CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will try a second time to launch
its experimental Ares I-X test rocket Wednesday, after cloudy weather and minor
setbacks foiled a first attempt.
The $445 million rocket is the first
of its kind - a prototype of the vehicle NASA plans to carry people to
orbit and the moon - though it is based on space shuttle and other earlier
hardware. The test launch, slated to lift off at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), is intended
to study how well this rocket design works by gathering data from over 700
onboard sensors.
Repeated attempts to launch the rocket Tuesday were
thwarted by clouds, strong winds, and the risk of a phenomenon called
"triboelectrification," which can be created when a rocket passes
through clouds and triggers static electricity that could interfere with the
vehicle's instruments. Additionally, an errant cargo ship that had strayed into
the danger zone over which the rocket was planned to fly stalled one launch
attempt Tuesday morning. Other events, like a stuck sock-like instrument cover,
which crews had trouble pulling off the rocket, further plagued liftoff plans.
While NASA had a four-hour window starting at 8 a.m. EDT
(1200 GMT) to try to loft the rocket, conditions never lined up and mission
managers gave up for the day at around 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 GMT).
"We had some opportunities, we just didn't get there -
the weather didn't cooperate," launch director Ed Mango said after calling
off Tuesday's attempt.
Weather conditions Wednesday are expected to be slightly
better than Tuesday's were, with a 60 percent chance of clear skies. NASA has
stringent weather requirements for this flight since it is an untested rocket
configuration, and cameras need a
clear view of the launch to take useful data for analysis.
The 327-foot (100-meter) tall rocket is slated for a
two-minute fact-finding
flight that will reach a maximum altitude of about 150,000
feet, or 28 miles (46 km), after which it will land in the Atlantic
Ocean and boats will collect its spent first stage for study.
SPACE.com will provide full coverage of NASA's Ares I-X
test flight with Staff Writer Clara Moskowitz in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and
Managing Editor Tariq Malik in New York. Click
here for live launch coverage and mission coverage. Live coverage begins at
5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT).
advertisement
