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

March 22, 2002

John F. Kennedy Space Center

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

Vol. 41, No. 6

Page 6 – Conferences focus onsafety, health and quality.

Pages 3 – Press site volunteersfoster coverage of program.

Page 2 – “Recognizing OurPeople” honors employees.

Pages 4-5 – FIRST competitioninspires students and adults.

(See STS-110, Page 8)

STS-110 to carry first Station plant experimentPESTO payloaddeveloped byKSC Life Sciences

TDRS-I on the go

Expedition 4 crew member Dan Bursch (left) and his backup, SteveRobinson (center), harvest wheat from a Biomass Production System topractice Kennedy Space Center’s PESTO (Photosynthesis ExperimentSystem Testing Operation) experiment during crew training at JohnsonSpace Center. The two currently are aboard the Space Station. CrewTrainer Allison Branson (right) of Ames Research Center looks on.

The first plant science experimentto be conducted aboard theInternational Space Station (ISS)will be delivered to the ISS duringMission STS-110.

The PESTO (PhotosynthesisExperiment System TestingOperation) experiment was de-signed by Kennedy Space Centerscientists.

STS-110 was set at press time tolaunch April 4. Its primary objectiveis the delivery of the S0 TrussSegment and the Mobile Trans-porter. Four spacewalks dedicatedto truss installation are planned.

Commander Michael Bloomfield,a veteran of two previous spaceflights, will lead the seven-membercrew aboard Atlantis. Stephen Frickwill serve as pilot. MissionSpecialists are Rex Walheim, EllenOchoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and

Steven Smith.Expedition 4 crew member Dan

Bursch, currently on the ISS, is theprimary crew member for thePESTO experiment.

The PESTO experiment is

designed to study whether wheatwill produce oxygen throughphotosynthesis and purify waterthrough transpiration at the samerates as on Earth.

The experiment has important

implications for future long-duration spaceflight and will befollowed by additional experimentsaboard Space Station.

Scientists at KSC and engineersand technicians from Orbitec ofMadison, Wis., have worked onPESTO since 1997. They areeagerly anticipating the launch oftheir payload.

“We at KSC spend much of ourtime helping researchers processand integrate their life sciencespayloads, so it’s especiallyrewarding to conduct our ownexperiments,” said DynamacCorp.’s Dr. Gary Stutte, principalinvestigator for the PESTOexperiment and supervisor of theplant research group at KSC. “Theselection of the experiment byNASA’s peer review processdemonstrates the high quality ofscience conducted at KSC.”

The NASA and Dynamac Corp.PESTO team at KSC are part of theSpaceport Engineering and

A Great Blue Heron was silhouettedagainst the brilliance of the rocketexhaust as the Tracking and Data RelaySatellite (TDRS-I) launched March 8from Launch Pad 36-A, Cape CanaveralAir Force Station. TDRS-I replenishesthe existing on-orbit fleet of sixspacecraft. The TDRS System is theprimary source of space-to-groundvoice, data and telemetry for the SpaceShuttle. It also provides communicationswith the International Space Station andscientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbitsuch as the Hubble Space Telescope.This new advanced series of satelliteswill extend the availability of TDRScommunications services until about2017. Liftoff occurred at 5:59 p.m. EST.Page 7 – Program manager

gets upgraded vision tool.

SPACEPORT NEWS March 22, 2002Page 2

Recognizing Our People

Employeesof the MonthMarch Employees of theMonth are (from left) RandyEastman, SpaceportEngineering and Technology;Heather Dulude, EqualOpportunity Office; PrenticeWashington, SpaceportServices; Dawn Oliver, Officeof the Chief Counsel; and JoeDalai, ISS/PayloadsProcessing. Not shown areEddie Hefley, JointPerformance ManagementOffice; David Reeves,Procurement Office; JerraceMack, Shuttle Processing; andZulema Cruz, ELV andPayload Carriers Programs.

