PRotest Notes
Tesla Diner Revolt
Theme From Earnest Borgnine can work for this story
SquarePusher i hope you are not wierd… im still listening! . . . @nasa-jpl this page I compiled because theres a group of protestors that still support fuckisce/trump just read the signs. I dont know how things work, but it looks like some of you people I am physically attached to know i know hime from Atlanta so this is life i dont know, but according to WikiPedia he is CEO and product architect of Tesla, With the way he look, i dont know, Scientology In hollywood got a statue that looks like him and with people saying he is a Nazi I just dont know how to responD Romans 13 still works well is close to my heart ሮሜ -13.
ነፍስ ሁሉ በበላይ ላሉት ባለ ሥልጣኖች ይገዛ። ከእግዚአብሔር ካልተገኘ በቀር ሥልጣን የለምና፤ ያሉትም ባለ ሥልጣኖች በእግዚአብሔር የተሾሙ ናቸው።
The way elon dress i know he know DSS-14 but his interest group does not for good or bad… I guess thats why part of the role is Military Acedemia, im itching in my groin, but im still here… @nasa @whitehouse @nasa-jpl @blackgirlscode… I have to work on Ecostress Meeting Prep i like the downloadable md files @nasa-jpl @nasa-pds , i hope to have good ViTALS Questions… Oh Yeah if he is the CEO , whats Texas to @nasa-jpl and I need to know authority to stay safe if someone ask for a Mars Related Task…
Tesla, Inc. is an electric vehicle manufacturer and clean energy company founded in San Carlos, California in 2003 by American entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. The company is named after Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla.
TrackingStarman -whereisroadster.com
Rosie Thomas · Aug 1, 2025 at 12:12 PM 404media.co Tesla supports killing $7,500 EV tax credit – going directly against its mission Electrek Elon Musk Uses Cybertruck Explosion to Show Tesla Can Remotely Unlock and Monitor Vehicles - Jason Koebler - 404media.co Why Attacks on Teslas Are Condemned More Than Anti Black Hate Crimes ‘Deeply disturbing’: Musk’s ‘Hitler didn’t murder millions’ repost draws outrage usatoday.com Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy @whitehouse @blackgirlscode @usatoday Across America, clean energy plants are being banned faster than they’re being built
“If you eat tesla burgers You support mass murder”
- “I think Apple should help the FBI get into terrorists’ phones”
Tesla employee charged with murder in shooting death of co-worker, held without bail @cbsnews @abc7 @abcnews
@guardian Book-burning: fanning the flames of hatred
How the Nazis burned first books, then people
Hitler Youth burn ‘anti-German’ books. Photograph: Associated Press
Ten years ago : the Nazis burned these books –but free Americans can still read them. : SOURCE
One of the test flight objectives was to demonstrate that the new rocket could carry a payload as far as the orbit of Mars. NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver stated that SpaceX had “offered free launches to NASA, Air Force etc. but got no takers”, and that “the Tesla gimmick was the backup”.[18]
The Roadster is the first standard roadworthy vehicle sent into space,[19] following several special-purpose lunar and Mars rovers.
Sunday 2025-08-11
California_Linux:radar,dos,weatherVID 20250811 093241
@cityoflosangeles @stateofcalifornia
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter @nasa-jpl i told the @tesla protesters im a rescue
ElonProtest Day1 coming and going b4 HOfOCo after HoFoCo allfiles ElonProtest Day2 coming and going b4 HOfOCo after HoFoCo allfiles
@podaac @nasa @nasa-jpl about watermuck
@stateofcalifornia @cityoflosangeles @podaac @nasa @nasa-jpl about watermuck @stateofcalifornia @cityoflosangeles @cbs-news-data SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy To Launch Tesla Roadster Into Space - KCAL News SpaceX Launches Tesla Roadster into Mars Orbit via Its Falcon Heavy Rocket - ASM_INTERNATiONAL:ARTiCLE Kids Guide To The InterNEt - Diamond EnterTainment Corporation
# CAlifornia_Linux : launchprep_twitter_work_retweets
Ping
Learnin Light
nisar lau8nch
{{Short description|Sports car launched into space in 2018}}
{{Redirect|SpaceX Roadster|a planned “SpaceX option package” using cold gas thrusters|Tesla Roadster (second generation)}}
{{pp-move|reason=needs a [[WP:RM]]}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name = Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster
| names_list = SpaceX Roadster{{cite web |url=https://interestingengineering.com/nasa-officially-lists-elon-musks-floating-tesla-roadster-as-a-celestial-object |title=NASA Officially Lists Elon Musk's Floating Tesla Roadster As a Celestial Object |date=February 9, 2018 |access-date=February 14, 2018 |first=Jessica |last=Miley |publisher=Interesting Engineering |archive-date=March 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322093327/https://interestingengineering.com/nasa-officially-lists-elon-musks-floating-tesla-roadster-as-a-celestial-object |url-status=live }} JPL designated the artificial object as "Tesla Roadster (Starman, 2018-017A)"
Starman
| image = Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster (40143096241).jpg
| image_caption = Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster. Earth is in the background.
| image_alt = Large circular disc of a fully-illuminated planet Earth floating in the blackness of space. In front of Earth is a red convertible sports-car seen from the side. A humanoid figure wearing a white-and-black spacesuit is seated in the driving seat with the right-arm holding the steering wheel, and the left-arm resting on the top of the car door.
