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I find it encouraging the private sector is filling the gap. Musk's vision is clear if you assemble all the pieces his companies have built on Mars: solar and

I find it encouraging the private sector is filling the gap. Musk's vision is clear if you assemble all the pieces his companies have built on Mars: solar and battery power, tunnel boring for both shelter, water, and air (which could imply return fuel he can do O2+H2). Solar might not be the most efficient for Mars, but he can bring tons of it without messing with nuclear politics and PR. Note also the Boring Company TBM diameter is less than the BFS. Don't be surprised if a TBM one of the first payloads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Mars_transportation_infrastructure#Passenger_spaceship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Mars_transportation_inf... https://www.boringcompany.com/faq/ https://www.boringcompany.com/faq/

Balgair 9y ago
I agree that Elon's companies do have suspiciously many things to do with Mars habitats. However, the reliability of the tech we have is severely lacking. To get off Mars, you are going to need a rocket. So then you need to land a rocket on Mars. Fully fueled. You also need a backup. We simply do not have that kind of reliability yet, and I don't think we're even close. Fine, we'll fuel it on Mars. That means a remote robotic mining-facility and rocket-fuel-plant, in nearly no atmosphere, in cold temps, up to 16 light-minutes away (at worst, true). So it's gotta be totally autonomous. And not explode while people are in transit. And it's likely going be on a pole, so that you have easy access to fuelstuffs. Which is boring as all heck compared to Valles Marianas (not a big deal, admittedly) If we have that tech on Mars, then the economy of Earth is going to look a LOT different. Self-driving cars aren't the half of it. Mars, in a nutshell, is VERY Hard.