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

December 19, 1997

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 36, No. 25

Center Director’s Holiday MessageAs we pause to celebrate the

holiday season with our familiesand friends, I wish you all a joyfulChristmas and happy New Year.

While you are enjoying thisspecial time of year, I hope youwill take time to reflect on ourphenomenal successes this yearat KSC as we advanced spaceexploration and commerce for theNational Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration and the Nation. Youare the reason for our accomplish-ments. Your hard work and dedica-tion, and your commitment toexcellence, teamwork and integrity,were the ingredients for success inour unforgiving and demandingbusiness. You all know our Shuttleand expendable launch vehiclerecord this year. It was tops! Wealso made tremendous progresswith difficult changes to pave theroad toward a vibrant future.

In addition to your professionalachievements, you demonstratedyour commitment to caring byturning in the best CombinedFederal Campaign in our history.Other outreach activities wereequally successful and addedtremendously to the fabric of ourcommunities.

It is truly a pleasure for Benitaand me to work and live with you.Congratulations to each of you ona fine year. Please celebrate theseason safely and sensibly so thatyou and your loved ones returnrenewed and refreshed in bothbody and spirit.

May God’s blessing be witheach of you now and in the comingyear.

— Roy D. Bridges Jr. Director

SPACEPORT NEWS December 19, 1997Page 2

Kennedy Space Center looked to past, presentand future in 1997

Editor’s Note: Cover photo shows the launch of STS-87in November.

In 1997, Kennedy Space Centerpaid allegiance to the past,retained a firm grip on the

present, and positioned itself for achallenging future.

KSC’s seventh center director, RoyBridges Jr., came on board March 2, andwasted no time in putting together a topmanagement team which developed astrategic plan and road map for KSC’sfuture through 2025. Joining him inleading all aspects of center operationsare Loren Shriver, deputy director forLaunch and Payload Processing; JamesJennings, deputy director for BusinessOperations; and JoAnn Morgan,associate director for AdvancedDevelopment and Shuttle Upgrades.

By year’s end, eight Space Shuttleshad lifted off, carrying 53 crew membersinto space, logging more than 34 millionmiles and taking several major payloadsinto orbit. In addition, KSC’s ExpendableLaunch Vehicle team supported threemissions carrying NASA payloads,including the Cassini spacecraft andattached Huygens probe to Saturn.

The diversity of tasks undertaken bythe KSC work force reflected the center’scommitment to keeping the SpaceShuttle operational, while positioningitself to support future missions andlaunch vehicles. As one team of KSCemployees began the meticulous processof developing a new launch processingand countdown system to replace the‘70s-era original, another was takingsteps to improve the efficiency of thenearly two-decade-old Shuttletransportation system. Yet another groupwelcomed the first U.S. element of theInternational Space Station to the centerand initiated preflight processing for itslaunch in 1998.

At the same time, the center continuedto make safety its top priority, whilestreamlining operations and the workforce to prepare for the future.

“Kennedy Space Center is in a uniqueposition to carry the U.S. space program

into the next century,” said Bridges. “Ourwork force has no equal in the launchprocessing and countdown business, andour ability to look to the future andprepare for the natural evolution ofmissions and technology will stand us ingood stead in the coming years. While welook forward to preparing for the on-orbitassembly and operation of theInternational Space Station (ISS)beginning next year, we also look forwardto the challenge of what lies beyond, be ita return human mission to the moon orthe first crewed expedition to Mars. We’llbe ready.”

Space Shuttle upgrades

Kennedy Space Center provides majorcontributions to NASA’s four-phased planto assure safe and continuous operationof the Shuttle fleet through the year2012 and to incorporate majorimprovements through 2030.

Phase One prepared the program forthe ISS and is well under way, with theonly remaining projects being the newsuper lightweight tank and the Block IIShuttle main engines.

Upgrades under Phase Two are high-value projects which don’t change thevehicle configuration significantly. AtKSC these include the development ofthe new Checkout and Launch Control

System (CLCS), which will reduce launchprocessing time while lowering someoperational costs by 50 percent.

Other KSC development projectsinvest in systems design, technologiesand concepts such as the IntegratedVehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM) flighttechnology demonstration, use of fiberoptics in flight systems to reduce vehiclecycle time, and less toxic ThermalProtection System waterproofingmaterials for a safer workplace.

Phase Three includes replacingAuxiliary Power Units, hydraulics, fuelcells and avionics; eliminating toxicpropellants; and adding a new IVHMsystem.

