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#420
by
nacnud
on 22 Dec, 2017 19:53
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A Kerbal, safe? Seems wrong somehow.
One thing they should do is to put a mannequin with a space suit in the drivers seat.
Jebediah Kerman
A Jeb plushie in the glove box, would be pretty safe from radiation for a while
A Kerbal, safe? Seems wrong somehow.
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#421
by
IanO
on 22 Dec, 2017 20:17
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The idea of Tesla Roadster in Space is delightfully whimsical, but I can't help thinking of the wasted opportunity. There are hundreds of student experimental payloads desperate for a launch opportunity; why not offer them a ride?
Not to mention the Lunar X Prize entrants. Pretty much all of them are dependent on cheap rideshares on other launchers, since they are all operating on shoestring budgets. This could have been a golden opportunity to get them all to their destination in one fell swoop!
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#422
by
nacnud
on 22 Dec, 2017 20:26
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I think that would be kinda cruel, Musk is not confident in this launch, so much so even a mass simulator seems a waste. (Where as exploding a Tesla is kinda cool). Puting one of a kind student experiments on it is enticing hope where it is undeserved.
Much better to use the spare capacity on launch 3 or 4 where there is a much greater expectation of success.
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#423
by
Johnnyhinbos
on 22 Dec, 2017 20:32
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I can hear it now - if the alternate had happened - if SpaceX puts the hopes and dreams of high school and college kids, who toiled for years on their cubesats and the flight fails to make orbit...
“It was so irrational to put real payloads on a test flight”, “SpaceX should be ashamed of themselves to do that when Elon himself said low probability of success”, etc etc
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#424
by
TaurusLittrow
on 22 Dec, 2017 20:49
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The more I think about it, the more I believe the Tesla Roadster payload is a missed opportunity. My first reaction to this payload was "too cool for school," but...
It would have been so much more meaningful if instead, the FH carried a BEAM-like inflatable module from Bigelow or another vendor. Put a few instruments aboard like radiation gauges or GoPro cameras. Just the image of a potentially habitable inflated module with Mars in the background would have wormed the idea of human flights to the Mars system into the public mind. Such a payload wouldn't even have to be stabilized if a low-gain antenna with low bit rate were used.
It's Elon's rocket and company, of course, and sniping from the peanut gallery doesn't matter. Still...
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#425
by
rockets4life97
on 22 Dec, 2017 21:26
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The more I think about it, the more I believe the Tesla Roadster payload is a missed opportunity. My first reaction to this payload was "too cool for school," but...
It would have been so much more meaningful if instead, the FH carried a BEAM-like inflatable module from Bigelow or another vendor. Put a few instruments aboard like radiation gauges or GoPro cameras. Just the image of a potentially habitable inflated module with Mars in the background would have wormed the idea of human flights to the Mars system into the public mind. Such a payload wouldn't even have to be stabilized if a low-gain antenna with low bit rate were used.
It's Elon's rocket and company, of course, and sniping from the peanut gallery doesn't matter. Still...
I think you are underestimating the risk of failure.
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#426
by
AC in NC
on 22 Dec, 2017 21:49
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Is that the most complete picture of a fairing interior we've gotten?
Definitely seems to put the fairing cost into perspective. Heck of a lot more there than just a composite shell.
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#427
by
meekGee
on 22 Dec, 2017 21:59
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Engineers like to build for posterity, I guess as a substitute for immortality...
This Tesla will likely be in orbit long after humans are extinct.
Check.
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#428
by
TaurusLittrow
on 22 Dec, 2017 22:11
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The more I think about it, the more I believe the Tesla Roadster payload is a missed opportunity. My first reaction to this payload was "too cool for school," but...
It would have been so much more meaningful if instead, the FH carried a BEAM-like inflatable module from Bigelow or another vendor. Put a few instruments aboard like radiation gauges or GoPro cameras. Just the image of a potentially habitable inflated module with Mars in the background would have wormed the idea of human flights to the Mars system into the public mind. Such a payload wouldn't even have to be stabilized if a low-gain antenna with low bit rate were used.
It's Elon's rocket and company, of course, and sniping from the peanut gallery doesn't matter. Still...
I think you are underestimating the risk of failure.
Rest assured, that's unlikely. Twenty years in the pharma industry as a pathologist breeds pessimism, patience, and humility.
