Live view from the Tesla orbiting the Earth

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
It seems like just some random piece of garbage someone decided to litter space with. Was there actually a purpose to this or was it done just for the hellovit?


This was the first launch of this rocket. 27 engines had to ignite for the whole thing to work. Even Elon Musk gave it "50-50" that it would work.

So, no payload of value was planned. No one, even NASA, puts a payload on a first test of a rocket.

Since there was no payload, Elon added one, and yeah, it's for the "hellovit" but I think it shows a sense of humor in the face of big risk.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
It seems like just some random piece of garbage someone decided to litter space with. Was there actually a purpose to this or was it done just for the hellovit?


This was the first launch of this rocket. 27 engines had to ignite for the whole thing to work. Even Elon Musk gave it "50-50" that it would work.

So, no payload of value was planned. No one, even NASA, puts a payload on a first test of a rocket.

Since there was no payload, Elon added one, and yeah, it's for the "hellovit" but I think it shows a sense of humor in the face of big risk.


And it worked. Everybody at my place of work is talking about it, have been since yesterday. So it certainly garnered some good attention for him.

 

[aquariuscsm]

What will happen to it eventually? Will it just drift off into oblivion?

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
What will happen to it eventually? Will it just drift off into oblivion?


It orbits the sun, in a fairly elliptical orbit, until it hits something.

Aphelion (farthest point from the Sun "Helios") is out by the asteroid belt. Not certain where Perihelion (closest point) will be, it was planned to be about Earth orbit,

How long until it hits something? Depends on the plane of the orbit, among many other things, but likely a few hundred million years.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
What will happen to it eventually? Will it just drift off into oblivion?


My understanding from Musk's latest tweet is that it exceeded the Mars orbit and will head into the asteroid belt. Based on that, I'm guessing it may hit an asteroid?

 

[28oz]

I just wished they had sectioned off the dashboard and labled/treated each section with Armor-all, Mothers, and Meguiers UV blockers. Then we could see which one really does work the best against solar radiation.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: 28oz
I just wished they had sectioned off the dashboard and labled/treated each section with Armor-all, Mothers, and Meguiers UV blockers. Then we could see which one really does work the best against solar radiation.

LOL, that would have been great.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted By: 28oz
I just wished they had sectioned off the dashboard and labled/treated each section with Armor-all, Mothers, and Meguiers UV blockers. Then we could see which one really does work the best against solar radiation.

What … dash should be all solar panels …

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
but I think it shows a sense of humor in the face of big risk.


Gotta love a sense of humour...

 

[4WD]

So a young guy is driving a model S yesterday = passes me when I’m doing 75 mph … then runs up on a cluster of slow vehicles … he had to slow down by at least 20 mph and no brake lights … (other cars on brakes)
Hmm … so when the motors do the braking = no brake lights?

 

[Win]

What good would solar panels do? What does it need power for? If it's just randomly tumbling, with no reliable means to point an antenna back home, the radio range will be pretty limited. Apollo could talk back on omni antennas, sort of, and a few people picked up the lunar backpacks direct from the moon, but much farther than that the Tesla would just be in the noise .....

It would have been fun though if it had something that transmitted in the clear, even if only for a few hours or days, so ordinary people could listen to it, like with Sputnik, but without the doomsday baggage.

 

[PeterPolyol]

What an indulgent rich-guy vanity operation.

 

[4WD]

You asking me ? ~ seems that was easy to read as sarcasm in response to sarcasm

 

[simple_gifts]

https://www.wimp.com/amateur-video-of-the-falcon-heavy-booster-landings/

A more interesting aspect of the launch IMHO

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
https://www.wimp.com/amateur-video-of-the-falcon-heavy-booster-landings/

A more interesting aspect of the launch IMHO


Simply amazing. Grew up watching the Shuttle launches where the boosters were simply dropped into the ocean. I was simply floored watching these boosters land themselves so precisely and near simultaneously. Straight out of sci-fi in comparison. Well done, SpaceX. Very well done.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: 28oz
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
https://www.wimp.com/amateur-video-of-the-falcon-heavy-booster-landings/

A more interesting aspect of the launch IMHO


Simply amazing. Grew up watching the Shuttle launches where the boosters were simply dropped into the ocean. I was simply floored watching these boosters land themselves so precisely and near simultaneously. Straight out of sci-fi in comparison. Well done, SpaceX. Very well done.


One of the boosters had a camera attached looking down. And a camera from the ground watching it descend.
It was part of the SpaceX live stream yesterday.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
What will happen to it eventually? Will it just drift off into oblivion?

My understanding from Musk's latest tweet is that it exceeded the Mars orbit and will head into the asteroid belt. Based on that, I'm guessing it may hit an asteroid?


Maybe not if the "collision avoidance system" is activated on that Tesla ...

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: 28oz
I just wished they had sectioned off the dashboard and labled/treated each section with Armor-all, Mothers, and Meguiers UV blockers. Then we could see which one really does work the best against solar radiation.

All those products would have out gassed as a cloud of crud in the vacuum of space.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I thought the most amazing part was watching the two rocket boosters coming back to earth and landing safely in unison. The rate of decent, and the engines firing to slow them down to be able to land safely is pretty crazy.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
What will happen to it eventually? Will it just drift off into oblivion?

My understanding from Musk's latest tweet is that it exceeded the Mars orbit and will head into the asteroid belt. Based on that, I'm guessing it may hit an asteroid?


Maybe not if the "collision avoidance system" is activated on that Tesla ...

LOL!!!