The goal is not to recover the stage per-se, but to land successfully. If they get a the 1st stage down on the drone ship, with all four legs touching, the mai

The goal is not to recover the stage per-se, but to land successfully. If they get a the 1st stage down on the drone ship, with all four legs touching, the main engine shut off, and it stays upright for even a few seconds, there will be much celebration. They would, of course, want to then actually examine the rocket afterwards, but that is a bonus.