KSC-2009-5922

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an alligator swimming in the Launch Complex 39 turn basin is oblivious to the history about to be made from Pad 39B, in the background. The flight test of NASA's Ares I-X rocket is planned for Oct. 27. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge coexists with Kennedy Space Center and provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife including 330 species of birds, 117 kinds of fish, 65 types of amphibians and reptiles, 31 different mammals, and 1,045 species of plants. For information on the refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Index.html. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky