CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 26, 2009
Weather Might Delay Tuesday Moon Launch
Rain, Clouds Could Interfere With Rocket's Test Flight
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Play CBS Video Video NASA To Launch Ares Rocket In an effort to take the space program in a new direction, NASA is launching a new Ares rocket. Bill Harwood, CBS News Space Consultant, weighs in.
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This image from NASA TV shows the Ares I-X rocket rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., early in the morning Oct. 20. (CBS/NASA TV)
Forecasters said Monday there is a 60 percent chance bad weather will stall the launch.
The Ares I-X will fly for just two minutes. The first-stage booster will parachute into the Atlantic and be recovered. The tall, skinny rocket is outfitted with some 700 sensors. It's a $445 million test.
NASA hopes to launch an Ares rocket into orbit with astronauts in 2015. But a panel of experts contends it will be more like 2017. The Ares is supposed to replace space shuttles and eventually fly to the moon. The White House, though, is considering various options.
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On the Net:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX
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