What Is The Business Model For Mars? Elon Musk

[DeaddudeRS]

When having a space suit, it should do more then let you walk in space,it should allow you to fully survive in space by protecting you from everything.

[DeaddudeRS]

Here is an Idea. Why now create a space-suit that is not only as flexible as human skin but also has say, a very high concentration of some kind of Ozone layer protection in it that is able to absorb the radation.

of of course, what ever you can not absorb, you deflect. Could it be possible to create a suit that would be able to have the radiation go around you instead of though you,like the meta-materials do with light?

[quotoo]

OMG...He's finally reached the stage of self-satisfaction and self-adoration that he actually believes his own BS! Ludicrous. Does he really not know that the lack of atmosphere/magnetic shielding on Mars makes habitation on the surface virtually impossible? So, he envisions a totally cut-off, software-crazy planet of troglodytes?

[ert000]

@quotoo Build a few large airtight structures with heavy radiation shielding and a bacteria or algae driven oxygen farm to live in. Poof! mars apartment buildings! its not that hard, quotoo.

[kurumako]

@quotoo No, firstly, how do you think astronauts survive the radiation of space? Secondly, he's saying, that IF there was a business model for Mars, that would be (in his opinion) the most realistic. Also, this is not a proposition. He's saying, give people a way to get there and they will pay to go.

[xamyool]

I just opened a new savings account and started putting weekly payments into it.

The account is named "Moving to Mars"

[BemannteRaumfahrt]

Elon Musk is a visionary! I would love to see people on Mars in my lifetime.

[FizzBhaal]

... in other words, Elon Musk is working hard to save both the world as you know it and want it, and our species at the same time. And this seems like a worthy goal to most of us.

[FizzBhaal]

... Feeling entitled (like you) to a style of life which includes things like internet acces and the free time to view and make comments on youtube. And no matter how you look at it, the earth cannot support that in the long, or even not so long run. So unless we at some point start getting resources from outside earth, its going to get ugly here.

[FizzBhaal]

@Raynes, you see it's easy to think our species has to go - much harder to apply that logic to yourself. That is wy we"ll soon be 10 billion people here, and each and every one of them feelong wntit

[IIZODIIAC]

i wonder who will be the 1st government on another planet?

[Raynes79]

@survivalist1982 I think I made the point I wanted to make. Until we learn to respect this planet and each other we have no business going to any other planets... NONE WHATSOEVER !!!

[survivalist1982]

If someone else figures out how to reduce the cost of energy, by say 50%, then Elon will be on a pretty good position with his reusable launchers. The cost of fuel is going to drop with the cost of energy.

[oldeinnkeeper]

@survivalist1982 It is not the cost of fuel that kills liquid rockets. Launching a Falcon burns about as much fuel as a 747 on a transcontinental trip. The tooling costs are what kills you. That is why the "reusability" of the shuttle was supposed to be such a big deal, but it never materialized. Having almost 100% reusable hardware, which allows for the amortization of the tooling costs (~$50 mil/rocket) over 100 or 1000 flights is what brings the total cost per pound down.

[survivalist1982]

@oldeinnkeeper The cost of tooling is what kills you, right, which is why Elon will be in a great position with his reusable rockets if/when the cost of fuel comes down, you seem to misunderstand my comment.

[mxmusicxpress]

SpaceX makes space exciting again. Move over Nasa SpaceX is Here!

[illinest]

@Raynes79 yes im sure the martian rocks and the spacex fans will be so concerned that one random person on the internet has an opinion. of course if i were going to propose a solution to your "problem" id start by streamlining. i would get rid of the people who make sweeping generalizations on youtube talkbacks.

[Raynes79]

@TOTCD Actually, I was pointed this way by another web site and feel entitled to my opinion. And no, I don't think you care that I hate our species. That's part of the trouble. It should be of great concern that anyone (and I am not alone) can feel so negative about ones own species.

Again, it is certainly not worth exporting to other worlds.

[Ariphotah]

Elon - a Great South African!

[Raynes79]

Just the thought of our species managing to get of this planet makes me sick to my stomach. We don't even treat this planet with any respect and we certainly don't know how to coexist with each other and other animals.

