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

December 18, 1998

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 37, No. 25

Spaceport NewsThe first U.S. launch for the International Space Station:wrapping up a successful year of Space Shuttle missions The launch of STS-88 on Dec. 4at 3:35 a.m. marked the beginningof construction efforts for thegreatest adventure in space to date:the assembly and habitation of theInternational Space Station, or ISS.(The launch was delayed 24 hoursdue to a master alarm sounding inthe crew cabin. The launch teamran out of its launch window whileworking to clear the concern.) TheSTS-88 launch also signaled theclose of a year of successfullaunches for KSC. The first mission of 1998, STS-89, was the eighth mission to theRussian Space Station Mir and thefifth involving an exchange of U.S.astronauts on the station. AstronautDavid Wolf, M.D., who had beenon Mir since late September 1997,was succeeded by AstronautAndrew Thomas, Ph.D. The continuing cooperativeeffort in space exploration betweenthe United States and Russia and ajoint spacewalk were the primaryfocus of NASA’s first Shuttle

(See Year, Page 4)

Mars Polar Landeris next to launch...

The Mars Polar Lander isscheduled to launch fromCape Canaveral Air Stationduring a 25-day launchperiod beginning on Jan. 3,1999. The lander will betargeted to the northernmostboundary of the RedPlanet’s south pole. This isnear the edge of Mars’ thin,carbon dioxide ice sheet,which will have receded bythe time the lander arrives inDecember 1999. Themission’s objective is tostudy the water cycle to helpscientists learn more aboutclimate change and currentresources on Mars.

...followed in Februaryby Stardust

This flower is sitting on apiece of aerogel suspendedover a bunsen burner.Aerogel, which is protectingthe flower from the flame,will be used on the Stardustspacecraft to captureparticles from the CometWild-2. To collect thecomet’s particles withoutdamaging them, Stardust willuse this silicon-basedsubstance, which is 1,000times less dense than glass.

As Endeavour lifts off Dec. 4 at 3:35 a.m. from Launch Pad 39A on STS-88, severalfish believed to be mullet (bottom left) "launch" themselves as well. The first launchattempt Dec. 3 was scrubbed when controllers assessed a suspect hydraulic systemproblem indicated by a master alarm in the crew cockpit. Although the problem wasrapidly resolved, the launch window was missed by one to two seconds.

KSC Director of Shuttle Processing BobSieck retires; successors named

Robert Sieck Kennedy Space Center’sDirector of Shuttle ProcessingRobert Sieck has announced hisretirement from NASA. ShuttleProcessing Deputy Director DavidKing will succeed Sieck as director.Additionally, Ralph Roe Jr., willcontinue in the position of KSC’slaunch director on a permanentbasis. Sieck joined NASA at KennedySpace Center in 1964 as a GeminiSpacecraft systems engineer. Helater served as an Apollo SpacecraftTest Team project engineer andShuttle Orbiter Test Team projectengineer and in 1976 was named

the engineering manager for theShuttle approach and landing testsat Dryden Flight Research Centerin California. Returning to KSC in 1978, hebecame the Chief Shuttle Projectengineer for STS-1 through STS-7and the first KSC Shuttle flowdirector in 1983. In February 1984,he was appointed director, Launchand Landing Operations, where heserved as Shuttle launch directorfor 11 missions. Sieck served as deputy directorof Shuttle Operations (renamed

(See Sieck, Page 3)

SPACEPORT NEWS December 18, 1998Page 2

.

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and thePresident of the Italian Space Agency, Sergio DeJulio, met at Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 3for a ceremony to transfer the “Leonardo”Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) fromthe Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (Italian SpaceAgency) to NASA. The MPLM, a reusablelogistics carrier, will be the primary deliverysystem used to resupply and return station cargothat requires a pressurized environment. It is one of Italy’s major contributions to theInternational Space Station Program. Thecylindrical module is approximately 21 feet longand 15 feet in diameter, weighing almost 4.5tons, not counting its capability to hold up to20,000 pounds of contents. Launched in the Space Shuttle’s payload bay,it will be docked to the International SpaceStation once on orbit. Leonardo is the first of three such pressurizedmodules that will serve as the station’s “movingvans,” carrying laboratory racks filled withequipment, experiments and supplies to andfrom the station aboard the Space Shuttle. The unpiloted, reusable logistics modulesfunction as both a cargo carrier and a spacestation module when they are flown. While berthed to the station, racks ofequipment are unloaded from the module afterwhich old racks and equipment may be reloadedto be taken back to Earth. The logistics module is then detached fromthe station and positioned back into an orbiter’spayload bay for the trip home. In order to function as an attached stationmodule as well as a cargo transporter, thelogistics modules also include components that

