Mars: Elon Musk’s Personal Space Race
I’ve watched more than enough Star Wars to know that governing outer space is a hypothetically complicated endeavor. Such a venture however might be approaching a reality far sooner than we all think. The man that has really become a household name in unprecedented innovation, Elon Musk, has recently released a proposed plan of building the first sustainable city on Mars, and all he needs are 1000 starships and 20 years. The idea of human civilization on another planet is hard to believe, but simultaneously, with the unparalleled scale and speed of Musk’s achievements and growth, from revolutionizing the electric vehicle and overall car industry to having a private aerospace company that has now essentially become the leader in the future of space travel and exploration, he’s an force to be reckoned with on what seems like a nonstop upward trajectory. So, what happens if he actually gets to Mars?
Space may seem like the next wild west, but there are actual space laws in place, which were established during the Cold War when it seemed like the United States or Russia might try and colonize space in an effort to use it as a nuclear weapons base. Thus, the UN created the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. First and foremost, space is ‘free for exploration and use by all States’, key word there being States. Elon Musk is a man with many companies, but he is not a state, so his potential eventual colonizing of a planet begs the question of if he must do so in alliance with the United States, or maybe even his country of birth, South Africa, or will he simply remain his own entity? Hypothetically, Musk is oddly at an advantage as an individual, because the entirety of the space rules and regulations that prevent states from doing things like claiming land arguably do not apply to him, as he is not a state, but a man. However, Musk is not completely free from potential roadblocks on his future astral adventures.
Another important law of space is that no state is allowed to build military bases, and it is important to note that Musk is a bit entangled with a global military powerhouse, as he just recently spoke at the United States Airforce’s ‘Pitch Day’, where small-budget investments are made to help speed up military engagement in new tech. SpaceX has actually pushed some of the U.S. military’s historical contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin to compete on price and innovation for arguably the first time ever, marking a further notable increase in power for Musk and SpaceX, as his innovations have become the new standard to meet. Now, if Musk is so eager to colonize Mars, why would he risk the association with the United States military that could so easily hinder his endeavor? The fiscal benefits of partnering with the United States military are great, alas the reaction of the rest of the world, most notably the other states with astronauts and/or space stations like Russia or the astronauts from EU can only be hypothesized. Regardless of any of that, I feel like I can confidently say there will be little that will actually stop Musk from realizing his out-of-this-world goals.
Elon Musk has a history of apathy in the face of red tape or opposition to his actions. His drilling under Los Angeles in an effort to aid the daily gridlock has continued despite everything from neighbors suing him to the frequent earthquakes posing structural challenges to even constructing said tunnels. This case study of his behavior in his pursuits is applicable to the future of his conquest of Mars because even though the above mentioned laws of space exist and his engagements with certain entities could pose problems to the success of his 20 year and 1000 spaceship plan, there is quite literally no guarantee any sort of legislation or bureaucracy would stop him. His unmatched successes and global impact in the last fifteen years alone has proved his ability to achieve what he wants to and the capacity to do so in very little time with solid results no matter his environment or circumstance.
Moreover, I postulate there are two outcomes to be had if Musk successfully gets to Mars and has the capability to colonize it. The first may seem a bit utopian but these days anything is possible. I think that successful space travel could potentially be a uniting force for the world. The worldwide confrontation with climate change and the reality that our earth may be become inhabitable far sooner than we might think means that space travel and colonization is the future for the survival of humanity. Mars could represent the tenacity of human beings, our spirit to survive against all odds, and the joint effort create a new and better world, and Elon Musk could be the one to guide us there. Enough of the kumbaya though, let’s look at a more plausible outcome.
Elon Musk colonizing Mars on behalf of the United States could form harsh divisions in the global community of who supports the United States and plans to work alongside them to potentially garner a piece of this new world in everything from living space to mining rights. Those who oppose the U.S. might employ space laws to stop the colonization until Mars can be divided in a manner of equal space and opportunity for all those capable of making it there, or even the imposition that the technology and resources needed to get to Mars be made public knowledge, as if our earth really does become inhabitable, shouldn’t everyone have the chance to survive? Most notably though, would be if Musk decides to colonize Mars for himself and his enterprises, creating the unprecedented situation where a man has power over an entire planet. This could create a global effort to legislate him and his actions or it could force the rest of the world to treat him as a state and effectively communicate with him as though he were a world leader, opening the door for other corporate elites of the world to also have that same autonomy and power. These are just a few of the foreseeable outcomes when it comes to the uncharted territory and dealings of outer space.
Maybe it’s my undying love for pretty much any and every space movie, but I truly see space travel and exploration is a symbol of hope, so despite the previous paragraph reading quite foreboding, my main point is as follows. Mars represents opportunity in every sense of the word, and Elon Musk is likely going to be the future of said ambitious endeavor. Even better, his unmatched eccentricity and genius are going to ensure that this second edition of the space race will unfold in ways we can only imagine.
Image courtesy of NASA HQ PHOTO via Flickr images. Some rights reserved.
