NASA 136848main Oct05X-Press

8/14/2019 NASA 136848main Oct05X-Press

1/12

Family, friends and peers

celebrate the life of Dryden

chief engineer at memorial

Inside

Pathfinder-Plus completes

flight series, page 3

Thermal updraft model

validated by flight, page 10

Vance Brand honored by

JetHawks, page 12

October 21, 2005Volume 47 Issue 6 Dryden Flight Research Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A tribute to Bohn-Meyer

See Walk of Honor, page 12

Three X-15 pilots receive long-

overdue wings, page 6

See Study, page 11

EC86 33442-2 NASA Photo

Marta Bohn-Meyer prepares for flight in an F-104. Beginning in her teen years, Bohn-Meyers favorite place was in and around airplanes both at work andwhile off duty. She was an accomplished private pilot and flight engineer, and was the first female crew member to fly at Mach 3 in the SR-71.

1957-2005

Schneider walks the Walk Dryden

set forCEV role

By Sarah MerlinX-Press Assistant Editor

Many know him as Fast Eddie, the whizkid NASA test pilot who was the youngest-evergraduate of the U.S. Navys Test Pilot School.

But it was a lot more than youthful cha-risma that earned Edward T. Schneider hisslot on the City of Lancaster Aerospace Walkof Honor. It was a long list of accomplish-ments as test pilot, instructor and researcherin a career in which he logged more than7,800 hours in 87 types of aircraft.

In ceremonies held Sept. 24, Schneiderjoined Lt. Col. John Jack Allavie (USAF-Ret.), Richard G. Dick Thomas, Maj.Gen. Wilbert D. Doug Pearson (USAF-Ret.) and Wallace A. Wally Lien (1915-1994) to make up the 2005 class of induct-ees. This year marked the citys 16th annual

Walk of Honor event.Its great to be honored in this manner

and to return to a city where my family spent

By Sarah MerlinX-Press Assistant Editor

Few tasks in life come harder than

memorializing a well-lived life cut tragi-cally short.

Theres the terrible abruptness of thenews. A sudden, inexplicable end to somuch promise, the silencing of a voicefilled with great zest for living wordsand rituals seem hopelessly insubstantialin the face of such loss.

But on those occasions there is also thechance for a redeeming moment, for anopportunity to make sense of a tragedyif only through the promise it holds forthose left behind.

Marta Bohn-Meyers legacy is surelyone of those moments. Despite thealmost incomprehensible sadness of her

loss, she leaves behind the record of a lifespent in relentless pursuit of excellence,passion and service to principles largerthan herself. She leaves behind a fearlessexample for living that makes those whodidnt know her wish they had, and onethat those who knew her owe it to hermemory to sustain.

See Marta, page 4

By Jay LevineX-Press Editor

As steps are taken during the next twodecades to develop a Crew ExplorationVehicle using the Apollo missions ofthe past as a blueprint for future mis-sions to the Moon and Mars Drydenwill play important roles in the CEVsdevelopment and operations.

In a Sept. 19 overview of the proposedCEV program (referred to as the NASA

Exploration Systems ArchitectureStudy), NASA Administrator MichaelGriffin indicated that each NASAFormer Dryden research pilot Ed Schneider signs autographs for young aviation enthusiasts at

the City of Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor. Schneider was one of five 2005 inductees, whoalso included former Edwards Air Force Base commander Maj. Gen. Wilbert D. Doug Pearson(USAF-Ret.).

EC05 207-4 NASA Photo by Jim Ross


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News October 21, 2005

2 NASA Dryden X-Press

Center Directors column

Contract goesto GASL Inc.

E n d e a v o u r

powered upfor first timein two years

Dryden will play role in CEV development

Center DirectorKevin L. Petersen

at NASANews

The results of NASAs ExplorationSystems Architecture Study are now morebroadly available and Drydens role insupport of the Crew Exploration Vehicle

development is becoming clearer. The Cen-ter is slated to perform launch-abort test-ing, flight-test support and independentanalysis. We are tasked with preliminarydefinition and planning for CEV launch-abort systems tests, drop tests, landing andrecovery tests, flight re-entry and landingprofiles and range-safety requirements andintegration.

Exactly what this will mean in terms ofDrydens level of support remains to becharted and will depend on further defini-tion of CEV development needs. But wewill soon be looking for people to lead andimplement our CEV efforts.

Dryden set for Open House

Moes completes leadership program

This de-velopmentcomes at atime when

m u c h i schanging inNASA andD ryde n saeronauticsactivities arebeing rede-fined. ButA dmi n i s -trator MikeGriffin in-tends to re-direct work to NASA centers, like Dryden,that are losing aeronautics project activity.NASA is also moving toward enabling the

centers to do more Exploration Systemswork directly. The workforce outlook atDryden is much better than six monthsago. It now appears that our civil service

workforce will stabilize at our present levelof roughly 500 people.The aeronautics mission at NASA is in

transition, and it will take two to threemonths for the new direction to becomeclear. Meanwhile, we are to continue whatwe have been doing until the realignmentefforts are better defined. Projections arethat aeronautics will continue to be adominant part of our budget in fiscal year2006. After that (and maybe before then),it should take all the capabilities we canmuster to support the CEV. I encourageall of you to be thinking about your role insupporting these new directions.

By Alan BrownDryden News Chief

Dryden will be among exhibitors featuredat the 2005 Edwards Air Force Base OpenHouse and Air Show Oct. 22-23, with fourNASA research and support aircraft slatedto be in the air and several others on staticdisplay.

One of NASAs high-flying LockheedER-2s and a highly modified McDonnellDouglas F-15B will be airborne during theevent, along with two Dryden mission sup-port aircraft a Beechcraft NT-34C and aMcDonnell-Douglas F/A-18. The ER-2 is

flown in Earth resources research and satel-lite sensor validation, while the F-15B, bestknown for its role in the Advanced ControlTechnology for Integrated Vehicles project,is currently the testbed for Intelligent FlightControls Systems research.

Static displays and exhibits featuring severalof Drydens projects and one-of-a-kind re-search aircraft will be housed in a 300-square-foot section of Edwards giant Hangar 1600or along the base flight line. From NASAsActive Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 and the

venerable NB-52B mothership launchaircraft to a full-scale mockup of the X-43Ahypersonic research vehicle, the exhibit willhighlight the cutting-edge flight researchand technology development conductedeach year at Dryden. A new display forthis years show will feature replicas of theMars Rovers from NASAs Jet PropulsionLaboratory.

As NASAs premier center for atmo-spheric flight research, several exhibitsshowcasing Drydens research capabilitiesand history will be intermingled among theNASA aircraft. Several current and former

Dryden research pilots and engineers willbe on hand to chat with the public. In addi-tion, local high school robotic and middleschool Lego teams supported by Drydenwill explain their program and demonstraterobots in action as part of the exhibit.Participating schools include Lancaster,Mojave and Tehachapi high schools alongwith Cole, Jacobsen and Desert Christianmiddle schools.

Hours for the event are 7 a.m. to 4:30p.m. daily, with flying demonstrations

celebrating Edwards long history of con-tributions to the U.S. Air Force and thenational defense set to begin each day at 10a.m. Flight highlights will include appear-ances by the U.S. Army Golden Knightsparachute team, the Tora, Tora, Tora re-en-actment of the attack on Pearl Harbor, anda precision-formation flight demonstrationfrom the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Other scheduled highlights includeaerospace legend Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager(USAF-Ret.) flying a World War II-eraNorth American P-51 Mustang and JulieClark performing an aerobatic routine

in a T-34.The event showcases the aircraft systems

and capabilities of the Air Force Flight TestCenter, Dryden Flight Research Center,the Air Force Research Laboratory Propul-sion Directorate, Marine Aircraft Group46 and other resident and visiting units. Additional information is available onthe Open House and Air Show web siteatwww.edwards.af.mil/openhouse , or bycalling the Edwards public affairs office at(661) 277-NEWS.

By Chris WilliamsDirector, Leadership Development ProgramNASA Headquarters

Timothy Moes, business developmentmanager in Drydens Program PlanningOffice, was one of 31 members of NASAs2004-2005 Leadership Development Pro-gram celebrating completion of the programyear with a ceremony at Headquarters on July11. Program participants, representing nineNASA centers, were the second graduatingclass of the LDP, which replaced the NASAProfessional Development Program in sup-port of the Agencys emphasis on improvingleadership skills and the ability of leaders toproduce measurable results.

In his address to graduates, Scott Pace, di-

rector of the Program Analysis and EvaluationOffice at Headquarters, expressed thanks toparticipants for their contributions made tothe Agency as part of their program assign-ments. He also lauded completion of theirclass project, Enabling Effective Collabora-tion and Competition. This project involvedcreation of an easy-to-understand businessmodel that details how and where work is be-ing done within programs and projects acrossthe Agency and offers tools to be used in de-veloping a business plan. Class members alsoconducted a series of surveys and interviewsto complete the collaboration study initiatedby the 2003-2004 LDP class, and created aNASA Collaboration Handbook.

A link to the full report and Collabora-tion Handbook can be found on the LDPhome page at http://ldp.nasa.gov/.

