Been looking in all the expected places but haven't yet seen any video from the Drone Ship cameras of the landing - only a few stills. Has anyone else came across this anywhere?
ecarfan
Well-Known Member
In the video that SpaceX released of the stage landing, taken from the chase plane, I think there is about a second or two of footage from a camera on the droneship deck just after touchdown but the view is heavily obscured and then it cuts back to the chase plane view.
That is all I have seen from the deck of the ship. Hoping for more, but honestly the view from the side of the stage as it descended onto the deck was so awesome that nothing else really matters to me.
Be sure and watch the NASA launch press conference with Elon. Lots of good info. There is a thread about it.
That is all I have seen from the deck of the ship. Hoping for more, but honestly the view from the side of the stage as it descended onto the deck was so awesome that nothing else really matters to me.
Be sure and watch the NASA launch press conference with Elon. Lots of good info. There is a thread about it.
Grendal
SpaceX Moderator
And, if you get the chance, watch the technical version of the launch. Nothing different from the landing itself but they do linger on the drone ship much longer.
New SpaceX landing photos make you feel like the rocket is coming down on top of you
these guys have pictures of the landing from the droneship... IMO someone probably has video
these guys have pictures of the landing from the droneship... IMO someone probably has video
Grendal
SpaceX Moderator
Nice. You can see that SpaceX hit the line for the center ring. From the size of the people in other pictures, I'd guess that they missed the dead center by about 40' to 50'.
SpaceX might never post the drone ship videos if they aren't as great as the chase plane's view. A few stills might be the only thing we ever get. While seeing it might be fun, the video from the chase plane will be something I treasure the rest of my life.
They never did release whatever they got from the last attempted landing. I'd think it would be fun to see the booster hit OCISLY at warp speed. SpaceX probably thinks otherwise.
SpaceX might never post the drone ship videos if they aren't as great as the chase plane's view. A few stills might be the only thing we ever get. While seeing it might be fun, the video from the chase plane will be something I treasure the rest of my life.
They never did release whatever they got from the last attempted landing. I'd think it would be fun to see the booster hit OCISLY at warp speed. SpaceX probably thinks otherwise.
If you're interested, here's a post (from a different forum) analyzing the final location:
SpaceX CRS-8 Is Great Landing Bingo
Side note: over on the NSF forum, for each landing attempt they play "landing bingo" to try to guess where it'll end up. This one was judged to be at H-23, winning the user named "Blah" a free subscription to the paid area on the NSF forum!
Grendal
SpaceX Moderator
Thanks. I was curious who won the bingo. I was going to drop in and check it out and you made it so much easier. The pattern in this picture makes it very clear that rocket slid about 5 to 10 feet because of the wind. I'm just glad it did slide and didn't tip over. One of the landing legs was in the perfect position to prevent just that. I'm not sure if it is possible but they should make an algorithm for just that situation. Spin the rocket so one of the legs is specifically facing directly away from the direction of the wind. It sounds nearly impossible to do. If someone can, it would be the SpaceX programming team.
What they should do if they want to continue to land rockets at sea is to get a bigger, better drone ship. Some shielding against the wind would help a lot, and they could use a surface effect type hull to reduce roll. Maybe even a big deployable keel with a tuned mass damper at the bottom.
They would really only need one shield against the wind - the dynamic positioning could continually turn the platform against the wind.
And also they could have four masts around the landing area, with some cables running between them. At the push of a button the cables could wrap around the rocket holding it in place.
They would really only need one shield against the wind - the dynamic positioning could continually turn the platform against the wind.
And also they could have four masts around the landing area, with some cables running between them. At the push of a button the cables could wrap around the rocket holding it in place.
I also feel that is a workable solution. It will reduce the probability of tipping and losing the rocket quite a bit.
What happens when a rocket that is "fighting" the wind to land in the right place suddenly is behind a wind-shield? Does the sudden change in load make it fall over of move violently??
Maybe this is why they don't have a windbreak on the landing drone??
If the rocket was very sensitive to changing winds, they would have all crashed. The rockets have an attitude control system to deal with changing winds and the like.
I would think that the primary reason for the drone ship being fairly basic is that these landings are experimental. Once SpaceX has more data on exactly what is required of the drone ship on a more long-term basis, they can invest in a more specialized vessel. The cost of the vessel will be quite insignificant compared to potential cost savings on the launches, so they can really afford a superb vessel.
I would think that the primary reason for the drone ship being fairly basic is that these landings are experimental. Once SpaceX has more data on exactly what is required of the drone ship on a more long-term basis, they can invest in a more specialized vessel. The cost of the vessel will be quite insignificant compared to potential cost savings on the launches, so they can really afford a superb vessel.
I'm guessing the platforms will be old movable oil rigs,
heck there's probably going to be a fire sale on them soon...
heck there's probably going to be a fire sale on them soon...
Oh, I'm sure if you want a cheap oil rig, it should be easy to get a good deal. There's a bunch of them parked in fjords in Scotland and Norway. For instance these: Massive rig to spend winter in Cromarty Firth - BBC News
A converted oil rig could work. They're usually pretty big, which means they are also quite stable. But the downside is they move fairly slowly and they require a lot of upkeep. I think maybe something like a ramform ship might be more suitable, with the landing pad at the rear. Or maybe a trimaran like the Independance class combat ship. A trimaran will be much more stable.
EM went to Russia to see if he could buy ICBMs. Perhaps he should go back to see about surplus aircraft carriers?
ecarfan
Well-Known Member
Even a small surplus carrier would be overkill and inefficient.
I think now that Tesla has demonstrated they can land a stage with remarkable accuracy on their current droneship they have no need to invest in a larger one.
I think now that Tesla has demonstrated they can land a stage with remarkable accuracy on their current droneship they have no need to invest in a larger one.
I think this recent landing showed that wind could be an issue even in pretty good weather. If they want to be able to land in much worse weather, they need a better landing pad.
What will they do in a few years? Offer the customers to launch on the original date for an additional 20 million, because they will likely lose the first stage, or wait for better weather?
Right now it's not much of an issue, as the landings are experimental. Once they become a part of the economics of the business, they need to have a robust system with a 90+% degree of success every time.
What will they do in a few years? Offer the customers to launch on the original date for an additional 20 million, because they will likely lose the first stage, or wait for better weather?
Right now it's not much of an issue, as the landings are experimental. Once they become a part of the economics of the business, they need to have a robust system with a 90+% degree of success every time.
ecarfan
Well-Known Member
Wow, thanks for posting. Haven't seen that video before. Super wide angle. I had to watch it very closely to perceive the lateral movement of the stage after touchdown.
Where did you find that?
Where did you find that?