Ireland’s Prime Minister Bertie Ahern (left) receives a picture of Europefrom French Astronaut Jean Francois Clervoy at the opening of the“Opportunities 2002,” Ireland’s Department of Education-sponsorededucation seminar in Dublin, Ireland. Looking on is Tony Gannon, a guestservices and education manager with Delaware North Parks Services atKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Delaware North manager leadsoutreach mission to Ireland

Ireland’s Department of Educa-tion asked Tony Gannon, a guestservices and education managerwith Delaware North Parks Servicesat Kennedy Space Center VisitorComplex, to help present a series ofspace educational seminars inDublin and to enlist a NASAastronaut to participate.

Ireland is Gannon’s homecountry and he knows a number ofofficials in the department.

Accompanying Gannon on thetrip was former NASA astronaut Dr.Sam Durrance, who is now execu-tive director of the Florida SpaceResearch Institute.

French European Space Agencyastronaut Jean Francois Clervoyalso joined Gannon and Dr.Durrance in Dublin for the semi-nars, which were officially titled

“Opportunities 2002.”Over four days, more than

120,000 people attended.The idea behind the department’s

space education seminars is toencourage Irish secondary andcollege students to take an interestin the sciences, and in particular,space and future careers in thespace business.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahernofficially opened the seminars witha live linkup with the astronautcrew onboard the InternationalSpace Station.

The response to the seminarswas so great that Dr. Durrance,Jean Francois Clervoy and Gannonwere invited to appear on Ireland’sNational Television Station (RTE),and on National Radio.

“Delaware North was supportivein giving me permission to traveland time off,” Gannon said. “I was

given KSC literature and videos forpresentation.”

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3March 22, 2002

Press Site volunteers foster coveragePress site volunteers provide

much appreciated support servicesto the NASA External Relationsteam and the media during SpaceShuttle launches and landings. “They’re awesome,” is howveteran space reporter ToddHalvorson recently described thepress site volunteers. “They’revery patient with everyone whileproviding very up-to-date, accurateinformation in a timely manner.”

Many of the volunteers haveoffered assistance since the firstSpace Shuttle launch, and somewere here for the Mercury, Geminiand Apollo programs, and evenearlier. They come from all walks oflife, but all feel a special connectionwith the space program. They help the News Chief andmedia services team when the presssite is in full gear for a launch. Theyanswer questions, coordinatetours, answer the phones, and helpin any way they can. They bringorder to chaos. According to Jay Barbree, NBC-TV News correspondent, “Thepress center could not operatewithout the capable volunteersprior to and during Shuttlelaunches.” Angelo “Ang” Taiani, one ofmany of the volunteers, worked forNASA beginning in 1960. Whileworking as a special projectsof ficer, he volunteered at the presssite during the Apollo 12 launch.

After retiring in 1984, Taianicontinued as a VIP and LaunchVehicle escort for the Space Shuttleand ELV programs. He has partici-pated in more than 500 launches.

“I like to meet the differentpeople who come here for theorientation tour,” Taiani explained. Norris Gray, another tour escort,added, “We enjoy sharing ourknowledge and a little bit of spacehistory with those we meet.” Gray came to Cape Canaveral AirForce Station in 1962 to work onthe Bumper Project. He retired fromNASA in 1984 and started volun-teering in 1985.

“Meeting the people is a bigfactor in my life,” said Gray. “Thepress is a pleasure to work with.” Johnny Johnson said, “I comeout here to relax.”

He is known to friends here as

“King of the Cape.” His volunteerdays began just two days afterretiring from NASA in 1995. Many volunteers gain lifelongfriends from their experiences.

Bob White began volunteering atthe press site while working duringthe Mercury, Gemini and Apolloprograms and the Shuttle programuntil his retirement in 1995. Whitemet Australian writer Dr. Colin Keayduring the Apollo 11 launch.

“We still keep in touch andremain friends today,” said White.“The most impressive person I met,though, was Walt Disney, and also,Bill Dana, a very funny man.” Prior to retiring from NASA in1994, Renata Trantham worked as a

tour guide and met JacquesCousteau during the Apollomission days.

“The space program is in myblood. I try not to miss any of thelaunches,” Trantham said. Bill Beeker and Roy Whitsonshare query desk and phoneresponsiblities. Beeker came toNASA on the Gemini program in1963. He retired in 1994 but missedbeing a part of it all. “The work is fascinating. I getto see firsthand the world’s interestin the Space program,” he said.

