Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but if CRS 4 doesn't have legs, which now seems to be the case, would they try to 'land' legless, in the ocean close to the barge? Most of the return flight elements could be tested, sans legs and touch down, plus assets could be placed on the barge to gather information such as telemetry and video. Has to be better than pizza dish in the window. It would also help prove accuracy before trying to actually touch down on the barge.
That ought to be 'close enough' unless they want to reinsert the first stage right back into the holddown sockets... (I'm sure they're not seriously attempting >that< level of precision)
To be that precise I think they would need the grid fins. Or extremely beefed up cold gas thrusters. I think they are going for grid fins. But seeing them on SpX-4 would be a surprise.
Right here with a barge driven up on shore or just off the cost in shallow water with jack up legs so the platform will be stable
Update: Per Chris's latest article, barge landing attempt is likely slated for CRS-5:http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/09/soyuz-tma-12m-return-iss-trio-to-earth/Which seems like further confirmation that Orbcomm has slipped past CRS-5 into 2015 as previously rumored. Otherwise they would presumably be trying the first barge landing on the Orbcomm launch.
Quote from: CT Space Guy on 09/08/2014 01:49 pmRight here with a barge driven up on shore or just off the cost in shallow water with jack up legs so the platform will be stableThat's an interesting speculation (or maybe you have intel?). But why put the barge there (Georgia) instead of offshore of the Cape?
Would you want to be an SpaceX employee in such conditions?
Quote from: Moe Grills on 09/21/2014 07:21 pmWould you want to be an SpaceX employee in such conditions?Yes. Recovering spacecrafts from alligator-infested swamps is too sci-fi-ish for me to pass up.
Quote from: Joris on 09/21/2014 07:44 pmQuote from: Moe Grills on 09/21/2014 07:21 pmWould you want to be an SpaceX employee in such conditions?Yes. Recovering spacecrafts from alligator-infested swamps is too sci-fi-ish for me to pass up.Except in the old B&W movies, isn't there always at least one monster nearby (either created on Earth by "space radiation" or directly brought back in the spacecraft), ready to attack any investigating humans? Probably a giant mutant alligator, in this case.Granted, the alligators might simply eat the monster at the end of the movie, as ironic justice after it has killed several humans (this means you, unless you are the hero who saves the life of the professor's beautiful daughter).
So does the exclusion map from CRS-4 give us any more hints as to where the barge will be?