Flying in a Straight Line

[krpalmer]

Although at work this morning, I managed to see on the one news site we're permitted to view that the Ares I-X rocket had launched late in its window (that's not the site we get to see), and after getting back from work I was able to see some interesting video of that too. I suppose a day's delay in launching gave me more time to think about this particular post, and yet I did keep wondering if it was all bravado before the fact, if those prophecies of doom would happen after all... however, the rocket didn't seem to pinwheel through the sky and didn't seem to fall apart in powered flight. Of course, it may yet be declared that this flight "doesn't count" because the rocket used a space shuttle booster without the extra segment of fuel. (It was sort of impressive to see how much just one of those boosters seemed able to lift, though.) As well, what with the recent review of space plans seeming to let everyone confirm the suppositions they had before the fact, I can still imagine some different design, apparently flawless for the reason that it's "unofficial," replacing the tall, thin rocket that did fly.