If we can land the rocket accurately enough to put it down on a tiny barge only slightly larger than the rocket itself, then why do we need to tolerate the weight of the landing legs?<p>We already have industrial robots that can move and grasp heavy weights relatively quickly over distances of several metres -- it doesn&#x27;t take much imagination to conceive of a similar contraption being used to arrest the descent of the rocket over the final few tens of metres of its&#x27; descent - a sort of brobdingnagian robotic catcher&#x27;s mitt.<p>Granted, this might be a bit on the expensive &#x2F; elaborate &#x2F; bizarrely over-engineered side -- but it <i>would</i> look utterly awesome.