger company, eBay, like many startups in Silicon Valley at the time, and Elon, who had a stake as a founding member, also owned 100 million won. The point was that he was going to make a lot of money in excess of a dollar.

However, Elon’s purpose wasn’t always to buy a sports car or yacht, and his dream existed in a much larger, somewhat absurd realm.

And to bring that realm to life, $100 million was a ridiculously huge amount of money.

That dream was to explore space.

“I have always been interested in space. Why should NASA have a monopoly on space development by the US administration, or not by the governments of all countries? What Star Trek planetary federation are they?”

Musk wasn’t the first to come up with this idea in Silicon Valley, a city full of daring thinkers before, but that meant everyone before him had failed.

First of all, to go to space, you must have a rocket.

However, developing and launching a rocket by a private company rather than a state institution was only possible in a dream because of the enormous cost.

Originally, his grand dream was to lower the threshold of space travel and orbital transportation by reusing a rocket that was used once and then significantly reducing the cost of entering orbit. where did you get it?

Read at readwn.com

No, no matter how much money you put in, a space rocket would be just a fantasy without great and experienced engineers and engineers.

Read at readwn.com

Naturally, the first places he went to to solve this problem were the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and NASA, but he was only ridiculed by saying, ‘If you want to get support, come with a more realistic plan’, and he was knocked out of the door.

“Even if the investment is raised from venture capital, the problem is how to get the technical staff… … . If I am not in the United States, do I have to go abroad now?”

“If not in America, where?”

“russia. Their engineers are some of the best in the world, and given the current economic situation in Russia, if they can get the money of American dot-com millionaires, they’ll sell missiles.”

“Crazy, Elon, you are so insane… … .”

My friends around me shook their heads, saying that they all turned around when Elon, who thought he would give up after stabbing him a few times at first, said these words.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with logical reasoning, there are only two countries in the world with the most advanced rocket-making technology and experience in launching them.

It was the United States and Russia, two runners-up in the rocket race on fire since Sputnik.

Among them, the former Soviet Union and the present Russia possess the best existing ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), so they might not be inferior to the United States in rocket technology.

In addition, Russia was currently selling out many of its weapons (prepared for World War III, which did not eventually happen), except for an essential part of its national defense, in order to somehow rebuild the country and restore at least some of its former status.

So, while Elon Musk was looking for a flight ticket to Moscow, he contacted him from the wrong place.

“Mr. Elon Musk? I heard that you are looking for a flight ticket to Moscow recently. If you haven’t already bought a ticket, why don’t you put it on hold for a while and come to our office to hear from us?”

“I’m sorry, but who are you?

“This is Peony Holdings, the Los Angeles office of the Shipbuilding Investment Corporation. Currently, our president and comrade Foreign Minister said that they would like to meet Mr. Musk and talk about the development of rockets. Can you come to our consulate-general in LA as soon as possible?”

Having said this far, they lowered their voices to Musk, who was stunned, and added a few words.

“In fact, if you meet us, you will find that you don’t even have to go to Russia to find an engineer. All the useful people out there, Class A brains, are in other places.”

“yes? What the heck are you talking about… … Somewhere else?”

“I can’t tell you that over this line for security reasons. All you need to know is that you will find out if you talk to us.”

* * *

‘I was so surprised to find out that all those engineers were here, and thanks to that, everything went magically.’

“So… … General Secretary. What we’re developing now isn’t a military missile, but a rocket to put civilian satellites into orbit? So there is no need to worry in China. Are you saying this?”

“exactly. Ask Mr. Musk for details. You are at the forefront of space development in our republic.”

Elon Musk, who recalled the incident a few years ago, thought so as he saw the Chinese diplomats in dismay in front of him and Jeong-hwan who responded naturally to them.

The Chinese diplomats looked at each other’s faces and then looked at Jeonghwan again with strange expressions that could not be expressed in words.

Jeonghwan saw that expression and smiled inside, noticing that the Chinese were thinking in the direction he had expected.

‘You must think I’m being scammed by Musk. It’s an idea that was treated as unrealistic even in Silicon Valley and NASA’s engineering circles, which are said to be the most creative and deviant of stereotypes even in the open US. … .’

In fact, the heads of Chinese ambassadors and diplomats were in a state of chaos in the middle of the night.

First of all, launching a technologically similar ICBM development program under the pretext of launching a satellite projectile is something many countries around the world (including China themselves) are doing.

However, even in that case, it is ‘normal’ to proceed in secret under the leadership of the state, and it is customary to avoid inviting foreign engineers as much as possible unless there is a really serious technical problem.

By the way, this Elon Musk in front of us graduated from the Department of Physics, but is not a professional rocket engineer or just a private entrepreneur.

An American businessman who was the enemy of North Korea until about 10 years ago.

