Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship: I bet you didn't know about this!

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On 30th March 2017, SES-10 a geostationary communications satellite was launched aboard a Falcon 9 Full Thrust. This launch marked the first time in history that a first stage was reused. Yes a first stage was reused! What's more fascinating is the thing that it landed on, an 'Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship'. Yeah fancy right! Well what's more fancier, its actual name 'Of Course I Still Love you'. It's an Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) floating on the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. 

 What do they do?

 Well as the name suggests it is an Autonomous Spaceport, it autonomously tracks the returning First stage using GPS positioning technology. Additionally it can also be operated in semi-autonomous mode using Telerobotics. It has four diesel powered Azimuth thrusters manufactured by Thrustmaster for hydraulic propulsion. Space X equipped the ASDS with various sensors to gather data of the First stage including commercial GoPro!

 Who made them?

 None other than Space X who also made the reusable first stage 'Falcon 9'. Apparently Space X contracted a Louisiana shipyard to build floating landing platform for reusable orbital space vehicles. Before Of Course I Still you assumed its duties 'Just Read The Instructions' was in operation. It retired in May 2015. Now there's a second ASDS named Just Read The Instructions floating on Pacific Ocean.

 Why such strange names?

 If you read 'The Player of Games' by Iain M. Banks you won't be asking this. Both the ships are named after spaceships controlled by autonomous arftificial intelligence appearing the novel. 

 It's amazing how Space X create wonders. Truly inspiring.

 Of Course I Still You!! 

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