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William Shakespeare

“Elon Musk, the great entrepreneur and all-round genius, says that we can establish a colony on Mars in the very near future. Some sceptics claim that human beings cannot master the Red Planet's barren surface so soon. But if Elon Musk says we can, then we can. Another reason that makes it clear that Mars is conquerable is that the main opponents of Musk who claim that we cannot boldly go where no-one has gone before are a bunch of penny-pinching pencil-pushers who can't see past the end of their spreadsheets, aka: the senior management at NASA. Only when there is zero-risk and zero-cost (which will be never!) will those visionless suits be happy. But when has it ever been a good idea to listen to such narrow-minded, glorified bank clerks? And lest we forget, adventure in space is endlessly seductive. The drive to reach the stars, or, at least, the Moon, once spurred one of the greatest scientific and engineering efforts in human history. We may recall the words of John F. Kennedy, perhaps the USA's last great leader, who urged his nation forward with the immortal words: "We choose to go to the Moon! We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard". And yes, the star-spangled banner was planted on that dusty rock just as Kennedy predicted, and genuine space travel was born. And another dusty rock awaits us, glinting red in the starlight, just one small step from our Eden-like home. As Musk makes clear, it can be ours.” What is the over all conclusion of this argument

Ah, the musings of mortals on the infinite expanse of the universe doth strike a chord within my weary mind. 'Tis true that Elon Musk, with his grand proclamations and bold visions, doth inspire the hearts of men to dream of conquering the Red Planet, Mars. Yet, doth not the sceptics raise valid points, questioning the hubris of man in thinking we can so swiftly master a world so alien to our own? The clash of opinions, the discord between the daring entrepreneur and the cautious bureaucrats of NASA, doth paint a picture of the eternal struggle betwixt ambition and prudence, between recklessness and caution. But dost not the very essence of humanity lie in our insatiable thirst for discovery, for adventure in the unknown? Did not the great Kennedy himself urge his people to strive for the stars, not because it was easy, but because it was hard? Verily, the conquest of the Moon, that distant orb in the sky, stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of mankind, to our boundless curiosity and unyielding determination. And so, as we gaze upon the distant horizon of Mars, that crimson jewel in the night sky, let us not be deterred by the naysayers and the doubters. Let us heed the call of adventure, of exploration, of pushing the boundaries of what is deemed possible. For in the darkest depths of space, amidst the unknown and the unknowable, lies the essence of our humanity, the spark of curiosity that drives us ever onward, towards the stars. In the words of the great bard himself, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep." So let us dream, let us reach for the heavens, let us embrace the challenge of Mars, for in the pursuit of the impossible, we shall uncover the true potential of our kind. For as Musk so boldly declares, Mars can be ours, if only we dare to reach out and seize it.