January 6, 2006

John F. Kennedy Space Center - America’s gateway to the universe

Spaceport Newshttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html

Vol. 45, No. 1

A look back at Kennedy Space Center in 2005Historic STS-114 mission, new explorationarchitecture highlight successful year

By Jim Kennedy Center Director

Kennedy Space CenterDirector Jim Kennedy

Two-thousand five was anincredible year unlike anyother in our Center’s

history. It culminated with a‘touchdown’ by our team thatnever meant more on Aug. 9when the STS-114 crew andspace shuttle Discovery landedsafely at NASA’s Dryden FlightResearch Center.

This completed a spectacularmission that included breathtak-ing orbital maneuvers and a first-of-its-kind spacewalk repair.

Our team at KSC contributedto the success of this mission inso many ways, from processingthe vehicle to launching Discov-ery July 26 and recoverying itafter landing. Our InternationalSpace Station payload process-ing team’s contributions rangedfrom preparing the criticalControl Moment Gyroscope forflight to processing the much

needed resupplies that made theISS “like new” again.

And at year’s end, with agreat deal of hard work, theSpace Station Processing Facilityteam had 10 station componentsready for flight. These remark-able feats have laid the ground-work for a new journey that willtake U.S. astronauts back to themoon, then to Mars and beyond.

The space shuttle and ISSteams were joined by manyothers when it came to creatingsuccess stories. The LaunchServices Program had severalreasons to celebrate a successfulyear. The Deep Impact mission,launched Jan. 12, came to asuccessful end by creatingamazing fireworks when itcollided with Comet Tempel 1 inthe early morning of July 4.

The team also successfullylaunched the DART missionApril 15 aboard a Pegasus rocketat Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Andfor the first time an Atlas V, afteryears of very technical certifica-tion review and approval, wasused by the Mars Reconnais-sance Orbiter to begin its journeyto the red planet Aug. 12.

The orbiter will examinefuture potential landing sites onMars once it arrives in Marchproviding high-data rate commu-nications back to Earth. Now weare just days away from thelaunch of the New Horizonsmission to Pluto in early Januarywhich will use the Atlas V 500series for the first time.

January 14 marks the two-year anniversary when PresidentGeorge W. Bush announced thenation’s Vision for Space

Exploration. Toprepare for ourcenter’s role inimplementing thisnew initiative,KSC implementedits Exploration2005 reorganiza-tion in October tostructure ourcapabilities tolaunch vehiclesgoing back to themoon.

This effort willsmoothly transi-tion both thespace shuttle’sretirement andspace stationphase out to a newera supporting thefuture CrewExplorationVehicle.

While we’reproud of all thesetremendousaccomplishments,this was also abanner year forour institutionalsupport teams. Asign of a vibrantcenter is watchingnew programs and

SPACE SHUTTLE Discovery slowly makes its way toLaunch Pad 39B as a June sun rises.

facilities come to life.This was represented by such

events as the opening of the newOperations Support Building IIthat will serve as the work placefor hundreds of workers. It wasjoined on the operations side bythe Shuttle Landing Facility’snew control tower, giving ouraircraft controllers and weatherpersonnel a state-of-the-artfacility.

In the training arena, our newKSC Learning Center will serveas the new home of our in-housetraining programs.

Between achieving currentprogram success and laying thesteppingstones for a tremendousfuture, 2005 was an incredibleyear for KSC.

Now that 2006 is underway, Ilook forward to working with ourtremendous team as we take onthe challenges of space explora-tion for our nation.

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SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006Page 2

AwardsNASA’s Deep Impactspacecraft launched onJan. 12 from Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station onits 268-million-mile journey tocollide with Comet Tempel 1,reaching its destination July 4 toperform an incredibly complexexperiment in space to probebeneath the surface of a cometand reveal the secrets of itsinterior.

Deep Impact’s larger “flyby”spacecraft released a smaller“impactor” into the path of thecomet, causing a brilliant impacton July 4. The crater produced

Deep Impact launches on collision course with cometby the impactor was as large as afootball field and more than 10stories deep.

Comets are time capsules thathold clues about the formationand evolution of the solarsystem. They are comprised ofice, gas and dust, primitivedebris from the solar system’scoldest regions that formed 4.5billion years ago.

