NROL-76 (Falcon 9)
1 May 2017
Landing Zone 1
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Page Two of Two
The entry burn begins to slow the rocket for landing.
The entry burn shuts down.
The booster free falls toward Landing Zone 1 with grid fins providing aerodynamic guidance.
The booster enters the low cloud deck just as the landing burn begins to take it to a soft touchdown on Landing Zone 1. The grid fins can be seen as the dark protrusions near the top of the booster.
The landing legs deploy as the booster exits the clouds. The landing is just seconds away.
Touchdown!
Safe on the ground, the booster starts venting to decrease pressure in its tanks.
Watch a short movie of the landing accompanied by the sonic booms a few seconds later. The video is wide angle since only the general path the rocket would take was known for sure. You can hear the photographers cameras clicking as the booster landed just to the left of the large building.
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