Hasta La Gadget!

There’s no doubt that the future of this country’s space exploration lies in the hands of the private sector. And Elon Musk‘s SpaceX is clearly at the forefront and the company’s reusable rocket, the Grasshopper, is a sight to see. In a recent test, the Grasshopper vertically took off, ascended to roughly 12 stories, hovered for a bit and then landed safely. Of course it’s meant to go much, much higher but progress is progress. More »

This test-firing may not match the flame of earlier demonstrations, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted out a brief eight-second video of another setup it’s testing, the “Grasshopper” reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket. While the first hop would’ve been shamed in any interstellar dunk contest, future tests will range in height from a few hundred feet to two miles. The goal is to eventually create a reusable first stage for its Falcon 9 rocket, able to land safely instead of crashing into the sea and being damaged beyond repair. Hit the more coverage links for a few more details on the project as well as pictures of it at the Texas test site, or check after the break to see the video.

Continue reading SpaceX’s ‘Grasshopper’ vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video)

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SpaceX’s ‘Grasshopper’ vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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