Tesla Roadster in Space!
I was on my way home from a meeting last Tuesday, February 6, 2018 when they announced on the radio the successful launch by SpaceX of the Falcon Heavy rocket into space from Cape Canaveral. Florida. I had heard about Elon Musk and Tesla, but didn't know there was a launch scheduled. So when they said that the launch's payload was a Tesla Roadster, I thought for sure it was a joke.
Once I arrived home, I looked it up and sure enough, I saw news of the launch and photos of the car in space. I still thought it was a joke. I then checked Snopes at: www.snopes.com/tesla-car-really-space and sure enough, it was true!
SpaceX’s February 6th's launch was just a test run for the Falcon Heavy rocket. As such, the payload didn’t have to be anything specific. In December 2010, for instance, Musk launched a wheel of cheese into space during a test flight of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The Falcon Heavy propelled the Tesla into space with the intention of sending it as far as Mars’s orbit, but the car overshot its target, heading towards the asteroid belt. Please click the image below for a video of Tesla in Space. This is real, believe it or not. There's also a good write up of the event www.dezeen.com with more photos and how the car is mounted to the space capsule. This was an unmanned flight, so don't worry, there isn't a live person in the space suit. (I like how he/she has his/her left arm out the window)
