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As a rock star and entrepreneur, Elon Musk has lived some iconic moments, good and bad. Nathan Rousseau Smith of Veuer breaks them down.
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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., unveils the company's newest products, Powerwall and Powerpack, in Hawthorne, Calif., On Thursday, April 30, 2015. (AP Photo / Ringo H.W. Chiu) ORG XMIT: NYOTK

March may not be the kind of place where you raise your kids, as Elton John's song "Rocket Man" says.

But that does not stop SpaceX founder and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk from traveling.

The first flight to Mars will likely take place in seven years, Musk announced Sunday night on "Axios," the HBO television series of half an hour on its site. It's a little faster than Chronology of NASA 25 years.

Musk, 47, says there is "a 70% chance" that he will take a flight to Mars during his lifetime.

The cost will be "a few hundred thousand dollars," he said. But do not think of that as the joy of a rich man.

Mars travelers will have a probability of dying on the red planet "much higher than the Earth," he said. "You can land successfully, and once you're there, you'll work tirelessly to build the base, so there's not a lot of time for recreation, even after all this, it's a very harsh environment. Chances are you will die there, may come back, but we are not sure, does it look like a hatch for the rich? "

More: Elon Musk: SpaceX Mars spacecraft are ready for next year

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More: Bill Nye: We will not live on Mars, let alone transform it into Earth

Think of the trip to Mars in terms of how people climb mountains such as Mount Everest "to meet the challenge," he said.

Musk also discussed the obstacles faced by Tesla over the last year, noting that the electric car company was facing a "serious death threat" due to its inability to increase model 3 production.

"Essentially, the company was bleeding its money like crazy.If we did not solve these problems in a very short time, we would die," said Mr Musk, who said he was working seven days a week and was sleeping often at the factory. "It was extremely difficult to solve them."

In recent months, Musk has faced additional controversy. He agreed to give up his presidency of Tesla for at least three years and pay a $ 20 million fine after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of securities fraud. This stems from what the SEC called a "false and misleading" statement when it tweeted that the company had enough funds to go private.

Much of the "Axios" segment is focused on the debate on artificial intelligence. Musk has been among the eminent voices expressing concerns about the development of artificial intelligence without proper consideration and supervision. He mentioned the potential of AI-led killer drone fleets and propaganda produced by AI.

"I think we should try to take the measures most likely to make the future better for humankind," he said.

More: Elon Musk's SEC contract is a win for Tesla buyers, but could hurt its reputation

More: Elon Musk: The battle of artificial intelligence is the "most likely cause" of the third world war

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @ MikeSnider.

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