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canuck-aviator

Kurt Morris

I look for meaning in the stars

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canuck-aviator · 5 years

Photo

Just over one year ago, the whole world watched as we launched the first flight of the Falcon Heavy. As the booster stages launched and landed, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was rocked by a cacophony of rocket noise, sonic booms and the song “Life On Mars?” by the recently late David Bowie, played on loudspeakers during launch for screaming crowds, all celebrating the culmination of 15 years of hard work by the SpaceX team.

Different institutions were approached to add a payload, but nobody wanted to take the risk of flying an expensive satellite on an untried rocket. Instead, we launched Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster, an electric vehicle that could beat the rocket in a ¼ mile race. After launch, we were treated with live views of the red convertible gracefully orbiting its home planet. The upper stage was then fired to depletion, sending the car into orbit around the Sun, beyond Mars toward the Asteroid Belt.

The car has been in space since February 6, 2018, and it already has more miles than any car in history. As I write this, the Tesla is starting its elliptical journey back toward Earth, soon to cross the orbit of Mars again. It will be in space for billions of years, bleached by the sun and pockmarked by micrometeorites. The fact that young people can look into the night sky and say, “There’s a car up there” proves that it’s okay to laugh and dream big.

I grew up in an aerospace family and I’ve been working with fighter jets and rockets since high school. I’ve seen a lot, but witnessing this launch through the viewfinder of my camera changed me. Looking back at my photos reminds me that nothing will be the same again. Now the real work begins. Falcon Heavy will open a new market for larger, heavier satellites, flying more frequently for far less money than ever before. We have a very exciting future ahead. Anything is possible.

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canuck-aviator · 5 years

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