On Monday, October 7th, Grasshopper completed its highest leap to date, rising to 744m altitude. The view above is taken from a single camera hexacopter, getting closer to the stage than in any previous flight.
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. The Grasshopper VTVL vehicle represents a critical step towards this goal.” – SpaceX
rocket launch
Frog Meets Rocket Launch
Photographer Chris Perry has captured an amazing photo of the launch of NASA’s LADEE spaceship, but it was photobombed by a highflying frog making this image likely to be remembered for some time. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that the frog survived it’s flight through the air as it was probably directly below the launch area.
The LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) spacecraft successfully launched from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on September 6th and it’s 100-day mission is to orbit around the Moon’s equator and study the lunar exosphere and surrounding dust.
If you would like to follow up on the mission status of the LADEE spacecraft you can head over to NASA’s mission page.