KSC-2009-4951

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This view captures the 327-foot height of the Ares I-X launch vehicle stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket is undergoing a sway test. The test is simulating conditions the rocket could experience during rollout to Launch Pad 39B, wind conditions at the pad and first-stage ignition. During the test, vibrations are mechanically induced into the rocket by four hydraulic shakers and a sway is manually introduced for lateral motion to measure the vehicle's response. A total of 44 accelerometers are installed on the flight test vehicle that required more than 27,000 feet of cable. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett