I agree, but I think right now, even more important, is getting the model for private space flight/exploration right. Currently, the majority of SpaceX's revenue is through government contracts. Cost savings through reuse-ability should be the number one focus, not the technology on how to land on another planet through adverse and unpredictable conditions. The ASDS is really cool and all, and could definitely be something interesting down the road...like a spaceport sitting right off the coast of a major city, ready to take you to the moon hotel...or the other side of the world in under an hour.
But I think achieving major cost savings by landing the rocket in such a way that it could be launched the next day, that should be our first goal right now.
Which is why it makes sense to now attempt an over land landing. They had to make sure it wouldn't miss and accidental land in the middle of Miami or something.
Well if you're going interplanetary, you could just orbit until the weather conditions on the surface are conducive to landing. It's not like you have to predict the weather eight months ahead of time, you just need to know the rough climate conditions and then orbit until you have a day that lines up.
Is Miami important to our overall goal of becoming a multiplanetary civilization? I don't see what Miami adds to the mission and I am quite sick of everyone being so precious about it. I have an ex girlfriend from Miami and honestly, I think we would all be better off if we stopped making excuses for her, defending her, covering for her and just let Elon give her what's coming to her!
HN does not take well to joke comments. It's not specifically mentioned in the guidelines, but falls generally under "off-topic". Feeling is "this isn't Reddit."
Especially un-funny joke comments. Of course that line is vague and hard to spot, but I'm comfortable in saying that this particular attempt was way on the wrong side of it. I think it could have been rather amusing if it had stopped about a third of the way in.
But I think achieving major cost savings by landing the rocket in such a way that it could be launched the next day, that should be our first goal right now.
Which is why it makes sense to now attempt an over land landing. They had to make sure it wouldn't miss and accidental land in the middle of Miami or something.