http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8U2KXZzvtA
Launch to ISS and return of first stage...
T-13s abort. heigh ho.

Retry tomorrow 09:38 EST...

They're making it look easy now.

At 26:31, right before the voice announcement of the beginning of the entry burn, one tiny and one slightly larger object appear just above the center of the screen and appear to move upwards - what the hell are they? Something ejected down from the rocket at the beginning of the entry burn?

They're re-igniting the first stage launch engine, so there shouldn't be anything kicked out like there might be at a first ignition ... and certainly no ice left on the thing ...

Some kind of bird? There's no altitude data I can see but stop-framing around that time, the second object looks like it has the body of a bird and a pair of wings?

Great landing tho'.

Weaver wrote:At 26:31, right before the voice announcement of the beginning of the entry burn, one tiny and one slightly larger object appear just above the center of the screen and appear to move upwards - what the hell are they? Something ejected down from the rocket at the beginning of the entry burn?

They're re-igniting the first stage launch engine, so there shouldn't be anything kicked out like there might be at a first ignition ... and certainly no ice left on the thing ...

The first stage was pretty high up at that point so Imma guessing something kicked off during the ascent that followed a ballistic trajectory. The first stage might catch up to it due to its reduced velocity post-reentry burn?

Made of Stars wrote:

Weaver wrote:At 26:31, right before the voice announcement of the beginning of the entry burn, one tiny and one slightly larger object appear just above the center of the screen and appear to move upwards - what the hell are they? Something ejected down from the rocket at the beginning of the entry burn?

They're re-igniting the first stage launch engine, so there shouldn't be anything kicked out like there might be at a first ignition ... and certainly no ice left on the thing ...

The first stage was pretty high up at that point so Imma guessing something kicked off during the ascent that followed a ballistic trajectory. The first stage might catch up to it due to its reduced velocity post-reentry burn?

They were pretty far off the launch trajectory during the return - it would be really, really incredible if they saw something from the boost stage when on the way back down.

Agree it seems improbable, but the return to launch site trajectory does cross over the ascent phase:

Science fiction stories from my youth featured rockets taking off and landing from the same site, with vivid descriptions of vertical landings, pillars of flame and dust, and rockets descending through the clouds.

It just struck me - we finally, FINALLY have a spaceport.

Weaver wrote:It just struck me - we finally, FINALLY have a spaceport.

Yes, but is it a wretched hive of scum and villainy?

Cool video of stage separation, first stage turning and starting its boost back burn:
https://gfycat.com/GrippingJaggedBlackfish

Speculation on r/spacex was that the debris was probably ice or cork dislodged by the engine re-ignition.

SpaceX planning to send crewed Dragon around the Moon in 2018.

http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/s ... -next-year

SpaceX successfully launches and lands a previously used first stage (and tests the recovery of the payload fairing as well).

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/31/s ... echnology/

2 launches and 2 landings at 2 continentally separated coastal sites in 2 days. Snipers at 3.5 km. Pfft.

Boys with very expensive toys.

Scot Dutchy wrote:Boys with very expensive toys.

Tell us again about how only nation-states should be in the business of spaceflight.

Scot Dutchy wrote:Boys with very expensive toys.

Read you the first time. http://www.rationalskepticism.org/astro ... l#p2349148

Still remains true. We are not going anywhere unless there is a world organisation. Do you see that happening. Bloody orange turd. No way.

Scot Dutchy wrote:Still remains true. We are not going anywhere unless there is a world organisation. Do you see that happening. Bloody orange turd. No way.

What do you mean "we are not going anywhere"? We have already seen commercial enterprises send supply missions to the ISS, return the spacecraft and first stage, and reuse them for subsequent missions. The same and other companies are working on getting manned flight rated so we can stop paying the Russians space welfare for boost.

Or do you mean we aren't going anywhere off of the planet without a world spaceflight organisation? Like, I dunno, to the Moon? Six fucking times? Or all the landers and orbiters and flybys we and other nations have done despite the lack of a world spaceflight organisation?