Leonardo Multipurpose Logis-tics Module transferred to NASA

provide some life support, fire detection andsuppression, electrical distribution and computerfunctions. Eventually, the modules also will carryrefrigerator freezers for transporting experimentsamples and food to and from the station. Although built in Italy, the MPLMs are ownedby the United States and provided in exchangefor Italian access to U.S. research time on thestation. A ceremonial signing of a document

signifying the transfer of Leonardo was held atKSC’s International Space Station Center onDec. 3. Participating in the ceremony were NASAAdministrator Daniel Goldin, Italian SpaceAgency President Sergio De Julio and KSCDirector Roy Bridges. Also in attendance wereNASA Associate Administrator for Space FlightJoseph Rothenberg, NASA International SpaceStation Program Manager Randy Brinkley andItalian astronaut Umberto Guidoni.

Participants pose for a photo at the Space Station Processing Facility ceremony transferring the "Leonardo"Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the Italian Space Agency, ASI, to NASA. From left, they are AstronautJim Voss, ASI President Sergio De Julio, European Space Agency Astronaut Umberto Guidoni of Italy, NASAAdministrator Daniel Goldin and European Space Agency Astronaut Christer Fuglesang of Sweden. The MPLM, areusable logistics carrier, will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return International Space Stationcargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo is the first of three MPLM carriers for the International SpaceStation and is scheduled for launch on STS-100, targeted for April 2000.

U.S. Secretary of State MadeleineAlbright talks with NASA AdministratorDaniel Goldin (at left) in the Apollo/Saturn V Center while awaiting launchof Mission STS-88. Astronaut MichaelLopez-Alegria looks on in background.

U.S. Secretary of State MadeleineAlbright views launch of STS-88 U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albrightattended the first United States launch of theInternational Space Station on Dec. 4 to witnesshistory first-hand. She was in attendance for thefirst launch attempt Dec. 3 as well, returning toKSC after the first attempt was missed by mereseconds. “We all debated about coming back,” Albrightsaid to KSC workers in the Launch ControlCenter moments after the launch, “and we allknew that we were hooked on you. “All day long, I deal with disputes on theground – countries that can’t get along — andit’s great to look at the space station endeavorwhich shows the fact that we have countriesworking together on the kinds of issues that the21st century is going to be concerned with,” shesaid. “I admire you,” she concluded, “and I willhave a personal attachment to the wholeprogram from now on.” Albright is the first United States Secretary ofState to attend a Shuttle launch.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3December 18, 1998

Sieck ...(Continued from Page 1)

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin (far left) called KSC Director of Shuttle Operations Robert Sieck “one of the finest people ever towork at NASA” moments after the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-88 at 3:35 a.m. on Dec. 4. Goldin awardedSieck the highest honor NASA confers upon a government employee, the Distinguished Service Medal, for “sustained outstandingleadership and total dedication to the success of the Space Shuttle program.” In attendance was U.S. Secretary of State MadeleineAlbright (right) who came to KSC to witness the first U.S. launch for the International Space Station. Calling the launch “trulyfantastic,” Albright praised KSC workers. “I admire you and I will have a personal attachment to the whole program from now on.”

Shuttle Processing in 1996) fromApril 1992 until January 1995. He was responsible for assistingwith the management and technicaldirection of the Shuttle program atKSC. He also retained his positionas Shuttle launch director, aresponsibility he had held fromFebruary 1984 through August1985 and then from December1986 to January 1995. He waslaunch director for STS-26R and allsubsequent Shuttle missionsthrough STS-63, a total of 52 SpaceShuttle launches. Sieck has servedas director of Shuttle Processingsince January 1995. Sieck recently received one ofNASA’s most prestigious awards,the Distinguished Service Medal —the highest honor NASA confersupon a government employee.NASA Administrator DanielGoldin presented the award toSieck following the launch of STS-88. This award is presented to aperson in the federal service who,by distinguished service, ability, orcourage has personally made acontribution representingsubstantial progress to the missionof NASA in the interests of theUnited States. The contributionmust be so extraordinary that otherforms of recognition by NASAwould be inadequate. Identifying Sieck as “one of thefinest people ever to work atNASA,” Goldin stated inpresenting the award, “I don’tknow of anyone that has done morefor America’s space program thanBob Sieck. We’ve relied upon himfor making sure that the Shuttle issafe, because that’s the most

