Live Views of Starman | Hacker News Reader

Live Views of Starman

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61 pointsktta23 comments

This is the kind of marketing that blows everybody else out of the water.

I saw a few minutes ago a (ghostly) reflection of the mannequin's face in the windshield -- looked like David Bowie with stage makeup... Camera view from behind the spacesuit, the car was facing Earth, the sun was behind the car (I think).

Think Ashes to Ashes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMThz7eQ6K0

didn't get a Screenshot of that did you?

I wish. It was streaming on a Roku tv, so I don't know how to do that. Shortly before the 25th minute of the Live Views of Starman.

Making screenshots like crazy. The view and setup is so...above the words.

have you got one where you can see the dummies face?

When are they going to boost it into solar orbit?

~6 hours after launch

So is it on it's way now? The Earth is much larger in the live-stream than I would have expected if it were on its way (lacking any expertise).

Edit: Guess the "Live Views of Starman" are 19 hours old. Did they stream the boost into solar orbit?

I seem to be the only one who is bothered by this publicity stunt. Is it really appropriate to launch garbage into space just to promote a brand? But maybe, since we got to watch two boosters landing simultaneously side-by-side, it was worth it.

You know, there's a lot of space out there to launch garbage into.

You raise an interesting argument, however, doesn't the good outweigh the potential negatives (e.g. the kids that will be inspired to learn science from seeing this)?

Perhaps. I hadn't considered that. I guess there's just a part of me that envisions a bright future for humanity that includes a more mature culture that isn't as concerned with material possessions. Kinda like a Star Trek world. Ah well. I'm sure it's extremely unlikely and the SpaceX engineers took this into account, but I hope the Tesla doesn't do something we don't expect, like ram into Mars and contaminate it with Earth-borne bacteria. :/

It's necessary for testing to launch something so it's either this or a big block of concrete. Also it's being launched into solar orbit and there's lots of space out there

Right, but is it necessary to launch a $200,000 car while average people struggle to accumulate much more wealth than that over their entire lifetimes? Seems distasteful. Then again, this is the United States.

I don't get why it's distasteful that he launched his own car into space. It's his car and he can do whatever he wants with it. I get the stuff about wealth inequality but this is hardly the most egregious use of wealth

It was Elon's personal car, I suspect it could have been sold for more than that and I imagine it could have ended up in a museum eventually. He didn't just buy a 200,000 dollar unrelated car to wave his wealth around. I imagine if Elon weren't such a strong face to these companies, it wouldn't be causing such controversy. It is ultimately a marketing stunt by a company. SpaceX launched a Tesla, because companies have more money than people so they can do that. In the scheme of things this is not a big sum of money for most companies and people do regularly accumulate that much wealth, albeit wrapped in home equity.

So, given that people are against inequality, you fail to see why some billionaire's use of a $200000+ car as a useless paperweight is offensive ?

It's a huuuuuuuge "I'm richer and can do whatever and you're not" sign, that is being shoved into everyone's face on TV worldwide. Or at least, that's what it is if you're not a rich geek that can afford a car like that. If you have a normal wage and such a paperweight is out of your reach even if you save every penny you earn until you die, then it's just offensive.

I don't get what makes this particular use of wealth any worse than any other way rich people spend money. He did it because he wanted to, not to rub it in people's faces at all.

Well, of course it's much more in everyone's face than most wealth spending.

Look at it this way. Elon donated his Tesla to SpaceX the company so that they could make history together. They even lended their test flight to the Ark foundation in order to send a datadisk out into the cosmos much like they did on the Voyager space craft, another incredible moment in human history. They included a plaque with the names of all the people who had worked to make it possible, then they made some cool pop culture references, and some extra marketing with the spacesuit. Also, it was an idea voted for by the internet. Elon was sitting backseat for the presentation, and let the whole team take the glory.

This was a monumental moment in space travel, and something that will forward the human race ever slightly forward. That is more important than a silly sports car.

Elon reinvested the money he makes each time into companies that will make the world a better place (EV, solar, space flight). Taking huge risks each time.

He isn't building himself a skyscraper in Dubai, he isn't boasting about which new Ferrari he bought on instagram. If you want to see egregious and vain uses of wealth, see a single red carpet show, or a popular music video. Some of those people have single pieces of jewelry worth more than that car.

The car was already made ages ago anyway. If you had an issue with Elon buying (note, partly funding and then building the company that built) a sports car, maybe you should have worried about it then.

PS, I am not a rich geek and I could not afford a car like that. I am just a regular geek.

Just purely on the spectrum of marketing stunts, $200k wouldn't even be in the top 1000. And this is great marketing for both companies.

I really don't understand the "waste of money" argument. Are we gonna start protesting billboards now?

Well. It's perhaps a fitting remnant of our species as we destroy our planet's chances of supporting us? Perhaps a 20' high Starbucks disposable cup would have been more fitting?

But you know what? I think, and hope, that the more humanity ventures back into space the more we may start to give a shit about this planet. Every interview with astronauts I've ever seen has something about their realisation of the fragility of life on Earth. So, I believe, it was forgivable.

The dual touchdown was a thing of beauty.

Now, where's our moonbase?

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