In the midst of record breaking innovation, Elon still leaves us easter eggs.
So SpaceX has succesfully launched a Tesla roadster into outer space via the Falcon Heavy Rocket, the most powerful rocket in the world. Why??? Cause its badass, thats why. Oh, and the greatest feat of advertising and rocket engineering this world has ever seen. As if Elon and his correlating innovations weren't famous enough already, spending $90 Million dollars to have one of your company's product send your other company's product into space would certainly do the trick. Even more impressive, is the fact that the alternative boosters rockets on the Falcon Heavy Rocket seperated and landed upright, back on the Earth's surface.
(Left) That gif isn't in reverse...those are the two boosters gracefully landing almost simultaneously without the explosions that tickled us all in previous videos. Using a complicated algorithm and retro-boosters at the top of the rocket, SpaceX has perfected the art of recycling rockets.
Actually heres a snippet that summarizes previous attempts just to show how far SpaceX has come. As you can see, perfection isn't easy and one squeaky rocket leg or unexpected gust of wind can change "Eureka!" into "Eurfucked" in the blink of an eye. God I love this gif...I don't know what gets me more: the wacky-inflatable-tube-man like release of compressed air(or fuel or whatever) from the retro-boosters in a desperate attempt to keep the rocket from inevitably taking a dive or the 1 second explosion that results from their failure.
Anyway, through out all the frustration of seeing millions of dollars blow up in seconds, Elon has managed to keep true to his habit of appeasing the nerd in all of us by putting a dummy in a space suit in the driver seat of the roadster and enscribing "Don't Panic" on the control panel while blasting David Bowie's "Space Odyssey" into the silent vacuum of space.
I initially thought the "Don't Panic" was a reference to the motto of Doulgas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
, a well-known fictional novel of galactic exploration, defying slim statistical odds, and love. Probing deeper comfirms this is indeed the reference. I don't know about you but I think David Bowie's "Rocket Man" would've been a better choice but the fact that Elon made any references at all shows all work and no play actually doesn't make you a dull boy.
The roadster was planned to enter and stay in Mars' orbit indefinitely but the stage three burn actually sent it outside of that projection and now it will probably just float through space forever....Still, such a feat will never be forgotten and heres a "live" loop of the car floating around our blue marble.
Yea it really is monumental and I was suprirsed at how many of my co-workers were clueless about this...I even found out that one of them didn't know who Elon was....but f its been known that the masses aren't too concerned with innovation.
It's kind of sad really. I remember in the late 80s early 90s reading Boys Life (a scouting magazine) and one issue still sticks out to me with its view of a technology driven utopian society. Unfortunately the powers that be and their followers are content with slow to no progress...
Yea futurism was more mainstream back then. People were more apt to try and find out how things worked instead of just how to interface with them. Of course, back then taking something apart was as easy as turning it on its side and getting a philips or flathead screw driver. These days, everything is seamless and they discourage fixing it, they'd rather you buy a new one and they even design them to break. Its obvious to most people but what is one to do?
One of the coolest things I've watched in my life. The other day I couldn't stop going to the live feed...
Yea it really is monumental and I was suprirsed at how many of my co-workers were clueless about this...I even found out that one of them didn't know who Elon was....but f its been known that the masses aren't too concerned with innovation.
It's kind of sad really. I remember in the late 80s early 90s reading Boys Life (a scouting magazine) and one issue still sticks out to me with its view of a technology driven utopian society. Unfortunately the powers that be and their followers are content with slow to no progress...
Yea futurism was more mainstream back then. People were more apt to try and find out how things worked instead of just how to interface with them. Of course, back then taking something apart was as easy as turning it on its side and getting a philips or flathead screw driver. These days, everything is seamless and they discourage fixing it, they'd rather you buy a new one and they even design them to break. Its obvious to most people but what is one to do?
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