Data from the spacecraft’sinstruments indicated an im-mense cloud of fine powderymaterial was released when theprobe slammed into the comet’snucleus. NASA’s Hubble, Spitzerand Chandra space telescopes,and others on Earth, observed thecollision.

NASA’s DEEP Impactlaunched Jan. 12 fromCape Canaveral AirForce Station. The“impactor” spacecraftslammed into CometTempel 1 to study itscore. Approximately4,500 images weretaken from thespacecraft’s threecameras. Dramaticimages of the eventwere relayed toaudiences around theworld in near real timeon NASA TV and theInternet.

January

February

Hundreds of peoplecame together for apublic memorial

service on Feb. 1 to honorthe Columbia STS-107 crewat the Space Mirror Memo-rial at the Kennedy SpaceCenter Visitor Complex. Thememorial also honors fallenastronauts from ChallengerSTS-51L, Apollo 1 andastronauts from training andcommercial airplaneaccidents.

The crew of STS-107

KSC remembers fallen astronaut crewsincluded Rick Husband, WillieMcCool, Michael Anderson,Kalpana Chawla, David Brown,Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon,whose names are inscribed onthe Space Mirror Memorial.

At the service, KirstieMcCool Chadwick, sister ofColumbia pilot Willie McCool,said her brother had the time ofhis life when in orbit. “He lovedto fly and he loved science,” shesaid. “He was living his ultimatedream.”

CENTER DIRECTOR Jim Kennedy and Kirstie McCool Chadwick placea memorial wreath at the base of the Space Mirror Memorial.

Sean O’Keefe served his last officialday as administrator Feb. 19, follow-ing three years of service in which he

led the agency through an aggressive andcomprehensive management transformationfollowing the Columbia accident.

O’Keefe helped NASA through one ofits most painful tragedies, the loss of spaceshuttle Columbia and its crew. He directedsignificant changes in the space shuttle’ssafety and management programs, and wasa key architect of the nation’s Vision forSpace Exploration.

During an all hands meeting Feb. 9 at

Administrator O’Keefe leaves NASAthe Training Auditorium, O’Keefe wasbroadcasted live on a new matte whiteviewing screen as a surprise guest.

“I have been down to visit with somany great colleagues at the KennedySpace Center over the last several yearsof my tenure and they are among thehighlights of the time I have spent atNASA,” O’Keefe said. “I could not bemore privileged and honored to beamong such extraordinary professionalswho are so dedicated to the mission andtask we have been asked to do on behalfof the American people.”

SEAN O’KEEFE, former NASA administrator, is nowchancellor of Louisiana State University.

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SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3January 6, 2006

Employees who contributedto the success of the 41-year Centaur program

gathered Feb. 25 for acommemorative ceremony andhistorical reunion, “CelebratingCentaur: Then and Now,” at theAtlas Spaceflight OperationsCenter. They reminisced aboutworking on the Centaur stagebooster, expressing their pride thatevery NASA spacecraft bound forthe outer planets has beenlaunched using a Centaur, with oneexception.

The Centaur stage booster,developed by NASA and origi-nally manufactured by GeneralDynamics, had its first successfullaunch on Nov. 27, 1963, atop anAtlas booster from Launch Pad

Centaur program celebrates 41 years of excellence36A.

The Centaur legacy continuedin 2005 with the launch of theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter,and will do so again in 2006 withthe launch of New Horizons toPluto, the outermost planet in thesolar system.

Kennedy Space CenterDirector Jim Kennedy expressedhis thanks for the impact of theCentaur program.

“We are here to celebrate theaccomplishments of hundreds ofmen and women who, for morethan 41 years now, have seen toit that our nation has the abilityto explore the universe,” he said.“The Centaur and her team haveallowed us to do that. Go Atlas,Go Centaur!”

KENNEDY SPACE Center Director Jim Kennedy praises the current andretired employees who have contributed to the Centaur program’s success ata Feb. 25 celebration.

The first major step inassembling the space shuttlefor flight took place Feb. 28

with the successful mating of theredesigned external tank and twinsolid rocket boosters that wouldhelp launch space shuttleDiscovery on its return-to-flightmission. The external tankreceived many safety upgrades,including two new forward bipodfittings connecting the tank to theorbiter at the space shuttle’s twoforward attachment struts andelectric heaters to eliminate icebuildup.

