From Paul Friedlander, London, UK
Reader views on the colonisation of Mars, varied as they have been, have missed the most important point of all. Historically, colonisation was driven by a search for opportunities to trade and get rich. Perhaps, with Elon Musk as one of the chief proponents, we are missing the elephant in the room. Rather than debating the technical dangers and difficulties, would it not be better to speculate about what wild ideas Musk has tucked away in the back of his mind(Letters, 18 January)?
Let us start with the working assumption that a man who is already approaching 10 times the wealth Bill Gates accumulated has a good business plan for his colony. But what will it be? That is the question I invite fellow readers to ponder. It may not be pretty, and Musk may well see himself as the de facto future emperor of Mars. One way or another, I am confident there is money to be made, and anyone who doubts that hasn’t looked far enough into the future.
