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Setting up a multi-planetary civilization is the only way to avoid extinction : Elon Musk

Elon Musk
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As promised, we are here with an in-depth analysis of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s plans for colonizing Mars and converting humans into a space-faring species. The International Astronautical Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, which has Musk as a speaker, is proving to be extremely exciting as he lays out SpaceX’s plans for planting the seeds for what could prove to be the first human civilization beyond the confines of earth. Read on!

SpaceX Conceptual Video Of Mars Landing:

Before the event (which has names like Buzz Aldrin in attendance) kicked off, SpaceX released the following conceptual presentation/video that lays out the map for how humans will make it to Mars.

In the video below, you can see a rocket lift-off from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Launchpad 39 A. The booster returns to Earth after first putting the spaceship meant to make the Mars trip, in orbit around the earth. Next, a propellant tanker is loaded onto the booster and is used to refuel the spaceship for the final leg of its journey to Mars.

The ship finally manages to make a smooth landing on Mars and we then find ourselves looking over the shoulders of the first Astronauts to reach the red planet.

The video above looks straight out of some science fiction movie, but then, I suppose thats what people a few century or so ago would have said about a video depicting an airplane.

To Go Or To Not to Go:

After taking the stage, Elon Musk started the event with a very simple question. Should we or should we not go to Mars. He also laid out the futures waiting for us in both the cases. Assuming that we decided to stick to our home planet, and an extinction even did occur, well that would be the end of it. Starbucks, Shakespeare, Tanks, Pokemon…..all our knowledge, all the millenniums we have spent for  climbing out of the pit of ignorance to the point where we now have Facebook, would be lost forever.

And its not that difficult either you see. Our earth is literally less than a speck of dust in the vastness of this universe. A stray comet, a particularly violent solar flare, a mere hiccup in the scheme of things would be enough to wipe us off and what then? That is why Musk’s second option, to become a multi-planetary species, made much more sense.

Also, something that wasn’t particularly mentioned  in the keynote but is definitely important, is this. Earth’s resources are not endless and neither are its capabilities to sustain our excesses. We already have a global foot print of around two — meaning that we consume twice as much resources that this planet is capable of providing at a sustainable rate. And ever since the industrial revolution, things have gotten worse and worse. That said, we must harness other planets and their resources too, if we wish to thrive and perhaps even survive, as a race.

This is the first in a series of posts on the topic. Stay tuned as we lay out Elon Musk’s strategy for forming a human civilization on the red planet. Its going to be very exciting!

A bibliophile and a business enthusiast.

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