The next test of the Ares Launch system is not scheduled to launch for another five years in 2014.

This is the first time in 25 years a new space vehicle has been stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

The initial Ares 1-X launch will be a test only of the first stage, with a mockup of the second stage and crew vehicle providing the weight and shape of the actual components.

The Ares booster uses evolution of technology and testing procedures developed for use on the Apollo program.

Companies in twelve states manufactured components for the Ares 1 booster, with support being supplied by 6 NASA facilities in six states.

The Ares 1-X is the first full-up test of the new Ares 1 booster that is intended to take Astronauts back to the moon and eventually beyond.

Want to get involved?  Then check out the NASA Aeronautics Student Competition!  This year’s competition is focused on increasing the effectiveness of rotorcraft in rescue ops. See http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/competitions.htm for more information.

The Subsonic Fixed-Wing group is currently working on research that could significantly lower the noise around large airports.  The current goal is to reduce commercial aircraft noise output by 40% in the next twenty years.  The overall goal is that by 2035, no one will hear aircraft taking off over the normal noise of a busy city.

The Hypersonic research group is looking at two vehicles, one as a prototype to replace the space shuttle and the other as a reliable reusable vehicle to land humans on Mars.  Though it’s named ‘Aeronautics’ they are going to space too.

This program was established because NASA expects air traffic to more than double in the next 10 years.

FAP (Fundamental Aeronautics Program) works principally with 4 NASA Centers: Langley, Glenn, Ames and Dryden.

This program includes four sections, focusing on supersonic, hypersonic and subsonic research, with subsonic including both fixed wing and rotary wing (read planes and helicopters).

Fundamental Aeronautics is a NASA program to invest and investigate the core competencies of aeronautics.  Their overall objective is to create a cleaner, quieter, and safer national air transportation network.

Speedo’s LZR Racer competition swimsuit was developed with help from the drag experts at Langley research center.

If the LCROSS mission is successful in finding water on the moon, it will greatly impact NASA’s future plans for long term exploration of the moon.  A successful lunar outpost is a crucial part of the exploration of the solar system.

LCROSS is part of the new generation of low-cost satellites and exploration missions that will sustain the space program into the 21^st century.

The LCROSS mission was developed and is under the oversight of Ames Research Center in California.

The Centaur booster on the Atlas V will be used as an impact probe and hit the moon sometime in early October.  The LCROSS satellite will analyze the ejecta from the impact for signs of water

LCROSS was launched with an Atlas V booster.  NASA has used this rocket for the last 45 years.  An early Atlas variant was used to launch the final four Mercury missions into orbit.

LCROSS launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on June 18^th, 2009 at 2:32 pm PDT.

LCROSS stands for Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite.  It’s objective is to definitively answer the question of the presence of lunar water frozen in shadowed craters on the moon.

The Administrator of NASA is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the US Senate. Major General Charles Bolden, USMC (ret.) is the current and 12th NASA Administrator; he serves as the senior space science advisor to the President.

INSPIRE also includes the Summer Experience, a program designed for students entering the 9th through 12th grades. Last year 356 students were accepted for the Summer Experience. Be sure to apply early if you want to be a part of this exciting program.

INSPIRE stands for Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience and is a national program for students in 9th through 12th grade, but that’s nothing new. The INSPIRE program is. In its second year of the Online Community, the INSPIRE OLC currently has over 1300 students.

NASA stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; there are ten NASA centers nationwide, not including NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.