Elon Musk has been criticized for wanting to take people to Mars. According to Sky News, British astrophysicist Lord Martin Rees called the idea a “dangerous delusion,” and everyone’s personal astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson decried it as “unrealistic.” However, Dr. Tyson attributed Musk’s desire to move to Mars to a catastrophe here on Earth, saying it would be “so much easier to make Earth return to Earth again rather than terraforming Mars.”

But Musk doesn’t view his interest in space flight as an escape from planet Earth. A quote attributed to him on the SpaceX website reveals that he has a much more positive outlook on his astronomical aspirations. “You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great — and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going there and being among the stars.” So for Musk it’s not about leaving Earth behind, but simply taking that next giant leap to find what else is out there.