When I was a little boy, this was the way spacecraft were supposed to behave. They were supposed to be prettier about it, though. The bullet-shaped airframe, the swoopy tail fins, I suppose those will be on the working model?
Sigh. It’s cool that privately-owned companies have gotten into earth orbit. It’s not cool that they can only do it with their lips locked to NASA’s nether regions, and that the only apparent justification is the International White Elephant. But still – however misbegotten the means, the ends may turn out beneficial. Probably after I’m dead.
Now that was way totally cool! But you’re right; it really needs fins.
Looked like CGI to me. If it had landed a little off center, (ya know wind, earth moving, all that kind of stuff) it would have been more real.
But hey, I question everything.
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I swear, this looks like nothing so much as one of those vertical propane tanks — which is pretty much what a rocket is, a flying fuel tank.
Clips from another test last month:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orUjSkc2pG0&feature=player_embedded
Note the 6 ft. tall mannequin stationed in the landing gear for scale. There’s shots from inside the engine compartment that allow you to see the steering hydraulics.
The reason the landing is so precise is that this is actually a self-piloting robot.