Did SpaceX's Attempt to Reland Their Rocket on a Floating Platform Fail?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around SpaceX's attempt to reland their rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Participants explore the implications of this attempt, the technical aspects involved, and the challenges faced during the landing process. The conversation touches on both the historical context of SpaceX's projects and the specific details of this particular mission.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the term "reland," suggesting it implies multiple landings, and discuss its potential meaning in the context of space missions.
  • There is mention of previous SpaceX projects involving vertical hops, with some participants noting that these may be distinct from the current relanding attempt.
  • One participant raises a question about the velocity at which the rocket landed and whether fuel depletion contributed to the failure.
  • Another participant claims that the landing was nearly successful but attributes the failure to running out of hydraulic fluid, expressing optimism for future attempts.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of information regarding potential leaks or system failures that could have led to the hydraulic fluid issue.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the details of the situation, with one mentioning connections to SpaceX employees but doubting their willingness to share information.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of the landing attempt, including the reasons for its failure and the implications of the hydraulic fluid issue. Multiple competing views and uncertainties remain throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various aspects of the mission, including the environmental considerations of propellants and the technical challenges of landing a rocket, but do not resolve the uncertainties surrounding these topics.

Doug Huffman
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Seeking to cut the cost of space launches, SpaceX hoped to bring the rocket back to Earth, aiming to land it on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean some 200 miles (322 km) off Jacksonville, Fla., north of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site. A ship stationed near the platform tried to capture the touchdown on video, but it was too dark and foggy, Musk said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/10/us-space-spacex-idUSKBN0KJ08120150110

Sniff sniff! A neologism, reland?
 
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I wonder how "reland" is different from "land". It would indicate you do landing more than once ("we relanded on a comet!").

That looks like a big step forward. The last attempts I saw where the vertical hops above the launch pad, and now they tried to use that in an actual space rocket.
 
I think that the vertical hops may have been a different project and I have seen videos of take-off, traverse, return and land. IIRC the project used an environmentally benign propellant, maybe liquid air and propane.
 
Thanks for the move. Yur korrect.
 
The question is what velocity did they hit at and did they run out of fuel?
 
Apparently it was very nearly a success but they ran out of hydraulic fluid in some component that caused the failed landing. I'd be surprised if they didn't get it right next time.
 
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I noticed the fluid problem but saw no mention of a leak failure or a total loss system (open loop) exhaustion.
 
Yeah I don't know any more than that. I have a couple friends who work at SpaceX but somehow I doubt they would be very forthcoming if I asked them.
 

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