Musk: The science fiction work "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read

This year's "Olympic Games of the Aerospace Industry" - the 74th International Astronautical Congress was held in early October in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. More than 5400 top aerospace scientists, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from 132 countries gathered together, making it the most diverse international aerospace conference in history

This year's "Olympic Games of the Aerospace Industry" - the 74th International Astronautical Congress was held in early October in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. More than 5400 top aerospace scientists, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from 132 countries gathered together, making it the most diverse international aerospace conference in history.

From space travel to interstellar migration, from artificial intelligence to biotechnology, the future depicted in science fiction often leads us to explore the unknown and imagine the future. As the 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference is about to open, Red Star News and Daily Economic News have jointly launched a large-scale integrated media interview and report on "Fantasy Future, Global Pursuit of Light". They will witness the achievements and plans of cutting-edge technology at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress and listen to technology giants such as Musk discussing technology and science fiction.

Science Fiction Inspiration Musk:

How Humans Understand the Universe

The 2023 World Space Prize Team Award was won by the James Weber Space Telescope team from NASA, ESA, and CSA. In science fiction works, telescopes are often used as important tools to explore the universe and discover extraterrestrial civilizations. This imagination not only drives our understanding of the universe, but also prompts us to think about the universe and the existence of humans in the universe.

Based on data provided by the Kepler Space Telescope and other planetary probes such as the Hubble, Tess, and JWST, astronomers estimate that there are at least 100 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone. Recent research suggests that there may be up to 1 trillion freely floating planets (FFPs) in the Milky Way.

Where are aliens? Are there aliens? Are we lonely? "Elon Musk, who is the individual recipient of the 2023 World Space Prize, asked a series of questions during a video conference at the International Astronautical Congress on October 5th. Faced with many scientific researchers and technology industry personnel attending the meeting, he stated that one of the most inspiring books he has read is the science fiction work "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by British science fiction writer Douglas Adams.

The 74th International Astronautical Congress, attended by Musk Remote Video

The Galaxy Roaming Guide conveys a larger message: you actually need to know the answer to the universe and what questions to ask. But now we still don't know what questions to ask. "He continued," We want to expand the scope and scale of consciousness to better understand the essence of the universe. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves' what questions to ask '

Regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life, Musk said, "People often ask me if I have ever seen evidence of extraterrestrial life. Unfortunately, I have not yet seen it. Perhaps this indicates that this tiny candle - humans - is all that exists in the vast darkness. Therefore, we should do our best to ensure that this candle does not go out

The author of "A Brief History of Humanity", Yuval Noah Herali, made a similar call at the opening ceremony of the conference, emphasizing the development of human consciousness. He warned that 'it' will eliminate all human cultures, everything achieved since the Stone Age, and then generate a new culture from extraterrestrial intelligence.

What worries him is not the alien invasion from outer space, but the "AI" created in human laboratories. Herali compared the current AI to the single-celled amoeba, claiming that it could become the Tyrannosaurus rex level in just a few decades. Just like Tyrannosaurus Rex ruling the primeval forest, AI will soon rule this planet. "If humans perish and the Milky Way is controlled by unconscious but super intelligent entities, it would be a very sad ending for life

Science Fiction Approaches Science:

Flying to lunar bases and Martian cities

According to Jules Verne, rockets are the key to the moon. Nowadays, humans have been able to carry out lunar landing and exploration missions, and the moon has become a real destination. In December 2020, the Chang'e-5 probe successfully landed on the moon, transmitted precious images, and sampled 1731 grams of lunar samples.

The openness and cooperation of top scientists continue to lead humanity forward. During the current International Astronautical Congress, the Chinese Chang'e-5 team won the highest team award from the International Academy of Astronautics and Astronautics; The lunar research samples of Chang'e-5 will also be open for international application; On October 2nd, Li Guoping, Chief Engineer of China National Space Administration, welcomed the international community to participate in the "International Lunar Research Station" project.

Influenced by Asimov's "Base Series" science fiction novels, Elon Musk actively promoted the vision of human landing on Mars, and unveiled the Mars rocket for the first time at the International Astronautical Congress 7 years ago. On October 5th this year, Musk participated in a video conference and said that "it may not be 10 years" before hosting the International Astronautical Congress in outer space.

In April of this year, the starship spun out of control after leaving the launch pad, and was detonated after a failed test flight. When asked when the starship landed on Mars, Musk raised his eyebrows and looked up to the left. After a pause of 8 seconds, he replied, "Three or four years. I think we can complete an unmanned test landing there in the next four or five years

He added that the second test flight starship is ready and waiting for a launch permit.

A massive starship spacecraft and overweight rocket, approximately 120 meters high in "absurd size," will ultimately be used to build permanent bases on the moon and Martian cities. The size of the starship we designed is so huge, it's to build a spacecraft that can achieve this goal. Otherwise, we could have designed it smaller. "Musk described the internal space of the starship and said that when you enter its payload compartment, you will know how wide it is.

In order to shorten the interval between two launches, Musk also plans to use robotic arms to capture boosters and spacecraft. We have a huge, custom designed tower with a huge robotic arm that attempts to grab boosters and spacecraft. It sounds crazy, I haven't even seen such a science fiction movie, but in theory, it will work, "he said.

Science Fiction Enlightens the Future:

Global cooperation promotes breakthroughs in aerospace technology

Entering the exhibition area of the 74th International Astronautical Congress, various countries' space models and characteristic exhibition booths are in sight. Here gathers the forefront of technology and the starting point for future space exploration. UriOron, the director of the Israeli Space Agency, described the changes in the aerospace industry to us in an interview with Red Star News. He pointed out that in recent years, the entire aerospace industry and the global atmosphere have undergone "huge and dramatic changes".

Human space exploration has never been more active, and more and more countries have formulated grand plans to explore the unknown mysteries of the universe. The unknown world in science fiction has become a realistic goal, and the rise of commercial and private aerospace enterprises has gradually shifted the aerospace field towards multi-party participation, leading to increasingly frequent and extensive international cooperation.

UriOron explained that the vision of the Israeli Space Agency is closely linked to this broader context, with the first goal being to establish a sustainable Israeli space ecosystem and the second goal being to promote scientific development. He emphasized that "science is the foundation of everything" and believed that international cooperation is crucial.

International cooperation agreements have opened up a field of shared interests among multiple parties and provided opportunities for spatial cooperation. As UriOron said, space is an open field that provides almost ubiquitous opportunities for cooperation. Simply finding suitable fields and issues, establishing partnerships to jointly promote space science, will be an important way to translate human vision into reality.

Science fiction enables us to imagine the future and also inspires us to think about problems in reality. UriOron talked about the space field, with both expectations and concerns. He talked about the challenges he faces and pointed out that one of the main challenges is to raise public awareness of space, "explaining the importance of space to our modern lives." This is related to whether the landing of space exploration can receive sufficient support.

UriOron learned that from October 18th to 22nd, the 81st World Science Fiction Congress will be held in Chengdu, where science fiction, reality, and the future converge, conveying the importance of space, exploration, and imagination to modern life. Space has infinite opportunities, and we can use it to make our lives on Earth better. "UriOron wishes the conference and attendees," May the Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference be a complete success, and may your experiences be unforgettable

Red Star News Reporter Deng Shuyi Photography Reporter Deng Xuehai

Editor Peng Jiang, Editor in Chief Deng Yiguang

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