Making Tech Headlines · Page 9
The Ramp Routine Tested More Than a Launch
· New York time
Reporting on Tesla's Roadster demonstration describes a vertical ramp that became horizontal, followed by a separate departure using thrusters to flip and land. A barrel roll over the Tesla lineup also ended in a controlled landing. Those details make orientation and recovery central to the display. Getting a vehicle airborne supplies the spectacle; bringing it back down in a controlled way supplies a crucial part of the maneuver. The landing is not an optional concluding slide. That is a different performance language from the familiar straight-line acceleration contest. The concept's routine asked the audience to track direction, attitude and arrival as well as speed. Automotive theater has discovered gymnastics, although the apparatus remains considerably more expensive than a balance beam.
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