un segment ARES I-X au KSC

SEGMENT OF ARES I-X TEST ROCKET ARRIVES AT KENNEDY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The last newly manufactured section of the
Ares I-X test rocket arrived at the Assembly and Refurbishment
Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

Called the frustum, the section resembles a giant funnel. Its function
is to transition the primary flight loads from the rocket's upper
stage to the first stage. The frustum is located between the forward
skirt extension and the upper stage of the Ares I-X.

"It is always great to get the hardware to the launch site, and once
the motors arrive in just a few weeks, the entire launch vehicle can
begin final processing prior to stacking operations in the Vehicle
Assembly Building," said Jon Cowart, the Ares I-X deputy mission
manager at Kennedy.

The Ares I-X is targeted to launch in the summer of 2009. The flight
will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove
hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I
launch vehicle. The flight test also will bring NASA a step closer to
its exploration goals of sending humans to the moon and destinations
beyond.

The frustum is manufactured by Major Tool and Machine Inc. in Indiana
under a subcontract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, the Ares
first stage prime contractor. Weighing in at approximately 13,000
pounds, the 10-foot-long section is composed of two aluminum rings
attached to a truncated conic section. The large diameter of the cone
is 18 feet and the small diameter is 12 feet. The cone is 1.25 inches
thick.

"We are thrilled to deliver this final segment to the ground
processing team at Kennedy," said Bob Herman, ATK's Florida site
director. "The arrival of the frustum is a significant milestone.
Much rigorous design, development and testing had to be accomplished
prior to manufacturing all of the new segments that make up the Ares
I-X first stage."

The frustum will be integrated with the forward skirt and forward
skirt extension, which already are in the Assembly and Refurbishment
Facility. That will complete the forward assembly. The assembly then
will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking
operations, which are scheduled to begin in April.

FINAL HARDWARE FOR TEST OF NASA'S NEW ROCKET ARRIVES IN FLORIDA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After a seven-day, 2,917-mile journey, a train
carrying the four motor segments for the Ares I-X rocket arrived
Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The motor is the
final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this
summer.

The test flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and
prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and
ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next
crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical
data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help
inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration
vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and
fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the
International Space Station and moon.

The reusable segments departed March 13 from Promontory, Utah, where
Ares I first stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK,
manufactured them.

"We have achieved a tremendous milestone with the arrival of the
segments," said Bob Ess, mission manager for Ares I-X at NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston. "For NASA personnel and contractor
teams throughout the country, this is the culmination of years of
hard work and dedication."

The Ares I-X first stage uses a four-segment solid rocket motor
capable of generating 3.3 million pounds of thrust. The motor
provides the primary propulsion for the vehicle from liftoff to stage
separation 120 seconds into the flight.

The motor segments for the flight test were taken from the existing
space shuttle solid rocket booster inventory. The booster used for
the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward
structures and a fifth segment simulator. These modifications help
NASA better replicate the size and shape of the five-segment booster
that will be used for the Ares I crew launch vehicle.

"As we move toward a flight this summer, it is exciting to see the
final hardware arrive at the launch site," said Bob Herman, ATK's
Florida site director. "We are honored to play an important role in
helping NASA achieve its exploration goals."

Having arrived at Kennedy, the segments now will be transferred to the
center's Rotation Processing and Surge facility for final processing
and integration. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in
the Vehicle Assembly Building in April.