Is SpaceX Creating A World For Only The Richest People?

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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!
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Channel: The Infographics Show
Views: 1,103,881
Rating: 4.4840999 out of 5
Keywords: elon musk, spacex, space x, space, mars, travel to mars, rich, infographics show, the infographics show, animated, cartoons, cartoon, animation, space exploration, blue origin, jeff bezos, the richest, nasa, educational video, rocket, space travel, falcon heavy, planets, planet mars, elon, musk, bill gates, mars colony, asteroid mining, infographic show, solar system, technology, science, educational, tesla, falcon
Id: lvFUvz4Oz84
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 12min 8sec (728 seconds)
Published: Mon Apr 15 2019
Reddit Comments

Why would rich people flock from a breathable, hospitable earth to a cold, desolate, desert like mars? They'll probably get bored of looking at sand all the time cant go out without protective suits.

👍︎︎ 21 👤︎︎ u/Icarius_1 📅︎︎ Apr 16 2019 🗫︎ replies

Most are anti-rich here, if we do the extremely difficult get folk to mars, they arent coming back lmao so sending rich folk out there should be funny.

funny thing is almost every single one of the 13 original colonies of america were colonized by companies, the folk who invested wanted a return on investment but the folk that made it over there were just trying to survive.

i dunno how you can make terraforming profitable , how you do that on mars ? i really struggle with, folk can't even breathe there (so survival will be paramount). so i think the best thing would be to make it a governmental thing something the world governments invest in, i think the private sector comes in after, if we are able to terraform the planet and then subsequently ruin it (as we are doing the same on planet earth)

but the whole idea of terraforming is extremely difficult at best and impossible at worse.

but this is how i think we as a species should tackle the problem i don't think private enterprise should be the first to go in such a situation, its mode of work is not compatible with what will initially be required.

i don't think venture capital or even ipo'ing are suitable tools to use either, you can't raise enough cash, and then its the problem of the return on investment unless you are taxing folk for breathing martian air or terraformed land i don't see the return on investment in the initial stages.

👍︎︎ 10 👤︎︎ u/robespierrem 📅︎︎ Apr 16 2019 🗫︎ replies

I mean... no, they're not creating anything. Rich and poor will be equally disappointed.

👍︎︎ 3 👤︎︎ u/HopeFox 📅︎︎ Apr 16 2019 🗫︎ replies

Yes.

👍︎︎ 1 👤︎︎ u/TheDungus 📅︎︎ Apr 16 2019 🗫︎ replies

New technologies have always been adopted by the rich first, they have the disposable time and income to subsidize the new stuff. Cars, cellphones, computers, air travel, etc. were all meant for the rich until they became cheap enough for all of us.

And the same thing will probably happen with space colonies.

👍︎︎ 1 👤︎︎ u/AssteroidDriller69 📅︎︎ Apr 16 2019 🗫︎ replies
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