If Elon Musk had his way a Tesla Roadster playing David Bowie would be on its way to orbit Mars right now.
Yesterday, SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket with the intent of having an object reach the Red Planet's orbit before moving further into space. After a successful takeoff and some breathtaking views from Tesla's livestream, there was one more propulsion phase of the plan to send the car, playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity," to its destination. Unfortunately, after a six-hour coasting period above Earth, the last fuel burn had the Tesla overshooting its intended orbit and headed toward the asteroid belt.
\u201cThird burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt.\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1517975185
Though there's no sound in space, the symbolism of sending a car with a dummy driver into the void while playing a song about a man lost in the cosmos is palpable. Watch an animated rendition of the rocket's ideal mission, below.
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