 It begins with the first tentative forays of the Wright brothers, human beings taking flight, soaring to ever greater heights. Every major aerospace achievement along the way builds on those before it. Lessons learned answer some questions and raise many others, spurring new endeavors and discoveries. Imagination provides the spark, but information sustains the fire. As the tasks become increasingly complex, documenting and having access to research results becomes ever more critical. To meet researchers needs for aerospace information from around the globe. NASA established a scientific and technical information program. At the heart, the STI program is a worldwide network of information professionals. Using both traditional and advanced technologies, their mission is to seek out and make available whatever material an aerospace researcher requires. Whether it's a published report or updates on studies in progress, the STI team can produce and deliver the necessary information in almost any format. Utilizing this tremendous resource saves two important things, time and money. One of the key elements in the STI program is a powerful database containing more than 3 million records. Topics covered range from aero and astronautics to the life and space sciences. Coverage is truly global. Material is acquired from over 50 countries through more than 600 exchange agreements. Online computer searches of the STI database are possible through an information system called NASA Recon. It is extremely flexible. Personal profiles can be established based on individual interests. An automatic literature search and document distribution option will continuously deliver new related information as it becomes available. An average of 85,000 aerospace items are processed into the system each year, keeping it current. The STI program also provides access to a variety of other databases around the world, creating an unrivaled aerospace information network. A number of specialized services, including custom thesauruses, translating material to or from other languages, database building, organizing research results for publication, or even generating graphics are offered as well. No matter what an individual researcher's needs, there's an STI professional with the expertise to meet them. All that's required to take advantage of this unique flexible program is a phone call. An STI representative will provide necessary details. As researchers around the world continue to push back the limits of aerospace science and technology, the need to streamline the research and development process is greater than ever. The key is information, ensuring that previous work is not repeated and new endeavors are undertaken as efficiently as possible. Capabilities have grown considerably since those early days on a remote North Carolina beach, but there are still great strides to be made. Just as the discoveries of the past serve as the foundation for today's successes, present day studies are laying the groundwork for the challenges of tomorrow. Helping secure this future is NASA's scientific and technical information program. The source for aerospace research around the globe. For more information about the NASA STI program, please write to the NASA Center for Aerospace Information or call us at 301-621-0390.