important thing.” Before presenting the medal,Goldin noted that Sieck wasreceiving the award for“distinguished service as theKennedy Space Center launchdirector and director of ShuttleProcessing, sustained outstandingleadership and total dedication tothe success of the Space Shuttleprogram.” Kennedy Space Center DirectorRoy Bridges applauded Sieck forthe “incredible achievement ofserving as Launch Director for overhalf of all Shuttle launches to date.”He also commended Sieck for “theindelible impression he has madeon future Shuttle launches bymanaging the transition of day-to-day processing activities to theprime contractor United SpaceAlliance to ensure continued safetyand effectiveness.” “It’s been a privilege for me tobe a part of this program since thebeginning and to share all the hardwork and tough launch decisions,”noted Sieck. “I know that thelaunches and missions are in thehands of the greatest team everassembled, so I know the programhas a great future.”

David King began his careerwith NASA in 1983 as a mainpropulsion engineer. He laterserved as flow director for theorbiter Discovery and as the actingdeputy director of the InstallationOperations Directorate. He served as the space center’slaunch director from December1997 to July 1998, managing anddirecting three successful Shuttlemissions. King has served as thedeputy director of ShuttleProcessing since September 1996. As director of ShuttleProcessing, King will beresponsible for the managementand oversight of all activitiesinvolving Shuttle processing andlaunch operations at KSC. He has a bachelor of sciencedegree in mechanical engineeringfrom the University of SouthCarolina and a master’s degree inbusiness administration from theFlorida Institute of Technology. Ralph Roe Jr., began his careerat KSC in 1983 serving as apropulsion systems test engineer.He also has been chief of the FluidSystems Division, VehicleEngineering directorate, laterserving as acting director of

Process Engineering. He was named director, ProcessEngineering, in October 1996, withresponsibility for the engineeringmanagement and technicalexpertise of personnel involved inprelaunch, landing, recovery andturnaround operations for theShuttle fleet. Roe has a bachelor of sciencedegree in mechanical engineeringfrom the University of SouthCarolina and a master’s degreein industrial engineering fromthe University of CentralFlorida.

Dave King Ralph Roe

SPACEPORT NEWSPage 4 December 18, 1998

Year ...(Continued from Page 1)

mission of 1998. During themission, which launched Jan. 22 at9:48 p.m., more than 7,000 poundsof experiments, supplies andhardware were transferred betweenthe two spacecraft. The second mission of the year,STS-90, launched on Apr. 17 at2:19 p.m. The launch of Neurolab(a Spacelab module focusing on theeffects of microgravity on thenervous system) was a joint ventureof six space agencies and sevenUnited States research agencies. Investigator teams from ninecountries conducted 31 studies inmicrogravity during STS-90. Other

At Launch Pad 39A, STS-88 Mission Commander Robert Cabana gets a close look atthe Unity connecting module in Endeavour’s payload bay. Unity is the primary payloadof the mission, which is the first U.S. launch for the International Space Station. Thecrew’s mission was to mate Unity with the Russian-built Zarya control module on orbit.

participating agencies included sixinstitutes of the National Institutesof Health, the National ScienceFoundation, and the Office ofNaval Research, as well as thespace agencies of Canada, France,Germany, and Japan, and theEuropean Space Agency. STS-91 launched June 2 at6:06 p.m., marking the finalShuttle/Mir docking mission andclosing out Phase 1 of the Inter-national Space Station Program. The mission included the firstuse of the super lightweightexternal tank, which is 7,500pounds lighter than its predecessor;launched the Alpha MagneticSpectrometer Investigation, whichsearched for anti-matter and dark matter in space; and returned

Andrew Thomas from Mir to Earthafter a four-month stay. The fourth mission of the yearwas STS-95, which launched Oct.29 at 2:20 p.m. It was the firstShuttle launch attended by aUnited States president. From the roof of the LaunchControl Center, Bill Clinton andfirst lady Hillary watched thelaunch of the seven-memberSTS-95 crew, which included spacepioneer John Glenn Jr. The primary objectives of themission included conducting avariety of science experiments inthe pressurized SPACEHABmodule, the deployment andretrieval of the Spartan free-flyerpayload and operations with theHubble Space Telescope OrbitingSystems Test and the InternationalExtreme Ultraviolet Hitchhikerpayloads in the payload bay.

