Update: After a bit of back and forth, SpaceX is confirming that the Roadster to Mars is a real payload, and that it intends to comply with all launch licensing regulations.
Previously: Billionaire CEO Elon Musk tweeted out the idea of putting a cherry-red Tesla Roadster on SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket and sending it toward Mars, sparking lots of questions in the process.
The first question has to be: Is he serious?
So far, it sounds as if he might be. SpaceX folks are signaling that the plan is “legit,” and Musk’s replies to Twitter fans were also of a confirmatory nature. Here’s the thread:
Falcon Heavy to launch next month from Apollo 11 pad at the Cape. Will have double thrust of next largest rocket. Guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
Just to reiterate, the payload for the first Falcon Heavy rocket will be a Tesla electric car, playing Space Oditty, heading for Mars.
— J.C. (@JC_Channel) December 2, 2017
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
Gen1 roadster?
— Mihir Wagle (@mswagle) December 2, 2017
Yeah
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
Love the paint on that Roadster – didn’t Roadster for the Japan PM get the same paint?
— Bonnie Norman (@bonnienorman) December 2, 2017
Red car for a red planet
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
My only thought on this is “Why?”
— d00d (@highqualitysh1t) December 2, 2017
I love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
(Friends pls RT this so @elonmusk notices it thx!) Dear Elon, we made you a data crystal that lasts 14B years, containing Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy. Weight < 5 grams — Can we send it along on the ride to Mars? See: https://t.co/2OYnEdYNwc – contact me and you can have it!
— Nova Spivack (@novaspivack) December 2, 2017
Asimov’s Foundation books should def be part of the mission. They’re amazing.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017
These are written by femtosecond laser on quartz silica glass. Data is encoded digitally as 20nm gratings formed by plasma disruptions from the laser pulses. Each dot encodes 8 bits in 5 dimensions of light. Theoretical capacity of 360TB per disk, stable for 14B+ years. @elonmusk
— Nova Spivack (@novaspivack) December 2, 2017
