SpaceX rocket stage in 'soft landing' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

SpaceX says its recent experiment to return part of its Falcon-9 rocket back to Earth under control was a success.

The US company has confirmed that the first-stage of the vehicle launched from Cape Canaveral a week ago used its engines to slow its fall, deployed a set of legs and made a "soft landing".

For safety reasons, the touchdown was actually commanded to take place east of the Cape, far out at sea.

Nonetheless, the stage was vertical and had zero velocity on contact.
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Extremely rough seas meant that a boat could not get to the scene for two days to try to salvage the stage before it sank.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27166780

[kysrsoze]

1. That is SO cool.

If you want a glimpse at a productive, positive, even visionary future... just pay attention to what Elon Musk is involved with. Here is someone who doesn't cower in the face of oligarchical competitors, and thinks like a model innovator.

Too bad others don't see an American immigrant model here... probably because he is not considered good enough by the racist trash in this country,. Instead, they worship a complete dickhead like Cliven Bundy.l who denies the power of the U.S. Government and consciously defaults on his contractual, court-enforced obligation to American taxpayers.

It blows my mind that so many people in this country have either no opinion or hate Musk, mainly because he's not a backward, corporatist, job destroyer. Where has this country's collective conscience gone?