CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 4, cables from an overhead crane lower ballast into segment 7 for the Ares I-X rocket. These ballast assemblies are being installed in the upper stage segments 1 and 7 and will mimic the mass of the fuel. Their total weight is approximately 160,000 pounds. 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. The Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Location Cape Canaveral, FL
Date January 27, 2009