SpaceX Dragon CRS-3 (SUCCESSFUL FIRST STAGE LANDING !!!!)

[Dr Mordrid]

Props are loaded and LOX is in topping off mode. A squall line moved through and now only the cumulus cloud rule is currently being violated.

[Dr Mordrid]

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk 6m
Heavy seas in Atlantic preventing our recovery ship from being on station. Maybe they can help? http://theaviationist.com/2014/04/17...an-tug-off-us/

(Referring to the Russian recon tug shadowing the launch since Monday)

[Dr Mordrid]

Launch!!

Dragon separated, opened her solar panels and appears to be on the way to ISS.

@b0yle 25s
.l@SpaceflightNow quotes @SpaceX team member as saying #Falcon first-stage reignited during descent and video was being sent back.

And there was a sequence on Livestream showing the retro-fire from the 1st stage cam.

[Dr Mordrid]

Launch video

[Dr Mordrid]

According to insiders the accuracy of the return track and touchdown was very good.

The next launch, the launch of 6 ORBCOMM commsats in May, will also do a water touchdown.

If that succeeds and the F9R Dev-1 and F9R Dev-2 tests at McGregor and SpacePort America continue to succeed, a land touchdown at KSC could occur any time after FAA and KSC give the go-ahead.

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk
@MarinaSBlinova Rocket boost stage reaching 0 m/s in one piece Will know soon. Odds not high.

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk*
Data upload from tracking plane shows landing in Atlantic was good! Several boats enroute through heavy seas.

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk*
Flight computers continued transmitting for 8 seconds after reaching the water. Stopped when booster went horizontal.

Lars Blackmore ‏@larsblackmore
(Guidance, Navigation and Control team leader for SpaceX's Gr****opper rocket)

We landed the rocket softly in the ocean! One (small) step toward reusable rockets!

From the Livestream comments

SpaceX

F9 First Stage Landing

Data upload from tracking plane shows first stage landing in Atlantic was good! Flight computers continued transmitting for 8 seconds after reaching the water. Stopped when booster went horizontal. Several boats enroute through heavy seas...

[Dr Mordrid]

Waco Tribune (Waco TX is near the McGregor test center)....

http://m.wacotrib.com/blogs/joe_science/spacex-dragon-launches-st-stage-splashes-down/article_b26fa16e-c726-11e3-bccd-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=jqm

SpaceX Dragon launches; 1st stage splashes down

UPDATE, 7:10 PM:* Holy. Freaking. Crap.

They did it. They actually did it.

The Falcon 9 first stage splashed down into the Atlantic in one piece. Actual recovery is still an issue given heavy seas, but...
>

Followed by tweets from several SpaceX team members.

[Evildead666]

Absolutely awesome.

Buffering the video for later

[Dr Mordrid]

One more for your collection - the entire SpaceX webcast

http://youtu.be/Od-lON4bTyQ

[Dr Mordrid]

GRAPPLE

[Dr Mordrid]

Berthing complete at 10:06 EDT

[Evildead666]

Is there a video of 'just' the 1st stage landing in the sea ? Just to see how it did ?

[Dr Mordrid]

No video yet, the stage recovery op is ongoing in rough seas - 20 feet over the weekend. The Coast Guard had it 200 nm off Savannah, Georgia. If they can get it they'll bring it in at Charleston, South Carolina.

The best approximation would be the F9R Dev-1 test of last week, which has its own thread.

[Evildead666]

Yeah, I watched that one, very interesting it was too

I was meaning any video of the First Stage's descent, and landing, since they probably must have had camera's pointed at it to record it.
The onboard video will take time, sure, if and when they find the first stage

[Dr Mordrid]

There are a TON of major SpaceX items coming, but I can't say what because the aerospace site I'm on still has them under embargo. Some may be released later today (Friday.) Big stuff that has even the rocketeers outside of SpaceX excited.

There are 2 major events where some of these may go live,

Elon Musk is scheduled to talk at the Export-Import Bank Conference in Washington at 11:15 AM EDT.

And SpaceX itself is making an announcement tomorrow at 1PM EDT.

[Dr Mordrid]

There IS video of the water landing. SpaceX is prepping it for publication on their site and their YouTube channel.

Aerospace journalist Jeff Foust tweeted from todays Musk appearance at the National Press Club

@jeff_foust
Musk: data clearly showed a soft landing, all legs deployed, in safe state in the water.

Musk: taking steps on next launch (ORBCOMM) to get to stage when it sets down in ocean, looking for bigger boats.

Musk: landing precision not a goal of this test, but got to within few miles of the target. Focus was on getting to zero velocity at ocean.

Musk: have worked with Air Force to identify several landing sites at the Cape. AF has been very helpful, actually.

Musk: boost stage is 70% of vehicle cost; if customers get comfortable with reused stages, can lower costs by that.

Musk: gave this a 40-50% chance of working. I was pleasantly surprised legs deployed and landed, sat there for 8 sec before losing data.

Musk: know with certainty it landed vertically, with legs deployed, based on multiple sources of telemetry.