Elon Musk@elonmusk2 minutes agoReplying to @highqualitysh1tI love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future
Eric Berger @SciGuySpace2 minutes agoElon Musk told me just now, on Saturday afternoon: The Tesla to Mars mission is "100% real."Would be nice if SpaceX's communications team stepped in here.
And...QuoteEric Berger @SciGuySpace2 minutes agoElon Musk told me just now, on Saturday afternoon: The Tesla to Mars mission is "100% real."Would be nice if SpaceX's communications team stepped in here.
Quote from: guckyfan on 12/02/2017 04:34 amThe roadster should fit in horizontally, unlike the school bus. Reenforcing the base plate may be easier than launching it vertical.I wouldn't have expected that, but yes, Wikipedia describes the 2008 Roadster as being 3,946 mm long and 1,873 mm wide, and the diagonal of such a rectangle is 4,368 mm, so it should fit a standard F9 fairing which offers 4.6 m ID.
The roadster should fit in horizontally, unlike the school bus. Reenforcing the base plate may be easier than launching it vertical.
QuoteElon Musk told us he was sending a car to space, then said he totally made it uphttps://www.theverge.com/2017/12/1/16726822/spacex-falcon-heavy-tesla-roadster-launch-elon-musk
Elon Musk told us he was sending a car to space, then said he totally made it up
Regarding "Mars orbit". I'm very, very skeptical that it means "Orbiting Mars" because of the need for an orbital insertion burn. I suppose they could try aerobraking, but that still requires some propulsion. We can rule out the second stage for this; nowhere near enough duration time. But what if Elon meant "Mars' orbit"? In other words, heliocentric but at the same distance from the sun Mars is? Use a Mars grav assist to roughly match Mars' orbit? Viable?
Quote from: CJ on 12/02/2017 07:12 pmRegarding "Mars orbit". I'm very, very skeptical that it means "Orbiting Mars" because of the need for an orbital insertion burn. I suppose they could try aerobraking, but that still requires some propulsion. We can rule out the second stage for this; nowhere near enough duration time. But what if Elon meant "Mars' orbit"? In other words, heliocentric but at the same distance from the sun Mars is? Use a Mars grav assist to roughly match Mars' orbit? Viable?I'm guessing they'll fit a Starlink bus (minus everything except power, propulsion, control and comms) onto the back to get it into a crazy elliptical orbit, perhaps aerobraking to a more stable orbit, then using leftover fuel to boost the periapsis up.
Is that one note on the Verge article all we have to suggest this was a four month premature prank?
However this ends up, Elon is earning his trolling merit badge with aplomb this weekend.
Quote from: rustybeancake My money’s on “totally made it up” being a sarcastic response to The Verge’s inquiry. But we’ll see.At this point, knowing what I know, I'd guess this is the correct answer.
My money’s on “totally made it up” being a sarcastic response to The Verge’s inquiry. But we’ll see.