How To Land A Rocket Booster

SpaceX successful launched and landed a “flight proven” rocket booster, the second time this particular booster has seen action and making space flight history.

It’s an important step in the company’s effort to utilize rocket re-usability to lower the cost of access to space. Long term, however, it’s an imperative skill necessary to colonize Mars as outlined by SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk.

On an episode earlier this month, we spoke with NASASpaceflight.com’s assistant managing editor Chris Gebhardt about what this means for Musk’s Mars plans.

But just what goes into the engineering feat of landing a 180 foot tall booster that’s rocketing through the sky? How does SpaceX guide the booster back to land or the barge? And what keeps aerodynamic and thermal forces from ripping apart the thin-skinned booster? Fellow space podcaster Anthony Collangelo, host of the “Main Engine Cut Off” podcast joins us to talk about just what goes into bringing the booster safely back to earth.