MUSK MADNESS Nasa astronaut reveals why he wont live in Elon Musks Mars colony

Stanley Glen Love is a 57-year-old American scientist and Nasa astronaut.

He joined Nasa in 1998, went on his first spaceflight on Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2008, and has logged over 300 hours in space.

Advertisement

When asked about his thoughts on Musk's Mars colony idea, Love told The U.S. Sun: "Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Do I think it would be enjoyable? No.

"I think it would be horrible. This is based on an opportunity I had while in the astronaut office to go to Antarctica.

"Just to give you an example, we were in a field camp living in small tents out on the Antarctic ice cap, eight thousand feet above sea level, and we had all the food you could possibly want.

"Huge crates of really good food. Food’s important on an expedition like that."

Advertisement

Love went on to explain that his team would wait eagerly for a plane that would bring new supplies, including mail and food.

He said: "They take away a bunch of garbage and they brought us three ping pong ball-sized wormy little apples from New Zealand.

"There were eight of us and we carefully portioned those Apples so everybody got exactly three-eighths of a ping pong ball-sized wormy little Apple from New Zealand and it was the best Apple you ever ate.

"It will be a very long time before Mars is able to produce even a wormy little ping pong ball-sized Apple. Much less a nectarine. Much less a day on the beach.

"Antarctica’s another model for that. I think the longest anyone has stayed there is five years continuously and then they were out of there."

Advertisement

Musk has admitted himself that the first people living on Mars will find it tough.

While on an episode of the Full Send podcast, the tech tycoon spoke about what it would be like for the first people that arrive on the planet.

He said: "It will be hard living in the beginning on Mars, not like a luxury situation."

Musk said the journey will be "long and difficult" and the food will not be good.

"It's going to be like dangerous like you might die," he warned. "But over time you can make it awesome."

Astronaut Love stressed that he wouldn't want to be one of the first people living in that colony.

He told The U.S. Sun: "When you return to New Zealand after six weeks in Antarctica, the smell of living soil and grass and flowers brings tears to your eyes.

"Mars ain’t no picnic. When people are living in Antarctica for long periods of time then I’ll believe Mars but I don’t think people are going to like it."

When asked whether he thought 2050 was a realistic goal for the first human colony on Mars, Love simply replied: "No."

Advertisement