Elon Musk

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Okay, Elon, let's say Skynet destroys humanity, or a planet killer asteroid hits.  Your colony of a few hundred people have no way of sustaining their technology without help from Earth.  You would need mining, smelting, and heavy manufacturing, energy and air creation facilities, high tech food growing facilities.  

Yes, this is the crux of the problem. You may be able to maintain a database with the sum knowledge of humankind up to the present but to actually implement all of that knowledge, to manifest it into a civilization equal to the present one would be a herculean task.

On the other hand, SpaceX has advanced the state of the art in rocketry to a point most engineers thought was impossible just 15 years ago. That's just Falcon 9. Starship is an order of magnitude beyond that. That tech could be used for much more realistic endeavors such as establishing a space-based infrastructure which will eventually lead us to become a true space-fairing civilization. Barring radical life extension tech, it won't give us huge rotating space settlements in any of our lifetimes but it'll allow us to build the foundation for that.

For that reason, many of us support Musk's Mars efforts even while we acknowledge and agree that they are ridiculous. He is building the tools we need to expand into space realistically - when nobody else has the vision, resources and courage to do so.

Why would we need to ‘become a true space-faring civilization’? While I don’t deny that scientific research is serendipitous, Musk’s vision seems like a vanity project unlikely to show practical benefits in either the near or long term.

Boru

[Fake Messiah]

Starship is an order of magnitude beyond that. That tech could be used for much more realistic endeavors such as establishing a space-based infrastructure which will eventually lead us to become a true space-fairing civilization.

It isn't. Starship barely made it to orbit once and then exploded. It not only wasn't carrying any cargo with it but it wasn't even under pressure - it had holes. So it was just a hunk of metal that he launched into space.

[Pat Mustard]

Having humanity on another planet is a nice back up, should Earth get hit by something from space.

But we're hundreds, if not thousands of years away from doing so.

And frankly Galaxy Brain's way of getting us on the second planet is to destroy our ability to live on the first one.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

To be as fair as possible, colonizing Mars isn’t a bad idea just because Musk wants to do it. It’s a bad idea, full stop.

Boru

[The Valkyrie]

I think our first colony on Mars should include...

Donald Trump.
Elon Musk.
Donald Trump's immediate family.
Elon Musk's immediate family (except the daughter he disowned).
All of Donald Trump's MAGA supporters.
Vladimir Putin and friends

And, oh dear, there won't be room for supplies...

[Fireball]

I think our first colony on Mars should include...

Donald Trump.
Elon Musk.
Donald Trump's immediate family.
Elon Musk's immediate family (except the daughter he disowned).
All of Donald Trump's MAGA supporters.
Vladimir Putin and friends

And, oh dear, there won't be room for supplies...

They can eat each other. Problem solved. Trump meat probably smells like a McDonalds "kitchen", though. 

[arewethereyet]

I think our first colony on Mars should include...

Donald Trump.
Elon Musk.
Donald Trump's immediate family.
Elon Musk's immediate family (except the daughter he disowned).
All of Donald Trump's MAGA supporters.
Vladimir Putin and friends

And, oh dear, there won't be room for supplies...

Oh good.  My brother needs to be sent somewhere far, far away.

[AFTT47]

Yes, this is the crux of the problem. You may be able to maintain a database with the sum knowledge of humankind up to the present but to actually implement all of that knowledge, to manifest it into a civilization equal to the present one would be a herculean task.

On the other hand, SpaceX has advanced the state of the art in rocketry to a point most engineers thought was impossible just 15 years ago. That's just Falcon 9. Starship is an order of magnitude beyond that. That tech could be used for much more realistic endeavors such as establishing a space-based infrastructure which will eventually lead us to become a true space-fairing civilization. Barring radical life extension tech, it won't give us huge rotating space settlements in any of our lifetimes but it'll allow us to build the foundation for that.

For that reason, many of us support Musk's Mars efforts even while we acknowledge and agree that they are ridiculous. He is building the tools we need to expand into space realistically - when nobody else has the vision, resources and courage to do so.

Why would we need to ‘become a true space-faring civilization’? While I don’t deny that scientific research is serendipitous, Musk’s vision seems like a vanity project unlikely to show practical benefits in either the near or long term.

Boru

I don't suppose we do but we will be extremely limited if we don't.

Musk's vision has already shown practical benefits. Falcon 9 is a major advance over previous rockets. A practical orbital system where the booster is routinely and reliably reused at economic benefit is something most engineers thought impossible. When starship is operational, it will reduce the cost of lifting heavy loads to orbit ten-fold.

[AFTT47]

Starship is an order of magnitude beyond that. That tech could be used for much more realistic endeavors such as establishing a space-based infrastructure which will eventually lead us to become a true space-fairing civilization.

It isn't. Starship barely made it to orbit once and then exploded. It not only wasn't carrying any cargo with it but it wasn't even under pressure - it had holes. So it was just a hunk of metal that he launched into space.

I didn't think I would need to spell it out but I can do that.

Starship is in development. I was speaking of its capabilities when it is finished.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Why would we need to ‘become a true space-faring civilization’? While I don’t deny that scientific research is serendipitous, Musk’s vision seems like a vanity project unlikely to show practical benefits in either the near or long term.

Boru

I don't suppose we do but we will be extremely limited if we don't.

Musk's vision has already shown practical benefits. Falcon 9 is a major advance over previous rockets. A practical orbital system where the booster is routinely and reliably reused at economic benefit is something most engineers thought impossible. When starship is operational, it will reduce the cost of lifting heavy loads to orbit ten-fold.

I wasn’t clear. It’s unlikely to show any practical, non-space travel related benefits. Unlike the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programmes - all of which generated massive spinoff technologies - SpaceX is only benefiting manned spaceflight. Something I’m not a fan of.

Boru