Vol. 35, No. 5

Spaceport NewsJohn F. Kennedy Space Center

Mission update

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

March 15, 1996

Landing date, time: March 30,8:05 a.m. at Kennedy SpaceCenter's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Mission: STS-76 on Atlantis.

Launch date, time: March 21,3:35 a.m. from Launch Pad39B.

Mission synopsis: The thirddocking between the U.S.Space Shuttle Atlantis and theRussian Space Station Mir willbe highlighted by severalactivities: a crew transfer, anextravehicular activity (EVA),logistics operations andscientific research.

LUCID

Deshays fromthe FrenchSpace Agency.

In August,Lucid willtransfer back toAtlantis whenfellow astro-naut John Bla-ha arrives totake her place on Mir. She willthen become a member of theSTS-79 crew for the trip backhome.

It’s unlikely that this turn-over in crew members or any-thing else she might encounteron Mir will faze Lucid, whomSTS-76 Mission CommanderKevin Chilton believes was bornto fly in space. “She’s just a natu-

(See STS-76, Page 8)

Veteran space traveler Shan-non Lucid is about to become amember of four different flightcrews in a brief four-and-a-halfmonth period.

Already assigned as a mis-sion specialist on the upcomingflight of Atlantis on MissionSTS-76, she will transfer to theRussian Mir Space Station dur-ing the nine-day flight and tagup with the Mir 21 crew alreadyon board.

Mir 21 Commander YuriOnufrienko and Flight EngineerYuri Usachev and Lucid willwork together aboard the sta-tion until July, when the Mir 22crew takes over. Joining Lucidat that time will be Mir 22 Com-mander Gennady Manakov,Flight Engineer PavelVinogradov and Claudie Andre-

STS-76 to propel Lucidto long-term stay on Mir

CREW MEMBERS for STS-76, posing during Terminal Countdown Test Demonstration(TCDT) activities at Launch Pad 39B, are, from the left, Mission Specialists Linda Godwinand Shannon Lucid, Commander Kevin Chilton, Mission Specialists Michael "Rich"Clifford and Ronald Sega and Pilot Richard Searfoss.

KSC to be recognizedas Quality award finalist

Although Kennedy SpaceCenter was not selected as awinner of the 1996 PresidentialAward for Quality, the centerwill be recognized at the 9thannual Office of Personnel Man-agement (OPM) national confer-ence on federal quality in Wash-ington, D.C. on June 5th. Asmembers of the “WinnersCircle,” ten finalists, includingKSC, will be recognized by theOPM and will be presented anaward by Vice President AlGore.

The evaluation report pro-vided by OPM stated that KSCis strong in all seven categoriesconsidered in the application.The report stated that KSC em-ployees exhibit tremendouspride in their work, that man-agement shows a high concernfor employee safety and wellbeing, that KSC is to be con-gratulated for its ongoing com-mitment to quality and that fur-ther success in the establish-ment of a comprehensive qual-ity management system shouldlead to future gains and furtherconsideration.

The Army Research, Develop-ment and Engineering Center,Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, wasnominated for the PresidentialAward for Quality. The U.S.Army C41 Logistics and Readi-ness Center, Fort Monmouth,NJ, was selected as a winner ofthe Quality Improvement Pro-totype award. KSC won thataward in 1995.

A report from site visitorswho helped make the final se-lection stated that KSC contin-ues to be a prototype in the man-agement of quality and perfor-mance improvement. It was sug-

(See QUALITY, Page 7)

Mission: STS-75 on Columbia.

Landing date, time: March 9,8:58 a.m. at Kennedy SpaceCenter's Shuttle Landing Facility.

Mission synopsis: Columbialanded on orbit 252 after traveling6.5 million miles in orbit on missionSTS-75. This was the 29th KSClanding in the history of the Shuttleprogram. The mission, at 15 days,17 hours and 40 minutes, was thethird longest in the Shuttleprogram. Ken Szalai, director of the DrydenFlight Research Center andchairman of the panel investigatingthe loss of the Tethered Satellite,said members of that committeewill be meeting at KSC over thenext several weeks to study thetether which returned inColumbia's payload bay.

Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS March 15, 1996

HONORED IN MARCH are, from the left, Larry Jones, Shuttle Operations Directorate; Michael Cardinale,Biomedical Operations Directorate; Chris Beidel, Administration Office; Margaret Gibb, Payload OperationsDirectorate; Dennis Peterson, Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate; Linda Ranow, Procurement Office;Billy Wilson, Installation Operations Directorate; Ralonda Farrant, Engineering Development Directorate; andSteve Huff, Logistics Directorate. Not pictured is Cheryl Ford, Comptroller's Office.

