Crazy? Leonardo DiCaprio Tells Obama He Signed Up For SpaceX Mars Voyage
HAWTHORNE (CBS SF) -- President Obama wasn't sure if Leonardo DiCaprio was acting or just plain crazy when he told him he's got dibs on the first manned space voyage to Mars.
After all, the 41-year-old has done some crazy things. Like when he climbed inside an animal carcass in The Revenant to stay warm. That performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
But a suicide mission to Mars?
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wants to colonize the Red Planet and make humans an interplanetary species. Last week he laid out his plan to sell tickets for the 30-day maiden voyage on a spaceship named the "Heart of Gold," for about $200,000 apiece.
"I think the first journeys to Mars will be really very dangerous," said Musk. "The risk of fatality will be high. There's just no way around it."
If the rocket makes it, the return trip is free. No kids allowed.
But back to DiCaprio and Obama.
He and the president were part of a panel on climate change at the White House when Mars came up. Climate scientist Dr. Katherine Hayhoe was waxing about the importance of preserving precious planet Earth to us humans, adding "As long as we haven't signed up for the trip to Mars — I don't want to know if anyone has — I think you're crazy."
That's when DiCaprio interjected, "I did."
To which Obama retorted, "I think he'll acknowledge he's crazy."
Just sayin'.
So far, no word from the actor on his Martian voyage. He seems more preoccupied with getting people to the polls for the upcoming election on planet Earth at the moment. His latest Tweet: If you care about your future, vote.
If you care about your future, vote. Register at: https://t.co/lO2NDdpM7c #VoteYourFuture pic.twitter.com/0xHSRTaatg
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) October 4, 2016
Meantime, here's Musk's appeal for the SpaceX Mars voyage and the push to makes humans interplanetary: