4 ms·

Fully charged and ready to drive upon arrival? :)

by dpflan 9y ago

api 9y ago
Given the lack of a powered descent mechanism I'm thinking it'll be more of a crater surrounded by bits of aluminum, plastic, and lithium. Personally I think it would be funnier to put a Tesla into an eccentric comet-like solar orbit. That way future generations could train their telescopes upon the return of the... car.
- lholden 9y ago
  So much, this. I've also been imaging a Star Trek episode where the Enterprise encounters and picks up a Tesla from deep space. :D
  - AdamJacobMuller 9y ago
    I'm picturing Worf driving a Roadster around the cargo bay while Geordi and Miles wax poetic about ancient earth historical vehicles and how they use batteries.
  - c22 9y ago
    Voyager found a Ford truck in space once. [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode) http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode)]
  - qbrass 9y ago
    Imagine that the Tesla's autopilot returns home after it retrieves the Voyager probe.
gpm 9y ago
Unlikely to even arrive on mars, typically we need to make course adjustments en route and a car doesn't exactly have thrusters. Hence the comment in the tweet about being in deep space for a billion years or so.
- sorahn 9y ago
  He said the destination is “mars orbit”. So if it gets there, it should be hanging out waiting for humanity to get there. I wonder how long the battery pack on the tesla will run the radio.
  - dangrossman 9y ago
    Somewhere between a few days and a few weeks. Vampire drain on Tesla's vehicles is already pretty bad (up to several percent a day) without tossing 'em into space where the battery heater has to run all the time.
  - Cshelton 9y ago
    But! The underbelly of the car would be a solar panel =p Crank the radio up to 11! (Which is funny because Tesla’s volume actually goes to 11) So actually, they'd for sure have to disable the heater on the battery, and I dunno, can the battery operate enough power to power the stereo when it's negative crazy low temp in space?
- letlambda 9y ago
  If they're planning on Mars orbit, and not a Mars flyby there's a propulsion system. edit: Unless by Mars orbit, he means, a solar orbit similar to the orbit of Mars. Which actually probably is what he means. It's just the right blend of technically correct, but slightly misleading.
- kijin 9y ago
  At least it makes a tiny bit more sense than sending a car with an internal combustion engine to a planet with no oxygen in its atmosphere. It sends a very clear message: you're not gonna be driving that gas-guzzling SUV on Mars. Electric is the future. The next mission might actually carry a Tesla rover to the surface. Then maybe a large battery-backed solar array so the rover doesn't need to worry about its energy budget anymore. The "silly" mission could even help Tesla/SpaceX gain important insights about how their batteries fare in space. Never underestimate Elon Musk, even when he seems to be having too much fun.
- 9y ago

Fully charged and ready to drive upon arrival? :)

by dpflan 9y ago

Fully charged and ready to drive upon arrival? :)

api 9y ago

Given the lack of a powered descent mechanism I'm thinking it'll be more of a crater surrounded by bits of aluminum, plastic, and lithium. Personally I think it would be funnier to put a Tesla into an eccentric comet-like solar orbit. That way future generations could train their telescopes upon the return of the... car.

lholden 9y ago
So much, this. I've also been imaging a Star Trek episode where the Enterprise encounters and picks up a Tesla from deep space. :D
- AdamJacobMuller 9y ago
  I'm picturing Worf driving a Roadster around the cargo bay while Geordi and Miles wax poetic about ancient earth historical vehicles and how they use batteries.
- c22 9y ago
  Voyager found a Ford truck in space once. [http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode) http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_37%27s_(episode)]
- qbrass 9y ago
  Imagine that the Tesla's autopilot returns home after it retrieves the Voyager probe.

gpm 9y ago

Unlikely to even arrive on mars, typically we need to make course adjustments en route and a car doesn't exactly have thrusters. Hence the comment in the tweet about being in deep space for a billion years or so.

sorahn 9y ago
He said the destination is “mars orbit”. So if it gets there, it should be hanging out waiting for humanity to get there. I wonder how long the battery pack on the tesla will run the radio.
- dangrossman 9y ago
  Somewhere between a few days and a few weeks. Vampire drain on Tesla's vehicles is already pretty bad (up to several percent a day) without tossing 'em into space where the battery heater has to run all the time.
- Cshelton 9y ago
  But! The underbelly of the car would be a solar panel =p Crank the radio up to 11! (Which is funny because Tesla’s volume actually goes to 11) So actually, they'd for sure have to disable the heater on the battery, and I dunno, can the battery operate enough power to power the stereo when it's negative crazy low temp in space?
letlambda 9y ago
If they're planning on Mars orbit, and not a Mars flyby there's a propulsion system. edit: Unless by Mars orbit, he means, a solar orbit similar to the orbit of Mars. Which actually probably is what he means. It's just the right blend of technically correct, but slightly misleading.
kijin 9y ago
At least it makes a tiny bit more sense than sending a car with an internal combustion engine to a planet with no oxygen in its atmosphere. It sends a very clear message: you're not gonna be driving that gas-guzzling SUV on Mars. Electric is the future. The next mission might actually carry a Tesla rover to the surface. Then maybe a large battery-backed solar array so the rover doesn't need to worry about its energy budget anymore. The "silly" mission could even help Tesla/SpaceX gain important insights about how their batteries fare in space. Never underestimate Elon Musk, even when he seems to be having too much fun.
9y ago