Stephanie Schierholz/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/0668
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-243

NASA DISCUSSES LUNAR EXPLORATION CONCEPTS AND PLANS

WASHINGTON -- NASA managers briefed industry representatives, members
of academia and reporters Thursday about the agency's initial plans
for the Ares V heavy-lift rocket and Altair lunar lander. The Ares V
and Altair are part of a fleet of vehicles NASA is developing for a
new space transportation system designed to travel beyond low Earth
orbit and return humans to the moon by 2020.

Interested participants from throughout the aerospace community
attended the forum to discuss the outcomes of a nine-month lunar
transportation capabilities study, conceptual designs for the rocket
and lunar lander, and near-term business opportunities. NASA is
planning to release a Request for Proposals for Altair and Ares V in
early 2009, and make awards in spring 2009.

Participants from NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
included Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for the
directorate, Jeff Hanley, manager of NASA's Constellation Program,
and Geoff Yoder, director of the Constellation Systems Division.

Briefing charts from the event are available online at:



http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esmd/home/lunar_id.html


NASA Television will rebroadcast the forum on its public channel
Thursday at 4 and 9 p.m. EDT. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and
streaming video information, visit:










http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


NASA's Constellation fleet also includes the Orion crew exploration
vehicle and the Ares I launch vehicle. NASA plans to establish a
human outpost on the moon through a successive series of lunar
missions. For more information about NASA's Constellation Program,
visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/constellation