Imagine the material that a coke can is made off. Now imagine a cylinder made of... | Hacker News

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		noir_lord on April 16, 2015 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: SpaceX Plans to Land Next Falcon 9 on Solid Ground Imagine the material that a coke can is made off. Now imagine a cylinder made of that material 3-4 times wider than a barrel and 20-30ft high. That's why you can't land them sideways they'd just crush themselves.

saganus on April 17, 2015 [–]

I guess you are right. It wouldn't make sense to make a rocket that can withstand vertical AND horizontal forces. That would be like launching a brick I guess.

Thanks for the pointer.

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