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

Aug. 11, 2000

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Spaceport Newshttp://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/snews/snewstoc.htm

Vol. 39, No. 16

Pages 6-7 – Station to featurescientific research.

Page 8 – KSC takes part inTeam Florida mission to Brazil.

Page 3 – Children visit KSC forspecial day.

Page 2 – A closer look at newKSC team member Jim Halsell.

Pages 4-5 – International SpaceStation trusses on the move.

Docking sets the stage for STS-106

SPECIAL COLOR EDITIONcoming Aug. 25:

“A Day in the Life of KSC”Spaceport News goes behind thescenes at Kennedy SpaceCenter to show our team at work.

Inside

More than 15 million Americanswill purchase savings bonds thisyear in an effort to obtain a balancein their portfolios.

Employees at the Kennedy SpaceCenter are no exception to this ruleand have already set the pace for“Creating a New Century ofSavings” with their 2000 SavingsBond Campaign.

The annual Savings Bond drive,which began on July 11, ended withrecord-breaking results on July 28.

“The Kennedy Space Center hasalways led the way in Agencyparticipation,” said Jim Jennings,deputy director and chairman forthis year’s campaign. “I am proudto see our employees continue that

tradition with the results of thisyear’s campaign.”

Kathy Bryant, chief of cost andpersonnel services in the ChiefFinancial Officers Directorate, wasco-chair of the 2000 KennedySpace Center Savings BondCampaign.

Bryant reported that participationthis year far exceeded the originalgoals for the campaign through a 5percent increase in participation bynew bondholders and a 16 percentoverall participation rate combiningboth new and current bondholders.

Series EE Bonds, which payinterest to holders based upon theTreasury rate, were made availablefor purchase this year, but plans for

the 2001 campaign have alreadybegun with the possible availabilityof I Bonds.

I Bonds pay interest to holdersbased on a fixed rate of return withan inflationary additive.Campaigns like the 2000 SavingsBond Drive take hours of planningand hard work. Many volunteerssupported this year’s campaign,helping make attainment of the goalmuch easier.

“We greatly appreciate all theefforts of our canvass volunteersand GG Savings Bond Teammembers throughout the Center,”said Bryant. “We couldn’t havesurpassed our goal without themand their wonderful gifts of time.”

Savings Bond drive breaks record

The successful docking of Zvezda, theRussian Service Module, with the InternationalSpace Station on July 25 cleared the way for theSTS-106 mission, which is scheduled for launchSept. 8.

Space Shuttle Atlantis will once again returnto space on its second of back-to-back missionsto the Station. Mission STS-106 will prepare theStation for its first resident crew, “ExpeditionOne.” That crew is scheduled to begin residingaboard the Station this fall.

Zvezda will serve as the support and controlcomponents for the rest of the Station as well asthe early living quarters and lab space for thefirst long-duration crew.

After Atlantis docks with the Space Station,the seven-member STS-106 crew will performsupport tasks on orbit, transfer supplies andprepare the Zvezda living quarters.

In addition, Atlantis’ Mission Specialists EdLu and Yuri Malenchenko will perform a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to connect the electricallines and data cables from the Service Moduleto the rest of the Station.

The Space Station will be stocked with basiclife-support systems, including batteries andwater for drinking and meal preparation. Inaddition, the crew will install an exercise bicycleand treadmill.

After completion of tasks, the Space Shuttlewill undock from the Station and conduct aflyaround to photographically document theexterior of the Station. The photographs will beused by engineers on Earth to study the effectsof the space environment on the Station in orderto plan for future spacewalks.

The Station represents a global partnership of16 nations and will provide more space for

research than any spacecraft ever built.More than 40 space flights and multiple space

vehicles will deliver more that 100 Stationcomponents to Earth orbit for assemby.

• For coverage on Space Station trusses nowbeing processed, see pages 4 and 5.• For more about the promise that the Stationholds for science, turn to pages 6 and 7.

KSC employees accompany the orbiter Atlantis as it is moved aboard the orbiter transporter to theVehicle Assembly Building. The launch is targeted for Sept. 8.

SPACEPORT NEWS Aug. 11, 2000Page 2

How has your previous experienceprepared you for your new position ?

Having flown a few Shuttle flights, Ican bring an operational experience tothe many review boards which areoften asked to waiver or alter require-ments. This flight experience arms mewith a knowledge of what’s importantand what’s not from the crew perspec-tive. But it’s also true that I come tothis job needing to quickly learn moreof the details of Shuttle processing.

I have already been greatly assistedin this task by the unselfish supportof all the NASA and contractor folksI’ve come in contact with.

What unique perspective on your newjob do you have because of yourexperience as an astronaut?

On every mission, I’ve landed with asense of awe for the technologicalprowess demonstrated by the vehicle.I don’t care if it is twenty years old;there is nothing else in the world thatdoes what the Space Shuttle does.And we should never take it forgranted or consider it “old hat.”

What are your initial impressionsabout your staff here at KSC?

That they are truly competent,dedicated to the success of theprogram, and proud to be an impor-tant part of every launch. But then,this sums up the attitude of just abouteverybody at KSC.

Commander joins KSC launch teamEDITOR’S NOTE: Spaceport Newsinvited Col. Jim Halsell, Kennedy SpaceCenter’s new manager of Space ShuttleProgram Launch Integration, to sharehis thoughts on his new assignment.Halsell became an astronaut in July1991. A five-flight veteran, the U.S. AirForce colonel has logged more than1,250 hours in space and served a stintas NASA Director of Operations at theYuri Gagarin Cosmonaut TrainingCenter in Star City, Russia. Halsellcommanded STS-101 in May.

How does living here in BrevardCounty compare to living in theHouston area?

The ocean breezes seem to keep thetemperature a few degrees coolerthan Houston, but the mosquitoesare definitely more aggressive thantheir Houston cousins.

Will you fly on the Space Shuttleagain or is this a long-term assign-ment?

This is a long-term assignment whichI’m very proud to be asked to fill.

My wife and I have bought ahouse on Merritt Island and we’rebusy moving in.

At a personal level, I’m excited toget an opportunity to contribute atthe Program level to this historicperiod of the construction of theInternational Space Station.

I also get a chance to learn aboutand be a part of that other half of anorbiter’s flight cycle which is largelyinvisible to the flight crews: theprocessing.

And I feel privileged to get achance to work on the KSC director’ssenior staff.

At the same time, I plan on keepingmy T-38 flying current and occasion-ally getting a proficiency flight in theShuttle Training Aircraft.

A.If, at some point in the future,

NASA management considers me fora flight assignment, I’ll be ready.

Is there anything else you would liketo say to the workers here at KSC?

Thanks! I said it at the STS-101 crewdebrief and I’ll say it again here:

Atlantis had not flown for over twoyears before STS-101.

During that time, it had been tornapart and put back together atPalmdale, had the instrument panelripped out and replaced with a brandnew glass cockpit, and had under-gone the severe inspections forwiring deficiencies.

All this in addition to the normal,but always challenging, processingflow.

And yet, we had not one signifi-cant anomaly during the entire flight.

That is the finest testimony I canimagine for the skill and dedication ofthe men and women who work atKennedy Space Center.

As this interview is taking place,the Russian service module has justsuccessfully docked with the ISS.

After years of delay, the logjam isbroken and we’re about to attemptone of the most aggressive Shuttleflight schedules ever seen.

Let’s get ready to work hard, but tonot be feel pressured to reduce oursafety standards in the process.

Q.

Q.

Q.

Q.

Q.

A.

A.A.

A.

Q.

A.

Col. Jim Halsell – KSC’s new manager of Space Shuttle Program Launch Integrations – is picturedweightless during STS-101, the 2nd International Space Station Mission, in May. At top right, he’spictured during training for the STS-101 mission at Johnson Space Center. Also at right, Halsell isfeatured in his first official KSC portrait, taken in his office at KSC Headquarters.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3Aug. 11, 2000

The future of space science andexploration is in good hands.

That was easy to see from thelooks of the turnout of KSC’seighth annual Take Our Children ToWork Day held on Friday, July 28.

There were 3,170 visitor badgesissued, with 525 of them being forNASA children, and 1,450 forUnited Space Alliance participants.The theme for the day was “Free-dom to Be What I Dream in 2000.”

Kids were allowed access toareas like the Astronaut CrewQuarters that have been, duringprevious years, restricted to all butthe necessary personnel. Anyonewho waited in line for this uniqueopportunity knows that it was a bighit with children and adults.

