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

February 27, 1998

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 37, No. 4

Mission UpdateMission UpdateApril

STS-90Columbia90th Shuttle, 25th OV-102April 16, 2:19 p.m. EDT (recentlychanged from April 2)Pad 39B, KSCNeurolab (see photo at right)Crew: Richard Searfoss; ScottAltman; Richard Linnehan; DaveWilliams; Kay Hire; Jay Buckey;James Pawelczyk

May

KSC ingenuity, experience are tackling ISSground support equipment needs

Ground support equipmentcritical to gettingInternational Space Station(ISS) hardware from Earthinto orbit is taking shapearound the space center.

One of the first to bedesigned was the RackInsertion Device (RID), forinserting experiment racksinto research modules. Now, anew array of equipment thatwill expedite Earth-basedprocessing of the station cargotug, called the Mini-Pressurized Logistics Module(MPLM), is undergoingcheckout and testing in theAdvanced SystemsDevelopment Lab. Managed byEngineering SupportContractor Dynacs andoverseen by the DesignEngineering Directorate atNASA KSC, the lab is part of

STS-91Discovery91st Shuttle, 24th OV-103May 28, 8:05 p.m. EDTPad 39A, KSCFinal Shuttle-Mir dockingCrew: Charles Precourt; DominicGorie; Wendy Lawrence; FranklinChang-Diaz; Janet Kavandi; ValeryRyumin; Andy Thomas (returningfrom Mir)

July

Deep Space-1Delta II launch vehicleJuly 1Launch Complex 17A, CCASFirst mission in NASA’s NewMillennium program to fly. It willpass by an asteroid, Mars and acomet.

STS-88Endeavour92nd Shuttle, 13th OV-105July 9, 12:44 p.m. EDT (underreview)Pad 39B, KSCFirst U.S. International SpaceStation assembly flight, carryingNode-1 and PMA-1 and -2.Crew: Robert Cabana; RickSturckow; Nancy Currie; JerryRoss; Jim Newman

(See GSE, Page 2)

Neurolab moved to OPF 3

WORKERS in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 transfer the Neurolab Spacelab moduleinto the payload bay of the orbiter Columbia Feb. 12. The targeted launch date forSTS-90 has been changed from April 2 to April 16 at 2:19 p.m. This second Shuttleflight of the year will include the first astronaut selected from the ranks of KSC employees,Kay Hire, who is assigned as a mission specialist on the final Spacelab flight.

DYNACS employeeScott Minter rotatesa full-scale mockupof the Mini-PressurizedLogistics Module(MPLM) in theMPLM AccessCertificationEquipment (MACE)test stand. TheMPLM will serve asa cargo tugbetween Earth andthe InternationalSpace Station(ISS), shuttlingmaterials to andfrom the stationduring the assemblyphase. The MPLMis about 15 feet indiameter and 24feet long.

(See COUNSEL, Page 8)

KSC gets newchief counsel

Anderson

Bruce H. S. Andersonbecame the Chief Counsel ofKennedy Space Centereffective Feb. 17.

“I’m pleased to have thisimportant postfilled by someonewith suchimpressivecredentials,” saidKSC DirectorRoy Bridges Jr.“Bruce’sextensive

experience as a lawyer,including several years as theDeputy Chief Counsel at

SPACEPORT NEWS February 27, 1998Page 2

the Launch Equipment Test Facility, along-standing testing ground for GroundSupport Equipment (GSE) before it seesoperational use.

Inside the lab, a KSC-built full-scalemockup of the MPLM has beenincorporated into the MPLM AccessCertification Equipment (MACE).Designed by Boeing and NASA and builtby Dynacs and NASA, the MACE caneasily move on the air-bearing pallets inthe Space Station Processing Facility(SSPF), where the stand will findoperational use.

“Including the MACE, there are about15 items of GSE total that eventuallywill be located in the SSPF,” said ScottColloredo, lead design engineer.

MACE allows access to the MPLM intwo different configurations. Horizontalaccess would be required when theMPLM is in the SSPF, OrbiterProcessing Facility or at Dryden becauseof a West Coast landing, while verticalaccess will be needed when the module isat the pad prior to flight and latestowage of re-supply items is performed.

For this latter task, an ingenious pieceof telescoping hardware was developedby the Boeing/NASA design team. Scott

GSE ...(Continued from Page 1)

Strickland of Boeing came up with anefficient, tightly designed piece of GSEcalled the (Mini) PLM Late Access Kit(PLAK). It features a retracting ladderand fold-up platforms that are telescopeddown into the MPLM. A worker climbsdown the ladder and unfolds platforms tocreate a mini-work area.

