Well, as of now a Tesla has gone faster than any other car !
What is a Tessa ?
Oh, the Tesla Roadster used as the load for the missile test launch.
Missed that, spelling fixedâŠlol
Not under its own power, though. We can also say it will travel farther than any other wheeled vehicle generally for sale. I donât think it counts, since it is essentially a brick.
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Elon Musk was interviewed today on the radio. He joked that his main worry was something might go wrong and all that was left was a Tesla wheel rolling down the launch pad.
From todayâs launch:
I talked to someone that worked at a launch pad where a rocket came back down after exploding and landed on top of the block house where he and several others in the launch crew were. They tried to get out through the escape tummel, but there was too much burning debris at the exit. They were stuck inside until the fire abated. When he got out, he went to find his new pickup. All the was left was four rims. Sounds like dark humor to me.
The 2.8 second 1/4 mile is incredible, I keep wondering why there is not a burnout
I sent a joke to my insurance agent about them soon having to offer Emergency Space Service Coverage.
With very long jumper cables. 
How would you charge the Tesla in space, I am assuming the rocket has a generator.
Would the self-driving software bring it back to earth?
Solar power.
How does the stunt of sending a Tesla Roadster to Mars fit
âthe exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countriesâ
and should there be transparency for how a private company/person indemnifies the US because
âStates shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.â
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html
Because it was cool. The Roadster was one of Elon Muskâs personal cars.
So a (publicity) stunt is acceptable because âit was coolâ, and sending something useful like a scientific instruments/probe wouldnât have been as âcoolâ?
(And I guess it was too much to ask that an international space treaty to have recognized âcoolnessâ as a benefit for, and in the interests, of all countries.)
Who says they didnât. In fact the capsule was full of scientific equipment gathering giga-quads of data.
You do know that Space-X is a private company right?
And at over $10K per pound to leave earth orbit, how much more COOL science could have been done in place of the weight of that (cool) stunt?
And you did note that the treaty covers non-governmental entities, right?
This was the first time test of an all-new rocket. They needed weight to test it, the Roadster fit the bill. No major science payload would have been risked on a first-time test flight.
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I agree. If NASA, DoD, ESA, or JAXA tested a new launch vehicle, they would have used a mass simulator, aka a brick. When the new NASA SLS launches for the first time, it will not carry instruments, other than those needed to evaluate the launch. I canât imagine any government agency or private company would spend tens of millions of dollars on an instrument that has a high likelihood of reaching the ocean floor.
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