Children go where they’venever gone before

Another bonus was a special bustour that took the young ones toplaces that normal KSC VisitorComplex bus tours can’t go, suchas an up-close tour of LaunchComplex 39’s Pad A.

The Visitor Complex’s spacemanwas also on hand, and he waspopular with the kids and theadults who brought their camerasto archive the special day forposterity.

The day of learning began at 7:30a.m. at the Visitor Complex IMAXTheater where the ExplorationStation team demonstrated funscientific principles to a raptaudience of both children andadults. Later, there was a roboticsdemonstration near the Astronaut’s

Memorial by NASA hazardousduty robotics specialist Steve VanMeter and the For Inspiration andRecognition of Science andTechnology (FIRST) roboticsgroup.

The Air Force Museum at theCape Canaveral Air Force Stationwas also open to Center employeesand their children. Tours wereavailable most of the day, andchildren were treated to specialhistorical displays and exhibits bythe Air Force’s 45th Space Wing.

The fire station near the VehicleAssembly Building brought outemergency equipment for the kidsto view. Fire engines, emergencyrescue vehicles, and an armoredpersonnel carrier, used to rescue

the shuttle crew in case of emer-gency, were just a few of the coolthings for the children to explore.Safety was a main focus of theday’s programs.

The Voluntary ProtectionProgram team planned a specialactivity for the children. Sixbanners with the United SpaceAlliance and VPP logos proclaim-ing, “Work safely ... for me!” wereimprinted with the hand prints ofkids who were shadowing parentsand friends at KSC.

The banners with the specialsafety message to employees fromtheir children will be hung in keywork areas to provide bothencouragement and knowledge ofsafety issues.

Take Our Children to Work Day features special opportunites

At left, adults and childrencheck out the AstronautCrew Quarters after waitingtheir turn in line. Above,workers share the KSCexperience with children,including making a VPPsafety banner.

Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS Aug. 11, 2000

Station trusses o

Two International Space Station(ISS) truss segments, the “P1” and“P4,” recently arrived at KennedySpace Center for processing.

The P1 truss arrived on July 26 atKSC’s Shuttle Landing Facilityaboard the “Super Guppy” trans-port aircraft.

The P1 truss is a 46-by-15 footstructure weighing about 32,000pounds when fully outfitted andready for launch.

It will attach to the port side ofthe center truss, the “S0,” and willbe the third truss assembled to theISS as part of a 10-truss girder-like

By ‘Guppy’ and

Page 5SPACEPORT NEWSAug. 11, 2000

The Zenith 1 (Z 1) truss, the cornerstonetruss for the International Space Station(ISS), was symbolically transferred to NASAfrom The Boeing Co. on July 31.

The transfer signaled the completion ofprelaunch processing at KSC’s Space StationProcessing Facility (SSPF).

The Z 1 is scheduled to fly in SpaceShuttle Discovery’s payload bay on STS-92,targeted for launch Oct. 5, 2000.

Z 1 is considered a cornerstone because itcarries critical components of the Station’sattitude, communications, thermal and powercontrol systems as well as four controlmoment gyros, high and low gain antennasystems, and two plasma contactor unitsused to disperse electrical charge.

The Z 1 truss and a Pressurized MatingAdapter (PMA-3), also flying to the Stationon the same mission, will be the first majorU.S. elements flown to the ISS aboard theShuttle since the launch of the Unity elementin December 1998.

John Elbon, Boeing director of ISS groundoperations, presented a symbolic key for thetruss to Tip Talone, NASA director ofInternational Space Station and PayloadProcessing at KSC, and Brian Duffy,Commander of STS-92. Duffy’s STS-92 crew,here for the Crew Equipment Interface Test,also attended the ceremony.

on the move

d by trailer: P1, P4 trusses arrive at KSC for processingstructure that will ultimately extendthe length of a football field.

Scheduled for launch in thespring of 2002, astronauts will usethe Orbiter’s robot arm to attach theP1 truss to the S0 truss. Duringlater assembly flights, the astro-nauts will attach remaining trusssegments to the port side of P1.

The P1 was transported to theOperations and Checkout (O&C)facility, which has been recon-figured from a Spacelab processingfacility to accommodate ISS trussprocessing.

The P1 was manufactured by a

division of The Boeing Co. inHuntington Beach, Calif., andassembled in Huntsville, Ala.

During processing at KSC, oneradiator wing comprising threeradiator assemblies will be installedon the P1 truss structure. The P1radiators dispose of thermal energyto space to maintain thermalconditioning for the ISS.

The truss segment known as“P4” arrived at KSC on July 30.

The P4 made a weeklong journeyto the Space Station ProcessingFacility via trailer from a Boeingplant in Tulsa, Okla.

The P4 truss segment is slated tolaunch in February 2003. The P4truss eventually will be mated tothe P3 truss.

On-orbit, the P3/P4 integratedtruss will be attached to the P1.

The P4 truss will provide theStation with additional electricalpower producing capability inaddition to the P6 truss modulescheduled to launch later this year.

During processing at KSC, twomassive solar arrays and 26electrical boxes will be installed onthe P4 truss. The solar energycaptured by the arrays will be

NASA receivesZenith 1 trussfrom Boeing

converted in electrical power usedto operate the existing U.S.Laboratory module Destiny andfuture experiment modules pro-vided by the European andJapanese space agencies.

Truss sections currently under-going pre-flight preparations atKSC include the cornerstone Z 1truss, which was recently pre-sented to NASA, the inboardtrusses P3, P1, S0 and S1, whichhouse the Station’s communica-tions and computer equipment, andoutboard trusses P4 and P6, whichgenerate power.

Clockwise from top left: John Elbon, Boeing director of ISS ground operations, presents asymbolic key for the Zenith 1 truss, in background, to Tip Talone, NASA director ofInternational Space Station and Payload Processing at KSC, and Brian Duffy, Commanderof STS-92. Other members of the STS-92 astronaut flight crew, here for the Crew EquipmentInterface Test, also look on at the Space Station Processing Facility; Station elements beingprocessed at the SSPF. The Z 1 truss is pictured in the bottom lefthand corner; The P1 trussarrives at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility aboard the “Super Guppy” transport aircraft; TheGuppy is opened to offload the truss segment; and a trailer delivers the P4 truss to the SSPF.

Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS Aug. 11, 2000

Now that humans are spending increasingamounts of time in space, life support systemsmust be made more self-sufficient, or “closed.”

Unlike “open” systems, which require allmaterials/mass to be replenished, “closed”systems – which would be created in space –must resupply themselves with materials alreadyavailable or created within the system.

An example of a quasi-closed system (allsystems require initial investment of materials) isa bioregenerative controlled ecological lifesupport system.

In this “greenhouse system,” all materials arerecycled within the system. Plants not onlyprovide food, but also clean CO2 from the airand impurities from wastewater.

It is the waste products that cause some ofthe greatest threats to astronaut safety, and aneasy, cost-effective means was needed to eitherremove or recycle these products.

A joint US-Canadian team headed by Dr.

Interested in finding a way to slow cancer andthe aging process? How about refining crystalgrowth to produce extreme high-accuracy timingdevices? Want to learn how to sow seeds inspace and tend to a zero-gravity farm?

These topics and other high technologyquestions were put before a panel of scientistsinvolved in the creation of experiments for theInternational Space Station (ISS).

The first in a series of media forums concern-ing the Space Station was held July 25 at theKennedy Space Center Press Site. The discus-sion was made up of scientists in the areas ofmedicine, agriculture and engineering.

The forum was broadcast on NASA TV andincluded a question and answer session.

NASA’s senior Space Station scientist Dr.Kathy Clark, a member of the distinguishedpanel, was quick to point out that scienceexperiments on the ISS will not begin until thefirst three-person crew arrives at the 250-mile-high site. Even then, the hard core science willhave to wait at least until the U.S. Laboratorymodule Destiny is launched early next year.

The discussion centered on the science to beconducted aboard the outpost.

Medical knowledge is in the forefront of theproposed research, and among the panel wassurgeon and cancer researcher Dr. MilburnJessop.

Jessop explained to the audience that cells donot die as quickly in a microgravity environ-ment, allowing researchers to search for, andrefine, more effective cancer medicines.

Slowing cell growth has applications not justfor cancer, but also for possibly slowing theaging process as well.

Science to get boost from Space StationIt is the removal of the gravity vector from experimental systems thatmakes the Space Station such an important tool for scientists.

