Damage To Ares

Upon finding the first stage of the Ares 1-X after its test flight, NASA divers discovered a fairly large dent in the rocket.

The first stage is designed to be recovered and potentially reused once the program is fully underway. It is supposed to float back to Earth under three huge parachutes and ride the Atlantic swells until picked up. On this flight, one of the chutes failed to open, which means the rocket hit the water harder than it was supposed to. That could possibly have caused the dent. NASA will know more once the rocket is recovered.

This blog has consistently noted NASA launch delays, particularly in the shuttle program. Given that pattern of reporting, it's fair to note that the Ares 1-X test flight was actually conducted three days ahead of the original October 31 target date.