Loading...
Peking University professor Yao Yang bluntly said in a program: "In China, people like Musk may be regarded as liars. "Why is that?
Humanity's plan to colonize Mars is not the plot of science fiction, but the grand blueprint that Elon Musk and his SpaceX company are trying to achieve. Musk's vision is to turn humans into a multi-planetary species, and he plans to send 1 million people and millions of tons of supplies to Mars in the next 20 years to build a self-sufficient Martian city. However, this ambitious plan is also facing skepticism and challenges from the scientific and business communities.
SpaceX's Starship project, as the key to realizing the dream of colonizing Mars, has gradually moved from the original idea to reality. Starship is designed to be a fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle capable of transporting crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. The success of the starship means that the boundaries of human exploration of the universe will be greatly expanded.
Musk's Mars plan has sparked a heated discussion around the world. Supporters are confident in his vision, believing it to be a big step forward for human civilization. Critics argue that the plan ignores many real-world scientific issues, such as the extreme environment on Mars, the impact of long space travel on human health, and how to build a sustainable ecosystem.
Starship's testing journey was challenging. Starting in 2023, SpaceX conducted three cross-atmosphere orbital flight tests of Starship. The first two tests ended in failure, but each failed to provide valuable lessons for SpaceX. By the third test, Starship had finally managed to enter its intended orbit, an achievement that was still seen as a significant step towards success, despite the crash during the re-Earth phase.
Repeated failures, if at home, are not tolerated. In China, we have been taught since childhood that we cannot fail exams, answer questions, and do experiments, and once we face failure, we will not only be ridiculed by our classmates but also criticized and treated differently by teachers. In the business world, if there are repeated failures, even if professional investment institutions still have patience, investors will lose confidence first, because the domestic investment atmosphere is that how much money you invest will make me how much money, what is the return on investment, and the performance in the short term can not be missed. In this atmosphere, I am afraid that it will be difficult for people like Musk to get too much financing and too much support.
SpaceX's achievements in the field of commercial space are remarkable. As of April 2024, SpaceX has successfully launched 327 Falcon rockets, of which 291 have been successfully recovered and landed, and 261 have been reused. The Crew Dragon spacecraft carried out 45 missions, sending 50 astronauts into Earth orbit and 46 people into the International Space Station. In addition, the Starlink program has launched more than 6,000 satellites and provided space-based network services to 2.7 million users. Because the aviation industry requires trial and error, how could SpaceX be where it is today if failure is not tolerated?
Despite SpaceX's impressive achievements, the scientific rationale for Mars' colonization program remains controversial. For example, British astrophysicist Martin Rees believes that tackling climate change on Earth is a more realistic and feasible goal than making Mars habitable. He warned that the human body is currently unable to withstand long-term space travel, and that the environment on Mars is extremely harsh and unsuitable for long-term human habitation.
Musk's proposed plan to "terraform" Mars, that is, to make it more Earth-like by raising the temperature of the Martian atmosphere, has been questioned by many scientists. They argue that there isn't enough carbon dioxide on Mars to create a new type of atmosphere, and that Mars' atmosphere is only 1% as thick as Earth's, making terraforming much more difficult than current human technology can do.
Despite all the challenges and doubts, Musk's exploration and yearning for Mars has never stopped. As SpaceX's space technology continues to advance, it seems only a matter of time before future manned missions to Mars are realized. Private aerospace is a high-risk industry, for example, the Falcon 6 explosion in 2015 cost SpaceX $260 million that year, and in 23 years it was reported that SpaceX invested more than 60 billion yuan in research and development in two years.
Musk's Mars colonization plan, whether it is a great adventure or an unrealistic fantasy, has undoubtedly inspired humanity's enthusiasm and imagination for space exploration. In China, do we need to create more atmosphere and conditions to tolerate failure? Do you think there will be great scientists and entrepreneurs like Musk in China in the future?