SpaceX Falcon Heavy successfully launches a Car into interplanetary space

lpetrich · Post by **lpetrich** » Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:18 pm

Falcon Heavy: Watch SpaceX Launch Powerful New Rocket : The Two-Way : NPR
SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch - YouTube

A Falcon Heavy rocket successfully sent a car into an interplanetary orbit, with its farthest distance being around Mars's orbit.

It was delayed a bit because of high-altitude winds, and it was launched on 3:45 EST, just 15 minutes before the end of the day's launch opportunity.

The two side cores of its first stage successfully made it back, but the third one crashed into the ocean near its intended destination: a SpaceX landing-pad drone ship.

SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy Rocket at Cape Canaveral - The Atlantic

The Symbolism of Elon Musk Sending a Car Into Space - The Atlantic: a cherry-red Tesla Motors convertible with a spacesuited dummy in its driver's seat.

Here's how the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket stacks up to its competition, (Wikipedia)

Comparison of orbital launch systems:

The currently-active rocket with the greatest lift capability is the Delta Heavy at 28 metric tons to low Earth orbit. The Falcon Heavy can do 64 mt to LEO, the Saturn V could do 140 mt to LEO, and the upcoming Space Launch System will initially do 70 mt to LEO.

SpaceX is currently working on a Falcon Heavy successor, the (Wikipedia)

BFR (rocket), the Big Falcon Rocket.

dancer_rnb · Post by **dancer_rnb** » Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:36 pm

BFR. Falcon. Uhuh. Sure.

Jobar · Post by **Jobar** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 2:32 am

Really, it should have been a Corvette.

Hermit · Post by **Hermit** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 5:57 am

[quote=""Jobar""]Really, it should have been a Corvette.

[/quote]
Why not the first horseless carriage ever?

It symbolises our technological progress better than a Tesla and most certainly much more than a pimped 1959 vintage chevy.

Jobar · Post by **Jobar** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 3:17 pm

I presume you've never seen Heavy Metal.

(View video on YouTube)

MattShizzle · Post by **MattShizzle** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 5:57 pm

Apparently the Flat Earth Society is saying it was faked.

Hermit · Post by **Hermit** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:31 pm

[quote=""MattShizzle""]Apparently the Flat Earth Society is saying it was faked.

[/quote]
You need not be a flat-earther to know it is faked. The rumbling sound of the spacecraft in a vacuum is a dead giveaway, and so is the music blaring away.

Aupmanyav · Post by **Aupmanyav** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:03 pm

Will the Tesla land on Mars?

Hermit · Post by **Hermit** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:40 pm

[quote=""Aupmanyav""]Will the Tesla land on Mars?[/quote]Musk reckons there's a very slight chance of it. If it does, it will certainly not be in a drivable condition.

lpetrich · Post by **lpetrich** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:06 pm

[quote=""Aupmanyav""]Will the Tesla land on Mars?[/quote]
Not anytime soon, and if it does, it will likely be a crash landing.