America’s gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to Earth and beyond.

December 4, 1998

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 37, No. 24

Spaceport News

A Russian Proton rocketcarrying the first Inter-national Space Station (ISS)component, a control modulenamed Zarya, launched ontime at 1:40 a.m. EST onNov. 20. The Zarya modulewas lifted into orbit from theBaikonur Cosmodrome inKazakstan. Zarya was released fromthe Proton’s third stage atnine minutes and 49 secondsinto flight, and withinminutes the module’scommunications antennasand solar arrays weredeployed. The 42,600-poundpressurized control modulewill provide orientationcontrol, communications andelectrical power whenattached to the Unityconnecting module. Zarya will provide powerfor several months while thestation awaits launch of itsthird component, a Russian-provided crew living quartersand early station core knownas the Service Module. TheService Module will enhanceor replace many functions ofZarya. Later in the station’sassembly sequence, Zaryawill be used primarily for itsstorage capacity and externalfuel tanks. Zarya is scheduled to bemated to Unity during theSTS-88 mission, beginningthe assembly of the Inter-national Space Station.

The Unity connecting module was moved to the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavourat Launch Pad 39A in mid-November. At press time, Unity was scheduled for launchDec. 3 at 3:59 a.m. on STS-88. Unity is a connecting passageway to the living andworking areas of the International Space Station. While on orbit, the crew will deployUnity from the payload bay and attach it to the Zarya control module already on orbit.

Zarya awaitsUnity on orbit

The Mars Climate Orbiterspacecraft is scheduled forlaunch on a Delta II rocketfrom Cape Canaveral AirStation’s (CCAS) LaunchComplex 17 during a 14-daylaunch period that begins onDec. 10. The Climate Orbiter willprimarily support its com-panion Mars Polar Landerspacecraft, which is planned forlaunch on Jan. 3, also fromCCAS. The orbiter’s instru-ments will monitor the Martianatmosphere and image the redplanet’s surface on a daily basisfor 687 Earth days. It will observe the appear-ance and movement ofatmospheric dust and watervapor and will characterizeseasonal changes. Detailedimages of the surface featureswill provide important clues tothe planet’s early climatehistory and give scientists moreinformation about possibleliquid water reserves beneaththe surface.

Ready for the Red Planet

Spacecraft Assembly and Encap-sulation Facility-2 workers take theMars Climate Orbiter for a spin,assuring its secure positioning onspin test equipment.

(See Unity, Page 2)

The dawn of a new era in space historybegins with the International Space Station Zarya, the first element of theInternational Space Station to belaunched (see sidebar at left),means ‘sunrise’ in Russian, but itwill be the uniting of the Zaryacontrol module with the Unityconnecting module that will mark anew dawn for the 15-year effort of16 countries to jointly construct thelargest international peacetimescientific project in history — the

International Space Station. The first two building blocks ofthe station, Zarya and Unity, will bejoined in space during SpaceShuttle Mission STS-88, which, atpress time, was scheduled forlaunch on Dec. 3 at 3:59 a.m. fromKSC’s Launch Pad 39A. These two major stationcomponents will form the

SPACEPORT NEWS December 4, 1998Page 2

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Giving thanks for giving Many are therewards of giving,not least of which isthe opportunityto be served a feastcooked up by yourown managers! On Nov. 18,NASA employeeswere treatedto a CombinedFederal Campaign(CFC) VictoryCelebration Picnicwith hamburgerscooked by KSCDirector RoyBridges (right) andother centermanagers. Employees linedup (below) forsalads and fixings atthe second CFCpicnic, held atKARS Park II. The picnic washeld in honor of themany NASAemployees who generously contributed to this year’s Combined Federal Campaign andraised $228,736.52, which was 109 percent of this year’s goal. Employee participation overall was 83.6 percent with 1,450 pledges entered on-linethrough the CFC site on the Internet. Major contributors totaled 311 in the followingcategories: 26 Eagle Club ($1,000 or more) members; 69 Flag Club ($500 to $999)members; and 216 Stargiver ($240 to $499) members. The Combined Federal Campaign is the largest workplace campaign in the country.

Unity ...(Continued from Page 1)

cornerstone of what will be a world-classorbiting research laboratory and the long-termliving and working quarters of space fliers fromaround the world. STS-88, the first U.S. launch dedicated tospace station assembly, closely follows theNovember launch of the U.S.-funded andRussian-built Zarya on an unmanned Protonrocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome inKazakstan. In the assembly sequence of 45 U.S.and Russian launches over more than five years,STS-88 is called the ISS-2A flight. The “A”denotes that it is an American mission. The 1998 Russian launch of Zarya and theU.S. launch of Unity are the first missions inPhase 2 of the International Space Station.

