If it were in Aesop's fable, SpaceX's Grasshopper would probably be the ant instead, as the reusable rocket's team haven't stopped working since the 10-story craft launched back in September. It just tripled its previous altitude mark of 263 feet by soaring to 840 feet, hovering a tick, then gently landing on the exact spot it took off, all while making it look easy. Head after the jump for a video of the whole affair, which was captured rather dramatically by the company's hexacopter.
Source: SpaceX (YouTube)
There's no doubt that the future of this country's space exploration lies in the hands of the private sector. And Elon Musk's SpaceX is clearly at the forefront and the company's reusable rocket, the Grasshopper, is a sight to see. In a recent test, the Grasshopper vertically took off, ascended to roughly 12 stories, hovered for a bit and then landed safely. Of course it's meant to go much, much higher but progress is progress.
