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To: Cannoneer
The type of motion compensation you suggest requires the vessel to be underway and I don’t think trying to land on a moving target will make things better.

Actually it has the ability to land in motion now, per sey, as it is descending down through a "river of air", and must compensate. Landing on a moving platform, especially one moving with the wind could actually make things easier under certain circumstances.

14 posted on 01/17/2016 5:02:46 PM PST by amorphous
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To: amorphous
Experience doesn't support this, i.e. 3 failed attempts so far. There is technology to afford a more stable platform but is expensive. It is a matter of mass and money. Semi submersible offshore drill rigs use dynamic positioning and motion compensated drilling decks to provide a more stable platform.

So far SpaceEx has chosen to use the crudest of barges to provide their offshore landing platforms. Actually it's not rocket science if they really want to recover the first stage offshore.

20 posted on 01/17/2016 7:46:25 PM PST by Cannoneer ( "..raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.." GW)
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