Paul et al,
Thanks for the link. Apparently it IS as difficult as I thought to do it as sea. If I were on the welding team, I would be looking over my shoulder at the rocket, just in case. :) It will be interesting to see what they do once this moves from proof of principle to operational. Being SpaceX, it will be undoubtedly innovative and efficient.
73s,
Alan WA4SCA
<-----Original Message----- <From: AMSAT-BB [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Paul Stoetzer <Sent: Monday, April 11, 2016 7:57 AM <To: Alan Biddle APBIDDLE@mailaps.org <Cc: amsat-bb amsat-bb@amsat.org <Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Dragon first stage recovery? < <Alan, < <From Spaceflight Now: < <"SpaceX technicians stationed on a boat near the drone ship planned to <weld steel shoes over the rocket?s four carbon fiber and aluminum <landing legs to keep the 156-foot-tall stage from tipping over. < <The recovery crew will safe the rocket, drain it of hazardous fluids <and gases, and set course for Port Canaveral, the drone ship?s home <base. Musk said the vessel is due to arrive some time Sunday. < <Once it is back in port, ground teams will retract the booster?s <landing legs, rotate it horizontal and drive it to a SpaceX facility <at nearby Cape Canaveral ? likely launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space <Center ? for hotfire tests, Musk said. < <?Our plan is to basically fire it 10 times in a row on the ground,? <Musk said. ?If things look good at that point, then it?s qualified for <reuse and launch. We?re hoping to re-launch on an orbital mission <probably around ? June.?" < <https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/04/08/spacex-lands-rocket-on-floating-platfo... <resupply-launch/ < <The plan for re-using it on an orbital mission around June is <interesting. Perhaps Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D will be on a historic <launch? < <73, < <Paul, N8HM < <On Mon, Apr 11, 2016 at 8:15 AM, Alan wa4sca@gmail.com wrote: <> Is there any information on how they are going to secure the first stage for return? Doing so on land <> is, as such things go, trivial, but on an autonomous ship in rough waters adds many complications. <> <> 73s, <> <> Alan <> WA4SCA <> <> <> <> <> _______________________________________________ <> Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available <> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed <> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. <> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! <> Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb <_______________________________________________ <Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available <to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed <are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. <Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! <Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb