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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The fifth free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 74-second test began at about 1 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about to 476 feet, more than 160 feet higher than its last test. The lander flew forward, covering 637 feet in 30 seconds before descending and landing on target on a dedicated landing pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. For more information on Project Morpheus, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_centers_johnson_exploration_morpheus. Photo credit: NASA_Frankie Martin