“This is a better way to do MVAK,”Colloredo noted, referring to ModuleVertical Access Kit, the current processfor performing late stowage. No load isplaced upon the MPLM by the GSEstructures, and it’s easier for the workeraccessing the MPLM to climb down aladder than be lowered on a hoist.

“Getting the person in there is half thebattle,” Colloredo said. “The other half isthe equipment.” Cargo is lowered from ahoist system on the PLAK. The same

MATT McCartney ofDynacs has climbeddown to the bottom ofthe (Mini) PLM LateAccess Kit (PLAK)and is unfolding workplatforms at the base.The PLAK will extendabout 12 feet into themodule, enough toaccess the twohighest racks.

THE (Mini) PLM(MPLM) Late AccessKit (PLAK) will makelate stowage in themodule easier andsafer. It features aretractable ladder andattached workplatforms. The PLAKwas built byEngravers MetalFabricators, MerrittIsland.

MVAK hoists can be used on the PLAK.The first of three MPLMs are due on

deck at KSC this year. First flight willoccur in June 1999, when an MPLM willferry up hardware for the U.S.laboratory, kicking off an ongoing seriesof supply missions to outfit the stationthat will extend into the next century.

Other GSE being developed at KSC tosupport ISS includes:

• Removable End Access Platform(REAP), for quick access to the MPLMafter it returns from space;

• Hatch Access Structure (HAS), foraccessing the MPLM if the orbiter landsin California instead of KSC;

• Hatch Operations Kit (HOK), whichwill be used to open and close theforward MPLM (and other module)hatches when in the horizontal mode.

ISS preparations ramping upTAKING SHAPE — The Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) (photo at left) in the foreground is beingmated to Node 1 in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) Feb. 17. The two PMAs will havecritical roles in the on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station: One PMA will be connected tothe Russian-built Control Module while the other will serve as a docking port for future Shuttle missions.The Node will become a passageway between the different elements. During STS-88 this summer, thePMA/Node assembly will be attached to the Control Module. Several space walks by the STS-88 crewwill be required to connect power and data transmission cables on the mated hardware. A third PMAarrived at KSC the same week. It will be attached to the Node during STS-92 and will have the samepurpose as PMA-2. Below, the Z1 Integrated Truss Segment is moved into a work stand in the SSPFFeb.18. The Z1 truss also will be launched on STS-92. It will allow temporary installation of the U.S.power module to Node 1. Attached gyroscopes on the truss will provide attitude control. Extravehicularactivity equipment also can be secured to the truss.

SPACEPORT NEWSFebruary 27, 1998 Page 3

Atlantis is first orbiter to get newadvanced cockpit display

The orbiter Atlantis,undergoing its second OrbiterMaintenance Down Period(OMDP) in California, hasbecome the first vehicle in thefleet to receive a new state-of-the art cockpit display system.

The MultifunctionElectronic Display Subsystem(MEDS), built by HoneywellSpace Systems/SatelliteSystems Operation, ispatterned after liquid-crystaldisplay technology on theBoeing 777. It replaces thecurrent electro-mechanicaland cathode ray tube displayswhich were designed for theShuttle in the 1970s.

Honeywell delivered 11 flat-panel displays for Atlantis.

NASA and Lockheed Martintoday saw their X-33technology demonstrator movefrom drawing board to plantfloor as the first major flightcomponent arrived at theLockheed Martin SkunkWorks vehicle assemblyfacility in Palmdale, Calif.

The 26-foot-long, 5,500-pound aluminum liquidoxygen tank that will formmuch of the nose and forwardthird of the X-33 vehiclearrived Feb. 10 by air from theLockheed Martin MichoudSpace Systems facility in NewOrleans.

“The arrival of the liquidoxygen tank marks the start ofan ambitious assemblyschedule that will see the X-33vehicle roll out and beginflight tests within 18 months,”said Jerry Rising, LockheedMartin Skunk Works vicepresident for X-33/VentureStar.

“This is a significantachievement in making the X-33 vehicle ready for flight, asthe liquid oxygen tank is thefirst major element to beplaced into the assemblyfixture,” added Gene Austin,NASA X-33 program manager.

First major flight component forX-33 arrives at Palmdale

The tank, designed to holdmore than 181,000 pounds ofliquid oxygen, will supply theoxidizer needed to burn thevehicle’s fuel, liquid hydrogen.

The liquid oxygen tank alsoplays a key structural role inthe X-33. It has a complex,two-lobed structure allowingfor a close fit within thevehicle’s outer shell.

