Thu, Apr 16, 2015
Video Shows Landing Sequence ... And How Near They Came To Landing On The Floating Platform
A video released by SpaceX shows how close the company came to making a good landing on its Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) after Tuesday's launch of a Dragon supply ship to ISS.
The video shows the booster coming down towards the ASDS ... which appears tiny in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The booster appears to land on the deck of the ASDS, but ends there and does not show the rocket tipping over into the ocean.
The website Spaceflight101.com reports that after viewing the video, SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Eon Musk determined that "excess lateral velocity" caused the Falcon 9 booster to tip over after the landing. Images released by Musk on Twitter show the booster with its engine running just above the target on the deck of the ASDS, but at a slight angle in the process of falling.
The video was captured by a hexacopter UAV as the rocket descended towards the platform.
Spaceflight101.com reports that while it is still not known what led the booster to drift and overshoot the ASDS, Musk tweeted that "the issue was stiction in the biprop throttle valve, resulting in control system phase lag." That would mean the center engine did not complete its tasks commanded by the control system fast enough during the final stages of the descent.
While SpaceX obviously still has some challenges to overcome to realize its goal of a reusable booster, work is progressing on a landing pad at Space Launch Complex 4W at Vandenberg, CA. The company may attempt a land-based recovery there in July after launching the Jason-3 spacecraft.
The ASDS will return to its port in Jacksonville, FL, bringing home any pieces of the Falcon 9 booster that may still be on the deck.
(Images provided by SpaceX)
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