Why The Boring Company Is The Key To Elon's Mars Colony! 

This was the most informative and intelligent video about Mars as human habitat that I have seen on RU-vid. Subscribed

Yours is actually the 1st discussion I've seen to address lava tubes; good job! Thanks for opening up the topic for discussion!

I totally agree; have been assuming this was the case for years; thanks for putting some more substance behind the theory!

Hehehe, been dreaming up that Mars tunnel colony for years, got tons of design ideas for it, glad to see someone bring it up! 😇

I thought of this when I heard about the Boring Company in the beginning. I had thought of using a kind of loader that would scoop out a flat foundation, melt the scooped up dirt, and lay it back into the scooped area as a glassy, insulative foundation.

The rock boring machines doesn’t need to be shiped directly from earth to mars. Instead you could ship them in pieces to the moon, assambled them there and then ship to Mars. NASA also plans for future missions to assamble a huge station on the moon. And consider that: Only the first boring and mining machines needs to be assambled on earth. All future ones should been directly made on mars, with insitu-materials once an underground factory is assambled. What really matters are the blueprints and the knowledge how certain materials react in different enviroments, what you partially explains in this video.

6:42 - 7:01 This is something I've been waiting to hear for a while ! up till now, I've only heard 1 youtuber talk about this centrifuge idea. I think it's the biggest 'hard to solve problem' for permanent habitation. As mentioned in this great video, there are lots of big challenges but more answers for them. (i was expecting the image to be different, as i imagined it as like a train on a circular tube track, and the train banks towards the center as the speed increases.)

Very informative thanks

Great plan but the details are going to be fun to work out. We know little about the nature of the soil and we don't know what we will use in place of concrete to support tunnel walls. So I'm sure that we will use tunnels on Mars but the exact nature and extent is yet to be developed.

When Musk bought the company 5 years ago, I immediately knew it was meant for boring tunnels on Mars. Same goes for the cars: electric vehicles for on Mars, SpaceX: rockets and space ships for Mars. Everything he does has the long view in mind.

Wow! I think you seriously cracked master plan 3! Amazing work!

I've watched all your videos in the longest while and I like hearing your take on these

I always knew they would start tunneling on mars. Mostly automated with maybe half a dozen or so on site to maintain the equipment.

For those who take the time to read all of the below: So much innovative thinking generated by this video ... It's great when good minds think positively ... This is how 'something' is born ... Great job by so many who contributed here, and for the most part, with 'respect' to each of the contributors. A good example for all to follow.

SOLID CONTENT!!!! thank you for the video

On their website the Boring company has a rendering of one segment of a two segment prufrock machine being transported to and from the job site with a 9 axle Tesla Semi, so aspirationally I think a machine much lighter than 1100 tons is envisioned. In the US an 18 wheeler has a 40 ton total weight limit so a 2 segment machine should easily be within the limits of a single starship. A 3 segment machine could likely be carried. And the segmentation would be desirable to aid unloading from starship. The rendering suggests Prufrock is being designed with transportation on a single Starship anticipated.

I've come to the conclusion that everything Musk does is to reach his goal of a self-sustaining civilization on Mars. Yes, the boring machines on Mars could be useful, for transportation, habitats and mining. You point out that a boring machine has a mass of 1200 tons, meaning that a Boring machine on Mars would be assembled on Mars from earth supplied parts. Perhaps this will do for the first couple of Boring Machines, but not efficient. There is another way, a necessary way, to get to self-sustenance on Mars. Don't ship equipment, built it. I'm sure you've heard variations of the Tesla Giga factories are the Tesla product. With higher and higher vertical integration, the Tesla factories at their limit get resources shoveled in one end and products come out the other end. How could you do this on Mars? Tesla Bot will be the solution, being able to work on the surface of Mars without a pressure suit. At a minimum, Musk will start flights in 2024/6 to Mars, and the first flights will have Tesla bots and equipment to start the Sabatier process. Without the Sabatier process established on Mars, there is no return flight with a Starship. Only later can human flight to Mars start in 2028/9.

