KSC-2009-5669

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Go Ares I-X! A banner on the perimeter fence of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida reflects the excitement building in Kennedy's work force in anticipation of the flight test of the towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket. The test rocket left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT on its 4.2-mile trek to the pad and was "hard down" on the pad’s pedestals at 9:17 a.m. A Flight Test Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for the flight test, is scheduled for Oct. 23. The flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett