We already know SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans to send people to Mars as soon as 2024. But over the weekend,The Lord of the G-Strings: The Femaleship of the String he hinted on Twitter that his ambitions are much bigger: He wants to conquer the rest of our solar system as well.
According to Musk, SpaceX's Mars Colonial Transporter, a spacecraft designed to carry both cargo and astronauts to Mars, is actually designed to go "well beyond" Mars. As such, it naturally means the MCT needs a new name, and Musk already has an idea.
SEE ALSO: India offers land to Elon Musk to test HyperloopTurns out MCT can go well beyond Mars, so will need a new name…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2016
One candidate for the new name was the modest-sounding "Ultimate Spaceship, Version 2."
Maybe Ultimate Spaceship, Version 2? Mostly because it is not the ultimate and there isn't a version 1.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2016
However, it appears Musk has ultimately settled for "Interplanetary Transport System."
Preview of the @SpaceX interplanetary transport system at @IAC2016https://t.co/Rz4XmeAoRw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2016
While Musk's Twitter remarks appear to be very casual in nature, the news that the MCT can go beyond Mars is interesting. Little is known about that particular spacecraft, and Musk plans to unveil more about the Mars mission on Sept. 27, during the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. For an overview of what is known about the MCT -- or ITS, as it stands now -- check this video.
So what could the ITS be used for, besides bringing 100 tons of cargo (or about 100 astronauts -- both figures come from SpaceX's head of rocket engine development Tom Mueller), to Mars? We'll leave the crazy predictions to Musk, but the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and the planet Venus (which is, on average, closer to Earth than Mars, but a worse candidate for terraforming, which is something Musk is interested in), are the most likely candidates for a visit.
If there's something Elon Musk loves to do, it's defying expectations. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO has consistently promised nearly impossible things, only to casually reveal later that his original plans were even more grand -- for example, in June 2013 Tesla surprised everyone by showing that the battery in its Model S sedan can be swapped in less than 90 seconds.
It does not always work -- for example, this month's SpaceX rocket explosion was possibly a big setback to the company's plans, and the battery swapping Model S program mentioned above was later abandoned. But even the possibility of a private company launching missions -- crewed or otherwise -- to planets or moons beyond Mars, will be very exciting for anyone interested in space travel.
Topics SpaceX Elon Musk
Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
The Uncanny “I”: An Interview with Kristin Dombek
Poem: “LBJ Ranch Barbecue”
How the Fox Sisters’ Hoax Gave Birth to Spiritualism
NYT mini crossword answers for May 9, 2025
Artists Explore the Archetype of the Teen Girl
Staff Picks: Sophie Pinkham, Robyn Creswell, Kelly Reichardt
How Did Philip Guston Find Inspiration? By Mocking Nixon
Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop at record
Tonight at McNally Jackson: A Celebration of Henry Green
SpaceX's Starlink will provide free satellite internet to families in Texas school district
The Best and Worst Thing About Windows? They’re Transparent.
Circumstantial Pleasures: Collages by Lewis Klahr
Marina Warner Remembers Peal & Co, Bespoke Shoemaker
Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
Escape! Our Fall Issue Is 100% Election
In the Kitchen with Salvador Dalí
Paul Verlaine’s Six
Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
Light and Dark: 7 Paintings by Marcos Bontempo
NYT's The Mini crossword answers for January 9The Mandalorian & Grogu are headed to the big screenLG wants to put a massive, 57Are the 2024 presidential campaigns Too Online?Freedom Came in Cycles by Pamela SneedThe First Christmas MealThe Art of Distance No. 38 by The Paris ReviewBest noiseOn John Coltrane’s “Alabama” by Ismail MuhammadLG wants to put a massive, 57Super Mario Maker 2 on sale: Lowest price everLG wants to put a massive, 57Bitcoin price spikes then plummets after hacked SEC Twitter/X account spreads fake newsThe Corporate Feminism of NXIVMRedux: A Little Bedtime Story by The Paris ReviewNYT's The Mini crossword answers for January 10Staff Picks: Mingus, Monologues, and Memes by The Paris ReviewThe Reality of Color by The Paris ReviewCES 2024: KIA's concept EV fleet is wildly modularLoneliness Is Other People by Katharine Smyth After Hurricane Irma, U.S. Virgin Islands residents feel forgotten Here's what Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 looks like on the inside Everything you need to know about the massive Equifax data breach Canceled cruises head to the Caribbean to help stranded tourists Download this: Why Facebook's app looks so different Tampa's hurricane luck may finally run out Sunday, in a disastrous way THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS: National Weather Service tweets apocalyptic Irma warning I am the empress of fall and if you drink hot coffee before the equinox you are dead to me Melissa McCarthy nabs another Emmy for iconic Sean Spicer role Check out a sneak peek at Malala's new book, "Malala's Magic Pencil" Why I'm in no rush to buy the iPhone X ‘The Florida Project’ is the best 2017 movie that you haven’t heard of Outlander recap: Season 3 shows Black Jack and Jamie's showdown Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review: The best Chinese phone ever works in the U.S Apple iOS 11 leak hints at Apple Watch LTE and new colors RED reveals how the 'holographic display' in its Hydrogen phone works Rare flyover video of North Korea shows a virtually empty ghost town Drivers face a traffic nightmare as they flee before Hurricane Irma Pennywise from 'IT' is the internet's new crush and it's sort of weird Facebook is dropping $1 billion on video, and that's pretty great news
2.286s , 10131.859375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【The Lord of the G-Strings: The Femaleship of the String】,Creation Information Network