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. 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. So, he
announced his payload plan (mass simulator) to the public via Twitter
last night:

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

Cite:

SpaceX will attempt to launch a red Tesla Roadster to the red planet
"Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn't blow up
on ascent."

ERIC BERGER - 12/1/2017, 10:25 PM

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017...-on-the-radio-
elon-musk-plans-to-launch-his-tesla-to-mars/


Love him or hate him, the man's got flair. And kudos to the choice of
song.

As to where the idea came from, if you've ever seen the movie Heavy
Metal, the opening credits is a scene where a space shuttle drops an
astronaut in a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette. The car proceeds to reenter to
land in the desert and drive away, all while the song Radar Rider blasts
at full volume.

Cite:

Heavy Metal - Soft Landing - Corvette 1959
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWMPe3wF9jQ

Yes, the animation is horrible but "back in the day" Heavy Metal was one
of my favorite movies. ;-)

Jeff
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