A crane lifts the Ares I-X upper stage simulator segment 7.

In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lifts the Ares I-X upper stage simulator segment 7. The segment will be stacked onto segment 6. The upper stage simulator comprises 11 segments, each approximately 18 feet in diameter, that will be used in the test flight identified as Ares I-X in 2009. The simulator segments will simulate the mass and the outer mold line. The upper stage accounts for nearly one-quarter of the total height of the Ares I. It will take the Ares I on the second phase of its journey from Earth, providing the guidance, navigation and control needed for the second phase of the Ares I ascent flight. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett