[DeTomaso] NPC: Tesla in space
Julian Kift
julian_kift at hotmail.com
Tue Feb 13 10:37:44 EST 2018
As Larry is static doesn't it depend if Paul is driving east or west during the day or night?
________________________________
From: DeTomaso <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com> on behalf of Himes, Terry (397C) <terry.himes at jpl.nasa.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 7:31 AM
To: Larry-Ohio Time Corp; 'Paul Timko'; 'Email List Address For Posting'
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: Tesla in space
Relative to the sun… yes.
"A Purple Heart proves you were smart enough to hatch a plan,
stupid enough to try it and lucky enough to survive!"
Terry W. Himes
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dawn Spacecraft Team
Rosetta Sequence Team Lead
Phone: (818) 393-6261
Cell: (818) 653-8213
thimes at jpl.nasa.gov
🇺🇸
On 2/13/18, 5:45 AM, "DeTomaso on behalf of Larry-Ohio Time Corp" <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com on behalf of Larry at ohiotimecorp.com> wrote:
So Paul are you saying my car,that is sitting in boxes, is as fast as your
car?
Larry (not) - Cleveland
-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com] On Behalf
Of Paul Timko
Sent: February 12, 2018 10:59 PM
To: Email List Address For Posting
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: Tesla in space
The Tesla is orbiting the sun every 1.6 years. My Pantera is orbiting the
sun once every year! Which one is faster?
Paul #9270
On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 6:10 PM Jeff Detrich <jjdetrich at gmail.com> wrote:
> "Billions of years from now, when our Sun has
> A A turned into a red giant and engulfed the Earth in nuclear fire,
> the
> A A Pioneer, [2]Voyager, and [3]New Horizons probes will still be
> traveling
> A A through our galaxy like a quintet of robotic Odysseus's."
> I believe VGER will return us and will collect the Tesla on its way
> back to save us
> A from the Sun.
> Live long and prosper.
> Jeff
> 6559
>
> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 1:13 PM, Larry-Ohio Time Corp
> <[1]Larry at ohiotimecorp.com> wrote:
>
> A A If the SpaceX [1]Falcon Heavy is the world's most powerful
> rocket, then
> A A the Tesla Roadster that it shot into interplanetary space holds
> the
> A A record for the fastest car in history. This cosmic convertible
> will
> A A orbit around the Sun once every 1.6 years, but how long will it
> A A continue to do so, and what will be its fate? Will it still
> look as
> A A pristine a billion years from now as it did in the videos
> beamed back
> A A to Earth? Probably not.
> A A At the moment, there are five US spacecraft speeding out of our
> Solar
> A A System, never to return. Billions of years from now, when our
> Sun has
> A A turned into a red giant and engulfed the Earth in nuclear fire,
> the
> A A Pioneer, [2]Voyager, and [3]New Horizons probes will still be
> traveling
> A A through our galaxy like a quintet of robotic Odysseus's.
> A A Even back in our system and revolving about our Earth are
> satellites
> A A that will still be around for many millions of years. For
> example, one
> A A Earth-orbiting satellite, [4]LAGEOS-1, is a passive laser
> reflector
> A A satellite that will not only remain circling our planet for 8.4
> million
> A A years, but will remain functional for most of that time.
> A A With a track record like that, it looks as if the Tesla
> Roadster that
> A A rocketed into space on February 6, 2018 will be cruising
> happily among
> A A the stars as a permanent monument to the early days of
> commercial deep
> A A space travel. It's a nice thought that the Starman mannequin
> driver and
> A A his cherry red ride will still be around long after the
> pyramids have
> A A crumbled to sand.
> A A Except that's not going to happen. In fact, the Starman and the
> A A Roadster are in for a very unpleasant time and may not be in
> very good
> A A shape after a few years. And their lifespan, while huge by
> human
> A A standards, may be rather limited.
> A A At the moment, the Falcon Heavy second stage and the Roadster
> attached
> A A to it are in an orbit that [5]Jonathan McDowell of the
> A A Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has recalculated
> from Elon
> A A Musk's rather generous [6]rough estimate of a few hours after
> liftoff.
> A A According to McDowell, the second stage is a Hohmann transfer
> orbit,
> A A which is most economical orbit in terms of energy for going
> from one
> A A place to another.
