Morning Rockets!!

You’ve seen this sorcery:

Ya how does SpaceX land and reuse its giant rockets??

Because for all of time, NASA rockets were one-time use:

You launch them

They make it to orbit

Thennnn….run out of fuel and fall into the ocean..

This is insane!

That’s like taking a Spirit Airlines 737 and..

..Ya. just flying it into the water.

So Elon Musk shows up.

And he’s like:

Okay smart aleck.

How then do you land a rocket that’s equivalent to a:

• 20 story building
• Weighing 500 tonnes
• On a 100ft wide landing pad

• In the middle of the ocean..

Well when it’s coming back from space, the rocket is moving faster than a bullet.

So the rocket FIRES its engines backward to slow itself down

Then these waffle-looking fins pop out

Steering the rocket, constantly adjusting to where the ship is.

It flies THIS very specific flight every single time:

Then at the very last moment, thrust is added to match gravity

So the rocket just hovers and lands gently at 0 miles per hour!

Stay Cute,
Henry & Dylan 🌈

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Watch it How SpaceX rocket lands itself..