# Space X Falcon 9 landings on a barge. What is the straight dope **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654 "2017-08-25T14:49:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/1 "2017-08-25T14:49:26Z")
There have been many discussions on whether the Space X reusable rocket technology is real or fake. The company appears to have made great advances and claims them in the media. I find it strange that as a non governmental organisation they clamied the rocket landing on a barge more or less after it happened. They released footage, as far as i am aware, much after the event. Therefore the only scrutiny that could have been applied was to their released footage. How much did the goverment know? After all they would have needed numerous permissions to fly the rocket and bring it back. The military establushment would have been watching every move or were they? Did they know this was happening. Did that rocket take off and land on a barge as claimed straight dopers. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/2 "2017-08-25T14:58:17Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > The company appears to have made great advances and claims them in the media. I find it strange that as a non governmental organisation they clamied the rocket landing on a barge more or less after it happened. They released footage, as far as i am aware, much after the event. Where did you get that idea? I’ve seen several live coverage of their launch/landing. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/3 "2017-08-25T15:10:37Z")
The rockets take off from land and have returned to the original launch pad as well as landing on a floating barge. The barge was used originally to minimize damage to the launch complex if a problem occurred. There are numerous live action landings, the most recent of which was yesterday August 24th. Is the question “Do they truly re-use the main stage and engine?”? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/4 "2017-08-25T15:25:18Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > The barge was used originally to minimize damage to the launch complex if a problem occurred. Also because it takes a bit more fuel to fly back to the launch site than straight down to a barge in the middle of the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/5 "2017-08-25T15:28:01Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > There have been many discussions on whether the Space X reusable rocket technology is real or fake. > > The company appears to have made great advances and claims them in the media. I find it strange that as a non governmental organisation they clamied the rocket landing on a barge more or less after it happened. They released footage, as far as i am aware, much after the event. > > Therefore the only scrutiny that could have been applied was to their released footage. How much did the goverment know? After all they would have needed numerous permissions to fly the rocket and bring it back. The military establushment would have been watching every move or were they? Did they know this was happening. > > Did that rocket take off and land on a barge as claimed straight dopers. Uh, yes? I’m not sure why you seem to think this was so secretive, they pretty much broadcasted every launch online as they were happening, including the failed attempts to land the first stage. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/6 "2017-08-25T15:32:30Z")
If they launch into polar orbit- which they do from Vandenburg, the 1st stage is not going to be flying anywhere near land. So a barge it is. The launch of Formosat by Space-X was just such a launch, and they provided continuous coverage, including landing on the barge live. I really cannot fathom where the idea that it is faked is coming from, except the usual peanut gallery of conspiracy trolls who try to make out anything at all is fake. As another example of 3rd party tracking, try this video, continuous tracking with an amateur telescope from launch to set down of the 1st stage - albeit at the Cape, and not landing on a barge. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/C3j2HjI82mI/maxresdefault.jpg "Continuous Close Up Footage of Launch Through Landing of the CRS-12 Falcon 9!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3j2HjI82mI) ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/7 "2017-08-25T15:47:49Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > There have been many discussions on whether the Space X reusable rocket technology is real or fake. Really? Where? (cite please) I’ve seen one launch live, and multiple others on television. Real. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/8 "2017-08-25T15:54:28Z")
The re entry video was very good. Was that the sonc boom that was audible? As regards the question i asked, got caught up in some conspiracy videos. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/9 "2017-08-25T16:02:16Z")
