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"      A good year for SpaceX is coming to a close with another impressive achievement. Today Elon Musk&amp;#039;s private space firm announced new progress with Grasshopper, its attempt to build a reusable rocket. Earlier this week the Grasshopper rocket blasted off, hovered in the air at an altitude of about 12 stories, and returned to the launch pad after a 29-second flight. Why do we care? If empty rocket boosters can fly back home and land, it will make rocket launches much cheaper. That in turn could open up space for more uses, for scientists and tourists alike. As PopMech has reported, reusability is one of Musk&amp;#039;s main areas of focus for bring down the cost of each launch. Other companies are likely working on similar systems; the secretive Blue Origin has patented a rocket that could land on a ship deck. So we&amp;#039;ll have to see who, if anyone, gets there first. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a8641/hopping-rockets-reach-new-heights-14904663/>