Tesla Roadster Electric Car Launched Into Space Flew "near" Mars

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-03 15:38

SpaceX announced on Twitter that the TeslRoadster electric car approached Mars as far as possible - 0.05 astronomical units (just over 8 million kilometers). Astronomer Jonathan McDowell says the roadster is even closer.

Starman, last seen leaving Earth, made its first close approach with Mars today-within 0.05 astronomical units, or under 5 million miles, of the Red Planet

- SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 7, 2020

• According to the calculations of a scientist who works with the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Center, SpaceX missed by about 600 thousand kilometers in its estimates. McDowell posted on Twitter a diagram of the orbits of Earth, Mars and an electric car and stated that a couple of days ago the distance between Mars and TeslRoadster was 7.41 million kilometers.

Falcon / Teslpassed 7.41 million km from Mars at 0625 UTC Oct 7

- Jonathan McDowell (@ planet4589) October 7, 2020

• According to the calculations of other experts, at such a distance, the size of the Red Planet, visible to the driver of the TeslRoadster through the windshield, would be comparable to the size of the Moon, as seen by humans from Earth.
• Jonathan McDowell previously included TeslRoadster in the catalog of artificial space bodies: it includes 57,424 objects, one way or another launched by man into outer space. The so-called space debris is also included in the catalog.
• On February 6, 2018, a TeslRoadster with a dummy in a spacesuit at the wheel played the role of a payload during the test launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket.