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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NASA Readies New Rocket for Test Flight

It's the first new US rocket in 30 years

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(Newser) – NASA rolled out a seaside launch pad in Florida today, preparing to test its first new rocket designed for manned space travel in almost 30 years. The Ares I-X is a prototype of the Ares I, which NASA hopes will power the new spacecraft that will replace the shuttle. It blasts off a week from today, Space.com reports. The $445 million rocket will be the tallest in-service booster in the world.

The Ares I-X will be unmanned, and many of its components—including the Orion spacecraft that will eventually hold a crew—are mere mock-ups designed for simulation purposes. “The Ares I-X is going to fly straight up and straight out,” said one NASA commentator. The rollout, which NASA broadcast live on NASA TV, comes just ahead of a White House review of manned space operations.

The 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket moves slowly to launch pad 39B from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009.
The 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket moves slowly to launch pad 39B from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)
In this Aug. 14, 2009 photo, the new Ares I-X rocket stands ready in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida.
In this Aug. 14, 2009 photo, the new Ares I-X rocket stands ready in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida.   (AP Photo/ NASA)
The Ares I-X test rocket approaches launch pad 39B after a nearly seven hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009.
The Ares I-X test rocket approaches launch pad 39B after a nearly seven hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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5 comments
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JoeQ
Oct 20, 09 2:36 PM CDT
NASA - We bring you yesterday's technology tomorrow. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
chicken
Oct 20, 09 3:19 PM CDT
More like US Government: We've had this shit for years and are just now telling you about it. Imagine what we're making now.
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+2
IN RESPONSE:
reasonator
Oct 20, 09 3:22 PM CDT
Couldn't agree more. We're still blasting off in rockets, rockets that must be discarded in space? And it takes months of planning and perfect weather before we can launch? We haven't developed a ship that can take off like a plane and land like one, after all these years? Government red tape and bureaucracy at its best.
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djferrick
Oct 20, 09 4:18 PM CDT
lol
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JimW
Oct 20, 09 3:08 PM CDT
Better coverage here: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/091020-ares-1x-rollout.html They usually get some pretty sharp guys in the discussions as well. Reply
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