Blog Falcon Heavy Launch a Success, Musk’s Roadster Sent Into Orbit

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Elon Musk’s showmanship reached new heights Tuesday. Stunning livestream images showed his personal Tesla Roadster carried into space by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which is now the most powerful rocket in operation.

The midnight cherry Roadster is one of Elon Musk’s privately owned vehicles, believed to be a 2010 model with VIN #686. The Roadster is now on a trajectory towards Mars with a mannequin dressed in a SpaceX-designed astronaut suit behind the wheel.

The car will float through space for six months to cover the 200-million-mile journey into Mars orbit.

Musk told journalists in a conference call Monday that the Roadster is now equipped with “a bunch of sensors” to send data back to Earth. And, there are three cameras now mounted to the Roadster that Musk said should provide some “epic views.”

Watch the launch livestream below.

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[RayK]

Congratulations on a (so far) successful launch! Does anybody know if there was any special coating applied to the exterior of the Mars Roadster? The radiation, heat and cold could do a number on the paint.

 

[HVM]

Tesla In SPACE!

 

[SO16]

The ULA has got to be freaking out right now. I love it!!!!

 

[Bobfitz1]

The ULA has got to be freaking out right now. I love it!!!!

Yes! I was thinking/yelling today was a hard one to be a ULA executive! It's like a high school basketball game where the ULA team gets to half time behind 50 to 10, then when game starts again they realize they were playing SpaceX JV and now the varsity team has shown up to play the second half!

 

[Stewie26]

You have have to wonder if all this cool publicity will give more future value to the roadster as a collector car?

 

[gregd]

You have have to wonder if all this cool publicity will give more future value to the roadster as a collector car?

Who knows about the future, but for sure it will be the highlight of the next EV car show in town. Once all the burns are done, I need to get the orbital parameters so I can point folks to the sky where my car's younger cousin is.

Also need to update the Wikipedia page for the new top speed..

 

[bhzmark]

Did the center booster land?

 

[Xenoilphobe]

This is mad genius! Cross promoting Tesla! The silhouette looked like "the bird" to the ICE industry.

I love this!!! My son can't stop watching it... he loves space and he loves Tesla...

 

[CAF]

Congratulations on a (so far) successful launch! Does anybody know if there was any special coating applied to the exterior of the Mars Roadster? The radiation, heat and cold could do a number on the paint.

Ceramic paint coating. One thin layer of the stuff protects against solar radiation, meteorites, almost everything, and lasts for years, even in space.

 

[Tyl]

from the Verge:

The center core was only able to relight one of the three engines necessary to land, and so it hit the water at 300 miles per hour. Two engines on the drone ship were taken out when it crashed, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a press call after the rocket launch.

 

[shrink]

Thanks, Elon, for proving the Earth is definitely FLAT!

 

[Adrian Cockcroft]

Drove my Roadster to/from work today. Should have worn my crash helmet and played Space Oddity loud for full effect.

Someone needs to make a sticker or license plate surround saying something witty - “as seen on mars”, or “top speed XXX km/sec” perhaps...

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Drove my Roadster to/from work today. Should have worn my crash helmet and played Space Oddity loud for full effect.

Someone needs to make a sticker or license plate surround saying something witty - “as seen on mars”, or “top speed XXX km/sec” perhaps...

"My other car's a spaceship".

 

[Brando]

Drove my Roadster to/from work today. Should have worn my crash helmet and played Space Oddity loud for full effect.

Someone needs to make a sticker or license plate surround saying something witty - “as seen on mars”, or “top speed XXX km/sec” perhaps...

SpaceX needs to make AND sell the helmets based on the SpaceX actual space helmet designs.
Perhaps the "Founder" helmets can go for a premium? Being commemorative and all...
Falcon Heavy Founder Edition Helmets.

 

[TechVP]

I need to get the orbital parameters so I can point folks to the sky where my car's younger cousin is.

Amateur Radio fans track satellites all the time.
Find orbital data on Falcon Heavy Tesla Roadster payload here.

-N7TWP, TechVP

 

[gregd]

Amateur Radio fans track satellites all the time.
Find orbital data on Falcon Heavy Tesla Roadster payload here.

-N7TWP, TechVP

3rd burn was successful, so no longer in an Earth-centric orbit (can't use 2-line elements). Looks like it's headed for the Asteroid Belt! Perhaps Starman can drive around on Ceres?

 

[arnolddeleon]

Congratulations on a (so far) successful launch! Does anybody know if there was any special coating applied to the exterior of the Mars Roadster? The radiation, heat and cold could do a number on the paint.

Based on what Elon said at the press conference afterwards the answer is probably no special coating.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

"My other car's a spaceship".

Spaceships for Earth?

No. Spaceships for space.

 

[Acho]

Drove my Roadster to/from work today. Should have worn my crash helmet and played Space Oddity loud for full effect.

Someone needs to make a sticker or license plate surround saying something witty - “as seen on mars”, or “top speed XXX km/sec” perhaps...

If someone comes up with the design I will print them for free