| image_size =
| mission_type = Test flight
| operator = [[SpaceX]]
| COSPAR_ID = 2018-017A
| SATCAT = 43205
| website =
| mission_duration = Active: 1 Day
In Orbit: {{time interval|6 February 2018, 20:45:00|show=ymd}}
| fate =
| distance_travelled =
| orbits_completed =
| suborbital_range =
| suborbital_apogee =
| spacecraft =
| spacecraft_type = [[Tesla Roadster (first generation)|2010 Tesla Roadster]]{{cite web |url=https://www.goauto.com.au/news/tesla/tesla-rockets-into-space/2018-02-07/69466.html |title=Sky is the limit for Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster in pioneering space shot |website=goauto.com.au |first=Ron |last=Hammerton |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=October 15, 2021 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016004158/https://www.goauto.com.au/news/tesla/tesla-rockets-into-space/2018-02-07/69466.html |url-status=live }} used as a [[mass simulator]], attached to the [[upper stage]] of a [[Falcon Heavy]] rocket
| spacecraft_bus =
| manufacturer = [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]] and SpaceX
| launch_mass = {{plainlist|
-
~{{cvt 1300 kg}}; - ~{{cvt|5900|kg}} including rocket upper stage{{cite web|url=http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falconH.html#components|title=SpaceX Falcon Heavy Data Sheet|first=Ed|last=Kyle|website=spacelaunchreport.com|access-date=February 16, 2018|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118065328/http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falconH.html#components|url-status=usurped}} }} | BOL_mass = | landing_mass = | dry_mass = | payload_mass = | dimensions = | power = | launch_date = {{ltime|February 6, 2018|20|45|00|EST|net=no}} | launch_rocket = [[Falcon Heavy]] [[Falcon Heavy test flight|FH-001]] | launch_site = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]] [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|LC-39A]] | launch_contractor = [[SpaceX]] | deployment_from = | deployment_date = | entered_service = | disposal_type = | declared = | deactivated = February 7, 2018 | destroyed = | last_contact = | recovery_by = | recovery_date = | decay_date = | landing_date = | landing_site = | orbit_reference = [[Heliocentric orbit|Heliocentric]] | orbit_regime = | orbit_longitude = | orbit_slot = | orbit_semimajor = | orbit_eccentricity = 0.25571{{cite web |url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=-143205&CENTER='500@10'&MAKE_EPHEM=YES&TABLE_TYPE=ELEMENTS&START_TIME=2018-05-01&STOP_TIME='2018-05-01+00:00:01'&OUT_UNITS=AU-D&REF_PLANE=ECLIPTIC&REF_SYSTEM=J2000&TP_TYPE=ABSOLUTE&ELEM_LABELS=YES&CSV_FORMAT=NO&OBJ_DATA=YES |title=Tesla Roadster (spacecraft) (solution #10) |work=[[JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System]] |date=27 March 2018 |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630211314/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=-143205&CENTER=%27500@10%27&MAKE_EPHEM=YES&TABLE_TYPE=ELEMENTS&START_TIME=2018-05-01&STOP_TIME=%272018-05-01+00:00:01%27&OUT_UNITS=AU-D&REF_PLANE=ECLIPTIC&REF_SYSTEM=J2000&TP_TYPE=ABSOLUTE&ELEM_LABELS=YES&CSV_FORMAT=NO&OBJ_DATA=YES |url-status=live }} | orbit_periapsis = {{cvt|0.98613|au|km|lk=on}} | orbit_apoapsis = {{cvt|1.6637|au|km}} | orbit_inclination = 1.077° | orbit_period = 1.525 year | orbit_RAAN = | orbit_arg_periapsis = | orbit_mean_anomaly = | orbit_mean_motion = | orbit_repeat = | orbit_velocity = | orbit_epoch = 1 May 2018 | orbit_rev_number = | apsis = helion }} {{Elon Musk series|expanded=Related}} ‘'’Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster’’’ is an electric sports car that served as the [[Boilerplate (spaceflight)|dummy payload]] for the February 2018 [[Falcon Heavy test flight]] and became an [[artificial satellite]] of the Sun. A mannequin in a [[Space suit#SpaceX spacesuit|spacesuit]], dubbed “Starman”, occupies the driver’s seat. The car and rocket are products of [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]] and [[SpaceX]], respectively, both companies headed by [[Elon Musk]].{{cite news |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/tesla-motors-founders-now-there-are-five/ |title=Tesla Motors founders: Now there are five |work=CNet |first=Martin |last=LaMonica |date=September 21, 2009 |access-date=September 18, 2018 |quote=agreed-upon "founders" of [[Tesla Motors|Tesla]]. [...] [[Martin Eberhard|Eberhard]], [...] [[Elon Musk]], [...] [[J. B. Straubel|JB Straubel]], [[Marc Tarpenning]], and [[Ian Wright (engineer)|Ian Wright]]. |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115134134/https://www.cnet.com/news/tesla-motors-founders-now-there-are-five/ |url-status=live }} The [[Tesla Roadster (first generation)|2010 Roadster]] is personally owned by and previously used by Musk for commuting to work. It is the first [[production car]] launched into space.
| The car, mounted on the rocket’s second stage, was launched on an [[Escape velocity | escape trajectory]] and entered an [[Elliptic orbit | elliptical]] [[heliocentric orbit]] crossing the orbit of [[Mars]].{{cite news | url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/08/starman-puts-earth-in-the-rearview-mirror/ | title=’Starman’ puts Earth in the rearview mirror | first=William | last=Harwood | via=Spaceflight Now | work=CBS News | date=February 8, 2017 | access-date=February 8, 2018 | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109062817/https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/08/starman-puts-earth-in-the-rearview-mirror/ | url-status=live}}</ref> The orbit reaches a maximum distance from the Sun at [[Perihelion and aphelion | aphelion]] of 1.66 [[astronomical unit]]s (au). Video of the Roadster during the launch was transmitted back to the [[mission control center]] and live-streamed. |
== Background == {{stack|[[File:Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster.jpg|thumb|Musk’s Tesla Roadster parked outside SpaceX, 2010|alt=Photograph of a parking space with the words “SpaceX” and “reserved”. The parking space contains a red convertible sports car with Californian license plate TSLA 10. On the rear of the vehicle are written the words “Tesla Roadster Sport”.]]}} In March 2017, [[SpaceX]]’s founder, [[Elon Musk]], said that because the launch of the new [[Falcon Heavy]] vehicle was risky, it would carry the “silliest thing we can imagine”.{{cite tweet |user=elonmusk |author-link=Elon Musk |number=847884351375372288 |title=Silliest thing we can imagine! Secret payload of 1st Dragon flight was a giant wheel of cheese. Inspired by a friend & Monty Python. |date=2017-03-31 |access-date=2018-07-11}}
In June 2017, one of his Twitter followers suggested that the silly thing be a [[Tesla Model S]], to which Musk replied: “Suggestions welcome!”{{cite tweet | user=janeidyeve | first=Evelyn Janeidy |last=Arevalo | number=875509666742226944 | title= @elonmusk Please Let Twitter vote for #FalconHeavyCargo Let us imagine the silliest things possible! @arstechnica @TeslaMotors @spacex -RT&❤ |date=2017-06-15 }}{{cite news |url=https://brownsvilleherald.com/premium/brownsville-woman-musk-interact-on-social-media/article_ba93abf8-0ba9-11e8-bf75-37650ef1ea55.html?mode=jqm |first=Mark |last=Reagan |title=Brownsville woman, Musk interact on social media |work=[[The Brownsville Herald]] |date=2018-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210101754/https://brownsvilleherald.com/premium/brownsville-woman-musk-interact-on-social-media/article_ba93abf8-0ba9-11e8-bf75-37650ef1ea55.html |archive-date=2018-02-10 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.kveo.com/news/local-news/brownsville-woman-inspires-spacex-to-launch-car-to-mars/894946361 |title=Brownsville Woman Inspires SpaceX to Launch Car to Mars |first=Marlane |last=Rodriguez |work=KVEO-TV |date=2018-01-02 |access-date=2018-12-13 |archive-date=2020-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729225219/https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/brownsville-woman-inspires-spacex-to-launch-car-to-mars/894946361/ |url-status=live }}{{cite tweet | user=elonmusk | author-link=Elon Musk | number=881571150630756352 | title=Suggestions welcome! |date=2017-07-02 }}
In December 2017, Musk announced that the payload would be his personal “midnight cherry Tesla Roadster”.{{cite web |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/02/spacex-will-try-to-launch-elon-musks-tesla-roadster-on-new-heavy-lift-rocket/ |title=Elon Musk says SpaceX will try to launch his Tesla Roadster on new heavy-lift rocket |website=Space Flight Now |access-date=2017-12-02 |archive-date=2021-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115184656/https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/02/spacex-will-try-to-launch-elon-musks-tesla-roadster-on-new-heavy-lift-rocket/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.space.com/38968-elon-musk-falcon-heavy-rocket-tesla-roadster.html |title=Elon Musk Will Launch His Tesla Roadster to Mars on SpaceX's 1st Falcon Heavy Rocket |first=Tariq |last=Malik |website=Space.com |date=2017-12-01 |access-date=2017-12-03 |archive-date=2020-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207204756/https://www.space.com/38968-elon-musk-falcon-heavy-rocket-tesla-roadster.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Falcon Heavy's Debut Flight Payload: A Tesla Roadster |url=http://aviationweek.com/space/falcon-heavy-s-debut-flight-payload-tesla-roadster |access-date=2017-12-07 |magazine=[[Aviation Week & Space Technology]] |date=2017-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731085050/https://aviationweek.com/space/falcon-heavy-s-debut-flight-payload-tesla-roadster |archive-date=2019-07-31 |url-status=live}}