Phase 1 included nine dockings between theSpace Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mirand prolonged stays on Mir by U.S. astronauts. The joint space operational experience andtest data from Phase 1 have been incorporatedinto procedures and activities planned forPhase 2, as well as for Phase 3, when apermanent human presence is established andconstruction is completed in 2004. The first major U.S.-built station component,Unity, will serve as the connecting passagewayto living and working areas of the station. Attached to both ends of Unity are pressurizedmating adapters, or PMAs, which will be usedby the orbiter and by Russian modules fordocking with Unity.. The 22-ton Zarya will be joined in space withthe 12.5-ton Unity and attached adapters. Themultiport Unity will be the main connectingpoint for later U.S. station modules andcomponents. Three extravehicular activities or spacewalkswill be performed by Mission Specialists JerryRoss and Jim Newman to connect power, dataand utility lines and install exterior equipmentand hardware. This is the 93rd Space Shuttle mission and13th flight of Endeavour. Landing of theplanned 12-day mission is scheduled atKSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility on Dec. 14at 11:48 p.m.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3December 4, 1998

The flags from the municipalities of Manatiand Ponce – which flew on STS-90 in April1998 — were presented to their mayors onNov. 19 at the Shuttle Plaza, Kennedy SpaceCenter Visitor Complex. STS-90 Mission Specialist Richard Linnehan(center) is seen here presenting the flag ofManati along with KSC Deputy Director forBusiness Operations James Jennings (left) toJorge Allende, vice mayor of the municipality ofManati, who accepted the flag. A committee from Puerto Rico had requestedthat the two flags of the commonwealth beflown aboard Columbia on STS-90 tocommemorate the flags’ 103rd anniversary.Upon return to Puerto Rico, the flags will bedisplayed in the Manati and Ponce museums.

Having flown around the world during STS-90, Puerto Rican flags return to their homeland

The contributions that NASA makes tothe quality of life are not unknown — fromunique images of outer space to valuable insighton the inner workings of the human body. Thesame technologies used by NASA on missionsto the moon and to Mars have been used todevelop CAT scans, detect breast cancer andenhance pacemaker technology. We’ve studiedblack holes and also discovered an ozone holeabove Earth. The work of KSC’s Technology Programsand Commercialization Office together withindustry entrepreneurs helps to fuel oureconomy today. Among the best of NASA spinoffs recentlypublished by NASA Headquarters are sevenspinoff technologies from Kennedy SpaceCenter — the most from any individual NASAcenter. For more information on KSC’stechnology transfer efforts, visithttp://technology.ksc.nasa.gov. The seven KSC spinoffs that rank among thebest are:Ground Processing Scheduling System

An advanced NASA software technology thatschedules prelaunch work for the entire SpaceShuttle fleet was spiced-up by the Red PepperSoftware Company (now PeopleSoft), of SanMateo, Calif., to help some of America’scorporate giants. NASA’s unique Ground Processing Schedul-ing System, or GPSS, is a computer-basedscheduling tool that helps planners manage thethousands of overlapping activities that prepareeach of the orbiters for their respective launchdays. While technicians repair the delicate heatshielding tiles on an orbiter, other workers maybe modifying the crew module and simulta-neously others may be installing a payload.GPSS reacts to any clogs in the refurbishmentprocess and provides real-time solutions toschedule conflicts, minimizing a possible

“domino effect” impact on the fleet and reduc-ing processing costs. The system was developed by Kennedy SpaceCenter, Ames Research Center and divisions ofthe Lockheed Company to maintain the schedul-ing for preparing a Space Shuttle orbiter for amission. Red PepperSoftware Companycommercialized thesoftware as itsResponseAgentproduction line. Thesoftware enablesusers to monitormanufacturingvariables, report issues and develop solutions toexisting problems. Now, Fortune 500 companieslike Texas Instruments, Bausch & Lomb, Coorsand Hewlett Packard have begun to applythis space-age technology to their diverseindustries.

Parking Garage Automation System The Parking Garage Automation System isbased on a technology developed by a KSC-sponsored project called Robot sensorSkin. Merritt Systems, Inc., of Orlando, Fla.,teamed up with NASA to improve robotsworking with critical flight hardware atKennedy Space Center. The system, containing smart sensor modulesand flexible printed circuit board skin, helpsrobots steer clear of obstacles using a proximitysensing system. Advancements in the sensor designs are beingapplied to various commercial applications,including the Parking Garage AutomationSystem. The system includes a smartSensor networkinstalled around and within public parkinggarages to autonomously guide motorists toopen facilities, and once within, to free parkingspaces.

