Spacex CEO wants to co-build and fund huge Mars colony effort

Discussion in 'Science and Technology' started by RAMA, Nov 28, 2012.

  1. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2012
  2. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2008
    Location:
    Just around the bend.
    Old news. We've known all along that Musk wanted to get to Mars. And philanthropist? really? He's hoping to charge $500,000 per seat.
     
  3. Crazy Eddie

    Crazy Eddie Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2006
    Location:
    Your Mom
    Yeah, he's really more of an entrepreneur than a philanthropist.
     
  4. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    80,000 people is about how many people on Earth have a net worth of $30 million or more.
     
  5. iguana_tonante

    iguana_tonante Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    Location:
    Italy, EU
    Technophilanthropist? As is "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist"?
     
  6. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    Batman's sending us to Mars?
     
  7. Blip

    Blip Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 2, 2001
    Location:
    Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 200ft
    No. Tony Stark is. :P
     
  8. iguana_tonante

    iguana_tonante Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    Location:
    Italy, EU
    As long as it isn't Eddard, I'm ok with it. It's cold on Mars.
     
  9. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA

    Actually you're right, I should have said techno-philanthropist/techno-entrepreneur..the new breed we are seeing who are bypassing the old ways of getting things done, that are accelerating our ideas of what is possible. I would never have suggested that these people didn't want to make any money at all!:techman:
     
  10. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA
    The number of millionaires worldwide is increasing rapidly.

    The 80,000 number is the amount they plan on sending per year according to Musk. The total needed would be in the millions for a colony.

    It's not old news when its a co-gov't venture. We see someone who is motivated enough that realistically could make it happen, then people take notice.

    RAMA
     
  11. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    At $500K a seat, he's not going to get "millions" on Mars in any reasonable timeframe (less than decades.)
     
  12. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA
    The more common the trips/tech become the more the price will come down.

    RAMA
     
  13. Robert Maxwell

    Robert Maxwell memelord Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Location:
    space
    But not to a level where average people can afford it, at least not within our lifetimes.
     
  14. Crazy Eddie

    Crazy Eddie Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2006
    Location:
    Your Mom
    It's not "per year" though, that's his upper limit for the colony itself. With anything resembling realistic technology, it would take upwards of ten years to transport that number of people to Mars, even before accounting for returns and deaths.

    I think you mean to say it WON'T be old news when it's a co-government venture. It isn't yet, and won't be for a long time.
     
  15. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA

    https://twitter.com/elonmusk

    yup
     
  16. Crazy Eddie

    Crazy Eddie Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2006
    Location:
    Your Mom
    Which links to this article which interviews the ACTUAL Elon Musk. It's not the first time he's quoted his "80,000 people" figure, it's just the most recent.

    Don't get excited, Rama.
     
  17. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA

    Im well aware of the capacity of current rockets, well aware of the idea that spacex would basically be passenger "bus" rockets to Mars and that they wouldn't be running the colony itself, and most of all aware of the potential timeline, I predicted at 50% chance of a Mars landing by 2035..personally I wish I felt they were higher. What's new is that this isn't some back page idea and artist's rendering, it has a motivated person with money behind it, and if this particular motivated person doesn't do it, others will...eventually. The technology will be there.

    As for the quote, he follows up on his quote on twitter and I have seen it repeated on other media pages on my phone, so I'm sticking with it till he says otherwise.
     
  18. gturner

    gturner Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2005
    Location:
    Kentucky
    I'd be nervous about putting more than a thousand people on Mars, since the more people there are the better chance their inevitable rebellion has of succeeding, and Mars colonies always rebel - always.
     
  19. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2004
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Meh, as long as it doesn't go all Doom on us, let them.
     
  20. Crazy Eddie

    Crazy Eddie Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2006
    Location:
    Your Mom
    "Someone will do it eventually" isn't news either. Musk has been making public statements about his Mars idea for several years now and it has made headlines every single time.

    So a twitter comment gets reposted by other twitter users and that makes it news?

    Are you powers of critical thinking really that degraded?