SpaceX's Starman mannequin is taking the ultimate road trip across the final frontier in Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster after launching into space on Feb. 6, 2018. See photos from the amazing flight here. In this image from before launch, the cherry-red Tesla Roadster inside the Falcon Heavy's cavernous payload fairing.
Another view of the space-bound car.
The mannequin dubbed Starman tests out his ride before the epic launch.
Starman's rocket ride lifts off on Feb. 6, 2018 — the first-ever flight of the Falcon Heavy. As the Falcon Heavy launched into space, SpaceX played David Bowie's "Life on Mars" as appropriate road trip music.
SpaceX stunned the world when it unveiled live views of Starman and its Tesla from space. Look to your right, Starman! You won't regret it.
There you go! Starman enjoyed a view most of us can only dream about. SpaceX attached three cameras to beam live views of the Tesla from space. The video feed lasted 4 hours before its batteries ran out.
Starman and his Roadster zooming past our planet.
The Roadster leaves Earth in the rear-view mirror.
Starman moves farther from home.
A shifting sun angle turns Earth into a bright crescent.
Starman, meet the dark emptiness of space
This helpful advice is a nod to Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," a favorite of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. Musk also said a copy of the book was aboard the car, as well the book series' iconic towel.
In addition to Adams' "A Hitchkiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Starman's Tesla also carried Isaac Asimov's iconic "The Foundation Trilogy" book series. It was part of a data package on an Arch (pronounced "Ark"), a laser optical quartz storage device designe
SpaceX etched this note on a circuit board inside the Roadster, just in case any aliens, or far-future humans, stumble onto the car.
Take another look at this photo. See anything on the dashboard? On a lark, SpaceX added a tiny Hot Wheels Tesla Roadster (complete with tiny Starman) on the dash for this flight. "It's silly and fun, but silly and fun things are important," Elon Musk said
An engine nozzle against the blackness of space.
The Falcon Heavy's two side boosters aced their landings on land at Cape Canaveral; the central core stage narrowly missed its touchdown attempt on a ship at sea.
Starman's orbit carries it out beyond the orbit of Mars. You can track the space mannequin and cosmic Tesla at whereisroadster.com, a website created by Ben Pearson, founder of Old Ham Media.