SpaceX Grasshopper Hovers at 250 meters (820 feet)

[Latcarf]

In the fifth test flight of the Grasshopper (phase 2), SpaceX demonstrated how even in windy conditions the system can compensate and still land on target.

Taken from Wikipedia (filling out a table in html takes a lot of time)

Phase Test # Date (year-month-day) Highest altitude Duration Remarks

1 1 2012-09-21[5] 6 feet (1.8 m)[5] 3 seconds[5]

1 2 2012-11-01[18] 17.7 feet (5.4 m)[18] 8 seconds[18]

1 3 2012-12-17[19] 131 feet (40 m)[19] 29 seconds[19] First flight to include the cowboy mannequin

1 4 2013-03-07[20] 262.8 feet (80.1 m)[7] 34 seconds[7]

2 5 2013-04-17[21] 820 feet (250 m)[21] 61 seconds[citation needed] Flown during strong winds[22]

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[Hooligan Labs]

.......

[Thaniel]

Career mode economics with reusability, mechjebs Autom8or and/or off-focus autonomy/programable/sequenceable, and we can do this in KSP.

I tested a Constellation setup with the first and second stage returning to the ground with parachutes and landinglegs. Worked excelent. Even tried a single drogue chute and a few small engines to slow the tank down during the last few meters. Only problem was it doesn't work when the vessel is not in focus.

But the grasshopper is looking good so far

[Hooligan Labs]

I think I was able to do this with MechJeb as well... An orange tank with a "poodle" and 8x small tanks with aerospikes did it. I was able to take off, go into orbit and land exactly at KSP. Landing took my last drop of fuel. It was great!

P.S. I had attached parachuted but they were not needed at all.

[Latcarf]

Career mode economics with reusability, mechjebs Autom8or and/or off-focus autonomy/programable/sequenceable, and we can do this in KSP.

I tested a Constellation setup with the first and second stage returning to the ground with parachutes and landinglegs. Worked excelent. Even tried a single drogue chute and a few small engines to slow the tank down during the last few meters. Only problem was it doesn't work when the vessel is not in focus.

But the grasshopper is looking good so far

You were able to land the first and second stages vertically? I'm imagining a "shipyard" at the KSC with platforms to house first stages--- rockets are assembled in the VAB and after they are ejected, the stages autonomously navigate back to the KSC and land in the shipyard. *stares off into space, dreamily*

[Hooligan Labs]

You were able to land the first and second stages vertically? I'm imagining a "shipyard" at the KSC with platforms to house first stages--- rockets are assembled in the VAB and after they are ejected, the stages autonomously navigate back to the KSC and land in the shipyard. *stares off into space, dreamily*

I think this is possible, but currently KSP destroys anything in atomsphere that is more than 2 km away from the controlled ship. I believe it is entirely possible for it to simulate automated flight and landing, but it might require simulation by "remote".

[Latcarf]

@elonmusk on twitter posted

@elonmusk: Grasshopper rocket flies up 250m, holds against wind and lands. Vid taken from our hexacopter

VIDEO SHOT FROM THEIR HEXACOPTER?! That wouldn't be very exciting if it was anyone other than SpaceX. I mean, the grasshopper is basically a hovering rocket-- maybe my imagination is going wild but a SpaceX Hexacopter sounds really cool too.

[K^2]

"Nope. Not going to space today."

[Giggleplex777]

Did it just kill a bird?

[Digestif]

Only 99.750m more to go!

[Rune]

You know the first thing that crosses my mind every time I see grasshopper land? Especially this time with the cool aerial footage... There's a spaceship landing "like God and Robert Heinlein meant them to".

Rune. And then there's a big grin plastered on my face.

[Thaniel]

You were able to land the first and second stages vertically? I'm imagining a "shipyard" at the KSC with platforms to house first stages--- rockets are assembled in the VAB and after they are ejected, the stages autonomously navigate back to the KSC and land in the shipyard. *stares off into space, dreamily*

Yep. I made 3 rockets. Basicly the same one, able to reach orbit with a capsule with some orbital maneuvering possible, and/or deorbit, and a docking ring. I.e. a useful launcher. The rocket had a single large SRB as the first stage, a tank for liquid fuel and a matching engine as the second stage, and the capsule with a small tank and engine as the third stage.

I did 3 launches, the first to test the rockets capabilities, it worked. The two first stages deorbited on their own after separation, the third stage sircularized orbit nicely.

The second launch, I added a probe part to the first stage booster, launched, and where I would normaly have followed the top part of the rocket, I instead followed the now empty booster on it´s return to the ground. Two radialy mounted parachutes are enough for a safe splashdown. Two parachutes and 4 medium leggs seems to be enough for a safe dry landing.

The third launch, I moved the probe part to the second stage, launched, and when the second stage separated, I followed that one. This stage had a small extra tank of fuel, a drogue chute, leggs and radialy mounted engines for the last few meters. It worked nicely, the chutes slowed it down enough, manual stabilizing with a single drogue on one side is not for the faint of heart when the ground is closing up fast. But, I somewhat managed a landing. The engines slowed it down enough to reach a safe-ish touchdown speed.

I have no pictures of this, but it can easily be replicated and improved upon. That doesn´t realy matter much, since in the cases where I saved the first and second stage, I lost the cargo, due to KSP´s way of handling things. But it does show that such ideas, atleast within KSP, is a possibility. Wether or not it is practical will depend on other aspects of the game. It´s not an acurate simulation, so the result can´t directly be translated to RL conditions, but I do think the Grasshopper is a very interesting way to go.

[Kerbface]

Hang on, I forgot my hat. Gotta go back.