I suspect your parent is suggesting on the platform rather than the rocket. I'm not arguing whether or not it's a good idea, but that should shift a large part of the "big and heavy" issue off of the rocket.
That's a good point, and lets assumes that you can rig the rocket's legs for that without adding any weight. The issues I can imagine would be that you wouldn't get much help very far from the pad, given how quickly the EM force drops off with distance. Even worse, in those last crucial instants, instead of only having to calculate in relation to gravity, now you have to consider the rapidly increasing electromagnetic force. I'm wondering if you'd just rip any realistic feet off the lander?
Either way, it seems more like adding complexity, than a safety net. The really hard part isn't the last foot, it's getting it into that position.
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I suspect your parent is suggesting on the platform rather than the rocket. I'm not arguing whether or not it's a good idea, but that should shift a large part of the "big and heavy" issue off of the rocket.
That's a good point, and lets assumes that you can rig the rocket's legs for that without adding any weight. The issues I can imagine would be that you wouldn't get much help very far from the pad, given how quickly the EM force drops off with distance. Even worse, in those last crucial instants, instead of only having to calculate in relation to gravity, now you have to consider the rapidly increasing electromagnetic force. I'm wondering if you'd just rip any realistic feet off the lander?
Either way, it seems more like adding complexity, than a safety net. The really hard part isn't the last foot, it's getting it into that position.