During mating, the left andright boosters (also called SRBs)are bolted to the tank at both theforward, or top, and the aft, ortail ends. At the forward end, avertical bolt mechanism attacheseach booster to the tank. Atapproximately two minutes intolaunch, SRB separation beginswhen pyrotechnic devices fire tobreak the 25-inch, 62-poundsteel bolts.

One half of the bolt is caughtin canister-like “bolt catchers”located on the tank; the otherhalf remains with the boosters.Discovery also flew with amodified bolt catcher, which wasupgraded from a two-piecewelded design to a one-piece,machine-made design.

External tank mates to boosters for STS-114 stack

THE REDESIGNED external tank is mated with twin solidrocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 28. THE ORBITER Discovery was lowered in front of the

solid rocket boosters and external tank on March 29.

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Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006

MarchKennedy Space Center’s

technologies helpedVirgin Atlantic’s

GlobalFlyer aircraft set therecord for the first solo non-stopflight around the world.On Feb. 28, pilot Steve Fossettbegan his historical 25,000-mileflight that was transmitted byvideo through NASA’s Space-Based Telemetry and RangeSafety project, led by LisaValencia.

For Fossett’s safety, KSCloaned an upgraded version of itsPersonal Cabin Pressure Monitor,which recognizes potentiallydangerous or deteriorating cabin

Kennedy-developed technology helpsGlobalFlyer set world record for flight

NASA PERSONNEL involved in the historic flight include, from left: ChrisForney, Jennifer Murray and Rich Nelson of NASA KSC; Steve Bundick, NASAWallops Flight Facility; James Dumoulin, KSC; Philip Grassa, ScaledComposites; Lisa Valencia, Erik Denson, Michael Downs and Dr. JamesSimpson, all of KSC; Greg Coombs, Honeywell; and Jan Zysko, KSC.

pressure conditions and alertsthe pilot of the need for supple-mental oxygen.

The aircraft is a single-enginemodel designed for continuouscircumnavigation by one pilotand no passengers. It weighsroughly 22,000 pounds whenfully fueled and can exceedspeeds of 285 miles per hour.The GlobalFlyer has a 114-footwingspan and uses drag para-chutes to slow down on finaldescent. Once the jet stream andweather conditions were satisfac-tory for flight, Fossett boardedthe small quarters he’d call homefor the next 67 hours.

NASA ADMINISTRATOR Michael Griffin takes the oath of office during aceremony at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington.

Mike Griffin becameNASA’s 11th adminis-trator on April 14,

following a nomination fromPresident George Bush in March.Griffin brought to the agency manypriorities consistent with theVision for Space Exploration.

These include bringing a newCrew Exploration Vehicle intoservice as soon as possible afterthe space shuttle is retired, andestablishing a lunar return programthat could help future crews travelto Mars and beyond.

Prior to his nomination,Griffin served as head of the SpaceDepartment at Johns Hopkins

April Griffin becomes NASA’s new leaderUniversity’s Applied PhysicsLaboratory in Baltimore. Earlierin his career, Griffin served aschief engineer at NASA and asdeputy for technology at theStrategic Defense InitiativeOrganization.

As an adjunct professor atJohns Hopkins University, theUniversity of Maryland andGeorge Washington University,Griffin taught courses inspacecraft design, appliedmathematics, guidance andnavigation, spacecraft attitudecontrol and other aerospacestudies. He also wrote thetextbook, “Space Vehicle Design.”

Perfect Florida weather anda combination of deliciousfood, carnival-style games

and great music combined tomake the 2005 KSC All Ameri-can Picnic on April 9 an eventparticipants will remember foryears. The motto “KSC andProud to Be” was evident asemployees brought their familiesto take part in dozens of funactivities and take a bus tour ofthe center, where they enjoyedthe sight of Discovery at LaunchPad 39B.

“The combination of perfectweather, the excitement of

All American Picnic highlights fun, flight and familyhaving a space shuttle arrive atthe pad three days earlier, andthe wonderful support andenthusiasm of the picnic teamand numerous volunteers allworked together to make this oneof the best picnics ever,” saidpicnic chairman Phil Bennardoof the Spaceport Engineering andTechnology directorate.

Shuttle Program Manager BillParsons told those at the event’srally how much appreciation hehas for the work force. “JimKennedy and all the folks at theKennedy Space Center have donea great job,” Parsons said. CHILDREN ENJOY games at the April 9 KSC All American Picnic.

