What is the minimum distance offshore a barge would have to be to keep various bureaucratic busybodies from saying "No, you can't land there."
The rocket lands on the barge. Fade to black.That's how I picture it. No need to show the stage splashing into the sea.One thougt though: If you design a trap of steel wires, heavy nets, it might be bossible to save the stage from sinking, might save at lest the engines. On the other hand this adds risk of kaboom.
The most important consideration for certifying RTLS is the ability to land on a defined target. We saw the video of the Orbcomm water landing, but we don't know if there was a precise target, and if so, how close they came to hitting the target.Is there anything to learn from landing on a barge that can't be learned by landing on a GPS coordinate in the ocean?
Quote from: rcoppola on 07/28/2014 05:04 pmHmmm, ok, so the F9R lands on this barge. Maybe they do it closer then last time, say 25 miles out. How do they intend to get it back? Have another crane barge with a cradle bolted to the deck standing by to lift it off the landing barge and lay it down on the cradle?Yeah, this barge strategy doesn't make a lot of sense to me other than as a demo.I am sure the barge would have to be anchored and nobody on it during the actual landing. So how do they secure the rocket after it lands? It is windy out there. There is some wave action even on a big heavy barge.Maybe I am wrong, but I think the end result is going to be a successful landing on the barge, then a tip over due to waves or wind. SpaceX might be fine with that. The goal might not be recovery, but more landing precision testing. But the odds of securing that rocket on a barge, and then towing it back to land, seem remote to me. I am having trouble picturing the process way out at sea. Anyone else have any ideas on what might work?
Hmmm, ok, so the F9R lands on this barge. Maybe they do it closer then last time, say 25 miles out. How do they intend to get it back? Have another crane barge with a cradle bolted to the deck standing by to lift it off the landing barge and lay it down on the cradle?
Quote from: Robotbeat on 07/28/2014 03:41 pmQuote from: Port on 07/28/2014 03:32 pmjeez.. from what video is THAT one? Not from any video, it's an exclusive rendering by an L2 member. Looks pretty!You should see it full size, and the others from the same source. Very much L2 worthy.
Quote from: Port on 07/28/2014 03:32 pmjeez.. from what video is THAT one? Not from any video, it's an exclusive rendering by an L2 member. Looks pretty!
jeez.. from what video is THAT one?
Quote from: docmordrid on 07/28/2014 04:25 pmQuote from: Robotbeat on 07/28/2014 03:41 pmQuote from: Port on 07/28/2014 03:32 pmjeez.. from what video is THAT one? Not from any video, it's an exclusive rendering by an L2 member. Looks pretty!You should see it full size, and the others from the same source. Very much L2 worthy.Do you have a L2 link for this one in full size? I cannot seem to find it.
I would want a flat surface to land on, can a jack up barge be placed so that the towers go away?Matthew
Quote from: rcoppola on 07/28/2014 05:04 pmHmmm, ok, so the F9R lands on this barge. Maybe they do it closer then last time, say 25 miles out. How do they intend to get it back? Have another crane barge with a cradle bolted to the deck standing by to lift it off the landing barge and lay it down on the cradle?Yeah, this barge strategy doesn't make a lot of sense to me other than as a demo.
I am sure the barge would have to be anchored and nobody on it during the actual landing. So how do they secure the rocket after it lands? It is windy out there. There is some wave action even on a big heavy barge.