Since the creation of the world, life on Earth has experienced countless mass extinction events. To put it bluntly, if an asteroid hit Earth, it could bring humanity the same catastrophe as it did when the dinosaurs went extinct. It took Earth billions of years to evolve intelligent species that could understand our place in the universe. If consciousness disappears completely, it will be devastating.
Today, humanity in the 21st century has a unique opportunity to develop technologies that could help save life on Earth if a mass extinction event threatens all species. SpaceX founder Elon Musk believes that the future of humanity will either become multi-planetary or go extinct at some point, either because of Mother Nature's anger, or the impact of an outer space asteroid, or even a massive war triggered by a deranged global leader.
Humanity should have a plan to protect this miracle of life that took billions of years to evolve into this state. "Being multi-planetary humans is one of the best filters. Only now, 4.5 billion years after Earth's formation," Musk said earlier this year, "is uncertain how long the window to Mars remains open." Maybe it's a long time, maybe it's not. If it is the latter, we should act now. ”
SpaceX's top engineering talent is working on developing "starships" and life-sustaining technologies that will help humans one day leave Earth and colonize Mars at any time. Musk said Starship is "the key to preserving the light of consciousness." He envisions a starship as a "futuristic Noah's Ark" that will extend the spark of humanity to the red planet.
Musk's remarks refer to the biblical story of Noah, who built a huge sea vessel that saved many humans, flora and fauna from a great flood.
Musk, who was recently named Time Magazine's 2021 Person of the Year, said in an interview with Time magazine on Dec. 13: "Our overall goal is for life to exist on multiple planets and for humanity to become a space civilization. "The next big thing is to build a self-sufficient city on Mars and bring the animals and creatures of Earth there." A bit like the futuristic Noah's Ark. We'll bring more than two though, and it would be a bit strange to have only two. ”
Extending life to Mars will be one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. Building the Mars Base Alpha will require trillion tons of resources, including greenhouses and oxygen habitats, to ensure that humans and animals survive in a carbon dioxide-rich Martian environment.
According to Musk, Starship will be able to transport up to 100 tons of cargo, including plants, food, medical supplies and all the materials needed to build a colony. Musk plans to build at least 1,000 reusable starships over 10 years and hopes to build a self-sufficient human settlement on Mars by 2050.
"Starship is designed to fly 3 times a day ... So (about) 1,000 flights a year, each flight can carry 100 tons of cargo, so the output of every 10 starships that goes into orbit is 1 million tons per year. Musk explained last year that "building 100 starships a year could reach 1,000 in 10 years, or 100 megatons per year, or about 100,000 people every 26 months of the Earth-Mars orbital synchronization window."
The plan is rosy, but it's difficult to implement, and SpaceX's South Texas Starbase is developing what Musk calls "Noah's Ark of the Future," where engineers are racing against the clock to develop launch systems that could change the future of humanity forever. The first Orbital Test Flight of Starship will take place early next year, and the first planned Manned Flight of Starship will take place in 2023. So at the end of this article, bless them together! Good luck!