Re: Space X and the prospects of Mars colonization.

No doubt, if we waited 50 years more, we could go for much less money and lesser risks, but why give the glory to our sons and grandsons?

Since our fathers and grandfathers left this opportunity, let's take it ourselves.

Well said.

The reason is the large number of materials and processes which must be tested, and then implemented, and then made safe and reliable on Mars, before people could possibly actually lived there.

The impediment is not technical or workforce related. It's political and fiscal. The minute someone shows there is real money to be made by sending people there it will be done. Most people are not big picture thinkers, it takes the Musks of the world to push in the direction we need to go but it takes those being pushed to get off their duffs and turn it into a new normal rather than an eccentric industrialist's pipe dream.

That will never be the case.

There are no materials which are cheap enough on Mars and expensive enough on Earth to every make freight plausible.

Haha, you say that as if there's a building supplies shop on Mars. How can something be cheap or expensive on Mars? I don't think they have their own economy over there. If they do, they're doing a very good job of hiding it. Haha! I think what you're trying to say is that there's nothing on Mars that could be sold for enough on Earth to make it worth the trip. I could see that being the case.