Employees of the month

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center awardeda $1.8 million contract to Albany Interna-tional Research Company on Feb. 13 tomanufacture lighter insulation materialsneeded to increase the orbiter’s capability.

The contract calls for 6,560 square feetof a thinner Felt Reusable Surface Insula-tion (FRSI). Installing the lighter FRSI willincrease the Shuttle’s payload capacity forfuture space station-related missions.

The FRSI is made of a felt material thatis coated with a silicon rubber. It protectsthe orbiter from the extreme temperaturesexperienced during launch and re-entry intothe Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA decided to modify the orbiter’sthermal protection system (TPS) in March1994 following a thorough study. TPS datagathered from more than 70 Shuttle flightsgave strong support to their decision.

The Space Shuttle Discovery is currentlybeing modified in Palmdale, CA. The restof the fleet will undergo similar modifica-tions.

KSC awards contractfor lighter insulation

Most employees approachinga Kennedy Space Center secu-rity gate have experienced atone time or another that mo-mentary panic that althoughthey made it to work, maybetheir badge did not.

And, to top it off, on that par-ticular day the security officersinevitably aren’t just looking fora flash through the windshield— they want to touch the badgeitself.

Hands-on badge checks havebeen occurring more frequentlyin recent weeks and security of-ficials say that once employeesunderstand the importance ofsuch close-range checks they aregenerally cooperative in sup-porting them.

Requirements for hands-onchecks have been in place forabout a decade, said Cal Burch,chief of the Protective ServicesOffice.

The checks are emphasized atdifferent times depending onany local or national security

threat, he said. The hands-onchecks currently in effect areprimarily an effort to get driv-ers to slow down and give theofficers a good look at the accessbadge.

With all the different badgesthat authorize entrance to thecenter, it is important to periodi-cally check and make sureproper identification is beingused, Burch said.

The recent checks have al-ready uncovered an employeewho has not had a picture badgefor several weeks as well asemployees who were usingbadges for other facilities to gainaccess to KSC.

Badges can also be replicated,Burch said.

Official badges contain a ho-logram which cannot be easilyreproduced.

Use of a falsified badge or onethat belongs to another em-ployee is a violation of federallaw and KSC security proce-dures and could result in disci-

plinary action.The need for enhanced secu-

rity at federal facilities was un-derscored after the OklahomaCity Federal Building bombinglast year when PresidentClinton issued an executive or-der emphasizing the need forprotective measures.

“The bottom line is we wouldask employees to be cooperative,

and to be prepared to show theirbadge when they enter thegate,” Burch said.

If traffic backup at a particu-lar gate is ever a problem, offic-ers are authorized to stop thechecks until the logjam iscleared, he said.

The checks will continue ona periodic basis for the indefi-nite future, he said.

Hands-on badge checksreduce KSC security risk

SUE BOSCH, an EG&G security officer, conducts a hand-on badge check for anemployee entering Kennedy Space Center.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3March 15, 1996

Quick repair returns Atlantis to pad

NASA, industry combine to developinnovative KSC-designed flow meter

An innovative, KSC-designedflow meter that could improveproduction in the cryogenic fu-els, petroleum and food process-ing industries will be developedfor commercial use through thefirst cooperative venture of itskind.

NASA and Air Products andChemicals, Inc., of Allentown,PA, signed a one-year coopera-tive agreement March 7 tojointly develop a prototype of thetwo-phase flow meter. “This newtechnology will serve as the ba-sis for the development of a cryo-genic flow/quality measuringdevice that can be used by manyindustries,” said Kristen Riley ofthe KSC Technology Programsand Commercialization Office.

“This is our first cooperativeagreement where NASA devel-opmental funds are provided toa for-profit organization,” Rileysaid. “Both NASA and Air Prod-ucts will provide funding, man-power and facilities to developprototypes of the new technol-ogy.”

The effort is a part of theNASA Dual-Use Program, inwhich space program technologyis jointly developed with an in-dustry partner for use both by

the space agency and the com-mercial market.

“This meter was conceived atthe space center to provide amore accurate means to mea-sure the flow of two-phase cryo-genic fluids as they are loadedaboard the Space Shuttle beforelaunch,” said KSC lead projectengineer Rudy Werlink.

