SpaceX SpaceX successfully lands on droneship 8-4-16

[CynicusRex]

I'm excited like a 10 year old on Christmas.
History has been made, again.

 

[mfb]

Video at spaceflightnow
Bigger image of the rocket standing on the drone ship
Older thread about the landing on solid ground

That is a first stage they can actually use again. Looking forward to that. Landing is an important step, but the real goal is flying to space with it again.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

but the real goal is flying to space with it again.

So this is a one and done rocket?

 

[mfb]

All rockets that delivered anything to orbit were discarded after their single use so far.
The space shuttles and their boosters (but not the main tank) could be reused after months of refurbishment, which was about as expensive as building new boosters and more expensive than using a conventional rocket.

Using the first stage of Falcon9 again without months of work would be something completely new.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

So this is a one and done rocket?

According to previous SpaceX communications, this may well be the first booster to get reused, some time later this year, after it has been tested thoroughly.

The one which previously landed on land underwent extensive checks and tests to evaluate whether it appeared to have returned in a condition suitable for reuse, including further test firings. However, SpaceX stated in advance that there was no plan to reuse the booster from the first successful landing, and they were wondering what to do with it when they had finished testing, for example whether there was somewhere it could be put on display as a historically important object.

 

[boneh3ad]

Best video I've seen so far.

 

[mfb]

That must be the capability to launch again SpaceX is talking about.
Still looks more realistic reversed, although the exhaust is behaving funny then.

On a more serious note: here is a different thread (now closed) about the same topic.

 

[diogenesNY]

Anyone remember a 1970's TV show called _Salvage 1_, staring Andy Griffith?

Part of it's premise involved a land-able, reusable rocket/craft much resembling this one, and seeing this video somehow managed to bring to mind images of watching TV on that old 12" b/w set . :)

Engineering catching up to imagination, perhaps.

--diogenesNY