Class members Vicki Zanoni, from Sten-nis Space Center, Miss.; Bill Green, Mar-shall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.;and Steve Craft, Langley Research Center,

Hampton, Va., were elected to speak atthe graduation to share their reflections ofthe year and thoughts on leadership. Allthree spoke of how, through the LDP, theybecame aware of the way their personal vi-

NASA Photo by Heidi Fancher

Scott Pace, left, NASA associate administrator for program analysis and evaluation, presentsDrydens Timothy Moes with his LDP graduation certificate.

See Graduation, page 12

Engineers cheered Oct. 6 as electricitycoursed through Space Shuttle Endeav-our for the first time in two years. Thepowering of Endeavour signaled theend of the orbiters major modificationperiod at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Having three operational vehicles inthe fleet affords the shuttle program greatschedule flexibility, as we move towardflying safely and completing the Interna-tional Space Station, said Wayne Hale,

space shuttle program manager.Engineers and technicians spent900,000 hours performing 124 modi-fications to the vehicle. These includedrecommended return-to-flight safetymodifications, bonding more than 1,000thermal protection system tiles and in-specting more than 150 miles of wiring.

Two of the more extensive modifica-tions included addition of the multi-functional electronic display system(glass cockpit), and the three-stringglobal positioning system.

The glass cockpit is a new, full-color,flat-panel display system that improvesinteraction between the crew and orbiter.It provides easy-to-read graphics portraying

key flight indicators such as attitude displayand Mach speed. Endeavour was the lastvehicle in the fleet to receive this system.

Shuttle major modification periodsare scheduled at regular intervals toenhance safety and performance, infusenew technology and allow thoroughinspections of the airframe and wir-ing. This was the second modificationperiod performed entirely at Kennedy.Endeavours previous modification wascompleted in March 1997.

Endeavour is beginning 10-12 monthsof launch processing and power-up testingfor a future flight, possibly late next year.

For the latest information about

NASAs space shuttle program, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

GASL Inc., Ronkonkoma, N.Y., hasbeen selected to receive a follow-oncontract for hypersonic propulsiondevelopment and testing to supportNASAs Hypersonic Air BreathingPropulsion Branch at Langley ResearchCenter, Hampton, Va. The contract hasa maximum value of $15 million.

The contract provides for operation andapplication of shock-heated and combus-

tion-heated test facilities. It also providesfor supporting equipment to conduct testand evaluation of hypersonic aero-propul-sion flow path research at conditions thatduplicate flight across the atmosphere,from static sea level to near orbital.

The contract also calls for the conductof hypervelocity aerodynamic and aero-thermodynamic research in a shock-heatedtunnel at test gas flows up to Mach 20simulation, and design and manufactureof research test hardware consisting ofspecialized aero-propulsion test facility com-ponents and engine flow-path components.The research will be primarily conducted atGASL facilities in Ronkonkoma.
http://www.edwards.af.mil/openhousehttp://www.nasa.gov/shuttlehttp://www.nasa.gov/shuttlehttp://www.edwards.af.mil/openhouse


3/12

NewsOctober 21, 2005

NASA Dryden X-Press 3

Pathfinder-Plus

Annual CFCcampaign isunder way

Your news

By Alan BrownDryden News Chief

A short series of research flights at Drydenwith the Pathfinder-Plus solar-electric fly-ing wing was recently completed, markingthe end of an era in solar-powered flight

research for the 23-year-old craft now dueto retire. The purpose of the flight series wasto investigate the effects of turbulence onlightweight flexible-wing structures.

Flown by crews from AeroVironment Inc.,owner and builder of the unique experimentalaircraft, the Pathfinder-Plus made two low-altitude flights over the northern portion ofRogers Dry Lake. The first was a three-hourflight on Aug. 31, followed by a two-hour mis-sion on Sept 14. Both missions were flown ona combination of solar and battery power.

The primary goal for these flights wasto gather aeroelastic data to really begin un-derstanding how these vehicles perform inflight, said Robert Navarro, Drydens projectmanager for the test series. Being so flexible,they constantly change shape and we need tounderstand how the airplanes behave.

We gathered some really good data setson turbulence, and also on aircraft dynam-ics, Navarro added. The plan is to use thesedata sets to correlate some of the models thatwere going to be developing for this class ofvehicles, and also to validate some of the ana-lytical tools that need to be developed to dothe analysis on them. The data would thenbe available to aircraft developers to reducedesign risk for future high-altitude, long-en-durance uninhabited aircraft systems.

The lightweight solar craft was instru-mented with a sophisticated atmosphericturbulence measurement system on seven

long booms mounted across the leadingedge of the wing. Data collected by theinstrumentation was telemetered to flightcontrollers in a Dryden ground stationseveral miles away.

The idea is that you fly into a gust, andthe gust is measured by the booms out infront, said AeroVironment flight directorJim Daley. Then just fractions of a secondlater, you fly into that gust with the (lead-ing) edge of the wing, the wing starts torespond, and the instrumentation inside thewing measures what happens when that gustmeasured out (front) hits the wing.

Solar aircraft completes turbulence research at Dryden

The 2005 Combined Federal Cam-paign fundraising effort is now underway at Dryden.

This years theme is Give a Little, Helpa Lot CFC and the Center campaign

coordinator is Dan Morgan.Through the Nov. 10 closing date,

employees may contribute to the program,which is conducted under the auspices of theGreater Los Angeles CFC. Charities fundedthrough the CFC support community sup-port services such as disaster relief, medicalresearch environmental initiatives, educa-tional and medical services and others.

Proceeds from the local drive, whichlast year totaled over $3.9 million, benefitcommunities in Los Angeles and Kerncounties. Those interested in making acontribution or desiring further informa-tion may contact Morgan at ext. 3976.

The CFC is a program of the federal

Office of Personnel Management, theagency that oversees the U.S. govern-ment workforce. Through the campaign,employees are given the opportunity tocontribute to selected charities throughpayroll deductions. Among charities thatreceive proceeds from the CFC drive arethe American Red Cross, the United Wayand hundreds of smaller health and hu-man welfare agencies around the nation.

The programs roots are decades old, with organized efforts to coordinatefederal employee giving dating to the1940s. President Dwight D. Eisenhower,in 1957, signed one executive order di-recting the Civil Service Commission tocoordinate and administer a thrice-yearly

drive and establish rules for the fundsdisbursement. Another executive order,signed by President John F. Kennedy in1961, cemented the programs future byfurther clarifying the legalities of fund-raising in the federal workplace.

A new X-Press product called SpecialDelivery will debut Dec. 2. In additionto a hard-copy version to be distributedthroughout the Center and to formeremployees by mail, key stories from eachissue will appear on the Dryden Xnet. Thepublication is a flashback to the X-Press ofthe 1960s and 1970s that included a moreintimate portrait of the Dryden family.

The new edition will feature a timelynews story and some new features. Alsoincluded will be an Employee Spotlighton one of the dynamic personalities thatmake Dryden a great place to work, withSpotlight subjects to be nominated byDryden employees.

Another feature will be Your News, acompilation of birth, wedding and retire-ment-news announcements submittedby employees to X-Press staff; at least oneDryden employee tie-in will be requiredin order for these items to be included inthe news. An occasional Where are theynow? feature will profile Dryden retirees.

The names for these features also will comefrom the Dryden family and will be com-pleted in the order they are received.

The regular edition of the X-Press willbecome quarterly and will feature specialeditions and non-scheduled issues con-taining some of the features and prod-ucts Team Dryden has come to expectfrom the X-Press. The recently releasedX-tras and the full-color special editionsalso are scheduled to continue.

For more information about submittingmaterials to the X-Press, e-mail or call edi-tor Jay Levine ([email protected],ext. 3459), or assistant editor Sarah Merlin([email protected], ext 2128).See Pathfinder-Plus, page 11

EC05 186-24 NASA photo by Tom Tschida



Pathfinder-Plus is removed from a specially built dolly to prepare it for an Aug. 31 flight that validated turbulence models with atmospheric flight.data.

Above, the Atmo-spheric TurbulenceMeasurement Systembooms extend fromthe Pathfinder-Plussolar wing as it fliesover Rogers Dry Lake.Below, AeroVironmentpilot Wyatt Sadler fliesthe Pathfinder-Plus ata console that includesa video monitor in theground station duringan Aug. 31 flight.


4/12

Focus July 29, 2005



And those who knew her best would saywithout irony that shed expect nothing lessof all who would mourn her pass ing.

Bohn-Meyer, 48, lost her life Sept. 18near Oklahoma City while practicing for anaerobatic flying competition. In the GilesG300 plane she and husband Bob had de-signed and had custom-built, she was doingwhat came as second nature to her: workinghard to be the best she could be.

Family, friends and co-workers gatheredSept. 23 in a Dryden hangar an environ-ment Bohn-Meyer had known well topay tribute to the one-of-a-kind woman who, as Center Director Kevin Petersenenumerated, was so many things to somany people.

Were here to honor Marta, Petersensaid in eloquent, heart-felt remarks aboutthe Dryden colleague hed known for 25years. A leader, an engineer, a pilot, a man-ager, a colleague, mentor, role model, friend,wife and partner, a sister, a daughter and avery special member of the Dryden family.Were here to honor her strength and her

commitment to all she pursued.We committed lives to this persons

judgment every day; she was the last line ofdefense against complacency. And she neverlet me or Dryden down.

Paying tribute to Bohn-Meyers achieve-ments was complex. Her personal and profes-sional pursuits cut a wide swath through life.She excelled at baking rum cake as well asaerospace project management, at aerobaticflying and restoring classic cars. She was the firstfemale flight engineer to fly to Mach 3 in anSR-71, a milestone that can never be bested.

And in what she may have consideredher most important role, she was a devotedand determined mentor for young girlsinterested in technical career fields. Bohn-Meyer never tired of making appearancesin classrooms or other educational environ-ments in hopes of helping young womenrealize their dreams in fields traditionallydominated by men.

She was Drydens Chief Engineer atthe time of her death, one of several postsshed attained since coming to the Centerin 1979 after graduation from RensselaerPolytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. The wifeof Dryden Associate Director for ProgramsBob Meyer, she also served as both deputydirector and director of flight operations,as director of safety and mission assurance,deputy director of aerospace projects andproject manager for the F-16 XL Supersonic

Laminar Flow Control project. At the memorial, colleagues from all

facets of Bohn-Meyers vibrant life rose togive testimony to her strength of character,personal discipline, her commitment toexacting detail, her well-known tendency tobe opinionated, to the irreplaceable role sheplayed in the partnership she had with herhusband Bob. First one and then anotherreminisced about the ways in which Bohn-Meyer had impacted their lives and the livesof everyone at the Center, which playedsuch a big role in her own life and career.

Retired NASA deputy administrator FredGregory recalled the long history Bohn-Meyer shared with the Gregory family, from

a family ski trip on which, while chargedwith watching the Gregory children, she hita tree on a steep run and broke some bonesto when, as a young test pilot at Langley Re-search Center, Gregory was asked to mentorthe new engineer when she arrived in about1976 for her first job with NASA.

She was smart, detail-oriented, opinion-ated and professional well beyond her age,Gregory remembered as his first impression.

Gregory gave her her first ride in a heli-copter and her first in a high-speed aircraft,a T-38. It was also Gregory who requestedthat Bohn-Meyer be allowed to transfer toDryden, because shed met a young engi-neer (Bob Meyer).

Marta ... from page 1

See Marta, page 5

Above, Marta Bohn-Meyer demonstrates aeronautical principles for students at the 2003 Math and Science Odyssey. Among the many activi-ties to which Bohn-Meyer devoted her time was work in the educational environment with students - particularly young girls - interested inpursuing technical career fields.

EC03 044-11 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida

Over the years, he said, it became ahabit for Bohn-Meyer to phone the Gregoryhouse and leave a message saying simply,99-100, which meant, Everything isokay. Called you and missed you if youget a chance, call back.

Deputy Center Director Steve Schmidtfollowed Gregory to the dais.

I will remember her incredible wit, de-termination, her attitude and her big smile,Schmidt said. She had a colorful personal-ity, and we had plenty of laughs and heated but good-natured arguments. She neverhad trouble giving me advice.

Schmidt recalled a quote frequentlysummoned when the topic is strong-willedfemale aviators, putting Bohn-Meyersquarely in the company of such legendaryfigures as Florence Pancho Barnes andJackie Cochran.

They say A well-behaved woman rarelymakes history, Schmidt said with a laugh.Well, Marta is most definitely a legend.

A steady stream of past and present friendsand co-workers continued the tribute, fromthe Fabrication Branchs Ed Swan remember-ing her as a hands-on engineer to formerDryden research pilot Fitzhugh Fitz Fultonrecalling how Bohn-Meyer had insisted hecheck her out in taildragger aircraft.

Several shared light-hearted moments,more than one mentioning Bohn-Meyersfamed and potent rum cake. Anotherrecounted an incident in which Bohn-Meyer was able to eyeball a disabledHarley-Davidson motorcycle and spot thecause of an oil leak that had eluded thebikes owner in hours of trouble-shooting.And engineer Brent Cobleigh rememberedsome self-deprecating hi-jinks by Bohn-

Meyer dressed for Halloween as a witchon a broomstick.

She was tough and disciplined, Coble-igh said, but she really knew how to havea good time.

Retiree Lou Steers remembered the glasspiggy bank Bohn-Meyer had given Steersnow 26-year-old daughter as a baby gift.Marva Williams, of the Lockheed FederalCredit Union, lauded Bohn-Meyers abilityto breach the impenetrable glass box thatsurrounded her and achieve success in amale-dominated field, calling her a take-charge woman.

Representatives from Drydens Officeof Academic Investmentspaid tribute toBohn-Meyer for her innumerable contribu-tions to NASAs educational outreach.

Marta Bohn-Meyer, Drydens chief engineer at the time of her recent death, celebrates her successful 1991 first flight at t riple supersonic speedsin the SR-71 Blackbird. Bohn-Meyer was one of two women ever to fly in the storied aircraft and the only one to do so as a crew member; acongresswoman took a guest VIP ride in 1985.

EC91 555-1 NASA Photo by Jim Bean


5/12



Marta ... from page 4

I was overwhelmed by the number of people who were able to come and speak to me atMartas memorial. They almost all had a story to tell about the way that Marta hadtouched their lives. I mostly listened, and my knee-jerk reaction was to say thank you.Since then, Ive had time to think, and have decided that my response should have been,Youre welcome. Because what all those good people were really saying was, Thankyou for making it possible for us to have Marta. So, now, Im saying to all of those goodpeople, Youre welcome. I will, however, also say, Thanks for showing me how muchyou appreciated my daughter.

-August Bohn

I want to personally thank the Dryden family for Martas memorial on Sept. 23. That

week is one I hope I never have to repeat, but it ended in an afternoon that was uplift-ing for me and for Martas family. The effort that went into the memorial and theoutpouring of warmth from those in attendance was literally overwhelming. I know thata lot of work and a lot of thought by many people went into the memorial, and it allshowed that when the chips are down, Dryden really knows how to come through.

That tribute, and the warmth of the Dryden family, will forever be remembered by meand by Martas family.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Bob Meyer

Miriam Rodon-Naveira, Chief ScienceAdvisor/Higher Education Director, read let-ters of tribute from NASAs Chief EducationOfficer and from the executive director of theNational Science Teachers Association. Pre-College Officer Michelle Davis called Bohn-Meyer an icon with the ability to make realto people their own possibilities.

She had a gift for sharing that withchildren, Davis said, enumerating Bohn-Meyers work with middle school studentsin classrooms, in online chat rooms, onpersonal tours of the SR-71 and with teach-ers in workshops and events like the annualMath and Science Odyssey at AntelopeValley College.

That determination in helping othersrealize their potential was brought homeeloquently by Dryden photographer JimRoss. Recalling his first attempt to fly in aT-38 and take photos, in October of 1991,Ross related that the experience made himsick and left him certain hed be unable totake a job as aerial photographer.

But Bohn-Meyer was having none of it.Marta engineered everything, you know,Ross said. She told me, youve disgracedyourself by walking away from it, ratio-nalizing that if he had been ill only fourminutes out of an hour, then that left 56minutes in which he could shoot photos.

She believed in me when I didnt believein myself, said Ross, who now has loggedover 400 hours of flight time in his careerat Dryden.

Another poignant moment came whenBetty Jean Williams, a pilot in the WomensAir Force Service Pilots of World War II,read a poem titled Celestial Flight thathad been written by a WASP member. Thepoems words and imagery seemed to speak

heart-wrenchingly to the occasion and ofBohn-Meyer.

Former Dryden Center Director KenSzalai lauded Bohn-Meyers performance asa manager, saying she wasnt weakened byobstacles, but was strengthened.

He heralded her real-time crisis-manage-ment skills and her willingness to push theenvelope; she was never afraid to questionthe status quo.

She made enormous contributions toDryden, he said, because of her masteryand her passion. She gave everything shedid her all.

Referring to a well-known photo ofBohn-Meyer taken as she emerged from thecockpit after her Mach 3 flight in the SR-71,he called her a hero and famous role modelfor thousands of girls.

At that momentshe broke the glass ceil-ing for thousands of young women, he said.She joins an elite group of female aviators.

I will miss her very deeply, and hold hermemory very close.

Fittingly, final words on the programwere offered by Petersen and, in an unan-nounced appearance, by Bob Meyer. Fewin Bohn-Meyers closest circle had knownher better than Petersen, and her marriagepartnership with Meyer was of the sortaspired to by many.

As they paid tribute to Bohn-Meyer,Petersen and Meyer also illustrated through

their words the real depth of the oft-heardphrase the Dryden family. Hearing them,a listener understood how completely thenotion of family permeates the work envi-ronment at what is much more than justanother government outpost. The daysevent was truly that of a family mourningthe loss of one of its most significant andaccomplished members.

Marta made an indelible impression onme, Petersen said in emotional commentsthat reflected the depth of their friendship.There was nobody else like her. She wasan original.

He returned repeatedly to what he termedBohn-Meyers moral courage, calling it

invaluable to her many successes and her

approach to life.She had both an instinct for caution and

a spirit of adventure, he said. Courageepitomized Marta it was a unifying forceand theme of her life.

That courage infused her career andinformed her contributions to the Center,he said. For Marta, a small technical pointdiffered from a large one only in size, not inimportance. She was willing to risk all forthe sake of improvement.

