From the look of the picture above (and I know, it's not high enough resolution to be certain), it really looks like the blast pattern indicates the stage landed near the edge of the inner ring. I know, that's not exactly what the helicopter landing video seems to show, but there is a discoloration at about the 1:30 position on the transected circle image bstrong posted. The edge between the inner concrete pad and the outer gravel ring (I'm assuming) has been scuffed out, and the end of the "X" has been darkened into a streak that looks like it extends into the outer ring.I wish we could have an overhead image of the pad the morning after, before the crane was attached and the Falcon could have been moved. Just to see exactly where it landed...
Quote from: the_other_Doug on 12/27/2015 05:30 amFrom the look of the picture above (and I know, it's not high enough resolution to be certain), it really looks like the blast pattern indicates the stage landed near the edge of the inner ring. I know, that's not exactly what the helicopter landing video seems to show, but there is a discoloration at about the 1:30 position on the transected circle image bstrong posted. The edge between the inner concrete pad and the outer gravel ring (I'm assuming) has been scuffed out, and the end of the "X" has been darkened into a streak that looks like it extends into the outer ring.I wish we could have an overhead image of the pad the morning after, before the crane was attached and the Falcon could have been moved. Just to see exactly where it landed...My interpretation of the dark area at 1:30 was that the paint was smudged in that direction by the flow of water from fire suppression system.
I'd think the easiest feature to align would be the shoreline. It looks like you've got one of the images upside down, but maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to do.
The idea of diverting a rocket midflight from one to the other because of wind or something is rather absurd considering how quickly everything happens.
Absurdity factor = 0.
Quote from: bstrong on 12/27/2015 01:40 pmQuote from: the_other_Doug on 12/27/2015 05:30 amFrom the look of the picture above (and I know, it's not high enough resolution to be certain), it really looks like the blast pattern indicates the stage landed near the edge of the inner ring. I know, that's not exactly what the helicopter landing video seems to show, but there is a discoloration at about the 1:30 position on the transected circle image bstrong posted. The edge between the inner concrete pad and the outer gravel ring (I'm assuming) has been scuffed out, and the end of the "X" has been darkened into a streak that looks like it extends into the outer ring.I wish we could have an overhead image of the pad the morning after, before the crane was attached and the Falcon could have been moved. Just to see exactly where it landed...My interpretation of the dark area at 1:30 was that the paint was smudged in that direction by the flow of water from fire suppression system.I would buy that, except for the fact that I have seen no signs at all that the fire suppression system was ever activated. When the teams were out surveying the landed stage later that night, the concrete pad looked dry as a bone, and there was obviously no water deluge across the pad immediately following the landing. I'm not sure there is one planned after a successful landing, either -- depending on how and where the fire hoses spray out and where the stage lands, you could produce an unstable situation, even tip the rocket over. It's only sitting on those legs, it's not bolted down to the landing pad, after all.So, I'm not buying that the fire suppression system ever went off... Of course, there was some lateral motion as the stage came in, perhaps that discolored streak simply shows the horizontal approach pattern of the descending rocket plume? In other words, it came in from the 1:30 direction and discolored the pad as it descended, but by the point of footpad contact it had arrived at or near the center of the pad...?
Quote from: the_other_Doug on 12/27/2015 01:58 pmQuote from: bstrong on 12/27/2015 01:40 pmQuote from: the_other_Doug on 12/27/2015 05:30 amFrom the look of the picture above (and I know, it's not high enough resolution to be certain), it really looks like the blast pattern indicates the stage landed near the edge of the inner ring. I know, that's not exactly what the helicopter landing video seems to show, but there is a discoloration at about the 1:30 position on the transected circle image bstrong posted. The edge between the inner concrete pad and the outer gravel ring (I'm assuming) has been scuffed out, and the end of the "X" has been darkened into a streak that looks like it extends into the outer ring.I wish we could have an overhead image of the pad the morning after, before the crane was attached and the Falcon could have been moved. Just to see exactly where it landed...My interpretation of the dark area at 1:30 was that the paint was smudged in that direction by the flow of water from fire suppression system.I would buy that, except for the fact that I have seen no signs at all that the fire suppression system was ever activated. When the teams were out surveying the landed stage later that night, the concrete pad looked dry as a bone, and there was obviously no water deluge across the pad immediately following the landing. I'm not sure there is one planned after a successful landing, either -- depending on how and where the fire hoses spray out and where the stage lands, you could produce an unstable situation, even tip the rocket over. It's only sitting on those legs, it's not bolted down to the landing pad, after all.So, I'm not buying that the fire suppression system ever went off... Of course, there was some lateral motion as the stage came in, perhaps that discolored streak simply shows the horizontal approach pattern of the descending rocket plume? In other words, it came in from the 1:30 direction and discolored the pad as it descended, but by the point of footpad contact it had arrived at or near the center of the pad...?OK, so I've studied the various landing videos, especially the more recently released ones that were taken from ground level, and I think I know why there is a blast pattern that flows to the 1:30 position in the image in question.The stage wasn't translating from the 1:30 position towards the center of the pad. It was killing horizontal velocity in the direction of the 1:30 position -- in other words, while it came down relatively straight, the engine plume was angled somewhat towards the 1:30 position. This seems to have been to try and kill the final horizontal component of the stage's descent. The stage landed off-vertical by about five degrees or so, because the engine was still being gimbaled to manage horizontal velocity, even right up to touchdown.So, it is just a rocket blast scar on the concrete pad, but it happened not because the stage landed near the 1:30 edge of the pad, and not because the stage was walking from the 1:30 position towards the center of the pad. It happened just because the engine was pointed in that direction during final descent, just enough to leave a non-symmetrical blast pattern.
I find the idea that a booster can navigate from 100km up and then find itself in need of a "rally point" only 150m away from its proper target rather cute.
Quote from: georgegassaway on 12/29/2015 03:56 amAbsurdity factor = 0. Not true at all. RC copters have nothing in common with this
The contingency pads would only be utilized in order to enable the safe landing of a single vehicle should last-second navigation and landing diversion be required.- George Gassaway