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What people often get wrong (this was xAI), when Musk talks about "humanity" and "Mars" that needs to survive and not go extinct, he means him and his many (doz

What people often get wrong (this was xAI), when Musk talks about "humanity" and "Mars" that needs to survive and not go extinct, he means him and his many (dozens? hundreds?) of children, not you and me. Many people seem to misunderstand Mr. Musk there.

antonvs 1y ago
I'm not so sure. He's smart enough not to risk his life on a certainly doomed mission. He's already realized that a realistic Mars colony isn't going to happen in his lifetime, which is probably what triggered him to start spiraling. Depending on how things unfold, he might try to con some of his children into going, though.
- kubb 1y ago
  Without major breakthroughs, a Mars colony isn’t going to happen, period. And these breakthroughs are by no means guaranteed. Remember, we still don’t have flying skateboards, despite all the technological progress since Back to the Future came out. What’s stopping us is physics itself, not lack of sufficiently complex technology.
  - glimshe 1y ago
    What is the key major breakthrough (vs incremental technology refinement) needed in your opinion? Serious question.
    - kubb 1y ago
      1) Orders of magnitude cheaper, faster and more reliable travel in both directions. 2) Ability to recreate Earth-like conditions including gravity, atmosphere, sunshine, farming and raising livestock on a massive scale (hundreds of square kilometers) on Mars. 3) Ability to create adequate conditions for the transport phase. 4) Ability to justify the investment (most issues on earth solved, remember opportunity cost).
    - calciphus 1y ago
      Take a look at "A City on Mars" https://www.acityonmars.com/ https://www.acityonmars.com/ for a detailed analysis and a pretty entertaining book!
  - antonvs 1y ago
    I agree, I was just being cowardly and insulating myself from "you can't be sure it'll never happen" comments. In the far enough future, and assuming we escape a technological collapse due to climate change or world war, something like a large base housing hundreds of people at a time seems possible. It could be built autonomously by reasonably intelligent robots, which isn't that much of a stretch from the tech we're converging on today. But a true colony, with long term residents having and raising children, is essentially a fantasy at this point.
aaron695 1y ago
[dead]
RickJWagner 1y ago
Source?

antonvs 1y ago

I'm not so sure. He's smart enough not to risk his life on a certainly doomed mission. He's already realized that a realistic Mars colony isn't going to happen in his lifetime, which is probably what triggered him to start spiraling. Depending on how things unfold, he might try to con some of his children into going, though.

kubb 1y ago
Without major breakthroughs, a Mars colony isn’t going to happen, period. And these breakthroughs are by no means guaranteed. Remember, we still don’t have flying skateboards, despite all the technological progress since Back to the Future came out. What’s stopping us is physics itself, not lack of sufficiently complex technology.
- glimshe 1y ago
  What is the key major breakthrough (vs incremental technology refinement) needed in your opinion? Serious question.
  - kubb 1y ago
    1) Orders of magnitude cheaper, faster and more reliable travel in both directions. 2) Ability to recreate Earth-like conditions including gravity, atmosphere, sunshine, farming and raising livestock on a massive scale (hundreds of square kilometers) on Mars. 3) Ability to create adequate conditions for the transport phase. 4) Ability to justify the investment (most issues on earth solved, remember opportunity cost).
  - calciphus 1y ago
    Take a look at "A City on Mars" https://www.acityonmars.com/ https://www.acityonmars.com/ for a detailed analysis and a pretty entertaining book!
- antonvs 1y ago
  I agree, I was just being cowardly and insulating myself from "you can't be sure it'll never happen" comments. In the far enough future, and assuming we escape a technological collapse due to climate change or world war, something like a large base housing hundreds of people at a time seems possible. It could be built autonomously by reasonably intelligent robots, which isn't that much of a stretch from the tech we're converging on today. But a true colony, with long term residents having and raising children, is essentially a fantasy at this point.

aaron695 1y ago

[dead]

RickJWagner 1y ago

Source?