Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of the pioneering rocket-ship company SpaceX. He is known for his ambitious plans and achieving feats that were once solely the stuff of science fiction. In February 2018, he made history when SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster into space, with a mannequin wearing a space suit at the wheel. The car and its passenger were sent on an elliptical journey that will carry them beyond Mars. But why did Elon Musk commandeer a car, rather than a more obvious space vehicle, for this mission?
Musk has said the move was largely a marketing decision, intended to capture the interest of a broad audience and draw attention to the success of SpaceX’ s mission. The Elon Musk Roadster mission was more than just a publicity stunt, though; it also demonstrated the mass-adaptability of the Falcon Heavy rocket. Testing the rocket twice before launch was key in Musk’s plan to make space travel more accessible to its customers.
The mission was highly successful in that regard, as the Falcon Heavy was able to propel the launch mass – not just the Tesla but its extra weight of cameras, communication systems, and a dummy traveller – above Earth’s atmosphere. The success of the venture caused a great deal of excitement in the space exploration industry, leading to an abundance of speculation as to what Musk’s other ambitious plans may be.
Spacecraft propulsion expert Dr. Frank Hart takes a more scientific approach to the mission, noting that it was successful for a number of engineering-based reasons. He explains that the Tesla used for the mission was designed for high speed, low drag and low centre of gravity, making it suitable for the rocket-based ascent. The design also lent to the success of the mission in another meaningful way – as a form of self-regulation. As the Tesla Roadster was propelled away from the pack of its Falcon Heavy companion rockets, its aerodynamic profile acted as a counter-balance to the motors, aiding to keep the entire launch platform stable.
The success of the mission was another major win for Musk and SpaceX, with their ground-breaking technology proving capable of sending a roadster on a mission of interplanetary proportion. And while it was a monumental step forward for the space exploration industry, questions remain as to what the implications are for the future of travel. The success of the mission has caused many to speculate as to whether we can expect to soon see space vehicles become much more accessible and affordable for the public.
Environmental Implications of Musk’s Mission:
The success of the Elon Musk Roadster mission also brings with it a set of environmental implications. Dr. Dianne Von Schacter, an astrophysicist at Stanford University, expresses concerns about the potentially harmful impacts on our solar system’s natural cycle due to the influx of debris flooding near-Earth space. As the Roadster exits our solar system, it will sail into a realm of space inhabited by thousands of pieces of debris that are hazardous to the orbit of our planet as well as to other space vessels.
Unfortunately, many of the larger pieces of debris have been created by humanity, such as satellite and rocket pieces, making it difficult to adequately connect the refuse to its original source. Even if a potential culprit is identified, the problem still remains of how to safely remove the debris from its trajectory. Therefore, many are calling for a more robust debris removal system when launching cars and other objects into space in the future, to prevent the issue from escalating further.
A more optimistic take on the mission comes from Mary Summers, an aerospace engineer for NASA. She believes the Demonstration Mission was an important step in creating a congestion-free environment for future space vessels, and as such has opened the door to more ambitious exploration missions in the near future.
Dr. Von Schacter also believes the mission could potentially have a positive environmental impact. She has said that the success of SpaceX could help to bring down the cost of space travel. This could lead to a considerable reduction in the number of satellite launches needed to serve the demand for space-related services.
The Role of SpaceX in the Future of Space Travel:
The Elon Musk Roadster mission certainly has given us a glimpse into a less distant future of space travel, but have SpaceX reached the zenith of their potential? Perhaps not, according to Musk, who has declaimed that the potential of his company’s technology is still largely untapped.
The grounds for Musk’s assertion can be found in the fact that, in one mission, SpaceX managed to successfully reuse two of their Falcon Heavy booster rockets almost immediately after their first journey. It took less than three months for them to be readied for re-launch, paving the way for rapid-turn-around missions for whatever projects SpaceX will choose to pursue next.
Furthermore, the Roadster was successfully delivered to its destination with Tesla’s autopilot system, hinting at the potential of autonomous space crafts. Such a prospect carries a wealth of benefits for the future of space travel and aviation, as the sophisticated sensor system that guides these crafts could provide a higher degree of accuracy than that of a human pilot.
SpaceX’s achievements have caused many in the space exploration industry to question the real limits of their technology and to speculate as to what projects their successive missions may bring. With the success of the Musk-Tesla mission, SpaceX have certainly established a powerful foothold in the space exploration industry, and they appear poised to realize even more ambitious goals in the future.
Education and International Collaboration:
The success of the Elon Musk-Tesla mission should also be viewed in the context of education and international collaboration. While many of Musk’s projects are praised for their commercial successes and technological advancements, his emphasis on education should not be overlooked. He has publicly spoken about his desire to inspire the hearts and minds of the public, particularly the young generation, to chase their dreams and not to be held back by convention.
The success of the mission has also shown the world that international collaboration is an effective way to bring about ambitious projects on a global scale. The collaboration between Tesla, SpaceX, and Falcon Heavy on this mission showcased that immense resources can be harnessed if collective effort is unified towards a single goal.
It is clear that Elon Musk’s mission was a space milestone in many of ways. It was a success in the field of industry, engineering, marketing and space exploration, but it was even more importantly a win for global collaboration, education, and inspiration.
A New Era of Commercial Space Exploration:
We are now at a juncture in space exploration where technological advances have enabled more ambitious exploration of the unknown to occur. SpaceX’s successful mission with the Tesla has certainly been a major contributor in this quest, making deep space exploration appear imminently possible.
The success of the mission is expected to bring about a new era of commercial space exploration; one in which a new wave of revenue streams are made available to those willing to take the risk on cutting-edge space projects. Investors will likely be keen to get involved in such projects, given that they are seen to bring much higher potential returns than their terrestrial predecessors.
Musk has been honest in the fact that he sees the potential for his SpaceX venture to be highly profitable. After a number of successful space launches, investors have predictably become more confident in the pool of investments for these projects. In turn, this could lead to a more open and influential market for space exploration-related products, services, and technologies.
From gaining greater insights into the universe to closing the gap between space and travel, Elon Musk’s mission has enabled humanity to take a step closer to what was once considered impossible. With the ever-increasing advances in technology, the future of commercial space exploration has never looked so promising.
