"Yes, this will be perfect for repairing the irrigation system on my massive Martian ranch." (Photo: flickr.com/jurvetson)

The L.A. Times recently sat down with Paypal mafioso and SpaceX founder Elon Musk for a brief chat about his recent endeavors and goals for his commercial aerospace venture. In short: His ultimate goal is still Mars. (Always Mars. Never Not Mars.) Someone keeps a battered copy of Red Mars in a place of pride, we'd wager.

Naturally, the Times inquired as to whether Mr. Musk himself would be personally interested in a trip to the Red Planet, or if he's merely interested in lobbing other people skyward. His answer was basically, duh:

I would. The first flight would be risky; if I felt comfortable that the company's mission will continue, that my kids have grown up, then I'd be on the first mission.

Elon Musk, Martian homesteader?

Also, it turns out that he has many very strong opinions about the proper way to represent the planet on which he has his lofty sights:

We need a new archetype. I've talked to James Cameron about this. He's got a script for a realistic Mars mission because there's not been a good Mars movie. That's another thing that bugs me: The Mars movies have been so bad. I mean, honestly! And it's going to be tricky getting funding for another Mars movie after "John Carter." It was a good comic book, and they totally screwed up the movie.

Hey, maybe Mr. Musk might want to plow some of that fortune into financing James Cameron's next CGI extravaganza. Or at least have a go at writing a guest column for Entertainment Weekly?