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#160
by
Comga
on 02 Dec, 2017 20:23
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Could the fairing problem that halted the Zuma flight be related to some clearance issue they discovered with this car?
Logically, no
See
Steven Pietrobon's post and mine above.
If the Roadster launch was real, which is highly doubtful, the fairing would be more than sufficient large.
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#161
by
Comga
on 02 Dec, 2017 20:28
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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?
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.
nah, they will not risk going into Mars.
And what starlink bus? Anyways, they are LEO buses.
Yup
Launched a
LEO bus to Mars once
Didn't end well
And that was a bus with flight heritage
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#162
by
Michael Baylor
on 02 Dec, 2017 20:40
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To clarify, I said it’s legit because the boss tweeted it out. I don’t know any more info and Elon’s the go to guy on this.
https://twitter.com/RocketJoy/status/937072189118939136Ok, a crucial piece of evidence in favor of this being true just bit the dust. Not sure why she made the original comment. Clearly she didn't actually know if there would be cameras or not. Was probably just making a logical assumption.
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#163
by
deruch
on 02 Dec, 2017 20:50
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However this ends up, Elon is earning his trolling merit badge with aplomb this weekend.
Do you think we should send him one? He could sew it onto his hat
That's actually going to be the mission patch.
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#164
by
AncientU
on 02 Dec, 2017 20:50
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And...
Eric Berger
@SciGuySpace
2 minutes ago
Elon 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.
We do have right now enough info to make a "Mind blowing" meme about the whole story.
Not until we see how it ends... best yet to come.
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#165
by
docmordrid
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:07
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#166
by
SpaceX_MS
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:09
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If it helps, as you've seen with this thread, this is where you're going to see everyone who's ever been to a launch claiming they have inside information. There's only a very small amount of places that can get answers from SpaceX because they have earned it with their coverage. This site and its reporters is one example. Eric Berger is another. And some others .......................
That is all.
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#167
by
guckyfan
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:09
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I am pretty sure they designed the Starlink bus with Mars in mind. Starlink satellites will be the backbone of Mars communication as well as the earth internet Constellation.
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#168
by
spacetraveler
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:11
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Plus, the maximum payload to GTO for Falcon Heavy is around 8 tons.
No, that's the max Falcon 9 payload in expendable configuration.
Max Falcon heavy to GTO is 26 tons.
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#169
by
Comga
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:21
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Confirmed! The payload is a Roadster going to Mars. What exactly "going to Mars" means is yet to be confirmed.
Eric Berger:Another SpaceX official confirms:
"The Roadster to Mars payload is real."
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/937078015720394756
Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, and so on
Lot's of evidence the Roadster to Mars is NOT real.
Can we agree to put discussion of payload for Heavy
here in the Payload Speculation thread and keep this one for updates on and discussion about the vehicle and launch?
(Done - Mod).
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#170
by
Ludus
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:23
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Still convinced it’s completely real until Musk says otherwise. It makes too much sense, especially in the Mars Orbit version not in orbit around Mars.
Putting any “Silly” object in earth orbit would draw reasonable criticism for adding to SpaceJunk and adding a nonzero probability of injuring or killing someone on reentry.
Putting it in orbit around Mars would draw criticism for Planetary Protection issues since it would eventually hit the planet. It would also be harder to achieve.
Putting his own Tesla Roadster into the same orbit as Mars seems brilliant. It’s a demonstration of FH but even more a demonstration that he can do what he says he’s going to do even if it seems fantastic. It’s great promotion for Tesla and SpaceX going into 2018 which will be a big year for both of them.
It’s essentially a fulfillment of Musks original ambition before founding SpaceX to send a private mission to Marssimply to promote interest in Space faring. It would do that very well. The original idea of sending a green house to the surface would have encountered opposition.
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#171
by
Dave G
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:24
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There's only a very small amount of places that can get answers from SpaceX because they have earned it with their coverage. This site and its reporters is one example. Eric Berger is another. And some others .......................
SpaceX will attempt to launch a red Tesla to the red planet [Updated]
ERIC BERGER - 12/1/2017, 10:25 PM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/with-bowie-playing-on-the-radio-elon-musk-plans-to-launch-his-tesla-to-mars/Saturday update: There has been some confusion today because Elon Musk told The Verge on Saturday morning that he "totally made it up" about sending a Tesla Roadster to Mars. However, in multiple emails with Ars on Saturday afternoon, Musk confirmed that this plan is, indeed, real. Another SpaceX official also said the Tesla payload was very much real.
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#172
by
ZachS09
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:25
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Plus, the maximum payload to GTO for Falcon Heavy is around 8 tons.
No, that's the max Falcon 9 payload in expendable configuration.
Max Falcon heavy to GTO is 26 tons.
I meant when all of Falcon Heavy's boosters are reusable. Just like Falcon 9; its maximum payload to GTO is 5.5 tons when reusing the first stage.
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#173
by
AncientU
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:32
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If it helps, as you've seen with this thread, this is where you're going to see everyone who's ever been to a launch claiming they have inside information. There's only a very small amount of places that can get answers from SpaceX because they have earned it with their coverage. This site and its reporters is one example. Eric Berger is another. And some others .......................
That is all.
Nice!
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#174
by
Formica
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:45
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Yup
Launched a LEO bus to Mars once
Didn't end well
And that was a bus with flight heritage
Huh. While I was familiar with the mission, I had never read about the
specific findings:The engine was derived from one belonging to an Earth orbital satellite and was not designed to lie dormant for months before being fired.
Quite the contrast to the recent
Voyager 1 firing!This is of course all wild speculation. That said, if they were to "cobble together" a Mars orbit insertion stage from a SuperDraco (insert "spacecraft are not LEGOs" caveat here), we know that they are designed for at least a few months of on-orbit storage, since Dragon 2 will be docked at the ISS for X number of months (6?). Or, as guckyfan speculates, it makes hypothetical sense that the Starlink design is made with Mars in mind, if they have such hardware to use on this adventure. All of this speculation really depends on just how long SpaceX has been working on this project.
(The thread title does say speculation, I hope this post is sufficiently relevant. I deleted this post from the other FH payload thread after Comga's post was moved to this one.)
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#175
by
Ludus
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:48
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There should be a actual Teapot, hopefully one that belonged to Bertrand Russell, in the Trunk of the Roadster.
http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?t=123217If the Roadster is confirmed, we need a thread about other things that ought to be included with it.
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#176
by
rsdavis9
on 02 Dec, 2017 21:51
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#177
by
meekGee
on 02 Dec, 2017 22:02
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Wonder if Road and Track could schedule a trial between the Roadster and Curiosity?
On Mars? That would be a crater vs a functioning rover
Not unless they land on the rover.
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#178
by
Space Ghost 1962
on 02 Dec, 2017 22:05
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"And we're going to trust this childish man ... to launch our billion dollar payload? Can anyone get a straight answer out of him? Anyone? Are we sure he's not joking ... again?"
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#179
by
gongora
on 02 Dec, 2017 22:08
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My first time seeing this--is this new?
http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/elon-musk-on-the-roadster-to-mars
quote: "Incidentally, for the first launch there is no plan to recover the boosters as has been done on Falcon 9 launches, but future flights will bring all three back to Earth. "
This article also clarifies the orbit:
He said it’ll be placed in “a precessing Earth-Mars elliptical orbit around the sun.”
