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Comment by chasd00 | Hacker News Reader

The couple seconds of tracking camera footage of the boosters coming back down looked amazing. I wish it wasn't so foggy at the pad!

When the second stage separates there's a few cables that are flying around. Does anyone know what those are used for? Electrical connections between the stages maybe?

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The first time the boosters landed side by side it was perfect weather and they touched down perfectly synchronously: https://youtu.be/l5I8jaMsHYk

that was one of the coolest things i think i may ever get to see in my life.

Was watching it at work, and a crowd was gathered around the desk thinking it was a trailer for a new Star Trek film or something. Told them, no, this is real, and the look on my non-geek office mates faces was absolutely priceless.

I recall that the synchronous landing was unintentional, they are supposed to be staged a few seconds apart for tracking purposes. Also the live feed for the first launched accidentally used the same camera feed from one booster on two windows, instead of the second booster on the second window. This was corrected in the archived video (what you see currently on YouTube for the first launch isn't exactly what was shown live). So that made it look like (from the on board camera perspective) that both landed at exactly the same time.

I'm guessing you're referring to the stiffener that helps the second stage engine's nozzle hold its shape?

no not the stiffener but in the shot were you can see the stiffener at stage separation you can see the cables flying around too.

WAG: data connectors.

WAG?

Walruses Are Growling

wild *ss guess

Wild Ass Guess :)

And there's also the SWAG: Scientific Wild Ass Guess, for when some thought went into it :)

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