KSC-2009-3198

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians closely watch the Ares I-X forward skirt as it is lowered toward the forward skirt extension for mating. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the August 2009 test flight of NASA'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.