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From the video it looks like it lands on a ship in rough seas and they do nothing to secure it. Won't it just fall over if the seas are rough enough, and if so
by downandout 11y ago
From the video it looks like it lands on a ship in rough seas and they do nothing to secure it. Won't it just fall over if the seas are rough enough, and if so, why don't they have some sort of robotic system that locks it down tight the moment it lands?
- robin_reala 11y agoAll of the centre of gravity is low down with the engines. The rest is basically just a thin empty tube.
- simonh 11y agoPlus the platform has four computer controlled engines on basically universal joints to stabilize it. A crew then boards the barge and puts 'shoes' over the landing legs then welds them to the deck.
- bkor 11y agoTo add to above: In the previous barge landing they did weld the landing legs to the barge using some kind of bracket. But they discovered that the centre of gravity is low enough to not need any welding. During the previous attempt the sea was heavier than this time. Maybe they still weld it this time, but that is done by having someone go to the barge and do it.
- vermontdevil 11y agoActually no they did not weld anything to the legs. Elon said that they realize it wasn't needed. They did use octojack though to support the weight off the legs.
- tlrobinson 11y agoWhat's octojack? Can't seem to find any other references to that.
- vermontdevil 11y agoSorry meant Octoweb jacks https://imgur.com/5GTW1CO https://imgur.com/5GTW1CO
- MertsA 11y agoTo add to the other comment. http://www.spacex.com/news/2006/01/01/octaweb http://www.spacex.com/news/2006/01/01/octaweb
- sqeaky 11y agoEveryone seems worried about waves and tilting, but you are saying the rocket is pretty much a metal sail. Can wind blow it over?
- andygates 11y agoIf the sea is still enough to land, it's still enough to take time securing. The previous stage was secured by tying down the thrust structure ("octaweb") to tack-welded fixings on the deck with hoofing big chains. There may also have been shoes, we couldn't see clearly. Tack-welding fixtures to a steel deck is apparently SOP in big shipping, so it's not as radical as it sounds.
- gizmo 11y agoSecuring is purely a safety precaution, it's not actually required. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/726218218109444096 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/726218218109444096
- sandworm101 11y agoWith respect to Musk, that is total bunk. Any structure like this will have to be secured to the deck. The fact that it is a rocket doesn't matter. He may think that it is safe from falling over, but the insurance company and/or the health and safety people will tell him that cargo that tall needs to be secured. Ropes, chains, welding ... it cannot just sit there. A Volvo station wagon, on that deck at sea, would be tied. A box of onions would at least be secured so that it doesn't shift onto someone's foot. Boats move, cargo cannot.
- d_theorist 11y agoSomehow I suspect they have run the numbers.
- sandworm101 11y agoWhat numbers? Unsecured cargo is unsecured cargo. A metal object sitting on a flat metal deck gets tied/braced/chained.
- d_theorist 11y ago
- SEJeff 11y agoFrom the last landing, Elon said (on twitter), that the ASDS can list up to 8% and the rocket can still land or stay upright.
- _kst_ 10y agoApparently they do secure to the deck after landing. Discussed here: http://space.stackexchange.com/q/6403/574 http://space.stackexchange.com/q/6403/574