[opportunity (OP)]

TESLA was brilliant, yet his great ideas taught we could use AC over vast distances. That as we know was a fail.

Is Elon Musk is using the name of Tesla to do the same with rockets and lithium-ion batteries?

Is this another case of pure showmanship?

More energy is used making lithium ion batteries than what we already have as propulsion with gas or fossil fuels.

Now satellites to create a global internet?

Is this going to be a fail? A global cloud of data via satellites?

There are other ways to communicate than using satellites.....globally.

For instance, bouncing data off the ionosphere is easier, into relay stations, converting AM to internet. The ionosphere is perfectly suited for telecommunications relay, especially if we can use complex AM algoriothms to achieve what satellites can for the purpose of a global network of data resourcing. Why satellites?

[syhprum]

"Bouncing" radio waves from the ionosphere is a very inefficient and expensive way of transmitting data as any one will tell who is familiar with the ATAT station that on a good day was able to achieve one trans Atlantic speech channel calls costing something like £100.00 per minute in modern money and had to be booked well in advance. 

[Colin2B]

"Bouncing" radio waves from the ionosphere is a very inefficient and expensive way of transmitting data   

Agreed.
There are amateur radio internet systems but they use vhf/uhf because tcp/ip overheads are too great at low frequencies. Most are limited to 1200baud max 9600.

[jeffreyH]

Baud rate. You do realise that is so twentieth century. Almost antique. Lol.

[RD]

TESLA was brilliant ...

Where is his super-weapon that he offered to various nations ?  ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleforce#Attempts_at_development_and_marketing
( at that point in his career he was either a crank or a con-man, rather than "brilliant" ).

[Colin2B]

Baud rate. You do realise that is so twentieth century. Almost antique. Lol.

still in common usage in comms systems, very specific meaning as distinct from bit rate, sometimes important to distinguish between the 2.

[opportunity (OP)]

I agree with all you've said. Tesla certainly entered crank status with his proposals. His brilliance was with his first achievement though, the AC motor.

It's hard to think though that we can't find other ways to use an e/m field. I suggested AM as the basic carrier, but perhaps research into using modified AM waves? It doesn't exist of course, and yes basic AM is expensive. Sending up nearly 10,000 satellites over 10 years is also expensive.

[opportunity (OP)]

Baud rate. You do realise that is so twentieth century. Almost antique. Lol.

[opportunity (OP)]

Baud rate. You do realise that is so twentieth century. Almost antique. Lol.

20th century yes.

Say we have 5 different AM signals that represent pieces of an overall signal? Say we have 1000 AM signals that represent pieces of an overall signal. The resolution of AM can increase to however many different signals can be used to stitch an overall signal together, right? It depends on the sorces and number of AM signals and the receiver dish.

For instance, we see the stars. Thousands of them with the naked eye. Using different frequencies of sight to analyse the stars gives us greater scope of understanding the stars, and we get a clearer picture. Why can't we use the same approach with the ionosphere in bouncing signals using AM?

The "cost" is about amplifying just one signal. Increase the variety of signals of AM wavelength according to an algorithm that accommodates for the atmospheric noise and the cost of an otherwise pure signal is reduced.

[bikasgaur]

Elon Musk is a HUGE HUGE inspiration to me. His work ethics is simply fantastic.

[wolfekeeper]

Currently Elon Musk is living the 'sleeping on an uncomfortable couch in the factory during Model 3 production hell' dream, so no, not right now he is not living 'the dream'.