> A A Where Musk estimated that the second stage was circling the Sun
> at a
> A A distance between 91 million mi (150 million km) and 240 million
> mi (390
> A A million km) with an inclination of 29-o to the ecliptic,
> McDowell
> A A calculates that its orbit is between 92 million mi (148 million
> km) and
> A A 158 million mi (255 million km) with an inclination of 1.1-o
> and a
> A A period of about 1.6 years. This puts its farthest distance from
> the sun
> A A just beyond the orbit of Mars.
> A A The popular idea is that the Roadster will orbit the Sun for
> hundreds
> A A of millions, if not billions of years, but that isn't the case.
> The
> A A second stage and Roadster are now essentially a [7]near-Earth
> A A object (NEO), much like the asteroids that space agencies keep
> an eye
> A A on just in case a large one is going to hit the Earth.
> A A One thing that marks NEOs is that they don't have very long
> careers.
> A A They're interplanetary jaywalkers with all the hazards that
> implies.
> A A Planets and asteroids in circular orbits stay out of each
> other's way
> A A and are relatively stable, but NEOs, and the Roadster, are in
> eccentric
> A A orbits that cross the orbits of the planets. This makes their
> A A trajectories very unstable.
> A A The second stage will cross the orbits of Earth and Mars and
> its
> A A trajectory will certainly be perturbed by Jupiter's
> gravitational
> A A field, so there is a small chance that it might strike Earth or
> Mars
> A A many thousands of years from now, though it's so small that it
> will
> A A burn up in the atmosphere. Another possibility is that it might
> get
> A A flung out past Jupiter or inward past Venus. It might even be
> propelled
> A A into the Sun, as happens to many near-Earth asteroids after a
> few tens
> A A of millions of years. The orbital mechanics are very complex,
> so it's
> A A difficult to predict, but the upshot is that the Roadster won't
> be
> A A roaming the Solar System for as long as its neighbors.
> A A Another problem is that with the Roadster so close to the plane
> of the
> A A ecliptic, it's in danger of being struck by cosmic debris.
> There is a
> A A very small chance that it might be hit by a large object like
> an
> A A asteroid, but the greater threat is from micrometeoroids, which
> over
> A A the millennia will hit the car time and again. Each of these
> will cause
> A A small and not-so-small amounts of damage, until it could one
> day look
> A A like it's been shot at by a cannon filled with sand and gravel.
> A A But the much greater problem is that the Roadster isn't a
> purpose-built
> A A spacecraft. It's a production electric car, which means it's as
> A A suitable for surviving the environment of space as a chocolate
> Easter
> A A bunny in a convection oven.
> A A [8]The Roadster passing the terminator
> A A We're used to stories of interplanetary spacecraft functioning
> long
> A A past the predicted end of their service life. Mars rovers
> expected to
> A A operate for 90 days are still rolling after many years, and the
> Voyager
> A A probes are still working 40 years after their launch. Even the
> defunct
> A A machines, like the [9]Kepler Space Telescope, can be expected
> to be
> A A around for many millions of years in a relatively intact
> condition. Why
> A A not the roadster, then?
> A A The answer is very simple. Space engineers have spent decades
> studying
> A A how to build spacecraft and especially which materials to build
> them
> A A out of. They know which ones can withstand the extreme heat and
> cold of
> A A space, the hard ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as the
> X-rays,
> A A gamma rays, and cosmic rays that are constantly bombarding our
> A A technology outside the protection of Earth's atmosphere and Van
> Allen
> A A belts.
> A A The Tesla Roadster, on the other hand, was designed to drive on
> A A Earthside roads, not galavant between the Earth and Mars. It
> was made
> A A to be light and fast, and have good road handling. That may be
> fine on
> A A the twisting roads of Italy, but the engineering that went into
> the
> A A Roadster is now a positive detriment in space.
> A A The biggest problem is that the Roadster, and Starman, and made
> up
> A A largely of rubber, plastics, and carbon composites, which
> consist of
> A A long chain organic molecules that include epoxy resins,
> polypropylene,
> A A polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, and many others. These
> make up
> A A the carbon composite car body, the fabrics in the interior, the
> A A cushions in the seats, electrical insulation, and a myriad of
> A A fasteners, fairings, and adhesive compounds. Starman and his
> suit are
> A A made almost entirely out of organic polymers and even the
> safety glass
> A A in the car's windscreen is a plastic laminate.
> A A IFRAME:
> A A [10][2]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/
> container.h
> A A tml
> A A All of these, at this very moment, are being subjected to
> dangerously
> A A high temperature variations as the sunlit areas heat to 260-o F
> (127-o
> A A C) and the shaded areas plunging to -280-o F (-173-o C).
