View Single Post
  #17  
Old December 12th 17, 04:47 PM posted to sci.space.policy
David Spain
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,901
Default Falcon Heavy test flight payload announced on Twitter

On 12/12/2017 3:12 AM, Sylvia Else wrote:
On 3/12/2017 1:38 AM, Jeff Findley wrote:

Falcon Heavy has maybe a 50/50 chance of success on its first flight.
But you can't launch it empty, because that doesn't properly simulate a
flight with a payload on top.Â* So, you really do need a mass simulator.
In the past, mass simulators have been solid chunks of metal or a tank
filled with something benign like water.

Well, Elon Musk isn't one to follow the old boring trends.Â* So, he
announced his payload plan (mass simulator) to the public via Twitter
last night:

Â*Â*Â* On Friday evening, Musk tweeted what that payload would be his
Â*Â*Â* "midnight cherry Tesla Roadster." And the car will be playing
Â*Â*Â* Space Oddity, by David Bowie; the song which begins, "Ground
Â*Â*Â* Control to Major Tom."


In fairness to any aliens who come across it hundreds of millions of
years hence, there should be an attempt[*] made to explain how what is
clearly a land vehicle designed for a gravity field much larger than
that of Mars should end up in orbit around it.

Sylvia.

[*] Which pretty much implies providing a complete language course
designed for aliens.


Although fun to imagine, this story has been de-bunked, by Musk himself.
It was Elon winking at us....

However orbiting a CD of Bowie songs, including Space Oddity, ought not
to be out of the question. And would keep the aliens busy for a long
time....


Dave