Is Elon Musk Really Planning To Send A Car To Space?
When it comes to space exploration, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has really taken the charge of late as its founder eyes for not only manned exploration of Mars but also its colonization and possibly even a lunar base.
What began as an enthusiastic start to our journey in the cosmos in the 60s, abruptly came to a halt when we stopped going to the moon and never though about further expansion into the solar system.
Recently however, in the last decade or so, private companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origins, are beginning to take the lead to expand humanity’s presence beyond our own planet to ensure our survival as well as take the first steps to becoming a spacefaring civilization.
The latest news comes from SpaceX as it prepares for the launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket after months of delay. This will be just another step in their plans to finally send people to the red planet.
Launch of Falcon Heavy Rockets
Those who follow this space (pun intended) regularly, they would know that the coming launch of the Falcon Heavy rockets is going to be an important milestone for the company and for our capabilities to send stuff into space in general.
The rocket stands 70 meters tall and is poised to become the most powerful rocket ever built. Not only that it will be able to carry a payload of 63,800 kg into the low Earth orbit, thanks to the two additional Falcon 9 boosters.
The company is not too optimistic about the success of this launch, as it is the first launch of a totally new rocket, but as history has shown, SpaceX has always learnt from its mistakes and pushed its technological boundaries making it ever more cutting edge.
The interesting bit about this launch is that Elon Musk plans to send his red Tesla roadster as a payload, which many people initially though to be a prank of some sort. But he has also posted photos of the roadster on his Instagram which seems to confirm the news. Also, the car will be launched on a Mars trajectory around the Sun.
The reason for this maybe two fold. First, since this is the first launch, they don’t want to risk blowing up expensive payload equipments and second, Elon loves the idea of a car drifting endlessly through space which might one day be discovered by an alien race!!!
One Step Closer To Mars
Just a few months ago, Musk had taken to stage to reveal his plans to establish a permanent human presence on the red planet. He discussed how the journey of SpaceX started, where they are today and where they plant to do next.
Right now, the company has the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and the Dragon spacecraft and the company has learned a great deal in trying to perfect these rockets and spaceship.
In the future however, all these will be replaced by something called a BFR which is a next generation launch vehicle and spacecraft that the company is developing right now. Essentially, they want to pour all the money that is divided among various projects into a single one.
Doing so will help them focus completely on the BFR which, Musk states, is all they need as it can be used for various purposes, like landing on Mars, refueling spacecrafts, sending payload into low-Earth orbit and if Musk has his way, even transporting people here on Earth from one country to another!
The most important goal however is that of colonization of Mars and the company plans to send a bunch of these starting in 2022 to kickstart that process. Regardless to say, the future is going to be really exciting.
Image Credits:
1. Elon Musk's instagram account.
2. SpaceX
3. SpaceX
I don't think he can achieve anything like this, this just a strategy to attract more investors to fund his stupid projects.Facebook has already shut down their artificial intelligence robots after they invented their own language. Spacex will also do the same very soon.
If there is one thing you can say about Elon Musk, it is that he does what he says and always manages to surprise. SpaceX is the first company that managed to achieve propulsive landing even though it is just over a decade old. Something that not even NASA achieved in so many decades. Thanks to that now we have reusable rocket boosters and a real chance of making space travels cost efficient.
This is just one example of something that people said "couldn't be achieved" but he did it anyways. That's how visionaries work. They dream big and they go and get it while the skeptics are left behind. Also, you mention AI, but this post has nothing to do with AI or its use of it.
I think quite the opposite, he has demostrated through the time that he can materialize every (not that crazy after all) ideas he's had . Many people have said ''he can't'' and he does it. So I do have hopes on him, he has proven to know what he is doing so far..
That's right. That's simply how the world has always managed to move forward. There are people who dream big and achieve it and as a result push the whole of humanity forward and then there are people who say it can't be done. I am glad that the dreamers and achievers don't listen to skeptics or we would still be in the stone age today.
It is good to optimistic , but you will realize very soon that the process is no easy task.
Nothing is easy in the beginning. I am sure something like personal computers that we take so granted for today seemed like an impossible task because at one time computers used to be as large as buildings and the idea of one on your lap would've sounded ridiculous to people back then. See, it always seems impossible until it's done. Millions of examples in history like that. Millions.
This is certainly achievable. The question is if it is worthwhile to bring his car. If this car is going it is going instead of something else, such as scientific equipment. It will be a balance between investor attraction and scientific data.
The car is only being used for this first mission as a dummy payload. Since it's the first mission for this kind of rocket, they don't want to risk blowing up actual expensive scientific equipment. I have mentioned this in the post.
A very expensive never-ending road trip and no stopping to see the sights. Hmmm.
It does not matter if they finish or not. The Elon Musk. The boring Company will continue the work. He is not a Defeated. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/the-14-craziest-things-elon-musk-believes-right-now-a7984731.html?amp
I feel that with determination and talking to the right investors, he will pull it off
I think that Elon Musk is a man with very craziest, future but genial ideas. In my opinion his company will have in the future much more ideas likr that
Yes, it is the crazy people that move the world forward and the world is lucky to have him.
Well its quite difficult when it comes to space hazards but not impossible .
Because nothing is impossible because the word impossible says itself that i am possible so we can hope for the best.
Correct.
Sending a car to space woud be a huge joke
They are just doing it to test the rockets. The car is a dummy payload.
Good information.
Thanks!
I think if there is a person who can do this, this person is definitely Elon Musk .. :)
100% agreed. See how far his company has already come.
Elon is the only man who can do it. It's always people with the craziest ideas who achieve things earlier thought to be impossible.
haha yeah, I remember one of Apple's ad campaigns which said, it is the crazy people that move the world forward and I totally agree with it.
I have this book which is his biography written by Vance, should pick it up from my shelf and read it. As he is always called, he indeed is our real life Tony Stark.
He is definitely the real life Tony Stark. I have read and written so much about him! True inspiration for the world.
Wee see soon :)
yeah :)
:)) I want see Mars :))
Amazing..
Next future
Yeah it is!
A number of crazy ideas from Elon Musk I think is very brilliant. Starting from making colonies on Mars, sending Tesla roadster red and until he wanted to feel his old age in Mars. We are waiting for another breakthrough from Elon Musk.
Yeah, he keeps on surprising us always.
The next few years, Elon Musk will probably bring a trip to mars or around the earth orbit for those who are tired of traveling around the world.
Not the next few years but the next few decades.