2 ms·

> Use a big funnel mesh? I'm not sure you realize just how fragile the stage is. The side walls are made of _very_ thin aluminum. Any landing support mechanism

> Use a big funnel mesh? I'm not sure you realize just how fragile the stage is. The side walls are made of _very_ thin aluminum. Any landing support mechanism must put the impact force on the 'octaweb' structure that supports the engines. That's the advantage of the legs. They can be engineered to distribute the force exactly where they want it. A significant problem with any sort of "catching" mechanism is that the load on the stage is far less predictable.

andygates 11y ago
...or how big it is. That's a 12 storey empty beercan, on fire, hurtling in from space. Any catching hack would require the stage to slow down anyway.
- Klathmon 11y ago
  [1] is the picture that finally gave me a sense of scale for this thing... [1] http://i.stack.imgur.com/FYvrC.jpg http://i.stack.imgur.com/FYvrC.jpg