| One of the test flight objectives was to demonstrate that the new rocket could carry a payload as far as the orbit of Mars. [[NASA]] deputy administrator [[Lori Garver]] stated that SpaceX had “offered free launches to NASA, [[United States Air Force | Air Force]] etc. but got no takers”, and that “the Tesla gimmick was the backup”.{{Cite web | title=Launching Elon Musk’s car toward Mars was a backup plan — here’s what SpaceX actually wanted to do with Falcon Heavy’s first flight | first=Dave | last=Mosher | date=February 9, 2018 | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/starman-tesla-backup-payload-spacex-musk-nasa-2018-2 | website=[[Business Insider]] | access-date=February 9, 2018 | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109025228/https://www.businessinsider.com/starman-tesla-backup-payload-spacex-musk-nasa-2018-2?r=DE&IR=T | url-status=live }}</ref> |
| The Roadster is the first standard roadworthy vehicle sent into space,{{cite news | url=https://futurism.com/experts-elon-musk-roadster/ | title=The First Car in Space | date=December 30, 2017 | access-date=January 14, 2018 | archive-date=December 1, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201195419/https://futurism.com/experts-elon-musk-roadster | url-status=live }}</ref> following several special-purpose [[Lunar rover | lunar]] and [[Mars rover]]s. |
=== Roadster as payload {{anchor|Starman}} === {{stack|[[File:Tesla Roadster mounted on Falcon Heavy upper stage.png|thumb|upright=0.85|alt=Illustration of Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster attached to the upper stage of a Falcon rocket, with a driver wearing a white-and-black spacesuit in the driving seat and the Earth visible in the background.|The Roadster is permanently attached to the upper stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket.]]}} {{stack|[[File:Falcon Heavy Demo Mission (40126461851).jpg|thumb|[[Falcon Heavy]] liftoff from pad [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]]] }}
The car was permanently mounted on the rocket in an inclined position above the payload adapter. Tubular structures were added to mount front and side cameras. Photos of the car prior to payload encapsulation were released.{{cite news |last1=Knapp |first1=Alex |title=Elon Musk Shows Off Photos of a Tesla Roadster Getting Prepped to Go to Mars |date=December 22, 2017 |magazine=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2017/12/22/elon-musk-shows-off-photos-of-tesla-roadster-prepped-to-go-to-mars/ |access-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223005903/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2017/12/22/elon-musk-shows-off-photos-of-tesla-roadster-prepped-to-go-to-mars/ |url-status=live }}
| Positioned in the driver’s seat is “Starman”, a full-scale human mannequin clad in [[SpaceX spacesuit | a SpaceX pressure spacesuit]].{{Cite web | last=Weitering | first=Hanneke | date=2018-02-05 | title=Elon Musk Unveils ‘Starman’ in Tesla Roadster Launching on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket | url=https://www.space.com/39593-starman-aboard-tesla-roadster-spacex-falcon-heavy.html | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205201005/https://www.space.com/39593-starman-aboard-tesla-roadster-spacex-falcon-heavy.html | archive-date=2018-02-05 | access-date= | website=Space.com}}</ref> It was placed with the right hand on the steering wheel and the left elbow resting on the open window sill. The mannequin was named after the [[David Bowie]] song “[[Starman (song) | Starman]]”,{{cite magazine | author=Pappalardo | first=Joe | date=February 5, 2018 | title=Elon Musk’s Space Tesla Isn’t Going to Mars. It’s Going Somewhere More Important. | url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a16571489/elon-musk-space-tesla-mars/ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206230725/https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a16571489/elon-musk-space-tesla-mars/ | archive-date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 6, 2018 | magazine=Popular Mechanics}}</ref> and the car’s sound system was set before launch to continuously loop the Bowie song “[[Space Oddity]]”.{{cite magazine | title=SpaceX Successfully Launches the Falcon Heavy – and Elon Musk’s Roadster | url=https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-successfully-launches-the-falcon-heavyand-elon-musks-roadster/ | magazine=WIRED | access-date=February 7, 2018 | date=2018-02-06 | archive-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207003954/https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-successfully-launches-the-falcon-heavyand-elon-musks-roadster/ | url-status=live}}</ref> |
| A copy of [[Douglas Adams]]’ novel ‘’[[The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (novel) | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy]]’’ is in the glove box, along with references to the book in the form of a [[Phrases from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy#Knowing where one’s towel is | towel]] and a sign on the dashboard that reads “[[Phrases from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy#Don’t Panic | DON’T PANIC!]]”.{{blist | {{cite tweet | user=tiamaria68uk | number=938930620511801345 | access-date=December 8, 2017 | date=December 8, 2017 | title= Will the glove box contain “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy”?}} | {{cite tweet | author-link=Elon Musk | user=elonmusk | number=938947119246860290 | access-date=December 8, 2017 | date=December 8, 2017 | title=Yes}} | {{cite tweet | author-link=Elon Musk | user=elonmusk | title=Plus a towel and a sign saying ‘Don’t Panic’ | number=939005893634506752 | access-date=December 8, 2017 | date=December 8, 2017}} }}</ref> |
| A [[Hot Wheels]] miniature Roadster with a miniature Starman is mounted on the dashboard. A plaque bearing the names of the employees who worked on the project is placed underneath the car, and a message on the vehicle’s circuit board reads “Made on Earth by humans”.{{cite web | first=Elon | last=Musk | author-link=Elon Musk | title=Printed on the circuit board of a car in deep space | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Be31IJxgOoK/ | via=[[Instagram]] | access-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207035617/https://www.instagram.com/p/Be31IJxgOoK/ | archive-date=February 7, 2018 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all}}</ref> The car carries a copy of Isaac Asimov’s [[Foundation (book series)#Foundation trilogy | '’Foundation’’ trilogy]] on a [[5D optical data storage | 5D optical disc]], a proof of concept for high-density long-lasting data storage, donated to Musk by the [[Arch Mission Foundation]].{{cite web | author=Taylor | first=Chris | date=February 9, 2018 | title=Forget the Tesla, Elon Musk launched the first books in an ever-lasting space library | url=https://mashable.com/2018/02/09/elon-musk-tesla-roadster-space-library/ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090251/https://mashable.com/2018/02/09/elon-musk-tesla-roadster-space-library/ | archive-date=February 18, 2018 | access-date=February 17, 2018 | work=Mashable}}</ref>{{cite web | author=Olson | first=Eric | date=February 14, 2018 | title=Backing Up Humanity: First Arch Launched on Falcon Heavy | url=https://insights.globalspec.com/article/7975/backing-up-humanity-first-arch-launched-on-falcon-heavy | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215023805/https://insights.globalspec.com/article/7975/backing-up-humanity-first-arch-launched-on-falcon-heavy | archive-date=February 15, 2018 | access-date=February 17, 2018 | work=IEEE GlobalSpec}}</ref> |
==Trajectory==
{{Main|Falcon Heavy test flight}}
[[File:Animation of SpaceX Roadster trajectory.gif|thumb|An animation of the Roadster’s trajectory
{| style=”width:100%;”
|{{legend2|Magenta|SpaceX Roadster}}
{{legend2|Yellow|Sun}}
{{legend2|Cyan|Mercury}}
|{{legend2|Gold|Venus}}
{{legend2|RoyalBlue|Earth}}
{{legend2|OrangeRed|Mars}}
|}]]
[[File:Tesla Roadster orbital diagram.png|thumb|Orbit of the Roadster, with the planets of the inner Solar System for context. Its [[aphelion]] is ~250 million kilometres (1.66 [[astronomical units|au]]).|alt=Diagram of the inner solar system with the circular orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars going around the Sun. The orbit of the Tesla Roadster is shown in red, also encircling the Sun, but in an ellipse shape that touches Earth orbit on one side of the Sun, and extends outwards beyond Mars orbit on the other side of the Sun.]]
