By Qamar Bashir
The secret of Mr. Trump's admiration for Elon Musk became clear to me during an
interview where Trump narrated a fascinating story about a space rocket. Trump
described how, after traveling back to Earth, instead of landing in a desert, sea, lake, or
some other desolate place, the rocket executed a controlled descent. Swinging and turning
wildly with a large flame roaring from its exhaust, it slowed down and gently positioned
itself to land precisely on the same launcher from which it was fired. Astonished by this
incredible feat of science, human ingenuity, and innovation, Trump said he immediately
called Elon Musk to confirm: "Was it you?" When Musk replied affirmatively, Trump
remarked, "No country on the face of the Earth could do it, not even the USA, but you
did it."
This inspired me to dig deeper into Elon Musk’s wild dreams of space exploration and
peek into his visionary mind. After some research, I was left reeling with amazement.
Musk’s mind, it seems, is one that might have been born many years into the future.
In one of his interviews, Musk mentioned the possibility of mankind traveling at twice
the speed of light—not by burning any fuel but by bending time and space. He explained
that by "squeezing space," which behaves like a giant plastic sheet, we could bring distant
areas of the universe closer to us without traveling any actual distance. This radical idea
is rooted in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Musk referred to the concept of
creating a "warp bubble" that contracts space in front of a spacecraft and expands it
behind, effectively allowing the craft to traverse vast distances without exceeding the
speed of light within its local frame. This concept, known as the Alcubierre Drive, was
proposed by physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. It suggests that by warping spacetime,
a spacecraft could achieve effective Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel without violating the
laws of physics.
Elon Musk is captivated by this theoretically possible feat and is actively working on
advanced propulsion technologies and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to solve
complex challenges. Reports suggest that Musk has created an AI supercomputer, known
as "Colossus," located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is equipped with 100,000 of the latest
Nvidia GPUs, liquid-cooled with massive water systems, and powered by Tesla
Megapack batteries. According to Musk, Colossus is not merely a machine but a
gateway—designed to fuel "Grok," an AI model capable of propelling humanity beyond
the boundaries of human understanding. Musk envisions Grok solving some of
humanity's greatest mysteries, such as the enigma of black holes, dark matter, and dark
energy. He believes we are on the verge of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos—or
perhaps discovering something even more unimaginable waiting for us on the other side.
In another video, Elon Musk shared an idea that showcased his deep understanding of
cosmology, explaining it in simple terms rather than relying on complex mathematical
calculations or difficult-to-comprehend concepts. He stated that, while technically
traveling faster than the speed of light might be theoretically possible, it remains a
difficult feat to achieve at this point in time. He explained this by highlighting how space
itself can play tricks on us. While we cannot travel faster than the speed of light, the
fabric of space is moving at speeds faster than light.
In another video, Musk described a hypothetical scenario involving a spaceship that
could take you to distant stars in the blink of an eye. This concept, known as the "warp
drive," involves a revolutionary way of thinking about travel. Instead of zooming through
space, a warp drive would work by stretching space in front of the ship and compressing
it behind. Musk illustrated this concept by likening space to a giant rubber sheet. Imagine
pulling a distant star closer to you instantly. By pulling the space in front of you closer
and pushing the space behind you away, you could move forward without physically
moving. This means it would be possible to travel to other planets and even distant stars
faster than light, all without breaking the laws of physics.
Reaching this point of understanding and innovation has not been easy for Elon Musk.
When he first introduced the concept of commercial space exploration, the entire world
seemed to turn against him. During a Congressional Senate hearing in 2010, many
veteran space legends, including Neil Armstrong, publicly opposed the idea of
commercial space exploration. Musk later revealed that this opposition brought him to
tears. However, this criticism did not deter him. Today, SpaceX is approaching a $250
billion valuation and has conducted more than 400 launches over the past 14 years,
including 15 crewed missions. Of these, ten were under contract with NASA to transport
astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
Under President elect Trump, a major shake-up in U.S. space policy began to take shape.
There are discussions about potentially canceling future iterations of NASA's Space
Launch System (SLS) or even abandoning it altogether. Plans for Gateway, a proposed
space station in lunar orbit, were also reconsidered in favor of expanding commercial
contracts with companies like SpaceX. This shift aimed to accelerate efforts to send
humans to Mars, a vision Musk has championed for years.
Musk’s ultimate goal is to colonize Mars. His vision includes building up to 1,000
Starships a year to transport people between Earth and the red planet. As in the past, this
ambitious idea is not without controversy. Many conventional scientists caution that it
will require years of further research and development, as the technologies necessary to
sustain life on Mars do not yet exist. However, just as Neil Armstrong and others once
doubted the feasibility of commercial space exploration, these conventional scientists
may not be able to deter Elon Musk from venturing into this arena. Musk has a track
record of defying skepticism, as demonstrated when many believed rockets could not and
would not land back on their launch pads. Musk proved them wrong by stating that if a
rocket can ascend along a specific trajectory, it can also descend along the same path to
return to its launcher. Once again, Musk’s determination may turn the improbable into
reality.
The democrats like Obama and Joe Biden had had assumed Elon Musk a biggest
adversary and did whatever they could to deter him for visualizing his wild dreams. But
they could not dampened his innovation and creativity and now with Donald Trump in
power, and Musk himself in the driving seat to cut down on bureaucracy and and
eliminate overregulations which according to him stifle entrepreneurship, cuttle creativity
and slow down economic growth, the world should keep its figure cross and await for
many more mind boggling innovations by many innovators like Elon Musk which might
multiply by the enabling environment under Donald Trump.