When filled, the tank willaccount for about 65 percent oftotal vehicle weight at liftoff.

The liquid oxygen tankdesign is one of a number ofchallenging technology areasthat are key to the X-33,including the vehicle’s twocutting-edge composite liquidhydrogen tanks, two linearaerospike engines, thevehicle’s rugged metallicthermal protection system andadvanced avionics systems allof which will be arriving at thePalmdale facility during thecoming year.

Vehicle assembly of thesubscale prototype technologydemonstrator is scheduled tobe completed in late spring1999, with the first flight, tobe launched from Edwards AirForce Base, Calif., scheduledfor July 1999.

THE 5,500-poundX-33 aluminumliquid oxygen tankarrives at theLockheed SkunkWorks inPalmdale Feb. 10.This is the firstmajor flightcomponentdelivered to thevehicle assemblyfacility.

A titanic collision

HUBBLE Space Telescope images of Supernova 1987A from 1994 (above left)and 1997 (right) show a brightening knot on the upper side of the glowing gasring surrounding the supernova (an exploding star) at the center of the image.The knot is the site of a powerful collision between an outward-moving shockwave from the exploding star and the innermost parts of the ring surroundingthe star. This is likely to be the first sign of a dramatic and violent collision thatwill take place over the next few years. Statistics of the phenonemon are mind-boggling: The material in the center of the ring is rushing outward at 1,864 milesper second. The blast wave is moving at 40 million miles per hour. The knot is100 billion miles across and its temperature is surging from a few thousanddegrees to a million degrees Fahrenheit. Supernova 1987 is the brightest stellarexplosion seen since Johannes Kepler observed a supernova in the year 1607.It is located about 167,000 light-years from Earth in the large Magellanic Cloud.

After installation is complete,the orbiter will have ninedisplays on the forward flightdeck and two on the aft tosupport payload operations.

The displays offer state-of-the-art color and clarity. Theyalso weigh less and use lessenergy than the existingdisplays. Each MEDScomprises three units. Thedisplay itself containshardware and software togenerate images. It isconnected to a data processor,which in turn is connected toanalog-to-digital converters.

Units for Columbia arescheduled to be shipped byJuly, with all flight unitsdelivered by year-end.

ARTIST’S concept of theHoneywell MultifunctionElectronic Display Subsystem(MEDS). All four orbiters will beoutfitted with the displaysystem and Honeywell alsohas been contracted to providea unit for the InternationalSpace Station that will allowastronauts to interface with thestation’s robotic arm.

SPACEPORT NEWS February 27, 1998Page 4

NASA FY 1999 Budget Summary (Millions of Dollars)

FY 1998 FY 1999

Human space flight 5,679.5 * 5,511.0

Science, aeronautics & technology 5,552.0 * 5,457.4

Mission support 2,388.2 * 2,476.6

Inspector general 18.3 20.0

TOTAL BUDGET AUTHORITY 13,638.0 13,465.0

*Reflects transfer of $128 million from the science, aeronautics & technology appropriation and $45 million from the mission support appropriation to human space flight appropriation.

FY ‘99 NASA budget requestholds steady at $13.5 billion

NASA Administrator DanGoldin presented the Fiscal1999 budget for the agency ata briefing in Washington, D.C.,earlier this month. The$13.465-billion request is onlyslightly lower than the priorfiscal year, $13.638 billion.

“I know that a budget isabout priorities and thepromise of the future,” Goldinsaid at the Feb. 2 budgetbriefing. “But I also believe —deeply — that a budget isn’tonly about priorities andpromise. It is also aboutperformance.”

Goldin presented a series ofcharts (see below) highlightingefficiencies achieved by NASAsince FY ‘93, including:

• The Shuttle is deliveringmore for the money. Crew daysin orbit have increased 133percent and days on-orbitjumped from 62 days in FY ‘93to 94 in FY ‘97.

• Significant Shuttle safetyimprovements have beenachieved. In-flight anomalieshave declined from an averageof 14.3 anomalies per flight inFY ‘93 to just 5.4 anomaliesper flight four fiscal yearslater.

• Shuttle costs are down.The total average cost perShuttle flight has decreased 42per cent, overtime has beenreduced by 31 percent, boththe civil service and contractorwork force involved withShuttle operations have beenreduced by more than 20percent, and the total SpaceShuttle budget has droppedfrom $4.1 billion in FY ‘93 toabout $3 billion in FY ‘97.

• NASA’s civil service workforce has fallen from 24,900people in fiscal 1993 to 19,187in December 1997. TheHeadquarters staff is abouthalf the size it was four yearspreviously. By Fiscal Year2,000, about 2,000 more civilservants are projected todepart the agency.