Among the many calls he hasfielded was one from a woman inPerth, Australia, who wanted toconfirm that she saw the Shuttle on

reentry over her hometown. “She said it looked like a roman

candle,” Beeker said with a smile. Whitson arrived in Titusville in1964 to work on the MannedSpaceflight program and Orbiterproject office. He retired in 1995while working on the MIR program. Whitson described one of theinteresting calls he received, “Oneman called and asked if he couldtalk to one of the astronauts andwish them a good flight.” Robert Gass, a photographer forInterspace News, summed thevolunteers’ contributions up bysaying, “They’re an incredibleresource. They should be com-mended for what they do.”

Above, press site volunteer EdWalker escorts John Tylco, a MITphotographer, setting up a remotecamera at Launch Pad 39-A for theSTS-109 launch of Columbia. At left,two volunteers, Norris Gray (left)and Ray Yost, work at the NASANews Center to answer a missioninquiry. Many of the volunteers haveoffered assistance to NASA publicaffairs since the first Space Shuttlelaunch. Some served during theMercury, Gemini and Apolloprograms, and even earlier.

Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS March 22, 2002

FIRST inspires stude

The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRSCenter Visitors Complex drew an enthusiastic crowd of students, mentothose from as close as Brevard County and as far as Puerto Rico.

Page 5SPACEPORT NEWSMarch 22, 2002

ents, adults

If bleachers full of teenagers waving spirit banners, sporting animalcostumes, and cheering on their favorite team sounds like a high schoolsporting event, then think again.

Forty-seven groups of high school students came to the Kennedy SpaceCenter Visitor Complex to put their unique mechanical inventions to theultimate test at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technol-ogy (FIRST) robotics competition.

While some future-engineers only made a short trek from local BrevardCounty areas to compete in the event, which took place March 7-9, otherscame from as far away as Puerto Rico.

Local competing teams include students from Astronaut, Bayside, CocoaBeach, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, Titusville and WestShore high schools.

Founded in 1989, FIRST is a national robotics competition that challengeshigh school students by giving them the opportunity to gain first-handengineering experience outside of the classroom. During the process,students are able to learn more about science, math and technology as wellas teamwork.

David Brown, executive director of FIRST, motivated the crowd by explain-ing the significance of the event. “It’s what you’ve learned in the processthat’s important, not the robots,” he said. “You will look back at this as one ofthe most formative moments in your life.”

FIRST provides the teams with a standard set of rules and a kit of assortedparts to assemble their creations. Once teams receive the materials, studentsspend six weeks before the regional contests working with professionalmentors to design and construct a robot until it reaches perfection.

Zone Zeal, this year’s theme, required students to design their robots torace around a playing field gathering balls, putting the balls into goals, andplacing those goals in their scoring zone in less than two minutes.

“I like the time I get to spend with my friends,” said Jamie Joiner, aRockledge High School senior, who competed for the third time with theSpace Coast First Team. “I also like seeing all the different robots. If there’s alocal team near me when I go to college, I may stay involved.”

A veteran of five FIRST events, Scott Strickland worked with Team No. 21as a professional mentor.

“There’s the sport of it, but I also enjoy showing them different engineer -ing ideas,” said Strickland, a mechanical engineer who serves as a designmanager for Boeing. “The students come up with great ideas and figure outwhat works and what doesn’t, and then they take those great ideas and makethem into real working robots.”

The energy exerted during these trials doesn’t seem to stop students,mentors, volunteers and parents from participating time and time again.

“This is my fourth year being involved in FIRST. The first three were as astudent, but now I’m a mentor,” said Jared Cooper, a Florida Institute ofTechnology student and volunteer with Team No. 386. “I like being at thecompetitions because I get to see how everyone comes up with differentdesigns from the same equipment and how successful they are.”

After a demanding three days, The Alliance (Team No.186), Metal-In-Motion (Team No. 343) and Spam (Team No.180) walked away as the bigwinners. They’re work is just getting started though.

