Elon Musk might think it's a good idea to warm up Mars with thermonuclear weapons so humans can live on it, but scientists are raising red flags about the idea.
The CEO of Hawthorne-based SpaceX talked Mars colonization, among other topics, on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday.
When Colbert asked how he would eventually transform the Red Planet into a livable place, Musk said it would need to be warmed up.
The fast way?
“Drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles.”
This prompted Colbert to label Musk a “supervillain.”
The average temperature on Mars is similar to that of Antarctica in the winter, said Brian Toon, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who co-wrote a paper in 1991 about making the Red Planet habitable.