Phase Four would incorporate newflight elements such as a Liquid FlybackBooster. KSC engineers are contributingto all these efforts.

KSC also is leading an effort todevelop methods for reduction of Shuttlepayload bay reconfigurations betweenflights, allowing up to 15 flights a year.Most of these projects have application topotential new flight systems as well.

Shuttle mission highlights

Seven Shuttle missions were planned,but an eighth, STS-94, was added as areflight of the STS-83 mission with theMicrogravity Science Laboratory-1payload. STS-83 was cut short by 12 daysbecause of concerns about a fuel cell. TheSTS-94 mission three months later was

ROY Bridges Jr.became the

seventh director ofKSC in March.

Here, the formerShuttle astronaut(at left) greets the

STS-87 flightcrew.

SPACEPORT NEWSDecember 19, 1997 Page 3

GOOD YEAR — In 1997, KSC workers processed andlaunched eight Shuttles; helped flight crews train;supported checkout of payloads and experiments forflight on both the Shuttle and expendable launchvehicles, and geared up for on-orbit assembly of theInternational Space Station (ISS) in 1998. At far left, theorbiter Columbia in the Vehicle Assembly Building; aboveleft, the white room closeout crew with an astronaut;above, workers inside the Neurolab in the Operationsand Checkout Building; and left, STS-88 CommanderBob Cabana looking at Node 1, the first U.S. element ofthe ISS, in the Space Station Processing Facility.

the first reflight of the same payload andcrew in Shuttle history.

The KSC launch team processed theorbiter Columbia for flight in 56 calendardays, a post-return-to-flight record. Thatquick turnaround was accomplished inpart by reservicing the MSL-1 payload inColumbia, the first time a primarypayload was reserviced in the orbiter.

The total flight time of the SpaceShuttle program passed the two-yearmark during STS-86, the seventhmission of the year.

Three missions with the SPACEHABdouble module were among the nineplanned dockings of the Space Shuttlewith the Russian Space Station Mir. Thesecond servicing of the Hubble SpaceTelescope took place in February duringfive spacewalks on the STS-82 mission.

Other major payloads flown includedthe Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometersand Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS)on STS-85, and the United StatesMicrogravity Payload-4 and Spartan-201satellite on STS-87. Spacewalkingastronauts retrieved the Spartan-201when it failed to deploy properly.

All eight Shuttle missions landed atKSC in 1997. The orbiter Endeavourrejoined the fleet in March afterreturning from its first scheduled orbitermaintenance down period (OMDP) inCalifornia. Atlantis, veteran of 20 SpaceShuttle flights, including all seven Mirdockings to date, departed in Novemberfor its second OMDP.

ELV program

KSC this year received lead center

responsibility for NASA’s acquisition andmanagement of expendable launchvehicle launch services.

Besides supporting the Air Forcelaunch of NASA’s Cassini mission on aTitan IVB/Centaur in October, the KSCELV team also launched in AugustNASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer(ACE) on a Boeing Delta II rocket tostudy low-energy particles of solar originand high-energy galactic particles.

The third in a series of sophisticatedweather satellites called GeostationaryOperational Environmental Satellites(GOES) lifted off in April on an Atlas-Centaur rocket.

International Space Station

The past year saw the continuation ofPhase I of the International SpaceStation effort, with seven Shuttle flightsto dock with the Russian Space StationMir now completed. In 1998, the lastdocking missions will occur and on-orbitassembly of the International SpaceStation will begin.

KSC already is preparing for the firstU.S. assembly flight, STS-88, in July.The Shuttle Endeavour will carry intospace the Node 1, with two pressurizedmating adapters attached, to provide theinterface between the U.S. and Russian-built elements of the station.

The node and adapters are already atKSC, undergoing preflight processing inthe Space Station Processing Facility.More elements will follow as KSCbecomes the final checkpoint for U.S.-launched ISS hardware in the comingmonths.

KSC signed a new customeragreement with JSC in December tosupport engineering development of theSpace Station Crew Return Vehicle(CRV). The KSC tasks includeinstrumentation system design,secondary structural systems design andother developmental projects.

X-33/X-34 responsibilities

KSC has entered into a partnershipwith industry and other NASA centers inthe development of the next-generationcrewed launch vehicles. A team of KSCemployees is working with the X-34program, providing the capability tosupport X-34 operations at KSC, as wellas the flight design.

KSC also designed and built hardwarefor the X-33 program, and is assessingfuther involvement in supporting flighttest operations.

Mars exploration

During 1997, KSC formed anExploration Think Tank to participate inintegrated planning for future robotic andhuman missions to Mars.

KSC personnel are helping to definewhat needs to occur to make a humanMars mission a reality, and working on thetechnologies to enable such futuremissions.

Potential technology developmentresearch areas for KSC includecryogenic, in-situ propellant production;autonomous processing; bioregenerativeplant growth; advanced instrumentation;electro-static discharge; and vehiclehealth management.

Contracts andadded responsibilities

Besides becoming the lead NASAcenter for expendable launch vehicles,KSC took on a major new task byassuming agencywide responsibility forNASA’s occupational health program in1997.

1997 also was the first full year underthe Space Flight Operations Contract(SFOC) awarded to United SpaceAlliance (USA) for consolidation ofground processing and operations.

As part of its continuing efforts topromote efficiency and quality, KSC alsorenegotiated the Payload and GroundOperations Contract (PGOC) and theBase Operations Contract (BOC) toperformance-based contracts.

More changes in the BOC are expectednext fall when Kennedy and the AirForce 45th Space Wing award a contractfor joint base operations and support(JBOSC). The JBOSC contract isprojected to lower costs and increaseresponsiveness of services for spacecustomers at KSC, Cape Canaveral AirStation and Patrick Air Force Base.

The contract will be managed by thenew Joint Performance ManagementOffice, a team of 40 KSC and 45th SpaceWing personnel.

AT the end of the yearand after 22 missions,Launch Director JimHarrington (right)decided it was time toexchange a headsetfor a set of golf clubsand announced plansto retire from thespace program. DaveKing and Ralph Roewill replace him.

(See REVIEW, Page 8)

SPACEPORT NEWS December 19, 1997Page 4

1997 KSCChristmas Coffees

Headquarters

IAN Owens (from let), Cynthia Van Valkenburgh and CharlesSee — all of USA — share some punch in front of the long row

of mission plaques hanging in the LCC lobby.

HOSTESSES Karroll Purer (from left), CathyPenny Young and Sandy Walsh served recheer at the LCC coffee.

CENTERDIRECTOR RoyBridges and his wifeBenita (far right)enjoy their first KSCChristmas coffee.With them inHeadquarters are(left) NASA retireeBill Martin, andBarbara Lockley,executive assistantto the centerdirector.

FLIGHT crew nurse Deborah Ghiotto(right) will receive a master of sciencedegree in nursing from the University

of Florida this month. Note that theO&C Christmas tree is decorated with

mission crew patches.

LEFT — KSC DEPUTY Director for BusinessOperations (right) Jim Jennings and his former cworker, retiree Darwin Brown, share a light momat the Headquarters coffee.

FORMER KSCsenior managerGeorge English

(from left) visits withspace programfather-and-son

retirees John MileyJr., and his father,John Miley, at the

LCC coffee.

OLD FRIENDS fromthe payloads worldwere glad for an adhoc reunion at theO&C coffee. Fromleft are Jeri Smith,

former PayloadOperations Director

John Conway,current Payload

Processing DirectorBobby Bruckner, andElliott Zimmerman ofPayload Processing.

NASA current

PUBLIC AFFAIRS Secretary Arden Belt of NASA served as ahostess at the Headquarters coffee. Enjoying the refreshmentsare (from left) United Space Alliance (USA) employees LindaDaniel, Jennifer Hall and Carl McManus.

SPACEPORT NEWSDecember 19, 1997 Page 5

Launch Control Center

Operations and CheckoutBuilding

JOY Huff (left) and Suzanne Cunningham,both of NASA, enjoy the LCC coffee.

y Pope, Chris Weaver,efreshments and good

co-ment

JEAN Rhodes of NASA and NASA retireeAnn Watson reminisce together. Behindthem at left is Warren Wiley, deputydirector of Engineering Development.

NASA retireesRenate Tranthamand formerLaunch DirectorGeorge Pageattended theHeadquarterscoffee.

BIOMEDICAL Office Director Dr. Irene Long (left) acceptsrefreshments from hostess Mary Conklin at the LCC coffee.

COFFEES‘ organizer Barbara McCoyof NASA and Center Director Bridgeswere present at all three to welcomecurrent and former employees.

CHIEF Financial Officer Dave Flowers(from left) and Quality Assurance DirectorChris Fairey were present at theHeadquarters festivities.

RETIREES Chester Wasileski (from left) and JimPhillips, and Shuttle Processing Director Bob Sieckwere glad to share some memories at theHeadquarters coffee.

