Crucial Test Ahead for NASA's Moon Rocket

NASA began a two-day countdown Saturday to a critical dress rehearsal for its new moon rocket, a fueling test that will determine when four astronauts blast off on a lunar flyby, per the AP. Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew, who are already in quarantine to avoid germs, are on track to be the first people to launch to the moon since 1972. They will monitor the dress rehearsal from their Houston base before flying to Kennedy Space Center in Florida once the rocket is cleared for flight.

If Monday's fueling test goes well, NASA could try to launch within a week. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket moved out to the pad two weeks ago. Teams will fill the rocket's tank with more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold fuel, stopping a half-minute short of when the engines would light. A bitter cold spell delayed the fueling demo, and the launch, by two days. Feb. 8 is now the earliest the rocket could blast off.

Riding in the Orion capsule on top of the rocket, the US and Canadian astronauts will hurtle around the moon and then straight back without stopping until splashdown in the Pacific. The mission will last nearly 10 days. The return home, however, could be dicey.