Vol. 35, No. 12

Spaceport NewsJohn F. Kennedy Space Center

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

June 7, 1996

Mission update

SURVEYOR 1 MARINER 9

Historic launches laid groundwork for future space endeavorsLess than a month after the 35th anniversary of Americans

in space, another space exploration milestone is being cel-ebrated. Thirty years ago, on May 30, 1966, Surveyor 1 waslaunched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Pad 36A on its wayto the first soft-landing on the moon. The effort led the way to

Apollo 11's lunar landing mission three years later.Five years after the launch of Surveyor, on the same date,

Mariner 9 was launched from Pad 36B. That mission, whichsuccessfully orbited Mars in 1971, contributed informationleading to the Viking lander missions five years later.

Natural gas station establishes KSCas a leader in alternative energy use

Coordinated effort

SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY (SLF) Coordinator Larry Parker keeps close watch duringthe landing of the orbiter Endeavour on Runway 33. Endeavour touched down at 7:09a.m. EDT, May 29, bringing to a successful close Space Shuttle Mission STS-77. AsSLF coordinator, Parker oversees all aircraft landings at KSC from the NASA tower,located near the midpoint of the three-mile-long Shuttle runway. During an orbiter end-of-mission landing, he monitors all traffic in the immediate airspace to ensure that all isin readiness for the orbiter's return. Parker is an employee of KSC Base OperationsContractor EG&G Florida, Inc. This photo appears courtesy of Chris O'Meara of theAssociated Press in cooperation with NASA.

(See SONS, Page 4)

One of the most advancednatural gas vehicle fueling sta-tions in the country opened atKSC with a ribbon-cutting cer-emony May 30.

Speakers included KSC Di-rector Jay Honeycutt, Directorof Installation OperationsMarvin Jones and RichardJolley, president and generalmanager, EG&G Florida Inc.Honeycutt cut the ribbon bydriving through it with a natu-

ral gas-powered vehicle. KSC’s new fueling station is

located at the Government Ser-vices Administration (GSA) Mo-tor Pool in the Industrial Area.The station is the test bed for anew type of gas compressor thatprovides the capacity to fuel oneof the largest fleets of govern-ment-owned vehicles in the na-tion, said H.T. Everett, chief of

(See GAS, Page 4)

NASA employeescan bring sonsto work June 14

NASA Kennedy Space Centeremployees are invited to bringtheir sons to work June 14 togive them a firsthand look atKSC work areas.

NASA-KSC employees maybring sons aged nine and olderto work areas on both KSC andCape Canaveral Air Station.

Interested contractor employ-ees who wish to participate candirect inquiries to their ownHuman Resources Office tolearn if a comparable programis available.

In most cases a mother or fa-ther will bring their son but thesponsor can be another familymember, or another NASA-KSCworker. More than one son in afamily may attend.

Advanced badging is recom-mended, especially for NASAemployees who will be accessingKSC through Cape CanaveralAir Station.

Badges will be available fromJune 10-13 in the Equal Oppor-tunity Program Office, locatedin Room 2321 at Headquarters.No telephone requests will behonored.

Activities will begin at 8 a.m.in the IMAX Theater II at theKSC Visitors Center. Center Di-rector Jay Honeycutt will giveremarks, followed by KSC astro-

Mission: STS-78 on Columbia.

Launch date, time: June 20,10:49 a.m. from Launch Pad39B.

Primary Payload: Life andMicrogravity Spacelab (LMS).

Mission Synopsis: During thenearly 16-day-long mission, theseven-member crew will conductmicrogravity researchexperiments in the Life andMicrogravity Spacelab modulemounted in the payload bay. Themajority of the life sciencesexperiments will be devoted tothe study of the effects ofmicrogravity on humanphysiology.

Landing date, time: July 7,8:46 a.m. at the Shuttle LandingFacility.

Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS June 7, 1996

A GROUP of 22 children who were affected by the bombing of the federal building inOklahoma City on April 19, 1995, received some personal attention from Astronaut JimHalsell when they visited Kennedy Space Center May 23. The children, pictured atright, toured the Launch Status Center at the KSC Visitor Center, viewed the film TheDream is Alive in the IMAX theater, made ice cream sundaes at the Lunch Pad, andwalked through the Explorer Shuttle mockup. A highlight of the tour was the viewing ofthe launch of a Hughes Communications, Inc. satellite on a Delta-II rocket that eveningfrom Cape Canaveral Air Station. In the photo above, Halsell gives a student a hands-on demonstration of the effects of a liftoff. The trip was arranged through a "recoverycamp" sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. After the visit some of theparticipants were quoted in The Press, an Oklahoma City newspaper. Karen Jones,whose husband was killed in the bombing, accompanied her son and daughter on thetrip. "Kennedy Space Center was fantastic," Jones said. "They were wonderful to usand made the kids smile. They don't smile much."

