Spaceport News America’S Gateway to the Universe
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July 31, 1998 Vol. 37, No. 15 Spaceport News America’s gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to Earth and beyond. John F. Kennedy Space Center Sputnik I, the world’s first artificial satellite that the Soviet Union launched on Oct. 4, 1957, provided the Alan Shepard’s candle continues to burn impetus for the founding of Alan Shepard Jr., America’s the National Aeronautics and first man in space and the fifth Space Administration. Just to walk on the moon, died at over 40 years later, we are age 74 on July 21. building an International After his historic space flight Space Station with the in 1961, amid a period of Cold Russians as partners. War rivalries and uncertainty, Although Cold War Shepard reinvigorated the rivalries prompted many American spirit with his early initiatives, the courage, tenacity and legislation that enabled unflappable, can-do attitude. NASA’s creation called for “Alan Shepard will be the peaceful exploration of remembered, always, for his space for the benefit of all. accomplishments of the past: This pioneering spirit not being one of the original seven only reaches across the Mercury astronauts, for being globe today to unite cultures, the first American to fly in space it also spans generations — and for being one of only 12 uniting both young and old. Americans ever to step on the Within the first few years moon,” said NASA Administra- of NASA’s founding, the tor Daniel Goldin. agency launched its first “He should also be remem- high-profile program bered as someone who, even in involving human space- his final days, never lost sight of flight: Project Mercury. the future.” John Glenn Jr. became the Shepard was born on Nov. 18, first U.S. astronaut to orbit 1923, in East Derry, New the Earth on Feb. 20, 1962, Hampshire, where he studied in aboard a Mercury-Atlas 6 in 1923-1998 a one-room schoolhouse. There, “Friendship 7.” he completed six grades in five Today, Glenn is training Alan Shepard in his space suit inside the Mercury capsule. Waiting in the rocket as with the crew of STS-95 to delays postponed his flight, Shepard instructed the launch team to just “light this candle.” (See Shepard, Page 3) again launch into orbit around the Earth to engage Where there’s smoke, there’s NASA research in research for the benefit of As fires raged through Florida safer environment for people and to pointed out. “Certainly the all. A variety of experiments earlier this month, creating a better manage it for wildlife,” he experience of this summer in sponsored by NASA, the veritable inferno across the said. Florida emphasizes the National Space Develop- sunshine state, a handful of Working in the Ecological importance of controlled burns. ment Agency of Japan students were burning the midnight Program under the auspices of More people today are living in (NASDA) and the European oil at Kennedy Space Center to NASA’s Biomedical Office at KSC, areas of dense vegetation. Regional Space Agency (ESA) during help researchers develop better Schaub has been active in student planning needs dictate that we need STS-95 will focus on life smoke and fire models. outreach programs for years to help to burn with a much higher level of sciences, microgravity “We need to develop better tools develop young minds as well as precision. Our interagency fire and science and advanced to more effectively manage fuels resources to better predict where smoke modeling will allow us to do technology during the flight. that can potentially ravage and how fast fires spread. just that.” Florida’s ecosystem,” said Ron This summer, the Ecological The interagency fire and smoke Schaub, ecologist and remote Program enjoyed the assistance of modeling project was developed to sensing analyst with the Dynamac 10 interns through the Summer create tools to predict the intensity Corporation. Dynamac, under the High School Apprenticeship and spread of wildland fire and Life Sciences Support Contract at Research Program (SHARP) and smoke. The project is sponsored by KSC, conducts environmental the Summer Industrial Fellowship KSC’s Biomedical Office and the monitoring and ecological research. for Teachers (SIFT). Merritt Island National Wildlife “We’re seeking to reduce the risk “We need to develop a new and impact of wildfires to provide a generation of fire models,” Schaub (See Smoke, Page 4) Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS July 31, 1998 KSC stands for safety CPR and you On July 16, Kennedy Space is zero mishaps and zero injuries. KSC’s Biomedical Office is Center employees took a stand for He noted that the safety record of taking a poll to see how many safety — standing down from work DuPont employees off the job is as employees at Kennedy Space for the entire day to focus good as KSC’s record on the job. Center and Cape Canaveral exclusively on safety. The company is known as one of Air Station are interested in For the first time