NASA Scrubs Rocket's Test Flight

NASA's newest rocket will remain on the launch pad today because of clouds and high winds. Officials are deciding whether to try again tomorrow morning. Launch controllers tried repeatedly to get the Ares I-X rocket flying and got to within two-and-a-half minutes before calling it off. Minor problems stalled the countdown earlier in the morning.

The rocket's eventual launch will be the first step in NASA's effort to return astronauts to the moon. The experimental flight is expected to last just two minutes. Parachutes will drop the first-stage booster into the Atlantic for recovery. NASA expects to learn a lot— even if it's for another type of rocket. The test flight comes as the White House is re-evaluating the human spaceflight program. (More NASA stories.)