SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : Feb 6, 2018 : Discussion Thread 2

[tyrred]

Interesting, I had noticed something peculiar about the rims too, just chalked it up to perspective.
Why remove the wheels and rims and then photoshop them back in?  What kind of space car doesn't have wheels?

[oiorionsbelt]

Would not be surprised if they're launching without any wheels/tires attached, and photoshopped them back on lazily for this set of photos.

That would ruin the shot, unless the wheels are not visible from any camera angle they have.
 This demo payload is similar to Elon's Mars greenhouse idea in many respects. So image is everything.

[catdlr]

Interesting, I had noticed something peculiar about the rims too, just chalked it up to perspective.
Why remove the wheels and rims and then photoshop them back in?  What kind of space car doesn't have wheels?

Who needs Wheels, in Space, there are no roads. 

[Lampyridae]

Would not be surprised if they're launching without any wheels/tires attached, and photoshopped them back on lazily for this set of photos.

That would ruin the shot, unless the wheels are not visible from any camera angle they have.
 This demo payload is similar to Elon's Mars greenhouse idea in many respects. So image is everything.

Pressurised tyres could burst and cause damage on ascent. But the main thing that occurred to me was that the wheels were probably removed because on a normal car they are weights on flexible connections. So you don't want them flapping around and causing oscillation issues. They probably welded struts on to keep them steady, and I guess the "photoshopped" wheels are actually cardboard cutouts.

[woods170]

At least some of the image appears photoshopped - look at the wheels. Very odd, like taken at a different angle and photoshopped into place...

Would not be surprised if they're launching without any wheels/tires attached, and photoshopped them back on lazily for this set of photos.

The image IS photoshopped, to some extent. The entire image is in black-and-white (notice the building structure) with only the roadster-body set in color.

[Ben the Space Brit]

Interesting, I had noticed something peculiar about the rims too, just chalked it up to perspective.
Why remove the wheels and rims and then photoshop them back in?  What kind of space car doesn't have wheels?

The sort that don't want four tyre explosions during ascent?

[woods170]

Would not be surprised if they're launching without any wheels/tires attached, and photoshopped them back on lazily for this set of photos.

That would ruin the shot, unless the wheels are not visible from any camera angle they have.
 This demo payload is similar to Elon's Mars greenhouse idea in many respects. So image is everything.

Pressurised tyres could burst and cause damage on ascent.

Easy to solve. Deflate the tyres prior to launch and remove the air valves. That way the tyres can freely vent the remaining air-pressure during ascent.

[macpacheco]

Looks like SpaceX is launching one of the daft punk robots 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Two #FalconHeavy infographics from this @FT launch preview

https://www.ft.com/content/3aaba5d8-09c1-11e8-8eb7-42f857ea9f09

https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/960383330809151488

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Looks like @elonmusk has arrived in Florida this evening for launch of #FalconHeavy, still targeting liftoff at 1:30pm EST Feb 6 from pad 39A, #SpaceX.

FULL COVERAGE OF FALCON HEAVY'S DEBUT - americaspace.com/live-launch-tr…

https://twitter.com/americaspace/status/960392108782903296

[meekGee]

Interesting, I had noticed something peculiar about the rims too, just chalked it up to perspective.
Why remove the wheels and rims and then photoshop them back in?  What kind of space car doesn't have wheels?

The sort that don't want four tyre explosions during ascent?

It's only 14 PSI extra...  Not that hard...
And the suspension, you lock it with a transport bracket like you do with any washing machine..

... and look at the image here:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44778.msg1782474#msg1782474

it's the exact same tires and hubs.

Not only will they be there during launch, they might even have them spinning 

[chalz]

The rear assembly could be a camera facing back down the length of the second stage, so we can see the Earth receding.

[deruch]

Interesting, I had noticed something peculiar about the rims too, just chalked it up to perspective.
Why remove the wheels and rims and then photoshop them back in?  What kind of space car doesn't have wheels?

The sort that don't want four tyre explosions during ascent?

It's only 14 PSI extra...  Not that hard...
And the suspension, you lock it with a transport bracket like you do with any washing machine..

IMO, they shouldn't be pressurized.  There's what I consider a low, but obviously non-zero possibility that the upper stage will fail to deliver the TMI burn and be left in some sort of Earth orbit (I don't think the upper stage will burn to a direct injection).  When it essentially costs you absolutely nothing to minimize the risk of potentially creating additional orbital debris by depressurizing, that's what you should do.  Yes, these would be relatively low pressure and there isn't a high likelihood of them causing problems, especially when combined with the odds of the upper stage failing.  But...

[Johnnyhinbos]

Two things - the tires could be vented run-flat tires. It’s been around since the 1930s guys. Come on - find something more interesting to obsess  on like...

There’s a second Roadster and astronaut - on the dash. (I didn’t discover this).  And who knows, maybe... (here you go Lar)

[1] ... maybe there’s a tiny Roadster and astronaut on IT’S dash and... [1]

[woods170]

There’s a second Roadster and astronaut - on the dash. (I didn’t discover this). 

[speedevil]

Looks like @elonmusk has arrived in Florida this evening for launch of #FalconHeavy, still targeting liftoff at 1:30pm EST Feb 6 from pad 39A, #SpaceX.

Do aircraft under the control of the launch operator have to adhere to the same keepout zone as other aircraft?
Clearly they need to stay out of any danger area, but presumably the keepout zone has a boundary between safety on a known course and 'don't fly'.

[sailor.dm]

Hm, what else did they modify in this Roadster, besides possibly replacing the wheels? Space vacuum is quite an unforgiving medium for most ordinary materials. The paint in particular, anything made of plastic etc.

[Ben the Space Brit]

So long as it doesn't present a hazard during launch and TOI, I doubt that much has been changed on the Roadster. Longevity doesn't really matter; it's a publicity stunt, not an attempt to remake the Tesla vehicle to tolerate vacuum soak and the exomagnetospheric environment during an interplanetary coast and long-term heliocentric orbit.

[catdlr]

SpaceX’s Big Rocket, the Falcon Heavy, Finally Reaches the Launchpad

article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/science/falcon-heavy-spacex-elon-musk.html

Graphic (Falcon Heavy Expands the SpaceX Fleet - History Timeline):
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/science/spacex-falcon-launch.html

[StuffOfInterest]

I would lay odds that there will be another camera either in the spacesuit's helmet or looking over its shoulder.  That will capture the dash car with a look out the front window.  Maybe even a stencil on the front instrument cluster reading "ludicrous speed engaged".