President John F. Kennedy once shocked the world with the words “we choose to go to
the moon.”
By “we” he meant America and thereby insinuated that once astronauts got there that the entire
country would share in their success.
Fast forward decades later and Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese citizen, said something almost
identical yet critically different.
With excitement he said the following: I choose to go to the moon.
What was once a goal that brought millions together has now become something that wedges
an even wider gap between the top one percent and the rest of society.
Was he right?
Let’s look at the privatization of space travel in this episode of The Infographics
Show, Is SpaceX Creating A World for Only the Rich?
Yusaku Maezawa is not just anyone.
He has a net worth of over 2 billion dollars and is famous for creating the largest online
mall in Japan known as Zozotown.
With his profits he has already spent millions on priceless art which he plans to showcase
in his own museum.
But he doesn’t want to make a name for himself only with his eye for art and fashion, he
also wants to be one of the first private citizens to go to the moon.
How he plans to get there is with the Big Falcon Rocket manufactured by SpaceX.
SpaceX has so far designed three rockets: Falcon 1 which launched in 2006, Falcon 9
which launched in 2010, and Falcon Heavy which launched in 2018.
What has set these apart from the competition is the fact that they are cheaper than other
models and in the case of Falcon Heavy can carry twice as much for a fraction of the
cost.
SpaceX created the Dragon spacecraft as well, with room for seven astronauts on board.
This was launched successfully on March second using the Falcon 9 rocket.
While unmanned, a mannequin named Ripley was on board, fitted with sensors to measure the
impact of space throughout the trip.
Its launch was a necessary step to prove travel on SpaceX’S innovative machinery is safe
for humans before manned travel can begin.
Only then, and likely after a few additional such tests, can Big Falcon Rocket, the one
Maezawa will use on his 2023 trip, be given the green light for its journey.
The behemoth is 35 stories stall and while similar in function to Falcon 9 is capable
of propelling a spacecraft carrying as many as dozens into space.
The anticipated trip to the moon is just a starting point for the rocket and the company.
Once SpaceX has proven it can successfully take humans there and back, it wants to do
much, much more.
The ultimate goal is to expand to the extent that the company transports people to other
planets to live.
In fact, according to its creator Elon Musk, who is also the cofounder of Paypal and investor
and CEO of car manufacturer Telsa, his motivation in first forming the company was to find an
out for humanity when, not if, it is to survive.
He believes in the case of a nuclear catastrophe a colony on Mars may be the only hope for
mankind.
He has set his sights on Mars as a more hospitable location for human life than the moon.
By building a colony there, Musk believes that, come what may, there is a chance that
Earth can later be repopulated.
Despite the accusations of many, Musk says that Mars isn’t intended to be any type
of escape for just the wealthy.
The one million he hopes to take there will have to brave dangers, he claims, many as
yet unknown.
In fact, there is a good likelihood that several among the first inhabitants won’t survive,
while those who do will revel in the excitement of making it.
It will also be far from a leisurely experience, at least at first.
Settlers will be responsible for helping develop its infrastructure and making prolonged life
on its surface even possible.
He compares it to settling Antarctica.
Those who will go will be the ones whose desire for a thrill will exceed the fear of danger,
not simply the rich, many of whom enjoy a life of cushy comfort on their home planet.
He does have a point that Mars is quite different from Earth with a unique set of obstacles
to overcome.
It is smaller with less gravity and a thinner atmosphere that is almost entirely carbon
dioxide.
Without Earth’s magnetic field, harmful levels of radiation are not deflected from
its surface.
It is also very cold and average temperatures are minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Days are longer and years last 687 days.
It would take some adjusting to thrive on Mars and without the use of assistive technology
it would not be possible.
Then of course there are the dangers of the trip over as well.
To enter and exit Earth’s atmosphere means exposure to extreme changes in gravity as
well as millions of pounds of thrust at thousands of miles per hour.
This is not exactly comfortable and even seasoned astronauts have been known to develop a condition
known as space motion sickness.
Interestingly, it has been shown that those with medical conditions that are well controlled
are not at risk during space flight.
Psychological stress, on the other hand, is currently a challenge for private space travel
companies.
Questionnaires meant to screen potential passengers for their emotional fitness have proven far
less than accurate.
Many look to pre-flight training as a chance to familiarize passengers with what to expect
and to avoid in-flight anxiety.
After all, the flight will be unlike anything people have ever seen or experienced before
and it’s quite incomparable to relatively comfortable and, for many, rather unremarkable
travel via plane.
Then there’s the fact that, even in ideal circumstances, the risk of dying on a spacecraft
is 10,000 times greater than on a commercial aircraft.
Having this knowledge in the back of their minds may prove more than a little unsettling
for some.
For legal reasons, each and every person who is taken to the moon or, in time, to Mars
will be well versed on the risks of such a trip.
