FILE PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) sits beside Senior Counselor to the President Steve Bannon (L) as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a strategy and policy forum with chief executives of major U.S. companies at the White House in Washington February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
FILE PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) sits beside Senior Counselor to the President Steve Bannon (L) as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a strategy and policy forum with chief executives of major U.S. companies at the White House in Washington February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
It’s safe to say that Pretoria-born engineer Elon Musk is a master of his craft. But could that lead to him being the master of an entire planet?
Over the weekend, Musk revealed plans to begin his SpaceX company’s first manned flights to Mars. According to CNN, he claims that 2019 will see his inter-planetary craft make its first test flights before eventually jetting off to Earth’s nearest neighbour.
He also touted 2022 as the year we’d see passenger flights to the red planet make their debut, too.
Will Elon Musk lead humans on Mars?
However, the media had some rather interesting questions for him at the SXSW festival. With Musk leading the charge to inhabit Mars, it seems like people want to know one thing: Will he be able to make himself the planet’s official leader?
It’s something he’s denied before but had to stress again on Sunday. He told CNN he wouldn’t want to lead any Mars colony and believes a more “direct form of democracy” would serve inhabitants in a fairer, more representative way:
“People should vote directly on issues instead of going through representative government. Maybe it requires 60% – so, a majority vote – to get a law in place, but any number over 40% could also remove a law.”
“It should be easier to get rid of a rule than to put one in. The text of the laws should be short and easy to understand. Too many regulations can be harmful and keep a society from moving forward.”
How long does it take to get to Mars?
With both our planet and Mars orbiting around the sun, there is no fixed distance between the two as they’re always on the move. At their closest points, 34 million miles separate the two celestial bodies.
It’s estimated that a trip to Mars would take anywhere between 128 to 333 days. So either four-and-a-half months, or almost a year. If you’re on the Falcon Heavy Mars ship, it’s perhaps best to bring a book or two.
