Giant Leap

" America's next big seven a space making its way to launch pad ever so slowly. The Ares one X -- rock test rocket should say not -- rocket. I set to launch -- next Tuesday from launch pad 39 B at the Kennedy Space Center. And where -- fit at NASA's biggest -- in space exploration going back in 1981. When they're chasing testing the space shuttle. Tuesday's planned launch of the first of three planned test flights that will put man. Back on the moon. And beyond the former astronaut Fox News contributors Tom Jones author of the book sky walking with a brand will cover I believe -- good morning to you. Out of Washington so what do you expect with this launched -- week. Can we determine everything to these -- like this is the way that we're gonna put man back in space."

" Well certainly an important test for NASA because the Ares one is the successor to the shuttle designed to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and then later on to the moon. So before you put people on a new rocket you've got -- tested several times this is the first. Of that series that you mentioned -- this one's interesting in that it's using a live first stage. Shuttle solid rocket motor actually right off the production line in the upper -- of the second stage of the crew capsule. Are all mock ups -- dummies so we're taking an incremental approach you might say as a nation moves on from the shuttle -- two day Ares and that."

" explanation exploration of them. -- the animation that NASA gave us on this is just fascinating Tom we've got on our screen for viewers to see. In total though the flight last just about two minutes right two minutes two minutes thirty seconds."

" That's right just about the same time as the shuttle boosters burn -- and Europe at that point -- about 25 miles high going about two and a half times the force of gravity."

" And you are at about mach five about five times the speed of sound -- when that first page burns out."

" NASA's going to check out the separation of the first and second stage they're gonna recover the first stage under parachutes to C outperformed. And meanwhile the second stage and the crew capsule of course unmanned in this case we're gonna fall back into the ocean and they're not gonna be recovered. Future test flights will incorporate live upper stages and a real Ryan space capsule will that's down the road but for now you believer. Well there's a lot of doubt about whether the Ares is gonna be chosen by the Obama administration as the next successor to the shuttle. They Augustine committee reporting into them this recommended that we go to commercial -- and let commercial suppliers get our astronauts to the space station. Ares one are supposed to do that and so there's a decision coming from the White House about whether Ares one will actually go into production. About 35 flights for faster and -- states."

" Rocket on its much taller than space shuttle I think -- on the launch that we'll get a better view and we can do little side by side comparison assure viewers -- exactly what we're talking about. The test comes out it rolls out I think there's a lot of excitement NASA. When you think about the early days of Columbia in the space shuttle on the launch pad in 1981. We were blasted off literally into a whole new frontier then in this might be the next -- away we go through four. Well the next stage in the next generation now."

" Right and I've talked to the NASA engineers down at Cape Canaveral Kennedy Space Center they're very excited because. These young people have for the first time gotten to build a rocket from scratch. Design it and tested and then move -- the launch pads that are participating in something that's new to their careers the shuttle's been around for almost thirty years. They get a chance -- to write their own chapter in history they're very excited about. Moving on to a new generation of space flight. And you know the fly new rocket you have to tested and you have to experiment and you have to figure out how to get it right and failures can happen. But I think also -- learn from those failures. We're hoping for the best next week your view on that. Your right -- NASA learns from these experiments we never get a 100% successful test but. In this case the first stage -- shuttle solid rocket -- it's flown. Over 200 times successfully and so it's probably a light off and go places they'll. And -- of course the real test is whether the flight control system will guide the rocket in the proper direction and maintain control of the vehicle as it flies through. Five times the speed of sound so it's an incremental approach you'll learn from things that didn't go right and then you move on to incorporate those improvements from results that you've game."

" it's been an incredible couple months to for NASA -- so we'll see what happens next Tuesday Tom thanks for coming in Tom Jones wrote the book -- guy walking. He knows everything there and believe me get a C a -- coming."