[mikewarot]

If it's positioning relative to the chopsticks, I'm sure it's possible to know where you are within a centimeter, even with all the rocket exhaust flying around. That's what DGPS is all about.

It's still wildly un-nerving to me that there's no publicly stated option other than the chopsticks for landing(edit: some future passenger craft). Imagine if you've got enough fuel to avoid slamming into the ground, and a nice big ocean, or a lake sufficiently deep... couldn't a water landing happen and let future passengers survive?

[pedrocr]

This is not the passenger vehicle. That's the second stage, this is the first stage booster. They've also landed the second stage but that did a water landing from orbit which in many ways is even more impressive.