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| Elon Musk outlines Mars colony vision | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Entrepreneur Elon Musk has outlined his vision for establishing a human colony on Mars for people that can afford a $200,000 ticket price. | Entrepreneur Elon Musk has outlined his vision for establishing a human colony on Mars for people that can afford a $200,000 ticket price. |
| Mr Musk, who founded private spaceflight firm SpaceX, spoke at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Mexico, on Tuesday. | Mr Musk, who founded private spaceflight firm SpaceX, spoke at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Mexico, on Tuesday. |
| His colonisation plan uses a fully reusable transportation system. | His colonisation plan uses a fully reusable transportation system. |
| This consists of a spaceship refuelled with methane and oxygen in Earth orbit and also on Mars after landing there. | This consists of a spaceship refuelled with methane and oxygen in Earth orbit and also on Mars after landing there. |
| Mr Musk explained that to achieve the $200,000 price, the entire transportation system has to be reusable. | Mr Musk explained that to achieve the $200,000 price, the entire transportation system has to be reusable. |
| Kicking off his speech at the meeting in Guadalajara, he said that the future would likely bifurcate along two paths. In one, humans would likely experience some event that would drive them towards extinction. | Kicking off his speech at the meeting in Guadalajara, he said that the future would likely bifurcate along two paths. In one, humans would likely experience some event that would drive them towards extinction. |
| In the other, humans would become what he called a "a space-faring civilisation and a multi-planetary species" by settling on other worlds, beginning with Mars. | In the other, humans would become what he called a "a space-faring civilisation and a multi-planetary species" by settling on other worlds, beginning with Mars. |
| Mr Musk said that, using traditional methods, the cost of a trip to Mars would be $10bn per person. To create an outpost on the Red Planet, the cost needed to be brought down using new technologies and innovative "architectures" for the journey. | Mr Musk said that, using traditional methods, the cost of a trip to Mars would be $10bn per person. To create an outpost on the Red Planet, the cost needed to be brought down using new technologies and innovative "architectures" for the journey. |
| He said that in order to achieve this vision, four key criteria needed to be met: | He said that in order to achieve this vision, four key criteria needed to be met: |
| At the weekend, Mr Musk announced that SpaceX had carried out its first test of the Raptor rocket engine, intended to be part of an interplanetary launch system. | At the weekend, Mr Musk announced that SpaceX had carried out its first test of the Raptor rocket engine, intended to be part of an interplanetary launch system. |
| His announcement is being watched closely because SpaceX has already made several landmark achievements for a private space company, including the successful upright landings of orbital rocket stages. | His announcement is being watched closely because SpaceX has already made several landmark achievements for a private space company, including the successful upright landings of orbital rocket stages. |
| But just journeying to Mars, let alone setting up a permanent base, remains a formidable challenge. | But just journeying to Mars, let alone setting up a permanent base, remains a formidable challenge. |
| Beyond the astronomical cost, there are the technical hurdles - currently unsolved - of protecting humans from the radiation levels they would be exposed to in deep space. | Beyond the astronomical cost, there are the technical hurdles - currently unsolved - of protecting humans from the radiation levels they would be exposed to in deep space. |
| For Mr Musk, Tuesday's speech should offer welcome respite from dealing with the fall-out of the company's launch pad explosion in September, which destroyed one of the company's Falcon 9 launchers and its payload - an Israeli-built communications satellite for Facebook. | For Mr Musk, Tuesday's speech should offer welcome respite from dealing with the fall-out of the company's launch pad explosion in September, which destroyed one of the company's Falcon 9 launchers and its payload - an Israeli-built communications satellite for Facebook. |