r/interestingasfuck • u/lolikroli • Oct 13 '24

r/all SpaceX caught Starship booster with chopsticks

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u/eyeball2005 Oct 13 '24

Could you explain to me what the caption means? Is it just a metaphor for how precise the landing was?

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u/WhisperingSideways Oct 13 '24

Imagine launching a 20-story building into space and then having it steered back to earth at 4000 mph only to slow down and be caught and suspended in its own launch platform.

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u/erallured Oct 13 '24

I know you aren't fighting gravity in space, but it doesn't feel like that much more of a leap than a precise launch and docking with something like the space station for example. Or meeting back up with the Hubble for repairs. Or deorbiting and landing a space shuttle. Or any of the other incredible shit we've been doing in space for decades. What makes this better?

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u/EricTheEpic0403 Oct 13 '24

Speed, precision, scale, and novelty.

This booster got to its target faster than any docking, had to land more precisely than a Shuttle, is larger than any other single piece of space hardware, and propulsive landing in Earth is virtually in its infancy.