For a large sustainable present on Mars you will need the same infrastructure that you have on Earth. Which means mining, smelting metals, and other base materials. Then you just need to send the plans to make the machines to build your new world. I would think for all that you will need lots of energy and I would guess that it would be small nuclear plants and not solar panels... Small N plants that could be built into a dedicated SS's and after landing on Mars they could ready to go after connecting to the new grid. It will take a monumental effort that's for sure.

Such an excellent video. Your research and the artwork that you have located really helps us to visualise what living on Mars might be like. Prime realestate will surely be Valles Marineris. It will be so beautiful plus it will provide some natural protection from radiation, also some incredible places to explore.

Bingo, so glad to see someone cover this aspect.

The rocket itself could be used as habitation and covered over with Martian regolith.

Yeah I can see tunnels being used to connect other underground colonies. But I can also see Tesla investing into 3D printing Boring machines so they don't have to carry an entire machine to Mars.

Very interesting supposition. Thanks for good stuff.

Utterly fascinating, a great presentation and it feels doable. I also think the speculation on Martian life feels like it could turn out to be true.

I think bore the tunnels and insert an inflatable form fitting bag habitat. It can be a flexible mesh skin on the outside with layers of protection against the elements. The bag contains circuitry and the plumbing in the skin and modular living abd tech can be added later inside.

The one fly in the ointment is water. Even a relatively small nuclear reactor requires a lot of water. While there is some evidence of large pockets of frozen water on Mars, it is far from certain. It would also be nice if the breakthroughs in sold state batteries, graphene and super conductors come through. I wish I was 40 years younger so I could live to see it. A million people off planet is a good insurance policy in case we destroy the earth.

Nicely joined-up thinking thanks. Subscribed for more. There’s more joined-up thinking in Elon’s life for you to uncover. Just keep digging!

Thanks for this fantacy ride on Mars ... And under it! 😁. U've quite interestingly given this fantasy trip as much realistic tone as u can 👌🏼👏. It jells well with the known physics of Mars regolith. Thanks again.

Yup, exciting times to be alive.

We'll still need glass domes for the same reason we use them on Earth, growing plants. The atmosphere of Mars is sufficient to stop the small grain-sized metrorites, and larger ones are rarer. A TBM may be useful long-term, but if you're transporting heavy machinery a traditional backhoe and other earthmoving machines would be more immediately useful.

In this time of international crisis, building tunnels on Mars certainly is important.

Much appreciated, wholistic overview and proposal :>

Yes this is the best concept for mars. I was even thinking just trenching to make use of the solar energy transfer through ceilings but underground/semi-underground is the most viable option

Natural caves connected by artificial tunnels is the way to go. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it.

A brilliant deduction!!!!

Thanks, super intetesting

LOTS of advantages to building the first Mars colony at the deepest part of the huge canyon. Higher atmospheric pressure, less radiation, underground ice/water, etc.

I wonder if a Starship could launch a Boring machine from the Moon. Honestly I think they just need to transport one of them in pieces and having start to dig the tunnels. It will find resources, and we'll use those resources to build more. Call it a Horta.

Another great video!

What we are really going to need on Mars is some really good large volume cement making and pumping technologies that will work in low gravity.

Send the Teslabot to Mars first, them the tunnel boring machines, genius

As soon as the boring company launched, I immediately got this theory, that Elon just started refining the tunneling technology to use for his lifetime endeavor. I wholeheartedly believe that we're going to see the first operational "technical" martian base by 2030. What a time to be alive!

So plausible! Subbed!

Very good thoughts!

underground is cheaper and safer when it comes to planet colonization. and im talking about the safety of the electronic equipment. we colonized earth from the underground caves.

Maybe they could just have a dome made out of metal, or covered by dirt ,no glass. Then have cameras on the outside of the domes that send live feed to massive TVs covering the inside sky of the dome to simulating the feeling of a glass dome. The cameras would probly get dust on them all the time so maybe they use like tiny air tubs to clean them. -If you think that's a good idea leave a like IDK. -probly way more problems with this idea.

