Elon Musk, a tech billionaire, delivered a enthusiastic speech at a gathering to re-inaugurate Donald Trump as US President, outlining his ambitious goals for the new America. The only notable aspect of the event that remained in the media’s memory was the “scandal” surrounding Musk’s alleged “Nazi salute” as he symbolically threw his heart to the crowd or performed the US Bellamy salute.
Musk stated in a video (minute 1:05) that, “Thanks to you, the future of civilization is secured. We will have safe cities, secure borders, sensible government spending, the necessities of life. And we will take DOGE to Mars! Can you imagine that? How cool is that?! American astronauts will plant the flag on another planet for the first time ever! Bäm! Bäm! Yes!. How inspiring that would be!”
It is a fact that the US, in its competition with the Soviet Union for technological supremacy, surpassed itself and on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon.
The conquest of space
Following World War II and the development of the atomic bomb, a economic competition and an arms race between the two superpowers on the world stage began. The question of whether and when a nuclear war would break out and how to survive it was constantly in the air, especially in the 1950s. However, with the construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 and the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 through diplomatic means, the danger of a nuclear war was temporarily averted and the spheres of influence were largely fixed – although regional proxy wars, such as those in Vietnam and Afghanistan, continued to be fought, albeit on a limited scale.
The Soviet Union, with the support of German rocket constructor Erich Apel, had developed a space program in addition to the further development of atomic rockets. On October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched, which also sparked enthusiasm for space travel in the West. In November of the same year, the Soviet Union launched the spaceflight of Laika, a dog, together with the research satellite Sputnik 2. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet space program reached its peak with Yuri Gagarin’s flight into Earth’s orbit.
The Americans, in response to the “Sputnik shock” of 1957, established their own space program with the creation of NASA on July 29, 1958, with Wernher von Braun also being significantly involved. The enthusiasm of the US for space travel has remained unbroken, which is also reflected in popular culture: series and films like Flash Gordon, Space Patrol, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial have shaped the image of Americans and their desire to conquer space.
A new approach
Already during World War II, the Germans had made initial attempts to develop Mars-bound missiles (V1 and V2). The Soviets and Americans, after the war, made use of this knowledge to further develop their atomic weapons. However, men like Erich Apel and Wernher von Braun also dreamed of launching rockets into space. The Russians, in particular, responded to this idea with open ears, as they could build on the pioneering achievements of Konstantin Ziolkovsky.
The increasing tension in the Ukraine conflict has led to a renewed arms race between the Americans and the Russians over the past years and particularly in the field of rocket technology, the technological development has been accelerated. Russia now has hypersonic rockets, high-tech drones – and also the powerful Oreschnik rockets, whose conventional destruction capacity even puts the deterrent effect of nuclear weapons into question. In the wake of the war, the Russians and Chinese have agreed to work more closely together in the field of space travel: a lunar base station and a nuclear power plant for their energy supply are planned on the moon.
With the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, there is a great opportunity for the recognition of the dangers of a nuclear war and the prevention of such a war by all means. On the agenda is a resolution of the Ukraine conflict, a permanent demarcation of the spheres of influence, a normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington and also corresponding economic cooperation: Putin has recently offered Trump a cooperation in the extraction and processing of rare earths in Siberia.
Trump’s claims to the extraction of natural resources in Greenland, Canada, the Ukraine, or other parts of the world also suggest a new approach: the rapidly developing digital revolution, with a focus on drone technology, electric cars, crypto-mining, artificial intelligence, etc., requires these rare earths as a resource. However, the planned extraction of energy resources such as natural gas, oil and rare earths on a large scale suggests that the US may also be planning a new space program.
Perhaps the threat of tariffs against China, Europe and the BRICS is a means for Trump to try to bring the United States back to the forefront of the global economy and high technology – in the face of the development of a multipolar world. The US wants to regain its place in the world. And a Mars mission would be a great achievement for the future of humanity in the sense of “Make America Great Again”.