Congressman Aderholt Statement On Today's Successful Ares 1-X Launch

Statement

Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) today issued the following statement on this morning's successful Ares 1-X launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Rep. Aderholt serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, as a member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, which is responsible for discretionary spending for NASA.

"I congratulate NASA, and the ATK company and their partners, including Teledyne-Brown, on today's successful Ares 1-X launch. Tests such as this launch are very important to our understanding of the development of this vehicle as we prepare for a new era in human space exploration. The Ares I is designed to be the safest rocket ever built for launching humans into space and this task is its only purpose."

"Every aspect of the flight launch appeared to operate flawlessly and I am excited about the amount of performance data that today's flight offers our NASA community in preparation for the completion of Ares I, and the related Constellation Programs."

"I also applaud Marshall Space Flight Center for providing excellent management for the development of Ares I-X avionics, roll control, and first stage systems. I am impressed with the progress that Marshall, and the Boeing Company and their partners, have already made on the upper stage of Ares I. I have and will continue to express my strong support to the Appropriations Committee for fully funding the Ares programs."

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