Musk never flinched. He turned some of the volunteer thinkers into consultants, and put them to work on the plant machine’s design. He also plotted a trip to Russia to find out exactly how much a launch would cost. Musk intended to buy a refurbished intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, from the Russians and use that as his launch vehicle. For help with this, Musk reached out to Jim Cantrell, an unusual fellow who had done a mix of classified and unclassified work for the United States and other governments. Among other claims to fame, Cantrell had been accused of espionage and placed under house arrest in 1996 by the Russians after a satellite deal went awry.
“After a couple of weeks, Al Gore made some calls, and it got worked out,” Cantrell said.
“I didn’t want anything to do with the Russians again — ever.” Musk had other ideas.
— Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance), Loc. 1369–74
Comment Oct 2026: LOL. Today’s Musk is fucking ruzzian bitch, isn’t he?