Boomerang Rocket Ship: Shoot It Up But its a no go!

We're in McGregor, Texas, surrounded by farms (and the ghost of Johnny Cash). There, on a launch pad, is a 10-story rocket ready to take off. Its engines ignite. Up it goes, higher, then higher, then higher still, until at 820 feet, something weird happens. It stops moving, hovers in the sky for about 15 seconds as if wondering what to do next. The wind is blowing, (you can see the smoke blowing off in one direction, so there's definitely a breeze up there) but it doesn't wobble, doesn't tilt, it just hangs there like a candle in the sky, and then, suddenly, it switches direction, and looking down, you can see it heading unerringly for a pinpoint spot on the ground below. It's going back to the exact spot where it began, hits its mark, "legs extended" and turns itself off, like a shy student going back to his seat in a classroom. (more…)
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Cargo Ship To Carry Rocket for Test Launch

A company contracted by NASA to deliver supplies to the International Space Station has successfully launched a rocket in a test of its ability to send a cargo ship aloft. The unmanned Antares rocket blasted off Sunday from Wallops Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore. About 10 minutes after the launch, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles declared the test a success after observing a practice payload reach orbit and safely separate from the rocket. (more…)
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