Lest anyone think that NASA’s flawless landing on Mars this week didn’t come without some blood, sweat and tears along the way, consider the sad fate of the agency’s prototype moon lander, Morpheus. Sad face.
NASA Prototype Lunar Lander Crashes, Burns
The lander, which looks something like a flattened insect, lifted off as expected, but seconds later it canted over on its side and crashed to the ground.
Any chance of salvaging it ended when a spectacular explosion, probably caused by the rupturing of the fuel tanks, ignited a second burst of smoke and flame.
NASA says we should expect the occasion failures in test programs — that’s what they are for.
