Santa Invited to Explore NASA's Moon and Mars Progress

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Special NASA Report

December 23, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY: 32-08

SANTA INVITED TO EXPLORE NASA'S MOON AND MARS PROGRESS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When Santa Claus makes his routine pit stop at
NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on Christmas
Eve, he may do a bit more than chow down on milk and cookies. In the
next few decades, humans could be living, working and playing on the
moon, including millions of good little boys and girls counting on
Santa to put presents under their trees, no matter where those trees
are. So this year, Kennedy is inviting Santa to check out the
progress being made with the agency's Constellation Program.

After Santa and his reindeer-propelled sleigh glide to a stop on the
15,000-foot-long shuttle runway, he can head over to Launch Pad 39B
where modifications are being made for the Ares I-X rocket test
flight targeted to launch in July 2009. Workers are using the
Manitowoc 21000 model crane, which extends 640 feet off the ground,
to lift the lightning protection system's three 600-foot-tall steel
and fiberglass towers. Word has it Santa's elves began constructing a
similar launch pad and lightning protection system at the North Pole
last year in preparation for Santa's sojourns to the stars.

Santa also has the option to check out the new Ares I-X firing room,
which is fairly empty in comparison to space shuttle firing rooms. It
takes more than 200 controllers to launch a space shuttle, whereas
Ares calls for about 100. The firing room also has the capability to
go paperless. Shuttle controllers can have up to 6,000 procedure
documents at their consoles, but the new system will provide all
necessary documents online.

Next, Santa can swing by the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, to
look at the first pieces of Ares I-X hardware. The test flight
rocket's upper-stage simulator, consisting of 11 cylinders that look
like enormous tuna cans, will help engineers prepare NASA's next
generation human spacecraft launch system for space travel. Rumor has
it elves are looking to have a similar system like the Ares I and
will call Santa's fleet, "Jingle Bell Rockets."

Santa's last stop would be Kennedy's Parachute Refurbishment Facility
where workers are manufacturing and packing Ares parachutes. The
drogue parachute that will gently slow the descent of the spent Ares
I-X first-stage motor has faired well during testing at the U.S.
Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Santa reportedly requested a mock-up moonsuit from NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston. The new red suit is expected to support a
week's worth of moonwalks. Santa may only need to wear it one night a
year, unless of course he relocates his workshop to the north pole of
the moon, Mars or beyond.

For more information about NASA's return to the moon, Mars and beyond,
visit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars

For more information on NASA's Constellation Program,
visit: http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For more information on NASA's Kennedy Space Center,
visit: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov

Thanks to Allard Beutel at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the above press release.

Also visit these related sites:

NORAD Santa Tracking - The North American Air Defense Command will be tracking Santa's flight on Christmas Eve. Click on the flag appropriate to your language.

Santa and his Reindeer - Track Santa and his famous reindeer as they fly around the world this Christmas Eve. Also get the inside scoop on the sleigh and Donner's real name.

Web of Christmas - From around the world we say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Some surprising background on our holiday traditions, plus Christmas greetings in a hundred languages.

Give and Give Back - Instead of piling up more stuff that no one knows what to do with, consider a charitable gift that will do a lot of good.

Cell Phone Plans Finder - Free phones. Look at today's special deals on all phones & carriers.

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First Published: December 23, 2008

Last Updated: July 25, 2011

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