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Direct link to an animation of catching a rocket with a helicopter: https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=858 https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=858

inflatableDodo 7y ago
The failure modes on that look fun. I wonder how much they are planning on paying the pilot.
- gibolt 7y ago
  Should be falling relatively slowly at that point. Helicopter can be pretty distant until the rocket has slowed and stabilized, and then always remain above it. The chance of two things that small in 3D space hitting is pretty small.
londons_explore 7y ago
Catching things in the air is hard... But it's been done[1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_surface-to-air_recovery_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_surface-to-air_recovery...
- andrewwharton 7y ago
  Like he says in the video, catching is actually the easy bit. Having the booster survive the re-entry heating and aerodynamic loads while only using passive methods to slow it is the hard bit.
- twic 7y ago
  More like these, given that the rocket will be falling rather than tethered: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-air_retrieval https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-air_retrieval
- apendleton 7y ago
  Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite)#Recovery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite)#Recovery
LastZactionHero 7y ago
Yeah, I gotta get a new job.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  Same. This got my envy meter charged up for a good week of feeling sad that I'm not working on things like this.
mkl 7y ago
I've only watched the animation, not the whole video, but it seems like this is missing a crucial step. It seems to show the first stage magically start moving backwards, rather than continue to move forwards (coasting) and use thrusters to turn around for re-entry down-range. I'm sure the actual rocket experts will have it right, but is it me or the animator that's misinterpreted things?
- Taniwha 7y ago
  yeah I wondered about that too, I suspect it naturally arcs over and comes down heavy end first (a bit like a shuttlecock) with empty tanks the heavy end is the motors.
- russdill 7y ago
  It's just a combination of camera tracking and the acceleration of the second stage. The rocket follows a ballistic trajectory, there's no need for it to turn around. Or are you just thinking of orientation? The rocket will probably have RCS to do it's flip and re-enter with proper orientation.
  - mkl 7y ago
    Yes, orientation. The orientation doesn't change on screen, and yet it's going thrusters first to the right, which looks like where it's come from.
ricardobeat 7y ago
In case anyone's youtube is also not opening at the right spot, the animation is around 10:00.
- kevinsundar 7y ago
  Can't edit my top post for some reason but here's the updated link: https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=583 https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=583 Looks like the video got truncated after the livestream.
robocat 7y ago
Same technique as NASA investigated for recapturing a Saturn V booster: "[The helicopter] would be gigantic. The rotor diameter would be over 120 meters (400 feet). Its empty weight would be over 200,000 kilograms (450,000 pounds), with a useful load of nearly 250,000 kilograms (550,000 pounds), for a gross weight of a whopping 453,000 kilograms (1,000,000 pounds)" http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3741/1 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3741/1

inflatableDodo 7y ago

The failure modes on that look fun. I wonder how much they are planning on paying the pilot.

gibolt 7y ago
Should be falling relatively slowly at that point. Helicopter can be pretty distant until the rocket has slowed and stabilized, and then always remain above it. The chance of two things that small in 3D space hitting is pretty small.

londons_explore 7y ago

Catching things in the air is hard... But it's been done[1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_surface-to-air_recovery_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_surface-to-air_recovery...

andrewwharton 7y ago
Like he says in the video, catching is actually the easy bit. Having the booster survive the re-entry heating and aerodynamic loads while only using passive methods to slow it is the hard bit.
twic 7y ago
More like these, given that the rocket will be falling rather than tethered: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-air_retrieval https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-air_retrieval
apendleton 7y ago
Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite)#Recovery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite)#Recovery

LastZactionHero 7y ago

Yeah, I gotta get a new job.

TeMPOraL 7y ago
Same. This got my envy meter charged up for a good week of feeling sad that I'm not working on things like this.

mkl 7y ago

I've only watched the animation, not the whole video, but it seems like this is missing a crucial step. It seems to show the first stage magically start moving backwards, rather than continue to move forwards (coasting) and use thrusters to turn around for re-entry down-range. I'm sure the actual rocket experts will have it right, but is it me or the animator that's misinterpreted things?

Taniwha 7y ago
yeah I wondered about that too, I suspect it naturally arcs over and comes down heavy end first (a bit like a shuttlecock) with empty tanks the heavy end is the motors.
russdill 7y ago
It's just a combination of camera tracking and the acceleration of the second stage. The rocket follows a ballistic trajectory, there's no need for it to turn around. Or are you just thinking of orientation? The rocket will probably have RCS to do it's flip and re-enter with proper orientation.
- mkl 7y ago
  Yes, orientation. The orientation doesn't change on screen, and yet it's going thrusters first to the right, which looks like where it's come from.

ricardobeat 7y ago

In case anyone's youtube is also not opening at the right spot, the animation is around 10:00.

kevinsundar 7y ago
Can't edit my top post for some reason but here's the updated link: https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=583 https://youtu.be/joONWIGtcdY?t=583 Looks like the video got truncated after the livestream.

robocat 7y ago

Same technique as NASA investigated for recapturing a Saturn V booster: "[The helicopter] would be gigantic. The rotor diameter would be over 120 meters (400 feet). Its empty weight would be over 200,000 kilograms (450,000 pounds), with a useful load of nearly 250,000 kilograms (550,000 pounds), for a gross weight of a whopping 453,000 kilograms (1,000,000 pounds)" http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3741/1 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3741/1