Elon Musk on the Martian Frontier. (Creative Commons License).
Elon Musk is the dreamer who wants to set up a permanent human outpost on Mars, with inhabitants numbering more than one million. However, a good question is, will Musk himself go to Mars?
The Red Planet is a harsh environment for human life. The atmosphere is toxic, and there is lots of radiation. Apart from these, Mars is so far away that going there will cost you five months of your life. And that is if you take off when the planet is closest to the earth! Going to Mars to live permanently is a one-way trip for many reasons.
The billionaire has warned multiple times that the first set of Mars explorers will most likely die.
All the reasons mentioned above notwithstanding, Musk is going full steam on his idea to save humanity from perishing by shipping some people to Mars. While it is debatable whether he will find one million volunteers to sign up for the venture, Musk is building a powerful spacecraft, the Starship, that can withstand the grueling trip over millions of miles. He is even planning to provide communication by expanding Starlink to the planet. You can confirm this from the agreement documents of the satellite internet service.
It is natural to expect Musk himself to be wearing two of the first set of boots to land on the planet. For example, both Richard Branson (friend of Musk) and Jeff Bezos (foe of Musk) have gone up to space, or close to it, in the rockets, they want to use to provide space tourism services. Bezos even took his younger brother along to prove he believed in his product.
However, it may appear Musk will never personally make the journey. The billionaire has warned multiple times that the first set of Mars explorers will most likely die. He even said some might not be able to complete the journey. So, if Musk were to head the first flight, he might die and not be able to oversee SpaceX’s operations as it builds out the enterprise.
It is important to remember Musk is CEO of several other companies, which are also working on exciting products, including Neuralink, tunnel boring, a bi-pedal robot, etc. Musk would prefer to be around to oversee all these projects.
Musk does not appear to be eager to go to space personally. He has had plenty of opportunities to become an astronaut, with SpaceX regularly sending astronauts to the International Space Station. But he has never attempted to tag along on any mission, even though he can easily arrange it.
It is natural to expect Musk himself to be wearing two of the first set of boots to land on the planet. For example, both Richard Branson (friend of Musk) and Jeff Bezos (foe of Musk) have gone up to space, or close to it, in the rockets, they want to use to provide space tourism services. Bezos even took his younger brother along to prove he believed in his product.
However, it may appear Musk will never personally make the journey. The billionaire has warned multiple times that the first set of Mars explorers will most likely die. He even said some might not be able to complete the journey. So, if Musk were to head the first flight, he might die and not be able to oversee SpaceX’s operations as it builds out the enterprise.
It is important to remember Musk is CEO of several other companies, which are also working on exciting products, including Neuralink, tunnel boring, a bi-pedal robot, etc. Musk would prefer to be around to oversee all these projects.
Musk does not appear to be eager to go to space personally. He has had plenty of opportunities to become an astronaut, with SpaceX regularly sending astronauts to the International Space Station. But he has never attempted to tag along on any mission, even though he can easily arrange it.
Mars. Spektrum.de (Creative Commons License).
But Musk is planning to go to Mars physically. In an interview, his girlfriend, Grimes, said that Musk intends to move to Mars by 2030, and Musk corroborated the claim. Grimes tried to get Musk to delay his relocation a bit, but he won’t bend. However, she plans to join him later, when she is 65 years old, even if they are no longer together.