The Future Now? Did Tesla really just unveil a flying car?

Watch: Did Tesla really just unveil a flying car? - BBC News

 https://share.google/67lQ9BzL32fwqLhhf 

What do you make of this? 

This is ......

This was in my feed from SpaceX.

What does V1 remind you of Anderson fans?

Starlink in Eryri

 Staying in North Wales' beautiful Eryri (Snowdonia) for a few days has afforded us nights with incredibly dark skies. 

Our daughter saw the biggest shooting star ever and my son in law saw loads of satellites all from the comfort of a hot tub! 

I was chuffed when he pointed out two satellite's to me, both white dots of light several metres apart moving in tandem across the night.

Like a train he said. It's Starlink.

I'd never seen it before and was amazed and  was gobsmacked as to how much stuff is up there in general.

I had to look it up to see what Starlink looks like.

They're sort of flat upright panels, a bit like windows in a line.

I wonder if there's a toy version?

Have you seen Starlink readers? Anything else floating round? 

Wotan wades in:

Last year, on holiday in Cyprus, I was at on the balcony enjoying the night air, when I saw a star-like light ascending. Almost immediately behind came another, then another - all in all there must have been a regular spaced line of about 20 satellites, all moving in perfect formation! Took about four or five minutes for them all to cycle overhead. A few years ago, I had been sat in the same spot and a fabulous green meteor streaked across the heavens, leaving a luminous trail. Its something I never see at home, due to light pollution from the main road.

ORANGE AND WHITE: LEMS THE RIGHT COLOURS!

Remember the beautiful Tri-ang SpaceX LEM we've featured in the past? 

A wonderful old plastic toy in detachable white and orange parts. Along with its companion Apollo capsule Its one of the larger SpaceX toys. My friend Paul Vreede covers it beautifully on his Triang SpaceX website

https://www.triangspacextoys.info/SpGAtoys/Apl8/SpLTApl8.html

BILL BULLOCH

Well look at Etsy's 3DStuffUK's Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 crew dragon capsule, a 3D printed model rocket. They could be from the same SpaceX! This model is 22cm tall assembled and it looks great!

3DstuffUK also make a Dyna-Soar! For the Project SWORD fan on a tight budget!

You could get anything 3D printed I imagine these days!

Have you got anything readers?

THE MATCHBOX SPACEX FALCON HEAVY ROCKET

Not too many shops in New Zealand carry Matchbox toys these days. Even those that do still have Matchbox, only have a fraction of the range.

But I got really lucky recently, and picked up a new Skybusters model - the Space X Falcon Heavy rocket. It is just under 5 inches long, and comes with a black plastic display stand.

Over the last year or two Matchbox Skybusters have also been coming with a double-sided Playmat. This comes folded in half, and is four inches square, or 4 by 8 when opened out.

One side shows the Earth, with the Moon in the background, and the Space X name. The other side is looking down on a launch site.

For once, the model is mainly metal, with only the lower part of the rockets and nose section in white plastic, with the rocket nozzles in black plastic.

Tampo printing is red and black, with SPACE X along the sides in blue. Both the model and the stand are marked TM Space X, Matchbox, © 2022 Mattel, Made in Thailand, and SB158.

Despite the copyright dates, the model is part of the 2024 Skybusters line. There were two other Space X models in the 2023 range: SB159 Space X Starship, and SB160 Space X Dragon capsule, which I have not seen.

This is a really nice model, as are most of the Matchbox real space die-casts. The problem is that they all seem to be short-lived models, and there are never many around - grab them when you see them, or miss out.

Four photographs.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

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and Kevin has sent in this snap of a different modern SpaceX rocket, the Dragon.

From Musk till Dawn

The day began with Musk and ended with it.

Reading the online news this morning, a link took me to Elon Musk's predictions. One that stood out was that a million people would live on Mars by 2060! Personally this feels unlikely. It's 2023 in 2 months and manned mission to Mars seems like a helluva long way off, never mind a million folk getting up there. What do you think?

I was musked again sat watching fireworks. Well actually watching the firepit. My Son in Law is a keen astronomer and pointed out a moving light high up in the night sky. I thought it was a plane but no, it was a satellite from Elon Musk's Star Link set up. You can't get away from him. 

To be honest it was Jupiter and Saturn being pointed out that actually did it for me. They out-musked Musk and I was mesmerised. My Son in Law uses a mobile cosmic app map called Stellarium. I was so impressed that I downloaded it 

I've just ID'd  Vega!

I felt like staying up all night and tracking the sky till dawn!

Have you got Stellarium?

SPACEX THUNDERBIRDS TV OPENING

Hi Woodsy
Have you seen this clip, which I have just spotted on You Tube ? 

It is basically the opening credits from the 1960s Thunderbirds, but done with shots of real SpaceX spacecraft and people, rather than the original Thunderbirds craft and puppets. Nicely done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiD8nGD0Q6w

What do you think readers?

SpaceX Major: The Flight of the Falcon Heavy

Have any of you seen the amazing launch sequence and flight of the US SpaceX Falcon Heavy from yesterday?

Did you see the returning side boosters?

I was stunned with amazement!

What did you think?