Space
15:10, 19-Feb-2018
Do you know where Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is now in space?
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Space X’s first Falcon Heavy blasted off on February 6 with a unique “passenger” onboard. The sole passenger “Starman” was positioned inside a cherry-red Tesla Roadster with built-in cameras, which designated to reach Mars.
It has been nearly half a month since the car took off, questions such as "Where is it now?" and "How close will the car actually get to Mars?" are raised by netizens.
A website named "Where Is Roadster?" can solve these mysteries.
The website was created by Ben Pearson, who has been working with aerospace technology since 2005. By using data from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Horizons, Pearson can provide real-time updates on the electric car’s speed and current location, indicating its distances from Earth and Mars.
A fun paragraph below the location information shows how many times the car has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty, it’s about 611 times currently.
Gif via Where Is Roadster?
Gif via Where Is Roadster?
From an animated chart, people can check out the vehicle's orbital path in the solar system, along with Earth, Mars, Mercury and Venus from the present day to November 13, 2020.
Some upcoming milestones are also listed on the website include the Tesla’s close approach and far point of Sun, Earth and Mars.
Although it's exciting to picture the car’s grand landing on Mars, some researchers have recently suggested that the vehicle might crash into Earth.
“This information will eventually expire, no longer being useful. I'm not sure exactly when that will be, but I suspect in a few years.” Pearson wrote on the website.
(Cover photo courtesy: SpaceX)