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Elon Musk's love for fantasy and science fiction is right in the latest SpaceX spaceship redesign.
On Monday night (September 17th), the founder and CEO of SpaceX unveiled the latest version of the BFR spacecraft rocket tandem, which the company is developing to help humanity settle on the moon, Mars and other destinations remote.
The new version of the spacecraft of 100 people is longer than the previous one – about 55 meters (180 feet), compared to 48 meters (157.5 feet). And it has three "wings" at the rear, which also serve as landing platforms, rather than separate systems of fins and landing pads that Musk had previously described. The spaceship now looks a lot like the vehicle Tintin uses in the 1954 adventure "Explorers on the Moon". [The BFR in Images: SpaceX’s Giant Spaceship for Mars & Beyond]
And it's not quite a coincidence.
The new iteration of the space part of SpaceX's vast BFT interplanetary transport system is very similar to the vehicle that the cartoon character Tintin used to fly on the moon. And this is not a coincidence, said SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Credit: SpaceX
The lunar rocket of "The Adventures of Tintin: Explorers on the Moon" by Hergé. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he admired the design of the Lunar Rocket Tintin during the update of the BFR rocket design.
Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
"I think this design is probably tied with the other, it could be better, it's slightly more technically risky, because of the pairing tabs and the type of fin flapping, but I think it's the right one. The decision seems magnificent, "said Musk at last night's event, which featured Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa as a person who bought a BFR trip around the moon that could be launched as early as 2023.
"I love the design of the Tintin rocket, so I wanted to sort of take it into account," Musk added. "If in doubt, go with Tintin."
It's far from being the only sign of SpaceX's head for the literary works that inspired Musk or that helped shape his vision of the future of spaceflight. For example, the company has named its two autonomous drone spacecraft – which serve as an oceanic landing platform for rockets returning to Earth – "Of course, I still love you" and "Just read the instructions". These are the names of two huge, space-sensitive ships in the works of legendary science fiction writer Iain M. Banks.
SpaceX presented similar tributes at the much anticipated launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket, which took place last February. The Tesla Roadster, mounted on this flight, is wearing a manikin nicknamed Starman and blames David Bowie's famous song, "Space Oddity".
The display of the roadster's dashboard lets out "Do not Panic!" – a directive repeatedly repeated in the "Guide to the hitchhiker of the galaxy" Douglas Adams. And Musk said he wants to name the first BFR spacecraft that transports people to Mars "Heart of Gold" after an important spaceship in this beloved book.
In addition, the entire Trilogy "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov is found in the Roadster 's glove box, engraved on a special quartz disc designed to last for millions or even billions of dollars. years.
The trilogy "Foundation" of the author and futuristic Isaac Asimov was launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. The text was encoded by the inventor Peter Kazansky in an ultrastable quartz disk with high storage volume, with a lifetime of several million to several billion years.
Credit: University of Southampton
"The Asimov" Foundation "series is a key source of inspiration for SpaceX," said Musk at the evening of yesterday.
Then there's the SpaceX rocket family, which currently includes Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and BFR (meaning Big Falcon Rocket or Big F *** ing Rocket). This nickname is a nod to Millenium Hawk's "Star Wars" movies, said Musk.
By the way, SpaceX's Dragon capsule gets its name from the song "Puff the Magic Dragon", made famous by the Peter, Paul and Mary band in 1963. The name refers to the early critics of SpaceX, many of whom relegated the objectives Ambitious enterprise in the realm of fantasy. (The robotic version of Dragon is already carrying cargo missions to the International Space Station for NASA, and the crewed variant is expected to make its first crew test flight next April.)
The main purpose of Monday night's event was to reveal Maezawa as a buyer of the BFR lunar mission and to give some details about this flight, which Maezawa calls #dearMoon. The Japanese entrepreneur, who launched the Zozo e-commerce company, said he planned to bring six or eight artists with him, hoping that the works they would later create would inspire millions of people. on earth.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @ michaeldwall and Google+. follow us @ Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally posted on Space.com.
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