17 ms·
Apparently simply having landing legs on the stage (and extending them) will be enough to stabilize the spin problem sufficiently to allow it to be controllable
by InclinedPlane 13y ago
Apparently simply having landing legs on the stage (and extending them) will be enough to stabilize the spin problem sufficiently to allow it to be controllable by the RCS et al.
- revelation 13y agoSince you've been likely keeping up with this, has there been any video released on the fate of the return stage? Musk mentioned they would put something out there, but it doesn't seem to have materialized yet.
- ChuckMcM 13y agoI realize that Elon speculated that would be the case, but I wasn't neccesarily buying his explanation. Two things need additional color, one being given the lack of atomosphere at the altitude where the first stage separates (tapes put it at just over 3 minutes into the flight), and two structural integirty of those struts making the atmospheric transition. So you need to get the retro burn off while you are exo-atmospheric or you risk melting off the important bits when you re-enter. That suggests that you need some sort of RCS to cut rotational dynamics so that you can stage for retro, then re-enter at less than hypersonic velocity. Further you can't do you retro burn until you've allowed the upper stage to clear. Another interesting bit is that the first stage appears to have cameras, they were showing video from them during the launch, but we've not seen the post separation video. I hope that video surfaces at some point as it could help design something to mitigate the whole roll thing before it got out of hand.
- coob 13y agoMusk has mentioned posting that video online[1]. [1] http://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1ne36t/partial_success_for_falcon_9_first_stage_reentry/ http://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/1ne36t/partial_succe...
- novalis78 13y agogreat resource thanks. Looks like the first test with legs is going to be in FL.