SpaceX Successfully Lands Rocket on Drone Ship

(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) — SpaceX resumed station deliveries for NASA on Friday, and in a double triumph, successfully landed its booster rocket on an ocean platform for the first time. The unmanned Falcon rocket soared into a clear afternoon sky, carrying a full load of supplies for the International Space Station as well as a futuristic pop-up room. After sending the Dragon capsule on its way, the first-stage booster peeled away. Instead of dropping into the Atlantic like leftover junk, the 15-story booster steered to an upright touchdown on the barge, withstanding 50 mph gusts. Engines slowed its descent, supporting legs popped out and the final touchdown appeared neat and clean. “The rocket landed instead of putting a hole in the ship — or tipping over — so we’re really excited about that,” SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk told reporters at the Florida launch site. His employees gathered outside the company’s glassed-in mission control in Hawthorne, California, cheered wildly, jumped up and down, and chanted, “USA, USA, USA!” when the booster touched down. President Barack Obama later chimed in via Twitter, praising SpaceX as an innovator. Bigelow Aerospace, the Nevada company behind the equally innovative inflatable compartment bound for the space station, offered congratulations for the “beautiful launch and barge landing.” Although SpaceX managed to land a spent booster rocket on the ground at ...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news