It was reported this week by Business Insider that slots on Elon Musks Mission to Mars are filling up. This week the White House hosted a South By South Lawn event. It was marketed as a Festival of “Ideas, Art and Action. Many celebrities and musicians came both to enjoy the festival and perform for the guests fortunate enough to be cleared by the secret service. Amongst these guests was Leonardo DiCaprio. The Academy Award winning actor and outspoken environmental activist talked climate change with President Obama and revealed he has signed up to join Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars.
The long and dangerous journey to Mars was outlined by Musk in a presentation given at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico, earlier this month. The plan is to send supplies and 100 brave souls to Mars in a rocket Musk has named ‘The Heart of Gold.’ The ship finds its name from the Douglass Adams series, Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.
Also in attendance to the South By South Lawn festival was climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. President Obama, DiCaprio, and Hayhoe discussed the threat of climate change and the need for regular humans to travel to Mars. But first they must understand and appreciate climate change. This after all is why DiCaprio was at the Festival in the first place. He was there to premier his new documentary, “Before the Flood.”
Dr. Hayhoe pointed out that we need all kinds of people to travel to Mars if the trip is to be a success. She however expressed doubt that anyone would be so foolish as to sign up for the first mission. The trip is going to be extremely dangerous, “The reality of it is, if you’re a human living on this planet — which most of us are, yeah?” the Doctor stated, “As long as we haven’t signed up for the trip to Mars. I don’t want to know if anyone has — I think you’re crazy.”
This is when DiCaprio announced, “I did.” He claims to have already signed up for the most dangerous exploration in human history. When the good Dr. Hayhoe tried to convince DiCaprio she didn’t think he was in fact ‘crazy’ Obama is reported to have deadpanned, “I think you’ll acknowledge he’s crazy.”