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Commercialization

Sped-Up Video of Falcon 9 First Stage Landing

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 27, 2016
Filed under

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

16 responses to “Sped-Up Video of Falcon 9 First Stage Landing”

  1. Gerald Cecil says:
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    It’s better than any SF CGI. Next time, in 3D w/ force feedback and ‘Smellorama’.please. And score it with The Blue Danube.

  2. Jeff Havens says:
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    Another “ta-da!” moment.. last couple of landings, the cam has cut out due to vibes and exhaust, and then the stage appears, standing there like a part of a magic trick. For this vid, the barge just suddenly appears, like “Here I am!”. Granted, it’s the speed-up vid.. but oh so cool never-the-less.

  3. Skinny_Lu says:
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    I find myself laughing out loud and cheering when I see SpaceX videos. This one tops all that came before it. I call this “Science Fiction Movies Made Real by the folks at SpaceX” Wow. I have watched several times and it does not get old.

    • TerryG says:
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      What SpaceX video clip could top this?

      The first two Falcon Heavy 1st stages capturing video of each other during simultaneous landings?

      Returned Astronauts stepping out of Dragon 2 after a propulsive landing?

      Thank you so much SpaceX. The hits just keep on coming.

  4. Tritium3H says:
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    Just a head’s up for those who may not be aware…
    Click on the gear icon in the YouTube video menu, and select “speed”. Set the speed to 0.25 X (25% speed). At the 00.19 mark, you can see that the landing ship/barge becomes partially visible through the left grid fin, at approx. the ten o’clock position. At the 00:20 mark, the 1st stage makes a slight correction, moving the visual perspective such that the grid fin no longer obscures the barge.

    • Jeff2Space says:
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      My thoughts too. Aim for the “X” based on camera inputs. If Tesla can stay in its lane in “autopilot” mode, surely a Falcon 9 first stage and steer towards the center of a barge.

  5. Egad says:
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    Has it ever been revealed how SpaceX does precision landings? GPS, probably of some augmented variety, is undoubtedly involved. Do both the stage and the barge get the precise landing coordinates and both go there? If so, interesting that the barge can keep station to that precision.

    • Terry Stetler says:
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      The barge has 4 huge Thrustmaster station keeping thrusters, which lock it to the selected coordinates using high precision GPS. The stage steers to the same coordinates, also using high precision GPS. It’s also been mentioned that the stage has a radar altimeter. No doubt there are other secret sauce items.

      It also helps that Lars Blackmore is stoking the SpaceX landing team, he being formerly of the JPL Mars landing team. He co-developed the NASA G-FOLD optimized landing software, tested on a modified Masten Xombie a few years ago. This year he was selected to MIT’s top innovators under 35 list. A ringer if there ever was one.

      https://www.technologyrevie

    • Jeff2Space says:
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      Sounds likely, but there are other possibilities for additional inputs. Radar would give a precise altitude. And, as this video shows, the camera has a very good view of the barge, including the big X in the middle. Computer vision isn’t out of the question for an additional input for lateral positioning.

      • chuckc192000 says:
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        I doubt if they rely on visual landing cues. It’s quite possible the lens of the camera could be fogged over or the landing area obscured by smoke. I’m sure they have some kind of active homing signals on the barge for precise tracking.

        • Jeff2Space says:
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          I’m sure there are multiple inputs. But I wouldn’t be too quick to rule out using the camera feed as one of the inputs based on the assumption that the lens will always get dirty.

          Clearing the lens of a camera is old hat. Watch some of the in car views of an Indy car or NASCAR race, and you’ll quickly see that when the lens is obscured, the obscured film in front of it moves out of the frame, to be replaced by fresh, clear, film. All you need is a roll of film on one side, and and empty spool connected to a motor on the other. From what I understand, ESPN developed this system back in the 1980s. The in car views from the new HD camera system are quite stunning.

  6. SJG_2010 says:
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    Did anyone else notice the grid fin appear to catch on fire after the deceleration burn? That got me wondering what does the booster use for cold gas thrusters? Seems a waste to carry extra cold gas when you have a big tank of LOX.
    Do the cold gas thrusters use LOX? that might explain why the grid fin caught fire…

    • HyperJ says:
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      No, the RCS uses Nitrogen.

    • Hug Doug ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
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      The cold gas thrusters use Nitrogen.

    • ProfSWhiplash says:
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      By the time the F9 hits that pad, there’s just no time — or rather propellant — to waste on RCS, or for even making a gentle soft landing. The thing’s nearly empty by the time it literally hits that pad so it’d need all the LOX and Fuel on hand to make it..

      FWIW, I think that those fins were toasted by the deceleration burn’s “up-plume” moving up the booster’s side and hitting the fins. Also, maybe there’s atmospheric heating from coming in at that speed — albeit not to the extent of orbital reentry

    • EtOH says:
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      I suspect the grid fin caught fire because of leaking/expelled hydraulic fluid (they use an open hydraulic system). There appears to be some evidence of this on the last returned stage, which show a fan of combustion products emanating from the grid fins. In any case, the LOX boiloff wouldn’t be high enough pressure to work as an effective thruster.