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Vertical landing rocket


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Actually, NASA has done this in the past with some prototypes. Also, this consumers more resources, not less (fuel  to control the landing, for example).

I will agree that it does look cool and is like the movies, but outside a few niche scenarios it is largely impractical and unnecessary.

EDIT: Expanding upon this; niche scenarios include anytime we need a quick turnaround time on re launch with minimal infrastructure support. For example, landing on a planet and re launching to return to Earth. Arguably, the Apollo Iunar Lander met the same criteria as this VTOL Rocket, but it's approach to the problem was different owing to the complexity of the solution the new rocket accomplishes.

Edited by DrGravitas
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1 hour ago, DrGravitas said:

Actually, NASA has done this in the past with some prototypes. Also, this consumers more resources, not less (fuel  to control the landing, for example).

I will agree that it does look cool and is like the movies, but outside a few niche scenarios it is largely impractical and unnecessary.

Don't look at resources as just the materials that went into it. If it costs less to land it and reuse it than to scrap it and build a new one, that literally means it consumes less resources (raw materials, processing, manufacturing, transportation, assembly, testing, and thousands of hours of human labor). This rocket uses liquid oxygen and kerosene. Liquid oxygen isn't that expensive if you have lots of time to compress it slowly.

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A fair point. Though, development costs for a system of this complexity B arguably more than the dev of the simpler setups. You are right about materials and I was unaware of the fuel type. I was, however, also taking into consideration reusable systems that merely require more infrastructure support.

Edited by DrGravitas
Trying to fix insertion of quote; failing. Trying to fix statement broken while fixing quote I think I lost some of it >_<
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In other news, the latest congressional budget has provided funding for a NASA mission to place a lander on Europa. If anywhere else in our solar system has life, Europa is the best bet. Europa is a moon of Jupiter suspected to have vast oceans of liquid water (or possibly warm, convecting ice) beneath its (confirmed) ice-water surface.

While some believe it is too much too soon to land on Europa, I for one welcome the enthusiasm expressed in by Congressman John Culberson (Chairman of the House appropriations committee responsible for the agency's budget). The discovery of extra-terrestrial microbes would be world-changing event and I believe that NASA is quite capable of meeting these ambitious goals.

SpaceIsForAmerica.gif.7b990e9e931053e233

Edited by DrGravitas
Fixing URL; spacing issues
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Actually some craft about a week ago went into "space" (actually very high in the atmosphere at the boundary to space), and then landed.

The one that just did, the SpaceX one, actually went into ORBIT, deployed satellites, and then landed pretty close to where it took off.
I eagerly await our new space age and my body is ready.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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