Elon Musk: I'll put HUMAN BOOTS on MARS by 2026

Musk will do it! People keep doubting him and he keeps succeeding. He's got the companies and resources behind him.

We could get Humans there within a couple of years if we really wanted to do it. We'd rather kill each other and pay billions to lobby and get politicians elected though.

The private sector is the one that will have to do it. Multiple companies are taking big steps to get there.

originally posted by: parad0x122
a reply to: the owlbear

Actually Bill Gates and his wife are two of the biggest philanthropists on the planet... but okay.

There is a difference to giving out a lot of small donations that will hardly do anything, compared to taking on a task and writing the check in full. I donate to lots of causes, too. Guess what? The food pantries are still bare across the country. The Gates family has enough to fill them to overflowing and leave a trust so they are never empty again. And still have tens of billions to show off.

a reply to: SubTruth

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF or the Gates Foundation) is one of the largest private foundations in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It was launched in 2000 and is said to be the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world.[4] It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family".[5] The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. The foundation, based in Seattle, Washington, is controlled by its three trustees: Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Other principal officers include Co-Chair William H. Gates, Sr. and Chief Executive Officer Susan Desmond-Hellmann. It had an endowment of US$38.3 billion as of 30 June 2013.[3] The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in the philanthrocapitalism revolution in global philanthropy,[6] though the foundation itself notes that the philanthropic role has limitations.[5] In 2007, its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in America, and Warren Buffett the first.[7] As of May 16, 2013, Bill Gates had donated US$28 billion to the foundation.

[Source - Wikipedia


Clearly him donating 28 billion dollars to the less fortunate is a real scumbag move. Whether you like it or not, he is a philanthropist. And as far as his directive to mankind is concerned, without him and his company, you probably wouldn't be typing this type of slander. Like it or not, it's the truth, and the last time I checked that's what this board was about: denying ignorance.

a reply to: the owlbear

You consider $28 billion dollars a small donation?

Hahahahah. Dear God...

SMH

NASA better send a pair of old boots along with their next Rover mission so someone else doesn't get the first human boots on Mars first.

Well NASA could do that right now. The boots I mean, not an actual person. Well they could, but who knows if they would get back? More power to him if he can accomplish this task. Personally I am torn when it comes to exploring space. What I mean is that I understand it seems like a natural progression, and I understand that these steps are necessary for us to one day become a space-faring civilization. But it just seems so wasteful considering all the problems where money could be better spent. I suppose that it is his money and he can do what he wishes with it, and I am not saying he is wrong. I am just saying that I am a bit torn on that point.

I'll wait until first private orbital flights before I start getting excited. It's easy to make promises and proposals.

a reply to: ATSmediaPRO

Great then after we get there, and establish that colony and small city. We can finally build that shopping mall so people can go shopping on mars. yey!

Ah just messing going to mars would be pretty cool I suppose, though it will be a bit harder then he imagines. Why even finding people who can life together for nine months without stabbing each other when making the trip will be a chore, practicing in terrestrial environments would not quite prepare you for the both physical toll, and mental toll it will take, but it wont hurt. As for actually building things on mars, well that would be as fun as digging in a coal mine 15 hours a day, so yes it would require a bit more then most know.

Lets just say making the tech to get you to mars is the easy part, kind of how climbing to the top of the mountain is the easy part. Making your home there on top of the mountain however is a whole different thing altogether, in fact future would be martian astronauts they should practice by living on top of mountain for some months, lets say drop them off on top of Everest complete with gear and shelter needed for there survival, and let them stay there for a few months or year, just to see how that goes.

Oh and dont forget the oxygen tanks, will probably need a lot of them as there is little oxygen on top of mountains as high as Everest. If anything that would be more comparable to the sort of environment they would be in, only minus all that snow to get water, or better yet drop them in the Shara for a year, though there is oxygen there so they would not get used to knowing just how precious oxygen would be for them, but they sure would be missing all that water.