“In foreign policy, we haveour version of launches, andwe don’t get it right thesecond time often, so all myadmiration to you. Amazingjob! I do believe in the spaceprogram; I want to doeverything I can to help.” — U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, addressing KSC workers

And closing out the year whileopening a new era of space explo-ration and discovery was STS-88,which launched successfully at3:35 a.m. on Dec. 4 on its secondlaunch attempt. This fifth and final

Artist’s rendering ofUnity suspended

from Endeavour’spayload bay. Zarya is

seen with extendedsolar panels.

Shuttle mission of the year markedthe 13th flight of Endeavour andthe 93rd flight overall in NASA’sSpace Shuttle Program. The six-member STS-88astronaut team served as aconstruction crew for this firstInternational Space Stationassembly mission. The primaryobjective of the mission was tomate the U.S.-made Unityconnecting module to the Russian-built Zarya control module. Zarya — a 20-ton, 43-foot longmodule that provides propulsion,command and control systems forthe station’s first months in orbit —was launched Nov. 20 from theBaikonur Cosmodrome inKhazakstan. Zarya will evenutallybecome a station passageway,docking port and fuel tank. The Unity connecting moduleprovides six attachment ports, oneon each of its sides, to which futuremodules will be joined. During the STS-88 mission,Unity came to life when it wasactivated for the first time.Activation followed the connectionof electrical and data cables byAstronauts Jerry Ross and JimNewman during a seven-hour, 21-minute space walk. Working smoothly and ahead ofschedule, Ross and Newman mated40 cables and connectors running76 feet from the Zarya controlmodule to Unity as the 35-tonstation towered over the cargo bayof the orbiter Endeavour. The two veteran space walkersquickly pressed ahead with theconnection of crucial data andpower cables between Zarya andUnity.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 5December 18, 1998

Ross and Newman alsoinstalled handrails and otherhardware that will help futurespacewalkers move around thestation on upcoming assemblymissions, completing all of theconnections within three hours. “It was under the tutelage ofKSC and training team expertsthat the STS-88 crewdeveloped and practiced toperfection the EVA proceduresin underwater neutral buoyancyconditions and with flighthardware,” said DonMcMonagle, NASA managerof launch integration. “Fromthe launch count to assemblyoperations to wheel stop, it’sthe careful and thoroughpreparation by talented anddedicated people that makessuch daunting challenges lookeasy. And when the execution of a difficult tasklooks easy on orbit, you know that the hard partwas done on the ground!” At various times, robot arm operator NancyCurrie moved Ross and Newman around thestation modules on the end of the orbiter’smanipulator system to conduct their work. As Endeavour and the International SpaceStation passed over Russian ground stations,commands were sent from the Russian flightcontrol team to activate a pair of Russian-American voltage converters, enabling power toflow from Zarya to Unity for the first time. International Space Station flight controllersin Houston confirmed perfect electricalcontinuity between the two modules. Unity’ssystems were then activated, including a pair ofdata relay boxes serving as the brain andnervous system for the U.S.-built component. Shortly before the first STS-88 spacewalkended, Ross broke the record for mostcumulative extravehicular activity time by aU.S. astronaut of 29 hours and 41 minutespreviously held by former astronaut Tom Akersduring five space walks on STS-49 and STS-61.By the time the mission was complete, Ross andNewman spent 21 hours and 22 minutes outsideEndeavour in the initial assembly of the station. Ross now has completed seven space walkstotaling 44 hours and 9 minutes, more than anyother American space walker. Newman movedinto third place on the all-time U.S. space-walking list, with a total of 28 hours and 27minutes on four excursions. At press time, landing for STS-88 wasscheduled for Dec. 15 at about 10:36 p.m. ESTat KSC. By the end of this year, most of thecomponents required for the first seven SpaceShuttle missions to assemble the station willhave arrived at Kennedy Space Center. Once the ISS assembly is completed in 2004,