| The US [[Office of Commercial Space Transportation]] issued the test flight’s launch license on February 2, 2018.{{cite web | url=http://images.spaceref.com/news/2018/LLS18107doc.pdf | title=License Number: LLS 18-107 | first=Kenneth | last=Wong | publisher=[[Office of Commercial Space Transportation]] | date=February 2, 2018 | access-date=February 5, 2018 | quote=Space Exploration Technologies is authorized to conduct: (i) a flight of the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) transporting the modified Tesla Roadster (mass simulator) to a hyperbolic orbit; and […] }}</ref> The rocket lifted off from [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 | Launch Complex 39A]] at [[Kennedy Space Center]] at 15:45 EST (20:45 UTC) on February 6.{{cite news | last1=Santana | first1=Marco | last2=Brinkmann | first2=Paul | date=February 6, 2018 | title=SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch live coverage: Liftoff successful | url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-bz-falcon-heavy-spacex-launch-tuesday-20180206-story.html | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206215128/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-bz-falcon-heavy-spacex-launch-tuesday-20180206-story.html | archive-date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 6, 2018 | newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]}}</ref> The upper stage supporting the car was initially placed in an Earth [[parking orbit]]. It spent six hours coasting through the [[Van Allen radiation belt]]s, thereby demonstrating a new capability requested by the [[United States Air Force | U.S. Air Force]] for direct insertion of heavy intelligence satellites into [[geostationary orbit]]. Then, the upper stage performed a second boost to reach the desired [[escape trajectory]].{{cite news | url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/spacex-debut-falcon-heavy-demonstration-launch/ | last1=Gebhardt | first1=Chris | title=SpaceX set to debut Falcon Heavy in demonstration launch from KSC | work=[[NASASpaceFlight.com]] | date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 6, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040210/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/spacex-debut-falcon-heavy-demonstration-launch/ | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | url-status=live }}</ref>{{cite news | url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/at-the-pad-elon-musk-sizes-up-the-falcon-heavys-chance-of-success/ | last1=Berger | first1=Eric | title=Elon Musk says the Falcon Heavy has a 50-50 chance of success | website=[[Ars Technica]] | date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 6, 2018 | archive-date=February 16, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216125144/https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/at-the-pad-elon-musk-sizes-up-the-falcon-heavys-chance-of-success/ | url-status=live }}</ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.geekwire.com/2018/elon-musk-explains-spacexs-falcon-heavy-rocket-risky-revolutionary/ | last1=Boyle | first1=Alan | title=Elon Musk explains why SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is risky – and revolutionary | work=[[GeekWire]] | date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 6, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041100/https://www.geekwire.com/2018/elon-musk-explains-spacexs-falcon-heavy-rocket-risky-revolutionary/ | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
| The launch was [[Live streaming | live streamed]], and video feeds from space showed the Roadster at various angles, with Earth in the background, thanks to cameras placed inside and outside the car, on booms attached to the vehicle’s custom adaptor atop the upper stage.{{cite tweet | last=Foust | first=Jeff | title=Musk: will be three cameras mounted on the Roadster, should provide “epic views” if all goes well. | user=jeff_foust | number=960632250500042752 | date=February 5, 2018 | language=en }}</ref>{{cite tweet | user=planet4589 | first=Jonathan | last=McDowell | author-link=Jonathan McDowell | number=961675763450830849 | date=February 8, 2018 | access-date=February 11, 2018 | title=I now have confirmation that the Tesla remains attached to the Falcon 2nd stage, which is being observed by asteroid experts}}</ref> Musk had estimated the car’s battery would last over 12 hours, but the live stream ran for just over four hours, thus ending before the final boost out of Earth orbit.{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M | via=YouTube | title=Live Views of Starman | access-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207011450/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M | url-status=live }}</ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.space.com/39612-spacex-starman-tesla-roadster-live-views.html | title=Watch Live Views of SpaceX’s Starman Riding a Tesla Roadster in Space! | last=Weitering | first=Hanneke | date=February 6, 2018 | website=[[Space.com]] | access-date=February 6, 2018 | archive-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207004312/https://www.space.com/39612-spacex-starman-tesla-roadster-live-views.html | url-status=live}}</ref>{{cite news | title=This is what a Tesla Roadster looks like floating through space | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/06/this-is-what-a-tesla-roadster-looks-like-floating-through-space.html | access-date=February 7, 2018 | work=CNBC | date=February 6, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207004334/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/06/this-is-what-a-tesla-roadster-looks-like-floating-through-space.html | archive-date=February 7, 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> The images were released by SpaceX into the [[public domain]] on their [[Flickr]] account.{{cite web | author=Zhang | first=Michael | date=February 8, 2018 | title=This is the Last Photo of the Tesla That’s Flying Away From Earth | url=https://petapixel.com/2018/02/08/last-photo-tesla-thats-flying-away-earth/ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040755/https://petapixel.com/2018/02/08/last-photo-tesla-thats-flying-away-earth/ | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | access-date=February 18, 2018 | work=PetaPixel | quote=The photo was shared by billionaire Elon Musk on Instagram and SpaceX on Flickr. As you might remember, SpaceX began publishing all of its Flickr photos to the public domain in March 2015, leading Flickr to add a public domain designation just days later.}}</ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.geekwire.com/2015/elon-musk-makes-spacex-photos-free-for-public-use/ | title=Elon Musk makes SpaceX photos free for public use | work=[[GeekWire]] | first=Molly | last=Brown | date=March 23, 2015 | access-date=February 18, 2018 | archive-date=November 30, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130161220/https://www.geekwire.com/2015/elon-musk-makes-spacex-photos-free-for-public-use/ | url-status=live}}</ref> |
Following the launch, the rocket stage carrying the car was given the [[Satellite Catalog Number]] 43205, named “TESLA ROADSTER/FALCON 9H”, along with the [[COSPAR designation]] 2018-017A.{{cite web |url=https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=43205 |title=TESLA ROADSTER/FALCON 9H |website=N2YO.com |access-date=February 21, 2018 |archive-date=February 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219203544/https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=43205 |url-status=live }} The [[JPL Horizons]] system publishes solutions for the trajectory as target body “-143205”.
| The Roadster is in a heliocentric orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars and reaches a distance of {{nowrap | 1.66 au}} from the Sun. With an inclination of roughly 1 degree to the [[ecliptic plane]], compared to Mars’ 1.85° inclination, this trajectory by design cannot intercept Mars, so the car will neither [[Mars flyby | fly by Mars]] nor enter an [[areocentric orbit | orbit around Mars]].{{cite web | last1=Plait | first1=Phil | title=Elon Musk: On the Roadster to Mars | url=http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/elon-musk-on-the-roadster-to-mars | website=Syfy Wire | access-date=December 7, 2017 | date=2017-12-02 | archive-date=January 29, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129185324/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/elon-musk-on-the-roadster-to-mars | url-status=live }}</ref> This was the second object launched by SpaceX to leave Earth orbit, after the [[DSCOVR]] mission to the Earth–Sun {{L1}} Lagrangian point. Nine months after launch, the Tesla had travelled beyond the orbit of Mars,{{cite web | last1=Nag | first1=Poulami | title=SpaceX Starman reaches beyond Mars in his cherry red Tesla Roadster | url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/spacex-starman-reaches-beyond-mars-his-cherry-red-tesla-roadster-784728 | website=ibtimes.co.in | publisher=IB Times | access-date=5 November 2018 | date=2018-11-04 | archive-date=January 7, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107071057/https://www.ibtimes.co.in/spacex-starman-reaches-beyond-mars-his-cherry-red-tesla-roadster-784728 | url-status=live }}</ref> reaching [[aphelion]] at 12:48 UTC on November 9, 2018, at a distance of {{cvt | 248,892,559 | km | au | sigfig=4}} from the Sun. The maximum speed of the car relative to the Sun will be approximately {{cvt | 121,000 | km/h}} at [[perihelion]].{{cite web | url=https://where-is-tesla-roadster.space/live | title=Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster in Space – Live Position | first=Greg | last=Frieger | website=where-is-tesla-roadster.space | date=2018 | access-date=12 December 2018 | archive-date=February 20, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220160904/https://where-is-tesla-roadster.space/live | url-status=live }} Select “Aug 15, 2019 Closest to the Sun (perihelion)” in the “Past and future events” section to view the predicted speed at that time.</ref> |
Even if the rocket had targeted an actual [[Mars transfer orbit]], the car could not have been placed into orbit around Mars, because the upper stage that carries it is not equipped with the necessary propellant, maneuvering, and communications capabilities. This flight simply demonstrated that Falcon Heavy is capable of launching significant payloads towards Mars in potential future missions.
