The Ares Fund: To Mars on Our Own Nickel(s)

McMurray, Clifford R.
mailto:mcmurrayc2@uofs.edu

In: On to Mars, Colonizing a New World, edited by Zubrin, RM, and Crossman, F. Apogee Books. (2000)

When asked what the most powerful force in the universe was, Albert Einstein replied "compound interest." This paper/presentation would explore the creation of a private investment fund, aiming at a return on investment of not less than 10% above the rate of inflation. Such a fund would turn an initial investment of one million dollars into $32 billion within less than one hundred years. At this point, the fund can be used as a $3.2 billion annual endowment for advancing human settlement of the red planet. This proposal is not meant to supplant the need for public/government support of Mars exploration, but to point out that we can always do it ourselves, with minimum investment -- if we exercise a little patience.

Keywords

Private Funding and Commerical Investment