Free Trip to Mars

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

A friend told me the other day of her distress over a "news" story that she had heard which claimed that Leon Elon Musk was offering a free trip to Mars to people who supported Trump in the next election. My friend felt that it was very unfair that ultra-rich people like Elon could use their wealth to influence elections.

I responded to her concern with some superficial generic thoughts that it would never happen because sending even one lucky tourist to Mars would cost more than Musk would probably care to spend, and there is no current technology that could transport tens of millions of people to the Red Planet.  Also, travel to Mars would not be like a luxury cruise to Bermuda.  The average distance between Earth and Mars in 140,000,000 miles, and the trip in a small, cramped space vessel could be expected to take six to nine months - one way!

I suspect that my friend got her "news" from some social media site that has a dubious relationship with facts and truth:  perhaps 'Truth Social" or "X."  But that is not to say that I wouldn't like for the story to be true.  Loading millions of Trump supporters into space-going cattle cars and shipping them off to Mars?  That works for me, and it would certainly punch a big hole in America's welfare rolls!  Knock yourself out, Elon!  

Musk, the current de facto head of the US Space Program, says that his private company, SpaceX, will send an unmanned mission to Mars in two years, and a manned mission two years after that.  It's unclear who will "man" that mission, though it would certainly be sure way for a narcissistic spotlight-chaser to achieve immortality.   Jeff Bezos, America's other billionaire space cowboy, actually rode one of his rockets into space.

Elon Musk has plenty of money, but somehow I doubt that he has the "right stuff" to lead his own mission to Mars.

Prove me wrong, Elon!