Two Tickets to Mars is our brand new series where we quiz some of our favorite people about a trip to the red planet, what they’d take with them, and what exciting enterprises they’d kick start when they got there. 

Image via virgingalactic.com

First up in the series is long-time friend of XPRIZE, Sir Richard Branson. Back in 2004, XPRIZE captured the world’s attention when we awarded $10M to Mojave Aerospace Ventures for their commercial space vessel SpaceShipOne, crowning them the winners of what was, at the time, the largest prize in history. The prize kickstarted the private space industry when the team’s winning technology was licensed by Branson and turned into Virgin Galactic. So, this is not his first rodeo — but it is his first time on Mars. Will you join him? Climb about the good ship, XPRIZE, for a voyage of discovery…

You are allowed to bring one luxury item with you – what’s going in your suitcase?
I have learned over the years (sometimes to my cost) that if you don’t write down ideas and thoughts when you first hear them or have them, they can be lost forever. So I always carry a notebook and pen… and my trip to Mars would be no exception. Although in a micro-gravity environment a pencil would probably be even better! This particular notebook would have a picture of my family on the front — if that’s not cheating!

We’ve gotten to Mars through human ingenuity and determination. Why is it that humans are driven to innovate do you think?
Human imagination is an incredible gift in that it gives us a glimpse of alternative futures and, through those equally incredible gifts of ingenuity and determination, the ability to drive better outcomes. It’s what ultimately gives me great optimism about our species’ future on our beautiful home planet — and maybe a few others as well!  

All settlers perform tasks on Mars - what skills do you have and why might they be important?
I hope I would be able to spot some early Martian business opportunities, identify and help great people to build them, and obviously, throw the biggest parties Mars has ever seen to celebrate their success.

You have a spare ticket – who are you bringing with you?
Since I know that wife my Joan would never go, then it would be my assistant Helen.  We’re going to need to get organized on Mars and there’s no one better. She would also make sure we arrive on time for the flight!

What would you like to discover on your journey?

The secret of eternal youth and the meaning of life — of course!

Now that we are headed to Mars, what does phase two of interplanetary colonization look like? 

I have yet to be convinced that the quality of human life on any other planets (particularly in our own solar system) could be anything like the potential it has to be here on Earth. For me, the principal point of developing the capability to visit other planets is to sustain a quality of life for future generations on our own. That isn’t to say though that I wouldn’t love to make the journey – but I think definitely with a return ticket

Imagine yourself in the future looking back, what do you wish we’d worked out sooner?

The importance of a planetary perspective.