Elon Musk, who currently holds the title of the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $244 billion according to Forbes, recently expressed his belief that human civilisation should have established moon bases and cities on Mars. He made this statement in response to a post about the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, highlighted the remarkable progress made by humanity in the past. He stated:

Only 66 years from first flight to landing on the moon, but now half a century has passed since the last moon landing. That cannot be our high water mark as a civilization. Humanity should have a moon base, cities on Mars and be out there among the stars!

The Apollo 11 mission, which took place on July 20, 1969, was a significant milestone in space exploration. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins successfully travelled to the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the Lunar Module named “Eagle,” while Collins orbited the moon in the Command Module named “Columbia.” Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” echoed throughout history. The astronauts conducted experiments, collected samples, and captured photographs before returning to the lunar module.

After the Apollo program, there were no further moon landings due to various factors. The missions were expensive, and the United States government faced budget constraints. The cost of sending astronauts to the moon and maintaining the necessary infrastructure became increasingly challenging. Additionally, priorities shifted towards other space exploration endeavours, such as the development of the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, and robotic missions to explore other planets and celestial bodies.

Public interest and political motivation for moon missions dwindled as the Apollo program was primarily driven by the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With the conclusion of this competition, the urgency to continue lunar missions diminished.

Nevertheless, there has been a renewed focus on returning to the moon in recent years. NASA’s Artemis program, announced in 2019, aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024. Private space companies like SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, have also expressed their intentions to send humans to the moon and further explore space.

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