mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
Pen Turning Lore, Myths and Fables - II
Elon Musk and the Chase For His Roadster
Elon Musk and the Chase For His Roadster
Nobody can say that Elon Musk lacks a flair for publicity, or backs down from a challenge. The entrepreneur, engineer and investor has an impressive history of achievements with his involvement with Solar City, Open AI, PayPal, Zip2, The Boring Company, Neuralink, Tesla and SpaceX. And with an estimated net worth of over 20 billion dollars, Mr Musk can basically do as he wishes.
However, one of his more "creative" publicity feats also revealed a more sentimental side to his personality, and also one of his greatest challenges: The launch of his new Falcon Heavy Rocket who's payload was none other than his own beloved Red Tesla Roadster.
While reportedly able to reach an "on earth" speed of 250+ MPH, the Roadster now clocks in at an impressive 75,560 MPH (albeit mounted on top of the upper stage of the Falcon Heavy Rocket).
Launched on February 7, 2018 all went well, and the famous roadster was on its way to the stars. With the Roadster in full convertible mode, in the driver's seat resides "Starman," a full-scale human mannequin clad in a SpaceX pressure spacesuit. With his right hand on the steering wheel and the left elbow resting on the open window sill, he looked pretty spiffy.
What most folks never realized, is that shortly after the Falcon rocket was launched, a second, secret emergency mission was initiated- The Roadster had to be intercepted.
The exact aspects of this mission were never revealed (it was secret after all), but the reason for the mission did eventually leak out to the scientific community. And while eventually successful, the mission was never confirmed by Mr Musk or SpaceX.
Apparently after the initial launch and separation of stages, Elon was asked for his autograph by some visiting dignitaries. While doing this, he became visibly concerned about something.
As the Roadster was Mr Musk's personal daily vehicle, he quite obviously… may have forgotten some personal items within the car (empty McDonalds bags, a Starbucks cup, a favorite fuzzy sweater, a Cleveland Indians baseball cap, who knows). Well, this actually was the case; a very important item had not been removed from the Roadster.
Apparently, the sentimental item was still in the storage cubby (aftermarket we can assume) - Mr Musk's favorite "Slimline Pen" had gone along for the ride.
As he related,
"I can always make another Roadster,
but that Slimline is one-of-a-kind.
Besides I may just enter it into a Slimline Contest."
but that Slimline is one-of-a-kind.
Besides I may just enter it into a Slimline Contest."
And yes, the slimline was recovered, the Roadster is continuing on its journey, and Starman is at the wheel.
Pen Turning Lore I - John Hancock's Signature
Pen Turning Lore III - The Scribe, Master Segmenter and World Peace
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