Elon Musk reveals that SpaceX was forced to strap a seal to a board and put headphones on it to test sonic boom sounds
"We were forced to kidnap a seal, strap it to a board, put headphones on the seal, and play sonic boom sounds to it to see if it would be distressed. This is an actual thing that happened. This is actually real. I have pictures."
Lex Fridman: "I would love to see this."
Elon Musk: "Yeah. I mean, sorry, there's a seal with headphones. Yes, it's a seal with headphones strapped to a board. And the amazing part is how calm the seal was."
Lex Fridman: "Because if I was a seal, I'd be like, this is the end. They're definitely going to eat me. How will the seal, when the seal goes back to other seal friends, how are they going to explain that?"
Elon Musk: "They're never going to believe them. It's sort of like getting kidnapped by aliens and getting an anal probe. You come back and say I swear to god I got kidnapped by aliens and your seal buddies are never going to believe him. And by the way we had to do it twice."
Lex Fridman: "They let him go twice? You had to catch the same seal?"
Elon Musk: "Well no, different seal."