Quote from: DanielW on 12/02/2017 02:36 amI assume he means a mars transfer orbit that does not actually aim at mars. I highly doubt the falcon upper stage can loiter long enough to circularize. or are they going to stick a satellite bus on it?The Roadster is only 1,235 kg, which is approximately what F9 (not FH) can launch to Mars transfer with a RTLS booster landing.That's only 7.3% of Falcon Heavy's maximum payload to Mars transfer, so I would expect something more substantial than just the car.
I assume he means a mars transfer orbit that does not actually aim at mars. I highly doubt the falcon upper stage can loiter long enough to circularize. or are they going to stick a satellite bus on it?
Quote from: envy887 on 12/02/2017 02:55 amQuote from: DanielW on 12/02/2017 02:36 amI assume he means a mars transfer orbit that does not actually aim at mars. I highly doubt the falcon upper stage can loiter long enough to circularize. or are they going to stick a satellite bus on it?The Roadster is only 1,235 kg, which is approximately what F9 (not FH) can launch to Mars transfer with a RTLS booster landing.That's only 7.3% of Falcon Heavy's maximum payload to Mars transfer, so I would expect something more substantial than just the car.For comparison, MOM had a launch mass of 1340 kg. This is great PR for Tesla, but unless there are more tricks up the sleeve, it's drastically underselling the capabilities of FH.
A couple of practical questions:1. How long (and how far) could communication be maintained with the second stage? The payload cam we see on almost every F9 launch can presumably send pictures back.2. How long (and how far) could an object the size of a Roadster be tracked by optical or radar astronomy?
The man has Panache.Here's the car:
Elon Musk told us he was sending a car to space, then said he totally made it up
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
Quote from: Helodriver on 12/02/2017 03:43 amOnce again Helodriver predicts the Future in regards to SpaceX. Called the use of the former shuttle carrier for moving landed F9 cores, and now, called the Tesla Roadster, from 5 years ago in a post here from September 2012.Elon if you want to PM me for more ideas, I'm available. You don't have to lurk on my posts here. Were you also around when he drove away the entire PayPal management team *twice*, almost went bankrupt first time with Tesla (he's now working on the second time), almost failed to pay back the govt loan, went after a starlet who can't stand his looks, decided to do a static fire of an unproven chilled propellant booster with the payload on top, and the other less brilliant choices he's made in his life?Yes, am quite the wet blanket on this one. Perhaps he should back off the Xanax for a few years, or visit the Betty Ford clinic if its still around.Nothing so much as convinces me he believes that FH will fail in the first flight as this apparent gesture of decadent foolishness.
Once again Helodriver predicts the Future in regards to SpaceX. Called the use of the former shuttle carrier for moving landed F9 cores, and now, called the Tesla Roadster, from 5 years ago in a post here from September 2012.Elon if you want to PM me for more ideas, I'm available. You don't have to lurk on my posts here.
Well we know one thing it isn't... possibly.