£310,000 for a trip to mars?

[whooshbang]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/huge-mars-colony-eyed-spacex-founder-elon-musk-120626263.html

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I love the audacity of that guy. A good mix of keen business sense, practical engineering, and HUGE dreams.

His name does sound fit for a Bond villain, however (he acknowledges the many similarities and has wondered about getting a white Persian cat (on The Daily Show)).

[claire1985]

Is that a real news article?

[VigdisVZ]

Elon Musk is an interesting fellow, but for all the good he's done, I think he's bitten off a bit much this time.

[J_M_Franklin]

Elon Musk is an interesting fellow, but for all the good he's done, I think he's bitten off a bit much this time.

It may not be realised as he is speaking or envisions, but unless people push the envelope and invest in the technologies we would need to perform this migration then we will be forever stuck on the 3rd Rock from the Sun...and that is simply sad.

[whooshbang]

Elon Musk is an interesting fellow, but for all the good he's done, I think he's bitten off a bit much this time.

I think so too and i'd be very wary fronting £310k only to see my trip get postponed until well after i'm long gone!

Fires the imagination though.

[whooshbang]

Is that a real news article?

Yes of course! It's on the internet after all

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

My feeling is that if any team can make this happen, Elon Musk will be involved. He has achieved a lot in space travel in a very short time. He is quite young, he is very smart, has the required drive, money, and business sense.

[Naemeth]

Martian Mortgage anyone?

[Peter Drew]

Sounds a bit cheap to me, must be around .0000000p a mile, or was it 2nd class?

[JamesF]

My feeling is that if any team can make this happen, Elon Musk will be involved. He has achieved a lot in space travel in a very short time. He is quite young, he is very smart, has the required drive, money, and business sense.

I'm inclined to agree. Or, if he doesn't make it happen, he will perhaps at least lay the groundwork to make it possible for someone else to do so.

To some he might sound like a nutter now because a permanent Mars settlement just sounds like science fiction, but if he keeps talking and making progress sooner or later people are going to start thinking that it's a real possibility and once that happens it's just a matter of time.

James

[Alastair Rae]

We have to start some time. Now, if I was 20 years younger ...

[claire1985]

Personally I think money will be better spent on figuring out where they relocate everyone too when the sun goes supernova on us lol. :-p

[JamesF]

Don't think the Sun will ever go supernova on us. It's just not big enough. We've got a few billion years yet before we need to worry about the Sun getting a bit too toasty anyhow.

Makes you wonder though... How many times has sentient life developed on a planet only to be snuffed out in the expansion of their dying sun because they weren't able to travel elsewhere?

James

[J_M_Franklin]

Personally I think money will be better spent on figuring out where they relocate everyone too when the sun goes supernova on us lol. :-p

I know your joking Claire, but loose lips and all that, people in the know making comments about an event that can never happen really does not help overall understanding of Astronomy as a whole. Not only that, even if the Sun could become a Supernova, it is several billions of years away..so not yet a real concern..if we are still here in a couple of hundred million years (I very much doubt that) then perhaps we will be in a better position to assess the future of the solar system.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Personally I think money will be better spent on figuring out where they relocate everyone too when the sun goes supernova on us lol. :-p

Put a little money into a long term savings account that returns 0.1% interest above inflation rate, and compound interest could see that skyrocket to trillions of pounds (in today's money!!) by the time the sun turns red giant (which is when we will want to be out of here!).

Just 1 pound will become 2.55 x10⁴³ pounds in a mere 100,000 years.

[Naemeth]

Don't think the Sun will ever go supernova on us. It's just not big enough. We've got a few billion years yet before we need to worry about the Sun getting a bit too toasty anyhow.

Makes you wonder though... How many times has sentient life developed on a planet only to be snuffed out in the expansion of their dying sun because they weren't able to travel elsewhere?

James

Probably not supernova, but probably into the Red Giant phase, when the Earth will either be engulfed by the Sun, be closer than Mercury currently is to the Sun, fall into the Sun due to tidal effects (when it's a Red Giant), either way, we need to be out of here by that time.

[Naemeth]

Put a little money into a long term savings account that returns 0.1% interest above inflation rate, and compound interest could see that skyrocket to trillions of pounds (in today's money!!) by the time the sun turns red giant (which is when we will want to be out of here!).

in just 1 pound will become 2.55 x10⁴³ pounds in a mere 100,000 years.

This of course assumes money is still relevant, we could have a Star Trek future where money doesn't exist .

[JamesF]

Probably not supernova, but probably into the Red Giant phase, when the Earth will either be engulfed by the Sun, be closer than Mercury currently is to the Sun, fall into the Sun due to tidal effects (when it's a Red Giant), either way, we need to be out of here by that time.

Not far off the time when M31 should be joining the party. Perhaps we can just hitch a ride with a new sun when the time comes...

James

[claire1985]

Yes I was joking of corse, we could be hit by an asteroid before then :-p

[Naemeth]

Yes I was joking of corse, we could be hit by an asteroid before then :-p

We might be hit by one in our lifetime:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

[whooshbang]

Personally I think money will be better spent on figuring out where they relocate everyone too when the sun goes supernova on us lol. :-p

Mars will be the stepping stone. Once its been successfully colonised then "sky's the limit" or rather, "space is the limit". Next will be outposts on Asteroids and Jupiters moons. The colonisation of our solar system is inevitable and long before the Sun has to say anything about it.

[Naemeth]

Mars will be the stepping stone. Once its been successfully colonised then "sky's the limit" or rather, "space is the limit". Next will be outposts on Asteroids and Jupiters moons. The colonisation of our solar system is inevitable and long before the Sun has to say anything about it.

I'm inclined to agree, although I can't help but think the Moon will be first, after all, it is the closest to us.

[whooshbang]

Yes I was joking of corse, we could be hit by an asteroid before then :-p

Darn, hadn't even considered that. Best start saving for that ticket after all

[whooshbang]

I'm inclined to agree, although I can't help but think the Moon will be first, after all, it is the closest to us.

Yup, Your probably right. The Moon would make a nice low cost platform for future missions too.

In terms of long term colonisation though would you put Mars down as the better choice? in terms of resources and terraforming etc?