OK OK Im still messing, or maybe I am just being pessimistic. But either way living on Mars for a human I can tell you now will not be like it is in the movies, it will be nowhere near as easy as the movies make it out to be. Even for a month space mission astronauts take all come back greatly weakened and most gravely sick, which for some takes them months to get back to normal. Literally the only way your getting to mars and building all that is if your sending a ship the size of a small city complete with everything needed for a real long haul, which they could orbit to and from while building on mars, the whole shuttle missions thing dropping small groups of people on mars now, and every few years, which they like doing, and are likely thinking of doing, or is depicted in movies, would not be very effective.

a reply to: parad0x122
I would not worship him as of yet, I know its your way and people need idols. But most of the money donated mostly finds its way back, or in the pocket of friends and constituents, or projects of his choosing, all while getting a big fat tax check from the government, its just smart practice if your extremely rich to give a little away, that or open up a hidden account in the caymans, or you can do both and still collect that tax refund. I mean sure its helping people, it must be helping somebody somewhere who needs it though I dont know a single person, i am sure there must be someone at a school somewhere he donated a bunch of old computers to, but yes no doubt he and others are quite helpful with all those billions in dollars they have been so called donating, that's why you still have people out on the streets with signs, and tent cities, and starving families, because of all those billions he and others more fortunate have been giving out to the needy and helping so much. What with 28 billion you could practically build a city. Now do you see that city for the less fortunate anywhere? Must be hidden from sight eh.

Oh and yes without him somebody else would have quote on quote invented the computer, in fact he was not the one to invent it. He was one of the first to market it and saw the potential it had, and also had a small fortune from his family to go ahead with that marketing strategy and make it bigger then it was. So yes and this may blow your mind, but without Bill Gates computers would still come to be and exist sooner or latter.

a reply to: an0nThinker
Its going to have to be that way at first the way there planing it, unnamed bots and work gear drones, sure they can put boots on Mars. I think that means somebody will land, plant a flag, say some quirky one liner, look around maybe drill a few thing here and there then off they go.

But if there planing on dropping people there with the current tech they have, well that would be considered cruel and unusual treatment. Like I said before, getting to mars is the easy part. If anything this can just be more hype so his company stock skyrocket, pun intended. I see nothing there that says he is serious, and he shows nothing serious, or at least there is no details on how he will accomplish any of what he says he will or at least in this thread. Suppose we will see by 2026.

In the meantime could we go ahead and set up our moonbase to rest and perfect equipment if nothing else
Also
Spacejunk all the plans people come up with to clean up our spacejunk is %90 kick it back to burn up in the atmosphere.
Wrong, that stuff cost a lot to put up there, we could spend a little more to collect and recycle it.

But yeah to Mars in 12 years...that I support!

X

a reply to: JiggyPotamus

I have often wondered if this is what is needed to bring the world together. (Not that anything really can.)

Imagine though if we start to colonize other worlds, or just send people to another galaxy. Can we not as a civilization come together for a moment and pat ourselves on the back? I know, it isn't going to be all rainbows and hugs, (I'm not that crazy yet), but just an overall bonding experience for mankind.

I for one can't wait to see it happen. Yes, there are oceans here that need explored, wars that need ending, drugs that need to be dealt with, and starving children all around us. I get that. Maybe though, hopefully, we can make a fresh start.

(Personally, I think our species, or some form of it, has been planet swapping before.....)

originally posted by: an0nThinker
All this is well and good but consider that we don't have a viable way of getting to mars quickly. Either we need a LENR (cold fusion) break through or some advanced form of propulsion. Just getting astronauts to Mars for a 4 year mission does not make much sense when most things can be done without humans.

VASIMR we have it already. www.adastrarocket.com...

originally posted by: wildespace
I'll wait until first private orbital flights before I start getting excited. It's easy to make promises and proposals.

Already have space X has sent cargo ships up to the ISS since last year.

