Dernau in Rhineland-Palatinate: Flood helpers are deployed in an excavator shovel.
Image: dpa
Good for those who have such an interaction between people and technology in moments of greatest need. We are tempted to classify space tourism as progress. Elon Musk will soon be flying into space electrically.
HHere we like to take up the week with a twinkle in our eye, but starting with that is not an option this time. The flood disaster in the west fills the whole country with compassion. And willingness to help. We are happy that technology is at the side of the helpers. Let’s just think of the courageous excavator driver who drove to the bursting Steinbachtalsperre and exposed the drain. Or the vehicles, boats, pumps, cranes, emergency power generators with which the fire brigades fight against the consequences of the flood. Support comes from many, including from the auto industry, where, for example, BMW donates 1.5 million euros to the rescue workers, Hyundai is providing replacement vehicles free of charge and Audi is increasing a collection campaign for employees. Good for those who have such a team of people and machines.
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We are therefore also tempted to see the space tourism that has broken out in America these days by Messrs Virgin-Branson, Amazon-Bezos and Tesla-Musk from the perspective of progress rather than the almost reflexive reaction to dismiss missions in border areas as a waste of resources. In any case, we assume that at least Elon Musk will use the CO2 certificates he has acquired with the electric cars in a climate-neutral way. And will soon be jetting electrically into space. If at all, because it only comes up 100 kilometers. Which would be a clear case for a ban on short-haul flights. But we’ll deal with that appropriately the next time it’s cleaned up.
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