ever, about the world’s safest organizations. training to become certified 14,000 KSC employees, both Senior NASA and contractor by the American Heart NASA civil service and con- managers have participated in Association in adult tractors, departed from normal DuPont safety training, held last cardiopulmonary resuscita- activities, rescheduling Shuttle and year at KSC. During Super Safety tion (CPR). space station work, to participate in Day, Bridges summarized the If you are interested in mail to BOC-005, a panel discussion that was essence of DuPont’s safety receiving CPR training, Occupational Health broadcast centerwide and to train philosophy. please provide your name and Facility. throughout the day on safety- “Unsafe behavior leads to mail code to Janie Marsh via You also can call Marsh at related issues. The afternoon events mishaps and injuries,” Bridges e-mail at janie.marsh- 867- 2027. The deadline is included vendor displays across the said, “and safe behavior comes [email protected], or internal Friday, Aug. 21. center as well as organization from safe thinking.” seminars and training. Model safe behavior, he noted, Also participating in the Super includes knowing our jobs, main- Safety Day activities were taining our workplace, keeping employees from Cape Canaveral physically and mentally fit, being Air Station and Patrick Air Force an active player in safety, being Base. The theme of KSC’s first part of the total team and contri- Super Safety Day was ‘Safety on buting our experiences to benefit the Line.’ others. “This means that each one of us Bridges then introduced keynote accepts responsibility for our own speaker C. Gordon Fullerton, safety, for the safety of our NASA pilot and astronaut. coworkers, our equipment and our Fullerton’s lively and entertaining facilities,” said Center Director opening remarks included the Roy Bridges during opening importance of preparation, practice remarks. “It means that each one of and persistence in the regular tasks us is proactive in creating safe we perform every day. Brief KSC workers working conditions, that each one presentations followed Fullerton’s participated in safety- of us will stop unsafe work talk. Speakers who addressed the related demonstrations practices when we see them audience on subjects ranging from throughout the afternoon. without hesitation, and that each individual responsibility to focus one of us will practice safe and discipline included KSC Air Force Brigadier General JSC Space Shuttle Program Office behavior both on and off-duty.” Deputy Director for Launch and Randall Starbuck; JSC Astronaut Manager Tommy Holloway; KSC’s goal, reminded Bridges, Payload Processing Loren Shriver; Office Chief Kenneth Cockrell; Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Chairman Richard Blomberg and KSC Associate Director for Advanced Development and Shuttle Upgrades JoAnn Morgan. Additional panel members provided insight into safety issues across the board, responding to live questions from the KSC, Cape Canaveral Air Station, and Patrick Air Force Base audience. More than 150 phones calls, faxes and e-mails were sent in to the panel live during the morning session, and 100 questions were sent in prior to Super Safety Day. More than 100 displays around KSC included educational and interactive activities related to fire safety, blood pressure screening, boating and water safety, household Panel moderator Loren Shriver, at podium, assisted in directing live questions to the panel that included, left to right, Roy Bridges, chemicals, defensive driving, Randall Starbuck, Kenneth Cockrell, Tommy Holloway, Richard Blomberg and JoAnn Morgan. and more. July 31, 1998 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Shepard ... Distinguished Service Medal. the first person An ear problem later ever to hit golf (Continued from Page 1) grounded Shepard and he was balls on the years. On weekends, he rode put in charge of the astronauts’ moon. He was his bicycle 10 miles to a local office for the next 10 years. But the fifth man to airport, where he cleaned he refused to give up on walk on the hangars and fanned a passion getting back into space, and moon and the for flying sparked by Charles when surgery corrected his ear oldest at the Lindbergh's 1927 landmark problem, he was offered age of 47. flight across the Atlantic. command of the Apollo 14 Shepard Following World War II, moon mission that was retired from Shepard began training as an launched on Jan. 31, 1971. NASA in 1974 aviator and took additional Shepard and Ed Mitchell and started lessons at a civilian flying spent 33 1/2 hours on the Seven Fourteen school in his spare time. moon, much of which was Enterprises All seven of the Project Mercury astronauts share breakfast He later became one of the spent towing, pushing and (for Freedom 7 prior to Astronaut Alan Shepard’s departure to Pad 5 for the Navy’s top test pilots and took even carrying a cumbersome and Apollo 14), first manned suborbital flight on the Mercury Redstone 7.