A private experimental rocket that could lay the foundation for
a fully reusable launch system has passed its most ambitious
test yet, flying 24 stories high and then sticking its landing.
SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket ascended 263 feet (80 meters) into
the Texas sky during its fourth-ever test flight on March 7,
doubling its highest hop to date. Grasshopper hovered for 34
seconds before heading back down and landing softly at the
center of its launchpad, SpaceX officials said. This latest test
flight, conducted at SpaceX's rocket development facility in
McGregor, Texas, was unmanned. But a dummy dressed as Johnny
Cash rode along on the rocket's exterior, which explains why
SpaceX set its video of the Grasshopper flight to Cash's famous
song "Ring of Fire." "Hey Johnny, how was the ride?" SpaceX
officials said Thursday (March 14) via the company's official
Twitter feed in a post that also linked to a screenshot showing
the rocket-riding "Mannequin in Black." SpaceX wants to make
spaceflight much cheaper by deve