Posts: 3259
Threads: 179
Joined: April 29, 2012
Reputation:
24
SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 9:48 am
SpaceX successfully caught a booster out of the air and then did a "soft landing" on the water with Starship (some of the flaps looked a bit toasty though!)
The meek shall inherit the Earth, the rest of us will fly to the stars.
Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups
Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud ..... after a while you realise that the pig likes it!
Posts: 33055
Threads: 1412
Joined: March 15, 2013
Reputation:
152
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 9:51 am
Don't know what that means.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
Posts: 3259
Threads: 179
Joined: April 29, 2012
Reputation:
24
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 10:38 am
It means that SpaceX has returned a suprheavy booster to the landing site, slowed it to a hover then caught it with the "chopstick arms"
They also did a simulated landing in the Indian Ocean with the Starship
The meek shall inherit the Earth, the rest of us will fly to the stars.
Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups
Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud ..... after a while you realise that the pig likes it!
Posts: 3290
Threads: 118
Joined: January 19, 2015
Reputation:
30
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 11:24 am
Some heat shield tiles were deliberately left out on starship in order to test the ablative backup shielding beneath it. The steering flaps still took some heat damage but like the last flight, landed on target.
The FAA will require at least 3 successfully controlled landings before allowing SpaceX to attempt to catch the starship like the booster. I imagine they will also want to see better heat shield performance. The issue is that unlike the booster which comes in from the ocean, starship comes in from orbit over populated areas. When the space shuttle Columbia burned up on reentry, it rained down debris over 4 US states. It will also need to be redesigned in order to be caught. So, at least one more test flight into the ocean before we see a recovery attempt of starship.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein
Posts: 28333
Threads: 524
Joined: June 16, 2015
Reputation:
90
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 9:16 pm
Watched it on the news tonight, very impressive.
Being told you're delusional does not necessarily mean you're mental.
Posts: 3424
Threads: 25
Joined: August 9, 2015
Reputation:
27
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 9:47 pm
It has to be mentioned Elon had absolutely no hand in this whatsoever.
"For the only way to eternal glory is a life lived in service of our Lord, FSM; Verily it is FSM who is the perfect being the name higher than all names, king of all kings and will bestow upon us all, one day, The great reclaiming" -The Prophet Boiardi-
Conservative trigger warning.
Posts: 3290
Threads: 118
Joined: January 19, 2015
Reputation:
30
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 13, 2024 at 10:21 pm
(October 13, 2024 at 9:47 pm)Nay_Sayer Wrote: It has to be mentioned Elon had absolutely no hand in this whatsoever.
Boy, is that ever a stretch - considering he founded SpaceX and conceived of Starship. I'm guessing you meant to to say he had no role in the design & engineering process which
might be true.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein
Posts: 33055
Threads: 1412
Joined: March 15, 2013
Reputation:
152
RE: SpaceX Catch attempt
October 14, 2024 at 1:48 am
When it comes to bettering the country, prioritahs.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
![[Image: s-l640.jpg]](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DjAAAOSwpIhe1HCM/s-l640.jpg)
