Elon Musk revealed his plans for colonizing Mars and the rest of the Solar System. Good. Pardon me as I interject some of my history. As an aerospace engineer who spent some time designing rockets and satellites, I’m glad to see someone finally remembering what’s we’re capable of. His plan to launch numerous spaceships to Mars and beyond is one of the most pragmatic approaches to improve the sustainability of the human race. Earth is a very small place, astronomically; and one disaster could eliminate too much. For years and decades we’ve had the technology to create lifeboats for our civilization and species; but there’s been no incentive for any country to spend the money. An individual with the proper passion and resources can get past the understandable fears, just like our species has done since we began migrating around the planet. Elon plans to land 100 people at a time on Mars for about $200,000. Out of a population of seven billion, that’s possible. It’s also about the same price as some the proposed joy rides on sub-orbital launches. If the technology succeeds, the costs will come down and the reach can be extended to other planets and moons. Finally, our species won’t be at risk for singular internal or external catastrophes.
(Click on the image for the link.)
“Musks Mars Moment” – Ars Technica
Pretending Not To Panic 