Anthony Frost wrote:

In message
Jeff Findley wrote:

This has changed somewhat recently. Reportedly SpaceX is the one who
shelved development of Dragon V2 vertical landing. The reasons for this
aren't terribly clear, but there are hints from SpaceX that this is
because they've decided to change the (Mars) landing mode of their
(eventual) Mars vehicle.

Also apparently NASA weren't happy about cargo flights being used for
testing powered landings.


Why would they care? They get their cargo on the way up, not the way
down. I think it's funny that NASA lets astronauts ride on Soyuz,
which relies on power at landing on dirt for them to survive, yet is
being obstructionist to safety certify Dragon V2 for fully powered
landings on dirt.


--
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
--George Bernard Shaw