NASA Launches "Flying Saucer" into Earth's Atmosphere

After weeks of delays, NASA has launched a prototype flying saucer they hope can one day be used for a mission to Mars. The saucer was released into the air with aid of a weather balloon this morning. It was then parachuted down through the upper reaches of the atmosphere in conditions similar to what the craft would experience on Mars. The parachute designs are nearly identical to the the kind that helped the twin Viking spacecraft reach the red planet in 1976.