Falcon Heavy Demo Mission: NET early 2018 :Updates/Relevant Discussion

[Michael Baylor]

So is S2 capable of that longevity wise, or some kind of kicker stage to get Mars orbit? Never mind the special one-off adapter, space-rating the car, wrong time of year to launch to Mars and I'm sure a plethora of other issues. As cool-factor of a launch it is, one where they don't want to risk a customer on and need to find a payload to test with. I was going to be disappointed if it was a hunk of concrete, because it would be a missed opportunity for either something "cool" or something of some value such as a test of something.

So what value does launching an electric car have over say, a hunk of 'crete. And how the eff are they getting it to Mars ORBIT.

The big implication of the Mars orbit is that it almost certainly rules out a second stage recovery attempt.

But it was already mentioned that the upper stage for this flight is some sort of 'Frankenstein' stage.  And if it is going to be going to mars orbit, then that seems to imply it would have some significant form of propulsion capable of boosting it from an eccentric earth orbit - so I wouldn't completely rule it out just yet. 

Also, assuming this isn't a joke, there would be significant value in practicing deep-space navigation to Mars in lieu of Red Dragon.

Maybe they will use some sort of Dragon like thing to perform deep space maneuvers?

[envy887]

Would prefer if it was a free return refurbished Dragon around the Moon. To practice for the tourist mission they are allegedly doing in 2018.

I'm sure Elon would too, but there are a lot of practical issues with putting Dragon in a fairing and they need to demo the fairing.

[su27k]

Eric Berger confirms it's not a joke: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/with-bowie-playing-on-the-radio-elon-musk-plans-to-launch-his-tesla-to-mars/

Ars was able to confirm Friday night from a company source that this is definitely a legitimate payload.

[Helodriver]

Eric Berger confirms it's not a joke: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/with-bowie-playing-on-the-radio-elon-musk-plans-to-launch-his-tesla-to-mars/

Ars was able to confirm Friday night from a company source that this is definitely a legitimate payload.

Once again Helodriver predicts the Future in regards to SpaceX. Called the use of the former shuttle carrier for moving landed F9 cores, and now, called the Tesla Roadster, from 5 years ago in a post here from September 2012.

They should use the flight to test the fairing, and with the same mindset that put the first wheel of cheese in space, under that fairing should be a Tesla roadster. The first car in space and with a reignition of the second stage, the first car in solar orbit or on an escape trajectory out of the solar system. Inside the car, cameras and a telemetry system, powered by the car's lithium ion cells, which should last while a while if low powered enough or indefinitely with solar panels on the hood, roof and rear deck lid. Imagine the marketing and PR buzz.

Elon if you want to PM me for more ideas, I'm available.  You don't have to lurk on my posts here. 

[vaporcobra]

You were spot on, Helo And we don't even need to rely on Eric's internal source, we have official confirmation in a subtweet from SpaceX's head of New Product Introduction, Joy Dunn.

It's both "legit" and will include cameras

https://twitter.com/RocketJoy/status/936786839268032513

[speedevil]

As a sort-of-off/on-topic musing - I wonder if Tesla will pay something for the advertising.
Could be not quite zero worth in ads, however it goes.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Elon Musk on Twitter:

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.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/936782477502246912

I am genuinely interested in the payload adapter and whether it is a likely mode of failure.   

I literally clicked on this thread to ask a similar question. Will require some interesting integration between the adaptor and the car and keeping the thing stable going uphill.......

I wonder if it will be just the chassis and frame structure (or stripped down to as such, if the car is used), because installing the 1575 mm standard connection interface to the back of the Roadster will be.....awkward.

I guess it is possible to use the Roadster to satisfy certification and testing requirements of payload mass distribution to represent a common satellite?

[drzerg]

they should install dummies and take data from them to formally rate roadster safe features for space use

[guckyfan]

The roadster should fit in horizontally, unlike the school bus. Reenforcing the base plate may be easier than launching it vertical. I am still very much puzzled on how to do Mars orbit injection.

