Space Car Camera: Still Operational?

On February 6, 2018, Elon Musk launched his Tesla Roadster into space. The car, with a mannequin driver named Starman, was mounted on the Falcon Heavy rocket and became an artificial satellite of the Sun. The launch was live-streamed, with cameras placed inside and outside the car, capturing various angles of the Roadster with Earth in the background. While Musk had estimated that the car's battery would last over 12 hours, the live stream only ran for about four hours. The current status of the cameras on Musk's space car is unknown, but the vehicle continues its journey through space, providing valuable insights into the endurance of materials in the harsh environment.

The car's location

Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, with a dummy astronaut dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat, was launched into space on February 6, 2018. It was the first production car to be launched into space and served as the dummy payload for the Falcon Heavy test flight. The car is currently in a heliocentric orbit, which means it is orbiting the Sun. This orbit takes it beyond Mars, and the car has already crossed the orbit of Mars several times.

The exact location of the car can be tracked on the website 'Where is Roadster', which has been operational since 2018. The site provides details on the car's distance from Earth, Mars, and the Sun, as well as its speed relative to these celestial bodies. It also offers insights into the number of times the car has exceeded its warranty, the fuel economy, and the number of times Starman has listened to the songs "Space Oddity" and "Is There Life On Mars?" if the battery is still operational.

The Roadster's first close approach to Earth is predicted to occur in the year 2047, at a distance of approximately 5 million kilometers. There is also a possibility of the car colliding with Earth or Venus, with the odds calculated to be around 6% and 2.5%, respectively, over a million years.

The mannequin Starman

Starman is more than just a mannequin; it represents a work of art and a symbol of humanity's exploration and aspirations in space. Elon Musk explained that he wanted to inspire people about the "possibility of something new happening in space" and that launching a car into space was a fun and unusual way to capture the public's imagination. The choice of a mannequin "astronaut" added to the theatrics and created a memorable visual.

Starman's journey has been captured by cameras placed inside and outside the car, providing a unique perspective on its voyage through space. The live stream of the launch and Starman's subsequent journey became a viral sensation, with people tuning in to watch this unusual payload in action. The cameras offered different views, including one mounted on the hood, one behind the astronaut's shoulder, and one facing back down to Earth.

While the initial live stream lasted for about four hours, Starman and the Tesla Roadster continued their journey through space. According to the website "Where is Roadster?", which tracks the vehicle's location, the car has travelled over 1 billion miles and is well into its second orbit around the Sun as of February 2020. The site also provides information on the car's distance from Earth, Mars, and the Sun, as well as its speed relative to these celestial bodies.

The fate of Starman and the Tesla Roadster remains uncertain. Some speculate that it will eventually be destroyed in the asteroid belt or by the harsh conditions of space. However, there is a possibility that it could be recovered during its close approach to Earth in 2091. In the meantime, Starman continues its silent voyage, a testament to humanity's ingenuity and our endless curiosity about the cosmos.

The car's speed

On February 6, 2018, Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster became the first production car to be launched into space. Affectionately dubbed "Starman", the car was mounted on the second stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket and entered an elliptical heliocentric orbit crossing the orbit of Mars. The car is equipped with cameras mounted on the hood, inside, and on booms attached to the vehicle's custom adaptor, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding space and Earth in the background.

The maximum speed of the Tesla Roadster relative to the Sun will be approximately 121,000 km/h (75,000 mph) at perihelion. This incredible velocity showcases the power and capability of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which is designed to carry significant payloads towards Mars and beyond. The car has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty multiple times while driving around the Sun, and it is currently moving towards Earth and Mars at a speed of several miles per hour relative to these celestial bodies.

The orbital period of the Roadster is about 557 days, and it has completed several orbits around the Sun since its launch. In October 2020, the car made its first close approach to Mars, coming within about 8 million kilometres (5 million miles) of the Red Planet. The next close approach to Earth is predicted to occur in the year 2047, with the car passing at a distance of approximately 5 million kilometres (about 13 times the distance between Earth and the Moon).

