[amsat-bb] Dragon first stage recovery?

[Paul Stoetzer]

Alan,

>From Spaceflight Now:

"SpaceX technicians stationed on a boat near the drone ship planned to
weld steel shoes over the rocket’s four carbon fiber and aluminum
landing legs to keep the 156-foot-tall stage from tipping over.

The recovery crew will safe the rocket, drain it of hazardous fluids
and gases, and set course for Port Canaveral, the drone ship’s home
base. Musk said the vessel is due to arrive some time Sunday.

Once it is back in port, ground teams will retract the booster’s
landing legs, rotate it horizontal and drive it to a SpaceX facility
at nearby Cape Canaveral — likely launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space
Center — for hotfire tests, Musk said.

“Our plan is to basically fire it 10 times in a row on the ground,”
Musk said. “If things look good at that point, then it’s qualified for
reuse and launch. We’re hoping to re-launch on an orbital mission
probably around … June.”"

https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/04/08/spacex-lands-rocket-on-floating-platform-after-station-resupply-launch/

The plan for re-using it on an orbital mission around June is
interesting. Perhaps Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be on a historic
launch?

73,

Paul, N8HM

On Mon, Apr 11, 2016 at 8:15 AM, Alan <wa4sca at gmail.com> wrote:
> Is there any information on how they are going to secure the first stage for return?  Doing so on land
> is, as such things go, trivial, but on an autonomous ship in rough waters adds many complications.
>
> 73s,
>
> Alan
> WA4SCA
>
>
>
>
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