Oct. 30, 2009 Vol. 49, No. 22 Spaceport News John F. Kennedy Center - America’s gateway to the universe

www..gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html I-X soars! ix seconds after -X’s reusable solid motors ignited at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28 and rumbled ’s East Coast, the Launch of flight S327-foot tall rocket cleared the launch tower and blasted through the crystal-clear blue sky over NASA’s . “I can’t tell you how proud I am of all of you,” Kennedy Director Bob Cabana said. “That was just unbelieveable . . . it was just test brings tears spectacular. I’ve got tears in my eyes.” Right on cue, the rocket’s first stage separated from the simulated upper stage, and then slowly splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean for to spectators recovery. While the flight went smoothly, two days worth of countdown procedures definitely put the launch team through its paces. Tuesday’s launch attempt was described as a rollercoaster ride, with issues that included a stubborn five-hole probe cover on the rocket’s tip, a cargo ship that strayed into the launch danger zone, and then with less than three minutes left in the count, the triboelectrification weather rule went “red.” Triboelectrification is static around aircraft or space vehicles flying More inside... through high-level clouds. It interferes with radio signals sent by or to Learn more about the rocket. the assembly of Wednesday’s attempt was a little less dramatic. The Ares I-X on pages team did have to run tests on critical flight systems 4-5. Find out what following overnight lightning strikes in tandem with regular Kennedy workers countdown milestones. Once again, dynamic weather took thought about the the team to the end of the four-hour launch window. new rocket rolling to This first flight of an Ares-I-modeled vehicle put facilities, Launch Pad 39B in procedures and Kennedy’s launch team to the test. Word on the Street Next, it’s up to the more than 700 sensors on board to on Page 8. relay ascent data for future flights. “Just think about what we just did . . . our first flight test and the only thing we were waiting on was weather,” said Ares I-X Launch Director Ed Mango. “That says you all did freaking fantastic.”

Photo by Jim Grossmann/NASA Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS Oct. 30, 2009 Tour de KSC kicks off CFC with inspirational ride By Steven Siceloff There were riders from local high side. Instead, the 500 available pedal on the southbound leg. Spaceport News teams with established uniforms, tour tickets sold out and organizers After crossing the tow-way, we others wearing a couple of T-shirts spent the last two weeks turning headed for the Vehicle Assembly pacecraft and bicycles are to brace from the sudden chill and people away. Building and the first stop. Cameras more alike than you might a group from Constellation Ground The good news is that the event came out almost before our bikes Sthink. Operations who made their own went quite smoothly, so the team stopped. Oxendine posed in front For example, many of today’s pro-caliber jerseys. already is looking at ways to open it of the building, a landmark his top-flight bikes are made from Five dollars of each entry was up to more folks next year. grandfather helped design as part of carbon materials, just like the space donated to the United Way -- $2,500 “I thought it was going to be the Army Corps of Engineers. shuttle’s heat shield tiles. And just total. The United Way will divide pretty overwhelming,” said Jane Back on the bikes and into as with aerospace engineers, bicycle that among different charities. Mosconi, one of the organizers. the wind again, this time out to a builders obsess over trimming the “I’m glad to see “We had all the camera mound between Launch slightest gram from a design. Every it go to something security measures Pads 39A and 39B. Shuttle Atlantis ounce taken off a means like that rather than with unbadged was a popular backdrop as it stood extra payload or speed into . just something people and 500 on its For bike riders, it means saving just internal,” Burke people doing all prepared for liftoff. a little extra pain in the leg during a said. different routes. We got back on the bikes and steep climb or going a bit faster in The event was We wanted it to be headed again into what seemed like a sprint. the brainchild of fun, but it had to a wind determined to meet us in the On Oct. 17, cyclists even Dicksy Hansen be safe.” face. shared the same real estate as who was inspired Our group We crossed by the Vehicle NASA’s shuttle fleet in the name of to take up cycling NASA/Jack Pfaller was scheduled to Assembly Building and stopped for charity during the Tour de KSC. after she met seven- ride a 20 mph pace more shots before heading back to As an employee, I was allowed time Tour de France Dicksy Hansen organizes riders over the 37-mile the Kennedy Space Center Visitor before the inaugural Tour de KSC. to bring three guests. My friend champ Lance course. Again, we Complex. Mike Sheffield, Team-in-Training Hansen pitched the event as a fun Armstrong a couple way to raise money for charity. found something There was no shortage of smiles coach Jay Burke and team mentor years ago. in common with as the riders helped themselves Doug Oxendine joined me for the “We were trying the shuttles -- to pizzas, and no compliment event. to come up with a fundraiser for fighting the wind. was spared in congratulating the Yeah, riding a bike is fun and the Combined Federal Campaign,” After a ride through the organizers. cool when you’re 12 and heading to Hansen said. “So I just thought of Industrial Area, the course threw “The people coming back, they a neighbor’s house, but most people something I would enjoy . . . our band of energetic riders were saying, ‘That was great! That grow out of it in the amount of something we hadn’t done before.” against the harsh morning winds of was great!’ which makes us feel time it takes for a set of car keys to Working since February, Kennedy’s . good because we put a lot of work drop from a parent’s hand into their organizers presented their plans to Our stroll at a fast clip became into it,” said Ben Bryant, another palm. But it’s still cool to us. various center departments and got a 3-mile grind. It felt like a treadmill organizer. Along with sharing the the clearances to hold the event. -- our legs were moving, but we A lot of riders are eager to common bond of endurance road They drew up several courses and weren’t going anywhere. come back. riding, all of us are connected by speed schedules. The only limit was Our 22-mph pace became 15, “It was great getting out there cancer. Oxendine and I survived the number of slots available. then 13. It was worth it for the and seeing the sites as close as you different forms of leukemia, and Hansen said she thought maybe chance to snap a picture at the top of can,” Burke said. “It’s a lot different Burke’s son is a two-time childhood 300 people would show up, on the the runway. Plus, we barely had to than seeing them on TV.” leukemia survivor. Sheffield also is a cancer survivor. We’re some of the ones for whom legs are the best engines and tight-and-bright clothing is cool. (We know the spandex is more comfortable for us to wear than it is for you look at. That’s part of the fun.) That morning, there were about 500 of us and organizers say there could’ve been a lot more. Some of us were kids riding by the Vehicle Assembly Building under the wings of parents. Some were adults going by the launch pads on bikes that hadn’t been out of the garage since John Young and Robert NASA/Jack Pfaller Crippen strapped into About 500 cyclists rode past the Vehicle Assembly Building during the Tour de KSC on Oct. 17. The event was held in conjunction with the Kennedy Space Columbia for the first time. Center Combined Federal Campaign, which kicked off a day earlier. Oct. 30, 2009 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Research platform passes ISS test with flying colors By Steven Siceloff Spaceport News hen Fabio Tominetti and Marco Grilli last Wsaw the EuTEF research platform in early 2008, it was care- fully packed inside the payload bay of . It had been built and handled with the utmost care, and its white and thermal in- sulation and golden reflective sheets and experiments were pristine. EuTEF didn’t look much different as it hung upside down in a work stand a few days after coming back to aboard Discovery after being attached to the orbiting International for about a year and a half. “It’s almost brand new,” said Tominetti, the EuTEF program manager for the Milan-based Carlo NASA Gavazzi Space. “It could probably John “Danny” Olivas, left, and remove the EuTEF science platform from the outside of the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station during the first spacewalk of the STS-128 mission. The astronauts moved EuTEF into ’s cargo bay so the experiments fly again tomorrow. I expected to could be returned to Earth for evaluation. see something to tell you that it had been exposed to 18 months in Despite the conditions, EuTEF designed and flown,” Grilli said. Erasmus Command and Control space.” returned exciting early results, The team had worked for Center in the Netherlands. EuTEF is short for European Tominetti said. For example, a years to design and build the “Having switched it on was Technology Exposure Facility, a study of atomic oxygen around research station, including extensive great,” Tominetti said. “We see it remote-controlled base complete the space station revealed that two discussions and review sessions with alive, like a little mechanical baby. with power and communications computer models of the chemical’s agencies such as ESA and NASA, So we followed this growth for one networks built to host nine distribution were not as accurate as plus many conversations about the year and half, but it was sad to arrive experiments from Europe’s scientific they should be, but a third model experiments that designers planned at the end, even though it was a community, including prestigious was correct. Knowing where for orbit. successful mission.” universities and foundations. corrosive atomic oxygen molecules That doesn’t mean there weren’t As Discovery headed into The research largely focused on are and how they behave in orbit a couple glitches along the way, space in August to equip the station the effects of space on materials, helps future spacecraft designers. though. and recover EuTEF, the Earth- including window materials that Although EuTEF delivered “We fixed a couple problems by bound controllers switched off the could be used on future spacecraft. some results while still in space, remote,” Grilli said. experiments and set up the platform Tominetti and Grilli, a systems researchers will get the chance to High radiation in orbit is so astronauts could safely detach it engineer with Carlo Gavazzi, look at the materials samples and suspected of causing trouble for the from the Columbus lab and bring recently traveled to