IS it true that NASA successfully tests new tall moon rocket (Reuters)?
At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Ares 1-X experimental rocket — the next-generation of America’s space flight program — blasted off flawlessly through clear skies at Cape Canaveral. This launch shows how challenging rocket science really is: Blue skies over the launch pad in Florida hid a variety of challenges, including static-filled clouds and high-altitude winds. Launching a rocket through these conditions isn’t like a plane taking off from a landing strip: It’s more like shooting a rubberband through a keyhole from across a parking lot. At 11:26, NASA resumed the 4-minute launch countdown that had been on pause since 8 a.m Tuesday morning. The ignition system armed, the water and electrical systems activated, and at 11:30 a.m., the Ares 1-X experimental rocket blasted off through clear skies from NASA’s launch pad in Florida. The ship passed Mach 2, achieving speeds of over 1,540 mph. Then, at 22.2 nautical miles up in the air, “burnout” occurred, a stage at which the two segme
