Summary:
Currently, Elon Musk has announced plans of entering the space exploration industry. He recently launched a “falcon heavy” rocket, which can be landed and reused for later missions—unlike previous rocket designs. Now, Musk has announced plans to begin providing transportation on earth with this type of reusable rocket within the next year. This ship would be able to travel from Shanghai to New York in thirty minutes, significantly quicker than what airlines can promise.
However, this just serves as a stepping stone for SpaceX, who plans to colonize Mars. Musk plans to begin missions in 2022 and soon establish a direct democracy. Along the lines of Martian governments, Musk said “‘Maybe it requires 60% [majority vote] to get a law in place, but any number over 40% can 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, he added…According to Musk, too many regulations can be harmful and keep a society from moving forward. It leads to a ‘hardening of the artery of the civilization,’ he said.” Musk also pointed out the entrepreneurial benefits of colonizing Mars, as they will need their own industries, both those that are necessary and those that provide entertainment.
Despite the lofty goals, SpaceX has been known for missing their deadlines by long periods of time. For example, the rocket they just launched last year was supposed to be done in 2013.
Analysis:
Elon Musk plans to take great leaps in moving humanity to space. The rocket launched last month was already a big deal, but he calls for huge history-making events. A colony on mars will have unprecedented effects on humanity, both economically and psychologically. But if SpaceX was five years late for one rocket test, it seems that colonization may not actually be in the near future. His policy ideas seem interesting, but I don’t think he has the experience necessary to govern an entire planet.
Questions:
- How do you feel about the privatization of space travel, and Musk’s progress in general?
- What are your thoughts on Musk’s government ideas? Should he be the one deciding how Mars should be run? If not him, then who?
- Do you think his plans will run on time? If not, when will we see the colonization of Mars?
3 comments:
Lets' leave the innovation up to Musk, but not the government. He fears too much regulation if laws are passed easily, but he should also note that requiring a 60 percent majority for everything would make the government really averse to change. Also, allowing any law to be repealed by 40 percent vote would allow tyranny by the minority.
I agree with Michael about how a 60-40 vote split may not be the most efficient method to carry out the governing. I also, am a little weary of how knowledgeable he is about governing in the first place, making me think that maybe he shouldn't be the one who is deciding everything about Mars, although he is the one figuring out how to get there, and maybe should be given a somewhat important role? As for your last two questions, I find it hard to believe that he will be able to begin colonizing Mars by 2022. I feel like it is going to take longer because they certainly cannot make any mistakes with their rocket, especially if they are going to start transporting people in it. Therefore, it is going to have to be tested numerous times which may take a while.
Just like Michael said in his comment, this percentage for voting would mean that the minority would have a bigger advantage than the minority in the American government, for example. I don't know why Musk is talking about a Martian government, because creating one is probably pretty far off in the future. As the saying goes, "don't count your chickens before they hatch." Musk should instead focus on what he does best, which is on space travel. Musk's plans will definitely not meet the deadline for his proposed date. Considering how difficult it is to create and test rockets for space travel, I do not see how Musk can accurately pinpoint when space travel to Mars will be ready.
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