Budget highlights include:• Human space flight:

Goldin said the Space StationCrew Return Vehicle, the X-38,would be a new start project inFiscal Year 2000. The JohnsonSpace Center-managedinitiative began captive-carryflight tests last year.

• Earth science: TheEarth Observing System(EOS) debuts this year with

NASA safety panelissues 1997 report

The Aerospace SafetyAdvisory Panel (ASAP) hasissued its annual report onNASA safety plans andoperations. Formed in 1968after the Apollo 1 fire, thepanel’s latest review gives theagency high marks at present,but does voice concern aboutmaintaining the rightworkforce skill mix in thefuture. The panel’s report isposted on the NASAHeadquarters Web site at:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq

Greatly Reduced Shuttle Costs

the launch of EOS AM-1 andLandsat 7. The “better,cheaper, faster” QuikSCATmission also is set for launchin 1998 as well from the WestCoast. QuikSCAT will gatherdata about ocean surfacewinds. Funding also wasrequested for a follow-onmission to the highlysuccessful U.S./FrenchTOPEX/Poseidon effort thathas provided invaluable dataabout the El Niño weatherphenomenon.

The Earth science requestalso includes funding for theEarth probes program, whichaddresses specific Earthscience questions that are newor complementary with other

parts of NASA’s Earth ScienceEnterprise. Proposed underthis program is LightSAR, afree-flying, Earth-observinglightweight synthetic apertureradar. Goldin said startingLightSAR will depend oncommercial sponsorship of theprogram.

• Space science: Thisyear, an armada of spacecraftare slated for launch as part ofNASA’s space science effort,including: the TransitionRegion and Coronal Explorer(TRACE), March; Deep Space1, July; Far UltravioletSpectroscopy Explorer (FUSE),October; Mars Surveyor ‘98orbiter, December; and theWide-Field Infrared Explorer(WIRE), late 1998. Also, theEuropa Orbiter has beenselected as NASA’s first outerplanet technology mission.

SPACEPORT NEWSFebruary 27, 1998 Page 5

Europa’s icy surface could hide ocean, and life, belowHigh

scientificinterestsurroundsthe moonEuropa

because it may have a liquidocean beneath its frozensurface which could harbor lifein some form.

Funding for a mission toEuropa, the fourth largestsatellite of Jupiter, wasincluded in the Fiscal 1999budget request for NASA. It

Europa at a glance

• Sixth largest satellite in the solar system,but smallest of Jupiter’s four moons;• Diameter: 1,950 miles across, slightlysmaller than Earth’s moon;• Smoothest object in our solar system,with no surface feature exceeding 0.6miles in height;• Very bright surface, about five timesbrighter than Earth’s moon;• Covered largely with smooth white and

GALILEO images of Europafrom September 1996 showthe moon’s striatedappearance, believed to bedue to stressing of its icy crustcaused by the contorting tidaleffects of Jupiter’s stronggravity pull.

brownish-tinted ice that may be only about3,250 feet thick in places. Internal heatingdue to Jupiter’s tidal pull could melt theunderside of the icepack, forming anocean of liquid water underneath thesurface. Inner core of iron-sulfur;• Lack of craters indicates a young agefor Europa’s surface, perhaps about 30million years old;• Atmosphere was detected by Galileoduring encounters in late 1996/early 1997.

would be one of three OuterPlanets/Solar Probe Programmissions and if the funding isapproved, the Europa Orbitermission would take place inthe 2002-2003 time frame.

The Galileo spacecraftrecently began a highlyfocused extension of itsmission to Jupiter, startingwith a detailed study ofEuropa over a 14-monthperiod that began lastDecember. The spacecraftalready has returned images of

Europa that strongly suggestthere is a deep ocean beneaththe moon’s icy surface.

Galileo will make eightconsecutive close encounterswith Europa studying andcharacterizing the crust,atmosphere and possible oceanusing imaging, gravity andspace physics data.

The mission of the EuropaOrbiter will be to characterize

the surface processes ofEuropa; determine the depthand extent of liquid water; anddetermine the energy sourcesand response of the crust.

The spacecraft also wouldmap the entire surface inseveral colors; measure thedepth of the ice crust usingactive radar sounding andcharacterize the tidal responseof the surface.

A protein crystal growthexperiment performed duringShuttle Mission STS-94 July1– 17 last year may lead to amedical breakthrough thatcould greatly impact children’shealth.

NASA and industrybiotechnology researchershave taken an important steptoward developing a treatmentfor a life-threatening virusthat causes pneumonia andsevere upper respiratoryinfection in infants and youngchildren.