> Fortunately,
> A A the second stage is slowly rotating, so the car is being evenly
> baked
> A A like a rotisserie chicken, but as the vehicle orbits toward and
> away
> A A from the Sun, it will produce strong thermal stresses that will
> produce
> A A all manner of material fatigue. Also, the rotation means that
> anything
> A A that comes loose can fly away.
> A A But the worst is all that radiation hitting those long polymer
> chain
> A A molecules. As the rays strike, they will break down the
> molecules bit
> A A by bit, converting them into free radicals. The same goes for
> the
> A A pigments used to give the Roadster its red color. Eventually,
> the car
> A A will become bleached, then everything made of polymers will
> A A disintegrate and crumble into dust.
> A A It's all happened before and it doesn't take very long. If you
> look at
> A A pictures of the old Apollo moon missions of the late 1960s and
> early
> A A 70s, you'll be familiar with the images of spacesuited American
> A A astronauts saluting the [11]flag and the Lunar Module wrapped
> in gold
> A A Mylar foil to keep it cool under the harsh lunar sun. If you
> were to go
> A A back to those landing sites, you'd find the flag poles empty
> and the
> A A descent stage of the module largely unclad because half a
> century of
> A A radiation has done its work.
> A A So what will the Tesla Roadster look like in a couple of
> centuries? The
> A A most obvious thing will be that the carbon composite body will
> be gone
> A A as the epoxy resins have all broken down and the carbon fibers
> fallen
> A A apart. The rubber tires on the wheels won't be there either.
> A A Many other bits will have come loose as the adhesives turned
> brittle
> A A and ceased to stick. Even the windscreen will have a yellowy
> opaque
> A A look, provided the laminate hasn't failed completely or a
> meteoroid
> A A hasn't slammed into it. In the cockpit, Starman is now reduced
> to a few
> A A metal joints. The seats are bare metal frames with the fabric
> covers
> A A now powder, and the foam rubber cushions long gone.
> A A Other materials in the car will also suffer over time. Any
> lubricants
> A A will have frozen or boiled away. Those that remain will degrade
> like
> A A the plastics, turning into a brittle mess. If any graphite was
> used for
> A A lubricant, the water molecules that make graphite powder
> slippery will
> A A evaporate and the carbon molecules left behind will now have
> the
> A A property of jeweler's polish.
> A A It's very likely that the 6,831 lithium-ion cells that powered
> the
> A A Roadster will have been removed before leaving Earth. The FAA
> probably
> A A wouldn't have been too happy about 700 lb (317 kg) of
> fire-prone
> A A batteries sitting atop the Falcon Heavy, turning into a very
> large
> A A bomb. However, there was a battery aboard to run the cameras
> that
> A A beamed back video to Earth. That battery may, depending on its
> design,
> A A start to generate gas and may one day explode. Meanwhile, the
> A A electronics used to transmit video will very soon be fried by
> the
> A A radiation as the delicate micro circuits are destroyed bit by
> bit.
> A A Even the metals in the car will be affected. The roadster uses
> advanced
> A A alloys - some of which might start to outgas. Radiation will
> eventually
> A A affect the crystalline structure of the alloys and may give
> them a
> A A patina, such as is sometimes found on metallic objects in very
> dry
> A A deserts. Over millions of years, some may become brittle. Some
> may
> A A develop something similar to tin pest, where tin alters its
> structure
> A A at very low temperatures and appears to rot.
> A A In the end, if some distant future expedition does retrieve the
> A A Roadster, it will be in a sorry state - a battered, bare metal
> frame
> A A with a few pockets of organic chemical dust. But maybe that
> won't be so
> A A bad. Maybe it will give it the right air of romance, like the
> Parthenon
> A A or Stonehenge. Or maybe it will be regarded as a challenge by
> the
> A A finders, who may embark on the greatest car restoration project
> in
> A A history.
> A A Let's hope they get the paint job right.
