SpaceX's most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches and landings (photos)
(May 31, 2021; Space.com)
SpaceX's most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches and landings (photos)
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The booster's appearance, once stark white, was marred by its multiple trips to space and back; the typically blue SpaceX logo was barely visible amongst the scorch marks.
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Even though it's not new any more, I'm still amazed by these reusable rockets. I haven't been following closely, but it seems to me that SpaceX is well ahead of their competition. I'm not sure if Blue Origin's entire fleet has made ten successful flights.
I also read an article a few months ago saying that NASA even had the idea for reusable rockets back in the 60s or 70s, but they decided against it. Imagine where we'd be if they had followed through on the idea 50 years ago.
I saw that claim about NASA too. #bureaucracy
To be fair, back then they almost certainly would have needed a human to pilot the rocket. The article I read painted the decision in a somewhat negative light, but given safety concerns, and the number of failures the modern reusables encountered during testing, I think it might have been the right decision for the time period.