A Tesla in space

It was spectacular.

In fact, it was as spectacular as in the old days.

Elon Musk, famous billionaire visionary, pulled off a coup that could change the world.

On Tuesday, his company SpaceX launched what is reportedly the world’s most powerful rocket.

It was a successful launch. Then, to cap off the achievement two of the three boosters successfully returned to earth landing upright and undamaged, ready for reuse. The third, programmed to land on a barge in the ocean, failed and crashed into the sea.

The point of returning the boosters for more launches is that the cost of space travel can be dramatically cut. Musk plans to use the rockets for interplanetary flights, heavy load transport and tourism flights around the moon.

The rocket, called Falcon Heavy, carried a payload that is scheduled to orbit around the Sun. Its trajectory will periodically take it around Mars.

To add some interest and fun in the mission, the payload is actually Musk’s own red Tesla roadster with a dummy behind the wheel outfitted in one of SpaceX’s space suits. If all goes well the roadster will be in its orbit for thousands, if not millions, of years.

Musk, of course, made his vast fortune co-founding PayPal. Since then he has headed a number of projects and enterprises. One is the automobile company Tesla.

He is adventurous and willing to take tremendous risks. His money seems endless as does his inventiveness.

This maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy was strictly a private enterprise. NASA was not involved, it is said, although the launch site was Kennedy Space Center.

The official announcer was hard to hear during the launch because of the cheering and excited yelling of spectators.

Maybe the old excitement and the old interest in reaching beyond our own planet will be revived by Musk and other space adventurers.

It is a possibility.

One commentator took note of the SpaceX employees watching from California. They were exuberant. Their work was successful. More importantly, he noted their ages. He said they were young, pretty much the same age as those who engineered America’s space program and its landing on the moon decades ago.

Maybe there is hope, and, as mired down as we are on Earth, maybe we can once again look to the stars with excitement, hope and wonder.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher