THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP
When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy
launched on its maiden test flight
from Florida in February, it was
packing more thrust than any rocket
since the mighty Saturn V, which sent
astronauts to the moon. At the wheel
of its payload — a Tesla roadster
owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk —
was a spacesuited mannequin named
Starman (above). For a few hours,
remote cameras beamed down live
pictures of the jaunty driver and his
red car as they sped on an orbital
path that will take him beyond
Mars. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the
Falcon’s twin booster rockets made
synchronized touchdowns only miles
from the launchpad (right). According
to whereisroadster.com, by the time
this issue hits newsstands, Starman
will be an estimated 200 million miles
away, cruising at a cool 28,000 mph.
Aerospace engineer Ben Pearson
(not affiliated with SpaceX or NASA)
created the website based on data
from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and observations by ground-based
telescopes. ERNIE MASTROIANNI;
PHOTOS BY SPACEX
IMAGES OF NOTE
January/February 2019^ DISCOVER^73