Comments on: Video of SpaceX fairing drop test

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 03:32:19 +0000

“Missed it by that much!”

By: ted high

ted high — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 19:12:26 +0000

Back in the fiftys and the sixtys when spy sats had cameras that ejected they caught the camera in the air. They had a special plane with poles on the front that acted like a funnel and when they caught the parachute they winched the camera onboard. With the speed of the faring, in the film, they could snare the chute by hovering and lowering a hook and then either lower it to the ground or hook it to a winch and pull it aboard or keep it close for landing.

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 03:45:47 +0000

In reply to Col Beausabre. Col Beausabre: Your comparison to an airliner is inappropriate. That is operational. This was an engineering drop test, where failure is often expected but useful in figuring out how to eventually make this system operational. I personally have doubts about this system for recovering the fairing, but I am certainly not an expert. I admire the daring engineering, which seems to be getting them closer and closer to success.

By: Col Beausabre

Col Beausabre — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 03:43:08 +0000

Bob – “ship comes within mere feet of catching the fairing in its giant net”

Doesn’t matter if it misses by feet or the width of the Pacific Ocean, it’s still a failure. You either catch it or you don’t – and they don’t. You wouldn’t call an airliner “almost” making the runway, “successful” (and I know, “Any landing you can walk away from is successful”). Matter of fact, there would be an FAA investigation and lawsuits.

To my mind, the parasail needs active control. Maybe it homes in on a radio beacon in the center of the net. It can’t hurt that both vehicles are trying to reach the same spot at the same time