http://en.wikipedia....le_launch_vehicle

It mentions the DC-X - a 1990s research vehicle kinda-sorta similar to the Grasshopper - http://en.wikipedia....nell_Douglas_DC-X

The first flight of the DC-XA test vehicle was made on 18 May 1996 and resulted in a minor fire when the deliberate "slow landing" resulted in overheating of the aeroshell. The damage was quickly repaired and the vehicle flew two more times on 7 and 8 June, a 26-hour turnaround. On the second of these flights the vehicle set its altitude and duration records, 3,140 meters and 142 seconds of flight time. Its next flight, on 7 July, proved to be its last. During testing, one of the LOX tanks had been cracked. When a landing strut failed to extend due to a disconnected hydraulic line, the DC-XA fell over and the tank leaked. Normally the structural damage from such a fall would constitute only a setback, but the LOX from the leaking tank fed a fire which severely burned the DC-XA, causing such extensive damage that repairs were impractical.[5]


A page on the SpaceX Reusable Launch System (of which the Grasshopper is a partial prototype) is here - http://en.wikipedia...._launching_system

Elon's done good, but he's got a long way to go to even get to the 1996 record (325m << 3140m)...

Cheers,
Scott.