The infection, calledRespiratory Syncytial Virus,attacks the respiratoryairways and lungs. Accordingto the National Academy ofSciences’ Institute of Medicinein Washington, D.C., nearlyfour million children ages 1 to5 are infected every year in theUnited States by the virus.Approximately 100,000 ofthese children requirehospitalization and 4,000 dieannually from the resultinginfection.

The virus is considered byphysicians to be the mostserious infectious disease forinfants in the United States.

“Through NASA fundingresearch in space and on theground, and the application ofspace technology, we havedetermined the three-dimensional atomic structureof a potentially very importanttherapeutic antibody to thisvirus,” said Dr. Daniel Carter,president of New CenturyPharmaceuticals inHuntsville, Ala. Antibodies aidthe individual’s immunesystem by neutralizing toxins,such as viruses, as theyattempt to invade healthycells.

Knowledge of the molecularstructure of the antibody willpermit scientists tounderstand key interactionsbetween the antibody andvirus, facilitating developmentof treatments for the disease.

“Currently, there is novaccine against the virus,” saidSimon McKenzie, chiefexecutive officer of IntracelCorp. in Issaquah, Wash.,which developed and producesthe antibody. “Since thisantibody neutralizes all knownvariants of the virus,therapeutics developed from itshould have a major impact on

lowering the mortality ratecaused by the disease. Andknowing its structure willprovide key insight into ourfuture development activities.”

The illness most frequentlybegins with a fever, up to 101degrees Fahrenheit, alongwith runny nose, cough andsometimes wheezing andtrouble breathing. When hissix-week old daughter caughtthe respiratory infection,Carter saw the effects of thevirus first-hand. “There wasnothing the hospital could dofor her,” he said. “We broughther home, watched as theinfection ran its course andhoped for the best,” he said.His daughter recovered.

Carter’s research team usedthe viral antibody to growantibody crystals aboard theSpace Shuttle Columbia inJuly of 1997. The experiment,

STS-94 research could yield importantbreakthrough here on Earth

called Protein CrystallizationApparatus for Microgravity,was one of three proteincrystal growth studiesconducted during the nearly16-day flight.

In the weightlessenvironment of space, theantibody crystals grew largerand were of better qualitythan those previously grownon Earth.

Using highly specialized X-ray equipment and computers,scientists at New CenturyPharmaceuticals located thekey positions of individualatoms in the crystal structureand constructed a model of theantibody. Because of theincreased size and perfectionof the space-grown crystals,the researchers will be able tomore precisely determine theatomic structure of theantibody.

STS-94 marked thereflight of theMicrogravity ScienceLaboratory -1 (MSL-1). Crew membersare shown here insidethe Spacelab module,where much of theprotein crystal growthresearch took place.

SPACEPORT NEWS February 27, 1998Page 6

KSC recently honored 48 ofits civil service and contractoremployees at a specialHonoree Event held Jan. 20-22at the space center.

The KSC employees wereamong some 250NASA and industryemployees fromaround the countrywho were honoredby top managers fortheir significant contributionsto the nation’s space program.The Honoree Award is thehighest form of recognitionbestowed upon an employee bythe NASA Space FlightAwareness Program.Recipients are selected fortheir professional dedicationand outstanding achievementin support of the human spaceflight program.

Ten civil service employeeswere honored. They are BryanBookhart, Todd Brandenburg,Greg Breznik, Jean Flowers,Rodger Hall, John Hueckel,Daniel Lewis, Richard Nelson,June Perez, and Robert Zuber.

Contractor employeeshonored include Scott Barney,Alistair Doig, John Johnson,James Romine, and Susan M.Spector with Boeing, Payload

Ground Operations; TeresaBollig and Nancy Szpara withBoeing, Reusable SpaceSystems; Cheryl Carter withBoeing Rocketdyne Propulsion& Power; Joseph Kachnic with

Dynacs EngineeringCo., Inc.; RichardHall, TheodoreJohnson, MichaelLipgens, DonnaPancho, Roland Ross,

Deloris Weaver with EG&GFlorida, Inc.; Calvin Wrightwith Sherikon Space Systems,Inc.; Laura Bushard, GordonM. Edwards, Charles Gardner,Donald Lovelace III, MichaelMcClain, Sherry McCullum,Harvey Mizell, Steven Pruit,Donald Suffern III, PatrickThomas, David Trenn,Stephen Wachowski, GaryWhitmore, and Richard Zeitlerwith United Space Alliance.

