Preparing for launch

An Ares I-X rocket waits for the approaching liftoff of its flight test on Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Oct. 27, 2009. This is the first time since Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than a space shuttle has occupied the pad. The rocket launched Oct. 28, 2009. (NASA photo/Kim Shiflett)

Off to the stars and beyond!

The stars and stripes on the American flag wave as the Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B Oct. 28, 2009, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (NASA photo/Jim Grossmann)

Ares I-X test rocket launched

NASA's Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.,while awaiting its approaching liftoff. The rocket was launched on Oct. 28, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I. (NASA photo/Bill Ingalls)

Ares I-X test rocket launched

The stars and stripes on the American flag reflect NASA's commitment to teamwork as the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B Oct. 28, 2009, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA photo/Jim Grossmann)

USAF Launches GPS satellite, final USAF Delta II

A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket blasts off with the Air Force's Global Positioning System IIR-21 satellite from Space Launch Complex-17A Aug. 17 at 6:35 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). This was the 48th successful and last in a series of GPS launches on a Delta II rocket ending an era that began in February 1989. During that time, the Delta II/GPS tandem boasted a 98 percent mission success rate. (United Launch Alliance photo/Carleton Bailie)

Making a clean liftoff

A Delta IV rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., June 27 with a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite on board that will help predict weather and climate change once it is in orbit. (NASA photo/Jack Pfalle)