The Ares I is scheduled to replace the Space Transportation System upon its retirement from service. ATK's five-segment solid rocket booster, which will generate a maximum thrust of 3.5 million pounds, has been selected to provide first-stage propulsion. The two-stage Ares I will have the capability to deliver 55,000-pound payloads to low Earth orbit.

Artist's Note: The caption reflects the 2007 timeframe. NASA's Constellation program was cancelled by the Obama admistration in October 2010.

The first version of this digital painting was requested by ATK leadership for the cover of the 2005 ATK Annual Report. It depicted a Crew Launch Vehicle (CEV) in it's original design. This painting is updated with the Ares I launch vehicle and Orion spacecraft. While the Ares I and Space Shuttle would not have been operational at the same time, this angle allowed me to put both vehicles in the same view.

Painted in Photoshop CS2. Hardware was an Apple Power Macintosh Dual G5 2.5 GHz and a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet.