NASA's newest rocket blasted off on a brief test flight Wednesday, after a day's delay due to poor weather. The flight is the first step in a back-to-the-moon program that could be shelved by the White House.

The 327-foot-tall rocket roared to life at 11:30 a.m. EDT and climbed away from the Kennedy Space Center atop a torrent of 5,000-degree flame and a cloud of churning exhaust, reports CBS News space analyst Bill Harwood.