Elon Musk - People Don't Realize What Mars Mission Means

 

elon musk has been asked about the    nuclear threat that we currently face    and when answering this question he    talked about the stunning fact and    situation that we are currently in in    the world regarding nuclear missiles    with that he proposed a unique solution    to all this mess and illustrated what    the first days on mars will look like as    you will see it is mind-boggling as elon    thinks many people don't know what    really is going on and he explained why    this is so dangerous and why mars    mission is so important since becoming a    multi-planetary civilization is such a    big goal elon frequently gets asked    about space-related updates and the    biggest challenges that we face and    that's exactly what happened when musk    appeared at the national academy's joint    meeting of the space studies board and    board on physics and astronomy where he    was asked why he strives to make mars    mission possible as soon as he can elon    said there's always good old nuclear    armageddon that's one of the things    that's not out of the question a lot of    nuclear missiles are pointed all at us    in the u.s and many parts of the world    percentage of risk it's not zero with    that while giving one more interview on    the podcast of lex friedman in late    december of 2021 musk stated that    regarding a mars landing the best case    is about five years worst case is ten    years this is an ambitious plan and one    that means musk and spacex really only    have three chances within the next    decade to launch test flights during    moments where earth and mars are at    their closest many within the space    community have their doubts about musk's    plans and are skeptical about the    habitability of mars in general though    the red planet is relatively the same    size as earth the high levels of    radiation pose serious health risks to    the future mars explorers still must    insist that mars is our best option for    becoming an interplanetary species and    escaping what seems to be an inevitable    extinction of the human race due to    global warming war or a multitude of    other unforeseeable circumstances in    early february mosque and spacex    released a video that supposedly    simulates what it will be like for    future mars travelers the video a    five-minute animated short reminiscent    of the opening sequence of a science    fiction thriller was introduced during    an update on spacex missions and future    plans the first official update from the    company since 2019 in the update musk    stated that if all goes according to    plan spacex will launch the starship on    his first orbital flight a milestone    that is huge and getting closer to    sending their rockets to mars in    addition to setting a may first flight    date musk also discussed engineering    updates to the rocket including a power    boost from six raptor engines to nine    the super heavy a piece of the starship    rocket will also jump up in power going    from 29 engines to 33 should spacex be    able to make good on their timelines in    addition to bringing the cost of the    mars transports down to about a million    dollars per flight habiting mars in the    way musk has envisioned might actually    be more plausible than many skeptics are    citing by making the starship shuttles    readily and quickly reusable spacex has    found a way to efficiently cut    production costs should all take offs    and landings go well the starship would    be flight ready every six to eight hours    and the super heavy would be able to    take off every hour or so this would    make it possible to run multiple payload    missions per day meaning that the    overall cost of travel would eventually    come down it is likely that we won't see    the full capabilities of the starship    and super heavy on display until nasa    utilizes the shuttles for the artemis    moon missions set to launch in 2025 but    what exactly does this mean for musk's    mars ambitions essentially if all these    design updates are successful in    addition to making mars travel more    affordable these milestones put musk and    humankind closer and closer to achieving    a viable habitat on the martian surface    and as spacex gets closer to landing    humans on mars musk gets closer and    closer to creating the interplanetary    colony he has long been imagining while    musk talks a lot about the general how    to's of going to mars and creating a    civilization there he doesn't always    specify what he envisions that    civilization will look like but perhaps    the accompanying video simulation    released on the same day as the spacex    update has some helpful hints let's take    a look at what information we can glean    about musk's ideal travel and habitation    scenarios the video opens with cinematic    animations of a starship rocket at dawn    it showcases the size and sleek    appearance of the rocket before    following it through a seamless launch    into orbit once the rocket reaches orbit    the super heavy piece detaches and    returns to the launch platform while the    starship shuttle continues on the    two-year journey to earth's little red    neighbor the video ends with the    starship landing successfully on a    launch pad on the martian surface and a    shot showcasing a cohort of spacesuit    clad explorers about to disembark from    the vessel while all of this the    flawless takeoffs and landings a    two-year journey that passes as quickly    as it does in the video and an    aesthetically pleasing spacesuit design    likely come as no surprise it is the    background information at the mars    landing site that provides the most    insight when the shuttle lands it lands    amongst one of many launch pads that    have seemingly been constructed nearby    the constructed habitat this aligns well    with the idea that multiple starships    will be bound for mars on a daily basis    in addition to having enough rockets to    do multiple transports the landing site    must have enough bays to receive the    number of incoming shuttles these launch    pads are assumedly made from materials    gathered on mars combined with materials    brought from earth they may also double    as refueling sites all of spacex's    raptors engines are powered by liquid    oxygen and liquid methane fuel sources    that can be sourced directly from mars    in addition to multiple launch pads it    appears that the habitat incorporates a    greenhouse element likely utilized to    grow food for the people within the    colony though it is unclear whether the    growing materials are able to be sourced    from mars itself there's a chance that    further surface exploration and research    could unveil fertilizing properties    within the marshall soil this element    the ability to create a renewable food    source and to use agricultural means to    do so are truly essential to creating a    colony on mars that is self-sustaining    perhaps as important is also indicated    by how it appears to be at the center of    the community indicating that the    greenhouse of food resources are central    to a successful interplanetary habitat    though we very clearly see the    greenhouse element in the simulation it    fails to display an image of what a home    on mars would look like instead of    showing a close-up of someone's home the    community is represented by various    lights almost as if viewing a city from    a bird's eye view perhaps this indicates    that musk is still uncertain about what    the houses on mars will look like there    has been much debate about what the    structure should be made out of and how    and whether they should be on the    planet's surface are designed as an    interconnected community of subterranean    abodes some researchers at nasa are    looking into fungi and mycelium as    potential building materials while    others are looking at compounds found in    exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans    for now the martian construction crews    will have to stand by for further    information in addition to the launch    pads and greenhouse setup another    interesting appearance in the video    simulation is that of surface vehicles    seemingly enroute to pick up the    arriving crew it can be assumed that    these surface vehicles as well as the    spacesuits worn by the individuals in    the shuttle will be designed with    surface exploration in mind due to the    differences in mars atmosphere paired    with the intense radiation inhabitants    will need specialized breathing    apparatuses along with    radiation-resistant gear in order to    safely roam the surface though there is    still much to be discovered about what a    future civilization on mars will    actually look like it seems the spacex    and elon musk are getting closer to    realizing those visions day by day with    the starship set to reach orbit later    this year it is only a matter of time    before the shuttle is making its first    journey to the fourth planet from the    sun through the eyes of the video    simulation we get a peek into what elon    musk truly imagines a self-sustaining    martian colony could look like until the    first group of mars inhabitants gets    ready to don their spacesuits and break    ground on earth's red neighbor we will    just have to keep living vicariously    through elon musk's imagination