Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, feels his spaceship for traveling to Mars could become a reality by next year. He made these observations during an interactive question and answer session in Austin, Texas. He indicated that such interplanetary ships would be capable of making flights to and from Mars. He also admitted that there is a probability of deadlines being shifted.
This is understandable since it is a totally unexplored field.
According to Daily Mail UK, Musk has already said he plans to send a cargo mission to Mars by 2022. That will set the stage for subsequent human colonization of the planet. In his opinion, building the spaceship is a problematic area. Once that hurdle is overcome, the rest will follow.
Elon Musk is aware of the dangers
The inspiration for Elon Musk to venture into Mars exploration was the desire to do something new that no one else appeared to be doing. He seeks the support and encouragement from those around him because his aim is to prove to the world that nothing is impossible.
He is relying on his company SpaceX to set the trend.
He is fully aware of the fact that a journey to Mars will be an expensive affair, and the first humans could even face death. It is obvious that human colonization will not be a cakewalk. Once in alien surroundings, the first settlers will have to depend on the resources available there for survival, and begin life from scratch.
NASA also has Mars on its radar
NASA has been involved in a wide variety of research on space-related matters and already sent an unmanned probe to Mars in 2012. The Mars Curiosity rover is working 24/7 to explore the terrain and send feedback to Earth. It is still active and NASA plans to send another one with a different objective.
NBC News reports that in 2018, NASA wants to send a robot spacecraft to the Red Planet. It will not move about like Curiosity but will remain stationary, and will make use of probes and sensors to collect data. This robot named InSight will be fitted with instruments that can reach to the depths of the planet in order to understand how it was born. Similar instruments had been used on the moon but they were operated by astronauts. On Mars, robots will take over the task. This study could reveal possible sources of water and ice which will help human colonization.
Elon Musk is an entrepreneur who owns Tesla and SpaceX. He has his own sources of finance for his projects while NASA has to depend on government funding. Mars is a frontier that both want to conquer.