KSC-2009-1304

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the Ares I-X forward skirt, wrapped in a protective cover, is lowered by crane onto a transporter. The segment will be transferred to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs