Famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has called on business and engineering maverick Elon Musk to stop wasting time developing cybertrucks, new means of transportation, and getting humans to Mars.
Taking to Twitter the scientist, who is also a Grammy winner and was named sexiest astrophysicist alive by People magazine, urged Musk instead to focus his resources on creating…a fictional spacecraft propulsion system called a warp drive. He signed his post: “Sincerely, Space Geeks of the World”.
The concept of a warp drive, an engine that helps spacecraft travel faster than the speed of light, first appeared in science fiction and was later popularised by the TV series Star Trek, which deGrasse Tyson adores. Musk is a fan of another cinematic saga Star Wars and it seems he's not planning to ditch his projects anytime soon.
DeGrasse Tyson’s post prompted a flood of comments and suggestions. One user said that before taking on such complex tasks as a warp drive and space travel, space agencies must first deal with the issue of space debris.
Another user suggested that Neil deGrasse Tyson should team up with SpaceX and work on a jump drive, another fictional concept, which allows spacecraft to teleport to another location in a matter of seconds.
And what is a debate on space travel without conspiracy theories?
One user asserted that the astrophysicist’s tweet was a piece of advice for Musk to concentrate on more important things and not waist time on feuds. Musk recently appeared in court and won a defamation case against him, which started after a war of words with a British caver that the engineer called a “paedo guy”.
Musk’s company SpaceX is now working on a next-generation rocket called Starship that Musk claimed is a step forward in developing a reusable spacecraft that would simplify space travel and make it as affordable as commercial air travel. Musk’s ultimate goal with SpaceX is a mission to Mars and further colonisation of the Red Planet.
The company’s president said it plans to land Starship on the Moon in 2022 with manned flights to the Earth’s satellite planned shortly thereafter.