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Page 5SPACEPORT NEWSJanuary 6, 2006

The orbiter Discovery’srollover into the VehicleAssembly Building gave

employees a reason to celebrateanother major milestone in themarch toward returning to flight.After Discovery was mated to theexternal tank and twin boosters,the space shuttle rolled out to the

Excitement builds as Discovery travels to launch pad

SPACE SHUTTLE Discovery leaves Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 as StephanieStilson (far right), vehicle manager for Discovery, and her team proudly look on.

launch pad and arrived earlyApril 7 after a slow, four-milejourney that brought feelings ofexcitement across the center andto viewers watching throughoutthe nation on TV. The orbiterreturned to the VAB May 26 fora new external tank and rolledback to the pad June 15.

NASA’s DART mission -short for Demonstrationof Autonomous

Rendezvous Technology -launched April 15 fromVandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.The spacecraft was a flightexperiment attempting to establishautonomous rendezvouscapabilities for the U.S. spaceprogram.

After a successful rendezvous,acquisition of the targetspacecraft, and approach to withinapproximately 300 feet, DARTplaced itself in the retirementphase before completing allplanned proximity operations,ending the mission prematurely.While previous rendezvous anddocking efforts have been pilotedby astronauts, the DARTspacecraft completed the

DART launches for rendezvous flight experimentrendezvous and acquisition with nohuman intervention, relying on avariety of sensors and analyses tocomplete these functions.

The complete mission wasdesigned to last 24 hours. DARThardware and softwaretechnologies were integrated intoPegasus, a commerciallydeveloped space launch vehicle.The Pegasus, with the DARTspacecraft aboard, was launchedfrom its Stargazer L-1011aircraft 39,000 feet over thePacific Ocean.

After Pegasus was releasedwith the DART spacecraft, itboosted DART into a low-Earthpolar orbit, where it passed overeach pole every 100 minutes.The DART spacecraft is about 6feet long, 3 feet in diameter, andweighs roughly 800 pounds withfuel.

NASA’s DART spacecraft - short for Demonstration of AutonomousRendezvous Technology - is being prepared for its April 15 flight.

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Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006

Astronaut Hall of Fame inducts pioneers

The U.S. Astronaut Hall ofFame gained three newAmerican space explorers

- astronauts Joseph P. Allen,Gordon G. Fullerton and BruceMcCandless II - during a cer-emony at the Saturn V/ApolloCenter. KSC Director JimKennedy praised the event’stheme of achievement and theNASA family. “We are having afamily reunion to pause andcelebrate the accomplishment ofthree heroes of the Americanspace flight program,” he said.

The first astronaut to behonored was Fullerton, who hasflown 144 different planes. Afteran extensive career test-piloting

THE 2005 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees, displaying blue ribbons, areBruce McCandless (left), Joe Allen and Gordon Fullerton. Next to them areJim Kennedy (right), director of KSC, and his wife, Bernadette.

military aircraft, he joined NASAas an astronaut and assisted withthe final Apollo missions.

Allen was the next astronautwelcomed into the ranks. Heworked in various positionswithin NASA until he was tappedin 1981 to assist with the firstspace shuttle mission. His firstflight came aboard STS-5 in1982 on a mission to delivercommercial satellites into space.

The final inductee wasMcCandless. During his earlyyears with the agency,McCandless worked with suchnotable programs as Apollo andSkylab. The scientist flew onSTS-41B in 1984.

May

Michael Griffin expressedhis confidence inKennedy Space Center

and his plans for shaping NASA’sfuture during his first visit to thecenter as NASA’s administrator onMay 20 at a town hall meeting.“KSC is NASA’s launch center . . .and that is KSC’s core strength,”he said. “You will not be unhappywith KSC’s role going forward.”

Center Director Jim Kennedyintroduced Griffin to a packedaudience in the training audito-rium and to NASA TV viewers.“He is the person to lead this

Griffin praises KSC onfirst visit as administrator

agency as we begin the real firststeps of exploring this universeof ours,” Kennedy said. Griffinsaid he had visited KSC for atleast six launches. “My impres-sion is the same as it always is -talented, dedicated people whoknow what they’re doing,” hesaid.

“That impression hasn’tchanged, it’s only been rein-forced.” He also discussed thespace shuttle’s impendingretirement date and the CrewExploration Vehicle.

