elon musk tesla : what did he ACTUALLY launch ?

hi - this is a serious question - i cannot find the answer too

its NOT a conspiracy or wingnut thread

but how much of mr musk's tesla is actually in space ???????

my opinions in thread

got me thinking

and google has failed to give a summarry of modifications done to the vehicle

watching the vids from tesla // space-x - its obvious that the car has had its brake discs // calipers removed

but what else ??????????????

anyone seen a report of how the car was prepped ??

next step = email to the contacts page at tesla motors and space-x

unless ATS knows

I'm betting it was nothing more than a frame, body and wheels. No brakes, wiring, motors, batteries, etc.. The interior was finished, but only because it was going to be seen on camera.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

He launched proof that he is to be taking serious when he say he will colonize Mars.
He launched a dream about exploration of space
He launched hope for future mankind.
He launched a car into orbit to make a point
He launched a space race to the stars

Who's in the space suit and the trunk?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

The license (PDF) describes the Tesla as 'modified.'

I haven't looked hard for the car's weight, but it doesn't seem to be out there. Presumably, you'd be able to compare weights between a basically standard Tesla and the one he launched.

Another approach is finding a clear weight figure for the payload they needed. What I'm finding are broad numbers. A Sci-Am blog reports:

Composed of three interlinked boosters each derived from SpaceX’s smaller Falcon 9 rocket, the Falcon Heavy boasts 27 rocket engines in total, allowing it to lift about 140,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit. This is less than half the “throw weight” of the famous Saturn V rockets that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s, but still roughly two times more than what’s on offer from the current heavy-lift champ, the Delta IV Heavy manufactured and operated by United Launch Alliance. The Falcon Heavy’s capacity could soon be superseded, however, by NASA’s in-development Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which could begin test flights in 2019 or 2020.

SOURCE

That's way more than a car weighs which then begs the question of what exactly was the point of sending such a light payload?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: ignorant_ape

The license (PDF) describes the Tesla as 'modified.'

I haven't looked hard for the car's weight, but it doesn't seem to be out there. Presumably, you'd be able to compare weights between a basically standard Tesla and the one he launched.

Another approach is finding a clear weight figure for the payload they needed. What I'm finding are broad numbers. A Sci-Am blog reports:

Composed of three interlinked boosters each derived from SpaceX’s smaller Falcon 9 rocket, the Falcon Heavy boasts 27 rocket engines in total, allowing it to lift about 140,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit. This is less than half the “throw weight” of the famous Saturn V rockets that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s, but still roughly two times more than what’s on offer from the current heavy-lift champ, the Delta IV Heavy manufactured and operated by United Launch Alliance. The Falcon Heavy’s capacity could soon be superseded, however, by NASA’s in-development Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which could begin test flights in 2019 or 2020.

That's way more than a car weighs which then begs the question of what exactly was the point of sending such a light payload?

Gotta admit, it's pretty cool.

a reply to: burgerbuddy

It was 100% cool. The guy's like our own Zefram Cochrane.

I heard a load of immigrants were hiding in the trunk 😜

Mars is going to be a very expensive voyage, far more than a moon flight.

And that's why everyone who wants to go to Mars has to pay a fortune up front, which is non-refundable, to reserve a spot on the 'eventual' rocket flights to Mars!

It is going to happen, soon, so don't let the opportunity of a lifetime pass you by!



How many morons will fall for it, is the only question...

a reply to: turbonium1

Mars is going to be a very expensive voyage, far more than a moon flight.

How did you calculate that, did you compare 49 year old tech with Musk tech.. ?
I guess if you ask Musk it will be much cheaper then any moon mission, that is the whole idea with falcon rockets

originally posted by: Spacespider
a reply to: turbonium1

Mars is going to be a very expensive voyage, far more than a moon flight.

How did you calculate that, did you compare 49 year old tech with Musk tech.. ?
I guess if you ask Musk it will be much cheaper then any moon mission, that is the whole idea with falcon rockets

What calculations?

They didn't go to the moon, over 40 years ago, they tried it again in 2001, and failed miserably.

I suppose a Mars colony is good to go!

a reply to: Spacespider

The tech may be better, but there's no comparison. Moon missions had food, oxygen, water, fuel for days. A Mars mission will need EVERYTHING to allow humans to exist on Mars for months, if not years. They can send supplies ahead and hope they survive landing, but that's still gonna cost some big bucks. The Moon, at its closest is about 225,000 miles. Mars, at its closest is roughly 34 million. Food, water, oxygen to stay alive on a trip that will take months and then supplies to keep them alive once they get there. Not to mention fuel.
This is going to cost much more than a Moon mission.

a reply to: DAVID64

Well.. price means nothing, when it comes to spreading humankind to other planets.. give us a second chance when earth is hit by the next big rock

a reply to: Spacespider

Exactly my feelings. Stop spending billions to find new ways to kill each other and get us OFF THIS PLANET before the Universe does it for us.

Nobody can worry about a planet which isn't even capable of supporting life, which nobody can ever fly to, first of all.

A quick addition and a sentimental afterthought I wanted to add.

There's a Canadian and Czech paper that investigates how the Tesla will meet its end - The random walk of cars and their collision probabilities with planets. They calculate it has slightly more chance of colliding with Earth, Venus or Mars than the Sun in the next 1-3 million years.

The bit that catches the imagination is this:

This leads us to estimate the dynamical half-life of the Tesla to be a few tens of Myr, simi- lar to other NEAs (Gladman et al. 1997).

Whoah. If we're even alive in 'tens of millions of years,' humanity will undoubtedly be unrecognisable compared to us now. We could even be extinct and the Solar System a lifeless graveyard.

Now imagine the Tesla on its final collision with the Sun or, more fittingly, Earth? Potentially the last evidence that humans were ever special will vanish from existence. Picture the unfolding scene as it reflects on the long-since pitted red paintwork before it's scorched upon re-entry. Beautiful and moving.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Maybe a small satellite.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

More than likely anything that held fluids were drained and removed - battery, windshield wiper fluid holder, etc.

Air in the tires was most likely removed (tires would burst in the vacuum of space).

Any crash air bags.

So basically anything that would of had a potential to explode or rupture in the vacuum of space.

a reply to: Spacespider

They forgot insects.

originally posted by: burgerbuddy
Who's in the space suit and the trunk?

Good question. Will this be how deceased Billionaires meet their end some day, lost in space?