Japan Shuttle, in Test Flight, Crash-Lands
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Japan’s delta-wing space shuttle flawlessly approached the speed of sound while cruising over Sweden but tumbled into a field moments later for a crash landing that cast doubt on future trials of the experimental craft, a space official said.
The space shuttle, an unmanned craft only 12 1/2 feet long, took flight Tuesday, lifted by a stratospheric balloon to 13 miles above an international test site. During the shuttle’s descent, two of its three parachutes failed to open properly. The craft crashed into a field, breaking its left wing and nose cone.
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