Thinking this far, a question ran through their minds.

‘Isn’t Comrade Kim Jeong-hwan really trying to launch a satellite for peaceful purposes, not to develop missiles against China? I heard that Chosun is also focusing on information and communication technology these days, so you may have thought that you would develop a projectile on your own… … .’

Once the Chinese diplomats thought they needed to find out more about this eccentric Elon Musk, they coughed in vain and started questioning him with Jung-hwan’s permission.

“uh… … I… … Hmmm, Qiantao Niheon Gaoxing (nice to meet you) Mr. Musk. Excuse me at the beginning, but can you tell me exactly what position you currently hold in North Korea?”

“Oh, of course. He is the president of Space X, 50% owned by Peony Holdings, and the only foreign member and chief advisor of the Korean Committee of Space Technology (KCST), a North Korean space development organization.”

“Hmm, that’s right. Then that… … Can you briefly describe the company Space X, Mr. Musk’s business goals, and their business goals? because… … that… … Because China has always been interested in Mr. Musk’s vision as a space club nation.”

It was, of course, a blatant lie.

All of the Chinese diplomats present didn’t know who Elon Musk was, and had no interest in him until they met him here today in the clerk’s office.

All they wanted to know was exactly what kind of person this Musk was and what level of rocket engineering knowledge he had, so Kim Jung-hwan would invite him to the party’s direct space committee.

Could it be that all business people are false and that they were engaged in the development of top-secret rockets at NASA and then kidnapped by the North Korean intelligence authorities, risking a diplomatic disaster, to develop missiles?

Regardless of their feelings, Elon Musk seemed to be very glad that a foreign person seriously inquired about his space exploration plan.

Elon immediately opened his eyes and raised his voice, even reminding him of his face.

“this! Are you really? After all, is there something in common with people who dream about space? I’ll explain right here right now! What do you want to hear first?”

“First of all, the launch pad in Musudan… … .”

“Oh, that’s a good question! The rocket, which is scheduled to be launched in a few months, can be said to be an early form of the grand plan that Space X has in the future… … Have you ever heard of the initial plans I brought to NASA?”

“uh… … Well… … Please explain.”

“Do you know what my first plan was? It was going to Mars! The atmosphere, oxygen, and water most similar to the Earth, the cradle of mankind, are also there, Star Trek, Doctor Who, the Doom series, Total Recall! I don’t know if the Ambassador knows this, but it’s a planet that appears as a regular in the classic Japanese anime series Gundam! The goal was to send plants to that planet and broadcast them live!”

As his plan, which had been ridiculed as absurd, seemed to be gaining sympathy from those around him, Musk, who was suddenly excited, was quickly stating his huge vision, and not only the Chinese ambassador, but everyone in the secretary’s office was watching with rapture.

“First of all, one of the challenges of going into space right now is the cost, and most of this cost is wasted because you have to use and throw away an incredibly expensive rocket. What sets our Space X apart from other civilian space pioneers is that we recycle these rockets! I already have the concept, how do I explain it… … . Hey, let me just show you! Can you give me a pencil and a fountain pen, Ambassador?”

“yes… … ah… … Here it is.”

“thank you! If the pencil here is a first-stage rocket and the fountain pen is a two-stage rocket… … Get into orbit first! Push Woo Woo Woo!!! After that, if you enter the stratosphere again, it’s easy!!! Here’s a pencil, that is, re-ignite the first-stage engine, reverse injection, then angle and slow down! Whee!!! Doo doo doo doo… … !!! Voila! Now all you have to do is deploy the landing gear and get back on the ground! Isn’t that great?”

“So… … Did you mean that the rocket landed again? A rocket that has already been used once?”

“That’s it! This will save the cost of the rocket, and the goal is to keep the fairing that separates when entering orbit so that you can bring it down! To do that, we need several ways to reduce the impact of a fall. Do you know what I’m thinking of? It’s a balloon, a balloon! It stretches a very large balloon and makes it act like some sort of airbag!”

“uh… … Well… … .”

In the secretariat, the center of the republic and the solemn artisan of diplomacy, Musk, holding a pencil and a fountain pen, and making noises with his mouth, expounded himself and North Korea’s space program in front of Chinese diplomats as passionately as a teenager. .

The Chinese ambassador, who had been listening to Musk’s passionate explanation with a blank expression on his face, was slowly starting to look at Musk with alien eyes.

Looking at his expression, it was clear that he was thinking like this inside.

– What the hell is this tori? Does this mean that General Secretary Kim has invested a huge amount of the Korean people’s blood money in this kind of nonsense patient? Perhaps the president’s concern that Chosun might develop a missile may be in vain… … .

Meanwhile, Junghwan was pinching his thighs, thinking that he didn’t know it would be so difficult to hold back a burst of laughter.