> A A Larry (too used for me) - Cleveland
> References
> A A Visible links
> A A 1. [3]https://newatlas.com/falcon-heavy-launch/53258/
> A A 2. [4]https://newatlas.com/voyager-40th-anniversary-
> retrospective-gallery/50744/
> A A 3. [5]https://newatlas.com/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-nasa/34777/
> A A 4. [6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAGEOS
> A A 5. [7]https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/
> 961394843648954368
> A A 6. [8]https://newatlas.com/spacex-
> images-starman-asteroid/53301/
> A A 7. [9]http://www.science20.com/robert_walker/will_elon_musks_
> cherry_red_tesla_roadster_orbit_for_a_billion_years_
> falcon_heavy_test_launch-230358
> A A 8. javascript:void(0)
> A A 9. [10]https://newatlas.com/kepler-
> recovery-emergency-mode/42756/
> A 10. [11]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/
> container.html
> A 11. [12]https://newatlas.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/
> A A Hidden links:
> A 13. javascript:void(0)
> A 14. javascript:void(0)
> A 15. javascript:void(0)
> A 16. javascript:void(0)
> _______________________________________________
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>
> References
>
> 1. mailto:Larry at ohiotimecorp.com
> 2. https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.h
> 3. https://newatlas.com/falcon-heavy-launch/53258/
> 4.
> https://newatlas.com/voyager-40th-anniversary-retrospective-gallery/50744/
> 5. https://newatlas.com/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-nasa/34777/
> 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAGEOS
> 7. https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/961394843648954368
> 8. https://newatlas.com/spacex-images-starman-asteroid/53301/
> 9.
>
http://www.science20.com/robert_walker/will_elon_musks_cherry_red_tesla_road
ster_orbit_for_a_billion_years_falcon_heavy_test_launch-230358
> 10. https://newatlas.com/kepler-recovery-emergency-mode/42756/
> 11.
> https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.html
> 12. https://newatlas.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/
> 13. mailto:DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
> 14. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
> _______________________________________________
>
>
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-------------- next part --------------
As Larry is static doesn't it depend if Paul is driving east or west
during the day or night?
__________________________________________________________________
From: DeTomaso <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com> on behalf of
Himes, Terry (397C) <terry.himes at jpl.nasa.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 7:31 AM
To: Larry-Ohio Time Corp; 'Paul Timko'; 'Email List Address For
Posting'
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: Tesla in space
Relative to the sun... yes.
"A Purple Heart proves you were smart enough to hatch a plan,
stupid enough to try it and lucky enough to survive!"
Terry W. Himes
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dawn Spacecraft Team
Rosetta Sequence Team Lead
Phone: (818) 393-6261
Cell: (818) 653-8213
thimes at jpl.nasa.gov
On 2/13/18, 5:45 AM, "DeTomaso on behalf of Larry-Ohio Time Corp"
<detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com on behalf of
Larry at ohiotimecorp.com> wrote:
So Paul are you saying my car,that is sitting in boxes, is as fast
as your
car?
Larry (not) - Cleveland
-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [[1]mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com]
On Behalf
Of Paul Timko
Sent: February 12, 2018 10:59 PM
To: Email List Address For Posting
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: Tesla in space
The Tesla is orbiting the sun every 1.6 years. My Pantera is
orbiting the
sun once every year! Which one is faster?
Paul #9270
On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 6:10 PM Jeff Detrich <jjdetrich at gmail.com>
wrote:
> "Billions of years from now, when our Sun has
> A A turned into a red giant and engulfed the Earth in nuclear
fire,
> the
> A A Pioneer, [2]Voyager, and [3]New Horizons probes will
still be
> traveling
> A A through our galaxy like a quintet of robotic Odysseus's."
> I believe VGER will return us and will collect the Tesla on
its way
> back to save us
> A from the Sun.
> Live long and prosper.
> Jeff
> 6559
>
> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 1:13 PM, Larry-Ohio Time Corp
> <[1]Larry at ohiotimecorp.com> wrote:
>
> A A If the SpaceX [1]Falcon Heavy is the world's most
powerful
> rocket, then
> A A the Tesla Roadster that it shot into interplanetary
space holds
> the
> A A record for the fastest car in history. This cosmic
convertible
> will
> A A orbit around the Sun once every 1.6 years, but how long
will it
> A A continue to do so, and what will be its fate? Will it
still
> look as
> A A pristine a billion years from now as it did in the
videos
> beamed back
> A A to Earth? Probably not.
> A A At the moment, there are five US spacecraft speeding
out of our
> Solar
> A A System, never to return. Billions of years from now,
when our
> Sun has
> A A turned into a red giant and engulfed the Earth in
nuclear fire,
> the
> A A Pioneer, [2]Voyager, and [3]New Horizons probes will
still be
> traveling
> A A through our galaxy like a quintet of robotic
Odysseus's.
