~ A Tesla to Mars ~ ...Space X's largest booster set to fly

[boxcar]

Launch scheduled for this afternoon western hemisphere time.

Tune in to the livestream of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch on Tuesday afternoon.
The launch is scheduled to occur between 1:30 and 4:30 pm ET


https://www.sciencealert.com/spacex-...k-what-to-know

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-a8195056.html
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[IFlySWA]

I hope the mission is a success. A 2008 Tesla Roadster in Mars orbit would be the ultimate cool!

Brian

[MrZippy]

I hope the mission is a success. A 2008 Tesla Roadster in Mars orbit would be the ultimate cool!

Brian

Anyone else notice that there is Manny Quinn wearing a flight suit sitting in the driver's seat?

[boxcar]

Anyone else notice that there is Manny Quinn wearing a flight suit sitting in the driver's seat?

You sure that's a mannequin? If it'd get me there for a one-way trip, I'd go.
Have pretty much experienced my fill of this world anyway. Not of Earth. world.
Far too much division continuing to be engineered between all of us. Stinks too.

About 100 minutes to go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c

A great little pre-launch animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk338VXcb24

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[IFlySWA]

Anyone else notice that there is Manny Quinn wearing a flight suit sitting in the driver's seat?

Godspeed, Manny Quinn.

[boxcar]

Godspeed, Manny Quinn.

Hopefully spoken with the voice of Scott Glenn playing Alan Shepard speaking to John Glenn in The Right Stuff.

There's a delay, Live Streaming now set for about 2 hours from now, 3:50 p.m. EST, 12:50 p.m. PST.

An amazing rocket booster, one capable of launching a fully loaded 737 or an A320 airliner.

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[Naismith]

I question the scientific value of sending the car. I rather think Mr Musk is in this for Mr Musk and not for the betterment of humanity.

[boxcar]

I question the scientific value of sending the car. I rather think Mr Musk is in this for Mr Musk and not for the betterment of humanity.

Yeah, a huge marketing scheme no doubt. Personally, am thinking you're correct about Musk's truer intentions.
His self-desires seem to have not overtaken his stated goal of bettering humanity to the fullest extent that they could be.
A lot of talk show hosts have tried to ferret this out of him with little success. He's still brilliant though, no doubt.


The countdown clock appears to have not begun tickling down again yet, still holding at 2 hours to Live Feed.

*edit*- 1:05 p.m. EST, 10:05 PST --> Clock is running again towards Live Feed


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[PhantomTweak]

Anyone, besides me, remember the movie Heavy Metal? The opening scene, with the astronaut taking his convertible on down out of orbit, heading home?

For some reason, that scene, and the awesome music along with it, keeps looping in my little pea-brain every time this comes up. Maybe they'll leave it up in orbit till the "colonists" arrive, and then one can ride the car on down to the surface.

Betterment of humanity? Nope. But heck, it's his money, he can do what he wants with it. If he wants to recreate a movie scene, more power to him.

Hoping it gets even more interesting!
Pat☺

[boxcar]

...But heck, it's his money, he can do what he wants with it.
If he wants to recreate a movie scene, more power to him.

Hoping it gets even more interesting!

Yes, Pat, well stated. It's his bucks to be Buck Rogers if he chooses to. With Elon Musk it's always interesting.

Live Feed set to start in 33 minutes from now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c

Oh, have not seen the movie "Heavy Metal" yet. Will have to look that one up.

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*edit*- @ T-minus 6 minutes: That young woman in the Live Feed looks like a very young (and slimmer) Oprah. :-)
*edit 2*- T+plus 11 minutes: Wow! *
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[MrZippy]

Manny Quinn Now in SPACE! Car has been started and wheels are spinning.

Go Manny, GO!

[boxcar]

Don't know about you all, but my face is beginning to feel the strain of a 20 minute smile. Am still smiling.

Can't say it better than Mr.Zippy has: "Car has been started and wheels are spinning. Go Manny, GO!"




This launch has been brought to you by Elon Musk and his people. Stay tuned, the future appears to be here now...
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[IFlySWA]

That was unbelievable!!!