There dragoon capsule is easly adapted to a manned version.

Very awesome, Mr. Musk! Everything new starts with a trickle, Mars One & Elon Musk are getting the flow going in terms of drive & interest. I think that by the 30's, this will be a thriving inter-planetary sector of work. I have no doubt my younger kid will be in on the action, too (determined to grow the food on Mars)

Looking further down the road, turn of the 22nd century or so, I think we'll have a pretty awesome accomplishment on the next planet over. Most of today's naysayers/negative nellys will have kicked the bucket by mid-century anyway, the societal change will likely be profoundly more positive.

a reply to: Nyiah

I wonder what all the conspiracy theorists will do once there are permanent bases on the moon and Mars. No doubt all the secret alien bases will move to Venus

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

Point 1. Never throughout any of my posts did I even come close to "worshiping" Bill Gates. Not sure where that dig came from.
Point 2. Never throughout any of my posts did I claim Bill Gates "quote on quote invented the computer". He made it accessible to the public, for a profit. Period.
Point 3.

originally posted by: galadofwarthethird
but yes no doubt he and others are quite helpful with all those billions in dollars they have been so called donating, that's why you still have people out on the streets with signs, and tent cities, and starving families, because of all those billions he and others more fortunate have been giving out to the needy and helping so much.

Yes, because $28 Billion dollars isn't going to solve the world's poverty problem. I never said it would, and it's kind of naive to use that as leverage against someone who is at least trying to help.

How much worse off would the people you speak of be without people like him helping?

a reply to: Rob48

Can't wait until there's a base on Mars and a basic survey is done of the entire planet proving that there is, in fact, no Cydonian face-pyramid on Mars.

Oh that's right, the face must've moved to Venus when it saw us coming too.

a reply to: parad0x122

Point 1. Never throughout any of my posts did I even come close to "worshiping" Bill Gates. Not sure where that dig came from.

From what you wrote it was obvious.

Point 2. Never throughout any of my posts did I claim Bill Gates "quote on quote invented the computer". He made it accessible to the public, for a profit. Period.

My bad I must have read this wrong from you previous post---> "And as far as his directive to mankind is concerned, without him and his company, you probably wouldn't be typing this type of slander"

Yes, because $28 Billion dollars isn't going to solve the world's poverty problem. I never said it would, and it's kind of naive to use that as leverage against someone who is at least trying to help.

yes your right with 28 billion you wont be able to solve the worlds poverty problem. But with 28 billion you can practically eradicate poverty as you know it tent cities people living on the streets in one country like say the united states, it probably would not even be all that hard. Lets face it, if any one of you were to suddenly not be able to pay your bills you would be on the streets the next day squatting in a bush if somebody like family or friends did not take you in. Let me put it this way, how many people do you know who have gone through that have been helped by bill gates or any of these rich philanthropists or any of them, or really any of there helpful programs? I take it that it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of zero.

Like I said the money they give generally comes back to them or there friends or there constituents or there projects, it has been like that for like ever, and they get a nice fat tax relieve from the government as well, and you will probably be paying for that tax relieve. And then you will pay the taxes on the taxes. And yes most of them are trying to help...Themselves that is. If the world had wait and rely on the goodwill of the wealthy and affluent, it would still be waiting for a long time. And after all those generous donation for all this time, all through out history, by so many wealthy and affluent people, were are we today? Still waiting no doubt.

One thing about this whole thing. There still is no concrete showing of how he is going to accomplish all this, if anything stocks have skyrocketed on less speculation, I think if this guy had any concrete ideas he would show them even if its sketches and plans, but still none of that which I can see. There is a reason why NASA did not go to mars folks, its not as easy as most people think. Not that its impossible, but shipping some people in rockets for along trek does not in itself build cities on mars, not by a long shoot. We have trouble building cities here on earth and keeping things working smooth, much less in a place were you could die in a few seconds of exposure, and there is so little oxygen, so ya.