Musk warns of Earth's end—says Mars is humanity's 'life insurance'
What's the story
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently revealed his vision for Mars in an interview with Fox News.
He called the Red Planet a "life insurance" policy for humanity. This, he said, is because eventually all life on Earth will be destroyed by the Sun as it gradually expands.
He stressed the need for a multi-planet civilization to ensure survival beyond Earth.
Mars colonization
Musk's vision extends beyond mere exploration
Musk clarified that his vision for Mars isn't just about landing on the planet and planting flags. He wants to build a self-sustaining city on Mars.
He said, "The fundamental fork in the road of destiny [is] that Mars is sufficiently self-sustaining and can grow by itself if the resupply ships from Earth stop coming for any reason."
Meaning, his plan is to create an independent ecosystem on another planet.
Future of Mars
Self-sustainability is key to Musk's vision
Musk stressed that the critical point in the future of life as we know it will be when Mars becomes self-sustaining.
"If the resupply ships are necessary for Mars to survive, then we have not created life insurance," he said.
This underlines his belief that the true survival beyond Earth depends on our ability to create a self-sufficient ecosystem on Mars.