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#429
by
theinternetftw
on 22 Dec, 2017 22:31
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Full-resolution shots (around 2x instagram) are now up on
the SpaceX flickr.Edit: More future-proof link.
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#430
by
Oersted
on 22 Dec, 2017 22:33
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Elon tweeted:
"Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much."
Maybe, as a homage to the Saturn V, he could put this LEGO set in the trunk... - Space aliens will be building a LEGO Saturn V millions of years into the future and grasp the true genius of mankind!
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#431
by
midnightrider3000
on 22 Dec, 2017 23:16
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Wow, That's a beautiful car!
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#432
by
Patchouli
on 22 Dec, 2017 23:47
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Elon tweeted:
"Falcon Heavy launching from same @NASA pad as the Saturn V Apollo 11 moon rocket. It was 50% higher thrust with five F-1 engines at 7.5M lb-F. I love that rocket so much."
Maybe, as a homage to the Saturn V, he could put this LEGO set in the trunk... - Space aliens will be building a LEGO Saturn V millions of years into the future and grasp the true genius of mankind!
Also a Commodore Vic-20 which was Elon Musk's first computer.
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#433
by
JAFO
on 23 Dec, 2017 00:39
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Only bad thing is that with no antenna, stabilization, etc, they won't be able to beam images back to earth of it once it gets too far away. Or am I missing something?
Remember: pictures or it didn't happen.
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#434
by
Brovane
on 23 Dec, 2017 00:43
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The more I think about it, the more I believe the Tesla Roadster payload is a missed opportunity. My first reaction to this payload was "too cool for school," but...
It would have been so much more meaningful if instead, the FH carried a BEAM-like inflatable module from Bigelow or another vendor. Put a few instruments aboard like radiation gauges or GoPro cameras. Just the image of a potentially habitable inflated module with Mars in the background would have wormed the idea of human flights to the Mars system into the public mind. Such a payload wouldn't even have to be stabilized if a low-gain antenna with low bit rate were used.
It's Elon's rocket and company, of course, and sniping from the peanut gallery doesn't matter. Still...
Sending the Roadster does a couple of things.
#1- It certainly has caught the attention of the news cycle.
#2- It also has generated free publicity for Tesla.
Both of those are good things.
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#435
by
envy887
on 23 Dec, 2017 01:48
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Only bad thing is that with no antenna, stabilization, etc, they won't be able to beam images back to earth of it once it gets too far away. Or am I missing something?
Remember: pictures or it didn't happen.
It doesn't look to be separating from the second stage, or transmitting on it's own. It will phone home as long as the second stage lives.
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#436
by
speedevil
on 23 Dec, 2017 02:00
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Only bad thing is that with no antenna, stabilization, etc, they won't be able to beam images back to earth of it once it gets too far away. Or am I missing something?
Remember: pictures or it didn't happen.
It doesn't look to be separating from the second stage, or transmitting on it's own. It will phone home as long as the second stage lives.
Does anyone recall how far out DSCOVR transmitted from?
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#437
by
Nomadd
on 23 Dec, 2017 02:00
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Only bad thing is that with no antenna, stabilization, etc, they won't be able to beam images back to earth of it once it gets too far away. Or am I missing something?
Remember: pictures or it didn't happen.
It doesn't look to be separating from the second stage, or transmitting on it's own. It will phone home as long as the second stage lives.
I don't know....A 75kwh battery pack, jigger the suspension so the wheels can face odd angles and use them for reaction wheels....
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#438
by
enzo
on 23 Dec, 2017 02:34
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I am curious if the car+stage would be detectable via radar for orbit confirmation. Would anyone with knowledge of radio astronomy be able to calculate whether Arecibo is capable? Obviously I only expect a few pixels, if we knew where to look based on the last known trajectory.
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#439
by
Herb Schaltegger
on 23 Dec, 2017 02:36
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I am curious if the car+stage would be detectable via radar for orbit confirmation. Would anyone with knowledge of radio astronomy be able to calculate whether Arecibo is capable? Obviously I only expect a few pixels, if we knew where to look based on the last known trajectory.
They'll have active telemetry of the stage through the injection burn and then some ... The stage's own inertial measurements and Doppler tracking will tell them the final orbit just fine before LOS.