the Shuttle and two types of Russian rockets willhave conducted at least 45 missions to launchand assemble the station. Of these missions, 36are scheduled to be Space Shuttle flights. Inaddition, resupply missions and change-outs ofSoyuz crew return spacecraft will be launchedregularly. An international cast of astronauts andcosmonauts will do much of the assembly byhand, performing more spacewalks in just fiveyears than have been conducted throughout thehistory of space flight. To assemble andmaintain the station, spacewalking astronautswill work in partnership with a new generationof space robotics. Astronauts will be assisted byan inch-worming robotic arm, a two-fingeredCanadian “hand,” and a free-flying robotic“eye” that may be used to circle and inspect thestation.

Astronaut Jerry Ross, perched on the end of Endeavour's robotic arm, prepares to hook upconnections on the International Space Station in this orbiter's-eye view. The cylindrical Unityconnecting module is at lower left; the Zarya control module with solar arrays is at upper right.

Before the station iscompleted, more than 100different components launchedon three different types ofrockets will have been bolted,latched, wired, plumbed andfastened together. Because of theunprecedented complexity,NASA expects to encountersurprises during the orbitalconstruction work. To preparefor the challenges, bothengineers and astronauts havebeen methodically practicingprocedures, preparing tools,testing equipment andbuilding experience duringmore than a decade of space-walking flight tests. In fact,since astronaut Ed Whitestepped out of a U.S. Geminispacecraft in 1964 to become

the first American to walk in space, NASA hasconducted about 377 hours of spacewalks. Approximately 850 clock hours of spacewalkswill be performed to assemble and maintain theInternational Space Station. Once completed, theInternational Space Station will have a mass ofabout one million pounds. The first crew to inhabit the station willlaunch in January 2000 aboard a Russian Soyuzspacecraft. The crew will include U.S. AstronautBill Shepherd as commander, along with twoRussian cosmonauts, Soyuz Commander YuriGidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev(who is a mission specialist on STS-88). They,along with the crews of the initial assemblymissions, are now in training. The timetable andsequence of flights for assembly, beyond thefirst two, will be further refined at a meeting ofall international partners this month.

An artist’s version of early International Space Station construction.

Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS December 18, 1998

Maybe you’re wondering what on Earth is sospecial about a permanent Earth-orbitinglaboratory. The answer lies not on Earth, but off Earth.The International Space Station (ISS) willprovide the first laboratory complex wheregravity can be controlled for extended periods.This control of gravity opens up an unimagin-able world where almost everything growsdifferently than on Earth. For example, protein crystals can be grownmore pure in space than on Earth. By analyzingcrystals grown on the space station, scientistsmay be able to develop medicines that targetparticular disease-causing proteins. Suchcrystals grown on the Space Shuttle for researchinto cancer, diabetes, emphysema and immunedisorders have already shown promise. New drugs to fight influenza and post-surgeryinflammation are already in clinical trials, andfuture research will benefit from the extendedexposure to weightlessness available on the ISS. The completed station will have six laboratorymodules: one each from the United States,Europe and Japan; two from Russia; and a sixthmodule, built in Japan and operated by NASA.There will also be outside attachment points forexperiments to be exposed to space. The U.S. Laboratory module, considered bymany to be the centerpiece of the InternationalSpace Station, was officially named Destiny onDec. 1 at KSC’s Space Station ProcessingFacility. Destiny is planned for launch aboardSpace Shuttle Endeavour on the sixthInternational Space Station construction flightcurrently targeted for Feb. 3, 2000. The station will enable projects of longerduration than the Shuttle, and its facilities willbe bigger and freer from vibration than the

KSC Space Station Processing Facilty workers peer inside the U.S. laboratory for the International Space Station.

Workers peer through the hatch of an end-cone on the U.S. laboratory module, an element of the International SpaceStation. The lab is undergoing pre-launch preparations before its launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on STS-98.The laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones, each of which contains a hatch opening forentering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve research environment in the areas of life, microgravity,Earth and space sciences. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000.