Not only are students trying to get recognition for their robots, but they’realso hoping to receive part of the $1.7 million in scholarships from leadingeducational institutions and companies.

The winning teams, from the 17 regional competitions, will meet at theChampionship Event to be held at EPCOT Center in Orlando April 25-27. Visitwww.usfirst.com for more information.

Competition spurs interest inscience, math and technology

ST) regional robotics competition held March 7-9 at the Kennedy Spaceors, teachers, parents and other team supporters. Participants included

March 22, 2002 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 6

NASA safety, health managers meet

Safety and quality conference heldImproving strategies for enhanc-

ing safety and quality was thefocus of the 2002 Conference onQuality in the Space and DefenseIndustries (CQSDI).

The conference opened March 1at the Radisson Resort in CapeCanaveral.

The annual conference is chairedjointly by government and contrac-tor representatives.

It provides an open forum forparticipants to address key safetyand quality issues of import to allfacets of the aerospace anddefense industry.

Manufacturing and servicecontractors working on spaceprograms, members of the defenseindustry, suppliers and governmentpersonnel attended the conferenceto share thoughts and ideas topromote safety and quality.

Larry Tucci of NASA KSC andSam Boyd of SAIC co-chaired the

conference for the government andindustry, respectively.

“The 2002 CQSDI conferencefeatured key presentations byleaders in the industry,” Tucci said.“The committee works very hard toprovide topics that are timely andspeakers that can discuss issuesthat are key to both governmentand industry.”

Senior representatives fromNASA Headquarters, MarshallSpace Flight Center, Department ofDefense and the aerospaceindustry were keynote speakers.

This year’s conference alsofeatured a unique forum, chatrooms.

“We tried to incorporate some-thing new in which each confer-

ence participant would have theopportunity to take an active partin focused discussions that werefacilitated in six chat rooms, eachaddressing a specific theme ortopic: education, process manage-ment, quality leadership, knowl-edge management, risk assessmentand retaining quality personnel,”Tucci said.

On the second day of theconference various workshopswere offered to the participants.

Workshops included such topicsas ISO 9000 Standards andProbabilistic Risk Assessment.

They involved experts from thesedisciplines who interacted with theaudience.

The conference was called to aclose by Sam Boyd of SAIC onMarch 5.

The committee has alreadybegun setting the stage for nextyear’s conference.

NASA safety and health managers from across the Agency met March 4-8at the Cocoa Beach Hilton to share information. From left are JonathanMullin, manager of operational safety with the Office of Safety and MissionAssurance at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.; Catherine Angotti,director of occupational health, NASA Headquarters; Jim Lloyd, director ofthe safety and risk management division of NASA’s Office of Safety andMission Assurance, NASA Headquarters; and Dr. William Barry, managerof NASA’s occupational health program at Kennedy Space Center.

The NASA 2002 Safety andHealth Managers Meeting, themed“As We See It – The New Paradigmfor NASA Safety and Health,” washeld March 4-8 at the Cocoa BeachHilton.

These NASA managers holdperiodic meetings to share bestpractices and help create coopera-tion and mutual support betweensafety and health programs andamong NASA centers.

The meeting of managers fromacross the Agency was held jointlyby the Office of Safety and MissionAssurance and the Principal Centerfor Occupational Health.

Coordinating the managers’meeting in representation of safetyand mission assurance was JimLloyd, director of the safety andrisk management division ofNASA’s Office of Safety andMission Assurance at Headquar-ters, and Dr. William Barry, managerof NASA’s occupational healthprogram at Kennedy Space Center.Barry represented NASA’s occupa-tional health component of theChief Health and Medical Officer.

“As a special focus this year, thesafety and health meeting offered a

good forum for discussion of thechanges in safety and healthmeasures taken in the wake of theSept. 11 terrorist attacks, theanthrax attacks and threats to eachNASA center,” Lloyd said. “Inrecent years we have discussed thepossibility of terrorist attack, butnow our discussions and prepara-tions are far more serious.

“We’ve had a fruitful exchangeof ideas on the inclusion of thehazards of terrorism and thecontinual improvement of safetyand health programs at NASA.”

