The Proprietor Review

Star ship 💥

The next Starship test flight, Flight 10, is scheduled for August 4th, 2025. This flight will be another uncrewed test to gather more data on the Starship’s performance.

Waiting for a crewed test launch, concerned about the Artemis Partner Program in the current geo political atmosphere it’s heartening to know a starship test is coming in August.

1000 Starships

Maintained by space x that 1000 Starships will bring 1 million colonists to Mars. This I

Is for permanent settlement.

The ambitious goal of making Mars a habitable planet and sending a million people there is primarily driven by SpaceX, led by Elon Musk. While other space agencies like NASA have plans for human missions to Mars, SpaceX has the most public and aggressive timeline for large-scale colonization.
Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects of this program:
SpaceX’s Vision for Mars Colonization:
* Self-Sufficient City: The ultimate goal is to establish a self-sufficient, large-scale settlement and a democratic, self-governing colony on Mars. This means not just sending people, but building the infrastructure for them to live, work, and thrive independently of Earth.
* Starship System: The core of SpaceX’s plan is the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket. This fully reusable transportation system is designed to carry both crew and massive amounts of cargo to Mars.
* Massive Transportation: To achieve the goal of a million people, SpaceX envisions launching thousands of Starships during Mars launch windows (which occur approximately every 26 months). They talk about launching more than 10 times per day to maximize these windows.
* Phased Approach: The plan involves initial cargo missions to deliver equipment, habitats, and supplies before any humans arrive. The first crewed missions would focus on setting up propellant plants (to produce fuel on Mars using local resources), power systems, and rudimentary bases.
* Resource Utilization (ISRU): A crucial part of self-sufficiency is In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). This involves using resources available on Mars, such as harvesting CO2 from the atmosphere and splitting it into its components to create oxygen and fuel.
* Timeline: While highly ambitious and subject to change, Elon Musk has spoken about a first crewed mission as early as 2029 and the development of a self-sustaining colony by 2050.
Terraforming Mars:
“Terraforming” refers to the hypothetical process of transforming a planet hostile to life into one that can sustainably host humans and other lifeforms without protection. While SpaceX’s immediate focus is on establishing a base that uses local resources, the long-term vision of a truly Earth-like Mars involves terraforming.
* Challenges: Terraforming Mars presents immense challenges with current technology. Key issues include:
   * Thin Atmosphere: Mars has a very thin atmosphere with extremely low surface pressure.
   * Lack of Magnetic Field: Mars lacks a global magnetic field, which makes its atmosphere vulnerable to erosion by solar winds.
   * Cold Temperatures: Mars is very cold.
* Proposed Methods (Hypothetical):
   * Greenhouse Gases: Releasing greenhouse gases (like CO2, which is abundant in Mars’s atmosphere and polar caps) to thicken the atmosphere and warm the planet.
   * Artificial Magnetic Field: Creating an artificial magnetic field to protect the atmosphere from solar wind erosion.
   * Engineered Dust Particles: Some researchers have proposed releasing engineered dust particles into the atmosphere to trap heat.
   * Localized Habitats: A more achievable near-term approach might be creating localized habitable environments using materials like silica aerogel, which could provide shelter and warmth for small areas.
NASA’s Role:
While NASA doesn’t have a plan for colonizing Mars with a million people in the same way SpaceX does, they are actively working towards human exploration of Mars. Their goals include:
* Scientific Discovery: Understanding whether life ever existed on Mars, characterizing its climate and geology, and preparing for human exploration.
* Technology Development: Testing technologies for oxygen production (like MOXIE on the Perseverance rover), developing sustainable food and water systems, power generation, and advanced habitats.
* Artemis Program: NASA’s Artemis program is laying the groundwork for long-term human presence on the Moon, which will serve as a stepping stone and testing ground for missions to Mars.
In essence, SpaceX is the primary driver behind the “million people on Mars” goal, with their Starship system being the core technology. Terraforming, while a long-term aspiration, faces significant scientific and technological hurdles. NASA, meanwhile, is focused on incremental steps towards human exploration, scientific discovery, and developing the foundational technologies needed for future long-duration missions to the Red Planet.

Test   number 10