Advanced Lubricants In 1994, Lockheed Martin Space Operationswas searching for an environmentally safelubricant for KSC’s crawler-transporter. SunCoast Chemicals developed a spray lubricant forthe crawler-transporter and then introducedTrain Track Lubricant, Penetrating Spray Lubefor rust prevention, and Biodegradable Hydrau-lic Fluid. Since that time, the company also hasdeveloped Super Gun Cleaner and Lubricant forthe gun devotee and the X-1R Tackle Pack forthe fishing enthusiast.

Automotive Insulation BSR Products created special thermalprotection system materials from the SpaceShuttle Thermal Protection System and usedthem for NASCAR automobiles to protectdrivers from extreme heat coming throughengine areas.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance An image processing technology used tosharpen the view of Jupiter and Saturn fromVoyager and Mars from the Viking Probe wasused by Michael Vannier, M.D., a former NASAengineer. He recognized the similarity ofNASA’s computerized image processingtechnology and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR). With KSC’s help, he developed acomputer program enabling NMR to scan bodytissue for earlier diagnoses.

Aerogel-Based Superinsulation Aspen Systems, Inc. developed a super-insulation blanket that features an aerogel-basedcryogenic insulation with extremely low thermalconductivity to satisfy NASA’s need at KSC forsuperinsulation for many phases of launchprocessing operations.

Built-In Plant Nutrient ZeoponiX, Inc. is manufaturing zeolitematerials as a spinoff of NASA’s advanced lifesupport technology. The result is a growthmedium/specialty fertilizer that improves plantperformance.

KSC spinoff technologies contribute the most down-to-Earth benefits

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan Maurer

Editorial support provided by Information Dynamics Inc. Writers Group.NASA at KSC is on the Internet at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov

USGPO: 733-112/80020

Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center andis published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Office in the interest ofKSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, AB-F1. E-mail submissions can besent to Susan.Maurer-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWS December 4, 1998Page 4

Stardust spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center for pre-launch processing

A worker looks over the entry capsule on top of the Stardust spacecraft in KSC’s PayloadHazardous Service Facility. The spacecraft will undergo installation and testing of solararrays and spacecraft instruments, followed by an overall spacecraft functional test.Built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA,Stardust will use a unique medium called aerogel to capture comet particles andinterstellar dust for later analysis. Stardust will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta IIrocket on Feb. 6, 1999. The collected samples will return to Earth in the entry capsuleto be jettisoned from Stardust as it swings by Earth in January 2006.

Stardust, the space mission thatwill fly close to a comet and, forthe first time, bring cometarymaterial back to Earth, arrived atKennedy Space Center onNov. 12 for pre-launch processing. Stardust was selected by NASAas a mission for the DiscoveryProgram of highly focused deepspace missions with exceptionalscience return at the lowestpossible cost. Stardust is the first NASAmission dedicated to exploring acomet. As leftover materials thatformed from the planets and the

sun more than 4.5 billion years ago,comets are thought to be importantto unlocking some of the mysteriesof what materials make up our solarsystem. Comet particles will be capturedrelatively gently by using a sponge-like cushioning material calledaerogel. Aerogel is a special type offoamed glass, made so lightweightthat it is barely visible and almostfloats in air. Stardust is scheduled to launchfrom Cape Canaveral Air Stationon Feb. 6, 1999.

Can you think of a favorite NASA photograph you’ve seen? Would youlike to know what NASA photos have been taken that you haven’t seen?Now you can look through all NASA photos taken at Kennedy SpaceCenter and order a print of any photo in the NASA file through the NASAExchange stores. If you don’t know what photos are out there to order from, you cansearch through photographs on the KSC Internet site at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/hotpics.htm or look through a muchlarger selection of all photos in the Johnson Controls photo lab in room2340 on the second floor of the KSC Headquarters Building. Then, at any NASA Exchange store, you can place your order directlyfor whatever size photo you want, using either the file number (attainableat the Johnson Controls lab), a description of the print or a copy of thephotograph. The price will be determined by the size of the photographyou order. Delivery takes about a week and you must pre-pay at the NASAExchange store. For more information, call Sharon Dunn at 867-4308.

Got a photographic memory?

KSC’s annual HolidayCoffees will be held Dec.16from 9 to 10 a.m. in theHeadquarters Buildinglobby and from 10:15 to11:15 a.m. in theOperations andCheckout BuildingMission BriefingRoom. All KSCemployees and

Celebrate Christmas, Channukah and Kwanzaa over coffee

NASA retirees are invited toattend.

This year, Christmasmusic will be provided

by the chorus ofApollo ElementarySchool in Titusville,which is one ofKSC’s EducationalOutreach Programschools.