5 Coolest Things Elon Musk Has Done (Or Is Bound To Do)

Welcome to the future
South African-born tech visionary Elon Musk.
South African-born tech visionary Elon Musk.
Joe Skipper / Reuters

Entrepreneur, innovator, inventor, activist and founder of PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla and OpenAI, South African-born Elon Musk is changing the world with his inventions.

He is also a popular figure on social media, because he uses platforms such as Twitter to announce his cool inventions and express his opinions. Musk has more than 18.7-million followers on Twitter and 5-million on Instagram.

Here is a look at some of the coolest inventions and things that Musk has done – or plans to do:

1. Sent electric car into space

SpaceX made history on Tuesday afternoon, when it successfully launched its new Falcon Heavy rocket carrying an electric car bound for deep space – and returned two of three 15-storey boosters to Earth for perfect vertical landings.

The initial test launch of what is now the world's most powerful operational rocket marks the latest milestone in billionaire Elon Musk's quest to send humans to Mars and eventually colonise the red planet.

2. Unveiled world's fastest production car

In 2017 Musk introduced the Tesla Roadster, which he called the fastest production car in the world. The base model will go from zero to 100kph in 1.9 seconds, making it the first to hit that mark in less than two seconds, and from zero to 160kph in 4.2 seconds, making it the fastest in that category as well, Musk said.

The car will be available in 2020. Musk didn't give the top speed, but astonishingly, claims it will be above 400kph.

3. Go anywhere on Earth in an hour

Before planning to go to Mars, Musk intends the rockets he'll use on the Martian trip be used on Earth to make travelling at supersonic speeds possible.

The BFR, as it's called, would travel at speeds approaching 27,200kph. In theory, the BFR could reach any destination on Earth within an hour – most trips would take less than 30 minutes.

4. Caused panic in LA with 'UFO'

Are the aliens invading? That's what some Los Angeles residents thought, causing mass hysteria in 2017. In fact, the "UFO" freaking them out was a SpaceX launch of the Falcon 9 rocket.

The spectacular light show occurred because the rocket was launched 30 minutes after sunset, so it rose in time to reflect a flash of sunlight as it reached the heavens.

People were so freaked that the Ventura County sheriff's department had to send out a calming tweet.

5. Build a city on Mars

Over time, Mars will be terraformed, Musk insists, "making it really a nice place to be". He also plans to have the BFR refuel in space for trips to the moon, so a lunar base will not need to store a supply of fuel.

"It's 2017. I mean, we should have a lunar base by now," Musk said. "What the hell is going on?" For his interplanetary adventure, however, he acknowledges that fuel would need to be produced on Mars to send the BFR back to Earth.

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