The long-running debate over Mars colonization reignited when Elon Musk and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson exchanged pointed comments about the billionaire’s quest to establish a civilization on the Red Planet.

In Friday’s “Overtime” segment of *Real Time with Bill Maher*, Tyson criticized Musk’s ambitions, questioning whether the vision of establishing life on Mars is financially feasible — or even useful in the face of the planet’s immediate problems. Earth.

During the conversation, host Bill Maher leaned on deGrasse Tyson’s long-standing position that Earth’s needs took priority over extraterrestrial goals. “How bad should we destroy the Earth before it is worse than a place where the temperature is 200 degrees below zero, with no air or water and six months to reach it? » asked Maher. Tyson enthusiastically agreed, exclaiming, “Preach it!” Preach it!

A story of disagreement

Musk and Tyson have often clashed over this issue. Musk views establishing a colony on Mars as essential to humanity’s long-term survival, arguing that it provides an insurance policy for the continuity of consciousness. Tyson, however, believes that Earth’s problems should be solved first, arguing that space exploration has generally only been possible when driven by geopolitical motivations, such as the war’s race to the Moon cold.

On Maher’s show, deGrasse Tyson elaborated on his skepticism by stating: “My reading of the history of space exploration is that we only do big, expensive things when it is geopolitically expedient, such as when we feel threatened by an enemy. » He then described a tongue-in-cheek scenario in which Musk presents his plan for Mars to venture capitalists. “What does this venture capital meeting look like?” Tyson joked. “‘So, Elon, what do you want to do?’ “I want to go to Mars.” ‘How much will it cost?’ “1 trillion dollars. » “Is it safe?” ” ‘No. People will probably die. “What is the return on investment? ” ‘Nothing.’ It’s a five-minute meeting. And that doesn’t happen.

Tyson crowns his criticism by pointing out the financial reality of space projects: “At some point, someone has to pay for it, and just being interested in something is not the same as paying for it . »

Musk responds with a reprimand

On Saturday, Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond. He dismissed Tyson’s arguments with an exasperated metaphorical slap to the forehead, writing: “Wow, they really don’t get it. Mars is essential for the long-term survival of consciousness. Also, I will not ask any venture capitalist for money. I realize that this makes no sense as an investment. That’s why I’m gathering resources.

Musk then turned his attention to what he implied were Tyson’s motivations. He criticized Tyson for allegedly aligning himself with “woke” ideology to avoid being “canceled”, referencing a previous controversy involving Tyson. “The real problem is that Neil decided to crawl to the far left when he was hit with a #MeToo. You can avoid being canceled if you ask for forgiveness and push their absurd ideology. The truth hurts,” Musk wrote.

Musk continued to advocate for the Mars mission, saying it could lead to beneficial advanced technologies even if the Mars colony failed. “Even if we fail to create a Martian colony capable of thriving without continued support from Earth, the absurdly ambitious nature of the goal nonetheless results in the creation of extraterrestrial-level technology that is overwhelmingly better than that of its competitors who simply aim for Earth’s orbit.”

This latest clash marks another chapter in an ongoing debate that has fascinated scientists and the public, as questions around the future of Earth and humanity’s role in space exploration remain at the forefront scientific research and cultural discourse.