14 DAY TRIAL // SpaceX Grasshopper is still in the early testing stages, but it's already one of the most impressive things SpaceX has done, and this is the first and only private company to dock a spaceship to the International Space Station.
The Grasshopper will serve as a first stage for the next-generation Falcon rocket with a unique trait in that it's reusable.
There have been reusable spaceships before, but even the Space Shuttle jettisoned its early stage engines.
The Grasshopper though can take off vertically, much like every other rocket out there, but can also land vertically (VTVL), unlike almost any rocket out there, even with a cowboy on board.
The first tests were small, the rocket got a few meters/feet off the ground. In its latest trip though it reached 250 meters (820 feet), a big improvement over the previous record height of 80 meters (262.8) feet.