BOEING North American executive Lee Solid, KSC DeputyDirector for Launch and Payload Processing Loren Shriver andNASA retiree Muriel Jernigan visit at the LCC coffee.

retiree Ed Rock (left) chats with Leon Wichmann, at NASA employee, at the Headquarters coffee.

SPACEPORT NEWS December 19, 1997Page 6

King, Roe named to succeed retiring Launch Director Harrington

Roe

Following an expediteddesign and KSCimplementation process,enhancements to the Shuttle’sfuel cell instrumentationsystem are on a fast track tocompletion. In fact, ShuttleColumbia’s modifications arecomplete and were flown onthe just-completed STS-87mission.

“The system worked like achamp on its first flight,”reported Jack Fox, KSC FuelCell Monitoring System(FCMS) integration lead. “Theprelaunch, on-orbit and post-landing fuel cell shutdowndata was successfully acquiredand looked fine. The FCMSnow provides the launch teamwith an increased capabilityfor assessment of fuel cellhealth prior to commitment tolaunch as well as increasedvisibility during on-orbitoperations.”

Orbiters Discovery andEndeavour are undergoingtheir upgrades at KSC, andAtlantis will see the same fuelcell monitoring modificationsperformed at the Palmdale,Calif., orbiter maintenancefacility during its almost 10-

New Fuel Cell Monitoring System exceeds expectations on first flightmonth Orbiter MaintenanceDown Period.

Prior to the shortened flightof Columbia on STS-83, KSCShuttle engineers werealready studying ways toimprove vehicle healthmonitoring with a focus on fuelcells. When STS-83 missioncontrollers saw what wouldlater be defined as unclearvoltage readings fromColumbia’s fuel cells, theyerred on the side of cautionand brought the Shuttle homeearly.

A subsequent Shuttleprogram desire for morerefined fuel cell data beforeand after launch led to the

ShuttleLaunchDirector JimHarrington hasannounced hisretirementeffective Jan. 2.He will besucceeded inthe launch director’s positionby Shuttle Processing DeputyDirector David King andProcess Engineering DirectorRalph Roe.

The senior member of theShuttle launch team duringthe three-day countdown, the

launch directormakes thefinaldeterminationto launch. Healso overseesprelaunchpreparations atthe spacecenter as wellas KSC landing operations.

Since being named launchdirector effective Jan. 22,1995, Harrington has overseen22 successful Space Shuttlelaunches.

The naming of two people to

succeedHarringtonwill provideneeded depthto the launchdirectorfunction, notedSieck, himselfa formerlaunch director. “To put it infootball terms,” he said, “wewant to have more depth onthe bench.” King will have theassignment for a period ofabout six months to a year —enough to encompass at leastthree or four Shuttle launches

— after which Roe will servein the position for a similarlength of time. The firstlaunch which King willoversee will be STS-89, theeighth Shuttle-Mir dockingflight, set to launch inJanuary next year.

Assessments will thenbegin to determine if a thirdperson should also be trainedin the position, or whether twois enough. Imposing a timeframe on the assignment doesnot mean King or Roe areserving in an acting capacity,Sieck noted.

HarringtonKing

Lunar Prospector nears Jan. 5 launchThe Lunar Prospector

spacecraft is now at theAstrotech spacecraftprocessing facility inTitusville, undergoing finalpreparations for a Jan. 5launch from Complex 46 onCape Canaveral Air Station.

Lunar Prospector will circlethe moon in polar orbit for afull year, mapping the entirelunar surface from an altitudeof about 62 miles. By contrast,the highly successfulClementine mission orbitedEarth’s nearest celestialneighbor at an altitude ofabout 249 miles.

Lunar Prospector carriesfive science instruments and

WORKERS at the Astrotech plant uncrateLunar Prospector, a compact spacecraftwhich will weigh only 660 pounds whenfully fueled.

six experiments. It will mapthe moon’s composition,gravity fields, magnetic fieldsand resources. It will confirmwhether there is water-ice onthe moon, a finding suggestedby recently publishedClementine radar data.

Lunar Prospector is a NASADiscovery Program mission,aimed at implementing NASAAdministrator Dan Goldin’sphilosophy of faster, better,cheaper planetary missions.

Liftoff aboard a LockheedMartin Athena 2 rocketcurrently is scheduled for 8:31p.m. It will be the first launchfrom Spaceport Florida’s newlyrefurbished Pad 46.

installation of off-the-shelfhardware and configurationchanges in the crew moduleand orbiter midbody.