Barry concurred with Lloyd,saying “By working together wecan ensure that the programs at allthe centers benefit from lessonslearned at each center. Eachcenter ’s experience is a tremendousresource to the other centers.”

The conference will help NASAmanagers achieve their missiongoals, said NASA Chief Health andMedical Officer Rich Williams, whospoke to attendees about thenature of NASA’s broad health caresystem and provided insight intofuture direction.

Catherine Angotti, director ofoccupational health, speaking for

the Office of the Chief Health andMedical Officer, Headquarters said“We are here to ensure the physicaland mental health and well-being ofNASA employees in all environ-ments. In safety and health the

employee is a primary customer.“If we do our jobs successfully,

when NASA employees retire, theywill be at least as healthy orhealthier than the average Ameri-can.”

SPACEPORT NEWSMarch 22, 2002 Page 7

For decades, engineers haveused tools to do their jobs – as inthe slide rule and calculator – butfor Paul Mogan the premier tool isthe one that helps him see.

Mogan, a project manager in theSpaceport Engineering andTechnology Directorate, is consid-ered legally blind due to maculardegeneration. Mogan currentlyworks in the Project ManagementOffice.

The vision-enhancing tool heuses is called “Jordy,” after thecharacter in the Star Trek televisionseries who wore special apparatusthat enabled him to see.

Mogan was one of the first inFlorida in 1999 to use the “Jordy,”manufactured by Enhanced VisionSystems of Orange County, Calif.,and provided by the Stuart EyeInstitute in Florida.

The original Jordy was a some-what bulky headpiece that fit infront of his eyes, with strapsaround the head to hold it in place.

It increased his vision level –estimated, he said, at about fivepercent of the average person’svision – to the standard 20/20.

The device provided a magnifica-tion of 24 times the actual imageand automatic focus. But thedevice weighed close to 10 ounces,which, according to Mogan, wouldfeel heavier and heavier over thecourse of a day, putting a strain onhis neck.

In January of this year, Moganreceived an updated version,Jordy2, with several improvements.

Streamlined from the originalversion, the Jordy2 now looks morelike a small pair of binoculars. Itweighs a third less, which reducesthe strain on the user’s neck.

The device runs via a batterypack that can even be strapped to abelt. Like the previous version, italso can be placed on a stand.

Mogan said, “It is smaller, lighterweight, has a brighter image for meto see, image stabilization (highlymagnified images are less shaky),

brightness and contrast controls …and a button that zooms out all theway – it lets you spot something atlow magnification where I have abigger field of view, and then whenI release the button, it zooms in so Ican see it better.”

Mogan finds the Jordy2 veryhelpful with certain specific uses,he said, such as “filling out paperforms. Wearing Jordy . . . allowsmy face to be far enough back fromthe paper to write on the formeasily. With a normal magnifyingglass, I need to be so close to thepaper that I cannot get a pen underit to write very easily.

“I also use it to read out of heavybooks, like engineering referencebooks. The books are usually tooheavy to hold up close to my face.

“Another problem is that the

pages curve in toward the bindingof the book. It gets very hard to geta magnifier in there close enough tosee. I use the Jordy to give memagnification and the auto focuskeeps the text in focus even as itcurves toward the binding.”

This improvement also allowsMogan to read labels that curvearound a container, such as aprescription bottle.

Other benefits of the Jordy, saidMogan, are when reading a longreport – he doesn’t have to benddown to read the paper so it saveson neck strain – and when review-ing a drawing, with typically verysmall print – the Jordy lets him seeit much better.

Potential uses of the Jordy,which Mogan has not yet tried, areviewing presentations and viewing

Improved NASA technology aids sight

video training tapes because “I canplug the TV output directly into theJordy to see it “up close,” he said.

An old cliché says “What goesaround comes around,” and in thiscase it is NASA technologyreturning to empower a NASAengineer to be a more productiveemployee.

The first development of thevisual aid, called LVES, used “real-time” image processing for analysisof remote sensing data.

The Jordy2 is a refinement, partlybecause of Mogan’s involvementwith “eyes-on” applications andsuggestions for improvement.

Mogan frequently shares hisexperiences with the community,and on May 1, he is hosting aMacular Degeneration and LVTechnology Seminar in Orlando.

