From David Ogawa: Landing Accuracy Explained The booster contains high precision GPS, gyroscopes, and accelerometers at both top and bottom ends to precisely interpolate the booster orientation, position, and velocity. The booster also contains a huge number of strain gauges that monitor forces on the structure at crucial locations, especially engine thrust. (Strain gauges are exquisitely sensitive thin films that are bonded to surfaces to electrically measure the stretching and compression of structures.) All of these data inputs are timestamped so the three-way redundant computers can calculate where the booster was microseconds ago. By comparing the past position and vector to the desired course, the latest navigation error is calculated. The computers run many physics equations on graphics cards. These are used to optimize the flight path, calculate errors, and control thrust vectoring, grid fin positions, and cold gas thruster durations. The booster h...