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As far as we know Musk isn't keen on the idea of interstellar travel. SpaceX's COO Gwynne Shotwell is, and has spoken publicly about it (and has allude to Musk
by gpm 6y ago
As far as we know Musk isn't keen on the idea of interstellar travel.
SpaceX's COO Gwynne Shotwell is, and has spoken publicly about it (and has allude to Musk's opinions on it [1]). That said the basic requirement is a significant propulsion breakthrough [2], current technology just isn't good enough.
You don't beat the speed of light, you just travel at an appreciable fraction of it an accept the fact that by the time you arrive everyone on earth will have aged n (>11?) years.
[1] https://www.ted.com/talks/gwynne_shotwell_spacex_s_plan_to_fly_you_across_the_globe_in_30_minutes/transcript#t-1278869 https://www.ted.com/talks/gwynne_shotwell_spacex_s_plan_to_f...
[2] https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1187745445361180672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1187745445361180672%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.nasaspaceflight.com%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D49353.0 https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/11877454453611806...
- kitsunesoba 6y agoI think the first strides in interstellar travel will probably occur once long-term habitation and manufacturing in space have been mastered, because then it's feasible to construct ships that are either too large to drag out of a planetary gravity well and/or too dangerous to build in the gravity well of an inhabited body (nuclear propulsion).
- nickpeterson 6y agoAnother thing is that human lifespan might well improve in the meantime. Pair that with deep sleep/suspended animation and you have a pretty potent combo for conquering long distances.
- einpoklum 6y agoIn the near future, human lifespan might improve, but mostly in the form of surviving in poor health at old age.