TODAY - 1st Falcon Heavy Launch

News reports say he put a car onboard for a test load.

Sure, why not a car? A fairly realistic load :rolleyes:, and if the car comes back, it will be worth more than before it went into space.
 
News reports say he put a car onboard for a test load.

Sure, why not a car? A fairly realistic load :rolleyes:, and if the car comes back, it will be worth more than before it went into space.

There is no intention for the payload to come back. If everything is successful, it’ll be put into orbit of the sun and will pass close to Mars.

A part of him doesn't take things too seriously...his first rocket launched a wheel of cheese.

As far as whether we needed a car to orbit the sun...I guess it’s no different than a dummy payload crowding up space.
 
News reports say he put a car onboard for a test load.

Sure, why not a car? A fairly realistic load :rolleyes:, and if the car comes back, it will be worth more than before it went into space.

There is no intention for the payload to come back. If everything is successful, it’ll be put into orbit of the sun and will pass close to Mars.

A part of him doesn't take things too seriously...his first rocket launched a wheel of cheese.

As far as whether we needed a car to orbit the sun...I guess it’s no different than a dummy payload crowding up space.
Also to note, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy should be able to carry more payload than any other American rocket since NASA's Saturn V rocket which was used for the moon landings (source 1, source 2). Hence the "Heavy" moniker.

Sending payload to space is extremely expensive per pound. According to NASA, it costs around $10,000 per pound to send payload into orbit (source 3). I'm assuming they needed an appropriate amount of payload for testing. They probably saw the car as similar mass, so went for it?

Apparently, they usually use dummy mass simulations, but why not make it more fun and interesting, if it means more people will tune in?
 
Appears take off was bump back to 3:05 PM
 
I understand it’s pushed back again – now to 345pm ET
 
For weather?

I caught one of the last space shuttle launches down there. It’s worth seeing (plus Cocoa Beach is pretty nice too.)
 
We had hoped to see this while we were there, but they kept postponing it. Anyone care to calculate how many miles that car will travel without a charge?
 
Damn. The fire that thing belched was impressive. Watching their live view was pretty awesome -- rock music, canned crowd noise...these guys know how to market themselves.
 
Damn. The fire that thing belched was impressive. Watching their live view was pretty awesome -- rock music, canned crowd noise...these guys know how to market themselves.
Yeah, that was pretty awesome! Hopefully the center core landed safely.
 
The two boosters landing at the same time might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
 
I've got a buddy who was there. If he shares any images, I'll post with his permission.
 
rocket_zpslskxj9px.jpg


Here the rocket is said to be moving at over 3500 kmh which is more than 3100 feet per second.

This is substantially faster than a 30-06 bullet at the muzzle:
30-06 Ballistics Chart & Coefficient GunData.org

So, how does a camera follow an object moving faster than a high power rifle bullet?

(Please note this is NOT meant as a gun discussion, it's just a question about tracking a very fast moving object with a camera)
 
Last edited:
So, how does a camera follow an object moving faster than a high power rifle bullet?
When was the last time to saw video of a bullet from almost 20 miles away? ;)

Why is it that a car can cross my vision in a matter of seconds, while a plane, traveling much faster, can take a minute or so?
 

Most reactions

Back
Top