On May 28, NASA demonstrated that it can land an unmanned
spacecraft on a rugged planetary surface in the pitch dark.
The free-flight test was the first of its kind for NASA's
Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT.
During testing, Morpheus -- an unmanned spacecraft capable
of carrying 1,100 pounds (499 kg) of cargo -- powered its way up to more than
800 feet (244 m) into the dark Florida sky at NASA's Kennedy Space Center using
solely ALHAT's Hazard Detection System for guidance.