New satellite

So tomorrow is the first test launch of a Falcon heavy. If all goes well it will leave the pad at Cape Canaveral at 13:30 . Elon Musk does have a sense of humor as the payload is a Mk1 Tesla Roadster that will be parked in a low earth orbit. I wonder if they are going to leave the keys in the ignition. I guess there are a few people on DC and baltimore that are trying to work out how to steal that car but for now at least it is safe from the Super Bowl riots.

I hope the test of our mars rocket ride goes well...It's not a Saturn V, but it's got some power...

Hey they can pick up the car on their way to mars and use it for joy rides there.

I am just hoping for a rocket that can reach a geocentric orbit with reliability...Perhaps astronauts from the United States will no longer have to hitch-hike to the Space Station on a Russian rocket...

T - 60 minutes!!

A heavily government subsidized car launched by a heavily government subsidized rocket to sit in orbit and block my sunshine. Bah humbug.

Wind conditions just pushed launch back to 3:45pm... Darn wind...

T-30 minutes and counting!

I would like to see the United States get a decent space program again. I don't think we should work with other countries to do it either.

Keith

And that was amazing just amazing

Wow what a success!!! Physics at its best!!! Go Starman...Anyone notice the "don't Panic" on the dash board...Likely a reference from Douglas Adams!!!

42

Come on, you can't be that daft by nature and had to work hard to be like that for sure. Its a private company launching a rocket twice the size of anything that is currently in service. Something that NASA can not even dream up, let alone get financing for by us tax payers.
Its ok, the sun is down and its safe to come out from under yer rock for a few hours now.
FYI NASA is funded mostly by our tax dollars. Spacex is not.

I was kidding scuba. Go back to watching space.

This is just so cool on so many levels.
Its a private company ( person) decided to make it possible to go to Mars.
He drove that car for a while and did not drive the latest and greatest one that his company just came up with before putting it in the nose cone of his rocket.
This thing is going to be bigger then the Apollo program ... a lot bigger. And its not done by a country but a person.
The Don'tPanic and my 42 answer is just for the nerds on here that get it.

Douglas Adams ( Author of " The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy " ) is right now dancing a jig up there for sure.

Hope he kept insurance on that thing....lots of space junk up there. Don't know what kind of a rider you would need though.

I'm with Scuba on this one. There may be some subsidies going on but hey most of my farmers get a subsidy of some sort. The government can't and won't be effective and or efficient. FedEx/UPS > USPS SpaceX > NASA its just the way it is. I love this stuff very cool.

Scuba do you know who's birthday it is today?

Got me there wet dog
Can I ask a friend ??

No but. A clue he sent us to the moon

Sorry scuba I was wrong on that. I was feed fake news. By a huge space nurd that today was Von Braun's birthday. Well it is not till march. It is spacex 11th birthday.

You had me going there for a bit not knowing my history

That was sweet. The rumble was immense. Felt good to see a big rocket again.

Me to. I was talking to a real space but and he is hardly ever wrong on that kind of stuff. Spacex does have a room in honor of Von Braun. Just wonder if spacex is his old business.

Isn't it strange how a private person / company can kick of a mars program that hardly anyone thought was possible with next to no cost overruns and pretty much on time with its self imposed schedule.

Michael, LOL at the "42". Somehow I figured you'd know that! Did you see the bumper sticker on the car "So long and thanks for all the fish"...My understanding is there was actually a towel in the glove box with a copy of the Hitchhikers Guide...

As you said, "Just cool on so many levels"

The launch was awesome, the crowd sure was into it. Love the car idea.

It's pretty cool either way you look at it.

Not that I'm against science and research, but I can think of many better ways to waste your money. Now we have only thrown more space junk out there, sad that money could not have been used for medical research or something to really benefit mankind.

"We" Did no such thing. Elon Musk can spend his money however he sees fit. Many people seem to forget that this was financed by a private person. Not our tax dollar.

42 made my day

Fisherman this is research, pure research. Not rehashing something old. Our worlds future rides on those things. Same as Columbus going to the indies, just that America got in the way

Raise defector shields Spock. Go to RED ALERT