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Editor's note: David Lee is a Beijing-based consultant and author working on cross-cutting themes such as energy, health, international politics and international development. The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the CGTN.
The controversial Mars One, which announced in 2012 an ambitious plan of colonization of Mars, has again made the headlines, but this time in disgrace. According to the Engadget tech-news website, the young company was declared bankrupt by a Swiss court last month, although Dutch founder and entrepreneur One One Bas Lansdorp claimed that the non-profit foundation Mars One will continue to function. It seems to me, however, that the incredible saga of Mars One has finally ended.
From the beginning, Mars One had been questioned by scientists and engineers for the lack of solid scientific knowledge and credible logistical arrangements for his heavenly expedition. Instead, Mars's plan of colonization, including the recruitment of volunteers, was very much like a suicide mission that made all romantic heroism sadly silly.
Computer images show a Martian colony project developed by the Mars One Space Exploration Society team. / VCG Photo
Computer images show a Martian colony project developed by the Mars One Space Exploration Society team. / VCG Photo
On the contrary, the death of Mars One sounds a new alarm against frivolity in search of a real innovation.
Unfortunately, such frivolity has been frequently highlighted lately.
While Mars One was lacking in space, the Chinese model of "bus riding traffic that eat cars" has collapsed on Earth. It was a kind of futuristic design of the Transit Explore bus, presented by Blade Runner at an exhibition in Beijing in 2016. Both legs of the bus would follow rails laid along the edge of the route, allowing cars to pass under the raised bus car. The project would eventually evaporate, leaving a trail of unrecoverable debts with panicked investors shouting under a Ponzi scheme.
Wonderful means of land and earth transportation aside, the promised miracle of facilitated health routines also failed. Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford graduate entrepreneur, and her start-up in Theranos claimed to offer unprecedented blood tests with a small amount of blood, but would later be exposed to fraud. Theranos ceased operations last September.
What I mean by frivolity takes many forms. For starters, it comes in the form of an elaborate business case based on unfounded narration. On the financial level, it is an unscrupulous risk taking that defies any judgment. Technically, no science is allowed to play the role it deserves, but a long and difficult process to test the most patient patient. Even worse, the border is often blurred between frivolity and outright fraud.
Will humans ever live on Mars? / VCG Photo
Will humans ever live on Mars? / VCG Photo
Just because the proclaimed cause is a beautiful and noble cause that apparently embraces the pioneering spirit of the time, as was the case with Mars One, the Transit Explore Bus and Theranos, nothing guarantees the end result.
These frivolous cases certainly do not provide the way for true innovation; instead, they cause not only commercial losses, but also cruel injustices that hurt clients, investors and communities. As such, I would say that frivolity is one of the biggest dangers that threaten the promise of the information age, or Industry 4.0, or the digital age, or any fancy term we want call our era of explosive discoveries, inventions and technological advances. .
Our age is really exciting. He will not miss seemingly crazy ideas. Some will deliver, but many others can simply fizzle out.
In the end, the key is not to deny Elon Musk and other seemingly crazy aspirants the opportunity for experimentation or trial and error, but to guard against frivolous actors who will not come, make a sensation here or there, do (limited in hope) damage before having to leave the scene.
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