SpaceX Falcon 9 Lands on Floating Platform

...and promptly tips over, explodes, falls into sea.

Most companies would keep this hush hush, but Elon Musk, confident that experiments are exactly that, uses the wreck (costing millions of dollars) for some good humor.

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2015 said: @ID_AA_Carmack Rocket hits hard at ~45 deg angle, smashing legs and engine section pic.twitter.com/PnzHHluJfG

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2015 said: @ID_AA_Carmack Residual fuel and oxygen combine pic.twitter.com/5k07SP8M9n

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2015 said: @ID_AA_Carmack Full RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) event. Ship is fine minor repairs. Exciting day! pic.twitter.com/tIEctHFKHG

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2015 said: Next rocket landing on drone ship in 2 to 3 weeks w way more hydraulic fluid. At least it shd explode for a diff reason.

I'm going to have to start finding reasons to use that "rapid unscheduled disassembly event" terminology in my daily life.

"WIFE, I did not have an accident, I had a RUD."

PHeller wrote: ...uses the wreck (costing millions of dollars) for some good humor.

Boosters are normally lost anyway, so it's not a big of loss as you might think. Just whatever additional they added to the booster to get it to land. Probably still millions though...

It's certainly cool that they try though.

Looks like it missed the platform and kind of "deck dived" when it got close to touchdown.

https://vine.co/v/OjqeYWWpVWK

You dont realize how big it is till you see land on one of those shipping containers.

Still a huge achievement to get that close. From space to a small barge in the middle of an ocean? Impressive. They'll get it right sooner than later.

Despite failure it is still impressive. I still like the "RUD" description...

In the helicopter world, I believe I've heard a similar term -- "RED"

Stands for Rapid Energetic Dis-assembly.

I don't think it's really accurate to say it "landed" on that floating platform. I like my landings to involve a full stop.

That was more like a bolter.

His business ethics aside, he seems like a modern day Howard Hughes, without the OCD and reclusivity. I wish I had a fraction of his ambition and success.

The computer is telling me reclusivity is either spelled incorrectly or not a real word. If it isn't a real word if berkeleying should be.

We are entering a very exciting age of space exploration.

PHeller wrote: "WIFE, I did not have an accident, I had a RUD."

SWMBO still doesn't believe it!