In a recent post on the social platform "X," Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, shared profound insights about the continuity of human civilization. He pointed out that if humanity succeeds in evolving into an interplanetary species, our civilization could endure for millions of years, whereas without such advancement, its lifespan might be merely a few hundred years.
On April 7th, Musk first shared a podcast episode titled "The Fall of the Sumerians: The Rise and Fall of the First Urban Civilization," captioned with "the rise and fall of the first wave of civilization." This sparked significant interest among netizens about the future of humanity, with one user asking under the post: "How long do you think our civilization can last?"
In response to this question, Musk provided a thoughtful answer. He stated, "Civilization needs to maintain its current technological level until achieving self-sufficiency on Mars, a goal that could be realized within 20 years. If we can become a multi-planetary or even a multi-star species, then our civilization has the potential to endure for millions of years. Conversely, if we fail to achieve this, our civilization may only last a few hundred years."
Looking back at history, Musk unveiled his grand "Mars Colonization Plan" as early as September 2016. He envisioned building a self-sustaining human city on the planet located 225 million kilometers away from Earth. This plan not only demonstrates Musk's foresight but also reflects his profound concern for the future destiny of humanity.
According to SpaceX's previous descriptions, the Starship spacecraft will refuel in Earth's orbit and successfully land on Mars. Musk anticipates that the Starship will transport large quantities of supplies to Mars, laying a solid foundation for constructing a self-sufficient "Martian city."
His ultimate plan is even more ambitious — to build 1,000 interstellar spaceship rockets, launching three per day, ultimately sending one million people to Mars. This grand blueprint not only showcases the endless possibilities of human exploration in the universe but also offers a new perspective on contemplating the continuity of civilization.
