Watch: 'Young Sheldon' predicted SpaceX's rocket catch feat years ago
In a remarkable twist of art predicting life, fans noticed that the popular TV show Young Sheldon had predicted a major SpaceX achievement years before it happened. The series had a scene where the titular character, Sheldon, described complicated rocket landing maneuvers that were eerily similar to those recently performed by Elon Musk's SpaceX. So what exactly was shown in the show?
'Young Sheldon' scene mirrored SpaceX's recent achievement
In Season 1, Episode 6, Sheldon explains to NASA scientist, Dr. Ronald Hodges how a rocket could be flipped and landed using a PID controller. The doctor dismisses this idea as purely theoretical due to the non-existence of such technology. Unfazed, Sheldon confidently retorts, "So I'm ahead of my time." This scene mirrors SpaceX's achievement when it caught its Starship rocket booster using mechanical arms post-launch from Texas. Interestingly, Musk appeared in this episode and was seen reading Sheldon's notebook.
Musk hailed this as 'science fiction without the fiction part'
Musk celebrated this achievement on X, exclaiming, "The tower has caught the rocket!! Big step toward making life multiplanetary was made today." This event sparked jubilation at both SpaceX headquarters and NASA. The successful catch of the booster represents a significant stride in engineering and aligns with Musk's vision for reusable rockets. This breakthrough paves the way for future missions to the moon and Mars.
