Astronomers announce new asteroid before learning it’s actually Tesla Elon Musk launched into space in 2018 – The Mirror US
Astronomers announced a new asteroid before learning it was actually a Tesla Elon Musk launched into space in 2018.The Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of the presumed asteroid on January 2 – even giving it an official name of 2018 CN41. However just hours later 17 hours later, astronomers issued an editorial change saying the asteroid had been deleted from its records – on account of it actually being a cherry-red Tesla Roadster.The Tesla was launched up into outer space in 2018 in a promotional stunt by Elon Musk as SpaceX tested its Falcon Heavy rocket. SpaceX even placed a mannequin wearing a white spacesuit in the driver’s side of the Tesla destined for the cosmos.The Minor Planet Center’s notice explained the object was the Roadster, along with the Falcon Heavy rocket’s upper stage.It comes after SpaceX’s Starship rocket was destroyed on Thursday during a test flight after a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.The company said in a statement that the rocket experienced what it called “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight. The spacecraft was a new and upgraded and was supposed to make a loop around the world after being launched from Texas, similar to previous test flight carried out by the company. Elon Musk’s company had packed it with 10 dummy satellites into the spacecraft for practice at releasing them. The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight. A minute before the loss, SpaceX used the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms to catch the returning booster, a feat achieved only once before. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed chopsticks.The thrill of the catch quickly turned into disappointment for not only the company, but the crowds gathered along the southern tip of Texas.“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. “It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle,” he stressed.DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
Source: https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/astronomers-announce-new-asteroid-before-931595
