557-says after Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster into space, the car – and its driver (a mannequin dressed in a spacesuit dubbed ‘Starman’ – has completed its first trip around the sun.
Space fans have been tracking Musk’s space tesla using site Where is Roadster. According to the website, after orbiting the sun the Roadster has travelled over 762-million miles, at around 75,000mph.
Starman was sent to space with the Tesla’s sound system playing two of David Bowie’s most well-loved space jams. If the music were still playing (Tesla’s battery prowess aside, it’s certainly not still playing) Starman would have heard Space Odyssey over 150,000 times, and Is There Life on Mars over 200,000 times.
Those of us on Earth won’t get a chance to spot Starman for a while now. The next time it will be close enough to be seen by Earthlings will be November 6, 2020. After that, it will occur again in March 30, 2021.
The Tesla was originally sent into space to test SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket. The use of a Tesla was cooked up by the company’s marketing department (along with a hefty dose of Musk’s humour, no doubt).
