Is the Nasa Ares rocket launch delayed?
WASHINGTON (AFP) – NASA on Tuesday delayed the launch of the Ares I-X, a test rocket space officials hope will replace the aging space shuttle fleet and one day take astronauts to the Moon and Mars. NASA television reported that the launch had been pushed back for a second time because of inclement weather after an earlier half-hour delay, and that the anticipated launch time is now 9:24 (1324 GMT). A four-hour launch window was to have begun at 8:00 am (1200 GMT) for the launch of Ares from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Officials hope that the prototype rocket will be the next generation of US spacecraft, and Tuesday’s test flight is meant to give engineers important data in fine-tuning its design. But bad weather could thwart the launch. The forecast Tuesday shows only a 40 percent chance of favourable weather, although NASA said it needs just 15 minutes of good weather to launch. If poor weather scuttles the launch, the next test flight window will be on Wednesday, when the foreca
NASA’s Ares I-X rocket launch has been scrubbed for Tuesday morning due to clouds and winds, a stuck probe cover, and an unexpected cargo ship in the rocket’s “danger zone.” “We had some opportunities, but just couldn’t get there,” launch test director Jeff Spaulding told the team. “Weather didn’t cooperate.” Ares I-X rocket picture Enlarge Photo _ Printer Friendly Email to a Friend What’s This? SHARE Digg StumbleUpon Reddit RELATED * “Rocket NASCAR,” Moon Base Part of 50-Year Space Vision * NASA “Moon Bombing” a Hit, But LCROSS Impact Invisible? * Moon Exploration Pictures, Facts Although weather for tomorrow is “better, but not great,” according to NASA officials, Ares I-X mission managers decided to set another launch attempt for Wednesday, October 28, at 8 a.m. ET. Ares I-X, Stop-and-Go for Launch Kicking off hours of launch attempts, this morning’s planned 8 a.m. ET launch went on hold due to concerns over high upper-level winds that would have affected the rocket’s trajectory. In
