Yes, you read that right. The Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has expressed his desire to nuke Mars but it’s not because he hates any potential life that might exist on the Red Planet, it’s because he believes this is the best way to make the planet habitable for humans. Musk has made no secret of his desire to populate Mars, he even believes that he will be able to beat NASA’s mission to put a man on Mars by as much as ten years.
Musk expressed this idea during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host and the guest started talking about laying the groundwork on Mars to ultimately build that colony that many have dreamed about.
Climate is harsh up there and won’t be able to sustain human life, Musk’s plan is to jump start the climate change process on Mars instead of waiting around for it to happen on its own. “The fast way is to drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles,” he certainly wasn’t joking when he made this claim.
This prompted Colbert to respond: “Superman doesn’t say, ‘Let’s drop nuclear bombs.’ That’s Lex Luthor, man.” Then again, Musk has never been short of radical ideas.
During his appearance the SpaceX founder also said that the possibility exists that his space outfit will be able to transport humans into space within two to three years, though we might have to wait for a bit longer to hatch a ride on a Falcon rocket to Mars.