Elon Musk Seems to Want to 'Nuke Mars'
Genius is misunderstood: we're all familiar with this concept either through its tropes in literature and movies, the eccentricities often displayed by intellectual wild cards, or, more rarely, through personal contact with geniuses of one kind or another. Despite knowing this it's still a little unnerving when a genius – especially one with the funding and technology to do so – advocates a nuclear attack on a planet in our solar system. Well, color us unnerved because that's exactly what Elon Muck did in a series of tweets on Friday.
In a follow-up tweet, the Tesla entrepreneur also suggested that he would be marketing the idea through merchandising. Sadly, no flamethrowers will be involved.
Before you ask, no, he didn't provide an explanation of any kind save the following tweet.
Perhaps he thought it would be too difficult for us to understand why he's interested in hurling one or more nuclear devices at the red planet, but the most likely explanation – as far as we can tell – is that he's referring to his idea that the carbon dioxide beneath Mars' ice caps and in its soil exists in a large enough quantity to create an atmosphere.
Nuking Mars would be one step to terraforming, though it's unclear what the unintended consequences of that action might be. In any case, we'll look forward to the t-shirt.
Nuke Mars!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 16, 2019
In a follow-up tweet, the Tesla entrepreneur also suggested that he would be marketing the idea through merchandising. Sadly, no flamethrowers will be involved.
T-shirt soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 16, 2019
Before you ask, no, he didn't provide an explanation of any kind save the following tweet.
Not saying it solves everything, mind you, but it's a step in the right direction
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2019
Perhaps he thought it would be too difficult for us to understand why he's interested in hurling one or more nuclear devices at the red planet, but the most likely explanation – as far as we can tell – is that he's referring to his idea that the carbon dioxide beneath Mars' ice caps and in its soil exists in a large enough quantity to create an atmosphere.
There's a massive amount of CO2 on Mars adsorbed into soil that'd be released upon heating. With enough energy via artificial or natural (sun) fusion, you can terraform almost any large, rocky body.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2018
Nuking Mars would be one step to terraforming, though it's unclear what the unintended consequences of that action might be. In any case, we'll look forward to the t-shirt.