Ongoing microgravity research is our Destiny

Russian Space Station Mir. In addition to its capabilities as anunprecedented, world-class orbital researchfacility, the space station will provide theinfrastructure for humans to learn to live andwork in space with ever increasingproductivity. This will be essential for future

human space travel away from Earth. With the International Space Station, apermanent laboratory will be established in arealm where gravity, temperature and pressurecan be manipulated to achieve numerousscientific and engineering pursuits that areimpossible in ground-based laboratories. A fewof the possibilities include:• Biotechnology — to learn more about themechanisms of disease and how to combat them;• Fundamental physics — a powerful magnetwill help search for particles of antimatter togain clues about the evolution of the universe;• Earth science — a 20-inch optical windowwill give instruments a station’s eye-view ofEarth for monitoring atmospheric gases such asthe planet’s protective ozon layer, trends such asreef bleaching and events like hurricanes;• Fluid physics — On Earth, lighter materialsrise and heavier things settle. In microgravity,only atomic forces are at work. One application:understanding how soils ‘flow’ during anearthquake in order to help design saferbuildings;• Combustion science — flames burn morecleanly in space. Researchers are looking forways to burn fuels more efficiently. In the U.S. Laboratory, along with the otherISS labs, astronauts and Earth-bound researcherswill be seeking ways to improve our destiny onEarth and in space.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 7December 18, 1998

Joseph Gordon announced as director of Public AffairsJoseph Gordon

Kennedy Space Center named lead center for NASA Acquisition Pollution Prevention Kennedy Space Center has been designatedthe lead center for NASA Acquisition PollutionPrevention (AP2). KSC’s AP2 Office, led byRobert Hill, was established to reduce oreliminate hazardous shared materials andvolatile organic chemical uses from the design,production and operation in NASA programs. “We want to qualify common alternatives thatcan be used by multiple programs in a variety ofdifferent contracts,” said Hill. “The AP2 office istasked with standardizing the process andmethodology to all NASA programs.” In September of 1994, the Department ofDefense’s Joint Logistics Commanders’ JointGroup on Acquisition Pollution Preventionwas chartered with the objective of reducingor eliminating the use of hazardous materialsby developing common alternatives that couldbe used across different programs. The effort met such success that it providedthe DoD with a quick recovery of thedevelopment costs and continuing cost savingsin annual operations. The savings includemillions of dollars in cost avoidances byreducing duplication in qualification testing ofalternative materials. “We are convinced that similiar benefits canbe achieved in NASA through this initiative,”said Hill. The effort is expected to result in changes to

design, manufacturing and maintenanceprocesses that are faster and cheaper and involvefewer hazardous materials. “This effort should reduce the use ofhazardous materials across the Agency,” addedHill, “increase technical confidence, providecost avoidance and savings, and minimize use of

multiple material specifications at industrycontractor and government facilities.” The new Joint Group on Pollution Preventionis comprised of flag officers and directors from

the military services, along with the MarineCorps, Defense Logistics Agency and NASAHeadquarters’ Environmental ManagementDivision. The group will coordinate joint service andagency activities affecting pollution preventionissues identified during weapon system andNASA system acquisition, manufacturing andsustainment maintenance processes. The need for this new group (reorganized inOctober this year by the Joint Logistics

Commanders and NASA Headquarters’Office of Space Flight and Office of

Management Systems and Facilities)arose in part out of the complexity ofvalidating and implementing pollution

prevention alternatives. Previously, no joint pollution

prevention interface was available tointegrate shared needs for the services and

NASA program managers, process ownersand their contractors to coordinate common

pollution prevention objectives. This created thepotential for duplication of effort and costlydelays for implementing changes. The group’s mission is to address these issuesand facilitate change. The Joint Group on Pollution Prevention has aWeb site with more information located at http://www.jgpp.com/

Joseph “Joe” Gordon Jr. has been announcedas the new NASA director of Public Affairs forKennedy Space Center, effective Dec. 10. He is responsible for leading the center’spublic affairs efforts, including media andcommunity relations; aerospace education; toursand briefings of distinguished visitors; guestactivities for launches, landings and specialevents; and the KSC Visitor Complex. Gordon came to NASA from the Office of theSpecial Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses, Officeof the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where heserved as the civilian director of public affairsfor one of the Department’s most sensitiveissues. He assumed those responsibilities inSeptember 1997, following his retirement fromthe U.S. Marine Corps after more than 29 yearsof service. Gordon joined the Marine Corps in 1968 withthe Platoon Leader Class Program. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1971,he held a variety of assignments to includecommand and staff positions, while servingnumerous tours of duty with Fleet MarineForces, Atlantic and Pacific, in the United Statesand overseas. He also served a command tour asa battalion inspector-instructor training MarineReserves for active duty with Fleet MarineForces. Assigned to Marine Corps Headquarters in