Saying he valued Bohn-Meyers always-un-varnished advice and counsel, he added thatshe had little tolerance for ineptness.

Petersen invoked Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel in his tribute, saying

that like the humanitarian and Holocaust

survivor, Bohn-Meyer aspired to a morallife through telling truth to power.

She brandished that moral courage,he said, against forces of nature as wellas in pursuit of excellence in her profes-sional life.

Her bravery will inspire us always.The hangar was silent when Meyer rose

to speak, those in attendance feeling theweight of his task all too acutely. But heset the tone for his remarks by observingthat Marta was my inspiration. And shewould have kicked my butt if I didnt getup here and say something.

Meyer recalled the circumstances of thecouples first meeting at Langley and their

courtship, which revolved around work-ing on his airplane. Love developed, hesaid, through friendship and being best

buddies. Then as until her death, we dideverything together.

In measured tones, Meyer spoke of his wifes soft spot for animals and peoplein need and of her patriotism and lovefor the flag. He recalled the four rightsthat were her credo the right time, theright place, the right enthusiasm, the rightqualifications and took pains to creditBohn-Meyers family, many of them in at-tendance, for their impact on her life andher many successes.

But it was for his wifes legacy that Meyerreserved the most impassioned of his com-ments. Honoring her, he said, meant honor-ing the ideals she held so fiercely.

So many people are asking what they cando to help, he said. So Ill tell you.

You can help by wearing a flag on yourlapel, or by calling a veteran on Veterans Day call them or go see them, and say thanksfor what they did. You can mentor, if youcan you can encourage youth and supporteducation. Help each other, and do as gooda job as you can with everything you do.

Those are the things that meant the mostto Marta and will truly honor her memory.Celebrate Martas attributes through yourown life and actions.

Following Meyers remarks, a final trib-ute came when Dryden flight crews gaveBohn-Meyer the traditional send-off of amissing-man formation fly over.

Chief Pilot Gordon Fullerton and MartyTrout manned NASA F-18 No. 846, CraigBomben and Mike Thomson F-18 No. 852and Frank Batteas F-18 No. 850. As theformation streaked across the lakebed in acloudless sky, James Smolka and StephenCorda made an abrupt climb into theheavens in F-15 No. 836.

It was a hard-won gesture of respect byher peers in the exclusive fraternity to whichBohn-Meyer belonged, a gesture she wouldsurely have treasured.

And the seven men under the canopies were watching themselves carefully; theyknew an exacting critic was following theirevery control input.

From the family

EC87 168-5 NASA Photo

In one of the many partnerships that characterized their marriage, Bob Meyer and Marta Bohn-Meyer test the theory that desert temperaturesare hot enough to fry an egg. is experiment was staged on the wing of an F-14, but the data they sought was not validated - the egg didntfully cook.


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X-15 pilots earn their astronaut


News

A long-ove

Joe Walkers wife, Grace Wiesmann, accepts his astronaut wings from Rominger, center, andBrand. Walker was the first person to fly in space twice and he did so within five weeks, fly-ing to 347,800 feet on July 19, 1963, and 354,200 feet on August 22. is marks the fastestturnaround on record of the same pilot flying the same vehicle into space. Walker is pictured inthe bottom photo at far right next to the famed rocket plane.

RBy Jay LevineX-Press Editor

Its not only angels who must work hard to earn their wings.An elite group of Dryden research pilots who have met the requirements for receiving

astronaut wings has been awarded the honor nearly four decades after they flew themissions that took them above the edge of space.

In an era of Cold War confrontations, the moon race and war in Southeast Asia,these test pilots were among those who flew the three radical X-15 rocket planes for199 missions between 1959 and 1968. However, until an Aug. 23 ceremony held atDryden, three of those pioneering test pilots never received official recognition of theirmembership in the exclusive fraternity of American astronauts.

Fittingly, retired NASA pilot William H. Dana and family members representingdeceased pilots John B. McKay and Joseph A. Walker received civilian astronaut wingsduring the event to acknowledge their flights at Dryden, which was the site of theirpioneering achievements.

U.S. Air Force pilots in the X-15 program received their astronaut wings after thequalifying flights were complete. No such honor existed, however, for NASA X-15pilots and only recently was the decades-old controversy surrounding the definitionof the boundary of space above 50 miles, according to the Air Force resolved (seesidebar); with that issue settled, efforts finally moved forward to allow the three NASApilots to get their due for their historic flights.

What they didTogether, the three account for 70 of the 199 flights in the X-15 program. Walker

flew the aircraft for more than three years and on his third mission into space claimedthe unofficial world altitude record of 354,200 feet, or 67.08 miles, on Aug. 22, 1963.Walkers unofficial record also marked the highest altitude to which the X-15 was ever

flown.Retired Dryden engineer John McTigue, who was an operations engineer on theX-15 program, recalled a laugh at Walkers expense.

Joe was particular on his instruments placement. I told him we had it ready to goand he should come look at the cockpit to see if its set up the way you want it. I willnever forget the look on face and his shock. We had painted it (the cockpit) pink. Hestarted laughing, McTigue related in remarks at the Aug. 23 event.

Danas first of two flights into space took him to 306,900 feet, or 58.13 miles abovethe Mojave Desert on Nov. 1, 1966, on a mission to collect micrometeorite sampleswhile also gathering data about the skys brightness at that altitude. The second spaceflight, which marked the last time the X-15 program had a flight over 50 miles, wasAug. 21, 1968, when Dana flew to an altitude of 267,500 feet, or 50.66 miles.

Several speakers recalled Danas radio conversation following two memorable flights.Radioed with the news that he had hit 280,000 feet, Danas response was, How aboutthat? And upon reaching 310,000 feet on another flight, Dana radioed, Is Jack McKaysending his congratulations?

McKay attained 295,600 feet altitude, or 55.98 miles, on Sept. 28, 1965, during a

flight carrying several research experiments. He was second in the number of rocketflights he piloted only to A. Scott Crossfield, another of the X-15 pilots.

McKay was one of the smoothest pilots. I remember a landing that was so smooththat I didnt know when the landing gear hit, McTigue said.

McKay also was responsible for coining a Dryden phrase that he uttered on a daywhen the weather was not good. His droll assessment, which has lived on in Centerlore, was, Any improvement will be for the better.

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, who flew the X-15 before going on to fame as thefirst man to walk on the moon, spoke eloquently at the ceremony about his formercolleagues.

In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or donot understand. But research here in this building at Dryden or at the Air Force FlightTest Center is quite a different thing, Armstrong said. Research here is explorationand discovery. Its investigating (something that) no one knows or understands. Researchhere is creating new knowledge. Today we honor three men who did research here.

They were not involved in such exploits for adventure, or to enjoy the view al-

though those flights were adventurous and the view was spectacular. They rocketed tothese extreme altitudes to conduct research and to learn about and advance the worldof flight, he said.

I cherish my memories of working with each of those three gentlemen and am sopleased to be here for this recognition of their remarkable achievements.

The X-15 program

The North American Aviation (now a division of The Boeing Company) researchaircraft was a joint program of the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the U.S. Navy. The nine-year program reaped mountains of information about hypersonic stability and control,flight loads and heating rates.

Three major aerospace concepts were proven in the X-15 program. The first was thata winged vehicle could transition in flight from the 57,000 pounds of thrust providedby the aircrafts XLR99 engines to an unpowered state, in which it became a gliding

See Ceremony, page 8

Former X-15 pilot Bill Dana acknowledges hearty congratulations from Dryden employees andspecial guests as his wife Judy looks on. Capt. Kent Rominger, left, chief of NASAs AstronautOffice at Johnson Space Center, presented Dana with astronaut wings 40 years after the flightson which he earned them. At far right, Dana is pictured in his flight suit alongside the legend-ary rocket plane in which he and two other NASA pilots flew to the edge of space.

EC05 177-24 NASA Photo by Tony Landis


Sheri McKay Low, daughter of Jack McKay, accepts his astronaut wings from Rominger andVance Brand, left, a former astronaut and Drydens current deputy associate center director forprograms. McKay, who died in 1975, is pictured in his flying prime in the second image fromthe top at far right.


EC 171

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FocusJuly 29, 2005


ings four decades after flights

due tributeA word about the

definition of spaceBy Dennis JenkinsSpecial to the X-Press

There has long been controversy in the space-enthusiastcommunity over exactly what constitutes an astronaut. Asimilar controversy has surrounded the definition of theboundary of space. The latter question, at least, has an answer two of them, in fact.

Strictly speaking, an atmosphere does not end at any givenheight, but becomes progressively thinner with altitude.When aeronautics was a young profession, some thoughtspace began at about 15,000 feet, since thats where thepartial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere is too low topermit humans to function for extended periods of time. Thisdefinition soon gave way to others that defined the beginningof space as the end of the stratosphere, the thermosphere orthe exosphere. None of these definitions was made officialby any organization or government, and all soon faded fromthe lexicon.

During the 1950s, when NASAs predecessor agency, theNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and the U.S.military were first thinking about vehicles that would ulti-

mately fly into space, engineers decided to draw an arbitraryline at the altitude where dynamic pressure was less than onepound per square foot, since traditional aerodynamic con-trol surfaces would be rendered largely useless at that point.Although this altitude differs from day to day and area toarea due to weather conditions, in general it is at about 50miles (264,000 feet, or 81 kilometers) and roughly marksthe end of the mesosphere. This definition was codifiedinto regulations within the military services that awardedan aeronautical rating of astronaut to military pilots whoflew above 50 miles (in the 1950s, extreme altitudes wereexpressed in miles, not feet).

