SpaceX – how to catch a falling rocket.

Musks mars mission just reminds me of the “Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B” from Hitch Hikers. Will Mars just end up as some kind of MAGA colony??

Quite an incredible concept. I believe Musk came up with the idea while lying in bed one night …

Will Mars just end up as some kind of MAGA colony??

I love that idea! Pack the rockets with MAGAs, Flerfs, anti-vaxxers, covid deniers etc and just punt them up to Mars. Or better, Venus. Cheers guys, good luck! Don’t let the door smack you on the arse… etc etc

Quite an incredible concept. I believe Musk came up with the idea while lying in bed one night …

In 50 years time, Musk will be used in the same breath as Einstein or Newton

It looks to me like it’s on the primary connective structure to the grid fins, which would make sense as they have some of the major structural loads during descent and control until the engines take the strain.

Been all over Twitter today- apparently it’s just caught on two hooks on the booster! The arms don’t grab it at all!! [insert shocked face]

https://x.com/seventhmeal/status/1845610000179159524?s=12&t=EQoHg-RGok071Fjc15ZHKw

I can’t see that as not on Twitter, but are the catch pins still attached to the corrugated bit that also holds the grid fins?  Or are they further down?  If it’s on the corrugated bit, that’s the staging ring which is heavily reinforced for booster sep.  if it’s further down, that’ll mean a unique price of structure or something attached to the tank support, but I think the tank support is also part of the staging ring as Starship’s engines don’t protrude from the fairing.  The Tower is still doing the catch either way, but it’d be interesting to know if there’re a few catch pins (to allow it to rotate axially and still be caught) or if it’s just two and they’re that precise.  If it’s the latter, that’s very impressive.

AFAIK there’s just two catch pins and they’re defo for the chopsticks and not part of the staging ring (which will not be part of future builds anyway).

It certainly isn’t supposed to land on the grid fins now.

I can’t see that as not on Twitter,

You can. Just click on it. I’m not on Twitter/X and I can.

It invites you to log in or register on the site – but you can see the photos.

The thing that struck most was just how much they were able to manoeuvre the booster when it had already descended to almost tower level. I’d pictured it coming in hot from immediately above the tower but the trajectory they used allows an abort up until the last few seconds. I just didn’t envisage the booster going sideways.

As regards the two pins, I guess this means that they can rotate the booster along it’s long axis too..

In 50 years time, Musk will be used in the same breath as Einstein or Newton

Ford or Edison maybe, he’s an industrialist with a more than passing interest in some subjects. As one software engineer noted;

“I know nothing about rockets, so when Musk talks about them, I assume he knows what he’s talking about, however I do know coding, and in relation to Twitter’s code, I do know what I talking about, and Musk talks the most absolute total shite I’ve ever heard”

Not for me.  You must be logged in using Google, Apple or something else.

Not for me.  You must be logged in using Google, Apple or something else.

Odd – I get this. Not sure if it’s because I’m on a computer not my phone or something.