CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine fires and the Morpheus lander launched from the ground over a flame trench. During the 54-second test, it ascended approximately 50 feet, and hovered for about 15 seconds. The lander then flew forward and landed on its pad about 23 feet from the launch point. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASAs automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to asteroids and other planetary surfaces.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, comp