Elon Musk has been very vocal about colonizing Mars. He recently laid out his plan at the International Astronautical Congress. Now, the ambitious billionaire is being real about the situation. He warns that the first journey has a high risk of fatality.
Be Prepared To Die
Musk won't be aboard the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) to Mars. Apparently, he wants to see his kids grow up. In fact, he discouraged children being sent to the Red Planet. However, this is a bit surprising. He's been always adamant in sending people to Mars.
It turns out that there is a high probability of death. According to Space, Musk admitted that it is going to be very dangerous. He told bluntly that they should be prepared to die. The people can choose to risk it anyway.
He plans to send 1 million people to Mars. SpaceX will try to achieve that over the next 50 to 100 years. It's possible that not of all them will survive the journey. It will take about three months to reach Mars.
The long trip is not the only thing people should consider. A person should have at least $200,000. That's only for a one-way ticket to Mars.
The Challenges For The Mars Colonization
According to Phys.org, experts have said that Musk's ambition requires a massive budget. Setting up a colony and living there is really costly. SpaceX is yet to have billions of dollars for Musk's plan.
It will be challenging to set up a civilization on Mars. Phys.org reports that building a city needs major engineering feats. That includes constructing fuel depots in the Red Planet.
Even the legality of the Mars colonization may be in question. It might break international space law. Some principles in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 could pose a problem for Musk.
