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What would be the best payload for the Falcon Heavy Rocket? A 2nd-hand car?
If it is not just a publicity stunt, I find it a pity that SpaceX sends a car on its maiden flight..
There are not _that_ many rides to space still, and I would expect there are more useful payloads than sending a car flying around the sun :)
For instance having a competition of Makers Labs around the world to provide micro sattelites (I know, its a bit late for that now, but imho it could have led to much more positive publicity and stimulate many people to get involved with space tech).
Or are the risks of the whole thing exploding too high to have _anything_ of real value on board?
- gus_massa 9y agoThere is a high chance that it will explode, let's say 10%, (This number is based in a back of the envelope statistic of the first few flight if several rockets. It's probably close to the correct value, but don't take it too seriously.) (A well tested rocket for manned mission has a 1% chance of failure.) If it explodes and they have a car, they will just tweet some joke like "I guess my insurance will not cover it." and begin the investigation. If it carries someone else satellites, they will get for weeks press coverage of each of the groups that build a satellite, and how they ruined the master thesis of someone, how other group worked in the satellite for a year, how it was the only opportunity of other group to cure cancer, ...
- rapnie 9y agoyes, good points.. 10% is quite high. i was not thinking about people's master thesis going up imto the sky, but more amateurish, hobby projects.. but that might put the rocket itself in danger. so my idea is off :)