The now controversial NASA Ares 1x demonstrator has passed flight readiness review and rests on the Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39-B awaiting a Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8 AM launch signal, if weather cooperates.
In other words, there are no technical reasons why the unmanned rocket can not fly Tuesday as planned.
Nonetheless, scattered thunderstorms are predicted for the Cape Canaveral, Fla., area on launch day. Because it's the first flight of the new Ares demonstrator rocket, NASA engineers are being extra cautious, not only because of the craft's tall, slender shape but also because of the need to have ideal conditions in which to collect data about its stability and flight characteristics. There is a 40% chance of acceptable conditions Tuesday but it only needs a 10-minute launch window in the four hour opportunity.
This will be NASA's first test flight for a new crew launch vehicle since the first space shuttle was launched in 1981. It will be a historic moment in the New Space Age.
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