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We are a small step closer inhabiting Mars. When we will, it will be the most important event in the five billion years history of our solar system. In other w

We are a small step closer inhabiting Mars. When we will, it will be the most important event in the five billion years history of our solar system. In other words, we are witnessing some pretty cool stuff.

Hamuko 6y ago
How does this get us closer to getting people to Mars?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- sq_ 6y ago
  SpaceX has now successfully launched humans into orbit and rendezvoused with an orbital station. Of course, it’s a different vehicle than what they hope to one day take to Mars, but that’s still a huge step for any spacefaring organization to have made, especially when the stated overarching goal is to move huge numbers of people to a new planet.
- Kaibeezy 6y ago
  Can’t tell if serious or troll. Successful human spaceflight on reusable hardware > lower cost to orbit of personnel > increased economic activity in orbit > construction of manufacturing facilities > scale up of materials, capability, endurance and knowledge > ability to construct and launch Mars ships and supply a colony Or something like that.
  - Hamuko 6y ago
    Lower cost to orbit, sure. Increased economic activity in orbit? Where does that part come from? It's not like we haven't sent people to the ISS before. And it's not like SpaceX hasn't managed to reuse hardware before. It's basically just a mix of those two things. Really the most significant things about this were that astronauts were launched to space from the US and it was a private company. And out of those, the first thing is really more symbolic than anything else. The ISS is about 400 km from the surface of the Earth. Mars is like what, 225 000 000 km?
    - mercer 6y ago
      Well we're not gonna get to Mars with that attitude!
      - bamboozled 6y ago
        Mars is key ! We must get to Mars!!!
        rtkwe 6y ago
        I'm not so sold on the planetary backup drum beat. If we can live on Mars we can live on an Earth affected by basically anything using the same tech. The only real bonus is there'd be less people there to support, which feels like running away and letting the planet burn.
      - monadic2 6y ago
        Seems like that’s exactly the attitude you need.
    - yellowapple 6y ago
      > Lower cost to orbit, sure. Increased economic activity in orbit? Where does that part come from? Lower cost to orbit translates pretty directly to increased economic activity in orbit, since said economic activity is less expensive to do (and therefore more accessible to more people). But agreed. This ain't a huge achievement... yet. It's essential groundwork for that achievement, though.
  - toyg 6y ago
    The problem of getting to Mars is bigger than “just do more spacey stuff in space” though. There are some massive physical limits, in terms of fuel efficiency, that make it really really hard to get there and come back. That’s the main challenge and I don’t think SpaceX moved us particularly closer on that point. I’m in my forties and I don’t expect to see us on Mars in my lifetime, except on some poetic suicide mission (nice sidestep of euthanasia laws: “I’m not dying, I’m going to Mars!”). We might make something a bit more useful out of the Moon, though, if we don’t screw up too much.
    - gfodor 6y ago
      Why is coming back particularly challenging? Isn't it by definition easier because Mars is less massive than Earth? It seems like what you're talking about here is a different problem: getting enough resources and manpower to Mars to be able to bootstrap what's needed for return trips. But it seems like that is pretty inductive and just a matter of time once an economically sustainable one-way flow of people and goods opens up. (Knowledge, obviously, being instantly transferable already.) This will certainly be challenging and all but certain, and especially fragile to start, but it seems more in reach than ever before in my lifetime.
      - helldritch 6y ago
        It's also worth mentioning that coming back isn't necessarily a fixed requirement. I would happily live a shorter live on Mars - with the risk overhead of being stranded in the event of a catastrophic failure - for the chance to be one of the first Martian settlers. Foreign colonists in the Americas (ignoring any political aspect of this) faced disease, starvation and attacks from natives but still colonised America because of a dream they had.
        pbhjpbhj 6y ago
        Wasn't it more that trying things in [the continent of] America seemed more likely to yield success than staying with what they had where failure was relatively certain. Like religious persecution at home was certain for the Pilgrim Fathers, but in all likelihood they could form colonies where they could freely practice their religion by risking it in North America. For others it was abject poverty at home, or try carving out a piece of frontier. Seems like colonising Mars is the other way around, we stand more chance of fulfilment on Earth and failure going to Mars? Some of us have an explorational spirit, a desire to be pioneers at all costs - isn't that why we want to go? Maybe it's toxoplasmosis.
  - dlgeek 6y ago
    To add to this: Completing the demo mission unlocks a ton of funding through the commercial crew program, the profits of which SpaceX can reinvest in their other efforts.
godzillabrennus 6y ago
Elon Musk will have cities on planets names after him for generations to come. The legacy he leaves will be greater than that of Ghengis Kahn, Ceasar, or Alexander the Great.
- option 6y ago
  If he manages to make humans multi-planet species he’ll be the greatest man who has ever lived.
- tnli 6y ago
  Elonville, Musktown?
  - justinator 6y ago
    X Æ A-12-ville
  - gfodor 6y ago
    I put like 90% liklihood we'll have a nation state named "Musk" on Mars in 50 years.
    - red2awn 6y ago
      A nation in 50 years sounds like an Elon timescale. More likely a small settlement of <100 people for research and exploration.
- bamboozled 6y ago
  Until someone else comes along :)
adamsea 6y ago
What’s the point of inhabiting Mars if it’s inhabited by a society no one would ever want to live in?
monadic2 6y ago
I admire the confidence and romance, I don’t know how you do it.

Hamuko 6y ago

How does this get us closer to getting people to Mars?

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
sq_ 6y ago
SpaceX has now successfully launched humans into orbit and rendezvoused with an orbital station. Of course, it’s a different vehicle than what they hope to one day take to Mars, but that’s still a huge step for any spacefaring organization to have made, especially when the stated overarching goal is to move huge numbers of people to a new planet.
Kaibeezy 6y ago
Can’t tell if serious or troll. Successful human spaceflight on reusable hardware > lower cost to orbit of personnel > increased economic activity in orbit > construction of manufacturing facilities > scale up of materials, capability, endurance and knowledge > ability to construct and launch Mars ships and supply a colony Or something like that.
- Hamuko 6y ago
  Lower cost to orbit, sure. Increased economic activity in orbit? Where does that part come from? It's not like we haven't sent people to the ISS before. And it's not like SpaceX hasn't managed to reuse hardware before. It's basically just a mix of those two things. Really the most significant things about this were that astronauts were launched to space from the US and it was a private company. And out of those, the first thing is really more symbolic than anything else. The ISS is about 400 km from the surface of the Earth. Mars is like what, 225 000 000 km?
  - mercer 6y ago
    Well we're not gonna get to Mars with that attitude!
    - bamboozled 6y ago
      Mars is key ! We must get to Mars!!!
      - rtkwe 6y ago
        I'm not so sold on the planetary backup drum beat. If we can live on Mars we can live on an Earth affected by basically anything using the same tech. The only real bonus is there'd be less people there to support, which feels like running away and letting the planet burn.
    - monadic2 6y ago
      Seems like that’s exactly the attitude you need.
  - yellowapple 6y ago
    > Lower cost to orbit, sure. Increased economic activity in orbit? Where does that part come from? Lower cost to orbit translates pretty directly to increased economic activity in orbit, since said economic activity is less expensive to do (and therefore more accessible to more people). But agreed. This ain't a huge achievement... yet. It's essential groundwork for that achievement, though.
- toyg 6y ago
  The problem of getting to Mars is bigger than “just do more spacey stuff in space” though. There are some massive physical limits, in terms of fuel efficiency, that make it really really hard to get there and come back. That’s the main challenge and I don’t think SpaceX moved us particularly closer on that point. I’m in my forties and I don’t expect to see us on Mars in my lifetime, except on some poetic suicide mission (nice sidestep of euthanasia laws: “I’m not dying, I’m going to Mars!”). We might make something a bit more useful out of the Moon, though, if we don’t screw up too much.
  - gfodor 6y ago
    Why is coming back particularly challenging? Isn't it by definition easier because Mars is less massive than Earth? It seems like what you're talking about here is a different problem: getting enough resources and manpower to Mars to be able to bootstrap what's needed for return trips. But it seems like that is pretty inductive and just a matter of time once an economically sustainable one-way flow of people and goods opens up. (Knowledge, obviously, being instantly transferable already.) This will certainly be challenging and all but certain, and especially fragile to start, but it seems more in reach than ever before in my lifetime.
    - helldritch 6y ago
      It's also worth mentioning that coming back isn't necessarily a fixed requirement. I would happily live a shorter live on Mars - with the risk overhead of being stranded in the event of a catastrophic failure - for the chance to be one of the first Martian settlers. Foreign colonists in the Americas (ignoring any political aspect of this) faced disease, starvation and attacks from natives but still colonised America because of a dream they had.
      - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
        Wasn't it more that trying things in [the continent of] America seemed more likely to yield success than staying with what they had where failure was relatively certain. Like religious persecution at home was certain for the Pilgrim Fathers, but in all likelihood they could form colonies where they could freely practice their religion by risking it in North America. For others it was abject poverty at home, or try carving out a piece of frontier. Seems like colonising Mars is the other way around, we stand more chance of fulfilment on Earth and failure going to Mars? Some of us have an explorational spirit, a desire to be pioneers at all costs - isn't that why we want to go? Maybe it's toxoplasmosis.
- dlgeek 6y ago
  To add to this: Completing the demo mission unlocks a ton of funding through the commercial crew program, the profits of which SpaceX can reinvest in their other efforts.

godzillabrennus 6y ago

Elon Musk will have cities on planets names after him for generations to come. The legacy he leaves will be greater than that of Ghengis Kahn, Ceasar, or Alexander the Great.

option 6y ago
If he manages to make humans multi-planet species he’ll be the greatest man who has ever lived.
tnli 6y ago
Elonville, Musktown?
- justinator 6y ago
  X Æ A-12-ville
- gfodor 6y ago
  I put like 90% liklihood we'll have a nation state named "Musk" on Mars in 50 years.
  - red2awn 6y ago
    A nation in 50 years sounds like an Elon timescale. More likely a small settlement of <100 people for research and exploration.
bamboozled 6y ago
Until someone else comes along :)

adamsea 6y ago

What’s the point of inhabiting Mars if it’s inhabited by a society no one would ever want to live in?

monadic2 6y ago

I admire the confidence and romance, I don’t know how you do it.