Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink
In some very old sci-fi movies, the rockets landed on their tails. Back when I was younger (1970's & 80's) I would scoff at those movies. After all, how ridiculous is it to think that a rocket could land on its tail?
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A rocket landing tail-first is not ridiculous. After all, that's how landings have
always been done on the moon.
Fuel is cheap, and its weight compares favorably with that of parachutes and wings. Using the same components for takeoff and landing is a definite gain in simplicity. We're just now shaking off the old "performance is paramount" and "every ounce saved is worth it" mindset, and getting back to the simple idea of landing a rocket on a pillar of flame so it can be used again.
The way God and Robert Heinlein meant it to be done.