May 1 is Macular DegenerationAwareness Day.

For more information about thedevelopment of the visual aid, seevisit www.drhearing.net and theJan. 14, 1999, issue of SpaceportNews or call the macular degenera-tion hotline (888) 482-9943.

Project managerreceives upgradedvision tool, Jordy2

Streamlined from the original version, the Jordy2 nowlooks more like a small pair of binoculars. It weighs athird less, which reduces the strain on the user’s neck.

At left, Paul Mogan, NASA project manager, reads a bookwith the help of the Jordy2 vision tool. His computer screendisplays the enlarged text. Below, Mogan and Dr. ScottHearing of the Stuart Eye Institute demonstrate the device.

Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS March 22, 2002

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: 733-133/60004

Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center andis published on alternate Fridays by External Relations and BusinessDevelopment in the interest of KSC 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

STS-110 ...(Continued from Page 1)

Environmental and Energy Awareness Week

KSC Picnic a winner

Mark your calendars for Environmental and Energy AwarenessWeek, April 22-24.

This year’s events will include a variety of exhibits, demonstra-tions, presentations and on-site field trips.

The opening ceremony will take place on April 22 at the KSCTraining Auditorium and will feature David B. Struhs, secretary ofthe Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as guestspeaker.

Demonstrations and exhibit displays will be located in front of theHeadquarters building on April 23 and at the VAB parking lot onApril 24.

To find out more about Environmental and Energy AwarenessWeek, visit http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/eeaw/ or contactBarbara Naylor at 867-8453.

Technology directorate’s LifeSciences program. Dynamac isKSC’s Life Sciences contractor.

The KSC PESTO group workedwith Orbitec and Ames ResearchCenter (ARC) on the creation ofOrbitec’s Biomass ProductionSystem, the hardware for thePESTO experiment.

“The development of thisexperiment depended on thecontributions of many teammembers at KSC, ARC, JSC, MSFCand Orbitec,” Stutte said. “Thisproject took a lot of coordination.”

Although much of the experimentis automated, the astronaut crewwill periodically monitor PESTOand will be called upon to harvestthe wheat once on orbit and startup a second growth cycle.

After about 43 days on orbit, theexperiment will be returned to KSCon the STS-111 mission.

While news of the plant experi-ment will be of particular interest tothe community of Life Scienceresearch scientists, the payloadprocessing team at KSC will befocused on the Station elements tobe launched.

The S0 truss will be the firstmajor U.S. component launched tothe station since the addition of theQuest airlock in July 2001. It willattach to the U.S. Lab and bethe center section of the Station’struss assembly.

As the center section, S0 is theonly truss section that will bephysically attached to the Station.The segment will take the electrical

power generated by the SolarArrays and channel it to the rest ofthe Station modules.

The Mobile Transporter creates amovable base for the Space StationRemote Manipulator System (theStation’s robotic arm), allowing it totravel along the Station trussesafter delivery of the Mobile BaseSystem during STS-111.

When all the trusses are fullyassembled, the Mobile Transporterwill be capable of moving from oneend of the truss structure to theother, over more than 300 feet.

Atlantis’ flight on STS-110 will bethe 109th Space Shuttle missionoverall, the second mission of 2002and Atlantis’ 25th trip to space. Itwill be the 13th Shuttle mission tothe ISS.

For web coverage of the mission,visit http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/

Members of the Kennedy SpaceCenter PESTO (PhotosynthesisExperiment System TestingOperation) science team arepictured. They are (left to right)Dave Chapman, project sciencecoordinator, Dr Gary Stutte,principal investigator, and Dr.Oscar Monje, plant scientist.PESTO, which will be launched onSTS-110, is slated to be the firstplant experiment to be conductedon the International Space Station.

The annual KSC All-American Picnic held at KARS Park March16 proved to be popular with Kennedy Space Center employees,their families and friends. The picnic featured traditionally favoriteactivities, such as rock-wall climbing, chili cookoff and pony rides,in addition to new offerings, including an apple pie bakingcontest. Look for fuller coverage of the picnic in the April 5 editionof Spaceport News.