JuneAs space shuttle Discovery’s launch day neared,

several soldiers from the Space Coast whowere stationed in Iraq created an inspiring

message to show their support for the space program.A banner stating “Go Discovery” was signed by a groupof troops, including NASA engineer and U.S. Army Lt.Col. Bill McQuade, and sent to Kennedy Space Centerfor display. Even though the soldiers were half a worldaway, the shuttle was close to their hearts.

The banner was inspired by a January meetingMcQuade had with the STS-114 astronauts atKennedy just before deploying to Iraq. He said thereis great enthusiasm for shuttle launches and greatsupport for the space program, in general.

Troops in Iraq express support for Discovery

LT. COL. William McQuade (top row, second from left), anArmy Reservist and KSC employee, and his fellowcommrades show their support for Discovery’s launch.

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin (right) tours Orbiter Processing Facilitybay 1 with Space Shuttle Atlantis Vehicle Manager Scott Thurston.

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SPACEPORT NEWSJanuary 6, 2006 Page 7

Two security officers doinga check of a facility knownas the astronaut ready

room at the Launch Complex 5/6museum in June discovered along-forgotten, locked room thatrevealed a glimpse of a bygoneera. NASA Special Agent DannOakland and Security ManagerHenry Butler of the company thatoversees the museum, DelawareNorth Parks and Resorts, discov-ered a locked room - and theyhad no key.

Using a master key to getinside, they found two retiredspacesuits from a short-livedCold War-era military programto put a manned reconnaissancestation in space. The suits wereused by Americans who trainedin the 1960s to be astronautsaboard the U.S. Air Forceorbiting reconnaissance labora-

Officers discover lost training spacesuitstory. Begun in 1964, the MannedOrbiting Laboratory (MOL)program was an Air Forceinitiative that would have sentAir Force astronauts to a spacestation in a Gemini capsule.

After spending a few weeks inorbit, the crew would undock andreturn to Earth. The Air Forceabandoned the program in 1969,but the program produced a greatdeal of technological develop-ment, and three groups ofmilitary officers trained to beMOL astronauts. The spacesuitwith identifying number 008 hadthe name “LAWYER” on the leftsleeve. The suit was traced to Lt.Col. Richard E. Lawyer, amember of the first grouprecruited to be MOL astronautsin 1965. The suit has been sent tothe Smithsonian Institution.

With the world watching,NASA scrubbed itsfirst STS-114 launch

attempt on July 13 when a sensorfailed a routine prelaunch check.

The world watches STS-114’s first countdownJuly

At left, the STS-114 crew exits the Operations and Checkout Building on July13 before the faulty sensor scrubs the launch. Above, Lloyd Pierce, a NASAtest engineer, checks components related to the faulty sensor reading.

“This team is ener-getic and we willconquer this problem,too,” explainedformer Space ShuttleProgram DeputyManager Wayne Haleshortly afterward.

Following the firstlaunch attempt,managers and engi-neers studied theproblem with a liquidhydrogen low-levelfuel sensor inside theexternal tank. Thesensor failed a routineprelaunch checkduring the launchcountdown. A dozenteams, with hundredsof engineers acrossthe country, workedon the issue. Thelaunch scrub, which

even further underscoredNASA’s dedication to spaceflight safety, was covered bymore than a thousand mediarepresentatives from 32 coun-tries and 36 states in America.

DANN OAKLAND, aNASA special agent,holds up the spacesuithe found at LaunchComplex 5/6.

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Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006

Thousands of people whogathered to watch SpaceShuttle Discovery’s

historic return-to-flight launchJuly 26 loved hearing the roar ofliftoff, but the entire STS-114mission also caused a thunderousclap: the applause of the world.

The crew’s successful 12-daymission to the InternationalSpace Station ended a two-and-a-half-year wait, and Discoverysafely returned to Earth on Aug.9. Astronauts tested new tech-niques and equipment designedto make shuttles safer, performedbreathtaking in-orbit maneuversand a first-of-its-kind spacewalk-ing repair.

They also delivered suppliesand made repairs to the spacestation after Discovery dockedon July 28. “We know the folkson planet Earth are just feelinggreat right now,” said DiscoveryCommander Eileen Collins fromorbit shortly after launch.

