Colonizing Mars is a goal that doesn't look impossible, considering the continuous development in the field of science and technology, but it would not be easy rather very challenging. However, it seems SpaceX CEO has an idea to help the colonization procedure on the red planet.
Elon Musk explained his idea on Twitter this week, stating that in order to colonize Mars, humans would have to support "life in glass domes at first" before we terraform the planet to support life like Earth.
It came as a response to a Tweet asking, "Elon: When people arrived on Mars, would the planet already be terraformed or would people have another way created by SpaceX to survive on the red planet?"
Musk wants to create the first human colony on Mars by 2050. To make the planet habitable for humankind Musk previously suggested terraforming the planet by nuking its ice-capped poles. He went on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and discussed the strategy almost four years ago. Upon understanding how difficult, impossible, and unreasonable the idea is, the billionaire is taking a more sensible approach to colonization.
The Musk Idea
While responding on Twitter Musk stated that "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."
But research findings have revealed that even with the right firepower, there is not enough carbon dioxide available on the red planet that would help to create an atmosphere capable of supporting life on the Martian surface.
However, earlier also, in a Reddit AMA, the SpaceX CEO said that glass panes with carbon fiber frames would be useful while building geodesic domes on the surface of the red planet.
Recently, Musk explained the plans to build a city on Mars in a live stream event that took place in October. During that virtual event, he stressed the idea of a Martian colony that would be fully self-sufficient even if support from mothership earth would cut off.
SpaceX has also prioritized the development of the Mars-bound Starship spacecraft, which is expected to be the world's most powerful launch vehicle with an ability to carry in excess of 100 metric tonnes to earth orbit.
Earlier this year, Musk also noted that Starship is SpaceX's "top priority". He wrote in an email that progress needed to speed up "dramatically and immediately" to meet the target of sending the first human to Mars before 2030.
