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One impressive detail on Starman’s Tesla Roadster

No, we’re not referring to the Midnight Cherry paint job

What a trippy picture. Peace, man. INSTAGRAM POST BY TESLA

If you’re a billionaire businessman who happens to own an automotive brand and a space-transport company, we guess you can do pretty much anything you fancy. Like, say, flinging your personal car into outer space. Exactly what Elon Musk did.

On February 6, SpaceX, which Musk founded in 2002 to fulfill every sci-fi fanatic’s wet dream, launched its Falcon Heavy rocket. Two months before this, on December 1, Musk had announced on his Twitter account:

Payload will be my midnight-cherry Tesla Roadster playing “Space Oddity.” Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent.

Of course, it didn’t blow up. And so the whole world was treated to these breathtaking images…

Meet Starman, Elon Musk's astronaut dummy. INSTAGRAM POSTS BY TESLA

The car is a Tesla Roadster Musk himself used to drive when it was still on Earth. It is, of course, also a product of a company he owns—a model produced from 2008 to 2012. In the driver’s seat is Starman, an astronaut dummy wearing a pressurized space suit. Prior to launch, SpaceX had put the Roadster through a series of simulation tests to ensure its successful voyage.

One small glitch and the car could have been incinerated. INSTAGRAM POSTS BY SPACEX AND ELON MUSK

What a spectacular feat, isn’t it? But to us, the most impressive thing about this car is that little detail printed on its circuit board, which says: “Made on Earth by humans.” Not in the USA and not by Americans, but on planet Earth and by human beings. We like that.

Isn't this a nice touch? This was probably done in the name of PR, but still. INSTAGRAM POST BY ELON MUSK

If only all people around the globe could adopt the same mindset in all our affairs, this world would be a much better place to live in. No territories, no flags, no nationalities. Just one race trying to reach the stars together.

Maybe that’s why they call it science fiction.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist for 26 years. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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