r/MarsSociety

Hey everyone I am making this post to know which will be more efficient, making shelters underground or above ground.

Global dust storms, I mean.

A denser atmosphere + vegetation/cities (+ a sea)?

Any theories/papers on this?

A recent Reddit poster wrote: "No one wants to see space x succeed as long as Elon is a part of it" This is my response.

I don’t think that is the case. Some people have certainly become discouraged by Elon Musk’s behavior or have lost confidence in Starship, but that does not represent the large majority of people who support the human exploration of Mars and the rest of the solar system.

All Mars Society members and other space-exploration advocates still want SpaceX and Starship to succeed. The program is far larger than any one individual. Thousands of highly skilled SpaceX employees—including engineers, scientists, technicians, and construction workers—are doing the difficult work of designing, building, testing, and improving Starship.

My view is simple: I want Musk to continue providing the financial backing and resources needed to keep that team working. I do not have to agree with his politics, personality, or every decision he makes in order to recognize the importance of Starship’s potential.

Gwynne Shotwell and SpaceX’s experienced leadership and engineering teams provide valuable operational knowledge and stability. Starship is not being built by Elon Musk alone; it is being built from top to bottom by a large and extraordinarily capable workforce.

Musk has also made decisions that deserve criticism. One example was the decision to conduct a Starship launch without a flame trench and a fully developed water-deluge system. The resulting damage to the launch site contributed to delays and extensive reconstruction. In my personal opinion, the pressure to launch quickly may have outweighed the caution that such a powerful rocket required.

We can criticize Musk when criticism is deserved while still supporting the thousands of people working to make Starship successful. Wanting SpaceX to succeed does not mean approving of everything Elon Musk says or does. It means recognizing that Starship may still play an essential role in opening Mars and the solar system to human exploration. We wish the SpaceX Starship team success and remain among its strongest supporters.