First Flight Slated For Next Year

NASA's next-generation rocket system is finally hitting the road... a necessary step before it can reach for the stars. On Wednesday, full-scale components for the Ares I-X test rocket left the hangars of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, bound for a Wellsville port along the Ohio River... and, ultimately, Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

WKYC-3 reports 11 segments of the Ares I-X rocket will make the journey to KSC, where they will be assembled with other components. The completed test rocket is scheduled to launch in summer 2009.

In addition to being a milestone accomplishment for NASA, the rocket parts also mark the first time NASA Glenn has manufactured components for a full-scale launch vehicle in 20 years... an accomplishment noted by Joe Roman, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.

"The GCP is pleased to congratulate the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and its employees on the occasion of shipping the first major hardware pieces of the Ares I-X vehicle that will simulate the Ares I vehicle, the replacement for the space shuttle," said Roman. "This is another key example of the kind of innovative technology that is developed here in Northeast Ohio.

"Today is about the future of manned space flight and the future of NASA Glenn," he continued. "GRC continues to demonstrate its commitment and ability to contribute to the Space Exploration Mission. From design to fabrication, as well as testing of components of the upper-stage mass simulator, spacecraft adapter, service module, and interstage section, GRC is moving NASA and our nation to the next level of space exploration."

FMI: www.nasa.gov/ares/, www.grc.nasa.gov/