Great video. As you suggest the boring machines can be used for expansion of existing caves, and tunnels. So the boring machines can come later or a bit at a time. On a different tact. Musks other efforts also tie in nicely. Earthlink for communication, robots - workforce, AI for brainpower, management. Neuralink for human-machine efficiency, solar/batteries for power, tiny home tech for Mars space requirements, driverless conveyance- material distribution. He does these to create new tech and earth bound revenue. Mars is loaded with rare metals. Turism...

I've always thought the same and had a feeling the real reason for tunneling for Mars.

Perhaps the Boring machine could be shipped in pieces? Just PONDERING😳

For Mars usage, you dont actually think they would build the boring machine using the same heavy materials as they do for use on earth, do you? They could build it today using carbon fiber composite and the final weight would be less than 100 metric ton. And since graphene is out of the lab, in the future they can build it even lighter and much stronger. Imagine.

Great video!!!

Wow. This sounds amazing

About time this Musk conclusion is talked about...It has been obvious for a long time...doh! Musk has never spoken crap or acted upon without a reason. All you have to do is listen, reason and add to understand his visions. May he have continued success...buy his products!

I like elon Musk and his companies, however, the Boring company is not a company I like. Digging tunnels at a fast pace is all good, but once they're built, please, just put a metro in it. what is the point of a bunch of small pods other than them looking cool. It's so inefficient and would require far more resources (which will already be incredibly scarce on Mars), to build, all the while being less efficient. Just build a metro for the love of god.

Love from Slovenia 🇸🇮!¡!¡

Regarding cosmic or solar radiation: the strength of earth’s magnetic field, is insignificant compared to that at the ITER fusion plant! (Though, useless against uncharged particles)

I said it was for mars and the moon from the beginning. The problem is that the tunnel borer is and needs to be a heavy piece of machinery. Even broken down into the smallest possible sections, when it goes out the side of a mostly empty of fuel Starship 120 ft up onto the elevator mechanism, the whole rocket will tip over. There will need to be another type of lander for heavy multi ton machinery.

Would living underground affect people mentally, though? I mean, I feel like it wouldn't affect me personally, and I bet most people would agree that's how they feel, but I've heard there are some psychological effects of this. Does anyone know anything about this? Would working above ground help with this? Would we have artificial windows on the top of the lava tubes broadcasting areas of the surface just to make people see the surface?

Yay Excellent & Exciting but, and fabulous to think about /talk about BUT, I wanna start DOING

The thrill of exploration and learning!

Everything Elon works on and develops all work together so well. From his factory workers being robots in the future, to his transports being self driving vehicles… and of coarse the boring company like you’re saying.

Elon start the reactor, free Mars!

This time what went on in Vegas will not stay in Vegas!! I met both Britney Spears and Elon Musk early in 2000 at Bellagio. Britney just stared at me as she was singing on stage and I was standing in an archway above and nearby. I'm not sure if I was supposed to be standing up there by myself but I did have her undivided attention. A few days later Elon came up to me and started asking me questions about what I was doing there, in Hawaii and Las Vegas during that time. Would I be fine answering a few questions and if I was a gambling man? I stated, "I was on vacation and I only like to bet on things that are worth betting on!" I had earned these trips by qualifying reward points at my work. He asked, "What kind of work is it that you do?" I said, "Commercial energy saving promotions but I had been schooled in Automotive Marketing Business Administration and worked in that field for several years as well." He asked me, "If I had millions of dollars to spend what would be the most innovative businesses that could help humanity?" We talked about electric cars, we talked about solar energy and so many other subjects for over an hour. Even commercial space exploration for the consideration of colonization. That way all of humanity's eggs are not in one basket in case of another world war, asteroid strike, major climate change, etc. These we're very expensive and ambitious businesses to become successful at. Therefore we had to talk about ways of keeping a low overhead in advertising, distribution and the manufacturing. He said, "They were all very good ideas and that they should be done!" He said he had already made hundreds of millions off of a couple internet companies he started. "One of them was PayPal," he stated. Not that I had really done a lot of online banking or e-transfers at that time I didn't think much of it, until I noticed online about a year later that I could buy something off the computer with my PayPal card! Unfortunately I had just received a promotion as regional manager with the company I was working with. This made me let Elon know that I had to wait for a few years before I could assist further. I keep on sending out messages, hoping that he will get one and reply back. I will probably have to keep on trying, he gets more messages in a day then I would in five years! It is very inspiring to me to have a conversation with someone and they dedicate the next 20 years to making our conversation reality! We also talked about becoming your own best supplier and starting businesses that help your existing business. A type of slingshot effect that he has incorporated very well. It is so ambitious and amazing that he was willing to put pretty much all of his money where his mouth is and just make it happen with a consistent dedication. Congratulations Elon and I am looking forward to working with you again, one day in the near future! I still come up with innovative business ideas on a daily basis. Of course Britney I always wish her well and would enjoy meeting her again as well! Shoot for the Moon then Mars and then we will end up amongst the Stars! If you would like to learn more of these topics let me know. People with integrity expect to be believed otherwise they let time prove them right! propower101@hotmail.com