Also Frank Rodriguez withHibex International; AnnStafford with SundstrandAerospace MechanicalSystems; Alicia Akins, JamesDay, Ronald Summers, andDonna Tate with UnitedTechnologies, USBI Co.;Stephen Defeo with BoeingInformation Systems; andLarry Brown of Wiltech Corp.

KSC employees receive SFA honors

STS-89 SFA civil servicehonorees are (from left):Jean Flowers; JohnHueckel; Bob Zuber; GregBreznik; Dan Lewis; JunePerez; Bryan Bookhart;and Todd Brandenburg.Not shown are RickNelson and Rodger Hall.

Honored in February

FEBRUARY employees of the month are (from left): Tricia Koger, PayloadsProcessing; Jean Dilts, Chief Financial Officer’s Office; Marilee Tewksbury,Installation Operations; Marshall Scott, Engineering Development; Diane Holden,Logistics Operations; Sharon Lowry, Administration Office; Dave Guibeau, SpaceStation Hardware Integration; and Scott Estes, Checkout and Launch ControlSystems. Not shown are Diane Welford, Chief Counsel’s Office; Grant Stoddard,Safety and Mission Assurance; George Marmaro, Biomedical Operations; CherylHurst, Procurement Office; and Leslie Boatwright, Shuttle Processing.

Scholarships offered to NASA dependentsThe KSC NASA Scholarship

Fund is offering five $2,000scholarships for the 1998-99school year.

To qualify, applicants mustbe pursuing an undergraduatescience or engineering degreeat an accredited college oruniversity in the United Statesand be a dependent of a NASA

employee or retiree. Theapplication deadline is March31. Applicants will be notifiedof the results in May.Applications may be obtainedfrom Diane Holden, room3630H, Logistics Building onContractors Road, or phone861-1495 for moreinformation.

Forms available to attend Southcon ‘98The KSC NASA Technology

Programs andCommercialization Office haspre-registration forms for floorshow admission to Southcon‘98, an electronics tradeexhibition and conference thatwill be held March 24 – 26 atthe Orange CountyConvention Center.

Registering by March 6

allows free admission to thefloor show, which will featuremore than 250 exhibit boothshighlighting manufacturingtools, test and measurementequipment, active and passivecomponents and other items.

The forms are availablefrom Pam Bookman, tel. 867-6291, room 3384, Head-quarters Building.

Montgomery joins SES ranks

Montgomery

KSC DeputyLogistics DirectorAnn Montgomeryhas joined theSenior ExecutiveService rankseffective Feb. 15.A space program

veteran who began her NASAcareer in 1968, Montgomeryholds the distinction of

becoming the first woman toserve as an orbiter vehicle flowdirector. She has served asdeputy director of ShuttleLogistics, Deputy Director ofLogistics Operations andActing Director of LogisticsOperations. She has receivednumerous awards, includingthe prestigious CenterDirector’s Award in 1996.

Vanguard reunion set for March 18The 40th anniversary of the

Vanguard 1 launch is beingcelebrated with ananniversary buffet March 18at the Patrick Air Force BaseOfficers’ Club.

Members of the Vanguardteam, friends and colleaguesare invited to attend. A cashbar will be held at 6:30 p.m.,followed by the buffet at 7 p.m.Cost is $15.50 per person.

For reservations, send

checks prior to March 11 toBob Gray or Jim Stoms:

Bob Gray4720 N. Banana River Blvd.Cocoa Beach, FL 32931Tel. 407 783-7054

Jim Stoms520 Andros LaneIndian Harbor Beach, FL32937Tel. 407 773-1124

SPACEPORT NEWSFebruary 27, 1998 Page 7

By Lora Bartman

On Dec. 6, 1957, horrified spectatorswatched as the first U.S. attempt toplace a satellite into orbit ended incatastrophic failure. Photographer RedWilliams was there, watching from thesidelines as the Vanguard rocket rosejust four feet off the pad on CapeCanaveral’s Launch Complex 18A andthen exploded into a huge fireball.

Williams had begun working for RCA,the photo contractor at the Cape,just nine months before, and hadhelped set up the cameras whichcaptured the Vanguard mishapon film. The spectacular failuredidn’t deter him a bit fromcontinuing his new career in therapidly developing Americanspace program. Williams endedup spending the next 41 yearssupporting the nation’s quest toexplore beyond Earth’s boundaries,contributing to every human spaceflighteffort as well as numerous uncrewedmissions.

Initially, Williams repaired camerasfor other RCA photographers and helpedset up the ground cameras that capturedprelaunch and launch images.