> A A Even back in our system and revolving about our Earth
are
> satellites
> A A that will still be around for many millions of years.
For
> example, one
> A A Earth-orbiting satellite, [4]LAGEOS-1, is a passive
laser
> reflector
> A A satellite that will not only remain circling our planet
for 8.4
> million
> A A years, but will remain functional for most of that
time.
> A A With a track record like that, it looks as if the Tesla
> Roadster that
> A A rocketed into space on February 6, 2018 will be
cruising
> happily among
> A A the stars as a permanent monument to the early days of
> commercial deep
> A A space travel. It's a nice thought that the Starman
mannequin
> driver and
> A A his cherry red ride will still be around long after the
> pyramids have
> A A crumbled to sand.
> A A Except that's not going to happen. In fact, the Starman
and the
> A A Roadster are in for a very unpleasant time and may not
be in
> very good
> A A shape after a few years. And their lifespan, while huge
by
> human
> A A standards, may be rather limited.
> A A At the moment, the Falcon Heavy second stage and the
Roadster
> attached
> A A to it are in an orbit that [5]Jonathan McDowell of the
> A A Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has
recalculated
> from Elon
> A A Musk's rather generous [6]rough estimate of a few hours
after
> liftoff.
> A A According to McDowell, the second stage is a Hohmann
transfer
> orbit,
> A A which is most economical orbit in terms of energy for
going
> from one
> A A place to another.
> A A Where Musk estimated that the second stage was circling
the Sun
> at a
> A A distance between 91 million mi (150 million km) and 240
million
> mi (390
> A A million km) with an inclination of 29-o to the
ecliptic,
> McDowell
> A A calculates that its orbit is between 92 million mi (148
million
> km) and
> A A 158 million mi (255 million km) with an inclination of
1.1-o
> and a
> A A period of about 1.6 years. This puts its farthest
distance from
> the sun
> A A just beyond the orbit of Mars.
> A A The popular idea is that the Roadster will orbit the
Sun for
> hundreds
> A A of millions, if not billions of years, but that isn't
the case.
> The
> A A second stage and Roadster are now essentially a
[7]near-Earth
> A A object (NEO), much like the asteroids that space
agencies keep
> an eye
> A A on just in case a large one is going to hit the Earth.
> A A One thing that marks NEOs is that they don't have very
long
> careers.
> A A They're interplanetary jaywalkers with all the hazards
that
> implies.
> A A Planets and asteroids in circular orbits stay out of
each
> other's way
> A A and are relatively stable, but NEOs, and the Roadster,
are in
> eccentric
> A A orbits that cross the orbits of the planets. This makes
their
> A A trajectories very unstable.
> A A The second stage will cross the orbits of Earth and
Mars and
> its
> A A trajectory will certainly be perturbed by Jupiter's
> gravitational
> A A field, so there is a small chance that it might strike
Earth or
> Mars
> A A many thousands of years from now, though it's so small
that it
> will
> A A burn up in the atmosphere. Another possibility is that
it might
> get
> A A flung out past Jupiter or inward past Venus. It might
even be
> propelled
> A A into the Sun, as happens to many near-Earth asteroids
after a
> few tens
> A A of millions of years. The orbital mechanics are very
complex,
> so it's
> A A difficult to predict, but the upshot is that the
Roadster won't
> be
> A A roaming the Solar System for as long as its neighbors.
> A A Another problem is that with the Roadster so close to
the plane
> of the
> A A ecliptic, it's in danger of being struck by cosmic
debris.
> There is a
> A A very small chance that it might be hit by a large
object like
> an
> A A asteroid, but the greater threat is from
micrometeoroids, which
> over
> A A the millennia will hit the car time and again. Each of
these
> will cause
> A A small and not-so-small amounts of damage, until it
could one
> day look
> A A like it's been shot at by a cannon filled with sand and
gravel.
> A A But the much greater problem is that the Roadster isn't
a
> purpose-built
> A A spacecraft. It's a production electric car, which means
it's as
> A A suitable for surviving the environment of space as a
chocolate
> Easter
> A A bunny in a convection oven.
> A A [8]The Roadster passing the terminator
> A A We're used to stories of interplanetary spacecraft
functioning
> long
> A A past the predicted end of their service life. Mars
rovers
> expected to
> A A operate for 90 days are still rolling after many years,
and the
> Voyager
> A A probes are still working 40 years after their launch.