Somewhat later, aeronautical scientist Theodore vonKrmn calculated that above an altitude of approximately100 kilometers (62 miles, or 328,084 feet), a vehiclewould have to fly faster than orbital velocity in order toderive sufficient aerodynamic lift from the atmosphere tostay aloft. Although the precise altitude differed based onseveral variables, von Krmn proposed that 100 kilometersbe designated the boundary of space for purposes ofengineering consistency. This 100-kilometer KrmnLine was recommended to the Fdration AronautiqueInternationale, the internationally recognized body forrecording aeronautic achievements. Upon adoption, itbecame the internationally accepted boundary to space forthe purposes of world records and many treaties.

It is interesting to note that the U.S. government has neverofficially adopted either of these standards, because doing sowould complicate the issue of overflight rights for surveillanceaircraft and reconnaissance satellites. (The Department ofDefense is the exception, which, for purposes of aeronauticalratings, does subscribe to the FAI definition.)

The question of exactly who is an astronaut is more in-

volved, at least in the U.S. Within NASA, astronaut is a jobdescription for those individuals selected to be members ofthe Astronaut Corps at the Johnson Space Center in Hous-ton. Once an astronaut candidate completes training, he orshe becomes a career astronaut, even before their first spaceflight. Within the U.S. military, however, the term astronautis reserved for those individuals that have actually flown abovean altitude of 50 miles.

During the course of the X-15 joint program betweenNASA and the Air Force, eight pilots flew above that altitude,one flying above 62 miles. Of these eight, five were active-duty Air Force pilots who were awarded an aeronautical ratingof astronaut. In essence this involved receiving a small sheet of

esume of heroesBill Dana, Jack McKay and Joe Walker were

honored for their space flights, but each had a storiedcareer. Here is more information about their legacies:

William H. Dana

William H. Dana was chief engineer at Drydenfrom 1993 until 1998, when he retired afteralmost 40 years of distinguished service toNASA. Formerly an aerospace research pilot,Dana flew many aircraft including the X-15, anumber of lifting body aircraft, the F-100 vari-able stability research aircraft and the AdvancedFighter Technology Integration/F-16 aircraft.

Before his assignment as chief engineer, he wasassistant chief of the Flight Operations Division,a position he assumed after serving since 1986as chief pilot. He was a project pilot on the F-15HIDEC (Highly Integrated Digital ElectronicControl) research program, and a co-project piloton the F-18 High Angle of Attack research program.

Dana, born in Pasadena, Calif., Nov. 3, 1930,

received his Bachelor of Science degree from theU.S. Military Academy at West Point N.Y., in1952 and served four years as a pilot in the U.S.Air Force. He joined NASA after receiving a Masterof Science degree in aeronautical engineering fromthe University of Southern California in 1958.

As a research pilot, Dana was involved in someof the most significant aeronautical programscarried out at Dryden. For his service as a flightresearch pilot, he received NASAs DistinguishedService Medal in 1997. In 2000 he was awardedthe Dryden Flight Research Centers MiltonO. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was a project pilot on the hypersonic X-15 research aircraft and flew the rocket-pow-ered vehicle 16 times, reaching a top speedof 3,897 mph and a peak altitude of 307,000feet (nearly 59 miles). He was the pilot on thefinal (199th) flight of the 10-year program.

In the late 1960s and the 1970s, Dana was a proj-ect pilot on the manned lifting body program, inwhich several versions of the wingless vehicles wereflown and data produced that was used in develop-ment of the space shuttles. For his contributions tothe lifting body program, Dana received the NASAExceptional Service Medal. In 1976 he received theHaley Space Flight Award from the American Insti-tute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his researchwork on the M2-F3 lifting body control systems.

A member of the Society of Experimental Test Pi-lots, Dana is the author of several technical papers.

John B. McKay

John B. McKay was one of the first pilots assignedto the X-15 flight research program at Dryden. As acivilian research pilot and aeronautical engineer, hemade 30 flights in X-15s from Oct. 28, 1960, untilSept. 8, 1966. His peak altitude was 295,600 feet,and his highest speed was 3,863 mph (Mach 5.64).

McKay was with the NACA and NASA fromFeb. 8, 1951, until Oct. 5, 1971, specializing inhigh-speed flight research programs. He beganas an NACA intern, but assumed pilot status on July 11, 1952. In addition to the X-l5, he flewsuch experimental aircraft as the D-558-1, D-558-2, X-lB and the X-lE. He also served as a

See Space, page 9See Legacies, page 9

NASA Photo

EC64 245 NASA Photo

682 NASA Photo
http://www.grohol.com/psypsych/Earth%27s_atmospherehttp://www.grohol.com/psypsych/Mesospherehttp://www.grohol.com/psypsych/Mesospherehttp://www.grohol.com/psypsych/Earth%27s_atmosphere


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re-entry vehicle. Second, program research proved that reaction controls tiny hydrogenperoxide jet thrusters on the X-15 that controlled pitch, yaw and roll provided control atthe edge of space, where conventional control surfaces were ineffective. Third, the programhelped develop energy management techniques that allowed an unpowered spacecraft tomake a precision landing on a designated runway following return from space.

In later phases of the program, according to a video presentation compiled by JimYoung, chief historian of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, theexperimental vehicle also was used as a testbed for several additional experiments.

It took tremendous mental and physical strength to fly the approximately 10-minuteflights, which slammed X-15 pilots into their seat with an instantaneous 2g accelerationthat quickly pushed the ship past Mach 3. The pilot then continued to accelerate to 4g-force conditions until reaching space, where he experienced three minutes of weightlessbefore re-entering Earths atmosphere at Mach 5. Precise control was critical for reaching80,000 feet, where the aircraft would level out. It required technique and skill to make alakebed landing and not fall short or overshoot the base, Young said.

Johnny Armstrong, the Air Force Flight Test Center planner for X-15 flights, explainedthat most X-15 flights where airlaunched at 45,000 feet from the NB-52B at .82 Mach.The first 40 seconds after launch were critical to establishing the aircrafts heading and theengine would fire for a maximum of 85 seconds. One second of burn less would mean thealtitude goal would be missed. If the X-15s angle of attack were off by even one degree,it would result in missing the target altitude by 7,500 feet, Armstrong recalled.

Center Director Kevin L. Petersen spoke about what it took to fly the X-15, reading frompilot Milton O. Thompsons 1992 book At the Edge of Space about Thompsons firstexperiences flying the Black Bull in October 1963 on the first of 14 missions. Thompson

dubbed the X-15 the Black Bull for its power and unpredictability.The launch was like being shot downward out of a cannon, Petersen read. It wasa real jolt. No one warned me about the severity of the launch. I guess that the moreseasoned pilots had become used to it and began to think of it as routine so they nevermentioned it to me

The next passage Petersen read focused on the firing of the rocket engine:It lit off successfully and then I received my second surprise. The force of the engine

forced my body back hard into the seat and headrest and effectively pinned me there forthe rest of the powered flight.

Another excerpt from Thompsons book gave details about landing the rocket plane.At 173,000 feet, just 122 seconds after launch, he shut off the X-15s engine and beganto glide toward Edwards:

I had make it to Edwards in reasonably good shape, but now I was going to have to makethat honest-to-God deadstick (unpowered) landing. I only had one chance. If I screwedup, I lost the airplane and maybe more. The initial touchdown was very smooth until thenose came down. The nose came down with a vengeance. For a moment I thought thenose gear had failed as the nose slammed down on the runway. I did not realize how close

the cockpit was to the ground in the landing attitude. I thought my butt would scrapethe lakebed. It was a real jolt. It was about 8 gs in the cockpit.

Of his experiences flying the X-15, Thompson wrote: The one thing that impressed meon this flight was the amount of physical effort required to fly this airplane. I was reallyexhausted after the flight. Some of the exhaustion was obviously due to mental stress, butmuch of it was due to the muscular exertion required to manipulate all the controls andfly the aircraft while fighting the g forces and resistance of the pressure suitflying theX-15 was definitely not a piece of cake. After that flight I felt like I had put in a 12-hourday digging ditches.

Three piloted hypersonic rocket planes were used in the course of the X-15 program tofly as high as 67 miles and as fast as almost seven times the speed of sound. Volumes of testdata gleaned from missions helped shape the successful Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and spaceshuttle human spaceflight programs. The two surviving X-15s are now on public display,one at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C., and anotherat the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (formerly the U.S. Air Force Museum) atWright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.

The ceremonySteve Schmidt, Drydens deputy center director and master of ceremonies for the as-

tronaut wings ceremony, acknowledged aerospace author Dennis R. Jenkins and Drydenphotographer Tony Landis for their efforts in making the case for the three X-15 pilots tobe recognized (see related story) and making the ceremony a reality. William F. Readdy,former NASA associate administrator in the Space Operations mission directorate, alsowas instrumental in making the event happen.