SpaceX now takes off and lands at Cape Canaveral. The government is indeed aware of this. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/10 "2017-08-25T16:03:14Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > If they launch into polar orbit- which they do from Vandenburg, the 1st stage is not going to be flying anywhere near land. So a barge it is. Not true. Spacex is building a landing pad at Vandenburg, some reports have it done but not approved for landing attempts yet. No idea how many will be RTLS vs barge vs expendable. > [@Nansbread1](#): > > The re entry video was very good. > > Was that the sonc boom that was audible? > > As regards the question i asked, got caught up in some conspiracy videos. Caught up in conspiracy videos is an understatement. This sort of stuff is the rankest nonsense. Worse than many. You can go to Florida and watch this actually happen with any of the landings at the Cape. There have been a quite a few now. Plus, there is a community of people who watch for and track the return of the cores on the barges. There is no mystery here. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/11 "2017-08-25T18:45:47Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > Did that rocket take off and land on a barge as claimed straight dopers. Is this some kind of new conspiracy theory? They live-streamed the entire event, do you think they faked the video? I believe the only real question remaining is how many launches each of their motors can go through before they’re in bad enough shape that they can no longer be refurbished. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/12 "2017-08-25T19:09:18Z")
[Mitchell and Webb](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw) to the rescue again. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/13 "2017-08-25T19:19:11Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > I believe the only real question remaining is how many launches each of their motors can go through before they’re in bad enough shape that they can no longer be refurbished. Yes, this is going to be interesting. I’m wondering how they go about funding those multiple re-use launches or if they even bother trying. Do they offer free carriage to potential satellite customers at their own risk? Or open it up gratis to NFP university or research institutions? Or just launch with a dummy payload? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/14 "2017-08-25T19:30:34Z")
Not exactly sure what you’re asking, but they’ve already done successful launches with recycled first stages. The customer gets a discount. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/15 "2017-08-25T19:55:37Z")
Thousands of people have personally witnessed these landings. You can go to the SpaceX factory in California and actually see the first rocket stage they successfully recovered. Frankly, the Moon landings would have been easier to fake than an actual rocket landing in front of thousands of witnesses with smartphones. I mean, you can go here and there are dozens of videos taken by people outside of SpaceX : [https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/3xm83h/rspacex\_orbcomm\_og2\_launch\_2\_launch\_media\_thread/](https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/3xm83h/rspacex_orbcomm_og2_launch_2_launch_media_thread/) Now, the barge landings were done at sea, so we technically only have SpaceX’s videos, but there’s no evidence they aren’t credible. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/16 "2017-08-25T20:22:39Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > As regards the question i asked, got caught up in some conspiracy videos. Well, there’s your problem. \ Why do otherwise sensible people do this to themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/17 "2017-08-25T20:37:31Z")
Not much to add, but to summarize a bit: - SpaceX has broadcast all of their landings live. - The barge landings have been filmed by NASA as well, but not individuals (since they must stay out of the ocean exclusion zone). - The land landings have been filmed by individuals (as well as NASA). - The results of the barge landings–that is, the barge with either an intact rocket or debris on it–have been tracked by ship watchers at various ports (Port Canaveral, in particular). People have filmed SpaceX’s procedures for moving the stage from the barge to land. - They have already re-flown two landed stages. The customers know about this and have commented on it, and the stages themselves are clearly the ones that landed (you can tell from the markings and minor paint damage). The author of those conspiracy videos is thus a moron. I’d advise staying away from such a blatant source of misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/18 "2017-08-25T20:37:59Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Well, there’s your problem. \ > > Why do otherwise sensible people do this to themselves? I blame chemtrails. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/19 "2017-08-25T21:04:06Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Not exactly sure what you’re asking, but they’ve already done successful launches with recycled first stages. The customer gets a discount. I’m aware of that, but as they try to re-use the same stages multiple times the risks get higher so I’m wondering how that payment model develops as those risks increase. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654/20 "2017-08-25T21:56:17Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m aware of that, but as they try to re-use the same stages multiple times the risks get higher Not necessarily. Most products follow a “bathtub curve”, where failures happen either very late (as stuff starts to degrade) or very early (where defects that slipped through quality control manifest). It may well be that the most reliable flights are several reuses in. Anyway, plane flights, taxi rides, and other transportation services don’t charge different rates based on the age of the vehicle, so I’d expect the same here in the long run. For now, it’s just a (modest) fixed discount. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654.md?page=2)