[david1971]

Trajectory from https://trajbrowser.arc.nasa.gov/example_queries.php

January 2018 is not an ideal launch date for a Mars transfer. 2 year transfer, 4.5 km/s injection.

Perhaps "Mars orbit" simply means that the green circle will intersect the red circle.  It would be disappointing, but going to Mars orbit might not actually mean going to Mars. 

[matthewkantar]

Playing "Space Oddity" in a vacuum? Huh?

Matthew

[K-P]

Playing "Space Oddity" in a vacuum? Huh?

Matthew

Just put the music player with a mic inside an airtight box.

[Steven Pietrobon]

Here's what it would look like. Tesla Roadster length is 3.946 m. Curb weight is 1,305 kg.

[kdhilliard]

The roadster should fit in horizontally, unlike the school bus. Reenforcing the base plate may be easier than launching it vertical.

I wouldn't have expected that, but yes, Wikipedia describes the 2008 Roadster as being 3,946 mm long and 1,873 mm wide, and the diagonal of such a rectangle is 4,368 mm, so it should fit a standard F9 fairing which offers 4.6 m ID.

Trajectory from https://trajbrowser.arc.nasa.gov/example_queries.php

January 2018 is not an ideal launch date for a Mars transfer. 2 year transfer, 4.5 km/s injection.

Perhaps "Mars orbit" simply means that the green circle will intersect the red circle.  It would be disappointing, but going to Mars orbit might not actually mean going to Mars.

That would be consistent with Musk's, "Will be in deep space for a billion years or so ...".

[FutureSpaceTourist]

It’s an original Tesla roadster, not a new one:

Gen1 roadster?

https://twitter.com/mswagle/status/936829446052462592

Yeah

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/936829494874091520

[Elmar Moelzer]

Ha! I called it! I think it is an awesome idea!

[Steven Pietrobon]

OK, here is the 2008 Roadster in the PLF.

[nacnud]

The hard part is going from solar orbit to Mars orbit - that requires a 3 to 6 month coast and then around 1 km/s worth of delta-v.
That means a spacecraft bus with power, comms, nav, and propulsion for deep space. Much more than a mass simulator.

Well the roadster 2 does have a 200kwh battery, over the air updates and gps. Not sure about propulsion, but it hits plaid speed.

Well it seems I was mistaken, they are sending a Gen 1 Roadster (2008), no over the air updates, no GPS, no plaid, and only a 53kwh battery.

It's a foolish idea and very silly

[Elthiryel]

Elon said "Mars orbit", which is quite confusing. But he also said it's going to stay in the deep space for years, I think it leaves us with two options left. Actual orbit around Mars does not seem plausible, with transfer window a few months away and most probably no motor to perform braking maneuver.

The first option is that it may be something like a Hohmann transfer orbit with an apogee at the Mars orbit (they would go to the Mars orbit then, to some extent), but with the planet in the other place at the same time.

The second option is just a Mars flyby, far enough from the planet to make sure the payload won't smash into the surface. I guess that Roadster is not going to have any trajectory correction thrusters, so I don't think they would risk going too close.

[Jarnis]

Elon said "Mars orbit", which is quite confusing. But he also said it's going to stay in the deep space for years, I think it leaves us with two options left. Actual orbit around Mars does not seem plausible, with transfer window a few months away and most probably no motor to perform braking maneuver.

The first option is that it may be something like a Hohmann transfer orbit with an apogee at the Mars orbit (they would go to the Mars orbit then, to some extent), but with the planet in the other place at the same time.

The second option is just a Mars flyby, far enough from the planet to make sure the payload won't smash into the surface. I guess that Roadster is not going to have any trajectory correction thrusters, so I don't they they would risk going too close.

Considering the cost of something space-navigation-propulsion-worthy of braking over a ton to Mars orbit after many months, I'm pretty sure "Mars orbit" in this case means "an orbit around the Sun that touches Mars orbit at one end, Earth orbit at the other". Might target for a Mars flyby, might not. Launch date would imply probably not, at least not a very close one.