In 2018, Elon Musk’s SpaceX demonstrated the Falcon Heavy launch system with a successful test flight that also sent Musk’s personal 2008 Tesla Roadster into space, complete with a spacecraft-clad mannequin named Starman in the driver’s seat. Now, more than two years later, Starman and his cherry-red car have reached Mars. Back in October, SpaceX shared on social media that Starman had made his first close approach to the Red Planet.
“Starman, last seen leaving Earth, made his first close approach to Mars today – within 0.05 astronomical units, or less than 5 million miles, of the Red Planet,” the SpaceX report said.
Starman, last seen leaving Earth, made his first close approach to Mars – within 0.05 astronomical units, or less than 5 million miles, from the Red Planet. pic.twitter.com/gV8barFTm7
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) 7 October 2020
What is interesting here is that SpaceX notes that this is the ‘first close approach’ to Mars and that it is indeed expected that Spaceman will come even closer in the future. According to Ben Pearson, who is an unofficial online tracker for Starman and the Roadster (via CNET), the Tesla will pass on April 22, 2035 at a much, much closer distance of 1.4 million miles. It will move past the earth in 2047.
While it’s fascinating that the Roadster will come so close to Mars, you should not expect there to ever be photos of the nearby encounters. There are cameras on the inside and outside of the vehicle, but the vehicle’s battery has long been empty. Musk initially estimated that the Roadster’s battery would last longer than 12 hours, but it actually only seems to work for 4, which means Starman has only been in space since then.
And both Starman and the Roadster probably look very different from the last images sent back to Earth. Live Science noticed earlier that the hard solar radiation in space has probably already dissolved most of the exposed organic materials – think of things like the red paint, the tires, the leather seats, etc. Eventually, it is believed that the Roadster will be reduced to aluminum frame and perhaps part of the glass, provided it survives an impact on passing rocks and debris.
What do you think of Starman’s continued journey in space? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.