KSC-2009-1864

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X crew/service module simulator (center right) is being moved following a fit check. Next to it are Ares I-X segments stacked. In the foreground is a launch abort system that, with the module, will form the tip of the rocket. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X, targeted for July 2009, will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs