The news media will flock to Langley on Jan. 22 for a look at spaceflight hardware before it’s flown to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida for a launch demo.
The “media day” will give reporters a chance to view a precisely-machined, full-scale simulator crew module and launch abort system, designed and fabricated at Langley to form the tip of NASA’s Ares I-X rocket.
The launch of the 321-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X rocket will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from KSC. The goal is to demonstrate technologies NASA is developing to carry the Orion spacecraft and its crew to the International Space Station by the middle of the next decade, and to the moon by 2020.
When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew modules will furnish living space and reentry protection for the astronauts, while their launch abort system will provide safe evacuation if a launch vehicle failure occurs.
Rocket elements will be on display at Langley for reporters the morning of Jan. 22, beginning with a briefing by project officials at 10 a.m. EST. Click here for more photos and information.
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