Starman on its way to see the solar system. Image: Flickr/SpaceX
Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster in space may be out of range for photos but its relative location can still be tracked through a website created precisely for that purpose.
A website called whereisroadster.com provides real-time updates on the Roadster and passenger Starman’s current distance from the Earth.
As of this writing, Starman has traveled 3.2 million kilometers on the red Roadster at a speed of 10,883 kilometers per hour. As a comparison, the fastest recorded train speed on Earth comes from a Japanese magnetically levitated (maglev) train which ran for 603 kilometers per hour.
The site also features a simple video on the chart section predicting the Roadster’s path and location relative to the date. By July, the Roadster should pass by Mars’ orbit and make its way into the asteroid belt. If Starman drives carefully and avoids asteroid collisions, the Roadster would pass by Mar’s orbit again by March 2019.
Image: whereisroadster.com
That’s one whole year of defensive driving. Or maybe Starman would be safe after all.
Website creator Ben Pearson calculated differently based on the data he gathered from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs’ Horizons system. According to Pearson, the Roadster would pass Mars’ orbit but not quite go into the Asteroid belt as Elon Musk announced earlier.
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Horizons system keeps track of various objects within our solar system.
Despite the slight data discrepancies, Pearson remains a Musk fan. He said in an interview with The Verge, “I like that he’s willing to take risks and do cool stuff that people just keep saying it’s not possible and he figures out a way to make it possible.” JB
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