==Cultural impact== The car in space quickly became a topic for [[Internet meme]]s.{{cite news |url=http://technology.inquirer.net/72268/tesla-roadster-in-space-becomes-internets-new-favorite-meme |title=Tesla Roadster in space becomes internet's new favorite meme |first=Alfred |last=Bayle |newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]] |date=7 February 2018 |access-date=10 February 2018 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005164145/https://technology.inquirer.net/72268/tesla-roadster-in-space-becomes-internets-new-favorite-meme |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=Baliūnaitė |first=Ilona |date=7 February 2018 |title=47 Of The Funniest Reactions To Elon Musk Sending Tesla Car To Mars |url=https://www.boredpanda.com/elon-musk-tesla-in-space-reactions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601021741/https://www.boredpanda.com/elon-musk-tesla-in-space-reactions/ |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |access-date=12 December 2018 |website=Bored Panda}} [[Western Australia Police]] distributed a picture of a [[radar gun]] aimed at the Roadster whilst above Australia.{{cite news|url=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/opmerkelijk/hilarisch-australische-politie-slingert-ruimte-tesla-op-de-bon-vanwege-hoge-snelheid|title=Hilarisch: Australische politie slingert ruimte-Tesla op de bon vanwege hoge snelheid|trans-title=Hilarious: Australian Police send orbiting Tesla a speeding ticket|date=7 February 2018|access-date=16 February 2018|work=[[RTL Nieuws]]|language=nl|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731165918/https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/opmerkelijk/artikel/3846401/hilarisch-australische-politie-slingert-ruimte-tesla-op-de-bon-vanwege|url-status=live}}{{cite tweet |number=961057061042704384 |title=Ticket's in the post mate... 😉 #AnywhereAnytime #WAPoliceForce #FalconHeavy |user=WA_Police |author=Western Australia Police |author-link=Western Australia Police |date=7 February 2018 |access-date=16 February 2018}} [[Škoda Auto|Škoda]] produced a [[parody]] video of a [[Škoda Superb]] being driven to [[Mars, Loire|Mars]], a village in central France.{{cite news |last1=Padeanu |first1=Adrian |title=Skoda Releases Video Proof Of Sending Superb To Mars |url=https://www.motor1.com/news/233075/skoda-superb-goes-to-mars/ |access-date=February 15, 2018 |work=Motor1.com |date=February 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128122717/https://www.motor1.com/news/233075/skoda-superb-goes-to-mars/ |url-status=live }}{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79d0jxWZlds |title=#MissionToMars |author=Škoda France |via=Youtube |date=14 February 2018 |access-date=15 February 2018 |language=en,fr |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124030657/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79d0jxWZlds |url-status=live }} An attempt was made by [[Donut Media]] to launch a [[Hot Wheels]] [[Tesla Model X]] to the stratosphere using a [[weather balloon]].{{cite web|url=https://www.carscoops.com/2018/02/launching-tesla-model-x-toy-car-space-insanely-difficult-incredibly-hilarious/|title=Launching A Tesla Model X Toy Car Into Space Is Insanely Difficult, Incredibly Hilarious|first=Joel V.|last=Patel|date=27 February 2018|access-date=27 February 2018|work=Carscoops|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114123814/https://www.carscoops.com/2018/02/launching-tesla-model-x-toy-car-space-insanely-difficult-incredibly-hilarious/|url-status=live}}{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2szjw6ZpJ4w|author=Donut Media|date=25 February 2018|access-date=27 February 2018|title=We Tried to Launch a Tesla to Space Too|via=Youtube|archive-date=November 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110075633/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2szjw6ZpJ4w|url-status=live}} ToSky, a Russian start-up, sent a scale model of a Soviet-era [[Lada]] carrying a mannequin of Roscosmos head [[Dmitry Rogozin]] to an altitude of 20 km (12 miles) to gather test data for the design of [[High-altitude platform station#Stratospheric airship|stratostats]].{{cite news |title=Russians send Soviet car model into stratosphere |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-48615344 |work=BBC News |date=12 June 2019 |access-date=June 13, 2019 |archive-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228095432/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-48615344 |url-status=live }}
| Some news reports observed a similarity between the real pictures of a car orbiting the Earth and the title sequence of the animated [[cult classic]] film ‘’[[Heavy Metal (film) | Heavy Metal]]’’ (1981), where a space traveler lands on Earth in a 1950s two-seater [[Chevrolet Corvette (C1) | Chevrolet Corvette]] convertible.{{cite news | url=https://edge.ca/news/4011097/a-canadian-american-predicted-what-elon-musks-rocket-roadster-did-yesterday-in-1981/ | title=A Canadian-American predicted what Elon Musk’s rocket roadster did yesterday—in 1981! | first=Alan | last=Cross | work=[[CFNY-FM]] | date=2018-02-07 | access-date=2018-02-11 | quote=picture is not fake […] photo is from space […] resemblance to the opening sequence of a Canadian-American adult animated movie from 1981 called ‘‘Heavy Metal’’ | archive-date=2020-06-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613114306/https://edge.ca/news/4011097/a-canadian-american-predicted-what-elon-musks-rocket-roadster-did-yesterday-in-1981/ | url-status=live }}</ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-tesla-and-spacex-have-already-merged-2018-2 | title=The Falcon Heavy Roadster Launch reveals how Tesla and SpaceX are already beginning to merge | first=Matthew | last=DeBord | website=[[Business Insider]] UK | date=2018-02-10 | access-date=2018-02-11 | quote=Roadster orbiting Earth […] like something out of the […] opening sequence from the 1981 grownup animated movie “Heavy Metal” | archive-date=2018-10-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023112633/http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-tesla-and-spacex-have-already-merged-2018-2 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
| The SpaceX launch live stream reached over 2.3 million concurrent viewers on YouTube, which made it the second most watched live event on the platform, behind another space-related event: [[Felix Baumgartner]]’s [[Red Bull Stratos | jump from the stratosphere]] in 2012.{{Cite news | url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16981730/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-youtube-live-stream-record | title=SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch was YouTube’s second biggest live stream ever | last=Singleton | first=Micah | work=The Verge | date=6 February 2018 | access-date=23 February 2018 | language=en | archive-date=December 13, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213132338/https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16981730/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-youtube-live-stream-record | url-status=live}}</ref> |
== Reactions == The choice of the Roadster as a dummy payload was variously interpreted as marketing for Tesla, or a work of art, with some worrying about the risk to contamination of otherwise sterile solar system bodies. Some also commented on how the Roadster was not a [[space debris]] risk.
