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Watch SpaceX's Dragon capsule perform its launch abort test
If you were still hitting snooze when SpaceX launched its Dragon capsule this morning, fret not: you can relive the action now. Elon Musk & Co. successfully launched the unmanned spacecraft at Cape Canaveral, Florida around 9AM ET and it splashed down in the Atlantic in under two minutes. The main goal for today's flight was to get a feel for how the vehicle would respond if it (and the crew) needed to separate from the eight SuperDraco engines in a hurry. Measuring trajectory and observing what the impact of an abort would be on the crew are two of the items today's launch aimed to solve. A video of the flight resides after the break (skip to the 16-minute mark) alongside a graphic that outlines the various stages in the test. Fair warning: you'll want to turn the volume down at launch. Update: SpaceX just uploaded its edit of the video, for a better angle on the whole process -- from launch to landing -- watch it here or embedded after the break.