Kennedy Space Center(KSC) assisted in the search forwreckage from the flight ofValuJet 592 which plunged intothe Everglades on May 10,killing 110 people.

A KSC helicopter, flown byNorbert Violette, KSC’s chiefhelicopter pilot, traversed thecrash site May 25 with aninfrared scanner.

National TransportationSafety Board (NTSB) investiga-tors decided to use the scanner,which is being developed for aspecialized project, to helplocate large pieces of theaircraft, believed to be buried ina crater created on the swampfloor by the impact of the crash.

The Kennedy Space Centerhelicopter is equipped withspecialized brackets that

enabled it to carry the thermalimager, said Marvin Jones,KSC’s director of InstallationOperations.

The bracket, which wasdeveloped to hold high-intensityspotlights and the ForwardLooking Infrared (FLIR) scan-ning system for pad security andtraffic control during nightlaunches of the Space Shuttle,has also been adapted to holdtelevision cameras, Jones said.

Gerry Brown, of the NASAAircraft Management Office atNASA Headquarters, said hebecame aware of the possibili-ties of using the scanner aftertalking to an Air Force Academyclassmate and longtime friend,Charlie Weinert of Finley Lakes,NY, who was working on thedevelopment of the imager.

KSC assists at ValuJet crash site

“We were discussing thedevice and the idea came that itmight be useful in the search,”Brown said.

“I knew of the capabilities ofthe helicopter at Kennedy so I

put my friend in touch with theNTSB, and the NTSB in touchwith Kennedy to see if it couldbe worked out.”

Violette said he appreciatedthe opportunity to help.

Oklahoma City children visit center,receive astronaut's personal touch

KSC'S CHIEF Helicopter Pilot Norbert Violette prepares a NASA helicopter to fly to theEverglades, site of the ValuJet Flight 592 crash. At left is the bracket which was usedto hold an infrared scanner as it was flown over the site.

SPACEPORT NEWS

A NEW SEQUENCE of Hubble Space Telescope images of atremendous stellar explosion is giving astronomers a remarkablelook at the dynamic relationship between the tiny Crab Pulsarand the vast nebula that it powers. The photo on the left shows aground-based image of the entire Crab Nebula, the remnant of asupernova explosion witnessed more than 900 years ago. Thenebula, which is 10 light-years across, is located 7,000 light-yearsaway in the constellation Taurus. The filaments concentratedtoward the edges of the nebula are remnants of the star that wereejected into space by the explosion. At the center of the CrabNebula lies the Crab Pulsar -- the collapsed core of the explodingstar. The Crab Pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star -- an objectonly about six miles across, but containing more mass than thesun. As it rotates at a rate of 30 times per second, the CrabPulsar's powerful magnetic field sweeps around, acceleratingparticles and whipping them out into the nebula at speeds closeto that of light.THE PICTURE on the right shows a Hubble Space Telescopeimage of the inner parts of the Crab. The pulsar itself is visible atthe left of the pair of stars near the center of the frame. Surroundingthe pulsar is a complex of sharp knots and wisp-like features.This image is one of a sequence of Hubble images taken over thecourse of several months. This sequence shows that the innerpart of the Crab Nebula is far more dynamic than previouslyunderstood.

Hubble uncovers Crab Nebula

MarkingtraditionAT LEFT, Tess Westover, front,a Brevard Community Collegenursing student, and VickyChamberlain, a LockheedMartin Space OperationsCompany employee and BCCstudent, perform a traditionalTinikling bamboo dance duringthe Asian Pacific Awarenessmonth luncheon May 23 at theMission Briefing Room in theOperations and CheckoutBuilding. Below, Marina Harris,of Cost and CommercialAccounts, right, works thebamboo poles with InocenciaUrban of Port St. John. Harristaught participants the dance,named for a Philippine bird.Former Congressman NormanMineta, applauding at left, wasthe guest speaker.

KSC's community involvement

APPROXIMATELY 60 representatives from small businesses, government and nonprofitorganizations participated in the first Continual Improvement/Total Quality ManagementCommunity Workshop, sponsored by NASA/KSC and its major contractors, May 9 atthe Brevard Community College Lifelong Learning Center. From the left, Warren Camp,deputy director of the Administration Office, Donna Cox, a Continual Improvement (CI)specialist, and Betty Cromie, secretary in the Continual Improvement Office, shareinformation about KSC's CI efforts at a NASA booth. KSC Deputy Director Gene Thomasinitiated the workshop in order to share KSC expertise with community organizations.The CI office reports several requests have been received for similar events in thefuture.

Health and Wellness program focuses on laughterKennedy Space Center's

Occupational Medicine andEnvironmental Health Ser-vices Office is stressing thephysical and emotional ben-efits of laughter.

