By: Qamar Bashir
Macomb, Michigan.
The secret of Mr. Trump’s admiration for Elon Musk became clear to me during an interview where Trump narrated a fascinating story about a space rocket. Trump described how, after traveling back to Earth, instead of landing in a desert, sea, lake, or some other desolate place, the rocket executed a controlled descent. Swinging and turning wildly with a large flame roaring from its exhaust, it slowed down and gently positioned itself to land precisely on the same launcher from which it was fired. Astonished by this incredible feat of science, human ingenuity, and innovation, Trump said he immediately called Elon Musk to confirm: “Was it you?” When Musk replied affirmatively, Trump remarked, “No country on the face of the Earth could do it, not even the USA, but you did it.”
This inspired me to dig deeper into Elon Musk’s wild dreams of space exploration and peek into his visionary mind. After some research, I was left reeling with amazement. Musk’s mind, it seems, is one that might have been born many years into the future.
In one of his interviews, Musk mentioned the possibility of mankind traveling at twice the speed of light—not by burning any fuel but by bending time and space. He explained that by “squeezing space,” which behaves like a giant plastic sheet, we could bring distant areas of the universe closer to us without traveling any actual distance. This radical idea is rooted in Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Musk referred to the concept of creating a “warp bubble” that contracts space in front of a spacecraft and expands it behind, effectively allowing the craft to traverse vast distances without exceeding the speed of light within its local frame. This concept, known as the Alcubierre Drive, was proposed by physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. It suggests that by warping spacetime, a spacecraft could achieve effective Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel without violating the laws of physics.
Elon Musk is captivated by this theoretically possible feat and is actively working on advanced propulsion technologies and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to solve complex challenges. Reports suggest that Musk has created an AI supercomputer, known as “Colossus,” located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is equipped with 100,000 of the latest Nvidia GPUs, liquid-cooled with massive water systems, and powered by Tesla Megapack batteries. According to Musk, Colossus is not merely a machine but a gateway—designed to fuel “Grok,” an AI model capable of propelling humanity beyond the boundaries of human understanding. Musk envisions Grok solving some of humanity’s greatest mysteries, such as the enigma of black holes, dark matter, and dark energy. He believes we are on the verge of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos—or perhaps discovering something even more unimaginable waiting for us on the other side.
In another video, Elon Musk shared an idea that showcased his deep understanding of cosmology, explaining it in simple terms rather than relying on complex mathematical calculations or difficult-to-comprehend concepts. He stated that, while technically traveling faster than the speed of light might be theoretically possible, it remains a difficult feat to achieve at this point in time. He explained this by highlighting how space itself can play tricks on us. While we cannot travel faster than the speed of light, the fabric of space is moving at speeds faster than light.
In another video, Musk described a hypothetical scenario involving a spaceship that could take you to distant stars in the blink of an eye. This concept, known as the “warp drive,” involves a revolutionary way of thinking about travel. Instead of zooming through space, a warp drive would work by stretching space in front of the ship and compressing it behind. Musk illustrated this concept by likening space to a giant rubber sheet. Imagine pulling a distant star closer to you instantly. By pulling the space in front of you closer and pushing the space behind you away, you could move forward without physically moving. This means it would be possible to travel to other planets and even distant stars faster than light, all without breaking the laws of physics.
Reaching this point of understanding and innovation has not been easy for Elon Musk. When he first introduced the concept of commercial space exploration, the entire world seemed to turn against him. During a Congressional Senate hearing in 2010, many veteran space legends, including Neil Armstrong, publicly opposed the idea of commercial space exploration. Musk later revealed that this opposition brought him to tears. However, this criticism did not deter him. Today, SpaceX is approaching a $250 billion valuation and has conducted more than 400 launches over the past 14 years, including 15 crewed missions. Of these, ten were under contract with NASA to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
Under President elect Trump, a major shake-up in U.S. space policy began to take shape. There are discussions about potentially canceling future iterations of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) or even abandoning it altogether. Plans for Gateway, a proposed space station in lunar orbit, were also reconsidered in favor of expanding commercial contracts with companies like SpaceX. This shift aimed to accelerate efforts to send humans to Mars, a vision Musk has championed for years.
Musk’s ultimate goal is to colonize Mars. His vision includes building up to 1,000 Starships a year to transport people between Earth and the red planet. As in the past, this ambitious idea is not without controversy. Many conventional scientists caution that it will require years of further research and development, as the technologies necessary to sustain life on Mars do not yet exist. However, just as Neil Armstrong and others once doubted the feasibility of commercial space exploration, these conventional scientists may not be able to deter Elon Musk from venturing into this arena. Musk has a track record of defying skepticism, as demonstrated when many believed rockets could not and would not land back on their launch pads. Musk proved them wrong by stating that if a rocket can ascend along a specific trajectory, it can also descend along the same path to return to its launcher. Once again, Musk’s determination may turn the improbable into reality.
The democrats like Obama and Joe Biden had had assumed Elon Musk a biggest adversary and did whatever they could to deter him for visualizing his wild dreams. But they could not dampened his innovation and creativity and now with Donald Trump in power, and Musk himself in the driving seat to cut down on bureaucracy and and eliminate overregulations which according to him stifle entrepreneurship, cuttle creativity and slow down economic growth, the world should keep its figure cross and await for many more mind boggling innovations by many innovators like Elon Musk which might multiply by the enabling environment under Donald Trump.
By: Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC
