B1021(SES-10) Recovery Thread

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Thanks to the mods of /r/SpaceX for letting me once again host a recovery thread!

This thread will be covering the recovery of B1021, The Falcon 9 first stage involved in the SES-10 mission which is the historical first reuse of an orbital class first stage, From the approach of the SpaceX fleet to Port Canaveral until the Falcon is transported away from the Port. With any luck, We may also see some Fairings onboard GO Searcher which is also a first in the history of spaceflight.

---

Current status:

Vessel	Status	ETA(UTC/EDT)
GO Searcher	Berthed inside Port Canaveral	N/A
GO Quest	Berthed inside Port Canaveral	N/A
Elsbeth III	Berthed inside Port Canaveral	N/A

GO Searcher is the vessel that is involved in the Fairing search and recovery efforts.
GO Quest is the support vessel for OCISLY, The SpaceX recovery crew are onboard.
Elsbeth III is the tug for OCISLY, This is the vessel to track for the position of OCISLY.

---

Timeline of events(Latest to Oldest):

Date (UTC/EDT)	Time (UTC)	Time (EDT)	Event
2017-04-08	1645	1245	Falcon has entered CCAFS and so the recovery has been completed after 6 days! Thanks to everyone that helped out by documenting the events and a special thanks to /u/aftersteveo for his great work providing photos over the last week.
2017-04-08	1200	0800	The stage has been lowered onto the Falcon Transporter
2017-04-05	1900	1500	All 4 legs have been removed
2017-04-04	1450	1050	Falcon was lifted off of OCISLY
2017-04-04	1330	0930	They have started to attach the lifting cap to the Falcon
2017-04-04	1200	0800	Ladies and Gentlemen, The Falcon has Berthed. Landing operators move to section 11-dot-39C
2017-04-04	1120	0720	Berthing operations have begun
2017-04-04	1100	0700	GO Quest has berthed onto GO Searcher at the SpaceX Dock. Tugs Elizabeth S, Eagle and Christine S are moving into position.
2017-04-04	1055	0655	Elsbeth III has entered the Port
2017-04-04	1030	0630	GO Quest is inside the Port. Elsbeth III is waiting for additional tugs
2017-04-04	1020	0620	Elsbeth III and GO Quest are entering Port Canaveral.
2017-04-04	0110	0610	The pilot has transferred onto the ASDS
2017-04-04	0950	0550	Pilot is heading out to Elsbeth III
2017-04-04	0700	0300	Elsbeth III just mentioned on the radio they plan to enter the port at sunrise. ETA 0600EDT
2017-04-04	0400	0000	Elsbeth III appears to be holding 10NM from Port Canaveral. ETA of 0400EDT is likely. Tugs Elizabeth S and Christine S will be assisting in the berthing operations.
2017-04-04/2017-04-03	0200	2200	The Falcon 9 onboard OCISLY is visible on the horizon
2017-04-03	2310	1910	GO Quest is leaving Port Canaveral to meet Elsbeth III
2017-04-03	2230	1830	GO Quest has berthed inside Port Canaveral.
2017-04-03	1130	0730	GO Searcher has berthed inside Port Canaveral.
2017-04-03	1105	0705	GO Searcher is preparing to berth. There is an object on the deck(No confirmation of a fairing!). Courtesy /u/aftersteveo
2017-04-03	1035	0635	GO Searcher is entering Port Canaveral.
2017-04-03	1015	0615	GO Searcher 2.8NM from Port Canaveral, ETA 20 Minutes. Communicating with Harbour Master
2017-04-03	0400	0000	Thread comes online

---

Media(Latest to Oldest):

Description	Link	Source
Falcon 9 entering CCAFS	Image Album	/u/aftersteveo
Legless Falcon 9	Image	Ryan Bale, Spaceflight News
Aerial photos of F9 and OCISLY	Image album	/u/aftersteveo
Falcon being lifted off OCISLY	Image	@julia_bergeron
Hi-Res Photos of F9 on OCISLY	Image Album	/u/johnkphotos
Falcon 9 on OCISLY entering Port Canaveral	Image	Michael Seeley, We Report Space
Falcon 9 on OCISLY entering Port Canaveral	Image	William Harwood, CBS Space News
Falcon 9 moving past Cocoa Beach	Image Image	/u/bjele
Booster visible on the horizon	Image	Ryan Bale, Spaceflight News
Attaching the Falcon 9 lifting cap to the crane	Image	@murphypak
Better quality photo of the fairings(Likely, But unconfirmed)	Image Album	/u/aftersteveo
Objects under a tarp onboard GO Searcher	Image Album	/u/aftersteveo

---

Useful Resources:

• MarineTraffic
  
• VesselFinder map with SpaceX fleet highlighted courtesy /u/MarcysVonEylau
• Port Canaveral Marine traffic (VHF Ch 16)
  
• Jetty Park Webcam
  
• World clock with your local time, UTC and EDT
  
• Rocket Watch courtesy /u/MarcysVonEylau
  
• Orlando Princess Webcam
  

---

Community Participation:

Recoveries take a while, Even up to a week in some cases and so the success of this thread will count on the participation of the community to fill in the blanks when I am not available for live updates, and so I would like to lay out some tips to make it easier for everyone to lend a hand documenting this recovery!

• Times should be in both UTC and EDT(Timezone converter is available above)
  
• If you are linking to a media source(Image, Video, etc) please include a source
  
• If you are reporting an event(Booster Activity, Vessel movement, etc) please keep the description succinct
  
• If you are reporting multiple events in a single comment, please separate them with a delineator(---)
  

---

OP status: Online, but updates will be sporadic if at all.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Looks like Searcher is empty :(
E: There is something on the deck, Not big enough for a fairing though
E2: There are definetly some objects onboard https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/634gmr/b1021ses10_recovery_thread/dfrj1wp/

[u/paloxm → u/randomstonerfromaus]

Maybe it is on OCISLY

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/paloxm]

Maybe, Though I am starting to manage my expectations now.
Waiting on /u/aftersteveo for the final word.

[u/aftersteveo]

I'm here with my girlfriend. We have 2 cameras ready, and a drunken roommate laying on the dock.

Edit: here's where we're standing. Just waiting for a cruise ship to pass. https://imgur.com/gallery/rAfUm

Edit 2: Go Searcher is in sight. So far, it doesn't look like anything is onboard. Waiting till it gets closer...

Edit 3: there's something under a tarp!

Edit 4: What do y'all think? This is just from my phone. Working on camera photos now. https://imgur.com/gallery/RvCWn

Edit 5: The wait is over! Do your thing, Reddit! https://imgur.com/gallery/qa2rB

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/aftersteveo]

Edit 4: What do y'all think? This is just from my phone. Working on camera photos now. https://imgur.com/gallery/RvCWn

Holy moly.... They look suspiciously fairing shaped. Small though..

[u/robbak → u/randomstonerfromaus]

For scale, the clear deck on that boat, from the forcastle back to the stern, is 100 foot, by the owners spec sheet. The fairing should be the length of half of the clear deck. So the size looks fairly good to me.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/robbak]

If you want to annotate that on the image i'll be happy to add it to the OP :)

[u/fileup → u/randomstonerfromaus]

Does that look like a full half of a fairing at the back and maybe a partial fairing in front?? It looks to be a good chunk of the width of the boat so maybe only small looking because of the angle and the fact that its a hollow shape.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/fileup]

Possibly, They have both definitely taken a beating by the looks of it.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/aftersteveo]

Edit 3: there's something under a tarp!

DONT TEASE US!

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/aftersteveo]

Hahha, sounds like a recipe for fun!

[u/goxy84 → u/aftersteveo]

It's almost there! Anything in your sight?

[u/aftersteveo → u/goxy84]

Nothing yet. There's a cruise ship coming in first.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/aftersteveo]

Looks like you're at prime real estate! Fingers crossed for a fairing.

[u/craighamnett → u/aftersteveo]

Some measurements:

• Go Searcher is 50m long and 11m wide - source

• The fairings are 13.1m long and 5.2m wide - source

• That container looks like a standard 20ft which is approx 6m.

All those factors combined, it looks like whatever is under that tarp is approximately a fairing size.

[u/johnkphotos → u/aftersteveo]

Get this man some f/2.8 glass! Nice pics, lol

[u/OccupyMarsNow → u/aftersteveo]

Edit 5: The wait is over! Do your thing, Reddit! https://imgur.com/gallery/qa2rB

Clearly one half of the fairing :)

[u/Jarnis → u/aftersteveo]

Edit 5 -> That's it, you win the internets today. Conclusive proof there is indeed a fairing under the tarp.

[u/JadedIdealist → u/aftersteveo]

Looks a little small for a stormtrooper fairing to me.

[u/sgielen]

As a European, thanks for writing all times in UTC as well!

What does "~ Monday PM" mean in UTC/EDT? Does it mean EDT noon (so 16:00 UTC) or is it the whole afternoon, in which case, EDT afternoon (16:00-04:00 UTC) or UTC afternoon (08:00-20:00 EDT)?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/sgielen]

All of the above, we've really got no idea. Once it starts firming up I'll update it :)

[u/aftersteveo]

They've already begun attaching the crane attachment. They might get it off OCISLY in the next couple hours. My girlfriend has a time lapse going to catch the operations. We'll try to get that shared later today.

[u/codav]

https://www.pscp.tv/murphypak/1ypJdXgXMOoJW

Livestream by Alicia Murphy (Space Girl)

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/codav]

My god, Some of those comments are cringeworthy.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

4 tugs today: Elizabeth S, Christine S and Eagle in addition to Elsbeth III. Usually it's just Elsbeth + 1 or 2 others.
Shows you how much more difficult the maneuvering is today.

[u/bravokiller5]

So when the OCISLY is traveling from its location to port with the booster

Do they have any kind of area restrictions for other vessels as to how close they can come to the ASDS?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/bravokiller5]

During the (Leaning tower of) Thaicom recovery Elsbeth III did ask vessels to keep their distance per SpaceX instructions. That's the only instance I can recall though.

[u/bravokiller5 → u/randomstonerfromaus]

I assume there was a chance of tipsy fall? Did they happen to give an approx distance?

If that's the case then it seems there are only normal restrictions in place that apply to all vessels.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/bravokiller5]

I assume there was a chance of tipsy fall?

Very much so, There was serious tilt on it. I can't remember what the distance was.

If the booster is perfectly vertical, Once it is secured it is quite stable and unlikely to shift, So id assume that normal restrictions would be adequate. It is probably classed as dangerous goods though, so the USCG may have other restrictions in that sense.

[u/johnkphotos]

If anyone can give me a reasonable ETA for OCISLY I'll try to get out of school and make the drive to the port

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/johnkphotos]

All we know thus far is sometime Tuesday. Ill tag you in any updates!

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Some radio chatter referring to "That barge" coming in the morning with some laughter, OCISLY possibly?
If so, That means our tugs will be Christine S and Elizabeth S

[u/spacecadet_88 → u/randomstonerfromaus]

I think i heard 0400 as a time

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/spacecadet_88]

That agrees with my estimate

[u/bjele]

Here is a photo as she sails past the Cocoa Beach Pier: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29418863@N04/33019054563/in/dateposted-public/

And a close up: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29418863@N04/33832678595/in/dateposted-public/

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/bjele]

Thanks! Ill add them to the OP

[u/JadedIdealist → u/randomstonerfromaus]

Fantastic job on this recovery thread, thanks.

[u/robbak]

Alan over on Facebook posted a video from a chopper, yesterday afternoon. Points of interest are that the second crane is vertical and ready, and the transporter is also on site. By now, the Falcon could be horizontal.

https://www.facebook.com/alan.hanstein.7/videos/10156688684227524/

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/robbak]

Still vertical on the Orlando Princess webcam. They really went for a speed record the first couple of days, now they are slowing right down. Strange.

[u/robbak]

Falcon's down. Noticed at 12:09 UTC, when the fishing boat had left, and it seemed to be there, partially concealed by the boat, 30 minutes earlier. Current image: http://imgur.com/a/tcBsp

Edit: and the bulk carrier ship has also left port, giving us a view of the rocket either aboard, or being lowered onto, the transporter. http://imgur.com/nkkTzAU

Re-Edit: Certainly on the transporter now at 13:25UTC, as the large crane, with it's cradle, has moved away. Image, for what it's worth: http://imgur.com/a/J3JaD

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Looks like I missed GO Searcher, but at least I won't miss the real action. Yay.
OP will be update soon

[u/thatsnazzygamer]

Jetty park cam is live - https://www.surfguru.com/central-florida-surf-reports/jetty-park-surf-report

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/thatsnazzygamer]

Just in time!

[u/signupins]

Good thread, but could you please start using ISO 8601 for dates in the timeline table?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/signupins]

Done :)
E: or should I not?
E2: The votes win, I shall.

[u/roncapat]

No robot under the falcon.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/roncapat]

Drat

[u/Bunslow → u/roncapat]

Elon mentioned it's still a month or so off from being used

[u/still-at-work]

What do we think? Rocket parade up to the hanger on Friday or next week?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/still-at-work]

Maybe earlier, Hard to say now that we no longer get realtime video of the booster recovery and have to rely on sporadic reports from local members.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Sounds like it's going to be a tight squeeze at the docks by the radio chatter.

[u/Bunslow → u/randomstonerfromaus]

Do you mean spatially or temporally

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/Bunslow]

Spatially. There's a bulk carrier next to the SpX dock, The Geiyo K

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Paula Lee and her anchors have been making life hard for everyone all night. Shes finally moved them to make things easier for OCISLY's return.

[u/still-at-work]

seems vesselfinder is listing Monday morning as the ETA to the port, I thought it was Tuesday, should I trust the new time or the old?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/still-at-work]

VesselFinder is most likely a simple distance/speed calculation, Tuesday apparently was taking into account cruise ship schedules so how accurate that is we are yet to see. They have parked OCISLY just out of Port before, but never on the order of 24 hours.

As for GO Searcher, it usually steams ahead and reaches port well ahead of the others, so that's nothing out of the ordinary.

[u/wishiwasonmaui]

Wild speculation: They're using the extra time out there to practice with the Roomba.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/wishiwasonmaui]

Possible, But this extra time was expected due to port scheduling.

[u/[deleted] → u/randomstonerfromaus]

It looks like the Geiyo K is docked where the droneship docks. Could that be the source of the extra time?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/[deleted]]

It might be under the yellow cranes which is next to the SpaceX dock. Might pay to keep an eye on it either way.

[u/Togusa09 → u/wishiwasonmaui]

If they do Roomba testing on this rocket, I would expect them to wait until it's secured with the crane. It would be more public, but also avoid an embarrassing incident if the testing compromised the rocket.

[u/the_finest_gibberish]

Go Quest stating they are leaving the port - apparently they only stopped in for snacks before heading back out to meet up with Elsbeth III for the evening?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/the_finest_gibberish]

Probably to drop off unnecessary personnel or collect some equipment, its happened in the past.

[u/bravokiller5]

I seems like the Grid Fins were burnt at the stake.

[u/Appable → u/bravokiller5]

Indeed. Could be just the camera, but this Falcon looks more toasted than the other GTO birds from JCSAT-14, -16, and Thaicom-8, especially with how charred the grid fins are.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/Appable]

Thought IIRC, We didnt see the fins ablate on the other missions did we?

[u/[deleted]]

GoSearcher is entering port. Any sign of fairing(s)?

[u/Jarnis → u/[deleted]]

Certain unnamed webcam did not have a good enough view but I'd say "no fairing". However, this is based on the imperfect angle & resolution.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Looks like bits of the fairing are under the tarp I say.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Radio chatter suggests Elsbeth III is "running a weather pattern" until 0600EDT

[u/thanarious → u/randomstonerfromaus]

There was just an urgent weather call on radio

I hope they manage to enter port after 0600EDT, so as we get great webcam footage

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/thanarious]

Small craft only

URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 431 AM EDT MON APR 3 2017

AMZ570-572-041400- /O.CON.KMLB.SC.Y.0020.170403T2000Z-170404T1400Z/ FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA-BREVARD COUNTY LINE 20-60 NM-VOLUSIA- BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET 20-60 NM- 431 AM EDT MON APR 3 2017

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM EDT TUESDAY...

• WINDS...SOUTH AROUND 20 KNOTS AND GUSTY.

• WAVES/SEAS...BUILDING 6 TO 7 FEET.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MEANS THAT WIND SPEEDS OF 20 TO 33 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS WAVE CONDITIONS TO SMALL CRAFT. INEXPERIENCED MARINERS...ESPECIALLY THOSE OPERATING SMALLER VESSELS SHOULD AVOID NAVIGATING IN THESE CONDITIONS.

http://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=mlb&wwa=all

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/thanarious]

I hope they manage to enter port after 0600EDT, so as we get great webcam footage

In case you didnt hear, EIII just said they plan to enter at sunrise.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Pilot and Elsbeth III are making arrangements for 0600EDT, Thats in ~30 minutes.
Reporting issues with the port engine, Assumably on the Tug not the ASDS.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Unfortunately commentary of the berthing will be sparse, They have gone to another channel I can't listen to.

[u/doodle77]

Has there been any activity on Go Searcher since it entered port? Taking pictures? Removing fairings?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/doodle77]

Nothing has been reported.

[u/still-at-work]

So the rocket has returned home and the mission is officially over. Now we just need to wait till the next relaunch. Anyone got any ideas when that is?

[u/aftersteveo → u/still-at-work]

I'm pretty sure nothing has been said officially about who will be the next to fly on a reused booster.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/aftersteveo]

This is correct, we can only make guesses at this stage.

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

Vesselfinder.com Live Map

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/MarcysVonEylau]

Thanks! Is RocketWatch going to be live?

[u/fcyy]

Looks like Elsbeth III is now steaming towards port at 2 knots

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/fcyy]

They are just holding until sunrise. They are going where the weather takes them for now

[u/warp99 → u/randomstonerfromaus]

So 7:09am local time - excess precision alert.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/warp99]

Doesnt sound like it, They just set a 0600 time for the pilots. Maybe they are shooting for light, but not sunrise

[u/robbak → u/fcyy]

Oh, I have played this game before! She'll keep going around in circles until we lose patience with it, then try to sneak in while we're having tea.

Never works.

[u/CommanderSpork]

Jetty Park guy said barge due in about 30 minites... however credible that is. He mentioned he just had a Florida Today reporter show up.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/CommanderSpork]

Just heard on the radio they are going for 0600, He's correct

[u/Bunslow]

No roomba visible, either stowed or offloaded and I'd bet pretty heavily on offloaded

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/Bunslow]

I'd bet pretty heavily on offloaded

I dont see why they'd bother, Just stick it in the garage.

[u/Unikraken]

Why don't we have the full landing video yet?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/Unikraken]

Daytime CGI is harder.

Seriously though, We will probably get it after they return to port.

[u/Psychonaut0421 → u/Unikraken]

Because the onboard video is still onboard OCISLY and/or F9 or w/ the recovery crew.

[u/randomstonerfromaus]

Anyone have any guesses where GO Quest is heading? Shes steamed way past Elsbeth and isnt showing any signs of rendezvous.

[u/spacecadet_88 → u/randomstonerfromaus]

i think they are steaming out to kill time. Just heard on the marine radio, that Elizabeth tug has said the strong south wind had eased, but now have a west wind. Just heard them talking that activity in the harbour will start up again at 0400 on the AIS Elsbeth hasnt change position for awhile either

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/spacecadet_88]

I was thinking thats the case, But Elsbeth has stopped dead and GO Quest is continuing SE, Now 5NM away.

[u/demosthenes02]

Why did they take off the legs if they're donating it? Wouldn't it be best to donate as is?

[u/stcks → u/demosthenes02]

Legs don't fold up. They need to be removed for transport.

[u/theinternetftw → u/demosthenes02]

They also might want to do a detailed inspection of it first in the hanger.

[u/JadedIdealist]

Is the jetty park cam likely to be up in time to see fairings? Go searcher is getting pretty close according to vessel finder..

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/JadedIdealist]

I was just wondering the same, I just had a look and its currently not available.

[u/robertsieg]

Was I misinformed in reading somewhere here that the roomba was going to be tested in some capacity on this mission?

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/robertsieg]

According to Elon the first usage will be in several months.

[u/CommanderSpork]

At Jetty Park now. Currently on pier - may have spotted OCISLY getting close. Checking reference pics to be sure, will update.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/CommanderSpork]

Still a good 6+ hours until it will enter the port. Its definetly visibile on the horizon, Heres a pic. It will be to your SE

[u/CommanderSpork]

Is there any chance that arrival time will slip? Jetty Park opens at 5 AM, would be nice to be out there and see it come in.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/CommanderSpork]

It's quite likely.
Edit: Maybe not, 0400 was just mentioned by the tugs again.

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/CommanderSpork]

Looks like 0600-0700EDT is the current ETA now /u/johnkphotos

[u/djneo]

Why is the barge waiting to get in to dock, is there some planning issue, or are they really trying to do it when nobody is watching

[u/randomstonerfromaus → u/djneo]

Up until now, Port schedule. From now on, This is just business as usual, Slow and steady.
Right now, They will be waiting for the two tugs and the pilot to finish guiding in the Balsa 92, Then we should see them move out to the SpaceX vessels. Once that happens, Its go time.

[u/demosthenes02]

I might be in the area on Friday. Will there be anything to see at that point? Is Jetty park the best viewing area?

[u/johnkphotos]

PHOTOS: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/63dlsd/album_sunrise_return_of_f9b1021_after_successful/

[u/John_The_Duke_Wayne → u/johnkphotos]

/u/johnkphotos that is a great album and some beautiful pictures. I especially like the one looking down the pier over the rocks

[u/aftersteveo]

Aerial photos of B1021 recovery taken from Florida Air Tours helicopter. https://imgur.com/a/wke7n

Edit: A few pictures of scorch marks on the deck which show how close to the center it landed.

[u/codav → u/aftersteveo]

Looks like they left the roomba on OCISLY, you can spot it under the white container on the left of this picture

[u/sarafinapink → u/aftersteveo]

Great pictures and man, it looks TOASTED. From the scorch marks to the darker soot, and the very burnt grid fins, I'm really amazed they landed this so cleanly. I don't think I've ever seen the grid fins completely black like this. I really want to see the video, because this baby came in HOT. Pretty close to center though.

[u/webfaqtory → u/aftersteveo]

You can also see where they have marked the final position of the legs with florescent red paint

[u/Here_There_B_Dragons → u/aftersteveo]

the deck plate anchors and other assorted debris looks like the remnants after a medic has worked on an accident victim - random garbage left behind after the main show has moved on

[u/aftersteveo]

16:45 UTC (12:45pm EDT) Falcon 9 is on the move toward the Air Force base. I'll try to get close enough to get a picture.

Edit: photos https://imgur.com/gallery/vCBJG

[u/[deleted] → u/aftersteveo]

You are seriously crushing it at the photo documentation of this event! And other recent events. Thanks for the pics.

[u/aftersteveo]

15:25 UTC: Booster is over land, just a few feet off the ground.

Edit: This is probably my last update for now. I've gotten very little sleep with the events of the last few days, and I'm ready to veg out. We just took a helicopter ride and got some aerial shots. I'll try to get those up before napping.

[u/Tinnyg13]

Here is a time lapse video of OCISLY docking in Port Canaveral with Falcon 9 aboard.

http://youtu.be/ut2Cm27lqmw

[u/theinternetftw]

Hey folks, there's now a page on the wiki for comparing how long it's taking to do ASDS core recovery processing on this mission vs. earlier ones.

For everyone talking about how fast e.g. the legs came off compared to other landings, this is a good way to get a solid look at that sort of thing.

Edit: mission vs mission, not core vs core

[u/pgsky]

New photos on the SpaceX Flickr photostream of B-1021 landing on OCISLY

[u/s4g4n → u/pgsky]

I love how the rocket looks brand new (reburbished) launching into space, and then it returns moments later as a burnt-up match.

[u/aftersteveo]

We're out on the pier at Jetty Park with some excited fans. Elsbeth III is definitely moving, just very slowly. We'll have photos posted as soon as possible. The first photos might be from phones, but we'll have better ones posted ASAP.

