Tesla chief and SpaceX founder Elon Musk responded to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson mocking his ambitions to colonize Mars. In an interview with American talk show host Bill Maher, the astrophysicist rejected Elon Musk’s Mars travel plans and claimed his idea would never find any investors.
Defending his plan to establish a colony on Mars, Elon Musk shared the video of Tyson’s viral statement and said that Mars is vital for the long-term survival of humanity. “Wow, they really don’t understand this,” Elon Musk wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Mars is important for the long-term survival of consciousness.
As Elon Musk stressed the importance of Mars to human survival, he stressed that he would not seek venture capital investment. “I’m not going to ask any venture capitalist for money. I realize it doesn’t make any sense as an investment. So I’m gathering resources,” the post reads.
Advocating the colonization of Mars as the ultimate solution for humanity’s long-term survival, the tech billionaire’s company SpaceX’s Mars program plans to establish a self-sustaining large-scale settlement on the distant planet. It will serve as an alternative for humans on Earth if the planet becomes unsustainable for human life.
Meanwhile, Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is skeptical of Elon Musk’s plans, thinks mankind should focus on immediate challenges on Earth rather than wasting resources and energy elsewhere. During the show, the astrophysicist argued that the Mars project would not yield any returns, and hence, no one would be willing to invest.
In another post, the SpaceX founder claimed that “the absurdly ambitious nature of the goal will result in the creation of alien-level technology that is vastly superior to competitors that only aim for Earth orbit” if he aims to reach Mars. Notably, SpaceX is set to launch its first unmanned mission to Mars in the next two years.
