Ares I-X Launch

The much anticipated launch of Ares I-X came to fruition on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at 11:30, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
These pictures of the launch were the view from the Banana Creek VIP viewing area, where many of those who worked tirelessly for over three years to bring Ares from concept to launch, and their guests were gathered to witness the beginning of the next generation of U.S. manned spaceflight.

On the right side of the photos, above the countdown clock, you can see Space Shuttle Atlantis on pad 39A, ready for the STS-129 mission in November.

Clouds, cargo ship made NASA officials call off the test flight on Tuesday.

Here is a short piece of video from the scrubbed mission on Tuesday. Tuesday was the day when we heard the term, Triboelectrification used a lot in the audio feeds we listened to at Banana Creek. The Triboelectrification trouble is explained here, by Astroprof, and here on Wikipedia.

Ares I-X test flight

I'm looking forward to being present at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida next week to witness the first test launch of America's new next generation space flight system. The launch is scheduled to be on Tuesday morning at 8AM, with a second launch window on Wednesday morning if the weather doesn't cooperate. I hope to have some video and photos to share when I return. Ares I-X is ready to go and is currently waiting on launch pad 39B.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is also in position on launch pad 39A, being prepared for the STS 129 mission launch to the ISS on November 16. It will be interesting to observe two generations of launchers on the pads at the same time.

NASA's first flight test for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system, called Ares I-X, will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals. The flight test will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I. You can follow the Ares I-X Twitter feed here.

This Ares Quarterly Progress Report, originally released to the public September 30, 2009, includes progress updates on:

-Development Motor 1 test firing

-J-2X component manufacturing

-Upper stage manufacturing facilities and tooling

-Ares I-X vehicle stacking