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I'm doubtful that such a mission could be organized privately, just because there isn't any money in it. When humans eventually get to Mars, they might be ridin
by ufmace 12y ago
I'm doubtful that such a mission could be organized privately, just because there isn't any money in it. When humans eventually get to Mars, they might be riding a SpaceX rocket, but the mission will almost certainly be planned and funded by NASA or some other national space agency.
- jedberg 12y agoExcept that I'm pretty sure Elon's life goal is to make an impact on humanity, not die with a ton of money. He's repeatedly shown that he's willing to go all in to change the world.
- ufmace 12y agoThat may be his goal, but even all of his money is orders of magnitude less than what it would take for either a small colony or a manned mission with return. See sibling post about NASA annual budget, relatively small though it is, still blowing away SpaceX's market cap and Elon's personal wealth. Elon also hasn't just blown money senselessly on longshots or unsustainable one-offs, like a private Mars mission would be. SpaceX and Tesla both have some innovative concepts and have advanced their respective fields, but both are also perfectly ordinary businesses in most regards, with very reasonable plans for revenue. I don't see any potential for revenue in travelling to Mars.