Calling someone a "rocket scientist" used to be the highest form of technical flattery. It was reserved for that rare person capable of harnessing lightning bolts to launch humanity into the future. The phrase "it's not rocket science" even became embedded in the colloquial lexicon to describe tasks that anyone could do.

By the turn of the century, however, the idea of a rocket scientist possessing an unfathomable intellect seemed quaint, carrying the patina of an old Tomorrowland attraction. A Luddite with a fondness for space-age technologies like vacuum tubes and Tang. That's set to change later on today.

Starting at 4:33PM ET, Elon Musk's rocket scientists at SpaceX will make another attempt to land the Falcon 9 here on Earth. Vertically. On a barge. Floating in the sea.

What kind of mad genius even thinks of this, let alone pulls it off?