One week ago SpaceX launched a cargo mission to the International Space Station. (Diary here describing the mission.) While the Dragon capsule carrying the cargo successfully reached orbit and docked with the I.S.S. the attempt to bring the first stage Falcon 9 booster back down and make a controlled landing on a barge in the ocean did not quite succeed. The New York Times has the story from SpaceX, after a week of analyzing what happened.
Fins that were guiding the descent ran out of hydraulic fluid after about four minutes, and the rocket engines were not able to compensate, Mr. Musk reported. The rocket stage hit the deck of the ship at a 45-degree angle, causing an explosion as the residual oxygen and fuel in the rocket combusted — “full RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly),” as Mr. Musk tweeted.
There are photos and video at the Times link; there will be another attempt to recover the first stage with the next SpaceX launch in 2-3 weeks. Meanwhile, here's
a slideshow from the mission, showing the landing barge, the assembled vehicle, the launch, and the capsule arriving at the I.S.S. Photo 4 in the series shows 2 of the 4 guide fins that ran out of hydraulic power - they're folded against the side of the Falcon 9 booster just below the American flag. Here's more
news about the mission from NASA, and
the I.S.S. blog. (Capsule opening
here.)
Here's a CNN report on the attempted booster landing. http://youtu.be/...
SpaceX founder Elon Musk had put odds of success at 50-50 before launch, a figure he admits was a guess. A close one as it turns out; the booster was able to come down on the barge, there was enough fuel for a soft landing, and the guide fins worked - until they ran out of power too soon. The fix seems simple enough. Next time's the charm?