Managers will now be ableto see beyond a general voltagemeasurement of the orbiter’sthree fuel cells and moreaccurately diagnose fuel cellhealth with insight into eachcell’s 96 substacks.

Early involvement of KSCengineers and technicians wascritical to the success of thisShuttle enhancement, and thequick implementation onColumbia will serve as aprototype for timely executionof future orbiter upgrades, Foxobserved.

JIM KING, United Space Alliancemechanic, prepares to tighten a bracketto hold a PCM unit in the midbody bay 1area of Discovery, undergoing preflightpreparations in Orbiter Processing FacilityBay 2. All four orbiters will be outfitted withthe new monitoring system.

ONE of threeFCMS PulseCodeModulation(PCM) units asinstalled near afuel cell inmidbody bay 2on Columbia.

SPACEPORT NEWSDecember 19, 1997 Page 7

Center happenings

SPECIAL THANK YOU — KSC senior managers, including CenterDirector Roy Bridges, paid tribute to civil service employees’ generosityand caring during the 1997 Combined Federal Campaign. The centerexceeded its dollar goal in the most successful fund drive ever. To maketheir thank-you fun for everyone, the managers donned ponytails, goldearrings and other unusual garb. Is that the center director in thosedark glasses and ponytail?

NEW ADDITION — The AirForce missing man

formation flies overhead intribute as family and guestsgather at the Space Mirrorlocated at the KSC VisitorComplex, where U.S. Air

Force Maj. RobertLawrence’s name was

added during a ceremonyDec. 8. A veteran pilot who

had logged more than2,500 flying hours,

Lawrence lost his life in atraining accident 30 yearsago. He already had beenaccepted to the Air Force

Manned Orbital LaboratoryProgram (MOL) in June of

that year. His namebecomes the 17th added to

the Mirror, a memorial tothose who have given theirlives in the quest to explore

space. The AstronautsMemorial Foundation

oversees the Mirror as wellas the adjacent Center for

Space Education.

EMPLOYEES of the Month — Honored in December were, from left, Juan Busto,Checkout and Launch Control System Office; Dorothea Worthy, Administration Office;Nicole Scarborough, Safety and Mission Assurance; Henry Schwarz, Shuttle Processing;Laura Thayer, Chief Financial Officer’s Office; Terry Taylor, Public Affairs Office; TraceyFederickson, Engineering Development; Ann Gary, Installation Operations; and LaVerneWoodard, Logistics Operations. Not shown are Albert Mariano, Payload Processing;Cynthia Jarvis, Procurement Office; and Tammy Belk, Space Station HardwareIntegration Office.

KSC FOREIGN OBJECT DEBRIS(FOD) PREVENTION employee of the

quarter — United Space AllianceSupervisor Tim Miller presents acommemorative plaque to Mary

Repass-Friend for her FOD preventionefforts at KSC. A member of the FOD

Prevention Board for a little more than ayear, she was praised for her cost-

reducing initiatives and timely efforts tosupport the board’s function.

WHIRLING WINGS — A flock ofPurple Martins munch on hollyberries near the northwest cornerof the Merritt Island NationalWildlife Refuge. Purple Martins arethe largest members of the swallowfamily. Erecting Martin houses toattract the birds is a custom datingback to the earliest Europeansettlers who settled in this countryand before them to the Indian tribesalready here.

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS — A delegation from India visited KSC in November inhonor of STS-87 Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla’s flight on Columbia. From left areL.S. Satyamurthy, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) counsellor, Embassyof India; T. P. Srinivasan, Hon. Deputy Ambassador, Embassy of India; Shirish Patel,KSC/NASA Payloads Processing; Center Director Roy Bridges; Bobby Bruckner (partlyhidden, in light shirt), Payloads Processing Director; and Dr. Ashok Jain, Science andTechnology Counsellor, Embassy of India.The delegation presented the center directorwith a bronze lamp called a Lakshmi-Dweepa, lit on special occasions to mark thebeginning of a journey. The gift honored Chawla and her spaceflight, as she becamethe first woman of Indian birth to fly in space. Chawla was born in Karnal, lndia, but isnow a U.S. citizen. KSC Engineering Development Director Sterling Walker, LarrySchultz of the NASA Advanced Programs Office at KSC, and Ravi Margasahayam ofDYNACS Engineering Co. were instrumental in arranging the delegation’s visit.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Paula ShawaEditorial support provided by Sherikon Space Systems Inc. Writers Group.Photographic support primarily provided by The Bionetics Corp. and Public AffairsPhotographer George Shelton, also of Bionetics.

