SpaceX's Mars Colonization: For Dummies
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

SpaceX's Mars Colonization: For Dummies

Explaining Elon Musk's plan to colonize Mars, in people terms.

137
SpaceX's Mars Colonization: For Dummies
Quartz

For those of you who don't obsessively follow the modern day genius that is Elon Musk and his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, or for those who can't sit through a Musk presentation due to his slightly awkward public speaking, Elon announced his plans to colonize Mars last Tuesday at the International Astronautical Congress.


The presentation is about an hour long, but the actual logistics of the rocket start around the thirty-minute mark. In a nutshell, SpaceX plans to build a very large ship that can get to Mars in 5 steps:

1. The rocket ship launches into space, falling into an orbit around Earth.

2. The booster (bottom part of the rocket) detaches, returns back to Earth and relaunches with cargo filled with fuel.

That little thing sitting on the left of the landing rocket is the fuel cargo.A pully-like arm will come down from the stand in the middle, attach to the fuel cargo, then swing it over to the booster and place it on top before relaunching.

3. The cargo attaches to the orbiting spaceship to refuel.

4. The spaceship detaches, fires up its rockets and heads towards Mars.

Those wing looking things are solar panels that will deploy during the trip. With the games and restaurants promised to be in the cargo hold, the astronauts will be using lots of energy that will need replenishing.

5. Using propellant landing (smaller, steerable rockets on the spaceship), the spaceship lands on Mars and colonization begins.

Astronauts on Mars would convert methane into fuel that could be used to send the rocket back to Earth to be reused, sending another load of humans to our red neighbor (though, Musk wasn't really clear on exactly how they would do this).

That gets us to Mars, sure. But how is life actually going to be sustained there? Elon Musk wasn't clear on this aspect of the plan, but I'm not entirely sure he is worried or even plans to worry about that part. Once he starts making his rockets a reality, other companies will take notice and recognize an untouched market: sustainable life on Mars. They'll invest in research for greenhouses, gravity converters, Mars sustainable shelters and even new Martian fashions. Other companies looking to make a profit will do the grunt work for him, creating a partnership between SpaceX to fulfill the vision of multiplanetary life.

Researchers at the University of Arizona have already designed a greenhouse that would be sustainable on Mars without needing to alter its atmosphere.


This is only one chamber with fully-grown plants. You can watch a live webcam of the lab here.

Contour Crafting, a system developed at the University of Southern California, has already developed a way to build on Mars within a day, using melted sulfur found in Martian soil. This technology could build houses, laboratories, reservoirs, you name it.


This may seem like a plan straight out of a science fiction novel (and it is, partially: Musk pays tribute to the novel,"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" throughout his plan), but if any company can complete it, it's SpaceX.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

40209
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

24816
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

950564
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

131223
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments