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My money's on a SpaceX grab-it-and-land-it-on-Earth-or-Mars stunt somewhere out in the future.

raphaelj 9y ago
The Japanese space agency did something similar a few years ago. They sent a probe to an asteroid that was passing near our planet, and collected some samples back to Earth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa
- avian 9y ago
  Hayabusa was an active probe that had working thrusters capable of changing its orbit. Elon Musk’s car is an inert hunk of plastic and metal at this point, without as much as a communication link back to Earth.
  - svantana 9y ago
    I think the analogy was between the car and the asteroid.
astrowilliam 9y ago
And Elon drives it off the landing pad :)
- tzakrajs 9y ago
  The bigger miracle being Elon capable of driving in some 75 years :P
  - invalidusernam3 9y ago
    If there's anyone who will "solve" old age, my money is on him
    - computerex 9y ago
      Why?
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - King-Aaron 9y ago
        Possibly because he has over 20 billion dollars and a knack for getting problems solved by using it
ryandrake 9y ago
Or a more achievable but still impressive "Secure a second mannequin in the passenger seat" challenge.
- TomK32 9y ago
  One of the most sought after achievements in the Awesome-Life-App (Think now to download the app into your Goozonpple Cortex Storage®).
jcims 9y ago
I want them to bring one of the rovers back first. How cool would it be to see Opportunity or Curiosity at the Smithsonian.
- isostatic 9y ago
  Would require lifting it off a planet, that's a lot of energy. You'll just have to visit the Martian Smithsonian.
  - jcims 9y ago
    Grab sojourner then, haha. That'd be carry on luggage.
squarefoot 9y ago
I'd say Mars. Having it already in Earth orbit would make it more cost effective to hook it to a Mars mission. Also, being 100% electric I'm sure they would find a way to make it useable on Mars. Just imagine watching some pilot doing stunts in a reduced gravity.
- isostatic 9y ago
  It's not on Earth orbit. That's the whole point. It's in a heliocentric orbit with an apihelion out past Mars and a perihelion inside earth's orbit.
  - squarefoot 9y ago
    Doh, I was totally confused by the photo.

The Japanese space agency did something similar a few years ago. They sent a probe to an asteroid that was passing near our planet, and collected some samples back to Earth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa

avian 9y ago
Hayabusa was an active probe that had working thrusters capable of changing its orbit. Elon Musk’s car is an inert hunk of plastic and metal at this point, without as much as a communication link back to Earth.
- svantana 9y ago
  I think the analogy was between the car and the asteroid.

astrowilliam 9y ago

And Elon drives it off the landing pad :)

tzakrajs 9y ago
The bigger miracle being Elon capable of driving in some 75 years :P
- invalidusernam3 9y ago
  If there's anyone who will "solve" old age, my money is on him
  - computerex 9y ago
    Why?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - King-Aaron 9y ago
      Possibly because he has over 20 billion dollars and a knack for getting problems solved by using it

ryandrake 9y ago

Or a more achievable but still impressive "Secure a second mannequin in the passenger seat" challenge.

TomK32 9y ago
One of the most sought after achievements in the Awesome-Life-App (Think now to download the app into your Goozonpple Cortex Storage®).

jcims 9y ago

I want them to bring one of the rovers back first. How cool would it be to see Opportunity or Curiosity at the Smithsonian.

isostatic 9y ago
Would require lifting it off a planet, that's a lot of energy. You'll just have to visit the Martian Smithsonian.
- jcims 9y ago
  Grab sojourner then, haha. That'd be carry on luggage.

squarefoot 9y ago

I'd say Mars. Having it already in Earth orbit would make it more cost effective to hook it to a Mars mission. Also, being 100% electric I'm sure they would find a way to make it useable on Mars. Just imagine watching some pilot doing stunts in a reduced gravity.

isostatic 9y ago
It's not on Earth orbit. That's the whole point. It's in a heliocentric orbit with an apihelion out past Mars and a perihelion inside earth's orbit.
- squarefoot 9y ago
  Doh, I was totally confused by the photo.