KSC-2009-5083

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3, NASA's Ares I-X mission team members Trent Smith and Karl Kendall get ready for the rocket's first power-up. 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/Cory Huston