In the past, scientists like Jessop have had torely on short duration Space Shuttle flights toconduct their experiments. Although theRussian space station Mir offered a platform toconduct long-term science tests, the station wassmall and prone to hardware problems.

Over a period of 30 years of space scienceresearch, only about one year’s worth of datahas been obtained due to the fact that facilitiesaboard orbiting platforms such as the SpaceShuttle were only available a few days everyseveral months. The amount of information onspace science obtained so far has a ratio ofabout eight ground experiments performed foreach space experiment conducted.

Agriculture was another focus of the discus-sion, and Dr. Mary Muscrave, a plant physiolo-gist, was on hand to talk about the future ofplants in space. Muscrave described researchinitiatives for the ISS, including studyingfertilization and seed germination inmicrogravity.

Here, again, previous short duration flightswere not enough to shed light on the completelife cycle of plants while in space. It is necessaryfor scientists to separate the mechanismsbehind phototropism (growth effected by light)from the force of gravitropism (how gravityaffects growth).

The ISS will house state-of-the-art plantresearch facilities, which will allow for insightinto the entire plant life cycle under the influ-

ence (or lack of influence) of microgravity.It is the removal of the gravity vector fromexperimental systems that makes the SpaceStation such an important tool for scientists allaround the world.

Fluid dynamics researchers plan to take fulladvantage of the Station’s science packages, aswell as scientists involved in combustion inmicrogravity. Materials science engineers arealso hoping that the ISS will provide greaterinsights into refining products in space.

Microgravity is an ideal environment forcrystal growth, but the focuses of theseexperiments have leaned toward the supercon-ductor and medical fields.

Former astronaut Ron Sega described howmicrogravity is uniquely suited for growingcrystals for use in high-accuracy clocks andtiming devices. This resource will lead toadvances in Global Positioning Satellite systemsand navigation devices both on Earth and inspace, even on the way to Mars.

Scheduled for completion in 2005, the ISS willbe a worldwide outpost for the earth’s bestscientists to perform long-term groundbreakingresearch in an environment that has, for themost part, been out of reach.

The ISS will be an engineering and scientificplatform where technology can be tested,perfected, and sent back for application onEarth, but said Clark, “The primary product ofthe Space Station is going to be knowledge.”

Recycling process useful in space, on Earth

Cheryl Frazier-Atkinson and others in LifeSciences at Kennedy Space Center have soughtan effective means for recycling solid waste, andhave designed what is dubbed a reusable spacebioconverter (RSB).

The RSB is, in effect, an aerobic compostingunit that can process 6 kg of waste at a time.

The RSB is a metal cylinder that is rotated bya motor controlled by computer. The tempera-ture and rotation can be altered for differentneeds, and the waste gasses produced (mostlyCO2) are passed through a three-stage biofilterto remove odors and other pathogens.

The greatest benefit is that the RSB canreduce solid waste volume by 50 percent withinfour days. Along with creating a compost by-product that is suitable for soil, the RSB alsohas an integrated vessel for collecting nutrient-rich leachate that is great for plants.

The team is planning to test the RSB in aclosed environment, as well as experimentingwith different bacteria that assist the process.

The RSB has potential applications for homeand business uses once it is perfected, which isexpected within the next 12 to 18 months.Consumers might be able to compost solidwaste safely within their house, using thisrelatively hands-free unit.

Dr. Cheryl Frazier-Atkinson checks a compostingunit being used in a Life Sciences study at KSC.

Page 7 SPACEPORT NEWS Aug. 11, 2000

It’s easy for a human to knowwhich way is up and which isdown, but how do plants sensegravity?

The inner ear helps us to orientourselves in response to gravity,but plants don’t have ears (unlessyou’re thinking about corn andthose ears don’t count).

Scientists in Life Sciences atKennedy Space Center are hopingthat an experimental payload onSTS-107 will provide results toprove that specialized cells in rootsare responsible for gravitropism.The STS-107 mission is set to flyno earlier than May 2001.

Responding to gravity

Gravitropism is the mechanismby which plants respond to gravity,much the same as phototropism isthe way plants respond to light. Itcan be either positive (toward thegravitational pull) or negative(away from gravity).

Roots tend to be positivelygravitropic, while stems and stalksgenerally react negatively.Gravireceptor cells are the special-ized cells within plants that changetheir internal composition inresponse to the force of gravity.

