SpaceX’s Starship takes a banana to space on 6th test flight; HERE's reason and other details
SpaceX's Starship, the world's largest rocket, carried a banana on its sixth test flight as a humorous nod to the "banana for scale" meme, highlighting the rocket's massive 400-foot size before successfully landing in the Indian Ocean.
FollowTexas: SpaceX’s Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, carried an unusual payload in during its sixth test flight: a banana. The decision to send a banana to space alongside Starship raised curiosity, with the story behind it rooted in both a meme and a humourous emphasis on the rocket's enormous size.
The banana sticker
Starship, which stands at a towering 400 feet (121 meters), is a cutting-edge rocket designed for ambitious interplanetary missions, including potential trips to the Moon and Mars. Ahead of its sixth test flight in Texas, observers noticed a banana sticker on the side of the rocket. This sticker was a reference to the viral "banana for scale" internet meme, which is often used to provide a size reference in photos. The banana sticker, measuring three feet, highlighted the immense scale of the Starship, which is over 100 times its size.
The real banana
The banana meme didn't stop with the sticker. According to CNN, a real banana was placed inside the rocket during the test flight, further emphasizing the playful reference to scale.
The test flight
In the early hours of the morning, SpaceX successfully completed Starship’s sixth test flight from Starbase in Texas. While the launch largely went according to plan, there was a last-minute change: SpaceX aborted the landing of the 71-meter-tall booster stage on a mechanical arm. However, the mission remained a success as SpaceX was able to restart the Starship engine in space and safely land the ship in the Indian Ocean. Both President-elect Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk were present to witness the launch.
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