NASA’s historic return to flight is vision’s next stepNASA Administrator MichaelGriffin praised employees atKennedy Space Center and othercenters during a post-launchpress conference in the KSC TVAuditorium. “I want you to thinkabout what it takes to get mil-lions of different parts fromthousands of vendors across thecountry to work together toproduce what you saw heretoday, and to realize how chancyit is, how difficult it is, and whata primitive state of technology itstill is,” Griffin said. “This teammanaged to do it, and I think alarge debt of appreciation is dueto them. They have worked ashard as any team in NASAhistory.”

The STS-114 return to flightmission was the first step inrealizing America’s Vision forSpace Exploration, which callsfor a steppingstone strategy ofhuman and robotic missions toachieve new exploration goals.

SPACE SHUTTLE Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39B on July 26(above). Below, First Lady Laura Bush, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (right) andKSC Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow (second from right) were among theguests at the Banana Creek viewing site.

ABOVE, THEeyes of theworld were onDiscovery as itlifted off July26. At left,KennedySpace CenteremployeeswatchDiscovery liftoff. Themission endedwith an Aug. 9landing atEdwards AirForce Base.

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6 Page 9SPACEPORT NEWSJanuary 6, 2006

AugustThe Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiter began its seven-month journey to Mars on

Aug. 12 when the Atlas V launchvehicle, 19 stories tall with thetwo-ton spacecraft on top, roaredaway from Launch Complex 41at the Cape Canaveral Air ForceStation. The mission will exam-ine Mars in unprecedented detailfrom low orbit.

Its instrument payload willstudy water distribution -including ice, vapor or liquid - aswell as geologic features andminerals. The orbiter will alsosupport future missions to Marsby examining potential landing

sites and by providing a high-data-rate relay for communica-tions back to Earth.

The first launch of aninterplanterary mission on anAtlas V, the powerful first stageconsumed approximately 200tons of fuel and oxygen in justover four minutes, then droppedaway to let the upper stage finishthe job of putting the spacecrafton a path toward Mars.

The health and other vitalinformation about thespacecraft’s subsystems werereceived through the Japan andthe Goldstone, Calif., antennastation of NASA’s Deep SpaceNetwork. The orbiter success-fully fired six engines for about

20 seconds on Nov. 18to adjust its flight pathin advance of itsMarch 10 arrival at thered planet. It willspend half a yeargradually adjusting theshape of its orbit, thenbegin its sciencephase. During thatphase, it will returnmore data about Marsthan all previousmissions combined.

The spacecraft hasalready set a recordtransmission rate foran interplanetarymission. Visit http://www.nasa.gov/mro forupdates.

THE MARSReconnaissanceOrbiterlaunches Aug.12 fromCCAFS. TheNASA missionwill furtherdeveloptechnologiesneeded tosupport futuremissions toMars byexamingpossiblelanding sites. Itis scheduled toarrive at the redplanet March10.

Mars mission begins at Cape

Space Coast residents weretreated to a welcome sighton Aug. 21 - the space

shuttle Discovery headinghome atop a modified Boeing747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft(SCA) after a successfulmission. The cross-countryferry flight became necessarywhen two days of unfavorableweather conditions at KSCforced Discovery to land atEdwards Air Force Base, Calif.,on Aug. 9 following STS-114.

The SCA and Discoverywere towed to the mate/demate

Ferry flight brings Discovery home to KSCdevice at the Shuttle LandingFacility, where a crane lifted theorbiter from the aircraft andplaced it on solid ground.Discovery was then towed to theOrbiter Processing Facility,where the Multi-Purpose Logis-tics Module Raffaello wasremoved and transferred to theSpace Station Processing Facil-ity. Shuttle program managersalso determined that Discoverywould be used for the nextmission, STS-121, instead ofAtlantis, which will resumeassembly of the space station.DISCOVERY, ATOP a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, returns to KSC on Aug. 21.

September

Management prepared forKennedy SpaceCenter’s fast-paced

future in space exploration bystarting a reorganization knownas KSC Exploration 2005. Fournew offices were created inresponse to the ExplorationSystems Architecture Study.These included the ConstellationProjects Office, EngineeringDevelopment Office, AppliedTechnology Office and Ad-vanced Planning Office.

“It will be a huge effort atKSC, on a scope that is probably

Exploration 2005 prepares KSC for futureunprecedented in NASA’shistory, to fly out shuttle andphase down station while gearingup another program,” CenterDirector Jim Kennedy said. “Wewant to be prepared to acceptthis challenge.”

Later in the month, NASAAdministrator Mike Griffinunveiled concepts of the newexploration vehicle and said thesystem will lift off from LaunchPads 39A and B. The spacecraftwill be designed to carry fourastronauts to and from the moon,and the crew vehicle will beshaped like an Apollo capsule,but three times larger.

THE NEW exploration vehicle will lift off from Launch Pads 39A and B,according to NASA Administrator Mike Griffin. The first flights are scheduledbetween 2012 and 2014, depending on future funding.

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Page 10 SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006

Employees throughoutKennedy Space Centerteamed up in September to

help Hurricane Katrina survivorsfrom the Stennis Space Center inMississippi and the MichoudAssembly Facility in NewOrleans. The charitable effortsincluded bringing emergencyequipment, food and medicalsupplies to the sites, and provid-ing medical and emergencypersonnel, 1,000 gallons ofdiesel fuel, food and chainsaws.

The storm hit the Gulf coastregion Aug. 29 before 26 work-ers from KSC were trained andsent to disaster recovery centersto assist victims.

Kennedy employees assist inHurricane Katrina victim relief

MEREDITH CHANDLER of KSC’s Engineering Development directorate, anda FEMA volunteer, met former Pres. George Bush Sr. in Mississippi.

Several KSC employees weredeployed to assist, includingMeredith Chandler, a FEMAvolunteer and member of theEngineering Developmentdirectorate, who worked 12-hourdays inside a large warehouse inthe town of Waveland, Miss. Shesigned people up for trailers andchecked on the status of theirFEMA accounts. The area wasunder more than 15 feet of waterduring Katrina, according toChandler. “Every person whocomes in has a different storyand they want to be heard,”Chandler said. “We spend a lotof time trying our best to under-stand.”

Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., deputy director of KennedySpace Center, was named the next director of the JohnH. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Whitlow, who

begins his new post this month, became deputy director ofKSC in 2003. He will succeed Julian Earls, who retired.Whitlow previously served at Glenn Research Center asdirector of research and technology.

Whitlow values the time he spent at KSC and will havemany memories. “This is a very fun place to work,” he said.“To see everything come together for a mission is verysatisfying to me.

“To have a successful launch and mission, and to know thatthere are scientists, engineers and researchers who spent theirentire careers working on a particular scientific instrument andare now gathering data from their life’s work is also veryexciting and rewarding.”

Whitlow will be next Glenn Research Center directorDR. WOODROWWhitlow Jr., deputydirector of KSCwho will becomedirector of theGlenn ResearchCenter later thismonth, greets FirstLady Laura Bushfor the launch ofSTS-114, while JimHattaway,associate directorfor KSC, looks on.

Space shuttle orbiterEndeavour came to life inearly October for the first

time in two years, bringingcheers throughout OrbiterProcessing Facility’s bay 2 as theflow of electricity signaled theend of the vehicle’s majormodification period. Engineersand technicians spent 900,000hours performing 124 upgradesto the vehicle, including allrecommended return-to-flightsafety modifications.

This was the second of thesemodification periods performedentirely at KSC. Two of the more

October Endeavour powers up with major upgradesextensive modifications includedthe addition of the multi-func-tional electronic display system,or “glass cockpit,” and the three-string global positioning systemthat improves the shuttle’slanding capability.

The “glass cockpit” encom-passes a new, full-color, flat-panel display system thatimproves interaction between thecrew and orbiter with easy-to-read graphics portraying keyflight indicators like attitudedisplay and mach speed. Endeav-our was the last vehicle in thefleet to receive this system.

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Page 11SPACEPORT NEWSJanuary 6, 2006

November

Nearly 2,000 KennedySpace Center employeesand their guests gathered

to celebrate the successful returnof the STS-114 crew during theinaugural Crew Return Celebra-tion Nov. 1 at the KSC VisitorComplex. Many of the astronautsshared details about their historicreturn-to-flight mission andsigned autographs at the event.Attendees also enjoyed the new3-D movie Magnificent Desola-tion.

