CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the Ares I-X forward skirt, wrapped in a protective cover, is lifted by a crane for a move to a transporter. The segment will be transferred to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Wrapped and strapped, the Ares I-X forward skirt arrives at the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the padding is being removed from around the Ares I-X forward skirt. It was transferred from the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers lift the padding away from the Ares I-X forward skirt transferred from the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., workers place protective covers around the Ares I-X forward skirt. The segment will be transferred to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., workers place padding and cables over the Ares I-X forward skirt for its transfer to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the Ares I-X forward skirt, wrapped in a protective cover, is lowered by crane onto a transporter. The segment will be transferred to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Wrapped and strapped, the Ares I-X forward skirt is transported away from Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., heading for the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers begin removing the protective cover from around the Ares I-X forward skirt. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the pristine Ares I-X forward skirt is examined by workers after the protective cover was removed. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers attach cables to the Ares I-X forward skirt, which was transported from the Astrotech facility. The segment will be lifted off the transporter and placed on supports on the floor. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X forward skirt is lowered onto supports on the floor. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X segments 6 and 7 (background) are lowered onto a stand. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X segments 6 and 7 are lowered onto a stand. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane lifts segments 6 and 7 of the Ares I-X rocket. The segments are being moved onto a stand on the floor. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane is attached to segments 6 and 7 of the Ares I-X rocket. The segments are being moved onto a stand on the floor. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X forward skirt is lifted off the transporter that carried it from the Astrotech facility. The segment will be lifted off the transporter and placed on supports on the floor. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X segments 6 and 7 are moved toward a stand. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X forward skirt is lowered onto supports on the floor. United Space Alliance, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt components in the ARF. It will then be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 for stacking operations. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Built entirely of armored steel, the 14,000-pound segment is seven feet tall and 12-1/4 feet wide. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett