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June 11th 09, 10:10 PM
June 11, 2009

Ashley Edwards/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1756/0668



Amber Philman
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468


Jessica Rye
ATK Space Systems, Salt Lake City
321-328-2468


Tracy Yates
United Space Alliance, Houston
321-861-3956


RELEASE: 09-134

NASA'S ARES I-X ROCKET ACHIEVES HISTORIC HARDWARE MILESTONES

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Constellation Program reached two
major
processing milestones this week as two new pieces of Ares I-X
hardware were transferred for final assembly in preparation for the
first flight test of the rocket later this summer at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.

Once stacking operations begin later this month, it will be the first
time a new vehicle has been stacked on NASA's Mobile Launch Platform
in more than 25 years.

The forward assembly, composed of the forward skirt, forward skirt
extension and the frustum, was moved Thursday from Kennedy's Assembly
Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, to the Vehicle Assembly Building for
stacking operations.

The aft skirt was moved Monday from the ARF to the Rotation
Processing
and Surge Facility to be attached to the aft motor segment, forming
the aft assembly. The assembly will next move to the Vehicle Assembly
Building for stacking on the Mobile Launcher Platform.

The Ares I-X rocket is a combination of existing and simulator
hardware that will resemble the Ares I crew launch vehicle in size,
shape and weight. It will provide valuable flight data to guide the
final design of the Ares I, which will launch astronauts in the Orion
crew exploration vehicle.

"This is a very exciting week for the team to have the hardware
moving
out of the ARF, showing how much progress we've made and that we are
that much closer to launch," said NASA Ares I-X mission manager Bob
Ess of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The flight test of the Ares I-X will bring NASA one-step closer to
its
Constellation Program's exploration goals of returning humans to the
moon for sustained exploration of the lunar surface and missions to
destinations beyond.

The forward assembly connects the 12-foot diameter first stage motor
to the 18-foot diameter upper stage simulator. Weighing more than
40,000 pounds, the assembly houses three newly designed descent
parachutes for first stage recovery.

The aft skirt, which is used at the bottom of the Solid Rocket
Boosters for the Space Shuttle Program, was modified over the last
year and a half for use on Ares I-X. Some modifications include
adding deceleration and tumble motors, avionics and a controller for
the auxiliary power unit.

"This week is the culmination of tremendous hard work and dedication
by the entire NASA and contractor team," said Joe Oliva, first stage
program manager for the Ares I-X at ATK Space Systems in Salt Lake
City. "These milestones are leading us to a flight test later this
year that will provide our proof of concept data for NASA's next
generation of launch vehicles."

United Space Alliance, of Houston, under a subcontract to ATK
completed the processing and integration of the forward assembly and
aft skirt. ATK is NASA's prime contractor for the first stage of the
Ares I rocket.

Video B-roll of the arrival of the Ares I-X hardware will be
available
on NASA Television's Video File feed. For NASA TV streaming video,
schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Ares I-X and NASA next-generation
spacecraft, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ares

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