Last is most important (Score: 2, Informative) by danieldvorkin@pipedot.org on 2014-04-27 15:20 (#16T) Not to sell the other point short, but making a soft water landing (even if they had really lousy luck on the timing) strikes me as a Big Deal. Reusable spacecraft for far, far less than the Shuttle cost would be revolutionary. Re: Last is most important (Score: 1) by fnj@pipedot.org on 2014-04-27 23:32 (#170) AFAIK the soft ocean "landing" is only intended as an experiment/demonstration, and that is its only conceivable use. As such it represents commendable progress. The reason I am confident that SpaceX does not consider ocean landing as an end in itself is (1) they have brilliant talent and surely recognize what salt water immersion would do to the thin aluminum alloy bodies and to the rocket engines, and (2) the fact that the vehicle extended landing legs clearly indicates the intent to work toward a soft touchdown on land.
Re: Last is most important (Score: 1) by fnj@pipedot.org on 2014-04-27 23:32 (#170) AFAIK the soft ocean "landing" is only intended as an experiment/demonstration, and that is its only conceivable use. As such it represents commendable progress. The reason I am confident that SpaceX does not consider ocean landing as an end in itself is (1) they have brilliant talent and surely recognize what salt water immersion would do to the thin aluminum alloy bodies and to the rocket engines, and (2) the fact that the vehicle extended landing legs clearly indicates the intent to work toward a soft touchdown on land.