=== Marketing === Musk was lauded as a savvy [[Marketing|marketer]] and [[Brand management|brand manager]] by controlling both the timing and the content of his corporate public relations.{{Cite magazine |last=Wnek |first=Mark |date=February 8, 2018 |title=There's Advertising and Marketing, and Then There's Elon Musk |url=http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/advertising-marketing-elon-musk/312307/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142636/http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/advertising-marketing-elon-musk/312307/ |archive-date=February 12, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2018 |magazine=[[Ad Age]]}}{{Cite web |last=Matousek |first=Mark |date=February 7, 2018 |title=Tesla created the world's best car commercial without spending a dime on advertising |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-made-the-worlds-best-car-commercial-without-spending-money-2018-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210062303/http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-made-the-worlds-best-car-commercial-without-spending-money-2018-2 |archive-date=February 10, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2018 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}{{Cite magazine |title= The mega-rich have ambitious plans to improve the world; Should that be a cause for celebration or concern? |date= February 8, 2018 |magazine= [[The Economist]] |url= https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21736517-should-be-cause-celebration-or-concern-mega-rich-have-ambitious-plans-improve |access-date= February 12, 2018 |archive-date= February 12, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180212031546/https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21736517-should-be-cause-celebration-or-concern-mega-rich-have-ambitious-plans-improve |url-status= live }} After the launch, ‘’[[Scientific American]]’’ said using a car was not entirely pointless, in the sense that something of that size and weight was necessary for a meaningful test.{{Cite magazine |url= https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/elon-musk-does-it-again/ |title= Elon Musk Does It Again; His Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off on the first try, puts a Tesla auto into orbit—and maybe changes the business of space commerce and exploration forever |first= Lee |last= Billings |date= February 6, 2018 |magazine= [[Scientific American]] |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180209230841/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/elon-musk-does-it-again/ |archive-date= February 9, 2018 |df= mdy-all }}
’’[[Advertising Age]]’’ agreed with ‘’[[Business Insider]]’’ that the Roadster space launch was the “greatest ever car commercial without a dime spent on advertising”, demonstrating that Musk is “miles ahead of the rest” in reaching young consumers, where “mere mortals scrabble about spending millions to fight each other over seconds of air time”, Musk “just executes his vision.” Alex Hern, technology reporter for ‘’[[The Guardian]]’’, said the choice to launch a car was a “hybrid of genuine breakthrough and [[nerd]]-baiting publicity stunt” without “any real point beyond generating good press pics”, which should not detract from the much more important technological milestone represented by the launch of the rocket itself.{{Cite news |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=February 7, 2018 |title=Forget the car in space: why Elon Musk's reusable rockets are more than a publicity stunt; The onboard Tesla Roadster grabbed the headlines, but the real success of this week's space adventure was the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2018/feb/07/forget-the-car-in-space-why-elon-musks-reusable-rockets-are-more-than-a-publicity-stunt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207200649/https://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2018/feb/07/forget-the-car-in-space-why-elon-musks-reusable-rockets-are-more-than-a-publicity-stunt |archive-date=February 7, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |issn=0261-3077}}
[[Lori Garver]], a former NASA deputy director, initially said the choice of payload for the Falcon Heavy maiden flight is a [[gimmick]] and a loss of opportunity to further advance science—but later clarified that “I was told by a SpaceX VP (vice president) at the launch that they offered free launches to NASA, Air Force etc. but got no takers.”{{cite news |url= https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-nothing-more-than-a-gimmick-says-former-nasa-deputy-administrator-lori-a3762376.html |title= Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch was just a gimmick, says former NASA boss Lori Garver |newspaper= [[Evening Standard]] |first= Alexandra |last= Richards |date= 2018-02-09 |access-date= 2018-02-09 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180209194810/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-nothing-more-than-a-gimmick-says-former-nasa-deputy-administrator-lori-a3762376.html |archive-date= February 9, 2018 |df= mdy-all }}
| Musk responded to the critics by stating he wanted to inspire the public about the “possibility of something new happening in space,” as part of his larger vision for [[SpaceX Mars colonization program | spreading humanity to other planets]].{{cite news | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-elon-musk-launched-tesla-mars-falcon-heavy-2018-3 | title=Elon Musk explains why he launched a car toward Mars — and the reasons are much bigger than his ego | work=[[Business Insider]] | first=Dave | last=Mosher | date=March 13, 2018 | access-date=September 19, 2018 | archive-date=December 9, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209151139/https://www.businessinsider.com/why-elon-musk-launched-tesla-mars-falcon-heavy-2018-3 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
=== Work of art === [[File:Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster (40110297852).jpg|alt=Photograph of the black emptiness of space, with planet Earth partly in shadow in the background. In the foreground is an open-top red convertible sports car, viewed from the front over the hood, with a mannequin in the driving seat that is wearing a white-and-black spacesuit|thumb|Musk’s Roadster mounted to a Falcon Heavy rocket]] ‘’[[The Verge]]’’ likened the Roadster to a “[[Found object|ready-made]]” work of art, such as [[Marcel Duchamp]]’s 1917 piece [[Fountain (Duchamp)|’‘Fountain’’]], created by placing an everyday object in an unusual position, context and orientation.{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/10/16997124/elon-musk-spacex-tesla-art-starman-advertising|title=Elon Musk made history launching a car into space. Did he make art too?|first=Kyle|last=Chayka|date=February 10, 2018|quote=a staggering image [...] and so impressive that the video seems somehow unreal. It's the greatest car {{abbr|ad|advert}} of all time. [...] In 1917, [[Marcel Duchamp]] put a urinal on a pedestal, titled it [[Fountain (Duchamp)|''Fountain'']] [...] and called it art. [...] a readymade, his word for a combination of everyday objects reassembled or re-contextualized by an artist.|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032552/https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/10/16997124/elon-musk-spacex-tesla-art-starman-advertising|url-status=live}}
[[Alice Gorman]], a lecturer in archaeology and space studies at [[Flinders University]] in Australia, said that the Roadster’s primary purpose is symbolic communication, that “the red sports car symbolises [[masculinity]] – power, wealth and speed{{Cite web |last=David |first=Leonard |date=2018-02-09 |title=Tesla Roadster Gets Interplanetary ID |url=https://www.space.com/39646-tesla-roadster-gets-interplanetary-id.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220092347/https://www.space.com/39646-tesla-roadster-gets-interplanetary-id.html |archive-date=2018-02-20 |access-date= |website=Space.com}} – but also how fragile masculinity is”. Drawing on anthropological theories of symbols, she argues that “the car is also an armour against dying, a [[talisman]] that quells a profound fear of mortality”. Gorman wrote that “the spacesuit is also about death. … The Starman was never alive, but now he’s haunting space”.{{cite web |last=Gorman |first=Alice |author-link1=Alice Gorman |date=2018-02-07 |title=A sports car and a glitter ball are now in space – what does that say about us as humans? |url=http://theconversation.com/a-sports-car-and-a-glitter-ball-are-now-in-space-what-does-that-say-about-us-as-humans-91156 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083839/http://theconversation.com/a-sports-car-and-a-glitter-ball-are-now-in-space-what-does-that-say-about-us-as-humans-91156 |archive-date=February 15, 2018 |access-date=2018-02-15 |work=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |publication-place=[[Flinders University]]}}
