SpaceX, first try at a return much closer to a success than a failure!

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Falcon 9 first stage burns an engine during a controlled descent to the Pacific Ocean. (Credit: SpaceX)

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Falcon 9 first stage in a controlled descent toward the Pacific Ocean. At this point, the stage was about 3 meters (9.8 feet) above the water. (Credit: SpaceX)

“SpaceX then lit the center engine for a single engine burn. That relight also went well, however we exceeded the roll control authority of the attitude control thrusters. This particular stage was not equipped with landing gear which could have helped stabilize the stage like fins would on an aircraft. The stage ended up spinning to a degree that was greater than we could control with the gas thrusters on board and ultimately we hit the water relatively hard.

from the picture above it looks like it came pretty damn close! WOW!

newScientist: 6 months in the air? Swifts, natures endurance mini drone…

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20131014-194818.jpgSwifts stay airborne for six months at a time: by Andy Coghlan. 08 October 2013
It’s possible young swifts don’t spend much or any time on the ground for three years.
Some theorize sleeping on the wing or shutting down half the brain. But it’s known that dolphins and suspected other large marine mammals can be awake for weeks at a time with no harm.

Cygnus docking signals another major eSpace success on the same day!

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An Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo ship reached the International Space Station early Sunday and was captured by the lab’s robot arm. The successful rendezvous marked a major milestone for NASA and a program to fund development of commercial cargo carries to replace capacity lost with the space shuttle’s retirement. (Credit: NASA TV)