5 Ways Elon Musk Puts Humans On Mars

4) It could Take 20 to 40 Years                    (4 of 5)

4) It could Take 20 to 40 Years                    (4 of 5)

All that is fine and dandy, but it will take quite a long time to come to fruition, with approximately 10,000 flights in total before a self-sustaining civilization on Mars will come about. Elon Musk has predicted that it will take around 20 to 40 years before people could inhabit Mars, while there is also the possibility of terraforming Mars by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and warm the planet.