Mars by 2022:

[beecee]

Futurist and inventor Elon Musk unveiled ambitious plans Friday to send cargo ships to Mars in five years and use rockets to carry people between Earth's major cities in under half-an-hour.

The founder of SpaceX said a planned interplanetary transport system, codenamed BFR (Big Fucking Rocket), would be downsized so it could carry out a range of tasks that would then pay for future Mars missions.

"The most important thing... is that I think we have figured out how to pay for (BFR)," Musk told a packed auditorium at a global gathering of space experts in Adelaide.

"Which is to have a smaller vehicle, it's still pretty big, but one that can... do everything that's needed in the greater Earth orbit activity."


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-spacex-musk-unveils-mars.html#jCp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

While admiring the ambitious, and  optimism of Elon, just as I do with the same ambitious nature of the founders of "MARS ONE", Tau Zero and the likes of the 100 Year Star Ship company, I must ask why the hell cannot they all get together, exchange ideas, technology etc along with the undoubted expertise of NASA and Roscosmos, and facilitate the many grand ideas in taking us out of Earth orbit. The ideas and ambition abounds with such innovative scenarios such as https://phys.org/news/2017-09-lockheed-martin-unveils-reusable-water-powered.html and https://phys.org/news/2017-09-moon-village-mars-esa.html

I must admit that I do have an agenda...As a rather mature or in more descriptive language, as an old bastard, I would love a manned Mars mission to be undertaken before I kick the bucket.

Edited September 29, 2017 by beecee

[EdEarl]

I agree with you beecee. You are only five months older than I am, and I'd also like to see a Mars mission before kicking. Unfortunately, my bet is it will be pushed back at least 4 years.

One thing Musk proposed was using the BFR to transport people around the Earth, with trips being under an hour almost anywhere. It seems unlikely he can reduce cost and improve safety enough, but if he can, airlines may be put out of business by hyperloop and rockets.

Edited September 29, 2017 by EdEarl

[Raider5678]

On 9/29/2017 at 5:16 PM, beecee said:

Futurist and inventor Elon Musk unveiled ambitious plans Friday to send cargo ships to Mars in five years and use rockets to carry people between Earth's major cities in under half-an-hour.

Saw it live, it was amazing.

I'm really excited to see if it stays on the timeline, because that'd be amazing.

 

[geordief]

What about the carbon footprint of the rockets that could transport passengers on what are currently long haul flights?

My uneducated suspicion is that carbon emissions would be far greater.

Would this serve a genuine need?

(I get the point it might pay for the trip to Mars)

Will the money spent on these enterprises divert from necessary expenditure on Earth?

[EdEarl]

Even if intercity rocket transport becomes commonplace, the world will have stopped using petroleum for most energy. Hypertube seems poised to take over most airplane traffic because it is faster and comparably priced. Renewable energy generation will replace coal and petroleum, and transportation is rapidly changing to electric vehicles. The Earth will be much less abused by this scenario. Methane (CH4, propellant for SpaceX rockets) pollutes less per molecule than other petroleum distillates. Moreover, it is possible to make the methane from CO2 and H2O. Thus, it is possible to use rockets and burn renewable fuel.