A few thoughts:
I continue to be impressed with Elon's unique ability to create excitement and interest in space.
I am flattered that several of our ideas are present in his Mars transport ConOps: Distributed launch, in orbit refueling, long duration cryo propulsion, etc..
This is an impressively ambitious plan.
I am also confident in our competitive strategy with Vulcan and ACES.
I admire his single minded focus on Mars.
I remain committed to serving the missions of my NASA, NRO, USAF, and Commercial customers, both in the future and today.
I would like to see energy applied to the very real issue of the health effects of long term deep space travel as well as other Human Safety issues. Last year, in Guadalajara, Elon said that "People would die" and, during Q&A, that he, himself, would not make the trip. It would be a great message if he committed personally.
I think our visions for becoming a multi-planetary species are a little different. Elon talks about how the Earth will inevitably suffer an extinction level event some day. So, if the species is to survive, it will be because Elon placed a life boat of thousands or perhaps millions on Mars who will carry on after the billions on earth are killed. When we open our risk window up to cosmic time scales, we all have to agree that the Universe is a pretty dangerous place, so this viewpoint has merit.
I see our expansion beyond Earth a little differently. This is nothing less than our Human destiny. When we have a permanent and expanded presence outside this planet, it will fundamentally change what it means to be Human. This can happen in just a handful of years. A tremendous wealth of natural resources exists just in our Earth-Moon neighborhood. When we create a CisLunar economic zone, Nearly all of the things that are rare here on earth will be available in abundance, there will be nearly free, ubiquitous energy anywhere on the planet. Poverty will be eliminated. The conflicts that arise through a shortage of resources will end. The basic state of human dignity will lift beyond anything previously seen in human history.
A thriving CisLunar economy will be self-sustaining. It will create wealth, not be a sink of resources. And it will afford us the opportunity to learn how to live in a non-earth-like environment, doing, so at a safe, week's journey from home. So that, as we press out to Mars and beyond, we will have learned the skills necessary to survive there. Tera forming is a very long way off. For the next century or so, we need to build the skills and experience necessary to live on planets without it.