During June, KSC's three

medical facilities will havepackets available on the sub-ject "Humor and Laughter;Good for Your Health." Pickup a packet at the medical of-fices or contact Carol Roth,BOC-005.

Page 3June 7, 1996

John F. Kennedy Space Center

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

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

USGPO: 733-096/20023

SPACEPORT NEWS June 7, 1996Page 4

Gas. . .(Continued from Page 1)

the NASA/KSC Logistical Op-erations Support Branch.

“The station, which was de-signed to handle 400 vehicles,will allow KSC to be a leader innatural gas fleet operations inparticular and in alternativeenergy in general,” Everett said.“The technology for this stationwas also developed so that itcould be adapted for use by localgovernments, industry and insti-tutions.”

The station was developedthrough a unique government/industry partnership with theKSC Alternative Fuels Office,Dresser-Rand Industries and theGas Research Institute so thatit could serve as a showcase fornatural gas technology, saidEG&G Florida senior engineerBobbie Sirmons.

“The first construction phaseincludes two gas dispensers, buteventually there will be six,”Sirmons explained. “In its finalphase, it will look just about likeany other filling station, exceptfor compressed gas storagetanks.”

The dispensers look and op-erate similar to gasoline pumps.They are designed to fill a com-pressed gas tank in 2 to 3 min-utes while keeping it safe forusers. Alternative-fueled ve-hicles are both safer to operateand as efficient as those thatburn more conventional fuels,

Sons. . .(Continued from Page 1)

naut candidate Frank Caldeiroand Steve Van Meter fromKSC’s robotics laboratory.

Following the program par-ticipants are free to have lunchat Spaceport USA or one of theemployee cafeterias and thenaccompany their sponsors to thework sites.

Due to safety requirements,certain operational areas —anyplace requiring a KSC AreaPermit Badge — will be off lim-its.

In the Industrial Area, thisincludes the Hypergol Mainte-nance Facility (HMF) (pendingdaily activities), and the LaunchEquipment Test Facility(LETF).

In the Launch Complex 39area, off-limits areas include theRotational Processing and Stor-age Facility (RPSF); Vehicle As-sembly Building (VAB); OrbiterProcessing Facility (OPF) bays1, 2, and 3; and Launch Pads39A and B. In the Launch Con-trol Center (LCC) restricted ar-eas are Room 1P10 on the firstfloor; the Central Data Systemsarea and Record and PlaybackSystems area I and II on the sec-ond floor; and firing rooms 1, 2,3, and 4 on the third floor.

Due to critical flight hard-ware processing, payload opera-tions areas will be accessible,with proper notification andbadging, for limited periods oftime only to authorized person-

nel who normally work in thoseareas.

If a sponsor works in a re-stricted area, he or she may ar-range for another sponsor tobring the son to their own unre-stricted work area.

For additional information,contact Barbara Powell at 867-7208.

Sons' Day Schedule

NOTE: This program isfor NASA employees andtheir guests. Due to limitedseating in the IMAX Theater,only one parent or sponsormay accompany theirson(s). Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

8:10 a.m. - Centerdirector's welcome.

Guest speaker - SteveVan Meter with the KSCrobots.

Video - Thank God theDream is Alive.

Guest speaker - Astro-naut candidate Fernando"Frank" Caldeiro.

9:45 a.m. - Closingremarks.

Lunch - At SpaceportUSA or any employeecafeteria.

Afternoon - Employeesand sons disperse to worksites.

Sirmons said.Currently, the fueling station

serves about 36 natural gas-powered light-duty vehicles andone 44-passenger bus. GSA willprocure bi-fueled vehicles, orones that can use either gaso-line or natural gas, as they be-come available from auto manu-facturers. It is anticipated thatby 1999, about 80 percent of theGSA fleet under procurementfor KSC — about 900 vehicles— will be able to use naturalgas, hydrogen and methanemixtures, or other alternativefuels.

“We also have plans for a fi-nal natural gas fleet of 1,200 ve-hicles and will build a secondnatural gas station in theLaunch Complex 39 area withintwo years,” Everett said. “Natu-ral gas is clean, domesticallyproduced and cheap. Alterna-tive-fueled vehicles are a majorelement of KSC’s efforts to re-duce its impact on the environ-ment while reducing our depen-dence on foreign oil.”

Fuel is provided by the 25-mile long KSC natural gas pipe-line that went into operation inmid-1994. The pipeline was con-structed at no cost to NASA byCity Gas Co. of Florida. The en-suing conversion of several KSCfacilities to natural gas sincethen has eliminated more than115 tons of particulate emissionsfrom entering the atmosphereand the burning of more than 3million gallons of diesel fuel.

CENTER DIRECTOR Jay Honeycutt waits behind the wheel of a natural gas-poweredvehicle as Richard Jolley, president and general manager of EG&G Florida, Inc., andMarvin Jones, director of Installation Management and Operations, fill up the tank.