Elon Musk explains ‘risks’ of moving to Mars
The technology mogul had earlier outlined plans to colonize the Red Planet by building a city of one million people by 2050, but suffered a setback when the Starship SN9 prototype crashed and exploded after its first high-flying test flight. last week. Musk said he hopes to one day produce 1,000 spacecraft over ten years and launch three a day. The rockets will blow away from Earth, each with about 100 tons of equipment, as well as 100 people hoping to build a permanent settlement on Mars.
And the CEO of SpaceX gave an insight into the rollercoaster ride he already experienced during the Mars Society Virtual Convention in 2020.
He said: ‘We’ve been through a lot of repetitions, starting with the fact that we do not know how to build rockets at all, with Falcon One and three failures before we reach a track.
‘We just barely survived; i was basically on a zero cash when we got this fourth one around the track. If it did not work, it would have been curtains.
‘I think it’s helpful to create a self-sustaining city on Mars.
Elon Musk fears a crisis could prevent the colonization of Mars (Image: GETTY)
Starship crashed last week (Image: SpaceX)
‘It should be the goal, not just a few people or a base, but a self-sustaining city.
“The acid test is really if Mars stops coming for some reason, then Mars dies out?”
Mr. Musk referred to the Great Filter theory – the idea that somewhere along the trajectory of the evolution of life there is a great and general challenge that ends life before it becomes intelligent enough and widespread in the universe.
He said: “If the ships stop coming for some reason, does the city die out on Mars?
‘If we are not safe, I mean, I think it might amount to the excellent filter front.
READ MORE: Elon Musk’s plan to send one million people to Mars reinforced with colonization ‘solution’
Mr Musk plans to colonize the Red Planet (Image: GETTY)
‘Are we going to be able to create a self-sustaining city on Mars before or after the Third World War?
“Hopefully there will never be a Second World War, but the probability of launching after the Second World War 3 is low.
“We should try to make this city self-sufficient before any possible World War 3.”
Mr Musk said the success of his project depended on this, but he did not think the prospects were great.
He continues: ‘We really have a range of probabilities. There’s a chance we’ll have a giant war, a supervolcano or a comet strike – or we’ll just self-extinguish.
‘To be honest, at the moment civilization is not looking very strong, you know, we’re looking a little creepy at the moment.
Mr. Musk fears that humanity could spoil its only chance of survival (Image: GETTY)
SpaceX hopes to transport people to space (Image: GETTY)
‘It’s not an escape vehicle unless Mars is made self-sustaining, which is unlikely to happen in my lifetime.
‘It’s pointless to have a lifeboat if you’re just moving to another place where you’ll soon be extinct. It does not count.
“It’s actually about minimizing the risk of subsistence for civilization as a whole and having a future where we are a spatial civilization and a multi-planet species.”
Global catastrophic risks also include anthropogenic risks caused by humans, such as technology, government, and climate change.
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SpaceX Starship facts and figures (Image: GETTY / DX)
Together with green entrepreneur Dale Vince, we call on the government to scrap VAT on green products and make more space for nature.
According to an exclusive poll commissioned by the Daily Express, 66 percent of adults are concerned about the state of the planet, climate change and the deterioration of wildlife and nature.
The majority is also in favor of changing tax legislation to encourage a greener approach and get polluters paid.
Express.co.uk calls on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to show world leadership on the issue ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall in June and the Cop 26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.