Following the successful suborbitalflight of Alan Shepard in 1961,preparations began for the first orbitalflight. Astronaut John Glenn wasselected for this mission, just the third inNASA’s Mercury program to carry ahuman being. The one-man Mercury

Photographer built camera for Glenn’s flightspacecraft had a maximum orbiting massof just 3,200 pounds and provided just 36cubic feet of habitable space. “Weightwas a very big issue back then,” Williamsrecalled. “Every gram counted.”

Even the weight of a small cameramattered. Known for his cameraexpertise, Williams was asked to modifyfurther the off-the-shelf Ansco Autosetcamera Glenn would carry into orbit. Heremoved any parts unnecessary to itsbasic function, such as decorative leather

or metal and replaced the largerhand-pistol grip with a smallerone (see photo of camera on thispage).

He did indulge in one luxury,adding a larger viewfinder takenoff a Polaroid camera so Glennwould have a better view.

Circling the Earth three timesover the course of a five-hourflight on Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn

became the first American to takepictures of the Earth from space. Today,the camera Williams modified for Glennresides in The Smithsonian’s Air andSpace Museum. Although Williams is notofficially credited for his handiwork, hesays knowing that he contributed to suchan historic flight is what matters.

Williams went on to modify camerasfor other astronauts to use in theMercury program as well as its successor,Gemini. But as the lunar landing effortmoved into full swing, Williams foundhimself working almost full-timemodifying cameras for the astronauts to

The ninth annual Spring IntercenterRun and seventh annual Beat The Boss5k Run And 2 Mile Walk are scheduledfor March and April, respectively:

• Spring Intercenter Run will be heldMarch 25 at 5:00 pm. The 10K, 5K and 2Mile Run/Walk on the Shuttle LandingFacility runway are a great way to havesome fun and friendly competition withco-workers and friends. Civil andcontractor personnel are eligible andregistration is free. Prizes will beawarded to the top three male andfemale finishers of each race. Register ateither KSC Fitness Center or contactAmy Douglass, 867-7829, for details.Pre-registration deadline is by close ofbusiness, March16.

• Beat the Boss competition is April18, 1998, 8 a.m., Patrick Air Force BaseOfficers Club Pavilion. Participants cancompete against one group of bosses in

Dates set for two spring racesAfrican-AmericanHistory Month

CENTER Director Roy Bridges (left) chats withBobby Bruckner, director of Payload Processing(right) and James Spencer and Terrence Moore(seated, second and third from right,respectively), at the Meet the Directors breakfast,one of a series of events planned this month incelebration of African-American History Month.Spencer and Moore, business entrepreneurs whoformed the company Intelligent BusinessMachines, Titusville, were the guest speakers atthe Feb. 11 breakfast in the Space StationProcessing Facility cafeteria.

the 5K-run or a different group in the 2-mile walk. NASA, military and KSCcontractor employees and theirimmediate family are eligible to enter.An entry fee of $7 includes the cost of apost-race pancake breakfast. Allparticipants will receive a special T-shirt.Awards will be given to the first overallmale and female employee and to thefirst overall male and female dependentin each event. All runners/walkers whobeat all the bosses in their respectedevent also will receive awards.

Early registration is encouraged.Applications are available at the KSCexercise facilities, NASA ExchangeStores, at the guard desk in the USAoffices in Cape Canaveral or Titusville orat the PAFB gym. Contact Marty Winkel,861-7502, for information. If you are notplanning to participate but would like tohelp, call Kathy Jacobs, 861-7485.

THIS photo ofRed Williamswas taken atLaunchComplex 17 onCape CanaveralAir Station theday he retiredfromphotographicsupportcontractor TheBionetics Corp.

take into space, leaving no time forrepairing those used on the ground.Eventually the workload became so greatthat the astronaut camera modificationwork was transferred to Johnson SpaceCenter in Houston, where it remainstoday. Williams returned to working onthe ground cameras that supported everyhuman spaceflight effort after Gemini —including Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuzand Space Shuttle — as well asnumerous uncrewed programs likeViking, Explorer and Pioneer.

Red Williams retired this pastJanuary. Looking back, he counts AlanShepard’s flight and the Challengeraccident as the two most memorablemoments of his long tenure in the U.S.space effort. He feels proud knowing thatphotography, and his contribution to it,helped the nation succeed in spaceexploration. “Photography has beenimportant to the space program,” heobserved. “The lessons-learned fromthose early photographs of the Vanguardexplosion helped get us off the groundand into space.”

John F. Kennedy Space Center

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

USGPO: 532-112/20066

Spaceport News

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

SPACEPORT NEWS February 27, 1998Page 8

In a dark, cold,vacant neighborhoodnear the very edge ofour solar system, theVoyager 1 spacecrafthas broken anotherrecord, becoming theexplorer that hastraveled farthest fromhome.