1990, heserved asthe execu-tive assis-tant to thedeputyChief ofStaff forInstallationsand Logis-tics andlater as thedeputydirector ofMarineCorpsPublicAffairs. Reporting to the Pentagon in 1994, he wasnamed director for management and executiveassistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretaryof Defense for Public Affairs, where he plannedand led program activities in communityrelations, public communications and defenseinformation. Gordon is a graduate of Edinboro StateUniversity in Pennsylvania, where he received abachelor of arts degree in Political Science. Heis married to the former Debbie West of Rich-mond, Va. Their daughter, Leah, attends MaryWashington College in Fredericksburg, Va.

Jan Heuser has been named programmanager for the Space ExperimentsResearch and Processing LaboratoryProject. This project is the first phase of aproposed research industrial park inwhich KSC will team with SpaceportFlorida Authority (SFA) to create aresearch industrial campus to serve a hostof governmental, commercial, state, andinternational organizations involved inspace-related research. Heuser currently serves as the associatedirector of Installation Operations. Herresponsibilities as the program managerfor the Space Experiments Research andProcessing Laboratory Project willinclude coordination of NASAHeadquarters, State of Florida, and KSCprogram managers, project managers, andtechnical experts to assess and determinefacility design layouts, cost, funding, andconstruction milestones. This project has the potential to be acornerstone for a new era of research andtechnology development for KSC. It willprovide a core capability to our space-faring customer base which is one of themajor objectives in the KSC StrategicRoadmap for the future.

Heuser named program manager

John F. Kennedy Space Center

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Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center andis published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Office in the interest ofKSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, AB-F1. E-mail submissions can besent to Susan.Maurer-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWS December 18, 1998Page 8

Mars Climate Orbiter on its way to the Red Planet NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiterlaunched successfully on Dec. 11 at1:45 p.m. from Cape Canaveral AirStation’s Launch Complex 17A andis now on its nine-month journey tothe Red Planet. Developed under NASA’s MarsSurveyor Program, the orbiteralong with its companion MarsPolar Lander (see page 1) willpursue NASA’s scientific goals ofexploring the Martian climate,searching for traces of frozen waterbeneath the planet’s surface andnear its south polar cap and lookingfor hints of an early warm, wetclimate when primitive life mayhave existed. By early in the next century, theculmination of the program — a

Mars sample return mission — willbe launched with the goal ofreturning samples of Martian rocksand soil to Earth for scientificstudy. Once in mapping orbit, the MarsClimate Orbiter will await thearrival of the Polar Lander tosupport data return from the landeron the surface prior to the start offull orbital science operations. After the Climate Orbitersupports its companion lander’ssurface mission, the orbiter willbegin its mapping phase, lasting forone Martian year of 687 Earthdays.Then it will continueoperations in a “relay-only” mode,relaying data to Earth in support offuture Mars surface missions.

A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiterat 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 11 from Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Thefirst of a pair of spacecraft to be launched in the Mars Surveyor '98 Project, the orbiteris heading for Mars, where it will first provide support to its companion Mars PolarLander spacecraft, planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999.

Local parade for STS-95 crew gives everyone a lift!

The seven astronauts of STS-95 were treated to a parade through Cocoa Beach witha jubilant crowd of tens of thousands of onlookers on Dec. 11 shortly after the MarsClimate Orbiter lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station. The mayors of Cape Canaveraland Cocoa Beach presented keys to the city to the crew members, and a street andplaza were officially renamed in honor of John Glenn Jr., STS-95 payload specialistand the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Glenn, seen here in a silver 1998Corvette, is America’s oldest astronaut. He was 77 when he flew with the crew of STS-95 on one of the most publicized Shuttle missions in years. Among other crystal growthand robotic experiments, the STS-95 crew conducted research on the aging process.