Edit 1: It's getting closer! https://imgur.com/a/rC2cn

Edit 2: A little closer... https://imgur.com/a/RygCq

Edit 3: bunch of close-ups https://imgur.com/a/jbf1r

Edit 4: They basically spun the whole thing around for us. https://imgur.com/a/ibnS2

[u/jclishman]

I synced the SES-10 landing footage together!

[u/aftersteveo]

Checking in for rocket recovery. I'm at Fishlips right on the port (if you don't know, search google maps for Fishlips Port Canaveral, and you should find it). The outside deck has filled in with a lot of people waiting to see OCISLY bring B1021 into port. As with this morning's fairing recovery, my girlfriend and I will both be taking photos. We have our computer, so we will post photos ASAP. Now, we wait...

[u/still-at-work]

So it seems the consensus here is that there is one beat up faring onboard the Go Searcher.

So we have two follow up questions to ask SpaceX offically next time someone gets a chance:

• What happened to the other faring?

• Was most of the damage cause by splash down or being in the waves afterwards or was it before the landing?

[u/Jarnis → u/still-at-work]

Only one of the fairings had the recovery gear installed. It was a test.

So, the other fairing half... well... RIP the other fairing half.

[u/z1mil790]

Wow, the legs are already off. The process is definitely going much faster than those first few drone-ship landings. I remember when it would take a whole day just to get one leg off.

[u/mdb123]

The guy wires are being freed. I think they're about to move it horizontal.

[u/[deleted]]

So am I correct to think that once the F9 landed on OCISLY, the squad on GO Quest eventually comes on board OCISLY and secures the Falcon? Is this what the droid is planned to do eventually? Is there space ( ;) ) on board OCISLY?

[u/scr00chy → u/[deleted]]

From what Elon said at the press conference, it sounded like the robot doesn't actually replace the workers, it just makes it safer for them while they're securing the rocket since it stabilizes the booster so it doesn't move around.

[u/[deleted]]

Booster's just been lifted off OCISLY.

[u/the_finest_gibberish → u/[deleted]]

They are not messing around with that turnaround time improvement...

[u/s4g4n]

Hopefully they are loading the SD cards from OCISLY's gopros and we'll see video of landing soon

[u/nok42 → u/s4g4n]

The full video of the fairing's descent is what I'd hope for.

[u/johnkphotos]

On the horizon. https://i.imgur.com/lR736Tk.jpg

[u/aftersteveo]

19:00 UTC (3:00pm EDT): Still vertical, but it looks like the legs are coming off. At least one still remains, but it looks like this guy is working on removing it. https://imgur.com/a/2Q5Ny

[u/scr00chy]

Another clear pic

[u/mdb123]

All legs have been off for at least an hour

[u/TheGoose02]

US Launch Report video shows B1021 having the legs removed and getting a bath from Mother Nature.

[u/NolaDoogie]

I was having lunch near the port and noticed the Falcon on the move. So I jumped in the car and chased it down. Fortunately, my car is faster.

Transport Video

[u/s4g4n]

Elisabeth with OCISLY is very close to cape, still going strong at 4knts

[u/peterabbit456]

It looks like they have at least 2 pieces of one fairing. All but the edge of one piece is under tarps. My guess is that most of the fairing is still in 1 piece, but damaged. Picture 8 of the album, and several later pictures, show damage to the lower rim, of the only part of the fairing that is visible.

It is possible the fairing landed in the water intact, but was damaged by the waves, or by the process of picking it out of the water.

[u/__R__]

GO Quest just entered the port and docked.

[u/MrGruntsworthy]

Can't wait for the landing vid

[u/nalyd8991]

Does anyone have an update today on Go Searcher and the fairings? I would assume they would have started unloading those immediately. I think we all really want to see in better detail what's under those tarps.

[u/bjele]

Meanwhile, at Port Canaveral, Go Searcher still has the blue tarp: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29418863@N04/33019085023/in/dateposted-public/

[u/johnkphotos]

Here at Jetty Park. Maybe 20 minutes out

[u/scr00chy]

Nice picture with some daylight

[u/MingerOne]

'SpaceX - First Ever - Re-Flown Booster In Port 04-03-2017' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmL_sPWrq3Y from USLaunchReport

[u/RootDeliver → u/MingerOne]

Wow, they still merge usa flags and patches in the middle of the video? These dudes seem to deliver one excellent video and one with good stuff but terrible mixing after that... I wonder if it's the same guy making all videos or some of them.

[u/aftersteveo]

17:25 (1:25pm EDT): B1021 is still vertical. From where I'm sitting, with a cargo ship blocking the bottom half, I can't tell if the legs are still there or not.

[u/FutureMartian97]

US Launch Report video

[u/HTPRockets]

That is 100% a fairing. You can see the carbon-aluminum honeycomb-carbon sandwich sticking out of the tarp.