At approximately 5:10 p.m.EST on Feb. 17, 1998, Voyager1, launched more than twodecades ago, cruised beyondthe Pioneer 10 spacecraft andbecame the most distant

Voyager 1 becomes most distant human-made object in space

VOYAGER 1 began its remarkablejourney with launch aboard a TitanCentaur on Sept. 5, 1977.

Counsel ...(Continued from Page 1)

Goddard, combined with hisexpertise in the field of civilengineering, make him theideal candidate to serve asChief Counsel of KennedySpace Center.”

Anderson most recentlyserved as Chief Counsel forthe U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers TransAtlanticPrograms Center inWinchester, Va., providinglegal oversight and support forthe Corps’ construction andoperations and maintenanceprojects in Europe, the formerSoviet Union, the Middle Eastand Africa. He has a bachelorof science degree in civilengineering from theUniversity of Alabama. Heearned his law degree from thesame institution in 1975.Between engineering and lawschool, he was employed as astructural design engineerwith Newport NewsShipbuilding and Drydock Co.,Newport News, Va.

Much of his professionallegal career has involved theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers,beginning in June 1975 whenhe joined the Mobile District ofthe Corps in Alabama.Anderson went on to serve in avariety of additional postswith other Corps district anddivision offices in Tennessee,Nebraska and Virginia. He

also spent about three years atNASA’s Goddard Space FlightCenter, Greenbelt, Md., wherehe was Deputy Chief Counsel.

Anderson also has been aninstructor at the University ofSouth Alabama, where hetaught an undergraduateengineering course pertainingto legal matters of interest topracticing engineers.

He is a member of severalhonorary and professionalengineering and legal societiesand has served as anarbitrator on the AmericanArbitration Association’sCommercial Arbitration Panel.He is licensed to practice lawin several states, various U.S.District Courts, various U.S.Circuit Courts of Appeals andthe Claims Court.

Given a professionalbackground that combines thefields of law and civilengineering, Anderson said heis thrilled to be the new ChiefCounsel at a place likeKennedy Space Center. Manyof the facilities on both KSCand Cape Canaveral AirStation were designed andbuilt with the assistance of theArmy Corps of Engineers,including the massive VehicleAssembly Building.

“I’m honored to have theopportunity to practice law ata facility with a history so richin engineering achievements,”Anderson said. “I look forwardto serving NASA, KSC and thespace program.”

human-created objectin space, at 6.5 billionmiles from Earth.The two are headed inalmost oppositedirections away fromthe Sun.

“For 25 years, thePioneer 10 spacecraft

led the way, pressing thefrontiers of exploration, andnow the baton is being passedfrom Pioneer 10 to Voyager 1to continue exploring where noone has gone before,” said Dr.Edward Stone, Voyager project

scientist and Director ofNASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory (JPL).

“At almost 70 times fartherfrom the Sun than the Earth,Voyager 1 is at the very edge ofthe solar system. The Sunthere is only 1/5,000th asbright as here on Earth, so itis extremely cold, and there isvery little solar energy to keepthe spacecraft warm or toprovide electrical power. Thereason we can continue tooperate at such great distancesfrom the Sun is because wehave radioisotope thermalelectric generators (RTGs) onthe spacecraft that createelectricity and keep thespacecraft operating,” Stonesaid. “The fact that thespacecraft is still returning

data is a remarkable technicalachievement.”

Voyager 1 was launchedfrom Launch Complex 41 onCape Canaveral Air Station onSept. 5, 1977.

“The Voyager mission todaypresents an unequalledtechnical challenge. Thespacecraft are now so far fromhome that it takes nine hoursand 36 minutes for a radiosignal traveling at the speed oflight to reach Earth,” said EdMassey, project manager forthe Voyager InterstellarMission at JPL. “That signal,produced by a 20-watt radiotransmitter, is so faint that theamount of power reaching ourantennas is 20 billion timessmaller than the power of adigital watch battery.”

Having completed theirplanetary explorations,Voyager 1 and its twin,Voyager 2, are studying theenvironment of space in theouter solar system. Althoughbeyond the orbits of all theplanets, the spacecraft still arewell within the boundary ofthe Sun’s magnetic field, calledthe heliosphere. Scienceinstruments on both spacecraftsense signals that scientistsbelieve are coming from theoutermost edge of theheliosphere, known as theheliopause. Both spacecrafthave enough electricity andattitude control propellant tooperate until about 2020.

Voyager montage