It appears to be the second Roadster Elon has owned, a 2010 2.0 Sport model, VIN 686, according to @TEG.
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Falcon Heavy to Launch Next Month, Musk Says He's Sending His Roadster to Mars
- Thread starter anticitizen13.7
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I really want to know how the payload is going to achieve Mars orbit (because Elon’s tweet was very clear that was the objective). I naively assumed that the second stage would go to Mars with the payload and that on approaching Mars the vehicle would do a 180 and execute a burn. But I’ve been informed that the LOX would boil off long before it was time for the orbital burn. Since a Falcon second stage only has a single Merlin vacuum engine, and there is no third stage, how is Mars orbit going to be achieved?
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Do you guys really think this is true? Or are you just playing along with his rouse? ("Can't tell if joking or serious").
If true, it seems like a colossal waste of fuel to launch that much weight into deep space, as well as removing a rare Tesla Roadster from earthbound existence, where it belongs (despite it being red for a red planet). And as Elon says, if it doesn't blow up on ascent.
I think EM had a few drinks and is just winding everyone up with that tweet.
Apparently, I'm not alone: Next Spaceflight on Twitter
If true, it seems like a colossal waste of fuel to launch that much weight into deep space, as well as removing a rare Tesla Roadster from earthbound existence, where it belongs (despite it being red for a red planet). And as Elon says, if it doesn't blow up on ascent.
I think EM had a few drinks and is just winding everyone up with that tweet.
Apparently, I'm not alone: Next Spaceflight on Twitter
Will this one Roadster wipe out all the atmospheric CO2 savings made by its brethren?
Hah!!!! Called it!!! 
Or perhaps somebody at Tesla saw my suggestion and liked it! BTW... ummm... if there was an opening at the launch viewing or two I know of a couple of people who would dearly love to attend. I'd be quiet, and sit in the corner and not say anything at all. Just throwing that out there!
Or perhaps somebody at Tesla saw my suggestion and liked it! BTW... ummm... if there was an opening at the launch viewing or two I know of a couple of people who would dearly love to attend. I'd be quiet, and sit in the corner and not say anything at all. Just throwing that out there! I dunno, given the pricing on the Roadster 3.0, these could be some very expensive options!
copyhacker
Member
Well, they were going to burn the fuel for the test anyway, and it’s a test, so can’t launch anything super important. Might as well try and put something in Mars orbit, too, since that’s the main goal.
Maybe it’s a challenge to the would-be competition. “Want my rare Roadster? Go and get it!”
Either that, or the first BFR test is to bring it back...
I would think it better to launch something like a large amount of water or fuel and leave that in a stable Martian orbit. Then you can go back later and use it. Maybe the BFR has so much capacity that having access to many metric tons of water/fuel waiting for you there is irrelevant?
RT
RT
I love that through all the ups and downs of business and life, Elon still has enough stargazing 10-year-old in him to do wacky stuff like this. If this was any space agency they'd probably use a mass simulator that was completely unremarkable and lose out on the chance to make everyone smile and inspire a few future rocket engineers...
If it approaches Mars within a range of tangential velocity and distance, Mars gravity will capture it to orbit. Might be rather elliptical.
N5329K
Active Member
I'll take the lot.
Robin
Musk is not joking.
Every rocket test flight needs a dummy payload. Typically it is a tank of water. It is not a waste of fuel. You need a payload to simulate a real flight.
The first Falcon 9 flight payload was a giant wheel of cheese (a Monty Python joke). I’m not kidding.
So sending a Tesla into space is no surprise. This is a classic Musk move.
The CO2 produced by launching a Falcon F9 is equivalent to a couple of trans-Pacific commercial airline flights. A Falcon Heavy has 3 Falcon 9 first stages, so it’s more. But every day there are many many trans-oceanic commercial flights. There are only a few dozen rocket launches to orbit in a year. It’s a tiny tiny amount of the total amount of CO2 humans add to the atmosphere every single day.
Yes, basically a gravitational assist in reverse... Mars catching the Roadster with a slingshot. Have to watch out for the orbits of the hounds of hell though.
The articles that have been published seem to think Elon meant the new Roadster that was displayed at the reveal two weeks ago, at least that is the photo that they're all using. Hey, @TEG, is there a photo somewhere of the actual Roadster in question?
HankLloydRight
No Roads
I still think it's a joke. It sounds like a classic Musk move, but joking about also is a classic Musk move.
I wasn't asking about trans-oceanic flights though.
OK let's say the per seat emissions from a flight are 150g/km CO2.
Trans-oceanic flight is 8000 km.
500 seats on the plane.
6 flights.
=> 3600000000 grams of CO2.
Equivalent ICE to a Roadster emits 200 g/km CO2.
=> 18000000 km driven to emit the same as the launch.
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To all the battery experts out there, how long with the radio play on a single battery charge. Would be awesome if it could make to Mars while still playing Space Oddity.
Yeah, January isn't the best time to launch towards orbit around Mars, so over/under on delaying til May for optimal orbit? Of course the tweet said "Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent." so it's up to interpretation at this point whether that means "in orbit around Mars", "in the same orbit around the sun as Mars" or "passing Mars' orbit".. and time of arrival... One year from now? Ten? a billion?
I would prefer it if Elon had picked a pointless gas guzzling SUV like the Merc G65 and sent it on a one way collision course with the sun.
For the BFR, methane will be used to power the Raptor engines and Mars *in situ* production of the stuff is planned... So it would make sense to produce it on Earth for the potential airplanes routes and make it sustainable. It will require to install massive array of solar panels (Tesla can do it), batteries (same) and electrolysers (not yet... but maybe Nikola Motor can help?) with all the additional equipments needed. If they don't do it, they can be accused of hypocrisy, except if travellers accept to pay a fair carbon tax (they won't).
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