Way Station to Space: a History of the John C. Stennis Space Center by Mack R
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NASA SP-4310 Way Station to Space A History of the John C. Stennis Space Center by Mack R. Herring The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA History Office Office of Policy and Plans Washington, DC 1997 Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Herring, Mack R., 1935- Way Station to Space: A History of the John C. Stennis Space Center by Mack R. Herring. p. cm.-{The NASA History Series) (NASA SP: 4310) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. John C. Stennis Space Center-History I. Title. II. Series. III. Series: NASA SP: 4310 TL682.J65H47 1997 629.4'0720762'14-dc21 97-27290 CIP For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-16-049252-1 To Robert E. Herring (1927-1993), my brother, mentor and friend; to my family, who never stopped believing; and to my friends and co-workers at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center, who I had the honor of sharing a common dream and the history of our part of America's adventure in space. Contents List of Illustrations ......................................... iii Foreword ................................................. v Acknowledgments ......................................... vii Prologue ................................................ xiii Chapter 1 Decision for Mississippi ......................... 1 Chapter 2 A Sense of Place .............................. 17 Chapter 3 The Thorn Before the Rose ...................... 27 Chapter 4 Temples in the Swamp ......................... 45 Chapter 5 In Mississippi Mud ............................ 71 Chapter 6 Testing Saturn ................................ 93 Chapter 7 The Winds of Change ......................... 123 Chapter 8 Growing Pains ............................... 153 Chapter 9 Toward Full Utilization ........................ 187 Chapter 10 In Search of a Role ........................... 225 Chapter 11 Acceptance and Trust ......................... 255 Chapter 12 Of Triumph and Tragedy ....................... 293 Chapter 13 Testing the Way .............................. 325 Chapter 14 Bigger Dreams .............................. 359 Chapter 15 For Future Generations ........................ 407 Epilogue ................................................ 433 Acronyms ............................................... 439 Chronology of Significant Events ............................. 441 Charts and Graphs ........................................ 443 Index .................................................. 451 About the Author ......................................... 4 79 WAY STATION TO SPACE "The mastery of space is man's greatest adventure and his most inspiring undertaking. It should spur us to maximum effort. The nation which mastered all man's earthly environment-land, sea, and air-owes to its destiny the mastery of the limitless environment of space. " Wernher von Braun 1960 List of Illustrations 1. President John F. Kennedy ............................... 6 2. Map of Fee Area, Buffer Zone ........................... 13 3. Logtown Sawmill ..................................... 20 4. Senator John C. Stennis ................................ 24 5. Area Map of Mississippi and Louisiana Area ................ 29 6. Flag Raising at Rouchon ................................ 40 7. Captain Fortune Meets with Corps ........................ 54 8. First Tree Felled ...................................... 60 9. Aerial of Harbor and Waterway ........................... 63 10. Von Braun Studies Construction .......................... 66 11. Von Braun Greets Picayune Admirers ...................... 68 12. Excavation for Test Stand ............................... 73 13. Navigation Lock and Bascule Bridge ...................... 75 14. Webb Inspects Site .................................... 81 15. Foundation Laid for S-11 Stand ........................... 87 16. Jackson M. Balch ...................................... 99 17. First Test. .......................................... 114 18. Stennis in Test Control Center ........................... 120 19. S-IC Booster Test Fired ................................ 128 20. S-11 Flight Booster Hoisted into Stand ..................... 138 21. BOMEX Computer ................................... 146 22. Apollo 11 Launch .................................... 148 23. Camille Damage ..................................... 155 24. Astronauts Visit ...................................... 157 25. Coast Guard Welcomed ................................ 178 26. Balch Leads the Way .................................. 183 27. Army Ammunition Plant ............................... 200 28. Remote Camera Catches SSME Firing .................... 221 29. Henry F. Auter ...................................... 227 30. Stennis Welcomed Aboard .............................. 246 31. Fuel Afloat for Shuttle Engines .......................... 275 iii WAY STATION TO SPACE 320 Harry Johnstone 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 330 SSME Hoisted into Stand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 287 340 Stennis Dances a "Jig" 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 298 350 Ronnie Pearson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 314 360 Technology Transfer Center Dedication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 340 370 Fletcher Views SSME Test 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 342 380 Stennis Space Center Dedication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 347 390 "Testing the Way" 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 351 400 Discovery Launch 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 354 41. Stennis Enjoys Old Timers' Day 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 361 420 Estess Talks with SSC Engineers 0 o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 390 430 Commercial Hybrid Engine Firing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 391 440 Daniel So Goldin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412 450 Deer Pauses During Firing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 422 460 SSC Propulsion Facilities 0 0 0 o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 423 470 Senator Lott and Roy Estess 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 429 iv Foreword ay Station to Space is a history of the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center, one of NASA's 10 Field Centers which was built in W the enormously exciting days of the Apollo program for a specific purpose-to static fire and certify the huge Saturn V boosters used in the Apollo lunar landing program. With an eye to the future, the facility was planned as a national testing site for large propulsion systems that NASA might use for 25 to 50 years. This book provides the reader with a study of the Apollo era when NASA engineers, technicians, and managers were engaged in that fantastic mission. It captures a sense of the excitement and determination of the NASA team as it prepared for those historic journeys to our nearest planetary neighbor. This book, however, also illustrates the evolution of the south Mississippi facility beyond the Apollo era. The development of the traditions and pride of the NASA Government and contractor teams, formulated during those early years, is likewise portrayed. As is indicated in the text, few of the men and women of that time are still actively working with us, but their tradition of excellence and hard work lives on. As the Apollo program began to ebb, the Nation's focus shifted away from the most ambitious plans for space exploration-to colonize the Moon, construct a Space Station, and mount a human mission to Mars-to less costly endeavors. Under creative management, the Mississippi team began to study the Nation's new priorities with the intention of becoming an integral part of the changing times. The Mississippi Test Facility (MTF-former name of SSC) diversified and brought in other Federal and State agencies to help share the cost of the Center and use of the developing technology. MTF personnel began looking for other customers, private and commercial, in addition to their new Government tenants. The men and women of the MTF were, in a real sense, "reinventing" Government over 25 years ago, long before that con cept came into vogue. Way Station to Space takes the reader back through those interesting times and relates the story of how the small team evolved into a paradigm of v WAY STATION TO SPACE engineering and scientific cooperation for others to follow. The MTF team recycled facilities and resources, turning part of the huge Center into a diverse environmental research center. The Stennis Space Center now serves as a model of multiagency synergy and is home to over 30 Federal and State agen cies, universities, and private industries. This new addition to the NASA history series also illustrates how the men and women of this south Mississippi facility met challenges head-on. They not only preserved their installation, but they built a new foundation for the future.