Amid uncertainty, NASA plans for Ares 1-X test flights.

Story written for CBS News by William Harwood. As the incoming Obama administration considers whether to accelerate development of the Ares 1 rocket that will replace the space shuttle- or possibly change course and switch to a different system or even extend shuttle operations-NASA is pressing ahead with plans to launch a critical sub-orbital test flight to show off the new rocket and collect valuable engineering data."One test is worth a thousand opinions," said Jon Cowart, a ground systems manager at the Kennedy Space Center. "It's brand new, it's a long, thin rocket. We want to make sure we can guide this thing. Balance a broomstick on the end of your finger, you'll get some idea of what we're dealing with here."

Because the unmanned test rocket features a dummy upper stage and a less-powerful version of the shuttle-heritage solid fuel first stage intended for the eventual manned rocket. Space insiders and myself feel that the $330 million test flight is little more than an expensive show to see if they can balance a broomstick on the edge of their fingers. What is your opinion? Please comment.