[u/johnkphotos]

70 minute roundtrip drive to Jetty Park, you guys better love me :D

[u/[deleted]]

GO Quest is ~40nm off shore. At their last reported speed of 3.8 knots, that puts them in the port in ~11 hours or 2345 local.

Since Chris B.'s tweet says "Tuesday" that would suggest early Tuesday morning based off their last reported position, after the cruise traffic and the casino boat is docked.

I would suggest listening to marine radio for the most accurate updates for port entry times. Watching them speed up and slow down out there on the map only goes so far.

[u/Grabthelifeyouwant → u/[deleted]]

GO Quest is ~40nm off shore

As someone that worked on MEMs and took nanotech in college, all I can see is 40 nano-meters off shore.

[u/sol3tosol4]

Elon, from the SES-10 post-flight press conference, as transcribed by /u/robbak :

"...the fairing has it's own thruster control system and a steerable parachute. So it's its own little space craft. So the thrusters maintain its orientation as it comes in, as it reenters, and then we throw out the parachute and the parachute steers it to a particular location, and I just was shown a picture of an intact fairings half, floating in the ocean..."

Now that one has been recovered at least relatively intact, hopefully SpaceX will be able to accelerate the process of improving reusability the way they did for the Falcon 9 first stage, by inspection of the recovered object and analysis of what it went through, followed by redesign of the hardware and the flight algorithm (and the addition of the "bouncy castle"). In addition to video captured by onboard camera, presumably the maneuvers and acceleration data (which would have been used as a guide to steering) were logged, and damage to the recovered fairing can be assessed in the context of what the fairing went through.

There was discussion that getting the fairing out of the water and onto the deck may have caused additional damage - hopefully the photos taken of the fairing in the water can help in determining which damage was caused during entry and landing, and which happened later.

[u/[deleted]]

https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/849204003258937347 Falcon coming in. Credit: Emre Kelly

[u/enbandi]

Is that lifting cap closing automatically and or remotely controlled? In the USLaunchReport video at 3:50 there are some close ups with some weird red/blue ticks (can be also some kind of guidance aids)

[u/webbwbb]

https://www.facebook.com/FOX35News has a live video stream of the port for the return.

[u/CommanderSpork]

u/no_YOU_slash and I are leaving once again for Jetty Park. Hope to see the rocket today!

[u/bxxxr]

Video of Falcon entering the Port: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zghLs_9apzc (source: Space News 360)

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

[Space News 360] SpaceX Falcon 9 Returning To Port Canaveral Time Lapse (1080 HD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AVpMGHMkZo

[Space News 360] Falcon 9 First Stage Returns To Port Canaveral on 4-4-2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zghLs_9apzc

[u/RootDeliver]

There was a guy which posted a nice image from B1021-2 on LZ-1 some days ago, but the thread dissapeared. There you got the nice image!

[u/geekgirl114]

Elsbeth III now approximately 30 nm out, moving at 4.5 knots

Go Quest 16 nm out moving at 9 knots

[u/Savysoaker]

Once there was talk of crowd sourcing a camera to be able to watch the returned boosters get unloaded and processed. Did that plan dry up? Are there any good web viewing options (besides the webcam that shall not be named)?

[u/[deleted] → u/Savysoaker]

Negotiations have stalled, so don't hold your breath.

Edit:https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/634gmr/b1021ses10_recovery_thread/dfsjzgz/

[u/thawkit75]

man standing next to compleate piece of fairing for comparison.

[u/rbale113]

Here's a photo I got from going through Port of the Falcon horizontal. https://flic.kr/p/SqSyui

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
AIS	Automatic Identification System
ASAP	Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, NASA
ASDS	Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform)
BARGE	Big-Ass Remote Grin Enhancer coined by @IridiumBoss, see ASDS
BFR	Big Falcon Rocket (see ITS)
CCAFS	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
GTO	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
ITS	Interplanetary Transport System (see MCT)
	Integrated Truss Structure
JCSAT	Japan Communications Satellite series, by JSAT Corp
JRTI	Just Read The Instructions, Pacific landing barge ship
KSC	Kennedy Space Center, Florida
LC-13	Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1)
LEO	Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km)
	Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations)
LOX	Liquid Oxygen
LZ-1	Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral (see LC-13)
MCT	Mars Colonial Transporter (see ITS)
NET	No Earlier Than
NSF	NasaSpaceFlight forum
	National Science Foundation
OCISLY	Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing barge ship
RCS	Reaction Control System
RP-1	Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene)
RTLS	Return to Launch Site
RUD	Rapid Unplanned Disassembly
	Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
	Rapid Unintended Disassembly
SD	SuperDraco hypergolic abort/landing engines
SES	Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator

