Categories: NASASpace Flight

Morpheus Lander Crashes and Burns

NASA’s “lean and green” Morpheus lander crashed and burned during a free flight test at Kennedy Space Center today, August 9, at approximately 12:46 pm EDT.

Watch a video of the failed test after the jump:


Designed in-house at Johnson Space Center, the Morpheus lander is engineered to use a liquid oxygen and methane fuel — relatively cheap materials that can be stored easily and would be available resources on other worlds besides Earth.

Morpheus’ first successful tethered flight had just occurred a few days earlier, on August 3.

It IS still rocket science, after all…

Images: NASA TV

Jason Major

A graphic designer in Rhode Island, Jason writes about space exploration on his blog Lights In The Dark, Discovery News, and, of course, here on Universe Today. Ad astra!

Recent Posts

A Nebula that Extends its Hand into Space

The Gum Nebula is an emission nebula almost 1400 light-years away. It's home to an…

11 hours ago

41,000 Years Ago Earth’s Shield Went Down

Earth is naked without its protective barrier. The planet's magnetic shield surrounds Earth and shelters…

14 hours ago

Fall Into a Black Hole With this New NASA Simulation

No human being will ever encounter a black hole. But we can't stop wondering what…

14 hours ago

Solar Max is Coming. The Sun Just Released Three X-Class Flares

The Sun is increasing its intensity on schedule, continuing its approach to solar maximum. In…

22 hours ago

New Evidence for Our Solar System’s Ghost: Planet Nine

Does another undetected planet languish in our Solar System's distant reaches? Does it follow a…

1 day ago

NASA Takes Six Advanced Tech Concepts to Phase II

It's that time again. NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) has announced six concepts that will…

2 days ago