Mondays are rough, aren’t they? Here’s an afternoon sanity break brought to you by the SpaceX Grasshopper. Video of its latest test flight was published on Friday. HD viewing is recommended.
Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rockets are designed to burn up on atmosphere reentry, SpaceX rockets are being designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing.