All joking aside (and it really is kind of funny), they'd probably be best off sinking it in deep water. It won't tow well, (because it's not a solid-fuel booster that was a lot stronger), they don't have the right kind of equipment and personnel out there, and the Port probably won't want them bringing it back in in that condition.
Quote from: Razvan on 02/01/2018 02:01 amQuote from: TorenAltair on 01/31/2018 11:22 pmThis is a clear mission failure! The booster was to be thrown away and not towed back. In case they manage to get enough missions in the future they'll need another drone ship.Why not a carrier (one that is going to be scraped). They can land the booster, one by one and lower them under the deck, refurbish, refuel and hop'em up to LZ.If you're going to go through the trouble of procuring a carrier (I assume you meant aircraft carrier), why not just launch from the flight deck too? The logistics are similar to the usual kind of aircraft carrier. You need a log train to bring in fuel and new ordinance payloads, remove waste, and swap personnel out. Did we just build a space navy?
Quote from: TorenAltair on 01/31/2018 11:22 pmThis is a clear mission failure! The booster was to be thrown away and not towed back. In case they manage to get enough missions in the future they'll need another drone ship.Why not a carrier (one that is going to be scraped). They can land the booster, one by one and lower them under the deck, refurbish, refuel and hop'em up to LZ.
This is a clear mission failure! The booster was to be thrown away and not towed back. In case they manage to get enough missions in the future they'll need another drone ship.
Nosferocket 👻
Quote from: darkenfast on 02/01/2018 03:42 amAll joking aside (and it really is kind of funny), they'd probably be best off sinking it in deep water. It won't tow well, (because it's not a solid-fuel booster that was a lot stronger), they don't have the right kind of equipment and personnel out there, and the Port probably won't want them bringing it back in in that condition.Right about now Elon's probably hoping it will sink on its own and save them the trouble. Problem was, they couldn't just leave it floating there.
Quote from: kerrycockram on 02/01/2018 02:47 amQuote from: Razvan on 02/01/2018 02:01 amQuote from: TorenAltair on 01/31/2018 11:22 pmThis is a clear mission failure! The booster was to be thrown away and not towed back. In case they manage to get enough missions in the future they'll need another drone ship.Why not a carrier (one that is going to be scraped). They can land the booster, one by one and lower them under the deck, refurbish, refuel and hop'em up to LZ.If you're going to go through the trouble of procuring a carrier (I assume you meant aircraft carrier), why not just launch from the flight deck too? The logistics are similar to the usual kind of aircraft carrier. You need a log train to bring in fuel and new ordinance payloads, remove waste, and swap personnel out. Did we just build a space navy?In the name of the United States Space Navy I christen thee Poseidon 1...
I'm wondering if it's a case of velocity > 0 when it hit the water, thus sinking further down before rotating to horizontal?
In this case though, at least two of the legs, and up to three, will have made for large drag brakes against the water as soon as they were submerged, in the direction they are designed to withstand loads (vertically upward), and at approximately the pivot point (the engine section).This means the angular velocity will have been maintained at a quite slow value while the stage tipped over, resulting in little-to-no water slamming (and giving more time to depressurize the tanks).