“Existing sensors do not havethe rapid response and sensitiv-ity required to correlate the dataof a flowing mixture. The factthat this flow meter will havethat capability makes this de-sign innovative,” Werlink said.The flow meter also provides anaccurate determination of theliquid-to-gas ratio or quality ofthe mixture.

Werlink initially conceivedthe design for the flow/qualitymeter in 1993. Bob Younquistof I-NET Inc., an engineeringsupport contractor at KSC, ledthe developmental efforts on theelectronic control system andcollaborated on the physical de-sign.

“Our initial testing of theseprototypes has been encourag-ing,” Werlink said. “We plan toprovide enhancements to themicroprocessor and make othermodifications during the nextphase of development.”

By Joel Wells

THE SPACE ShuttleAtlantis' trip toLaunch Pad 39BFeb. 28 exper-ienced an un-expected delaywhen two of the 48crawler transporterscleats, or "shoes,"on the tread splitapart during theearly morning roll-out. Repairs werecompleted in aboutsix hours, delayingthe arrival of theShuttle at the pad bythat amount of time.

SEATED FROM THE LEFT, KSC Deputy Director Gene Thomas, NASA AssociateDeputy Administrator Michael Mott, and Andrew Cummins, vice president of Air Productsand Chemicals, Inc., of Allentown, PA, approve a one-year cooperative agreement tojointly develop a prototype of a two-phase flow meter.

Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS

National Engineers'Week activities wenton-line this year,

enabling engineers, teachersand students to have immediateaccess to information onplanned activities. During themonth of February, 250 engi-neers and 5,000 Brevard Countystudents took part in engineer-ing-related events designed toincrease awareness andappreciation of the engineeringprofession.

A National Engineers’ Week(NEW) home page developedby the Society of ManufacturingEngineers and available on theWorld Wide Web (http://www.sme.org), provided objec-tives of the program to make iteasier for those who wereinterested in participating.

NASA Headquarters went astep further by developing ashort event report accessible onthe Internet to document allpresentations to the schools.Although National Engineers'Week was officially Feb. 18-24,KSC has always extended theobjectives of the programthroughout the year due to somany interested volunteers andrequests from the schools. Mostof the NASA directorates andcontractors participate in theprogram along with hundreds ofpersonnel involved in areaschools.

The on-line data will pave the

The Shuttle Logistics Direc-torate followed the ShuttleOperations lead and adoptedAtlantic Elementary School inFebruary, replicating many ofthe programs previously imple-mented at Fairglen.

The Safety and MissionAssurance Directorate adoptedSouth Lake Elementary Schooland continues to present careerpresentations to all grade levels.With 52 engineers talking to agrade level per month, thedirectorate reaches about 700students during the year. Theschool's end-of-the-year pro-gram May 17 will include a

simulated launch of a modelShuttle, with students participat-ing as the launch team.

St. Mary’s Catholic Schoolwas supported by the Adminis-tration Office. Five employeesspoke to 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students about becomingengineers, astronauts andscientists.

Four scientists from theBiomedical Operations Officeshared their expertise atGolfview Elementary School asthey judged the school's el-ementary science fair.

National Engineers' Week re

way for further automateddocumentation and record-keeping for all NASA programs.

A ll 76 Brevard Countyschools were con-tacted by KSC

organizations and offered careerspeakers. Several other groupsand private schools also re-quested speakers, said JaneHodges, aerospace educationspecialist and KSC coordinatorof National Engineers' Week.

Some examples of experi-ences of KSC employeesinclude:

Cindy Mead, LockheedMartin Space Operationschemical engineer, stated, “Notonly do the teachers and

ALTHOUGH focused on Brevard County,KSC's input into National Education Weekextended throughout the region. Studentsat Mountain Road Elementary School inAtlanta created their own mission badgesand sent them to the Public Affairs Office'sEducation Branch in appreciation formaterials they used during the week.

PHIL SWIHART of Rocketdyne demonstrates the propulsion system as related to theAstronauts' Manned Manuevering Unit (MMU) during a presentation at South LakeElementary School.

STUDENTS prepare for a model rocket launch during U.S. SPACE CAMP.

students respond in a verypositive manner, it gives us amorale boost to share ourchosen professions. We canmotivate students to often excelbeyond the family norm thatthey are accustomed to.”Lockheed Martin sent sixengineers to seven differentschools.

Steve Chance and GeorgeVeaudry of the Payload Opera-tions Directorate led an effort tosend 30 engineers to speak toIndialantic Elementary Schoolstudents. That directorate hasalso developed a home pagewith a bulleted item on educa-

tional outreach to enableemployees to learn about itseducation efforts and inform thegeneral public about NASA’scommitment to education.

The Shuttle OperationsDirectorate adopted FairglenElementary School three yearsago and continued to share theircareers during February. Theengineers work with all gradelevels throughout the year toencourage students to excel inmath, science and technology.In addition, approximately 70engineers sponsored MathSuperstars, Lego Logo, ScienceClub and one-to-one tutoring.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 5

students in person, on-line

The Equal OpportunityOffice sponsoredNational Engineers’

Day for Andrew Jackson JuniorHigh School and ThomasJefferson Middle School. Amongthe activities: 100 studentsattended a rocket buildingsession at SPACE CAMP, an artposter contest was judged bySafety and Mission AssuranceDirector JoAnn Morgan andLaunch Director Jim Harrington,and presentations were given byengineers Nate Wright and JoanHigginbotham and KSC Associ-ate Director Al Parrish.

Sharon White and DavidBanks from the ProcurementOffice presented “ExploringSpace” at the Caminiti Excep-tional Center in Tampa to 75students at all grade levels.

NASA alumnus SamBeddingfield spoke on “SpaceBasics” at Mims ElementarySchool. He shared formerastronaut Sally Ride’s book tokick off the "Love of Reading

SHARON WHITE and David Banks of the ProcurementOffice prepare for a presentation at the Caminiti ExceptionalCenter in Tampa.

United States Air Force partici-pated in the Cocoa Academy forAerospace Technology Student/Mentor program.

The heightened emphasisplaced on National Engineers'Week and the special eventssurrounding the event reflect arenewed drive by NASA and itscontractors to educate thepublic on careers in engineer-

ing, Hodges said. She said it ishoped the ongoing effort willmake a difference in students'futures.

made for use on Earth, butothers are made for space” and“Can it go through fire?” by “No,it has a computer in it and if itwent through fire, the computerwould stop working.” He pointedout that some robots, however,are designed to work in fires.

Rocketdyne reached 402students at Ronald McNairMagnet, Kennedy Middle and

Astronaut High Schools. Pre-sentations included groupdiscussions, lectures, NASAvideos, demonstrations, teamactivities and a tour of KSC.

McDonnell Douglas Spaceand Defense Systems employ-ees visited students at Pin-ewood Elementary, CentralJunior High, Melbourne Highand Astronaut High Schools. Amini-engineering expo atAstronaut High School gaveemployees a chance to providecomputer demonstrations andcareer discussions on Feb. 23.The Golfview Science Fair wasalso judged by McDonnellDouglas employees. In addition,McDonnell Douglas, LockheedMartin, Rockwell, Harris and the

THIS MISSION PATCH, drawn by astudent at Mountain Ridge Elementary inAtlanta, features an astronaut exploring"The Unlimited" universe.

Day" designed toencouragestudents to enjoyreading.

LockheedMartin Astronau-tics LaunchOperations-CapeCanaveral AirStation arrangedfor Gen. ForrestMcCartney, vicepresident launchoperations; CurtBigalow, informa-tion systems chief;and M.J.Blanchard, specialassignments; tospeak to the firstthrough sixthgraders at MilaElementarySchool. Gen.McCartney re-ceived the followingletter from one ofthe fifth graders:

Dear Gen. McCartney:I’m thanking you for coming

in and teaching me about:Learning, Respect and Health.My most favorite speech waswhen you were talking aboutRespect. Because I really thinkyou got into our heads abouthow to respect others. I espe-cially enjoyed it when you toldus about that when you treatothers with respect you’ll getrespect back. Another thing Iwant to thank you for is tellingus about is health because lastnight I started brushing myteeth. Because I wasn’t brush-ing my teeth for awhile.

S teve Van Meter, aspecialist with theAdvanced Systems

Robotics Lab in the EngineeringDevelopment Directorate,accepted Ellenton Schools’invitation to speak in Palmetto.More than l00 children re-sponded enthusiastically to arobot demonstration. Questionsfrom the students, such as “Canit be used in outer space?”were answered by, “This one is

LAUNCH DIRECTOR Jim Harrington and Safety and Quality Assurance Director JoAnnMorgan judge artwork submitted by students from Andrew Jackson Middle School andThomas Jefferson Junior High School.

Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS March 15, 1996

M ike Drummond has the kind ofjob that can reduce an avidspace junkie to wide-eyed

amazement — he helps construct therigging that allows workers access to theSpace Shuttle while it is being processed atKennedy Space Center.

Because the Lockheed-Martin spaceOperations Company employee routinelyworks face to face with the world’s mostreliable space plane, a marvel of technologi-cal achievement, it is perhaps a little moreunderstandable that he often seems bewil-dered by the attention his hobby evokes.

Drummond carves toothpicks. Morespecifically, using an Exacto knife, he turnsthe tops of toothpicks into works of art.

The soft-spoken artist has createdhundreds of sculptures, from sports figuresto nature scenes to Space Shuttles —complete with solid rocket booster separa-tion, all on a surface area approximately aneighth of an inch wide by an inch long.

While the hobby takes him away fromwork-related pressures, it doesn’t eliminatestress from his life. In some ways, it adds toit.

“It wears you out,” Drummond said. “It’sreal tedious — it puts wear and tear on yourbody.”

Since creating his first miniature sculp-ture, a basketball player, in 1983,

KSC high crew rigger's hobby really sticks out

By Barb Compton Drummond’s fascination with toothpicks byjokingly commenting that he would probablybe capable of carving on one.

His tools are basic — toothpicks (prefer-ably of the Birch variety from California) anda No. 11 Exacto knife.

Once he completes the carving, hefinishes the sculpture with an acrylic ce-ramic coating from bottles marked with thecolor names.

The names are a necessity becauseDrummond is color blind, a fact that doesn’tdeter him from brightly topping off hisfinished product.

The artwork is then inserted into thecork stopper of an inverted testtube which serves as a display

case. Drummond’s sales have come largely

through word of mouth.A fellow KSC employee put him in touch

with a manager of Ripley’s Believe it or NotMuseum. Drummond sent a sample oftoothpicks which he believes were displayedthere but he has never been to see them.

He says most of his free time is spent onthe actual carving rather than the promotionof his work.

He charges $75 for a custom carving buthe is reluctant to give an estimate of howlong a single piece will take him.

For such a small item, the time invested“is usually too long,” he said with a grin.

Drummond has developed carpal tunnelsyndrome in his hands. He says the tensiondevelops to a point where he fears he coulddo permanent damage.

“If you let your guard down and yourconcentration goes you could slip and cutyour finger off,” he said.

D rummond has had a penchant forcreating miniature art as long ashe can remember.

When he was a boy he created a smallelephant out of a piece of bread rolled upinto a dough ball.

His father-in-law unwittingly started

KSC EMPLOYEE Mike Drummond looks over some of hishandiwork. He does not use magnification when he carves.

AFTER the carving is complete, Drummond finishes a piece bycarefully coloring it with an acrylic ceramic paint.

SOME of Drummond's favorites include, from the left,football player Joe Montana, dancer Fred Astaire, boxerGeorge Foreman, Bugs Bunny, a camera on a tripod,the Space Shuttle lifting off and dropping its solid rocketboosters, and a surfer girl.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 7March 15, 1996

Vertical first

THE SPACEHAB module is installed vertically for the first time into the payloadbay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at Launch Pad 39B on Feb. 29. Atlantis wasrolled out to the pad a day previously. Already located in the payload bay wasthe Orbiter Docking System (ODS), to which the SPACEHAB was connected viaa tunnel. During the flight of Atlantis on Mission STS-76, the ODS will be dockedto the Docking Module located on the Kristall module docking port on the RussianSpace Station Mir. The SPACEHAB will be filled with Russian and U.S. logisiticsequipment for transfer to Mir. Also located in the mini-research laboratory is theEuropean Space Agency's Biorack, which houses experiments to be conductedby the U.S. astronauts during the nine-day flight.

gested the center concentrateefforts on customer satisfactionthrough customer satisfactiontargets and goals and throughcustomer participation in thatarea. Other areas the examin-ers suggested focusing on arethe methods of responding toindividual employee improve-ment ideas and the linkages be-tween process management

metrics, performance targetsand the strategic plan.

The ratings KSC received in-dicate that a well-planned,sound quality management-based system has been imple-mented in several areas of theorganization, the report said. Allorganizations reveigin awardsshould be viewed as winners, itconcluded.

releases and other reports.To subscribe to these status

reports and press releases, sendan e-mail message todomo@news.ksc.nasa.gov.