Brian

[Naismith]

Remarkable especially the co-ordinated double landing of the boosters.

[blanston12]

I question the scientific value of sending the car. I rather think Mr Musk is in this for Mr Musk and not for the betterment of humanity.

Often on for the first test of a launch system they would just put something in the nose that has the right weight, like a concrete block, using a roadster instead the get a lot more attention for the project and if its instrumented correctly they can monitor how the materials in the roadster hold up in deep space.

[n4gix]

Remarkable especially the co-ordinated double landing of the boosters.

Yes! Now the aliens will know how to invade us fully stealthed; just disguise their landers to look like the SpaceX boosters!

[boxcar]

Yes! Now the aliens will know how to invade us fully stealthed;
just disguise their landers to look like the SpaceX boosters!

LOL! Yea, verily. Might work. Of course they're already here, you know.
This assertion gains me disturbing looks from others at times.
They often will discount the premise, saying something to the order of
"I don't believe in aliens!" while giving me the look.
"Fine", says I. "Do you believe in angels?"
"Why yes... yes, I do."
"And demons? Do you believe in demons?"
shudder... "Oh yeah, they're for real alright."
"Well now," I say, "What do you think extraterrestrials are anyway? Hmmm?"

Know what I mean, Vern?



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-____


*** By the way, while the simultaneous recovery of the twin boosters was a success, the core was not recovered.
Not all recovery rockets on the central core fired. The core crashed into the ocean at 300 mph, approaching but missing the recovery barge.

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[boxcar]

...using a roadster instead the get a lot more attention for the project and if its
instrumented correctly they can monitor how the materials in the roadster hold up in deep space.

You're on the right track, Joe. Found this several minutes ago:


"Elon Musk revealed on a press call following the Falcon Heavy launch on Tuesday that the mannequin was wearing an actual production SpaceX crew spacesuit, rather than a non-functional prototype or mock-up. The suit, which the SpaceX CEO revealed last year via Instagram, will eventually clothe SpaceX astronauts flying on board Crew Dragon, the capsule it’s developing to bring real people to space, with a target initial launch date of later this year if all goes to plan.The suit, developed in-house by SpaceX, features a sleeker design than most spacefaring flight suits you’ll find. It’s a design that came with a price, however: Musk said that combining style and function was a particular challenge in a spacesuit.
“I mean, it’s a dangerous trip, you want to look good,” he said. “It’s easy to make a spacesuit that looks good but doesn’t work, it’s really hard to make a spacesuit that works, and looks good.”

And the suit does look good: It’s a stylish black and white, with clean lines and a helmet that looks like it’s been pulled from a sci-fi film with excellent costume design.
The suit, as mentioned, has more than good looks, however. It’s also a part of the qualification articles set by NASA that must be met in order to operate crewed launches that it be tested in the correct conditions, so Starman is serving SpaceX’s larger goal of providing crewed flight capabilities, too."

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/06/sp...-real-purpose/

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[paiken]

The tandem landing of the side boosters was really something to see. Apparently the center booster ran out of fuel during its landing attempt and fell a few hundred meters short of "Of Course I Still Love You", but overall the mission was a success. I do have a somewhat personal connection with SpaceX. My son was hired on as a software engineer back in October of last year in a 'contract to hire' position in their Seattle office. His contract has another 3 months to go but things are really looking good. He loves his job, and they keep giving him projects to work on! He makes regular trips to Hawthorne to meet with the engineering team there, and has toured the factory. Next time he goes he's promised me a tour. I can drive to LA in about 5 hours so I can't wait to hear from him.

[boxcar]

...My son was hired on as a software engineer back in October of last year in a 'contract to hire' position in their Seattle office. ... He makes regular trips to Hawthorne to meet with the engineering team there, and has toured the factory. Next time he goes he's promised me a tour.

That's really cool, man. I'd be straining at the bit for that tour myself. Am looking forward hearing about it after the fact. Great new avatar as well, paiken.

Been a change in plans regarding Mars. Read about it here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/...-asteroid-belt

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