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The US space agency (Nasa) has launched a prototype rocket designed to replace the ageing space shuttle.

The Ares I-X blasted off锛堢偣鐏捣椋烇級 from Florida on a BATBL50L6 flight that will test technology for the development of a future manned launch vehicle. The 100m-tall, syringe锛堟敞灏勫櫒锛?like
 

rocket roared into the sky at 1530 GMT from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center. The acer um09e71 stick-thin launcher is the first Nasa has built in more than three decades, but its future is uncertain.
 

The $450m (300m euros; 锟?75m) Ares I-X is what acer um08a73 Nasa describes as a "Pathfinder" vehicle.

It was designed to climb about 40km (25 miles) into the acer 3680 battery sky during the powered phase of its two-minute flight. The acer 5050 battery I-X carried more than 700 sensors to measure vehicle
 

aerodynamics , controls and performance of the rocket's first stage.

"This is a huge step forward for Nasa's acer 5100 battery exploration goals," said Doug Cooke, an associate administrator at the space agency's headquarters in Washington DC.

"Ares I-X provides Nasa with an enormous amount of data that will be used to improve the design and safety of the 9 cell acer battery next generation of American spaceflight vehicles - vehicles that
 

could again take humans beyond low Earth orbit."

The top half of the rocket is a dummy. What would 6 cell acer battery be an upper stage, with a crew capsule and its emergency escape mechanism, is actually a simulator made to the correct shape
 

and weight.

After the two portions separated, parachutes锛堥檷钀戒紴锛?were expected to open up, dropping the booster into the replacement laptop battery Atlantic, where recovery ships锛堝畤鑸櫒鍥炴敹鑸帮級 were waiting to
 

retrieve锛堟仮澶嶏紝琛ュ伩锛?it.

The upper, dummy portion of the rocket fell uncontrolled acer laptop battery replacement into the ocean and was destroyed on impact. These parts were not intended to be recovered.

The rocket was scheduled to launch on Tuesday, but the attempt had to be scrubbed锛堢敤鍔涙摝娲楋級 due in VGP-BPS9/S part to bad weather. Forecasters gave only a 40% chance of acceptable
 

weather for Wednesday's launch attempt. Controllers had to Dell Latitude D600 Battery wait for interfering clouds to clear, finally launching the I-X three-and-a-half hours into its lift-off window.

The rocket systems had to be re-tested after more than 150 lightning strikes were reported around the launch pad HP DV6000 Battery overnight. A recent report has cast doubt on the future of the Ares
 

programme.

The Augustine panel, which had been asked to review the Vostro 1500 Battery US human spaceflight programme, published its report on 22 October. Although the panel supported the Ares I-X test flight,
 

it questioned the need to develop the launch vehicle. In particular, the panel queried the cost and design of the craft as well as its development time.

The decision on the future of the Ares I and the rest of the Sony VGP-BPS21 Constellation programme now rests with President Barack Obama who is expected to give a response in coming weeks.
 

The UN secretary condemns terrorists鈥?attacks in Kabul

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned as IBM 40Y6799 "shocking and shameless" a Taliban raid which killed at least five UN workers in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Three Afghans also died when suicide bombers stormed a UN guesthouse锛堝棣嗭級 in the city, but Mr Ban said the UN would not be deterred锛堝埗姝級 from its mission there.

The Taliban said the attack was the first step in its bid to disrupt next week's presidential run-off election.

But the White House said Sony VGP-BPS13AS such attacks would not derail锛堝嚭杞紝鑴辫建锛?the vote.

In a separate attack, rockets were fired at the city's five-star Serena Hotel, but no-one was injured.

The attack on the private Bekhtar guesthouse in the Shar-i-Naw district was the deadliest on the United Nations in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said Dell XX327 they carried out the raid, in a telephone call to the AssociatedPress news agency. He said it was the "first attack" in the run-up to
 

the second round of the presidential election on 7 November. In New York, Mr Ban said: "This is a sad day and a very difficult day for the United Nations." "I want to extend my deepest
 

condolences锛堝悐鍞侊紝鍝€鎮硷級 to the families, and to our UN family."

He condemned the "shocking and shameless act", but he said the UN would not be deterred from its "noble mission". "We stand by the people of Afghanistan today, and we will do sotomorrow," he said.