Capt. Kent Rominger, chief of NASAs Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center inHouston and Vance Brand, a former astronaut and Drydens current deputy associatecenter director for programs, presented the astronaut wings to Joe Walkers wife, GraceWiesmann, and son Jim Walker. Rominger said the X-15 pilots had inspired him, andthat he had originally wanted to be a pilot rather than an astronaut.

It truly is an honor as chief of the Astronaut Office to make this presentation, Romingersaid in his remarks. When Dennis Jenkins and Bill Readdy came to me, I jumped at theopportunity to be a part of this.

Brand said he was equally proud to participate in the event.

I was a beneficiary of the (X-15) program in the 1960s, when we were in awe of theprogram, said Brand, command module pilot on the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission. Westill are today.

Schmidt also called the X-15 pilots his heroes and cited them as a reason he chose thecareer path he did.

Growing up, I remember the sounds of sonic booms and windows rattling, Schmidtreflected. I would lie in the tall, dark grass and look up at the bright blue sky to see thecontrails left behind. It left me with dreams of becoming a pilot, a space cowboy and anastronaut. A pivotal point came when I was given a personally signed X-15 model by Maj.Robert A. Rushworth.

Distinguished guests who attended the ceremony included a whos who of historic flightresearch projects, including X-15 pilots Joe Engle, Robert White and Neil Armstrong. PilotsStan Butchart, Fitz Fulton and Don Mallick were on hand, as were former Dryden DeputyDirector Ted Ayers and former Dryden center directors John Manke and Ken Szalai.

Also at the event were former NASA engineers Gene Matranga, Byron Gibbs and VinceCapasso as well as Andrew Mercy, representing state Sen. George Runner. North American

Aviation was represented by Steve Oswald, Boeing vice president and program directorfor the space shuttle, an astronaut and former U.S. Navy rear admiral.

Tough timesThe most successful flight research program in history did not come without cost.Pilot Michael Adams perished piloting X-15 No. 3 on Nov. 15, 1967, when it broke

apart on reentry. The flight was the 191st of the program and was Adams first suborbital

flight. The accident was the only one involving loss of life in the revolutionary program,but was not the only mishap.

McKay suffered the next-worst accident on Nov. 9, 1962. McKay lost power shortlyafter launch in X-15 No. 2 and was forced to land on Mud Lake, Nev., at 300 mph. Theplanes left skid collapsed on landing and the aircraft tumbled violently with McKaytrapped inside.

McKay survived the crash and the aircraft was rebuilt as the X-15 A-2. It was rebuiltwith a larger tank, setting the stage for William J. Pete Knight to make his Oct. 3, 1967,record speed flight of 6.7 Mach, or 4,521 mph twice the speed of a 50-caliber bullet.On that flight, aerodynamic heating in the area where a dummy scramjet engine had beenattached resulted in damage to the planes ventral fin due to burn-through of the aircraftsablative heat-shield coating. It took exceptional piloting skills to bring the charred aircraftback for a landing, and it was never flown again. Knights speed record stands.

In her remarks about her father, Sheri McKay Lowe marveled that not only did he survivethe deadly crash but flew the X-15 22 more times and lived 13 years after the accident.

He was not the same man (after the accident), but he never complained. Its thosedarn pain pills, he said once. He has been called a steel-nerved test pilot; he certainly wasthat, she recalled.

Joe Engle said he admired McKay as he came back into the program, and healed himselfand the program. Doesnt that say enough about the man?

As for all three of the pilots honored at the ceremony, Engle added, They are amongthe very best that operated in this organization.

Families value wings

The recipients and their families said they were honored to be at the ceremony.My dads an astronaut, said Jim Walker. To our family it means a lot. We are grateful.

As my brother mentioned, our father probably would be humble because he knows it wasa group effort and it was all the people in the X-15 program and all the people down theline. These are the real heroes.

McKays son John, a 29-year Dryden employee who retired as a branch chief, said hewanted his fathers wings to be dedicated to engineers, mechanics, avionics and instru-mentation personnel who worked on the program.

Sheri McKay Low also recalled the story of how her father became interested in aeronautics.

Charles Lindberg was on a tour, and Jack and Jim (the X-15 pilot and his brother)met him at his seaplane. After they met Lindberg, they started making airplanes out ofPopsicle sticks, then balsa wood, and the planes got bigger and bigger. It illustrates howinterwoven aviation history is, McKay Lowe said, noting that Lindbergs Spirit of St.Louis and X-15 No. 1 are both prominently displayed in the Smithsonian National Air& Space Museum.

We honor all NASA employees who keep the dream of space travel alive, McKayLow concluded.

Dana, who is retired from NASA but still works for Analytical Services & MaterialsInc. as a contract employee, also said he values his latest honor.

It is fitting that Judy, he said, referring to his wife, who didnt get to give me my setof wings out of pilot training because I didnt even know her then I think its fitting forher to place on me these wings that are so very special. I want to thank Capt. Romingerand Vance Brand for their gift to me, Dana said, as his wife removed the nametag onDanas flight jacket and replaced it with the new one denoting official astronaut status.

It was a well-deserved honor that was a long time coming.

Ceremony ... from page 6

Former X-15 pilot Bill Dana greets his son Matt, an F-16 pilot, after the younger Dana arrived atEdwards following a training flight. Matt arrived in time to attend the ceremony in which his dadwas awarded astronaut wings for X-15 flights made on the edge of space during the legendary researchprogram of the 1960s. Bill Dana piloted the final flight of the programs 199 missions in 1968.



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paper (8.5 by 5.5 inches) bearing a rubber-stamped signature of the official issuing it,and the authority for the pilot to wear metalastronaut wings on his uniform. There wasno other fanfare, money or fame. These fivepilots included Michael J. Adams, Joe H.Engle, William J. Pete Knight, Robert A.Rushworth and Robert M. White. It was,however, the existence of these aeronauticalorders that allowed Mike Adams name tobe placed on the Astronaut Memorial atthe Kennedy Space Center, Fla., over theobjections of many.

Unlike the Air Force, NASA had neverissued pilots wings per se, and until thespace shuttle program, never issued astronautwings in any form. Nor did NASA havean official definition of astronaut otherthan as it referred to someone assigned tothe Astronaut Corps. As a result, the threeNASA X-15 pilots who had flown above 50miles William H. Dana, John B. JackMcKay and Joseph A. Walker were neverspecifically recognized for their achievement.Oddly, many individuals assigned to the As-tronaut Corps in Houston were consideredastronauts but had never flown in space.

This seeming inconsistency has been dis-

cussed for over 40 years, mainly among thespace enthusiasts who have little to do butworry about such things. Roger Launius, aformer NASA Chief Historian, remembersnumerous public inquiries on the subject, with no particular answer other than as-tronauts come from Houston. Perhapsironically, it all seemed to matter much moreto the enthusiast community than to theindividuals involved, who were more thancontent to be known simply as test pilots.

Through a conversation with then NASAAdministrator Sean OKeefe and associateadministrator of the Space Operationsmission directorate, William F. Readdy, Ihoped to remedy the situation. This conver-

sation took place in 2004, just weeks afterthe Federal Aviation Administration hadawarded astronaut wings to civilian pilotsBrian Binnie and Michael W. Melvill ofScaled Composites Inc. for their flights inSpaceShipOne. Both OKeefe and Readdyagreed it would be appropriate to recog-nize the three NASA X-15 pilots for theirachievements.

During the conversation, I mentionedthe discrepancy between NASAs and themilitarys definition of astronaut. Thefirst issue was whether to select 50 or 62miles as a defining altitude; Readdy selected50 miles to eliminate any inconsistencybetween military and civilian pilots flyingthe same vehicle.

Beyond that, a major stumbling block inrecognizing the X-15 pilots as astronautshad been, according to lore, the wishes of

the Astronaut Office at the Johnson SpaceCenter. To determine how the office actu-ally felt about the issue and in an effort toresolve any potential concerns, I turned toCol. Michael J. Bloomfield, the AstronautOffice operations officer. Bloomer, as Mikeis known, had flown on three space shuttleflights. Readdy also had flown three times.They seemed appropriate ambassadors.Between the two of them they smoothedthe way; the chief of the Astronaut Office,Capt. Kent V. Rominger, subsequentlyagreed that recognizing the three NASAX-15 pilots would be appropriate and of-fered his assistance in the matter.

Figuring out exactly how to honor thepilots proved trickier. NASA does not issuemetal astronaut wings, and has no officialpolicy on the subject. In the end, it was de-cided that each pilot McKay and Walker

posthumously would receive a set of thecloth-and-leather nametags worn by spaceshuttle astronauts on their flight suits,along with a certificate signed by Readdy,Rominger and Kevin L. Petersen, directorof the Dryden Flight Research Center.Forty years after their groundbreakingachievements in the X-15 rocket plane,the three pilots finally got the recognitionthey deserved.

Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineerin Florida who works on various aerospaceprojects, including 20 years on NASAs spaceshuttle program. He also is the author of Space Shuttle: The History of the NationalSpace Transportation System: The First 100Missions, in addition to more than 30 otherworks on aerospace history, several on thesubject of the X-15 program.

research pilot on flight programs involvingthe F-100, F-102, F-104 and the F-107.

