Project Morpheus Free Flight 08

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Morpheus Completes Sixth Free Flight Test

A free flight test of a Morpheus prototype lander was conducted today at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The 82-second test began at 11:32 a.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending to 465 feet. Morpheus then flew forward, covering 633 feet while performing a 55-foot divert to emulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the automated landing and hazard avoidance technology (ALHAT) hazard field. Morpheus landed 10 inches west of its intended target.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Source: NASA/Kennedy - Multimedia

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Project Morpheus Free Flight 08

The multi-center Morpheus Team successfully completed Free Flight8 (FF8) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) on Wednesday, March 5th, 2014. FF8, the 6th free flight of the Bravo vehicle, flew to 467 feet (142m), altitude and then traversed 637 feet (194m) in 36 seconds, including diverting course mid-flight, before landing in the hazard field 56 feet (17m) from its original target (simulating hazard avoidance). Initial data indicates a nominal flight meeting all test objectives. The vehicle flew its pre-planned trajectory flawlessly, as the attached images comparing actual to predicted trajectory shows, reaching a max ascent velocity of 13 m/s, and landing approximately 10in from its intended target 79 seconds after launch. The Morpheus Team again demonstrated engineering and operational excellence, relying upon training, discipline and experience to ensure today's success.

Credit: NASA/Project Morpheus

Source: NASA/JSC - Morpheus Lander