In a recent conversation at MIT, Elon Musk pointed out that humans already possess the building blocks for a Mars settlement, but so too do we have everything necessary for world peace, alternative energy and the end of hunger. The shift in priorities we have to make to call Mars home may be more major than he believes. It’s not just an external one. From Nidhi Subbaraman at BetaBoston:

“‘The basic ingredients are there,’ Musk told a sold-out crowd in MIT’s Kresge auditorium.

Of course, humans are going to need to figure out a few things if we’re going to make it to our neighbor planet. Robust, reusable landing gear (which SpaceX is tussling with already) is at the top of the list. Also energy: Power generation on Mars is going to be an ‘interesting problem,’ Musk said.

In Musk’s view, an investment in becoming a ‘multi-planet’ species is essential for our longevity.

It could come fairly cheap. ‘One percent of our resources, we could be buying life insurance collectively for life,’ Musk said. And it just requires a small reshuffling of our priorities. ‘Lipstick or Mars colonies?’ he asked.

He envisions an Olympics-style competitive future in which countries compete to build the necessary technology.”