“We are so proud of theemployees here at the KennedySpace Center,” STS-114 Com-mander Eileen Collins said. “We

Employees celebrate STS-114 crew’s returnhad an extremely successfulflight and that is the messagewe’re getting out. We want tothank all of you, the employeesand the families, that worked sohard to make it happen.”

Collins, along with crewmembers Charles Camarda andSoichi Noguchi, presented apicture-board memento to theemployees and Center DirectorJim Kennedy for his leadershipto get the shuttle program flyingagain. Its plaque reads: “To theemployees of the Kennedy SpaceCenter in appreciation for yourwork in Return to Flight,” andincludes part of the Americanflag flown on the spacecraft. MISSION SPECIALIST Steve Robinson (with hat) thanks employees for their

work during the successful STS-114 mission.

Florida’s diverse spacecommunity came togetherin November to share ideas

at the inaugural Florida Space2005, a new conference built onthe best features of SpaceCongress and the CapeCanaveral Spaceport Symposium.

The event, conducted by theSpace Foundation, drew spaceprofessionals from throughoutthe region to the Kennedy SpaceCenter Visitor Complex to learnabout current business opportu-nities, discuss relevant spacepolicy and network with topexperts from KSC, the U.S. AirForce’s 45th Space Wing and theFlorida Space Authority.

Space community gathers for Florida Space 2005During the three-day event,

NASA Administrator MikeGriffin highlighted the role KSCwill play in the space explorationprogram. “KSC is a crown jewelof NASA and the state ofFlorida,” Griffin said. He alsostated NASA should avoid arepeat of the period from 1975 to1981 when the Apollo programended and a gap existed beforethe first space shuttle launch.

Florida Lt. Gov. ToniJennings praised the spaceprogram as an important part ofour community’s fabric. “Wehave a commitment in Florida tocontinue our 50-year history oflaunching space vehicles.”

NASA ADMINISTRATOR Mike Griffin addresses attendees at the inauguralFlorida Space 2005, a conference designed to give the space community anopportunity to discuss future exploration.

December

Testing neared completionfor NASA’s New Horizonsmission, set for liftoff this

month from Launch Complex 41to unlock one of the solarsystem’s last, great planetarysecrets. New Horizons will be thefirst spacecraft to visit Pluto andits moon, Charon. The compactspacecraft carries a payload ofseven science instruments forexamining the geology, composi-tion, surface, temperature andatmospheric structure of theplanet and its moon.

The spacecraft will thenventure deeper into the Kuiper

New Horizons readies for launch to last planetBelt, an ice dwarf planet andrelic of the solar system’sformation, to explore how it hasevolved over time. Beginningabout one month after launch,the various instruments will beturned on to begin testing and toensure they are operatingproperly. Instrument calibrationsare planned throughout the earlyand middle portions of 2006, inanticipation of the mission’searly-2007 Jupiter flyby on theway to Pluto. During the nearly10-year voyage to Pluto, theinstruments will be checked outevery year.

ENGINEERS CHECK the radioisotope thermoelectric generator on NASA’sNew Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch this month.

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John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff StuckeyCopy editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Corey Schubert

Editorial support provided by InDyne, Inc. Writers Group.NASA at KSC is located on the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedyUSGPO: 733-049/60098

Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center and ispublished on alternate Fridays by External Relations in the interest of KSC civilservice and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, IDI-011. E-mail submissions can besent to Jeffery.Stuckey-1@ksc.nasa.gov

Page 12 SPACEPORT NEWS January 6, 2006

A look back at Kennedy Space Center in 2005

THE RETURN-to-flight STS-114 crew members head for the bus that will transport themto the launch pad. From left, in front, are Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, CharlesCamarda and Wendy Lawrence, with Pilot James Kelly leading. In back are MissionSpecialists Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi and Mission Commander Eileen Collins.

SPACE SHUTTLE Discovery clears Launch Pad 39B on itshistoric return-to-flight mission STS-114.

DISCOVERY APPROACHES Runway 22 atEdwards Air Force Base in California aftercompleting the successful STS-114 mission.

FLORIDA GOV. Jeb Bush talks to members of the KSC-sponsored PinkTeam before its opening match at the FIRST Robotics Florida Regional heldat the University of Central Florida.

THE KSCVisitor Complexunveiled plansfor a $160million projectthat will add ninenew exhibits,including theShuttle LaunchExperience, thefirst project inthe 10-yeardevelopmentplan.

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