Even the
> defunct
> A A machines, like the [9]Kepler Space Telescope, can be
expected
> to be
> A A around for many millions of years in a relatively
intact
> condition. Why
> A A not the roadster, then?
> A A The answer is very simple. Space engineers have spent
decades
> studying
> A A how to build spacecraft and especially which materials
to build
> them
> A A out of. They know which ones can withstand the extreme
heat and
> cold of
> A A space, the hard ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as
the
> X-rays,
> A A gamma rays, and cosmic rays that are constantly
bombarding our
> A A technology outside the protection of Earth's atmosphere
and Van
> Allen
> A A belts.
> A A The Tesla Roadster, on the other hand, was designed to
drive on
> A A Earthside roads, not galavant between the Earth and
Mars. It
> was made
> A A to be light and fast, and have good road handling. That
may be
> fine on
> A A the twisting roads of Italy, but the engineering that
went into
> the
> A A Roadster is now a positive detriment in space.
> A A The biggest problem is that the Roadster, and Starman,
and made
> up
> A A largely of rubber, plastics, and carbon composites,
which
> consist of
> A A long chain organic molecules that include epoxy resins,
> polypropylene,
> A A polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, and many
others. These
> make up
> A A the carbon composite car body, the fabrics in the
interior, the
> A A cushions in the seats, electrical insulation, and a
myriad of
> A A fasteners, fairings, and adhesive compounds. Starman
and his
> suit are
> A A made almost entirely out of organic polymers and even
the
> safety glass
> A A in the car's windscreen is a plastic laminate.
> A A IFRAME:
> A A
[10][2]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/
> container.h
> A A tml
> A A All of these, at this very moment, are being subjected
to
> dangerously
> A A high temperature variations as the sunlit areas heat to
260-o F
> (127-o
> A A C) and the shaded areas plunging to -280-o F (-173-o
C).
> Fortunately,
> A A the second stage is slowly rotating, so the car is
being evenly
> baked
> A A like a rotisserie chicken, but as the vehicle orbits
toward and
> away
> A A from the Sun, it will produce strong thermal stresses
that will
> produce
> A A all manner of material fatigue. Also, the rotation
means that
> anything
> A A that comes loose can fly away.
> A A But the worst is all that radiation hitting those long
polymer
> chain
> A A molecules. As the rays strike, they will break down the
> molecules bit
> A A by bit, converting them into free radicals. The same
goes for
> the
> A A pigments used to give the Roadster its red color.
Eventually,
> the car
> A A will become bleached, then everything made of polymers
will
> A A disintegrate and crumble into dust.
> A A It's all happened before and it doesn't take very long.
If you
> look at
> A A pictures of the old Apollo moon missions of the late
1960s and
> early
> A A 70s, you'll be familiar with the images of spacesuited
American
> A A astronauts saluting the [11]flag and the Lunar Module
wrapped
> in gold
> A A Mylar foil to keep it cool under the harsh lunar sun.
If you
> were to go
> A A back to those landing sites, you'd find the flag poles
empty
> and the
> A A descent stage of the module largely unclad because half
a
> century of
> A A radiation has done its work.
> A A So what will the Tesla Roadster look like in a couple
of
> centuries? The
> A A most obvious thing will be that the carbon composite
body will
> be gone
> A A as the epoxy resins have all broken down and the carbon
fibers
> fallen
> A A apart. The rubber tires on the wheels won't be there
either.
> A A Many other bits will have come loose as the adhesives
turned
> brittle
> A A and ceased to stick. Even the windscreen will have a
yellowy
> opaque
> A A look, provided the laminate hasn't failed completely or
a
> meteoroid
> A A hasn't slammed into it. In the cockpit, Starman is now
reduced
> to a few
> A A metal joints. The seats are bare metal frames with the
fabric
> covers
> A A now powder, and the foam rubber cushions long gone.
> A A Other materials in the car will also suffer over time.
Any
> lubricants
> A A will have frozen or boiled away. Those that remain will
degrade
> like
> A A the plastics, turning into a brittle mess. If any
graphite was
> used for
> A A lubricant, the water molecules that make graphite
powder
> slippery will
> A A evaporate and the carbon molecules left behind will now
have
> the
> A A property of jeweler's polish.
> A A It's very likely that the 6,831 lithium-ion cells that
powered
> the
> A A Roadster will have been removed before leaving Earth.
