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Does it start firing the rockets on descent not so much to slow down but as a shield for reentry? I don't know if that makes sense. Maybe the rocket isn't high
by ge96 9y ago
Does it start firing the rockets on descent not so much to slow down but as a shield for reentry? I don't know if that makes sense. Maybe the rocket isn't high enough to burn up on re-entry? I'm not sure it's not exactly coated in heat-resistant ("cliche-black-colored") tiles.
To me maybe when you fire a plume of exhaust like that it forms a shield around the rocket... not sure.
- djaychela 9y agoI think that the 1st stage separates at ~6000kmh; that's nowhere near the speed of orbit - which is around 28000kmh. I think that explains the ability of the first stage to pass through the atmosphere without a heat shield - it's not the high up, more the speed, I think. From (again, not definitive) knowledge, the rocket fires to slow down (boostback), a re-entry burn, then a landing burn. Indeed, there's info from the horse's mouth here: http://www.spacex.com/news/2015/06/24/why-and-how-landing-rockets http://www.spacex.com/news/2015/06/24/why-and-how-landing-ro...
- ge96 9y agohorse's mouth haha thanks