The chief astrophysicist of Great Britain, Martin Rees, called the plans of the founder of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk to colonize Mars a dangerous delusion. Sky News reports.
“Elon Musk’s idea of a million people living on Mars is a dangerous misconception. Living on Mars is no better than living at the South Pole or the summit of Mount Everest,” Rees said during a speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai .
American astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson agreed with him. In his opinion, in order for the life of the colonizers on Mars to be comfortable, the planet must be “turned” into the Earth. In addition, Tyson considers it unrealistic to move to another planet in order to save from a possible catastrophe on Earth. He believes that it is easier to prevent this catastrophe than to create suitable conditions for life on Mars.
At the same time, Tyson urged to support “young people” for whom space is a source of inspiration.
In late 2020, Musk announced plans to build an autonomous city on Mars that would not depend on Earth for its survival. He does not intend to abide by earthly laws outside of the Earth and the Moon, but instead wants to rely on principles of self-government “established on the basis of good will.” By 2050, the businessman plans to send a million people to the Red Planet.
In addition, Musk decided to sell all the property for the sake of settling Mars. The entrepreneur explained that building a city on another planet would require significant investments. In addition, he wants to demonstrate the seriousness of his intentions in this way.