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| SpaceX successfully lands rocket on ocean platform for second time | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 6 2016, 11:10 AM (379 Views) | |
| Demagogue | May 6 2016, 11:10 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/05/06/spacex-successfully-lands-rocket-on-ocean-platform-for-second-time.html?intcmp=hplnws CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – For the second month in a row, the aerospace upstart SpaceX landed a rocket on an ocean platform early Friday, this time following the successful launch of a Japanese communications satellite. A live web broadcast showed the first-stage booster touching down vertically in the pre-dawn darkness atop a barge in the Atlantic, just off the Florida coast. The same thing occurred April 8 during a space station supply run for NASA. That was the first successful landing at sea for SpaceX, which expects to start reusing its unmanned Falcon rockets as early as this summer to save money and lower costs. Because of the high altitude needed for this mission, SpaceX did not expect a successful landing. But it was wrong. As the launch commentator happily declared, "The Falcon has landed." |
| People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would do them harm. | |
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| Demagogue | May 6 2016, 11:12 AM Post #2 |
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Considering the velocity and altitude of this boost I did not think they were going to pull off the landing on this one. It is great that they did and it bodes well for the future powered landings on high velocity locations like Mars. The "Space Cowboys" are doing interesting things and if they can reuse the boosters it could be interesting times ahead for the likes of ULA. Here is the video of the launch and recovery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bMeDj76ig Edited by Demagogue, May 6 2016, 11:14 AM.
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| People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would do them harm. | |
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| Robert Stout | May 6 2016, 11:19 AM Post #3 |
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The Space X people show limited faith in their product....They land it on a barge to avoid photos of a spectacular splatter on land.........
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| Jesus can raise the dead, but he can't fix stupid | |
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| Demagogue | May 6 2016, 11:47 AM Post #4 |
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I know you are making a joke but for those who may not understand, the reason that they land it on a barge is because there is simply not enough fuel on a geosynchronous launch to return to the launch pad. So it lands a couple hundred miles out to sea. Landing on land is far easier than landing on a floating barge. Edited by Demagogue, May 6 2016, 11:48 AM.
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| People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would do them harm. | |
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| Demagogue | May 6 2016, 12:53 PM Post #5 |
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Other than saving costs on orbital launches why is SpaceX trying to recover their first stage rockets? Simple, they are doing it to learn stuff that nobody has ever done before in preparation for attempts to land on Mars. They are sharing this knowledge with NASA as well as planning to use it themselves. http://qz.com/656025/how-spacex-is-really-bringing-us-closer-to-mars-no-really/
There is more in the article but with the 25% limit I can't put all the details here. It is a good article. |
| People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would do them harm. | |
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