Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers. Rovers on Mars have made exciting finds and sensational headlines since bellbottom jeans were fashionable.

SpaceX is putting its longstanding focus of sending humans to Mars on the back burner to prioritize establishing a settlement on the moon, founder Elon Musk said Sunday.

Elon Musk revealed SpaceX is now prioritizing building a Moon city over Mars colonization, saying the lunar base can be achieved in 10 years versus 20+ for Mars