The FAA
> probably
> A A wouldn't have been too happy about 700 lb (317 kg) of
> fire-prone
> A A batteries sitting atop the Falcon Heavy, turning into a
very
> large
> A A bomb. However, there was a battery aboard to run the
cameras
> that
> A A beamed back video to Earth. That battery may, depending
on its
> design,
> A A start to generate gas and may one day explode.
Meanwhile, the
> A A electronics used to transmit video will very soon be
fried by
> the
> A A radiation as the delicate micro circuits are destroyed
bit by
> bit.
> A A Even the metals in the car will be affected. The
roadster uses
> advanced
> A A alloys - some of which might start to outgas. Radiation
will
> eventually
> A A affect the crystalline structure of the alloys and may
give
> them a
> A A patina, such as is sometimes found on metallic objects
in very
> dry
> A A deserts. Over millions of years, some may become
brittle. Some
> may
> A A develop something similar to tin pest, where tin alters
its
> structure
> A A at very low temperatures and appears to rot.
> A A In the end, if some distant future expedition does
retrieve the
> A A Roadster, it will be in a sorry state - a battered,
bare metal
> frame
> A A with a few pockets of organic chemical dust. But maybe
that
> won't be so
> A A bad. Maybe it will give it the right air of romance,
like the
> Parthenon
> A A or Stonehenge. Or maybe it will be regarded as a
challenge by
> the
> A A finders, who may embark on the greatest car restoration
project
> in
> A A history.
> A A Let's hope they get the paint job right.
> A A Larry (too used for me) - Cleveland
> References
> A A Visible links
> A A 1. [3]https://newatlas.com/falcon-heavy-launch/53258/
> A A 2. [4]https://newatlas.com/voyager-40th-anniversary-
> retrospective-gallery/50744/
> A A 3.
[5]https://newatlas.com/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-nasa/34777/
> A A 4. [6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAGEOS
> A A 5. [7]https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/
> 961394843648954368
> A A 6. [8]https://newatlas.com/spacex-
> images-starman-asteroid/53301/
> A A 7.
[9]http://www.science20.com/robert_walker/will_elon_musks_
> cherry_red_tesla_roadster_orbit_for_a_billion_years_
> falcon_heavy_test_launch-230358
> A A 8. javascript:void(0)
> A A 9. [10]https://newatlas.com/kepler-
> recovery-emergency-mode/42756/
> A 10.
[11]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/
> container.html
> A 11.
[12]https://newatlas.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/
> A A Hidden links:
> A 13. javascript:void(0)
> A 14. javascript:void(0)
> A 15. javascript:void(0)
> A 16. javascript:void(0)
> _______________________________________________
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> archive or approve the archiving of list messages.
>
> References
>
> 1. [2]mailto:Larry at ohiotimecorp.com
> 2.
[3]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.h
> 3. [4]https://newatlas.com/falcon-heavy-launch/53258/
> 4.
>
[5]https://newatlas.com/voyager-40th-anniversary-retrospective-gallery/
50744/
> 5.
[6]https://newatlas.com/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-nasa/34777/
> 6. [7]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAGEOS
> 7.
[8]https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/961394843648954368
> 8.
[9]https://newatlas.com/spacex-images-starman-asteroid/53301/
> 9.
>
[10]http://www.science20.com/robert_walker/will_elon_musks_cherry_red_t
esla_road
ster_orbit_for_a_billion_years_falcon_heavy_test_launch-230358
> 10.
[11]https://newatlas.com/kepler-recovery-emergency-mode/42756/
> 11.
>
[12]https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.h
tml
> 12. [13]https://newatlas.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/
> 13. [14]mailto:DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
> 14.
[15]http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
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>
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References
1. mailto:detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com
2. mailto:Larry at ohiotimecorp.com
3. https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.h
4. https://newatlas.com/falcon-heavy-launch/53258/
5. https://newatlas.com/voyager-40th-anniversary-retrospective-gallery/50744/
6. https://newatlas.com/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-nasa/34777/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAGEOS
8. https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/961394843648954368
9. https://newatlas.com/spacex-images-starman-asteroid/53301/
10. http://www.science20.com/robert_walker/will_elon_musks_cherry_red_tesla_road
11. https://newatlas.com/kepler-recovery-emergency-mode/42756/
12. https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-15/html/container.html
13. https://newatlas.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/
14. mailto:DeTomaso at server.detomasolist.com
15. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
16. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
17. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
18. http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
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