In the body of the message(not the subject line) users musttype the words “subscribeshuttle-status”, or “subscribeksc-press-release” (do not usequotation marks).

The system will reply with aconfirmation via e-mail of eachsubscription.

To remove your name fromthe list, send an e-mail messageto domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov. Inthe body of the message (not thesubject line), type (no quotes)“unsubscribe shuttle-status”, or“unsubscribe ksc-press-release.”

Public Affairs documents available electronicallyThe Kennedy Space Center

Public Affairs Office has intro-duced several innovations togive the media and others im-mediate access to official infor-mation.

Computer users can now callup Spaceport News from theKSC home page (http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/ksc.html).The page includes text versionsof Spaceport News stories andcaptions beginning with theJan. 19, 1996 edition, as well aspdf files which display entirepages including photographs.

Those with e-mail addressescan subscribe to a list serverthat will automatically forwardto them all KSC Shuttle statusreports, KSC originated press

For the first time sincePluto'sdiscovery 66 years ago, as-tronomers have at last directlyseen details on the surface ofthe solar system's farthestknown planet from pictures sentback by the European SpaceAgency's Faint Object Cameraaboard NASA's Hubble SpaceTelescope.

Hubble's snapshots of nearlythe entire surface of Pluto, takenas the planet rotated through a6.4-day period, show that Plutois a complex object, with morelarge-scale contrast than anyplanet, except Earth.

The images also revealalmost a dozen distinctivealbedo features, or provinces,none of which have ever beenseen before.

They include a "ragged"northern polar cap bisected by adark strip, a bright spot seenrotating with the planet, a clusterof dark spots, and a bright linearmarking that is intriguing thescientific team analyzing theimages. The images confirmthe presence of icy-bright polarcap features, which had beeninferred from indirect evidencefor surface markings in the1980s.

This historic new look atPluto helps pave the way for aproposed Pluto flyby mission

early in the next century. Plutois the only solar system planetnot yet visited by a spacecraft.

"Hubble is providing the first,tantalizing glimpse of what Plutowill be like when we get there,"said Dr. Alan Stern of South-west Research Institute'sBoulder, CO, research office.

Stern led the team who usedHubble to obtain the mostdetailed view yet of Pluto.

The Pluto imaging team alsoincludes Dr. Marc Buie of LowellObservatory, Flagstaff, AZ, andDr. Laurence Trafton of theUniversity of Texas, Austin.

This team of planetaryscientists used the Faint ObjectCamera aboard the Hubble toobtain over a dozen high-qualityvisible and ultraviolet images ofPluto in mid-1994.

These images have nowbeen carefully reduced andanalyzed.

"These results and the mapswe constructed from them aremuch better than I ever hopedfor," said Buie. "It's fantastic."

"Hubble has brought Plutofrom a fuzzy, distant dot of light,to a world which we can beginto map, and watch for surfacechanges. Hubble's view of thetiny, distant Pluto is reminiscentof looking at Mars through asmall telescope," said Stern.

Hubble shows Pluto surface

Quality. . .(Continued from Page 1)

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Spaceport News The Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy SpaceCenter and is published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Officein the interest of KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks be-fore publication to the Media Services Branch, PA-MSB. E-mail submis-sions can be sent to Barbara.Compton-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa MaloneEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barb ComptonEditorial support provided by Sherikon Space Systems Inc. writers group.

USGPO: 733-096/20017

Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS March 15, 1996

Space Congress to feature race car driver

WALLACE

SuperstarNASCAR driverRusty Wallacewill headline the33rd SpaceCongress whenhe speaksabout thebenefits ofspace exploration during theevent’s annual banquet on April23 in Cocoa Beach.

At the Daytona 500 in Febru-ary, Wallace drove home theimportance of space technologywhen he raced his FordThunderbird, outfitted with scrappieces of Space Shuttle thermalprotection blankets. The mate-rial helped Wallace keep hiscool in the car where thetemperature normally reaches160 degrees.

In addition to the banquet,other highlights of the 33rdSpace Congress will include fivemajor panel sessions withparticipation from leading spaceexperts discussing where thenation’s space program isheaded. A special presentationby Kent Black, the chief operat-ing officer of United SpaceAlliance, will focus on the needfor change in the space industry.