Kennedy Space other experiment results firsthand electronics on EuTEF, but the issue it back aboard the shuttle without Center to pack the research platform once EuTEF is taken back to Europe was quickly fixed with a simple damaging the valuable results. and its experiments for their return and shipped to their sponsors. reboot, Tominetti said. The return trip called for a to Europe. “There are a lot of small Another glitch developed whole new set of procedures for the The EuTEF went into space samples to see the exposure to because of the success of an spacewalkers because the platform with the ’s atomic oxygen and to radiation, so experiment studying static electricity Discovery carried to retrieve the Columbus laboratory module as they will be quite busy analyzing the on the station. The device on experiment set was different from part of the STS-122 mission in chemical reactions of the samples,” EuTEF designed to discharge the kind EuTEF was bolted to when February 2008. After Columbus Tominetti said. static electricity from the station it rode into space. was connected to the space station, The mission also proved that did what it was supposed to, but “It was like designing a whole spacewalking astronauts attached the design for the research facility that caused some concern when new mission,” Grilli explained. EuTEF to one of its platforms on the was sound. controllers on Earth saw an electric The return capped seven years outside. “Starting with nothing in your discharge around the station. Once of work on the project by the two From there, the experiments hands but some scrap paper and the experiment was tracked down engineers -- work they would would be exposed to the harshness then building it up was the first big as the cause -- and then proven to happily repeat if called on for of a constant vacuum, a round-the- achievement,” Tominetti said. be working correctly -- the research another EuTEF mission. clock dose of radiation, and heat and “What was a little bit scary to was turned back on. “It was very exciting, but cold extremes that vary 200 degrees me was the amount of paperwork Tominetti and Grilli watched also a little bit sad, because the during each 90-minute orbit of the you have to do before you have the over the experiments package from mission being over, the story ends,” planet. real hardware working, to be tested, the European Space Agency’s Tominetti said. Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS Oct. 30, 2009 Oct. 30, 2009 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 5 ARES I-X: Putting the pieces together

By Anna Heiney Along with the crew module and was a very big deal for us,” Cow- mobile launcher platform, leaving only 10 Vs, it’s obviously a little different than brought this flight from paper to The Ares I-X flight test vehicle Spaceport News abort tower, the upper stage’s seven art said of the Ares I-X team. “We feet of clearance for the heavy-lift crane what we’re used to seeing,” Cowart said as reality. was still a concept about four years tuna can-shaped pieces, service stacked all four of the boosters, then to remove the birdcage-shaped framework the tracked crawler-transporter carried Ares ago, Cowart pointed out. ‘We’ve got a rocket’ Smith emphasized that the Ares module, spacecraft adapter and two we were ready to bring over Super that lowered the final pieces into place. I-X to the top of the pad. I-X effort involved design centers, “This is unprecedented in interstage connectors were staged Stack 1.” Assembly of the one-of-a-kind launch The rocket’s upper stage loomed high NASA history, for a rocket of this The fast-paced assembly se- research centers, and multiple con- in the VAB’s High Bay 4 prior to The first “tuna can” segment, vehicle finally was complete. But plenty of above the top of the pad’s fixed service size,” he said. “It’s incredible.” quence of Ares I-X kicked off in late tractors -- all of which intersected at stacking. comprising upper stage segment 1, work remained. The rocket was put through structure, surpassed only by the pad’s three 2008, when flight hardware began Kennedy. The funnel-like frustum, for- was labeled Super Stack 2. Upper its paces: a power-up test, or “smoke test,” lightning masts. arriving at the Florida spaceport from “There was some education on ward skirt with its extension, and stage segments 2 through 5 made to validate the electronics boxes and wir- Once Ares I-X arrived, remain- NASA field centers and contractors all sides. Integrating and communi- simulated fifth booster segment ar- up Super Stack 3, and Super Stack ing; a “sway test” to check the vehicle’s ing milestones included a hot-fire of the across the country. cating were key to our success,” he rived from Indiana, where they were 4 comprised upper stage segments response to vibrations it could face during rocket’s auxiliary power units and checkout In order to handle the influx of said. “What made it so rewarding manufactured by Major Tool and 6 and 7. Segments 1 and 7 contain rollout; instrumentation tests; and a simu- of the communications, instrumentation Ares I-X components, the process- was working through all the chal- Machine. First-stage prime contrac- steel ballasts weighing a combined lated countdown and liftoff. and telemetry. ing team needed more room than tor ATK Space Systems built the four 160,000 pounds to mimic the weight A successful liftoff capped a demand- lenges and frustrations.” the Vehicle Assembly Building’s, solid-fueled booster segments, which of the Ares I liquid propellant tanks. ing