Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is known for being one of the most innovative companies in today’s space industry. From their safe and efficient Falcon launch vehicle to their reusable rocket technology, SpaceX has been a company to watch out for. They have achieved so much over the years, including launching a Tesla into space.

The Tesla in Space

The news that SpaceX was sending a Tesla into space recently reached its five-year mark. As per the reports, Tesla’s car, the Roadster, has traveled a long journey so far, listening to David Bowie’s Space Oddity 496,287 times (if the battery is still intact). When the car was launched from Earth, it left at a staggering 26,619 kilometers per hour (16,540 miles per hour). But that is not all; the Roadster is believed to have an even more astounding fuel economy of 8,511.4 kilometers per liter (20,020 miles per gallon). A special tracker called “Where is Roadster?” was released to keep track of the car’s achievements in space. And based on the tracker reports, the car has orbited the sun 3.3 times since its launch on February 6, 2018.

The Future of the Roadster?

When it comes to the future of the car, no one has an accurate answer. But a publication, after analyzing its orbit in 2018 in an effort to determine its fate, concluded that in the next 100 years, the car will be a lot closer to Earth, getting closer than the Moon’s orbits. The scientists estimated that the probability of the car striking the earth is approximately 22 percent, that of Venus is about 12 percent, and that of the sun is nearly the same. If seen from a business perspective, the incident will most likely not have an impact on the value of Tesla stock since it will take place over millions of years.

Imagine the coolest tattoo ever, that could be used for things like robotics, medicine, and so much more. Well, while sensors printed onto the skin have become more commercialized in recent years, there was always a problem – the lack of circuits.

Too hot to handle

One of the biggest drawbacks to printing circuits onto your skin was that you generally needed to be able to do so at very high temperatures of around 572°F (300°C). Unsurprisingly, skin didn’t really take too kindly to a lot of heat being applied to it. While many scientists have been trying to work out ways we could print circuits and therefore sensors onto our skin, it seemed like an impossible dream.

Heatless circuits

A team from Penn State University believe they have solved the problem, however, with a new method that allows scientists to print circuits onto the skin without heat. To try and combat the temperature issue, they’ve found a way of creating a sintering aid layer that would enable circuits to be printed on the skin at lower temperatures. Using calcium carbonate and an alcohol paste usually found in face masks, the circuitry can then be sintered on top of the layer without burning the skin.

Unlimited possibilities

But, what’s the point of all of this? Surely, we don’t want to become cyborg humans, complete with circuits on the skin? Well, the main reason for these sensors is medical. There are many health conditions that researchers believe could be managed better with these highly sensitive sensors and circuitry. They could monitor things like blood oxygen levels, heart performance, temperature, and humidity. There are also sensors being made to monitor things like diabetes!

It’s definitely a huge leap forward in medical technology and science – and one that could help us manage health conditions better in the future. Plus, having a circuit on your skin would look pretty cool, right?