[amsat-bb] Dragon first stage recovery?

[Stephen E. Belter]

Reuse on the Fox Sherpa flight would be cool, but the rocket is on the wrong coast.  We're launching from Vandenberg in California.  

73, Steve N9IP
--
Steve Belter, seb at wintek.com


> On Apr 11, 2016, at 8:57 AM, Paul Stoetzer <n8hm at arrl.net> wrote:
> 
> 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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