Technical paper presenta-tions will center on such topicsas future launch vehicles andfacilities, space businessaspects in a commercial market,the future of commercial satel-lites, the Mir space station,planetary programs and space

education for tomorrow.“It’s a galaxy of information,”

said Forrest McCartney, generalchairman of the event. “Thisyear’s participants will discoverthe latest developments aboutthe dynamic changes facing thekey elements of America’sspace program.”

Along with the panel andpaper presentations, thecongress will feature free publicevents such as a studentscience fair and the popular“Meet the Astronauts” nightchaired by Kennedy SpaceCenter Director Jay Honeycutt.Also open to the public will beexhibit halls, featuring displaysfrom major aerospace compa-nies. Activities begin Tuesday,April 23, with a keynote addressfrom Bob Davis, deputy under-secretary of defense for space.Events conclude the evening ofFriday, April 26, with thePioneer’s Banquet at Patrick AirForce Base Officer’s Club.

Sponsored by the CanaveralCouncil of Technical Societies(CCTS), Space Congress isconsidered the oldest and mostrespected forum of its kind inthe world. Launched in 1964,Space Congress is intended tofacilitate the exchange of spacescience and engineeringinformation among the govern-ment, industry and educationalcommunities. For more informa-tion, contact Lisa Malone at867-2468 or Bob Tucker at 799-6847.

ral up there,” Chilton observedin a recent interview. “She’s verycomfortable in that environ-ment.”

Lucid already has flown onthe Shuttle four times, accumu-lating more than 838 hours inspace.

She began training in StarCity, Russia, in February1995,for the trip to Mir.

Both Lucid and her fellowSTS-76 crew members feelstrongly that lessons learnedfrom Norm Thagard’s visit tothe station last year will makeher stay more comfortable.

More time is being booked forcommunication with familyback on Earth, and greater at-tention given to menu selectionsfrom a cultural standpoint.

Veteran crewLike Lucid, the rest of the

STS-76 crew are spaceflight vet-erans.

Chilton will be embarking onhis third trip into orbit, as areMission Specialists LindaGodwin and Michael “Rich”Clifford. Pilot Richard Searfossand Mission Specialist RonaldSega will be flying for the sec-ond time. Chilton, Godwin andClifford flew together on STS-59, and Searfoss and Lucid werecrew mates on STS-58.

Docking with Mir is slated tooccur on flight day three.

Lucid is scheduled to trans-fer to the station soon after thehatches between the two matedspacecraft are opened.

While this is one of the pri-mary objectives of the thirdShuttle-Mir docking, other sig-nificant tasks also are planned.

A single SPACEHAB moduleis flying in the aft portion ofAtlantis’ cargo bay carryingnumerous logistical items aswell as a European SpaceAgency Biorack research facil-ity.

Besides transferring equip-ment, experiment samples andpersonal items to and from Mir,the U.S. astronauts also will beconducting microgravity re-

search with the Biorack.One of the highlights of the

flight should be the extravehicu-lar activity (EVA) that Godwinand Clifford will perform onflight day six while the Shuttleand Mir are still docked to-gether.

With Sega overseeing theEVA from inside the orbiter,Godwin and Clifford will placefour experiments on the Dock-ing Module attached to Mir dur-ing STS-74 which was the sec-ond Shuttle-Mir docking flight.

Equipment check The experiments are de-signed to collect informationabout the microgravity environ-ment at the altitude and incli-nation at which Mir is located— the same as the InternationalSpace Station.

The two spacewalkers alsowill be checking out commonU.S./Russian spacewalkingequipment as well as assessingthe challenge of maneuveringaround two mated spacecraftwhile connected to a 50-foot-longtether.

Asked to place in historicalcontext the significance of thethird Shuttle/Mir docking, theSTS-76 crew likes to comparetheir mission to a building blockthat will eventually become theInternational Space Station.When Lucid transfers her be-longings to Mir, she begins anextended American role aboardthe station.

Blaha will be followed in or-der by astronauts JerryLinenger and Michael Foale,establishing a continuousAmerican presence in space forthe next two years.

Where it should all lead isperfectly clear to at least two ofthe crew members.

Looking ahead“Mars is certainly a goal for

exploration that makes a greatdeal of sense to us in the astro-naut office,” Sega has observed.

Clifford couldn’t agree more.“Our final goal is to put yourchildren and my children on atrip to Mars,” he noted in a re-cent interview.

STS-76. . .(Continued from Page 1)