Ares Test Canceled

The first test firing of NASA's new Ares rocket was canceled yesterday, apparently due to a problem with a fuel valve. Sound familiar? Of course, complex rocket engines are chock full of fuel valves, so they might fail more than other parts do. The next attempt at a test firing will likely come next Tuesday.

Such problems are common in the development of any new technological system, but NASA and its Ares program definitely could have used a smooth, successful test firing at this point. The Augustine committee is due to present its recommendations on the future of NASA's manned spaceflight program to President Obama soon, and reports say Ares is hanging by a thread. A successful test firing just before the recommendations are made public might have been politically useful. As it stands, the committee's report will be viewed against a program seemingly still struggling to find itself.