Best Invention of the Year

The Ares I rocket was awarded the "Best Invention of the Year" award by Time magazine today. It's a little funny that it would earn such a distinction in 2009, about three years after the "inventing" started, but if you've been following manned space news as avidly as I have you know that it had its first test flight just two weeks ago, which went off exceptionally well. The "little spire" on the top is our Launch Abort System (actually just an inert replica on this launch). At 327 feet tall, this is the tallest operational rocket in the world today -- I think only the original Saturn V moon rocket was taller. It feels pretty amazing to think I had a part in designing this incredible and historic machine. I'm sure it's something I'll always look back at and marvel at, regardless of how it ends up eventually. Ironically, though its first test flight went so well there is a lot of discussion in the US space industry and government about the costs and schedule of this new design and its future is not at all certain. Click on the photo for the full article at Time.com.