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Elon Musk leaned into one of space history’s strangest coincidences, joking “As foretold in the prophecy” after a passage from rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun’s late-1940s Mars fiction resurfaced online describing the elected leader of a future Martian government as “Elon.”<\/p>\n
Von Braun’s Fiction Featured Leader Called ‘Elon’<\/p>\n
The viral post said von Braun had weirdly “predicted” Musk nearly 80 years ago. The actual passage is less supernatural but still striking, stating, “The Martian government was directed by ten men, the leader of whom was elected by universal suffrage for five years and entitled ‘Elon.'”<\/p>\n
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In von Braun’s story, “Elon” was a political title, not a person’s name. Two houses of parliament made laws, while the Elon and his cabinet administered them. The Council of Elders, its upper chamber, had 60 lifetime members.<\/p>\n
The timeline also needs a caveat. Social-media posts commonly date the manuscript to 1948, but the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum says von Braun completed the German novel in mid-1949. Publishers rejected it, and the full work appeared only in 2006 as ‘Project Mars: A Technical Tale’. Its technical appendix was separately published in English in 1953 as ‘The Mars Project’.<\/p>\n
Trending: Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your ‘Safe’ Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time<\/a><\/p>\n Von Braun later became central to the U.S. space program after helping develop Nazi Germany’s V-2 ballistic missile. At NASA, he led work on the Saturn V rocket used for the Apollo moon landings.<\/p>\n Musk’s Mars Ambitions Make Coincidence Resonate<\/p>\n The coincidence resonates because Musk has spent years building Space Exploration Technologies Corp. around making humanity multiplanetary. He recently declared, “I will not forget about Mars,” and has said people could reach Mars in roughly five to seven years.<\/p>\n SpaceX says Starship is designed to carry crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Its published Mars plan envisions a self-sufficient city requiring more than one million people and millions of tonnes of cargo.<\/p>\n See Also: Skip the Regrets: The Essential Retirement Tips Experts Wish Everyone Knew Earlier.<\/a><\/p>\n SpaceX Shifts Near-Term Focus Toward Moon<\/p>\n Musk has also argued that full rocket reusability is essential to becoming multiplanetary. However, SpaceX shifted its nearer-term priority toward a “self-growing city” on the Moon.<\/p>\n Reuters reported in February that SpaceX had pushed back its immediate Mars plans while prioritizing a lunar landing. The company now lists cargo flights to Mars no earlier than 2028.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy: Shutterstock<\/p>\n Read Next: Think you’re saving enough for your kids? You might be dangerously off \u2014 see why<\/a><\/p>\n Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market<\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.<\/p>\n Arrived<\/p>\n Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100<\/a>. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.<\/p>\n Frontieras<\/p>\n As electricity demand accelerates alongside AI and domestic energy production becomes a growing priority, Frontieras is developing patented technology that converts coal into fuels, chemicals, and low-emission energy products without combustion<\/a>.<\/a> Through its Regulation A offering, investors can gain exposure to an emerging energy infrastructure company focused on modernizing American industrial and power resources.<\/p>\n FarmTogether<\/p>\n Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000<\/a> \u2014 fully managed, with no landlord headaches.<\/p>\n Fundrise<\/p>\n Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate<\/a> and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.<\/p>\n Qnetic<\/p>\n As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important. Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage<\/a>, <\/a>offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid.<\/p>\n EquityMultiple\u00a0<\/p>\n For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000<\/a>,<\/a> with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.\u00a0<\/p>\n BluSky AI<\/p>\n