NASA: The Next Fifty Years?

NASA's first fifty years have brought innovation, discovery, and exploration to the outer limits of aeronautics and the furthest reaches of space. What lies ahead in the next fifty years?

One major initiative in human spaceflight is NASA's Constellation Program—a new space transportation system for returning humans to the moon by 2020 and then sending them onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Under this program, two separate launch vehicles—the Ares I and Ares V, respectively—will send astronauts and cargo into orbit. The Orion crew exploration vehicle atop the Ares I rocket will then carry four astronauts to lunar orbit and other destinations beyond.

Another initiative includes the James Webb Space Telescope, which when launched in 2013 will provide an additional "great observatory" for peering into space. The JWST is an international collaboration between NASA and the space agencies of Canada and Europe. It is designed for the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum and for finding some of the first galaxies that formed in our Universe.

Featured at the Festival

Future Missions
Mitzi Adams, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
A solar scientist, Mitzi researches the magnetic fields associated with sunspots resulting in coronal mass ejections—gigantic explosions of material that can travel through interplanetary space and affect the Earth through aurorae, loss of communication with satellites, and power-grid disruptions. Her earliest memories of astronomy are marveling at the night sky while in the back of the family's 1955 Chevrolet.

Bob Armstrong, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Bob is an aerospace engineer who works as the education and outreach lead in the Ares Projects Office. In an aerospace career spanning more than thirty years, Bob has worked on numerous projects, including the Space Shuttle, Space Station, X-34, X-37, and Orbital Space Plane. The son of a Navy pilot, Bob became interested as a child in aeronautics and space.

Stephan Davis, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Steve is currently deputy manager for the Flight Test Vehicle in the Ares I-X Mission Management Office. He has worked on and led many aerospace projects, including the Strategic Defense Initiative, Gravity Probe B, scientific instruments for the Mir space station, the International Space Station propulsion module, the Space Launch Initiative, and the Orbital Space Plane.

Brian Day, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
Brian is the education and public outreach lead for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, NASA's next mission to the surface of the moon. As the lead for the Education Technology Team, Brian's projects combine his experience as an astronomer, educator, and software developer.

Rajiv Doreswamy, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
As deputy manager for program planning and control for the Ares Launch Vehicle Project, Rajiv is responsible for its budgeting, planning, and scheduling. He also serves as the project's chief operating officer, handling communications, outreach, project integration, and project reporting. Rajiv has twenty years of experience on many NASA programs, including the Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, and Constellation Program.
 
Jennifer Heldmann, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
Jennifer is a planetary scientist in the Space Sciences and Astrobiology Division. Her research focuses on studies of the moon, Mars, and Earth through fieldwork, spacecraft data, and numerical modeling. She earned a BA from Colgate University in astrogeophysics, an MS in space studies from the University of North Dakota, and a PhD in planetary science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  87 Participants NASA

Robert Howard, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
A former co-op and NASA scholar, Robert was hired in 2002 to work in Mission Control for the International Space Station's Motion Control Systems Group before transferring to the Habitability and Human Factors Branch. There, he has led habitability studies for NASA's lunar spacecraft, including the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, Altair Lunar Lander, Small Pressurized Rover, and Lunar Outpost.

Anthony Lavoie, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Tony has held significant leadership positions in science and human-related flight programs during his twenty-five years at NASA. He currently manages the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, which is responsible for the sophisticated robotic spacecraft that will pave the way for humankind's return to the moon. As a high school freshman, Tony decided to pursue a NASA career; he has been an avid space advocate ever since.

Danielle Moran, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Danielle works in communications, education, and public outreach for NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program. In this capacity, she informs and engages the public in the robotic missions that will lead the way back to the moon.

Keith Robinson, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Keith has worked with NASA for twenty-one years and is currently working on projects that will prepare facilities for developing, testing, and integrating components of the Ares launch vehicles. A graduate in industrial engineering from Auburn University, Keith has been involved with a variety of research programs conducted on Space Lab and the International Space Station.
 
Kimberly Robinson, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Kimberly is project integration manager for Ares I-X, where she assists with the mission's overall management and development. Her work includes developing and maintaining the overall mission schedule, risk assessment and mitigation plans, and configuration and data management. Previously, she had management and systems engineering roles supporting the Space Transportation Programs/Projects Office, the Marshall Space Flight Center director, and Science Directorate.

Lunar Outpost
Durlean Leslie Bradford, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Durlean is an educational specialist for WILL Technology Inc. in the Academic Affairs Office. Since September 2001, she has been the project manager for the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race and coordinator for the Student Volunteer Service Program. She is a retired educator from the Huntsville City School system.

Barbara Cohen, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Barbara is a planetary scientist who studies meteorites from the moon, Mars, and asteroids and has been to Antarctica twice to hunt for them. Barbara also works on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity and is working to plan new missions to the moon. She even has an asteroid named after her.

Joy Dukemineer, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Joy is the counselor at the Huntsville Center for Technology, a career technical training center for students in Huntsville city schools. In her school career, which spans more than thirty years, she has worked as a classroom teacher, middle school counselor, and in her present position. Joy is a team member in the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race.

Sabrina Pearson, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Sabrina is an educational project coordinator for WILL Technology Inc. in the Academic Affairs Office, which she joined in September 2003 as an administrative assistant. In December 2006, she became technical coordinator of the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race. A native of Huntsville, she earned her BS in computer information systems from Faulkner University.

Robert Singleterry, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
Robert is a national expert in space radiation engineering. He works to mitigate the great risks from radiation faced by astronauts and sensitive instruments during spaceflight. Robert's research helps reduce radiation exposure and is vital for the health of human space explorers, as well as the reliable operation of in-space instruments.

Tim White, Huntsville Center for Technology, Huntsville, Alabama
For the past several years, Tim and his classes have been active participants in the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race. His teams have won two consecutive first-place titles, two consecutive Engineer Design Awards, and second- and third-place finishes in the 2008 race. Tim was hired by the Huntsville City School System in 1987 as a precision machining instructor.

Karen Whitley, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
As an aerospace engineer, Karen is the lead for Expandable Structures and helps develop technology to design and build inflatable structures for the lunar surface. Karen researches the durability of nonmetallic materials under extreme environments and has worked on aircraft morphing, the Space Shuttle external tank, in-space propulsion, and high-speed civil transport aircraft.