Test Rocket Shoots Huge Flames

Published : Friday, 11 Sep 2009 (MYFOX NATIONAL) - And we have liftoff on NASAapos;s next generation of space transportation. NASA contractor Alliant Techsystems tested out the first-stage motor for the Ares 1 rocket Thursday near Promontory, Utah. The 154-foot rocket shot out flames for more than two minutes, sending sand and dust into the sky. NASA plans to use the Ares 1 to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020. A million pounds of propellant were ignited in a split second, sending a towering plume of sand and dust high into the Utah sky. More than 4,000 people witnessed the test. NASAapos;s and Alliant Techsystems said they were happy with the results.