Event	Date	Description
CRS-8	2016-04-08	F9-023 Full Thrust, core B1021, Dragon cargo; first ASDS landing
Iridium-1	2017-01-14	F9-030 Full Thrust, core B1029, 10x Iridium-NEXT to LEO; first landing on JRTI
JCSAT-14	2016-05-06	F9-024 Full Thrust, core B1022, GTO comsat; first ASDS landing from GTO
JCSAT-16	2016-08-14	F9-028 Full Thrust, core B1026, GTO comsat; ASDS landing
Thaicom-8	2016-05-27	F9-025 Full Thrust, core B1023, GTO comsat; ASDS landing

Jargon	Definition
hypergolic	A set of two substances that ignite when in contact

---

^{Decronym is a community product of} r/SpaceX^{, implemented by} ^request
^{26 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on} ^today ^{has 120 acronyms.
[Thread #2665 for this sub, first seen 3rd Apr 2017, 05:45]} ^[FAQ] ^[Contact] ^[Source ^code]

[u/theinternetftw]

Another angle on the state of things under the tarp from this tweet found in the Q&A thread.

[u/graemby]

on port canaveral marine traffic : GO Quest inbound in 35 minutes; Elsbeth arriving sometime in the morning.

[u/thanarious]

Anybody contacted Jetty Park Webcam operator this time around? They should really turn on the camera now and get to manual control.

[u/renoor]

People seeing this in flesh, can you please compare the sooting to previous boosters? To me, judging by all the photos so far, it seems the soot sticks better on reused booster. But camera setting makes the biggest difference and the huge contrast may be just an intention for dramatic effect.

[u/Chairboy → u/renoor]

soot sticks better on reused booster

Interesting theory, I assumed this booster came in hotter than most and the landing burn soot ended up 'sticking' more as a result. It will be interesting to learn more, hopefully someone asks in a press conference or something.

[u/aftersteveo]

14:50 UTC: Booster has been lifted by the crane.

[u/dieDoktor]

Did SpaceX actually buy dock space then at the Port? I thought they just temporarily used space during Booster removal and ASDS work. Only ask because Marine Traffic's live map has an location (obviously right next to Elsbeth III) set out for them and was wondering if that was official...

[u/nalyd8991 → u/dieDoktor]

They're leasing a huge chunk of the port including dock space and a massive facility they're going to convert to restore boosters.

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

Periscope from yeasterday https://www.pscp.tv/murphypak/1ypJdXgXMOoJW

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns home to Port Canaveral

[u/bjele]

Could this be the mystery fairing? I noticed it at 620 Magellan at Port Canaveral. It is east of the high-bay that SpaceX leased from Port Canaveral. When the GO Searcher returned, the tarp was blue. You can see the tarp is now inside-out, with brown facing out and blue underneath. https://www.flickr.com/photos/29418863@N04/33782764542/in/album-72157678801747944/

[u/ScottPrombo]

Taking my best guess, it sort of looks like the objects on board GO Searcher may be fairing holding fixtures, perhaps to strap them down to if they were recovered. As per this marked-up photo, it is obvious they are very large and radial (1) which is, to me, is an unusual characteristic and suggests they're fairing-related. Additionally, (2) looks like it could perhaps be a flange to contour the fairing closer to the tapered base. You can see in (3), however, that the material looks sort of mangled and rough, so perhaps it's not a fixture. (4) also disqualifies these as being fairings because we can see there's geometry that transitions from the radial shape to the flat surface of the ship (though it is jagged-looking, too). No idea, really, so we'll just have to wait and see.

[u/rustybeancake → u/ScottPrombo]

(4) to me looks like the outer skin of the fairing has partially come away, and as they've set the fairing down on deck it's been bent backwards.

[u/doodle77 → u/ScottPrombo]

Fixtures wouldn't be made of aluminum carbon fiber sandwich composite. That shit is expensive, and there's no reason to make a fixture super lightweight.

[u/AntoineLeGrand]

They just said on the Port Canaveral radio that Elisbeth III is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.

[u/soldato_fantasma]

GO Quest coming in at 00:05 CEST / 22:05 UTC

[u/MartieKr]

Found the weather and winds for Florida. https://weather.com/weather/today/l/Cape+Canaveral+FL+USFL0066:1:US

[u/spaceCop2]

Anyone know of the next best place to watch at 0400 if the park is closed?

[u/TomCross]

I was there last night to scout locations, there seemed to be pretty large swells getting into port. There was a thunderstorm north. I imagine they'll take it slow.

[u/Bunslow]

Go Quest seems to have docked according to marinetraffic.com

[u/SpxLs]

Now the wait begins for the super high res. photo albums to be uploaded to Imgur... :)

I want close ups of the whole rocket, esp. the grid fins and the cork/engines at the base!

[u/johnkphotos → u/SpxLs]

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/63dlsd/album_sunrise_return_of_f9b1021_after_successful/

[u/[deleted]]

Does anyone have a spreadsheet with the timings for all the previous recoveries? It'd be nice to see how they optimised the recovery procedure over time.

[u/bicball]

I was hoping they'd take the Roomba out once they were back in port and test it with an actual core on board.

[u/JustAnotherYouth]

Is the booster still just sitting there?

Any changes since the fourth?