Economy
February 9, 2018
SpaceX Falcon Launch a Heavy Experience
Written by Tim Triplett
The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday, so maybe that’s why experiencing a space launch up close evoked so many of the same strong emotions.
I was at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Tuesday, sitting in the “Feel the Heat” section for the historic test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket, the latest design from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and his SpaceX crew. The 230-foot rocket was equipped with 27 engines boasting the combined thrust of 18 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Musk, who is no stranger to publicity, put his own cherry-red Tesla Roadster with a space-suited Starman mannequin behind the wheel into the rocket’s nosecone to serve as a dummy payload.
