Imagine our world as the size of a basketball. (If you believe the world is flat, imagine the world is wrapped into a sphere the size of a basketball. Also, the world isn't flat.) With the exception of our missions to the moon, the furthest humans have ever been from the surface of the basketball can be represented by lying a quarter along the edge.
The importance of our work in space cannot be solely based on how far we travel from our home planet, but there's something to be said for the spark of exploration that has driven us to push the boundary of what we know.
It's that same spark that drove great explorers to traverse the world, whether guided by the promise of future riches or simply that unending itch stemming from a stagnant life.
One person alive today stands out as doing more than anyone else to scratch that itch. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is arguably the most successful private space industry to date.
Musk is already well known for his bold claims of achievement but is more well-known for his undeniable way of backing up said promises.
One of the issues facing the company today is the decision of whether to make SpaceX move into the public sector. Musk is not supportive of that idea, saying that the move would occur if SpaceX begins to launch flights to Mars.
Though seeming as a far-fetched way of putting an idea on the back burner indefinitely, Musk is doing everything in his power to actually complete this ultimate goal.
He has gone on record with these claims as well. In the following video, you can watch how, in the wake of another huge setback for the company in the loss of another rocket, Musk simply says that they must get back to work, as the rockets carrying astronauts to Mars will have to be exceptionally reliable.
This is not some far-off goal either; Musk has stated plans for a manned landing on Mars to take place as early as 11 to 12 years from now. How can he give us such a straightforward date on such an incredible feat? Does he know more than we do, or is someone, somewhere, calling the shots behind the scenes that we don't see?
Perhaps. But the more likely scenario is that Elon Musk represents everything good about the entrepreneurship of a space program, and he knows it.
He knows that all eyes are on him for how the future of our space-based endeavors will be decided. With that being said, when he tells us that there's an 11-12 year window in his mind to reach Mars, it might be a good idea to start marking your calendar, because around him, the impossible begins to feel very much the opposite.