The fact that we cannot see past the glaringly obvious point that it would cost 'what we charge ourselves' to get to Mars and not a penny more reinforces my point.

We are a sick species and we should do the universe a favour and die out here.

[TOTCD]

@Raynes79 Why do you go on a space company's chnnel to say you're against space travel? You have the right to hate on something.

But why come here and tell us you hate it .

You think we care that you hate our species?

[survivalist1982]

@Raynes79 There are no plants and animals on Mars, not until we arrive there.

[IIZODIIAC]

@Raynes79 you certainly aren't helping, you can stay behind on Earth.

[hrobotstudio]

He is so sensible. Go Elon!

Here's hoping we can see that price point and get ready for mars.

[voteforalan]

I am one of those 1 in a million

[illinest]

@digitaldud there are more benefits to having abundant access to carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. gravity is also a benefit if you intend to have healthy colonists. mars is the only place within range that can make itself completely self sufficient within a reasonable timeframe. self sufficiency is the step that will drive demand for better technology that will make more hostile environments like open space and the lunar surface feasible.

[digitaldud]

It doesn't make much sense to go to Mars now. We spend all this money escaping earth's gravity, and then fly to the next closest gravity well and jump into that? There's a lot of benefits to zero-G, and it makes more sense to become self-sufficient in space first instead of doing all these one-off missions.

[ThatAdelaideGuy]

@digitaldud Elon isn't talking about sending a one off mission, he's talking about sending thousands of people to set up a self sustaining colony

[rampike74]

And how much would you pay for a bottle of Cabernet grown on Mars? Since soil is an essential factor... :) No Earth wine could possibly be the same.

[LordBalto]

Depends on what you're mining on Mars. You find a few beryllium spheres or trilithium crystals, you'd be in business.

[illinest]

@bvinaud he has said before that he plans to retire to mars. he also said more recently that if he can get more people up there by staying on earth then hell stay on earth. he wants mars colonized by as many people as he can manage, but hes not afraid to do it himself if he has to.

[SquirrelFromGradLife]

Mars colonized by Wall Street bankers... yeah why not, give them all tax credits for moving, hell let's pay for their tickets, it's cheaper than bailing Wall Street out in trillions every few years... Goldman Sachs report to gate 11...

[monokhem]

@SquirrelFromGradLife No good. Martian colonists need actual productive skills. Better to get ditch diggers and fast food workers than those guys.

[SquirrelFromGradLife]

@monokhem The object wasn't to colonize Mars but rather to get rid of them. Never spoil a brilliant plan with reality or semantics.

[monokhem]

@SquirrelFromGradLife I'm sure we've got a hole somewhere that would be more cost effective.

[Vlakpage]

@SquirrelFromGradLife You sure wouldn't be able to get rid of all of them, better plan is to leave them here and make new population without such people

[bvinaud]

I just have a question for Mr. Musk. If this technology was available today, would he "move" to Mars? I mean, does he strongly support the idea, he would be one of the first to actually do it?

[macintyrester]

@bvinaud i believe he said he plans to retire there, can't remember the source but I believe it was an interview.

[shauncoates23]

I hope that we are also working on how to scale governance in space. It would be a shame to see conflicts over territory as we are achieving such significant advancements in technology.

[CasusUniversum]

I just kind of feel that establishing a base on the moon is more important than getting a million people to mars. More importantly, I feel that getting a base on the moon with mining and refinery would be cheaper, probably, in the long run than launching the same materials and equipment into space from earth, and therefore a critical step in large scale exploration and population of space.

[ekenig]

good stuff, though we will hit 8 billion well before the midpoint of century. I think we'll hit it by 2020

[coisinhodasilva]

agreed, but first we need some testing (even more?)

if this mars science laboratory mission succeeds

well, we can send right away some sorf of rocket that leaves a solar panel with a huge battery charging for 4 months

then send 4 humans to mars in a pressurized base!

much like constellation program, but in mars

[Hvnlydemon]

@coisinhodasilva Wouldn't a smaller nuclear power system be much more efficient?

[Vlakpage]

Oh yeah, who wouldn't want to go to Mars right now and be a part of new colony? I'm all for the one way trip type of mission, it's far cheaper, you can send more cargo and there are enough willing people to go there.