October 23, 2009
Posted by:
Carol Caruso
Next Tuesday morning, if all goes according to schedule, our nation will once again be making history by launching the Ares I-X rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is a thrill to be a very small part of this and to have the chance to watch the launch with a small group of Greater Cleveland Partnership members and staff. I can’t wait! Being a self-proclaimed “space freak”, this will be one of the thrills of my life.
It’s been 40 years since the Saturn rockets soared toward space. Now, with the Ares I-X rocket, we’re on the edge of history once again and Clevelanders can take special pride in this mission. More than 200 NASA Glenn engineers, technicians, and others have spent the last 40 months designing and building the upper stage of the Ares I-X rocket. If you look closely, you’ll see 11 steel segments – the “tuna cans” that were manufactured here at NASA Glenn. They make up about a third of the 27-story rocket. That’s just a tad shorter than the Saturn V, but much taller than a shuttle, and taller than the Statue of Liberty. Amazing. If you didn’t catch the excellent article by John Mangels of the Plain Dealer, check it out. (John should be a science teacher. . . this is the best description of the Ares program I’ve seen.)
The Greater Cleveland Partnership serves as the community advocate for NASA Glenn, which puts us in the position of working with Members of the Ohio Congressional delegation on all things NASA. Our partnership with NASA Glenn is very strong – and gives Nick Gattozzi and me a great opportunity to rub shoulders with a lot of really smart folks. Yes, Cleveland is home to many, many rocket scientists. Our region is so fortunate to have these folks and this NASA Center right here in our back yard. Did you know that NASA Glenn is the only NASA Center north of the Mason-Dixon line? For too long, it’s been one of our region’s best kept secrets. But that’s changing because of the work of folks like John Mangels and the rest of the PD staff. And our local television stations are giving NASA Glenn great visibility as well. It’s a phenomenal asset for the region and the entire state.
Well, think of us next Tuesday morning around 5:30 a.m. – we’ll be on our way to the launch site and ready to watch history being made. We’ll post blog entries from Florida, but be sure to tune in and watch the launch live on television.
Category:
Advocacy
Tags:
ares I-X,
cleveland,
glenn research center,
nasa,
rocket,
space