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Space & Astronomy

Elon Musk reveals image of 'Mars Base Alpha'

By T.K. Randall
September 25, 2018 · Comment icon 9 comments

Is this what a future colony on Mars will be like ? Image Credit: Twitter / Elon Musk
The ever-ambitious entrepreneur is aiming to construct a human colony on the Red Planet by as early as 2028.
Despite the fact that SpaceX hasn't even built its next-generation rocket yet, CEO Elon Musk is already making plans for settling future explorers on another world.

In a recent Tweet, Musk posted up an intriguing concept image of what he refers to as 'Mars Base Alpha' - a fully-manned Martian colony complete with roads, buildings and rocket launch pads.

If the image looks like something out of a science-fiction movie then that it is because, for the moment at least, it might as well be. It also seems as though the 2028 estimate is a little overly ambitious.
That said however, it is not difficult to imagine that a future Mars colony could look a lot like this.

"I think fundamentally the future is vastly more exciting and interesting if we're a spacefaring civilization and a multiplanet species than if we're or not," Musk said previously.

"You want to be inspired by things. You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great. And that's what being a spacefaring civilization is all about."



Source: BGR.com | Comments (9)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Jon the frog 6 years ago
I would see a Mars base mostly underground with tunnels for transportation more than Road and glass roof.
Comment icon #2 Posted by AllPossible 6 years ago
2028 is not even possible. Maybe if every country involved with space cooperated but no way would a private company be able to pull this off. The equipment and resources for that long of a journey, plus the manpower would make it impossible to pull off in 10 years. 
Comment icon #3 Posted by Almighty Evan 6 years ago
Had a chortle from your handle's post. Except for the time involved travelling, and our current penchant for "coasting" most of the way, I'd have otherwise said that would have been a typical response to JFK's moon speech in 1962. A pity, though. There'd be no shortage of volunteers.  
Comment icon #4 Posted by StarMountainKid 6 years ago
I think it's great that there is someone with these kinds of far-reaching ideas and ambitions.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Nzo 6 years ago
Yes, I agree. Those roads would need massive machinery to build, not to mention millions of tons of cement and or asphalt. And there are supposed to be massive wind storms on Mars which would make living topside much much more hazardous than living underground. I can see a glass domes for massive green houses. Even then, we can do all our food growing hydroponically and 100% underground. Mars moon base alpha should and would be built underground it just makes logical sense.   I think Mr. Musk must of thrown out logic in this landscape and preferred just to dream.
Comment icon #6 Posted by cyclopes500 6 years ago
How can anyone plan anything without proper surveying, soil, deep core sampling, and chemical tests being done first?. Mars is millions of miles away and a rescue mission will take months to get there and only once the rescue craft have been designed and BUILT. Mars isn't a damp world like Earth. There is no rain. The dust particles are as hard as volcanic Ash, microscopic, airborne, and razor sharp. Not washed into the soil as on Earth. Normal seals and electric vehicle parts won't work on Mars. If he sends astronauts there without the right preparation it'll be a disaster. The parts and seal... [More]
Comment icon #7 Posted by Coil 6 years ago
There is absolutely no need to fly it just thrown away money. We are constantly shown different projects of flights to Mars but no one seriously says why it is necessary because you can not populate the planet but to walk in a spacesuit and live in a capsule you can and on Earth. Even the film was shot as it is good to return to Mars and how beautiful are the reddish Martian landscapes( "The Space Between Us")  
Comment icon #8 Posted by StarMountainKid 6 years ago
I think there is actually no practical reason to send humans to Mars except for the thrill of exploration. A bass on the Moon would be for the same reason.  I'm not against the idea, it would be cool, indeed. If it were successful, I suppose the next step would be to send humans to asteroids and other planetary moons. It's in our genes to explore, even when there is not real purpose to the explorations.
Comment icon #9 Posted by DieChecker 6 years ago
I think it is inevitable that humans will leave Earth and go out into the planets and stars. Overcrowding, combined with Elitism, will send us out there. I do agree though that any colony should be underground. Mars has no magnetic field, and only a thin atmosphere so solar radiation would be a real threat. Sure, we could build dome cities with protection built in, but underground would be much more practical in the initial stages. I think it is naive to believe that we couldn't get a couple dozen people on Mars anytime soon. We already have the technology, and the willingness. All that remai... [More]


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