Yes, what the DC-X did was a parlor trick. Vertical landing a post-orbit rocket onto a floating barge is not a parlor trick. The DC-X never did that. And verti

Yes, what the DC-X did was a parlor trick. Vertical landing a post-orbit rocket onto a floating barge is not a parlor trick. The DC-X never did that. And vertical landing for real commercial orbital flights—then reusing those rockets for more real commercial orbital flights—is orders of magnitude more impressive again.