ARES I-X First Flight
Year: 2009
Mint/Issuer: MeasurableSuccess.com
Mintage: 500
Flown metal: Apollo 11 MFA / Saturn V launch pad
Additional Information:
Note: Used Apollo 11 MFA and Apollo 30th/Saturn V Launch pad medals as the flown metal.
This stunning historical medallion commemorates the flight of America's first new man-rated launch vehicle in almost 30 years – the Ares I. This rocket's first flight was on October 28, 2009 from Kennedy Space Center’s Space Launch Complex 39, from which the Saturn V moon rockets were also launched. As a tribute to the Space Race that first placed U.S. astronauts on the Moon in 1969, this commemorative coin contains metal from the original Apollo 11 spacecrafts EAGLE and COLUMBIA, and serves an important reminder that the Ares Rocket and its Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle have their roots in the Apollo program of the 1960's. This medallion also contains metal from the original Saturn V launch pad, which is especially appropriate because that is the very launch complex which the Ares rocket now calls its own.