Love this content, keep it up.

You figured this out only now? Really? I mean...really? This was painfully obvious the day he founded the company.

lava flows on earth are also where you would find gems, crystals, metals etc etc etc.... elon has been working on his boring machines too... he is aiming to speed them up... since they are so slow right now. if that helps... i'm not sure if the target is 7 miles an hour or if that has been achieved yet. our initial tunnels will probably be trenches or surface crafted structures... personally the idea of trenches is best in my opinion, because the more you dig the more you can cover the ones you already have, inflatable habitats in trenches that have concrete caps covered in soil dug from additional trenches... that could eventually be used for the transit system would make sense to me. so the construction/home building machines would be in charge of making the support structures to handle the pressure of the soil on top of the trenches turning them into tunnels... i mean its' easier to make bricks than it is to make a home right? air locks installed to pressurize them... the only real issue i see thou is that with less gravity it would mean allot more soil would be needed to cover them to make sure the pressure didn't pop the tunnels.... thou i mean we have boring machines that put concrete tunnel segments into place to protect and make the tunnels.... so maybe those bricks will be of the proper shape to be used as that... and use multiple layers?? bonded together to help with that? eh its a bit much to think about for a non engineer but thought i'd throw that in :D peace

One thing to concider is that the further down we drill the denser it gets (higher pressure). I don't know how far down we would need to go but I believe it could equate to Earth's atmosphere pressure.

Excellent stuff bro, yep he’ll do it. Let’s hope he starts on the moon

what about the water in Mars enjoyable video great..

Brilliant!

I'm most interested in what properties are in the silica found on Mars and what possible computer technologies could be born.

City in Africa is also part of the master plan and testing technology here.

You don’t need to send complete tbm’s! Firstly, you need huge amount of power, to be able to transfer iron ore into parts. Secondly, you must be able to prospect certain materials: never ship if it’s already there. Probably, the tough claws, and all micro electronics must be shipped. As imagined in James Blish sci-fi novel, silicon/ germanium will replace gold as precious metal (after all, what’s the good use for gold anyway)

Wow it must feel amazing to be this genius, he probably never has a thoughtless moment.

Yes. It makes perfect sense. Looks like a plan that can be followed

Likely mentioned in the 1000 comments below but we must remember the boring machine sent to Mars could likely be build of much lighter materials other then the cutting face and structure needed to withstand the rigors of torsion. Possibly mostly titanium, aluminum and magnesium. Very modular and possibly very reconfigurable. Don't forget there are all kinds of tunneling machines just as adaptable to Mars. Look at Road Headers etc.

We can use the ground for protection and makes way more sense then building domes.

truth is anything can be constructed on Mars , you just need to transport some smaller machines to build larger ones

If we could somehow get the core going again we could create an atmosphere way easier.

I actually believe we should be building large underground Cities here, the moon and Mars!! Here we could turn mountains into large massive cities!! Just like the Dwarves do in LOTR we could have in the center of the city a large cylinder that goes all the way the the surface of that mountain to let the sunlight in and down the cylinder that has reflective material to bounce that light lighting up the city for daytime!! Then on the roof of the mountain we could place lights to simulate 🌟 during night

This video hits the nail on the head !!!!!!!

so interesting

Just need a lava tube connection system and you’ve got your first highways.

