Preparations for the beckoning Martian life are in high gear, and Elon Musk has some important updates about what it will be like to live on this planet. Apparently, humans living on Mars will have to stay in glass domes.
At least this will be the normal life for earthly Mars dwellers until terraforming on this planet is complete. Terraforming is the hypothetical process of changing the surroundings of a planet to make it similar to earth to ensure it is habitable.
The multibillionaire has been very serious about space travel, which is why he has invested billions into the SpaceX program. The goal is to get us to Mars ASAP.
On Twitter, he has shared the vision he has of the future. For one, he is very sure that sooner than we think, he will have a secure base on the planet.
It was at this point someone wanted to know more about what life on Mars would be like. In response, Musk had this to say:
"Life in glass domes at first. Eventually, terraformed to support life, like Earth."
But he had some disappointing news about terraforming Mars any time soon:
"Terraforming will be too slow to be relevant in our lifetime. However, we can establish a human base there in our lifetime. At least a future spacefaring civilization - discovering our ruins - will be impressed humans got that far."
Life On The 'Free Planet'
More information has been released by SpaceX on how life might be like for humans if they manage to land on the Red Planet.
The company explains that Mars will be a "free planet" that will not be under the pesky Earthly laws. This is the promise the company gives those who will live there once it sets up the Martian colony.
Starlink's beta consumer service terms sent to customers earlier explained these plans.
In a section labeled Governing Laws, the company outlines the plans it has for life and governance on Mars. The company mentioned that it will rely on its own 'self-governing principles.'
Even today, these principles have not been outlined; the time is not yet ripe.
The section explains:
"For services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities."
"Accordingly, disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of the Martian settlement."
Musk made these clarifications during a recent Mars Society's annual conference. The tech billionaire explained that life on Mars would be self-sufficient, which means that Martians would not need to rely on earth.
He summed up the issue of self-sufficiency on Mars as follows:
"This really might come down to: Are we going to create a self-sustaining city on Mars before or after World War 3."
"And I think the probability of it being created after World War 3 - hopefully there's never a World War 3 - but the probability of after is low, so we should try and make the city self-sustaining before any possible World War 3."
It Will Be Glorious
On another occasion, Musk described the settlement on Mars as 'glorious' although it would also come with some risks.
But he does not see the journey there as the problem:
"The fundamental issue is building a base, building a city on Mars that is self-sustaining."
"We're going to build a propellant plant, an initial Mars base - Mars Base Alpha - and then get it to the point where it's self-sustaining."
"I want to emphasize that this is a very hard and dangerous, difficult thing, not for the faint of heart. Good chance you'll die, it's going to be tough going, but it will be pretty glorious if it works out."
What do you think about all this? Are you as excited as Musk and others seem to be about having a 'glorious' life on Mars?
