The Ares I-X avionics system is known as the “brains of the operation.” Last week the first stage avionics were installed in the third, or aft, piece of the fifth segment simulator in the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC.

Avionics control every active portion of the test flight, from liftoff to navigation to data collection and parachute deployment. In addition to controlling the rocket, the avionics will be collecting, transmitting, and storing engineering data before, during, and after the flight. The information gathered by the avionics system will be incorporated into further computer simulations and analyses to help NASA better understand how the Ares I crew launch vehicle will fly and interact with its environment. 

Avionics hardware is being installed in nearly every part of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle, from the crew module and launch abort system simulators to the aft skirt of the first stage.

You can read more about Ares I-X avionics on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares_I-X

Ares I-X is growing smarter everyday!