=== Space debris non-risk === Orbital debris expert Darren McKnight stated that the car poses no risk because it is far from Earth orbit. He added: “The enthusiasm and interest that [Musk] generates more than offsets the infinitesimally small ‘littering’ of the cosmos.”{{Cite web |last=David |first=Leonard |date=2018-02-05 |title=Is the Tesla Roadster Flying on the Falcon Heavy's Maiden Flight Just Space Junk? |url=https://www.space.com/39602-falcon-heavy-tesla-not-just-space-junk.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206182537/https://www.space.com/39602-falcon-heavy-tesla-not-just-space-junk.html |archive-date=2018-02-06 |access-date= |website=Space.com}} Tommy Sanford, director of the [[Commercial Spaceflight Federation]], said that the car and its rocket stage are no more “space junk” than the mundane material usually launched on other test flights. [[Mass simulator]]s are often deliberately placed in a [[graveyard orbit]] or sent on a [[outer space|deep space]] trajectory, where they are not a hazard.{{cite web |url=https://mashable.com/2018/02/08/elon-musk-tesla-roadster-not-typical-space-junk/ |title=Elon Musk's 'Starman' Tesla Roadster isn't your typical piece of space junk |first=Mark |last=Kaufman |website=[[Mashable]] |date=February 8, 2018 |access-date=February 15, 2018 |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209085320/https://mashable.com/2018/02/08/elon-musk-tesla-roadster-not-typical-space-junk/ |url-status=live }}
=== Bacteriological contamination ===
| [[The Planetary Society]] was concerned that launching a non-sterile object to interplanetary space may risk [[Planetary protection | biological contamination]] of a foreign world.[https://www.planetary.org/articles/20180205-space-tesla Let's talk about Elon Musk launching his Tesla into space] {{Webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630211257/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2018/20180205-space-tesla.html | date=June 30, 2019 }}. Jason Davis, ‘‘The Planetary Society’’. 5 February 2018.</ref> Scientists at [[Purdue University]] noted that the vehicle will be sterilized by solar radiation over time and the vehicle is most likely to hit the Earth in the future, though some bacteria might survive on some components of the vehicle which could contaminate Mars in the distant future if it were to hit Mars instead.{{cite web | author=Szondy | first=David | date=February 27, 2018 | title=Tesla in space could carry bacteria from Earth | url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q1/tesla-in-space-could-carry-bacteria-from-earth.html | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020220507/https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q1/tesla-in-space-could-carry-bacteria-from-earth.html | archive-date=October 20, 2020 | access-date=October 24, 2020 | work=Purdue University}}</ref> |
| == Orbit tracking {{anchor | Astrometry}} == | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The car and the upper stage were [[Passivation (spacecraft) | passivated]] by intentionally removing remaining chemical and electrical energy, at which point they ceased transmitting [[telemetry]]. The car was observered by Australian astronomer Peter Starr using a 0.43m Planewave telescope at [[Dubbo Observatory]], NSW. Based on these observations and refinement of the orbit, a close re-encounter with Earth (originally predicted for 2073) is not possible.{{cite web | first1=Marco | last1=Langbroek | first2=Peter | last2=Starr | url=https://sattrackcam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/starman-falcon-heavytesla-roadster-2018.html | title=Starman (Falcon Heavy/Tesla Roadster) 2018-017A imaged in Space | date=9 February 2018 | access-date=9 February 2018 | quote=images were taken, 16:39-16:50 UT on 8 February 2018 […] distance of 550 000 km or about 1.4 Lunar distances c.q. 0.0037 AU […] 30-second exposures taken by Peter Starr and me with the 0.43-m F6.8 remote robotic telescope of Dubbo Observatory in Australia […] 2073 close encounter […] is no longer on the table. | archive-date=February 10, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210065005/https://sattrackcam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/starman-falcon-heavytesla-roadster-2018.html | url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2020 the car made a close approach to Mars, about {{convert | 5 | e6mi | sigfig=1 | order=flip | abbr=off}} away, at which distance Mars’s gravity had no significant effect on the Roadster’s orbit.{{cite news | url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/cars/spacex-tesla-mars-starman-scn-trnd/index.html | title=SpaceX’s Tesla roadster made its first close approach with Mars | work=CNN | first=Allen | last=Kim | date=October 8, 2020 | access-date=April 26, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126031149/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/cars/spacex-tesla-mars-starman-scn-trnd/index.html | archive-date=2020-11-26 | url-status=live}}</ref> |
| The [[Virtual Telescope Project]] observed the Tesla two days after its launch, where it had an [[apparent magnitude]] of 15.5,{{cite web | last=Masi | first=Gianluca | author-link=Gianluca Masi | date=2018-02-08 | title=Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster imaged and filmed! | url=https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2018/02/08/elon-musks-tesla-roadster-imaged-8-feb-2018/ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209045535/https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2018/02/08/elon-musks-tesla-roadster-imaged-8-feb-2018/ | archive-date=February 9, 2018 | access-date=2018-02-09 | website=virtualtelescope.eu}}</ref> comparable to that of [[Pluto]]’s moon [[Charon (moon) | Charon]]. The Roadster was automatically spotted and logged by the [[Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System]] (ATLAS) telescope operated by the [[University of Hawaiʻi]].{{cite press release | title=UH ATLAS telescope spots SpaceX Tesla Roadster in flight | date=8 February 2018 | publisher=University of Hawaiʻi | url=http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2018/02/09/atlas-telescope-spots-tesla-roadster/ | quote=ATLAS was not looking for the Roadster—it was found during routine observations and automatically identified as a near-Earth object. | last=Denneau | first=Larry | access-date=11 February 2018 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211215644/http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2018/02/09/atlas-telescope-spots-tesla-roadster/ | archive-date=February 11, 2018}}</ref> The car was observed by the Deimos Sky Survey (DeSS) at a distance of {{cvt | 720,000 | km}} with a flashing effect suggesting spinning.{{cite web | url=http://www.elecnor-deimos.com/images-spacex-starman-tesla-deimos-sky-survey | title=New images of SpaceX’s Starman Tesla | date=2018-02-09 | access-date=2018-02-11 | publisher=Elecnor Deimos | quote=captured the vehicle at a distance of 720.000 km from Earth … show a flickering effect that suggests that the Tesla Roadster is spinning fast. | archive-date=February 12, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212083218/http://www.elecnor-deimos.com/images-spacex-starman-tesla-deimos-sky-survey | url-status=dead}}</ref> |
| {{wide image | Telescopic images of 2018-017A (Falcon Heavy upper stage with Tesla Roadster and Starman) moving through space2.png | 800px | Roadster photographed with a 0.43 m telescope of Dubbo Observatory in Australia, on 8 February 2018, 16:29–16:50 UTC, at a distance of 550,000 km (1.4 Lunar distances) from Earth. Varying brightness suggests spinning. | alt=Mostly black photograph with small white dots of varying sizes making up a starfield, dated as 8 February 2018. Four white dots in a line are each circled in red and labelled with a timestamp at giving the position of the Tesla Roadster as it moves across the sky at four minute intervals.}} |
Through measuring changes in apparent brightness of the object, astronomers have determined that the Roadster is rotating with a period of 4.7589 ± 0.0060 minutes (i.e. 4 minutes, 46 seconds).{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a17762760/heres-exactly-how-fast-elon-musks-tesla-is-spinning-in-space/|title=Here's Exactly How Fast Elon Musk's Tesla Is Spinning In Space|date=February 13, 2018|access-date=February 13, 2018|archive-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214014740/https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a17762760/heres-exactly-how-fast-elon-musks-tesla-is-spinning-in-space/|url-status=live}} By February 11, 2018, [[astrometry]] measurements from 241 independent observations had been collated, refining the positions to within one-tenth of an [[arcsecond]] and published by the [[SeeSat-L]] mailing list, a group of amateur satellite spotters—more accurate than for most observations of objects in space.{{cite web|url=http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Feb-2018/0117.html|title=Re: Tesla roadster and booster observations|first=Bill|last=Gray|date=2018-02-11|via=[[SeeSat-L]] mailing list|quote=list of 241 observations and growing [...] continue to be observed for about two weeks. [...] know the position of this object to better than a tenth of an arcsecond, [...] Almost nobody is getting data that accurate.|access-date=February 14, 2018|archive-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073816/http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Feb-2018/0117.html|url-status=live}}
In 2025, the object was erroneously parsed as a new asteroid by a citizen astronomer going through archival [[Catalina Sky Survey]] data and given the designation 2018 CN41 by the [[Minor Planet Center]].{{cite news |last1=Zastrow |first1=Mark |title=An asteroid got deleted because it was actually Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster |url=https://www.astronomy.com/science/astronomers-just-deleted-an-asteroid-because-it-turned-out-to-be-elon-musks-tesla-roadster/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Astronomy Magazine |date=22 January 2025}}{{cite web |title=MPEC 2025-A38 : 2018 CN41 |url=https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25A38.html |website=minorplanetcenter.net |publisher=Center for Astrophysics |access-date=25 January 2025}} The object was correctly identified as the roadster eighteen hours later and deleted from the Minor Planet Center’s archives.{{cite web |title=MPEC 2025-A49 : EDITORIAL NOTICE: DELETION OF 2018 CN41 |url=https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25A49.html |website=minorplanetcenter.net |publisher=Center for Astrophysics |access-date=25 January 2025}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/space/tesla-car-space-asteroid-earth-elon-musk-b2689028.html |title=Newly discovered 'asteroid' near Earth turns out to be Elon Musk's Tesla car |work=The Independent |first=Vishwam |last=Sankaran |date=January 28, 2025 |access-date=February 27, 2025}}
=== Predictions === The roadster made its first close approach to Mars on October 7, 2020. The next close approach to Earth will be in the year 2047 at a distance of 5 million kilometers, about 13 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. Simulations over a 3-million-year timespan found a probability of the Roadster colliding with [[Earth]] at approximately 6%, or with [[Venus]] at approximately 2.5%. These probabilities of collision are similar to those of other [[near-Earth object]]s. The [[half-life]] for the tested orbits was calculated as approximately 20 million years, but with trajectories varying significantly following a close approach to the Earth–Moon system in 2091.{{cite journal|last1=Rein|first1=Hanno|last2=Tamayo|first2=Daniel|last3=Vokrouhlicky|first3=David|title=The random walk of cars and their collision probabilities with planets|journal=Aerospace|volume=5|issue=2|pages=57|arxiv=1802.04718|date=13 February 2018|doi=10.3390/aerospace5020057|bibcode=2018Aeros...5...57R|s2cid=119328461|doi-access=free}}
| Musk had originally speculated that the car could drift in space for a billion years.{{cite tweet | user=elonmusk | author-link=Elon Musk | number=936782477502246912 | title=Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent. | date=December 2, 2017 | access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref> According to chemist William Carroll, [[Solar irradiance | solar radiation]], [[cosmic radiation]], and [[micrometeoroid]] impacts will structurally degrade the car over time. Radiation will eventually break down any material with [[carbon–carbon bond]]s, including [[Carbon fiber reinforced polymer | carbon fiber]] parts. Tires, paint, plastic and leather might have lasted only about a year, while carbon fiber parts will last considerably longer. Eventually, only the aluminum frame, inert metals, and glass not shattered by [[meteoroids]] will remain.{{cite web | last1=Lezter | first1=Rafi | title=Radiation Will Tear Elon Musk’s Rocket Car to Bits in a Year | url=https://www.livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html | website=[[LiveScience]] | date=February 6, 2018 | access-date=February 7, 2018 | archive-date=December 6, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206084933/https://www.livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html | url-status=live }}</ref> |
=== Potential follow up mission === In August 2019, as the Roadster completed its first orbit around the Sun,{{cite web |author=Wall |first=Mike |date=August 20, 2019 |title=SpaceX's Starman and Elon Musk's Tesla Have Made a Lap Around the Sun |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-starman-tesla-falcon-heavy-first-orbit-sun.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204220633/https://www.space.com/spacex-starman-tesla-falcon-heavy-first-orbit-sun.html |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |work=space.com}} Musk stated that SpaceX may one day launch a small spacecraft or [[SpaceX Starship|Starship]] to catch up with the Roadster and take photographs or even return it to Earth for studying solar erosion on it just as [[Apollo 12]] did with [[Surveyor 3]] lander’s components.{{cite web |author=Brown |first=Mike |date=August 19, 2019 |title=Where Is Starman? Elon Musk Teases SpaceX Mission to Catch Up With Roadster |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/58602-where-is-starman-elon-musk-teases-spacex-mission-to-catch-up-with-roadster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819215539/https://www.inverse.com/article/58602-where-is-starman-elon-musk-teases-spacex-mission-to-catch-up-with-roadster |archive-date=August 19, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |work=inverse.com}}
== See also ==
- [[List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit]]
- [[List of passive satellites]] ==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster}}
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{{cite web url= https://youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M title= ‘'’Live’’’ Views of Starman (4:13:10) date= Feb 6, 2018 publisher= [[SpaceX]] website= YouTube }} -
{{citation url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Animated_GIF_of_telescopic_im,ages_showing_Falcon_Heavy_stage,_Tesla_Roadster,_Starman_moving_through_space.gif display-authors= 0 first1= Marco last1= Langbroek first2= Peter last2= Star date= Feb 9, 2018 title= 0.43-m F6.8 Planewave telescope, Dubbo, AU quote= Loop of 4 frames of Roadster moving across the sky website= Wikimedia Commons }} -
{{cite web url= https://youtube.com/watch?v=m4r54ODsOM0 title= Starman cruising through space (00:12) date= Feb 11, 2018 display-authors= 0 first= Rogelio Bernal last= Andreo website= YouTube }} - {{cite journal |journal= Aerospace |volume= 5 |issue= 2 |page= 57 |date= Feb 13, 2018 |title= Random walk of cars and their collision probabilities with planets |arxiv= 1802.04718v2 |display-authors= 0 |first1= Hanno |last1= Rein |first2= Daniel |last2= Tamayo |first3= David |last3= Vokrouhlicky |doi= 10.3390/aerospace5020057 |bibcode= 2018Aeros…5…57R |doi-access= free }} === Real-time === Trajectory animation, past and future events, orbital elements.
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{{cite web display-authors= 0 first= Greg last= Frieger url= https://where-is-tesla-roadster.space/live website= Where is Tesla Roadster title= Where in Space is Tesla Roadster date= Mar 27, 2018 series= Unaffiliated }} -
{{cite web display-authors= 0 first= Ben last= Pearson url= https://whereisroadster.com website= Where is Roadster title= Where is Starman? Track Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster in Space! date= Feb 7, 2018 series= Unaffiliated }}
{{Elon Musk}} {{Tesla Motors}} {{Mars spacecraft}} {{Falcon rocket launches}} {{Orbital launches in 2018}}{{Portal bar|Cars|Spaceflight}}
[[Category:Individual cars]] [[Category:Tesla vehicles]] [[Category:Elon Musk|Tesla Roadster]] [[Category:Derelict satellites in heliocentric orbit]] [[Category:Message artifacts]] [[Category:Spacecraft launched in 2018]] [[Category:Spacecraft launched by Falcon rockets]] [[Category:Found object]] [[Category:Publicity stunts]] [[Category:Passive satellites]] [[Category:Space debris]] [[Category:SpaceX spacecraft]]
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mission Objectives NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter searches for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time. ReadMore
