SpaceX Nails Landing for 2nd Time

Will that booster be re-used?

This is pretty cool. If they do this one more time it will seem like they've got it figured out. As mentioned in a previous comment, the next step is to reuse one of these boosters. I would imagine SpaceX won't do it with a payload the first couple of times. Probably just do a test flight with it. Still, that's the next bit of news I'm looking forward to. Well done SpaceX.

USA! USA! USA!

Are these tail landings being perfected for landing on Mars (or the Moon) where there is little or no atmosphere? I would think that recovering a booster in the Earth's atmosphere could be done a lot more efficiently using parachutes or para-sails that can be steered to the desired recovery point.

You might think so but that is not the case....Recovering and refurbishing the 14 story tall $60 million dollar rocket after falling into the seawater all but renders the rocket unusable....and recovery at sea is extremely expensive....total cost more than just building new....Being able to land the booster and refurbish it on land only cost about $.5 million....$200k to refuel and this is about as cheap as you can get...

Buck Rogers had it right after all!

I see your point. The only alternative I can think of is if the booster had airfoils and it could be landed like a plane.

Anyone who isn't impressed should try balancing a pencil on the end of a finger! The inverted pendulum is very unstable.

Great to see them succeed. I know a couple people who work there. They tell me it's very challenging, but also very rewarding. When they kept failing, Elon kept pushing them - not in a bad way, but he kept them confident that they would succeed. I remember sending a text at 2:00 am and he was still at work. He took a break and we talked. Said he had been there for almost 2 days and he was close to finding the solution to his part of the project. He worked those hours, because he wanted to solve the problem, not because his boss told him he had to - isn't that why we work long, hard hours?

Been there and done that. (Maybe nothing as monumental as landing a rocket.) I've worked half through the night on a project, not earning an extra penny, just for the joy of success!