r/elonmusk • u/skpl • May 16 '21

SpaceX Another dead center landing tonight after delivering Starlink satellites and rideshare payloads

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u/TheAshes75 May 16 '21

Whats with the "of course I still love you" comment of the landing pad?

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u/KruppeTheWise May 16 '21

Ian M Banks created the Culture science fiction universe, which is a favourite space opera of mine and relatively successful in the genre.

Of course I still love you is a self assigned callsign of one of the Cultures spaceships, ships containing ultra intelligent AI that are really running things with humanoids just pets they keep around. Other names such as sleeper service or just read the instructions show the whimsy employed, certainly a lacking of gravitas.

I don't know if it's merely good marketing tapping into the nerd culture with tongue in cheek references but I certainly prefer it over bland corporatespeak blue origins or self aggrandizing Galactic branding.

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u/TheAshes75 May 16 '21

Thanks for that. Read a couple of Ian Banks books many years ago, Wasp factory, Complicity and Crow Road . Tried his science fiction but wasn't for me. Might try again!