Most scientists agree that thestatocyte cells, located in the rootcaps and tips of the growingplants, are the cells responsible for

Life Sciences seeks roots of gravitropismgravitropism. Stato-cytes containgravity-sensing organelles knownas statoliths.

But what makes these statolithsespecially sensitive to gravity?

The evidence points to starch.Specifically, the intracellular starchgranules known as amyloplasts.

Direction of growth

In roots, when the amyloplastssettle to the “bottom” of the cell inresponse to gravity, the cell growthoccurs in the direction the amylo-plasts have settled.

Although this is still a hypoth-esis being studied by scientists, itis far from being a recent sugges-tion. In 1901 and 1902, respec-tively, B. Nemec and G. Haberlandthypothesized that it was theamyloplasts that settle in root cellsand are thereby the basic gravityperception mechanism in plants.

Now scientists at NASA havetaken the hypothesis further,suggesting that the amyloplastswill react to a stimulus similar togravity, namely a high gradientmagnetic field (HGMF).

Now in the age of microgravityresearch and the Space Shuttle,scientists have the necessary toolsto search for the answers.

Karl Hasenstein, a researcherwith the University of Louisiana atLafayette, has designed an

experiment that will test the initialgrowth response in flaxseeds to aHGMF during the 11-day mission.

Using a BIOTUBE package,Hasenstein will expose flaxseeds toa HGMF. The HGMF will exert adirectional, repulsive force on thestarch-filled amyloplast and thuscause the seed’s early roots togrow as if they were being influ-enced by earth’s gravity vector, butin directions other than vertical.

This will test whether the forceexerted by the amyloplasts, or theirposition inside the sensory cells,controls the direction of rootgrowth. The research, which willprovide insight into the gravity-sensing response system of plants,has never before been performed ina controlled environment.

Equipment concerns

Equipment concerns are aserious challenge for the FlightExperiment Development (FED)team from Bionetics, who are thegroup responsible for the designand fitting of the research package.

The hardware requirements forthe orbiter’s mid-deck-housedexperiment lockers have to beintegrated into the needs of theprinciple investigator, and this isnot always an easy task. There areonly two cubic feet of volume towork with (20.3" deep, 17.4" wide,

and 9.97" tall) and the package hasto weigh less than 70 lbs.

Those specifications usuallyaren’t the hardest for the FED teamto meet. The locker is allowed touse only 130 watts (the HGMFpackage will only use about 80watts). A hand-held hair dryer usesapproximately 1,500 watts.

Long-term plans

Once the results of Hasenstein’sexperiment are reviewed exten-sively, the next step will be todesign a long-term experimentpackage for the Station. That, inturn, will be the steppingstone tocrop growth and maintenance onfuture Mars missions and otherplanetary explorations.

Although flax was the targetplant, the results will hopefully beanalogous to other crop plantspecies’ responses to gravity.Other crop plants will be tested fortheir response to the HGMFenvironment in the near future oncethe ISS is an operational facility.

These experiments are importantbecause plants will not only beused for food, but also to helpregenerate the spacecraft’s internalatmosphere.

For more information:http://lsda/payload/pmm.htmlhttp://microgravity.hq.nasa.gov/business.htm

Counter-clockwise from upper left: the flighthardware fresh from machining; a 3-D computerrendering of the interior of the experiment package;Ken Anderson, Bionetics Development Engineerwith the Flight Experiment Development group,handles the Medusa (Mico Effusion Delivery Unitfor space Applications) that will deliver water andfixative to the seeds. Note the small size of thelocker to his right in the foreground. Everythingmust be contained within the locker; a rendering ofthe Command and Data Management System thatwill be the interface unit for the crew, complete withan LCD sceen and track-ball mouse.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Hagood

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

USGPO: 533-128/00038

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, XAE-1. E-mail submissions can besent to Katharine.Hagood-1@ksc.nasa.gov

Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS Aug. 11, 2000

The annual Community LeadersBriefing, themed “Milestones of theMillenium,” was held Aug. 3 at theKennedy Space Center VisitorComplex.

KSC Director Roy D. Bridges Jr.and Deputy Director JamesJennings met with about 250community leaders from BrevardCounty and the State of Floridaabout long-term viability of KSCand benefits the space programcontributes to the community.

A wide variety of communityleaders, business executives, stateand local government officials and

Community Leaders Briefing heldother community organizationswere invited to the event.