Born on Dec. 8, 1922, in Portsmouth,Va., McKay graduated from VirginiaPolytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va.,

in 1950 with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in aeronautical engineering.During World War II he served as aU.S. Navy pilot in the Pacific theater,earning the Air Medal and Two Clus-ters, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

McKay wrote several technical papers,and was a member of the American Instituteof Aeronautics and Astronautics, as wellas the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

He died April 27, 1975.

Joseph A. WalkerJoseph A. Walker was chief research pilot

at the Dryden during the mid-1960s. He joined the NACA in March 1945, and

served as project pilot at the Edwards flightresearch facility on such pioneering researchprojects as the D-558-1, D-558-2, X-1,X-3, X-4, X-5 and the X-15. He also flewin programs involving the F-100, F-101,

F-102, F-104 and the B-47.Walker made the first NASA X-15 flight

on March 25, 1960. He flew the researchaircraft 24 times, piloting the rocket planeto its highest altitude. He attained a speedof 4,104 mph (Mach 5.92) during a flighton June 27, 1962, and reached an altitudeof 354,300 feet on Aug. 22, 1963, duringhis last X-15 flight.

He was the first man to pilot the LunarLanding Research Vehicle used to developpiloting and operational techniques forlunar landings.

Walker was born Feb. 20, 1921, in Wash-ington, Pa. He lived there until graduatingfrom Washington and Jefferson College,

Washington, in 1942, with a Bachelor ofArts degree in physics. During World War IIhe flew P-38 fighters for the U.S. Air Force,earning the Distinguished Flying Cross andthe Air Medal with Seven Oak Clusters.

Walker was the recipient of many awardsduring his 21 years as a research pilot. Theseinclude the 1961 Robert J. Collier Trophy,1961 Harmon International Trophy forAviators, the 1961 Kincheloe Award and1961 Octave Chanute Award. He receivedan honorary Doctor of Aeronautical Sci-ences degree from his alma mater in June of1962. Walker was named Pilot of the Year in1963 by the National Pilots Association.

He was a charter member of the Societyof Experimental Test Pilots, and one ofthe first to be designated a Fellow. He wasfatally injured on June 8, 1966, in a mid-aircollision between an F-104 he was pilotingand an XB-70.

Space ... from page 7

Legacies ... from page 7

From left are four of the five surviving X-15 pilots, Robert White, Bill Dana, Neil Armstrongand Joe Engle. ey attended the astronaut wings ceremony, where Dana, Joe Walker and

Jack McKay, who flew the X-15 rocket plane into space in the 1960s, received long-overduerecognition for their achievement. Walker and McKay were honored posthumously.



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Research Roundup


October 21, 2005

Looking for a few good thermsResearchers use lightweight, motorized sailplane to validate concept

Above, Dryden aerospace engineer Michael Allen hand-launches a model motorized sailplane during a study validating the use of heat thermals to extend flight time. Below, Dryden aerospacetechnician Tony Frackowiak prepares the Autonomous Soaring Project sailplane for use in studying heat thermals to extend endurance. At bottom, the aircraft comes in for a lakebed landing,concluding the research flight.

EC05-0198-08 NASA photo by Carla omas



By Beth HagenauerDryden Public Affairs

With the graceful flight of hawks and eagles in mind, NASA aerospace engineerMichael Allen hand-launched a lightweight, motorized model sailplane overthe Southern California desert recently, hoping it would catch plumes of risingair calledthermals.

It did just that, not once but numerous times without human intervention duringa series of research flights at Dryden, validating his premise that using thermal lift couldsignificantly extend the range and endurance of small unmanned air vehicles without acorresponding increase in fuel consumption.

Just as sailplanes use thermal lift and updrafts to soar for extended periods, the 15-poundmotor-glider was flown in the Autonomous Soaring Project to demonstrate that the sameconcept could be applied to small, powered UAVs to both increase endurance and savefuel. Small UAVs have many potential applications that are unrealized due to limited fuelcapacity and resulting short flight duration.

Allen and his small team of engineers and technicians flew the remote-controlled RnRProducts sailplane 17 times over an eight-week period from July through mid-September.The model sailplane was modified to incorporate a small electric motor and an autopilot,the latter reprogrammed to detect thermals or updrafts.

Energy of the airplane is measured by its speed and al titude, explained Steve Jacobson,a project engineer. Energy can be increased by applying more motor power or flyingthrough a thermal. If the autopilot software detects an increase in aircraft energy withoutan increase in motor power it knows it has detected a thermal. Once the software hasdetected a thermal, the aircraft is commanded to fly in a circle that centers the path onthe estimated location of strongest lift.

Once it was launched, Dryden aerospace technician Tony Frackowiak flew the 14-foot-wingspan model to an altitude of about 1,000 feet and then handed off control to thesailplanes autopilot. The autopilot software flew the aircraft on a pre-determined trackover the northern portion of Rogers Dry Lake until it detected an updraft. As the aircraftrose, the engine automatically shut off and the aircraft circled to stay within the convectivelift resulting from the thermal updraft.

I have some experience flying radio-controlled sailplanes and working the lift manuallyas an RC (remote-control) pilot, Frackowiak said. The autopilot looked like it was doinga good job of detecting and using the lift in certain conditions.

Allen said the small UAV added 60 minutes to its flight time by soaring autonomously,using thermals that formed over the dry lakebed. Nicknamed Cloud Swift after a birdknown for feeding on insects found in rising air masses, in 23 updrafts the modified modelsailplane gained an average altitude of 565 feet, and in one strong thermal ascended 2,770feet. Cloud Swift used the Piccolo Plus autopilot hardware and guidance software, whichwas customized by Allen.

The flights demonstrated that a small UAV can mimic birds and exploit the free energythat exists in the atmosphere, Allen said. Weve been able to gather useful and uniquedata on updrafts and on the response of the aircraft in updrafts. This will further thetechnology and refine the algorithms that are used.

The software was developed using a simulation model of thermals compiled from real atmo-spheric data, Jacobson added. This unique model is the first thermal model of its kind.

Allen noted that a small, portable UAV with long-endurance capabilities could fulfill a numberof surveillance roles, including those in forest fire monitoring, traffic control and search-and-rescue missions. He said the technology also could have applications in flight on Mars, wheredust devils have been observed. In fact, Allen will be participating in the U.S. Geological SurveyEarth and Mars Dust Devil workshop in Flagstaff, Ariz., later this month.


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center would be part of the developmenteffort. For Dryden, he mentioned a role inresearching a system that would allow theCEV to abort after launch if necessary. Inaddition, he specified that vehicle-landingoperations could take place at Edwards AirForce Base.

As weve said in several prior briefings,

(the CEV) needs to land on the west coastof some country, because we want theservice module to go in the water, ratherthan landing on peoples heads or on theircows, Griffin said.

An animated film illustrated Griffins com-ments as he spoke. A landing sequence depictedin the film showed drogue chutes deployingfrom the CEV, its heat shield dropping off,airbags and three main chutes deploying.

Were targeting this concept with Ed-wards Air Force Base as the landing point.Thats the Compass Rose out at Edwards, ifyouve ever been there, he said, referring tothe film. The Compass Rose is a manmadelakebed feature from which pilots take

navigational headings.In this concept for touchdown, we usethe airbags and the chutes to cushion thedescent. Ultimately, it will be up to the con-tractor to decide the exact surface-contactmethod some combination of airbags,retro-rockets or other means as required.

Both the crew and cargo versions beingproposed for the CEV will feature much ofthe current infrastructure and technologyused in the space shuttle program, includ-ing shuttle main engines and extended butessentially identical solid rocket boosters.

Some new twists include solar arrays onthe command and service modules, a firstfor U.S. spacecraft, and a new upper stagefor the cargo version.

In order to meet these CEV objectives,Griffin said the space shuttle program willretire in 2010 and first flights of the CEV areanticipated to begin in the 2014 timeframe,though NASA has targeted 2012 for the firstCEV flight. Current plans do not includeany requests for additional funding for theAgency, but availability of funds will drivethe CEVs completion, Griffin added.

Center Director Kevin Petersen reiteratedmost of Griffins remarks at a Sept. 27 DrydenTown Hall. In an optimistic assessment ofhow Dryden will fit into the work of the CEVdevelopment program, he said a team was be-ing formed to examine the possibilities.

We have a lot of moonscape out here

we can help them out with, Petersenjoked.Dryden was selected as the lead under

Johnson Space Center, Houston, for abort-system testing. Once a prime CEV contrac-tor team is chosen, by spring of 2006, hesaid, additional details about the scope ofthe work will emerge.

Drydens Jim Stewart, the Centers mis-sion director for the Exploration Systemsmission directorate, said that additionalwork also is on the horizon as a result ofongoing talks with representatives fromJohnson.

How research on a system to abort afterlaunch will be conducted and what rolesDryden will fill have not been determined,

Stewart said. The abort tests will includemultiple missile launches how manyhas not yet been determined at differentaltitudes and conditions.

Dryden is beginning to assign people toa CEV project team that will attend meet-ings at Johnson Space Center to discussthe prospects for additional work, somepossibly beginning as early as 2007.

Once the configuration of the abort system

is clear from the winning proposal, Stewartestimates that in 2006, more than two dozenDryden employees will be a part of the effortto prove the abort system for use in mannedspace flight. The work is expected to continuethrough 2008 and possibly longer, dependingon the number of launches.

The abort system is a critical elementof the CEV and the exploration program.These tests are required and they have to bedone successfully, Stewart said.