The Boring Co not only for Mars, maybe even for the Hyperloop here on the planet.💡🤔🤙🏾

this is amazing news

Totally cool clean up traffic and city on Mars

Check out the Springfield caves . . it's the perfect concept for mars and moon base with working mining and scientific labs... Storage and living .

Makes sense

He doesn't want to bore Mars he wants to bore the asteroid made of gold I love this dude

Would the tunnel boring machine need to be as heavy duty for use on Mars? I mean, would the lower gravity enable the TBM to be Aluminum rather than steel?

Mars will have good stock of Helium 3, useful in fusion reactions. Fission energy will help a lot. Tunnels with connectivity will be a good choice.

Finally! Someone has addressed the gravity problem. The centrifuge checks a lot of points. Maybe could go something like this. Get to Mars you go into the centrifuge for X time from being out of Earth's gravity. Then back in every so often to keep the body up. Now we can colonize Mars. With out this I saw no way we could ever live on Mars. Now I can see man living and thriving. AWESOME

Anyone know if there's some online discussion forum/reddit community or whatever for exploring/sharing ideas about the mars colony? I.e., stuff like potential amenities, reimagined societal structure, etc.? would be really cool

It will blow my mind more when we start to do this. When the first person goes to sleep in a bed in a habitat in a lava tube somewhere on the moon or mars I'll think 'how great we are, we humans'

Not surprised at the integration and cross over tec from Elons other companies. It's all interrelated by design.

I agree

No boring machine used by companies on earth for digging tunnels on earth is going to be practical to take to Mars. Anything taken to Mars would be a very different design from what is used on earth. Every kilo/pound put into orbit & sent into deeper space is very expensive to do. That results in very different designs. Example; the electric cart used by NASA on the Moon was very different from a typical golf cart used on earth. Weight is a major difference.

Mars is a long term possibility and represents a vast challenge, our own moon is a much more viable and achievable colony before reaching out further into the solar system as many of the challenges involved in colonising would be learned there whilst having the support of Earth relatively close by for manpower, tech and resources, the moon has water and helium 3 as well as many of the minerals we find on earth. Boring machines on the moon would be beneficial in the same way as on Mars for establishing a safe subterranean colony and would yield resources for expanding a base, in fact this is more than likely the plan as once established on the moon sending a colony supply chain to Mars would be far easier than from Earth.

Fairly well technically thought out. Tho a lot of the fun stuff is missed. The lava tubes are prime real estate. And the boring tunnels connect these "islands" For the lava tubes you'd need to do a lot to prepare them for air pressure. Probably line the inside surface with a airtight barrier. Insulation and reinforcement water barrier. Natrual Rock would be insanely prone to water/ice damage if you want to warm up the space to above freezing. Probably shouldn't go higher than 40 degrees in the tunnel space. You need the insulation to keep the buildings warm and to keep any water features warm. A body of water will be a great heat sink to regulate temperatures. And keep things alive and distribute heat effectively. It's not too difficult to produce soil. that will be a natural waste product of the farms. And no there will be no domes above ground for food production. Maybe a really fancy nature reserve and bioengineering/breeding facility. But most food will be in vertical farms because it will be insanely cheaper to do so. Domes are expensive led lights are not. Mentioning led lights, the ceiling could be mounted with "sun light LEDs and with the compost waste we could build nature paths in these underground cities. This will be so vital to our mental well being considering how little living space will be avaible. It would make more sense to have living quarters to be fairly minimal. And most daily living to be outside engaging with the community. No cars extremely walkable neighborhoods. Maybe a transit system on either side of the lava tube set underground. It would be very lovely place to live cause well let's be honest to get there you'd have to be rich to begin with and it's impossible to construct anything without a lot of investment and it might go down hill if it gets over populated after people start having a ton of babies but the kind of people who would move to Mars are also the kind of people who are more than capable of reproducing responsibly.

There was a quote from an interview, that Elon judges every decision on whether it makes it quicker to live on mars or farther away. it is definitely his life goal