From the ESMD NASA January Newsletter:

ESMD Moves from Concept to Construction
Several years ago, before they received proper names, Ares, and Orion were merely concepts.
Today, thanks to the dedication and hard work of employees within the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and its partners, those concepts are taking shape.Last year significant progresswas made in many areas – new construction and lunar architecture among others. The groundbreaking of two major construction projects– one at White Sands Missile Range and the other at Kennedy Space Center – are signs of things to come. Together, these projects promise to build the infrastructure that will materialize the Agency’s goal of building the next generation of spacecraft and send astronauts to the moon by 2020. During the roll out of the second phase of the lunar architecture study, the Directorate proudly revealed fi ndings to stakeholders and the general public, which included an inside look at the options (i.e. mobile lunar habitats, pressurized rovers, etc.) being considered by the Lunar Architecture Team. While every year in space exploration is charged with exciting milestones, 2008 will host a series of historical events. In addition to the observance of NASA’s 50th anniversary, ESMD will celebrate the launch the first mission of the exploration program – Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO ) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) – and Orion’s pad abort test. Things are starting to happen in a very visual and tangible way. Stay tuned. Before you know it, we’ll all be celebrating NASA’s return to the
moon.