USGPO: 532-112/20062

Spaceport News

The Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Centerand is published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Office in the interestof KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, AB-A. E-mail submissions can besent to Paula.Shawa-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWS December 19, 1997Page 8

MessagefromTouchstonePictures

STS-87CommanderKevin Kregel(left) explainsthe missioncrew patch toArmageddonexecutiveproducer JimVan Wyck.

Editor’s Note: Jim Van Wyck,executive producer of theupcoming film, Armageddon,sends the following message tothe employees of KSC:

We, the cast and crew ofArmageddon, wish to thank youfor your gracious hospitalitywhile we were recently filming atKennedy Space Center.

It was wonderful for us to beallowed to work in your facilitiesand to see the work that you alldo. We are in awe. Perhaps ourfavorite moment was when theactual crew of STS-87 had

lunch with us and met our“astronauts” led by Bruce Willis.It was one of many incrediblememories for all of us.

On behalf of Michael Bay,Jerry Bruckheimer, Bruce Willis,Touchstone Pictures, and all ofus at Armageddon — we arevery grateful and we wish all ofyou happy holidays.

National Space Club to host spring run/walk in Launch Complex 39 area

The National Space Club’sFlorida Chapter will host forthe first time a spring run atKSC that is open to both KSCemployees and the public.

The 5-K and 10-Kcompetition will be held in theLaunch Complex 39 area.Employees and theirdependents are invited tosubmit their ideas for a namefor the competition, as well as

concepts for artwork for thecompetition T-shirt.

The prize for the winningentry in each category will bea $50 gift certificate to theChart House Restaurant and aone-year membership in theNational Space Club.

Submission deadline is Jan.8, 1998. Mail entries to: MitchVarnes, P.O. Box 510514,Melbourne Beach, Fla., 32951.

4th Florida Space LaunchSymposium to be held Feb. 24-26

The fourth Florida SpaceLaunch Symposium will beheld Feb. 24-26 in Melbourne.

The theme for this year’sconference is Capabilities andPolicy. Featured speakers willinclude Florida state Sen.Daryl Jones — the nominee for

Secretary of the Air Force.The registration fee is $325

per person. Deadline forreservations is Feb. 19, 1998.For immediate reservationscall Florida Tech, 407 729-9774, fax 407 951-7694, or e-mail fair@fit.edu.

Visitor complex offers discountThe KSC Visitor Complex is

offering all KSC and CapeCanaveral Air Stationemployees a Christmasdiscount of 25 percent onsouvenirs. The discountextends through Dec. 24.

KSC workers, wearing emergency rescuesuits, served as extras for a scene filmedat the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Along with other NASAcenters, KSC this yearlaunched a major effort toobtain certification in ISO9001, an internationalstandard for qualitymanagement systems.

Facilities

A major new tour attractionfeaturing a restored Saturn Vrocket opened in January.Construction was completedon two other new tour sites forvisitors — a 60-foot-highobservation gantry located inthe heart of Launch Complex39 and an International SpaceStation exhibit facility.

Construction also started onthe Space Shuttle MainEngine Processing Facility,while work was completed onthe Component Refurbishmentand Chemical AnalysisFacility.

Other facility improvementsbegun or completed this yearincluded extensivemodifications to Launch Pad39B; a major upgrade of thegaseous nitrogen pipeline

Review. . .(Continued from Page 3)

which supplies KSC and CapeCanaveral Air Station; andinstallation of new runwaycenterline lights.

Community outreach

The space center and itsemployees expanded on a longtradition of reaching out to thecommunity and youth, inparticular, during 1997. Newpartnerships were formed withuniversities, K-12 schools andthe state.

KSC engineers andscientists used desktop videotechnology to bring mentorsand science students togetherin the kickoff of the VirtualScience Mentor Program.

The new NASA MinorityPartnership Awards programis designed to provide studentsand faculty exposure to high-technology small businesses.

A KSC-led student teamparticipated in the ForInspiration and Recognition ofScience and Technology(FIRST) national engineeringcontest in which competingteams of high school studentsconceive, design and constructrobotic devices. The teamplaced 14th nationally andwas the top NASA team.

Also, the engineering co-operative student programwas reactivated at the spacecenter.

NASA employees reachedout to the community at anunprecedented level throughrecord donations to theCombined Federal Campaign.

“Kennedy Space Center isin a unique position tocarry the U.S. spaceprogram into the nextcentury.”

– Roy Bridges Jr.Director