Check out this HD footage of NASA's flying saucer in action

We've been following NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) program for awhile now, and finally have some HD video of it to share. The footage chronicles the LDSD's recent balloon-and-parachute-enabled test-flight and was captured with a number of high-def and high-speed cameras placed on and around the spacecraft. While it isn't a full, unedited clip, this two-minute video gives us the best look at how the contraption actually works and a different perspective of Earth from outer space. The aeronautics outfit says that the test flight provided it with valuable new datasets that can be applied to next year's hypersonic dry-runs ahead of the LDSD's trip to Mars.

[Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech]