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Why would he run for president, when he could quite possibly own a planet if he keeps moving forward with his Mars goals. If he establishes a base on mars, it i

Why would he run for president, when he could quite possibly own a planet if he keeps moving forward with his Mars goals. If he establishes a base on mars, it is essentially his. Earth based countries are forbidden (in treaty at least) from claiming ownership of celestial bodies. What's to stop him declaring himself emperor of Mars. The person that controls the flow of supplies to an isolated world is pretty much all powerful.

awb 5y ago
> Why would he run for president, when he could quite possibly own a planet if he keeps moving forward with his Mars goals. Countries have armies. Armies enforce international (and eventually planetary) rights. Countries also make laws. Laws that Musk must follow or risk consequences. > If he establishes a base on mars, it is essentially his. Earth based countries are forbidden (in treaty at least) from claiming ownership of celestial bodies. What's to stop him declaring himself emperor of Mars. He’d be a paper emperor. No method or means of enforcing his claimed dominion. > The person that controls the flow of supplies to an isolated world is pretty much all powerful. Countries control the right to launch those supplies. Musk is a few steps below that in the chain of power.
- boznz 5y ago
  Space warfare 101. If you control orbital space nobody could touch you. By the way this is totally off-topic, Musk may say a few stupid things and piss a few people off but he is no Putin or James Bond Super-Villain.
vasco 5y ago
You realise he needs permission from the government to even develop rockets, much less launch them into space and all the other crap. Unless there's an autonomous community on Mars that can defend from the US Space force, no private entity will be emperor of anything unless they are controlling things on Earth.
- onethought 5y ago
  "Defending Mars for the US Space force" is actually pretty easy: They can't get there. Defence complete. Without SpaceX Can the US even launch anything beyond mini-sats into LEO?
- evandale 5y ago
  >You realise he needs permission from the government to even develop rockets Does he though? If the US wants to boot him out you don't think he'd move everything to Russia or China?
  - wonderwonder 5y ago
    He does not even have to move an openly hostile country, better if he doesn't, Any country in south america or africa would bend over backwards to get his companies. Imagine the economic boom those countries would experience via trade with a space faring nation.
- wonderwonder 5y ago
  He already has permission to launch his rockets. Or he can just move the company to another country. Once the colony is established and has reached a certain size its probably inevitable. At that point what is the US going to do? Nuke the colonies to prevent independence? Figure out a way to load 100's of marines onto rockets and send them to mars? Starve the colonies? I very much doubt any of those things happen. As soon as a colony is established I think the path to independence begins.
mr_toad 5y ago
> What's to stop him declaring himself emperor of Mars. Probably the other colonists. Realistically, Mars isn’t going to be in a position to act independently for hundreds of years.

awb 5y ago

> Why would he run for president, when he could quite possibly own a planet if he keeps moving forward with his Mars goals. Countries have armies. Armies enforce international (and eventually planetary) rights. Countries also make laws. Laws that Musk must follow or risk consequences. > If he establishes a base on mars, it is essentially his. Earth based countries are forbidden (in treaty at least) from claiming ownership of celestial bodies. What's to stop him declaring himself emperor of Mars. He’d be a paper emperor. No method or means of enforcing his claimed dominion. > The person that controls the flow of supplies to an isolated world is pretty much all powerful. Countries control the right to launch those supplies. Musk is a few steps below that in the chain of power.

boznz 5y ago
Space warfare 101. If you control orbital space nobody could touch you. By the way this is totally off-topic, Musk may say a few stupid things and piss a few people off but he is no Putin or James Bond Super-Villain.

vasco 5y ago

You realise he needs permission from the government to even develop rockets, much less launch them into space and all the other crap. Unless there's an autonomous community on Mars that can defend from the US Space force, no private entity will be emperor of anything unless they are controlling things on Earth.

onethought 5y ago
"Defending Mars for the US Space force" is actually pretty easy: They can't get there. Defence complete. Without SpaceX Can the US even launch anything beyond mini-sats into LEO?
evandale 5y ago
>You realise he needs permission from the government to even develop rockets Does he though? If the US wants to boot him out you don't think he'd move everything to Russia or China?
- wonderwonder 5y ago
  He does not even have to move an openly hostile country, better if he doesn't, Any country in south america or africa would bend over backwards to get his companies. Imagine the economic boom those countries would experience via trade with a space faring nation.
wonderwonder 5y ago
He already has permission to launch his rockets. Or he can just move the company to another country. Once the colony is established and has reached a certain size its probably inevitable. At that point what is the US going to do? Nuke the colonies to prevent independence? Figure out a way to load 100's of marines onto rockets and send them to mars? Starve the colonies? I very much doubt any of those things happen. As soon as a colony is established I think the path to independence begins.

mr_toad 5y ago

> What's to stop him declaring himself emperor of Mars. Probably the other colonists. Realistically, Mars isn’t going to be in a position to act independently for hundreds of years.