Nothing quite like a father’s pride – ask Errol Musk

Mothers get most of the love, but there's nothing quite like a father's pride. I was reminded of this when reading a Facebook post yesterday by Krugersdorp-based Errol Musk, father of now super-famous entrepreneur Elon.

The elder Musk was at Cape Canaveral last week to see his son make history when his SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returned to the launchpad after delivering 11 satellites into orbit. What the rest of the world didn't know about, though, was a heart-skipping moment as the landing co-incided with a loud bang.

Errol writes: "Elon thought at first the landing vehicle had exploded. The landing coincided, quite by chance, with the sonic-boom associated with the launch vehicle's passing back through the sound barrier. It was a triple A landing. Almost surreal. Something profound had happened."

It surely had. By getting the rocket home after delivering a payload, Elon Musk's company had forever disrupted the cost of travelling to space. Nice to know the South African connection is still strong.