Forget the Sizzle, Nation's Health and Security at Stake

Coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic has captured both the best and worst of society.

Stories of average people making supplies for others and helping those in need have warmed hearts at this chilling time in our nation's history.

Yet, predictably, some have seen the disaster as an opportunity for personal gain.

Elon Musk, noted billionaire with a propensity for biting off more than he can chew at times, has seemingly found a way to spin his virus public relations attempts into goodwill needed to get access to the president and a lucrative contract with NASA.

And while the government seems to have warmed up to giving Mr. Musk new business opportunities, the results could ultimately prove disastrous.

The first announcement that came out was Musk's appointment to a presidential council of business leaders aimed at reopening the country. This is worrisome because of Musk's history of ignoring the government’s warnings, questioning the severity of the virus, and fighting tooth and nail to keep his factory open at the onset of the crisis, despite potential risks to his employees.

While Musk has had a rocky relationship with President Trump in the past, it appears the positive public relations blitz associated with Musk’s production of ventilators worked its charm. That should start to have Americans, particularly those paying the taxes that have subsidized many of Musk’s more spectacular failures, worrying.

What Musk will lobby for is anyone's guess, but we know one thing for sure; it could prioritize his business interests over sound policy, just as he did when leaving the presidential councils in 2017 after the White House pulled out of the Paris Accords.

Now the SpaceX chairman will have a direct line to the president yet again.

But beyond the political and economic trouble that can come from his proximity to the White House, his partnerships with NASA may be directly risking human lives.

Musk's space company, SpaceX, has been able to secure contracts recently that push it into dangerous territory. In May, his company will attempt to launch its first astronauts into space, and his new deal will send them all the way to the lunar surface. Despite receiving billions to create innovative, cost-effective ways to travel to space, Musk's company has produced failed launches that have cost companies and taxpayers millions of dollars.

While Musk carries an admirable spirit of innovation, it takes him a long time, and a lot of money to get things right. His company has had past explosions blamed on poor material selection, and it’s led to some industry experts to question why NASA continues to do business with the company. Regardless, his company has seen satellites and space station cargo lost due to SpaceX's inability to work as safely as others.

But while satellites can always be replaced, his new shipment — human lives — cannot.

While past operations failures are still being reviewed, Musk is now poised to strap living astronauts into one of his rockets; that makes the stakes much higher.

NASA has had a solid two decades with safety after the tragedies of the Challenger and Columbia disasters. Efforts to ensure protection over cost-savings have proved fruitful as we've yet to lose a human life this past decade. But by giving a contract to a company with such a dangerous record, NASA has taken a reckless action worthy of increased scrutiny.

It's time for Congress and NASA to look beyond the billionaire’s sizzly proclamations and take a deeper look into the security of SpaceX’s operations more closely. The need to protect human life and our nation’s honor has been a hot topic during the virus recovery.

A SpaceX disaster could cost America should a tragedy occur, and at a time when a pandemic strains our nation.

It's a risk we simply cannot take.

Julio Rivera is a small business consultant, political activist, writer and Editorial Director for Reactionary Times. He has been a regular contributor to Newsmax TV and columnist for Newsmax.com since 2016. His writing, which is concentrated on politics, cybersecurity and sports, has also been published by websites including The Hill, The Washington Times, LifeZette, The Washington Examiner, American Thinker, The Toronto Sun and PJ Media and many others. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.