Remember Starman? No, not David Bowie song. We’re talking about Elon Musk’s Pentra passenger behind the wheel of a Tesla Roadster, which exploded into space above SpaceX’s Falcon heavy rocket on its first test flight in 2018.
Well, Starman made its first close approach to Mars on Wednesday – something that the commercial space transport company wanted the world to know.
“The last seen starman to leave Earth made its first close approach to Mars today – within 0.05 astronomical units or 5 million miles below the Red Planet,” SpaceX announced in a tweet.
Starman, last seen leaving Earth, made its first close approach to Mars today – within 0.05 astronomical units, or 5 million miles below the Red Planet. pic.twitter.com/gV8barFTm7
– SpaceX (SpaceX) October October 7, 2020
For those with a vague memory, the Mancin and Tesla Roadster sports car from the spacesuit served as the Falcon Heavy’s payload for the rocket’s first outing in February 2018.
Talking about his roadster immediately after the rocket’s explosion – yes, it was Musk’s personal vehicle that went into space – the CEOs of SpaceX and Tesla acknowledged that unusual cargo is “kind of stupid and amusing” but added that “stupid and amusing things are important” “Because such stunts can generate interest in big projects and inspire others to get involved.
Kasturi added: “It has the same seats as a normal car, it’s literally a normal car, in space… I like that crap.”
Where is the roadster? The fastest-moving butterfly in human history is currently 38 million miles away from Earth, orbiting the sun once every 557 days, according to the website, which is promoting Starman’s journey through space. The website also notes that, at the time of writing, the vehicle has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty 36,070 times.
The next time Starman flies to Mars, the spacecraft from the US, China and the United Arab Emirates, along with the red planet, will go there for February 2021, three different missions will reach the surface of Mars.
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