Ilon Mask will present a plan for the colonization of Mars at 21:30 Moscow time [text translation completed]

Who said a science conference is boring? One of the journalists noticed cosplayers at IAC. (Actually it is from some festival nearby.)

This is a link to a video stream on the SpaceX channel on YouTube. Now the timer on it counts time. About 1 hour and 45 minutes left before the start.

When creating SpaceX in 2002, Musk set several goals for her. The first is the reduction in the cost of space flights by an order of magnitude, and the second is the conquest of space and the colonization of other worlds. 

According to the billionaire himself, the creation of the company was inspired, first of all, by literature, namely the  series of science fiction novels The Founding by  Isaac Asimov. 

A serious motivating aspect is Mask’s acceptance of the fact that being on Earth, mankind will be completely defenseless and sooner or later will die out, like thousands of other species that previously lived on our planet. The settlement of other worlds will allow humanity to survive in the event of a global catastrophe on Earth: during the eruption of a supervolcano, the fall of an asteroid, or in the case of a thermonuclear war.

As the name suggests, the primary task of the Mars Colonial Transporter is to deliver the future colony to Mars. However, soon you may need to change the name: as Mask recently noted, the rocket can go and much further. Therefore, the rocket offered a new name: Interplanetary Transport System.

Photo: hsto.org

The rocket must deliver 100 tons of cargo to Mars. Physics and rocket science say that it must be a huge aircraft. It will be more and Falcon Heavy, and SLS. The image above MCT is on the right. On this outline, its diameter is 10 meters.

From the rocket there are not only dreams and names of the BFR level (Big Fucking Rocket), but also real tests. The other day, SpaceX conducted bench tests of the Raptor engine . There will be nine such engines on MCT.

Ilon Mask refers to the process of colonization of Mars more than realistic. The billionaire has repeatedly stated that, as in the case of the colonization of new continents by Europeans a century ago, the first humans on Mars are likely to die. But by their efforts, these pioneers will be able to ensure the survival of the subsequent waves of colonists. 

Pioneers will be expected supply problems, illness, depression and, quite likely, a disaster. The first flights to Mars are a one way ticket, but Musk is sure that for the sake of mastering another planet there will be people ready to go for it. 

The irony of all this is that some of the best representatives of humanity will go to certain death. Absolutely healthy, mentally stable and highly educated people, experts in areas such as engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine. 

Another aspect of colonization is financing. It is likely that people will buy the “one-way ticket” with their own funds, or with the support of sponsors - SpaceX cannot yet bear such a financial burden. 

This broadcast is interesting even not so much by this giant carrier, as by many other questions.

How to create a self-sustaining colony on another planet? Continuing to rely on supplies from Earth will fail. At the same time, the familiar atmosphere, nature and huge reserves of the Earth’s water will not be available to the colonists. Under these conditions, it is necessary to create technological capacities for extracting the resources of Mars, or the colony will simply die out.

Who wants to fly to Mars to die there? At every step of the plan for the conquest of Mars, colonists are in danger: from transportation to daily life in sealed rooms. And no one promises a ticket back to Earth.

Speaking of tickets. How much does the whole project cost? And who will pay for it? Can an ordinary person go to Mars to become part of the colony?

Today Mask will have to talk about all this.

And here is a list of those who want to listen to Mask, who will start only in an hour. 

Would anyone want to die during the colonization of Mars? The question is rather rhetorical. Mankind has mastered space flights, but the risk was enormous at the dawn of cosmonautics. 

Moreover, there is always the chance that the first waves of the colonists will be able to survive and even return to the earth after some time.

Another issue is the permanent residence on Mars and the development of the colony at the expense of its own resources. The pledge of development of any community is the ability to self-supply and ensure the natural growth of the population of the colony. And here everything looks so much more complicated. 

Slightly less than an hour before the start of the performance Mask!

Forty minutes left. We look forward to and see the opening ceremony of the IAC 2016, shot from somewhere in the back rows.

This is how the performance will look like for Ilon. It will probably again be an awkward stutter.

Photo: i.imgur.com

Half an hour before the speech of the founder of SpaceX. Can Musk surprise?

Fresh photo queue for the performance Mask. But it is only about 20 minutes left.

Photo: pbs.twimg.com

12 meters of rocket diameter, 17 meters of the diameter of the spacecraft, 122 meters of total height. Just some science fiction.

The “Sea Launch”, which S7 airline just bought, is presented, on the contrary, as a seller of deeds, not promises.

For comparison. 

The diameter of the Proton-M is 7.4 m, Saturn V - 10.1 m, Falcon Heavy - 3.7 m (12.2 m).

Before the start of the broadcast less than 5 minutes.

Less than five minutes before the start of the broadcast, but they never launched people inside. Possible delay.