The choice to include a car as a dummy payload in the Falcon Heavy test flight was met with mixed reactions. Some praised Musk's sense of brand management and innovative use of new media, while others criticised it as a gimmick that took away an opportunity to advance scientific knowledge. However, Musk defended his decision by stating that he wanted to inspire the public about the "possibility of something new happening in space" and to spread the vision of humanity expanding to other planets.

The Tesla Roadster in space has captivated imaginations worldwide, with its combination of speed, technology, and symbolism. It serves as a testament to Musk's ability to merge visionary marketing with groundbreaking technological achievements.

The car's future

On February 6, 2018, Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster became the first production car to be launched into space. Affectionately dubbed "Starman", the car was sent into orbit around the Sun as a dummy payload for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy test flight. The car is currently located north of 201,300,000 miles from Earth and has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty an estimated 70,050 times.

The future of the car is uncertain, but it is expected to continue its journey through space for many years to come. The car is likely to endure significant degradation over time due to the harsh environment of space, including extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeoroid impacts. While the exact condition of the car is unknown, experts predict that the paint, rubber, and leather interior may have deteriorated or disintegrated due to the extreme conditions.

The onboard cameras, which provided fascinating live footage of the car in space, are no longer operational. The car's battery was expected to last about 12 hours, and the live stream lasted for just over four hours before shutting down. However, there is a possibility that the cameras and battery could be powered up again in the future, providing valuable insights into the car's condition and its journey through space.

In the coming years, the car will continue to orbit the Sun, crossing the orbit of Mars and entering the asteroid belt. There is a chance that the car could be struck by asteroids or other debris in the asteroid belt, but the angle of its orbit may also allow it to avoid these obstacles. The odds of the car colliding with Earth or Venus in the next million years are calculated to be relatively low, at approximately 6% and 2.5%, respectively.

The fate of Musk's Tesla Roadster in space is a fascinating topic that combines automotive innovation, space exploration, and the unknown. While the car's exact future is uncertain, it has already left a lasting impact on popular culture and sparked conversations about the possibilities of space exploration and the endurance of human technology in the harsh environment of space.

The impact of space on the car's materials

On 6 February 2018, Elon Musk launched his Tesla Roadster into space. Mounted on the Falcon Heavy rocket, the car was equipped with cameras placed inside and outside, providing different viewing angles with Earth in the background. The live stream, however, lasted for just over four hours before the car's battery died.

Space is an extremely hostile environment for materials. It is characterised by extreme temperatures, ultra-vacuum, atomic oxygen, and high-energy radiation, including particles and energy sources (X- and gamma rays). These factors can degrade materials, multiply mission costs, and increase risk.

Materials used on the external side of spacecraft, such as solar panels, sensors, and electronic circuits, are particularly vulnerable to damage from exposure to the space environment. This degradation is caused by several factors, including extreme temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, ionising radiation from solar proton events and cosmic rays, atomic oxygen in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and collisions with micrometeoroids and space debris.

To protect materials from the harsh conditions in space, various measures can be taken:

• Coatings: Optical coatings and materials used in space must be resistant to radiation-induced absorption increases. Low-energy particles, UV radiation, and atomic oxygen can damage these coatings, shortening their lifespan. To mitigate this, coating materials and deposition processes that provide extended mission lifetimes in orbital environments have been developed. These coatings consist of hard oxide materials deposited with high-energy processes such as magnetron or ion-beam sputtering, plasma ion-assisted deposition, and IAD E-beam.
• Shields: Passive protection can be achieved through the use of Whipple shields, which have aluminium and Nextel-Kevlar bumper layers. These shields cause the incoming projectiles to disintegrate during impact, forming a cloud of liquified material that reduces the impact pressure on the back wall of the shield.
• Design considerations: In addition to protective coatings and shields, the design of spacecraft materials themselves can be optimised to increase resistance to the space environment. This includes the use of radiation-resistant materials such as tungsten for highly sensitive devices and aluminium oxide for protective coating.

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