Leaders heard about KSC’svision, budget, employment trends,launch outlook and future goals.

Attendees gathered at the Dr.Kurt H. Debus Conference Facilityfor a continental breakfast and thebriefing. Afterwards, they wereinvited to a special showing of theIMAX movie “Hail Columbia” inthe Galaxy Center and a tour of theVisitor Complex’s newest attrac-tions, including “AstronautEncounter” and “Exploration in theNew Millennium.”

Kennedy Space Center was one of 200 Floridagovernment and commercial organizationsrepresented during a recent Florida trade andfact-finding mission to Brazil.

The Team Florida Brazil mission – led by Gov.Jeb Bush – offered KSC a chance to expand andcreate partnerships with business, academic andgovernment groups both in Brazil and Florida.

JoAnn Morgan, director of External Relationsand Business Development at KSC, representedNASA as a member of the team’s spacedelegation. Other space-sector representativesincluded The Boeing Co., United Space Alli-ance, Hughes, Sverdrup, the Spaceport FloridaAuthority and Enterprise Florida.

During the opening day events in Sao Paulo,Morgan presented Anthony Harrington, theU.S. ambassador to Brazil, with a plaquefeaturing a U.S. flag flown on Space Shuttle. Theplaque was presented in appreciation for thework Harrington has done this year in supportof USA-Brazil space partnerships.

While at various events and in one-on-onediscussion, Morgan was able to spread theword about what KSC has to offer and makecontacts for future partnerships. KSC’s experi-ence with microgravity experiments and environ-mental management were two areas of particularinterest to Brazilian leaders, she said.

“I spoke to lawyers, bankers, academics and awide range of Brazilian technical professionals,”Morgan said. “People came from all over thecountry to learn more about Florida. They had anumber of questions about KSC and I wasimpressed by how much they already knewabout us.

“We’re entering a new era of internationalcooperation both in the space program and intrade. This mission was a demonstration of howbeneficial it is to foster partnerships withinternational partners in a collaborative mannerwith the state and industry.”

Because Brazil is developing its space

KSC takes part in Team Florida Brazil mission

KSC’s Joanne Morgan presents AnthonyHarrington, the U.S. ambassador to Brazil, witha plaque featuring a U.S. flag flown on Shuttle.

program and is contributing components to theInternational Space Station (ISS), the visit alsoprovided Morgan the opportunity to meetleaders from Brazil’s launch site and peopleworking on ISS inBrazil.

Brazil is in the process of designing andbuilding Express Pallets and some other ele-ments for the Space Station. Each pallet willhave the capability to attach to either the S3 orP3 truss on the Station. The pallets will be usedto deliver or return Orbital Replacement Units or

payloads. They will also be able to serve asplatforms for microgravity experiments.

KSC is supporting the Johnson Space CenterISS External Carriers Office responsible formanaging thr cooperative effort with Brazil. TheKSC External Carriers Team, led by Jose Nunez,has the responsibility to provide the manage-ment, engineering and operations services todevelop and implement the resupply and returncapability for the Express Pallets, OrbitalReplacement Units and payloads to the Station.

The pallets are set to fly during August 2004and are built by Embraer, based in San Jose DosCampos, Brazil. Morgan toured an Embraermanufacturing facility during her trip.

“I was very impressed by their professional-ism as well as their dedication to safety,”Morgan said. “They have safety proceduresand emergency numbers printed in English onthe back of their visitor badges, so I knew howto behave in emergency conditions.”

Brazil’s participation in the Station is throughtwo entities: Agencia Espacial Brasileira andInstituto Nacional De Pesquisas Espaciais. AEBis the Brazilian Space Agency, the political armthat deals with the Brazilian Congress regardingpolicy and funding. INPE is the NationalInstitute for Space Research, which managesBrazilian space research along with the contri-butions related to the International SpaceStation Program.

The space sector team from Florida met withrepresentatives of both organizations, flyingfrom San Jose Dos Campos to the capital,Brasilia, for discussions with the BrazilianSpace Agency.

Brazil has another tie to the Space Station, thecountry’s first astronaut, Marcos Pontes.Pontes reported to Johnson Space Center inAugust 1998 and is a Mission Specialistcandidate. He has already spent some timeworking at Kennedy Space Center and is gettingto know KSC and Florida.