And although Apollo set the standard forabort systems and the one to be developedfor the CEV will be similar, obviouslyApollo was a different vehicle and a dif-ferent launch condition, Stewart said. Itwont be exactly the same, but its similar. It(Apollo) is the best reference we have.

In addition to the Dryden workforce,staff at Marshall Space Flight Center,Huntsville, Ala., will contribute propulsionexpertise to the development effort andengineers at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will contribute to work on the module-recovery process.

Again referring to the successful blue-print developed by the Apollo program,Stewart said multiple rocket launches willprove the abort systems for the CEV. Whileno rocket site has yet been chosen for thetests, White Sands Missile Range, N.M.,was the site for similar testing of the Apolloabort systems, he added.

Study ... from page 1

Here is a list of the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicles key elements: Using Apollo spacecraft as a blueprint will shorten development time, permit safe

travel for up to six crewmembers (called for in Mars exploration planning) and thecapsule will feature increased stability at landing as well as reduced reentry pressurescompared with those of the space shuttle.

NASA officials said the proposed spacecraft could be configured as either a crewor cargo module.

Apollo will be the blueprint, but the proposed vehicle will offers advancement. Theproposed CEV is considered safer and more reliable than current methods of spacetravel and the proposal being developed for its use includes sending a crew of four tothe lunar surface, as compared to two during the Apollo missions. The CEV also willbe able to land anywhere on the moon and could support a permanent presence therewhile future missions to Mars are considered.

The CEV will be able to dock with the International Space Station and other explo-ration elements, use a liquid oxygen/methane service module propulsion system (yet tobe developed) and return to dry land, or in the ocean as a backup plan. Methane waschosen for the modules propulsion to plan for the future when Martian atmosphericresources can be converted into fuel.

Robotic missions in the short term will do advance scouting and robotic toolswill be developed for astronauts use on the moon during the first CEV lunar mission,set for 2018.

NASA officials estimate the safety of the CEV to be on the scale of 10 times greaterthan that of the space shuttle.

CEV at a glance

Pathfinder-Plus ... from page 3As an experimental-technology demon-

stration aircraft, it was necessary for flights with the slow-moving Pathfinder-Plus tobe conducted across a work area for unin-habited aerial vehicles over the northernportion of the dry lake. The flight datawill help researchers validate turbulencemodels.

The flights originally were scheduled forSeptember 2004 but were delayed a year dueto record-breaking rainfall that flooded the

lakebed and left it unusable until recentlyfor flight operations.

Bob Curtin, vice president and directorof AeroVironments Design DevelopmentCenter in Simi Valley, Calif., said the pio-neering solar aircraft will be offered to a ma-jor aerospace museum for preservation andpublic display following its retirement.

Pathfinder was built in the early 1980s toexperiment with an airplane that could poten-tially stay up for months at very high altitudes,

Curtin reflected, noting that he helped buildportions of the Pathfinder when he was in highschool a quarter-century ago.

Through its career, we gradually flewit higher and higher on solar power, cul-minating in a flight to over 80,000 feet in1998. Its getting harder to fly because itsgetting very old. So were retiring the air-plane this was probably its last flight.

Curtin said data collected from the recenttests would be invaluable during the design

of AeroVironments next stratospheric un-manned aircraft, the Global Observer.

Funding for the Pathfinder-Plus turbu-lence flight tests was obtained through theVehicle Systems program of NASAs Aero-nautics Research mission directorate. Aero-Vironment personnel conducted aircraftmodifications and the flight series, whileDrydens Flight Systems DemonstrationProject was responsible for test-range opera-tions, ground safety and mission success.

In this illustration, the proposed Crew Exploration Vehicle is seen with its solar panels deployed and docked with a lunar lander in orbit.

NASA/artists concept courtesy John Fassanito and Associates

NASA/artists conceptcourtesy John Fassanitoand Associates

e proposed CrewExploration Vehicle isexpected to look andland much like theApollo capsules. Mis-sions could potentiallyconclude with a landingat Edwards Air ForceBase.


12/12

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Exchange EventsSchneider ... from page 1the happiest years of our lives, Schneidersaid in remarks to the audience gathered atLancasters Boeing Plaza for the inductionceremony. And he was quick to acknowledgethose who helped him achieve the honor.

Without the support of all the people atDryden, especially the mechanics and techni-cians, I wouldnt be standing here today.

Schneider was the first pilot in history toconduct multi-axis thrust-vectored flight,in NASAs F-18 High Alpha ResearchVehicle.

A U.S. Naval officer from 1968 to 1983,Schneider graduated in 1973 from the NavalTest Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., theyoungest graduate in the institutions his-tory. He was an engineering test pilot on 11naval research programs, a test pilot schoolinstructor and the F-4 program managerand senior test pilot at the Naval AviationDepot, North Island, Calif.

He joined NASA in 1983 as Drydens

project pilot, flying in the SR-71 and F-104 high-speed research programs, withthe F-18 systems research aircraft, the B-52launch aircraft, the NASA Learjet and oth-ers, eventually becoming chief test pilot.In 2000 Schneider took a position as T-38instructor and WB-57F research pilot atJohnson Space Center, Houston, perform-ing Earth sciences and classified missions.He retired in 2004.

Schneider is a Fellow and Past President of

the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and re-cipient of the American Institute of Aeronau-tics and Astronautics Chanute Flight Award,the NASA Distinguished Service Medal andthe NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He is

the youngest pilot to be inducted into theJames B. Taylor Jr. Memorial Carrier TestPilots Hall of Honor in Charleston, S.C.

If he seemed destined for the path that ledhim to the Walk of Honor, perhaps it wasbecause he was clear from early stages of hiscareer on what he wanted to achieve.

As a Navy test pilot, I had read Tom Wolfes book, The Right Stuff, anddreamed of coming to Edwards to workwith some of the best people in the busi-ness, he said following the Walk of Honorceremonies.

Its a real privilege to be honored along-side those people, many of whom were myheroes.

The annual Walk of Honor event is spon-

sored by the City of Lancaster. Financialsupport is provided by The Boeing Com-pany, Northrop Grumman and LockheedMartin Aeronautics, Wells Fargo Bank,Verizon Communications, Clear ChannelBroadcasting Worldwide, High DesertBroadcasting, High Desert Medical Group, Waste Management Inc. and SouthernCalifornia Edison.

Peter Merlin of the Dryden History Officecontributed to this article.

sion and values aligned with NASAs vision,mission and values and how this alignmentwas key in helping to strengthen their abilityto be effective leaders.

The LDP mission is to create powerfulleaders who align with NASAs vision, mis-sion and values and who create results that

Graduation ... from page 2matter to the American public. Programelements include developmental assign-ments, a class project, individual coachingand training and briefings by NASA andoutside leaders. Participants, who must becivil servants in grades 13 to 15, are com-petitively selected at the Agency level.

The Dryden Exchange Council is spon-soring the following activities:

Pizza nights, at Round Table Pizza inLancaster, are set for Nov. 15, 16 and 17.Coupons for a meal are $10, and purchase

one large two-topping pizza and choiceof four sodas, one pitcher of beer or onecarafe of wine.

A trip to Laughlin, Nev., is planned forDec. 2-4. Cost is $72 per person, basedon double occupancy. Tickets includeround-trip transportation, two nights atthe Colorado Belle Hotel and Casino, onebreakfast buffet and one lunch or dinnerbuffet. There is an added $18.50 fee forsingle rooms. The bus will depart at 1 p.m.Dec. 2 and return at 6 p.m. Dec. 4, with nounannounced stops on the return trip.

The Dryden Yuletide Gala will be heldDec. 10 at the Holiday Inn in Palmdale,38630 5th St. West, with doors opening at6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., raffle drawings

at 10 p.m. and the party continuing un-til 11:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale in theDryden Gift Shop Oct. 31 and are $15per person if purchased before Nov. 10.From Nov. 14 until ticket sales end on

Dec. 1, tickets are $18 per person.Ticket price includes a two-entre

buffet dinner, dessert, two cocktails andopportunities to win door prizes fromlocal merchants such as the Antelope Val-ley Mall, The Outback Steakhouse, BestBuy, Target and Barnes & Noble books.A cash bar also will be provided. Musicwill be by DJ Linnie.

Tickets and information for all eventsmay be obtained by calling the DrydenGift Shop, ext. 2113, or Jessica Lux-Bau-mann, ext. 3820.

Retirees who would like to visit Drydenshould contact Darlene Homiak at (661)276-3064 at least 72 hours in advance oftheir visit.

Former Dryden research pilot Ed Schneider and his wife Ginger flank the latest honor bestowedon Fast Eddie Schneiders plaque on the City of Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor.

EC05 207-10 NASA Photo by Jim Ross

Way to go, Vance!

Former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronautVance Brand, above, waving, was honored by theLancaster JetHawks Class A California Leaguebaseball team during its annual Aerospace Ap- preciation Night in August. Brand, currently

deputy associate director of aerospace programs atDryden, and fellow astronaut/research pilot Gor-don Fullerton flew two low-level passes over thestadium in a NASA T-38 just before game time.Brand then returned to autograph hundreds ofbobblehead dolls made in his likeness for ap-preciative fans like these two prospective reasearchpilots featured at left.



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