SpaceX Falcon Heavy: Everything you need to know

Falcon Heavy is the name of a highly anticipated SpaceX rocket that's set to launch for the first time on Tuesday.
Liftoff can happen anytime between 1:30 pm and 4 pm ET.
You can attribute the buzz to the Falcon Heavy's size: It will be the most powerful rocket in the world. It's built by the industry disrupting rocket company started by billionaire Elon Musk.
If you're just catching up to the action, we've answered all the questions you need to know before next month's launch.
Why does it matter?
This rocket will have thrust equal to 18 Boeing 747 jetliners.
SpaceX has said the rocket will be capable of sending humans to Mars, even though SpaceX is planning to build an entirely different system for Mars travel, called the BFR.
It'll also be the most powerful rocket currently in operation -- and one of the most powerful ever built. The most powerful rocket in history was NASA's Saturn V rocket, which was used for the Apollo moon landings and was retired in the 1970s.
The more thrust a rocket has, the farther it can travel and the bigger the satellite, spacecraft or other payload it can send into orbit.
That opens up a whole range of business opportunities for SpaceX, which has been leading a new era of spaceflight in which companies -- not just governments -- drive the industry forward.
What is it sending to space?
For this test mission, the Falcon Heavy will launch a dummy payload. Specifically, it'll send a cherry red Tesla (TSLA) roadster from Musk's personal collection into deep space. There's no scientific reason to send the car to space. But it does serve as self-promotion for Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla.
When asked on Twitter why he wanted to throw away a $100,000 car, he replied, "I love the thought of a car drifting apparently endlessly through space and perhaps being discovered by an alien race millions of years in the future."

ความคิดเห็น

แสดงความคิดเห็น

โพสต์ยอดนิยมจากบล็อกนี้

Millions of Medicaid recipients already work

รูปภาพ
The Trump administration is about to start   letting states require many Medicaid recipients to  work for their benefits . But millions of Americans in the health care safety net program already have jobs. Some 60% of working age, non-disabled Medicaid enrollees are working, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That's about 15 million people. Plus, nearly eight in 10 recipients live in families with at least one worker. It's more common for Medicaid enrollees to hold jobs if they live in states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. Some 31 states, plus the District of Columbia, broadened their Medicaid programs to include adults earning up to roughly $16,600 a year. Just over one-fifth of Medicaid enrollees who hold part-time jobs cited economic factors,   such as the inability to find full-time positions and weak business conditions, as the reason they aren't working more. More than a quarter of part-timers said they are in school o...
อ่านเพิ่มเติม

The economy is doing great. Here's what could derail it

Although most economists forecast smooth sailing for 2018, many are saying another downturn looms on the horizon. The only question is the cause — and whether it will feel like we've hit some mild headwinds, or we've run full-steam into a glacier. "Keeping the economy on a sustainable path may become more challenging," said New York Federal Reserve Bank president William Dudley in a  speech last week . "There are some significant storm clouds over the longer term." What's lurking in those clouds? Dudley and others have identified two main threats: Rising consumer debt, and possible missteps by the Federal Reserve. First, let's take a look at the debt threat. Ten years ago, a boom in lending fueled by fraudulent mortgage practices helped bring about the Great Recession. Consumers then rapidly shed their debts, either through foreclosures or bankruptcies, and very tight credit made it more difficult to borrow following the recession. But s...
อ่านเพิ่มเติม

IRS needs more money to implement the new tax law

A new tax law means millions of people will have questions about their taxes. Problem is, there won't be enough people at the IRS to answer them ... unless lawmakers boost the agency's funding. Even before the  federal tax overhaul  was passed in December, the IRS was already projecting that its representatives would only be able to handle 4 out of every 10 taxpayer calls in fiscal year 2018. That's according to National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson in her  annual report to Congress , released Wednesday. The dismal call-response rate -- and other challenges the IRS faces in trying to clear up confusion and administer the new tax law -- is due in part to funding cuts that have essentially shrunk the IRS budget by 20% since 2010. "The IRS will have its hands full in implementing the new law," Olson said in her report. She notes that there has already been considerable public confusion about withholding changes, the deductibility of  prepaid property tax...
อ่านเพิ่มเติม