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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: October 8, 2017

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REAL LIFE NEWS: ELON MUSK PLANS TRIP TO MARS IN SEVEN YEARS

by Hazed

Elon Musk has announced his plans for a crewed mission to Mars within the next seven years. He laid out his blueprint for travel to Mars when he spoke to the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Australia last week.

The key to his plans is a massive rocket, named the BFR (the B stands for Big, the R for Rocket – you can guess what the F stands for!) 348 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter, powered by 31 Raptor engines. It will be capable of carrying 150 tons or cargo or 100 passengers.

The rocket would be fully reusable; after it reaches Earth orbit it will split into two, with the upper second stage remaining in orbit holding a load of fuel while the lower first stage returns to Earth to pick up passengers and refuel. This will then blast off, refuel again from the orbiting second stage, and head off to Mars.

Musk said that the first Raptor engines have been built and test fired, and that the final rocket could be assembled within a year. By 2022, he explained, some test flights would go to Mars to scout for suitable landing sites. Then a manned mission in 2024 would be accompanied by two cargo flights bringing supplies.

There is a video of Musk’s full presentation at the source link below.

The BFR won’t only be used for a Mars trip; Musk says it can launch satellites, service the space station, and take people to the moon.

This sounds tremendously exciting, but it’s wildly ambitious. Musk’s SpaceX company is notorious for announcing deadlines and then watching them whoosh past. But even if deadlines are missed, it’s all possible. Who knows, we could see humans walking on Mars in my lifetime!

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/29/musks_rocket_for_mars/

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