Ares project manager Mike Stelzer is interviewed by a member of the news media on the level of Launch Pad 39B.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Ares I-X ground systems project manager Mike Stelzer is interviewed by a member of the news media on the 295-foot level of Launch Pad 39B. Modifications to the pad to support the Ares I-X rocket are complete. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system.

Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system designed to carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller