Would you give up life on Earth to live on Mars?
On the 7th of January Elon Musk was titled the world richest human by Forbes magazine, with a net worth of over $183 billion.
Everyone caught this headline.
Later on that day, the Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur on twitter re-pinned a 2018 pin, where he publicly re-declared his commitment to contributing half of his money to
“helping problems on earth and half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure the continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens & we destroy ourselves."
After seeing the events of the first 7 days of 2021, this seems very plausible.
Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images
This statement shocked the world (and not just for investors,) as someone who is often ridiculed for his unorthodoxed, ultra- eccentric, futuristic visions, which in such a short amount of time have dominated the world and developed billion-dollar industries. The success of the Space- X launch in May 2020 flung the door open for the inception of Space tourism and commercialised human spaceflight.
However, this was just the beginning.
Musk plans to '"shoot for Mars" by transforming the average Homo Sapien into a “multiplanet species and a spacefaring civilization,” which he believes is pivotal for the survival and continuation of our species.
In terms of a time frame?
When asked in an interview with journalist Mathias Döpfner:
“When will we see the first human on Mars?”
Musk responds:
“Most likely six years from now, possibly four years.”*
Could Mars really be the new Earth 2.0 for ALL?
Mars is often described as a "failed Earth," with hints of previous life existing on the planet. It is expected to be transformed into a habitable destination through the Terraforming process which Space-X plans to commence in 2100. Musk plans to build his first permanent human base, "Mars Base Alpha" by 2028, where a colony will start to form.*
Musk wants to make this dream a reality for all, with proposals to create loans and jobs on the Martian planet for people to work off their debts.
Not exactly the traditional "casual summer camp" job you were expecting.
As a final pitch when asked by TED Talk's Head Curator, Chris Anderson:
"Why do we need to build a city on Mars with a million people on it in your lifetime?"
Musk responds:
“It is important to have a future that is inspiring and appealing.
I think that there have to be reasons that you get up in the morning and want to live. Like, why do you want to live? What is the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future? If the future does not include being out there among the stars and being a multiplanet species I find that incredibly depressing.”
Don't we all resonate with this?
What do you think?
*More to come in my 'Everything you need to know about building a human base on Mars' post.