"SpaceX plans to send two tourists around moon by
2018", Elon Musk, Founder SpaceX
“It
is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary”,
Elon Musk
President Donald Trump recent announcement to substantially increase defense spending by
cutting, inter-alia, budget allocation
to environmental protection. In
response, China has decided to ramp up its naval capability. Coupled with these
directionless decisions, Global warming, atomic weaponry and terrorism have
created threat to human existence on this earth. A civilisation nurtured over millions of years have never
witnessed such danger of existence, as it is facing over the last fifty
years. It is time to think beyond to save human existence of this earth lest we
are all buried somewhere deep inside the soil or under the water bed. Planning
is fiction, execution is warranted. Here comes Elon Musk.
In 2001, Elon Musk conceptualized the idea to set up a
human colony on Mars. To make it a
reality, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX- to develop and
manufacture space launch vehicles. SpaceX became the first commercial company
to launch and berth a vehicle to the International Space Station, replacing US
Space Shuttle after it retired in 2011. Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO), even after creating history of launching 104 satellites in a single flight,
has accepted that it is not “competing with private companies like SpaceX” and
also that SpaceX “have made significant strides in space
technology…” (Mr Ajey Lele, Institute for Defence Studies Analyses).
Feeling
a threat to humankind from an asteroid or super volcano, an engineered virus,
micro black holes or global warming; Musk has plans to establish a human
colony on Mars by 2040 with a population of 80,000. He aims to send unmanned spacecraft to the red planet in 2022 followed
by first manned Mars flight in 2024.
“The
future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it’s going
to become multi-planetary, or it’s going to remain confined to one planet and
eventually there’s going to be extinction event”, Elon Musk
On
22nd February, 2017, NASA has discovered
seven Earth-size planets around a single star- TRAPPIST-1 presenting humanity
an opportunity to save its existence. As per study all the seven planets may be
capable of supporting life. Trappist-1 is just 39 light
years (369 trillion kilometres) away from our solar system- a stone throw
away as per cosmic scheme of things. Stephen Hawking has dreamt of ultra-fast
spacecraft that could fly as fast as 20 percent of the speed of light (216
million km/h). Now, it is time we can look up to Elon Musk for enjoying
our summer vacation to these planets.
“The
first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will
occur”, Elon
Musk
Born on June 28, 1971 in South Africa, Elon Musk
developed an interest in computing. At
age 12, Musk sold the code for a BASIC-based video game he created called Blaster to a
magazine. At age 24, Musk moved to California to begin his PhD in applied
physics and materials science at Stanford University, but left the program
after two days to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations in the areas of
internet, renewal energy and outer space. With an investment of US$ 28000, Musk
started Zip2, a web
software company to develop and market an internet ‘city guide’ for
newspaper publishing industry. Musk sold the company in 1999 earning US$ 22
million in his personal kitty.
“If something is important
enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it”, Elon Musk
In March 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an
online financial services and e-mail payment company with US$ 10 million from
the sale of Zip2. One year later, the company merged with Confinity, which had
money transfer service called PayPal.
In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for US$ 1.5 billion in stock, of
which Musk received US$ 165 million.
“Going from PayPal, I thought:
‘Well, what are some of the other problems that are likely to most affect the
future of humanity?’. Not from the perspective, ‘What’s the best way to make
money?’” Elon
Musk
In
2004, Elon Musk joined Tesla Motors’s board of directors as its
chairman. Following the financial crises in 2008, Musk assumed leadership of
the company as CEO and product architect and is presently charging an annual
salary of one dollar. Tesla Motors first built an electric sports car, the
Tesla Roadster in 2008 followed by different versions of electric cars. To
help combat global warming, Musk has allowed its technology patents to be used
by anyone in good faith to speed the development of electric cars.
“Great companies are built on great products”, Elon Musk.
Musk
provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, a further step to
contain global warming. The coming up new plant of SolarCity in New York will
be “one of the single largest solar panel production plants in the
world”.
“I say something, and then it usually happens.
Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens”, Elon Musk.
The projects like SolarCity, Tesla and SpaceX are
envisioned to change the world and the humanity. It is time to salute Elon Musk
for his attempts to combat global warming through sustainable energy production
and reducing the risk of human extinction by making life
multi-planetary.
“If you get up in the morning
and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day”, Elon Musk.
(The facts have been collected from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Tilak Gulati
Assistant
General Manager, UCO Bank.
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