However, as Maezawa has shown, despite its known dangers, many of the wealthy elite remain
excited about boarding spacecraft for the experience of a lifetime.
And, clearly, Musk believes his company and its mission will ultimately be quite successful.
In fact, when society does eventually take hold on the red planet, Musk has gotten far
enough along in his planning that he’s considered the type of government that will rule its
people.
In his opinion, it will not be a democracy like current-day America, but more of a direct
democracy where the majority wins.
Ideally legislation passed would be short and sweet, easier to repeal than implement.
And, when society needs a break from legal issues, Musk has joked that there will be
plenty of bars in which it can grab a drink.
Mars Bars.
He has also joked, rather eerily, of an alternative system in which he is emperor of the planet.
As one of the few in control of who gets there and when, as well as who can eventually make
it back, this is a little less amusing.
This is not the only thing he has said that rubs people the wrong way.
For example, despite his denials that his company will cater to only the rich, space
travel is obviously not an option for the average person.
As we mentioned, Yusaku Maezawa is a billionaire and while Musk won’t share just how much
he spent to reserve his trip to space, he acknowledged that it was significant.
Significant to a billionaire must be a hefty sum.
And, Maezawa not only bought his own seat but also the eight others available for the
trip.
He now gets to dictate just who will join him and has decided it will be a combination
of musicians, artists, and designers.
In other words, Joe the plumber will not be on board.
The trip to the moon will also be relatively short.
According to NASA the moon is 238,855 miles, or 384,400 kilometers away.
This is the distance of thirty Earths.
In contrast Mars, with a distance that varies depending on just where it is on its orbit,
is on average 140 million miles, or 225 million kilometers away.
That is obviously much further.
Currently, if technology is not improved, many estimate that the much lengthier trip
to Mars would cost $10 billion a person.
However, Musk believes that reusable rockets and fitting one hundred to two hundred people
per flight will significantly drive down the cost.
His revised estimate if these conditions are met is something more like the average cost
of a house, or $200,000.
He thinks that those who start saving should be able to acquire this sum, or something
close to it.
And herein lies the problem in being a billionaire.
While to him $200,000 is mere change, to others it represents the largest investment they
will ever make in their lives.
Not to mention, many who live in a house do not actually own it; the bank does, and they
never had $200,000 available as cash.
And, say that people do sell all that they own to move to Mars.
Once this is done, they will effectively be stuck without the means to return.
Although, in a worst-case scenario, they may well not want to.
Musk has also shared that perhaps in about a century going to Mars might be as little
as $100,000 or even less.
That means just 100 years to wait and see if a combination of conflict, natural disaster,
or pollution that have chased the elite off the planet don’t wipe out the poorer segment
of society that will be left behind.
Not to mention, many still won’t be able to afford even this much.
He’s claimed there is a 70% chance that he will go to Mars himself, to live.
In other words, he will be quite safe, no matter Earth’s circumstances.
Which is why his argument that many of the richest might not want to populate Mars due
to its harsh climate and lack of infrastructure is a relatively weak one as well.
In interviews Musk has made it perfectly clear that Mars will not be a vacation destination,
but a means for self-preservation.
If nuclear war on planet Earth seemed imminent or other situations occurred where life was
threatened, one would think that the dangers of Mars would seem relatively insignificant
in comparison.
In these scenarios, it would literally be a difficult life or certain death scenario,
which to most is not a difficult decision to make.
The fact remains that Mars has half the diameter of Earth.
Earth’s population is projected to be around 9 billion by 2050.
A colony of one million is a small fraction of this amount and, even if its space was
utilized to its fullest, Mars simply cannot support that many people.
So, by the nature of the game, many will inevitably be left out.
As this is the case, just who would the one million colony on Mars be?
As we have discussed, it would definitely not be the poor, and likely not the middle
class either.
It would be the wealthy.
Most of the companies attempting to privatize space flight to Mars are American, such as
Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon founder Jeff Benzos’ Blue Origin.
One would assume that many of those their spacecraft will carry with them would be American
as well.
While the wealthiest around the world might reserve a seat, entire impoverished nations
would likely lack any representation at all.
Unlike other modes of travel meant to benefit entire populations, such as bikes, cars, buses,
boats, trains, or planes, due to the unparalleled cost of its operation space travel is inherently
discriminatory.
The plan to populate other planets will not improve the quality of life for most.
It is limited on many fronts and will ultimately exclude a majority of the world while accommodating
only a select few.
As the private for-profit industry works, these few will most likely be the ones who
have the most money to offer and who will make the trip the most financially worthwhile.
What do you think, is SpaceX creating a world for the richest of the rich, or will its founders
somehow find a way to include the lower classes?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called Why Does The Media Suddenly Hate Elon
Musk Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!