development and assembly process or VAB’s, High Bay 3 and booster Positioned for launch reached Kennedy in March 2009 “I remember going up to Level that Cowart believes illustrated NASA’s facilities could provide. So elements after a seven-day, cross-country train 34 and looking down, and going on entrepreneurial capability, as well as the were stored, inspected, fitted or Ares I-X emerged from the VAB at ride from . the E roof -- which is right about dedication of the relatively small team that joined together in additional facilities 1:39 a.m. EDT Oct. 20, beginning a 7.5- where the fifth segment simulator is hour trek through the predawn darkness to across the space center, and even at -- and looking up, then down,” Smith The stacking begins Launch Pad 39B. the Astrotech Space Operations facil- said. “That’s when it really dawned Ares I-X is the first new vehicle to oc- ity in nearby Titusville, Fla. on us that this is a tremendously tall Smaller sections called “super cupy that pad in more than 25 years. The simulated upper stage ar- rocket.” stacks” were assembled first. The “For those of us who’ve lived with the rived in November 2008 aboard the Barely five weeks after stack- two interstage pieces, frustum, shuttle and grew up looking at the Mariner barge after a journey forward skirt and extension were ing began, Ares I-X was crowned from NASA’s Glenn Research Cen- mated to the simulated fifth booster with Super Stack 5, consisting ter in Ohio. In January 2009, a plane segment in early July, completing of the launch abort system, crew carried the full-scale crew module Super Stack 1. module, and space- simulator and launch abort system A day later, the aft, or bottom, craft adapter. The completed rocket from NASA’s Langley Research segment of the first-stage solid towered above the surface of the Center in Virginia to Kennedy Space booster rolled into the Vehicle As- Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. semble Building and was secured to As assembly began, NASA the mobile launcher platform in High Vehicle Processing Engineer Trent Bay 3, marking the official start of Smith was tasked with ensuring the final assembly. work was done in the right order and “When we started stacking, it that all necessary parts and personnel were available. “When the hardware started showing up, I thought, ‘Oh wow, it’s here,’ “ Smith said. “We’ve got a rocket!”

NASA/Jack Pfaller NASA/Jack Pfaller NASA/Jack Pfaller NASA/Jack Pfaller NASA/Jack Pfaller NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA/Kim Shiflett Ares I-X segments are are positioned on the floor Segments of the first stage and the fifth simulator The Ares I-X aft booster segment with the aft skirt Super Stack 3 hovers over Super Stack 2 in High Bay 4 of A crane lowers Super Stack 4, which is ready for integra- The “birdcage” lifts Super Stack 5 atop Super Ares I-X began rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly The Ares I-X rocket was secured to Launch Pad of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Dec. 8, 2008. segment make up Super Stack 1 on July 7, 2009. is lowered into High Bay 3 on July 8, 2009. the Vehicle Assembly Building on Aug. 7, 2009. tion, onto Super Stack 3 on Aug. 12, 2009. Stack 4, completing the rocket on Aug. 13, 2009. Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT Oct. 20. 39B at 9:17 a.m. EDT Oct. 20. Page 6 SPACEPORT NEWS Oct. 30, 2009 STS-128 crew shares stories of mixing science with fun ll work and no play Hernandez enjoyed doing Cabana. “I would’ve done . . . the thought is summersaults, and the entire anything to stow away with Anearly impossible crew liked to play with their you. I would’ve cleaned for a place without gravity. food . . . windows, cooked food, For the crew of STS-128, just don’t tell their parents. cleaned the toilet, whatever the International Space Sta- “Just take a water ball, you wanted.” tion was their playground . throw a lifesaver on top of Since the duo’s first . . that is when they weren’t it, and then viola, you’ve got boundary-pushing mission working to prepare the or- an eyeball in space,” said in December 1998, the biting laboratory for new Olivas. “Course, you’ve got station’s size and diversity science experiments. to get rid of it, so down the has grown dramatically. Commander Rick hatch it goes.” While in space, STS-128 Sturckow, Pilot Kevin Ford, Center Director Bob marked the first time 13 Mission Specialists Jose Cabana and Sturckow go crew members represent- Hernandez, Danny Oli- way back. As commander ing five countries have ever vas, Patrick Forrester and NASA/Kim Shiflett and pilot, respectively, of been aboard a single, orbit- Christer Fuglesang returned Mision Specialist Christer Fuglesang and the rest of the STS-128 crew returned to STS-88 -- the first shuttle ing spacecraft. to Kennedy Space Center on Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 22 to share their mission stories, spend time with mission to the station -- the “We’ve had the good workers and sign autographs. Oct. 22 to share their experi- two astronauts helped con- fortune to watch it grow ences with the team that pre- “There is no experience named after Comedy Cen- nect the first U.S. module from just a little-bitty space pared their . on the planet like leaving tral’s Stephen Colbert, as called Unity with the Rus- station when Col. Cabana After one scrubbed the planet,” said Ford, a well as Expedition 20 Flight sian-built module. was up there to a huge sta- attempt for finicky Florida first-time space flier. Engineer Nicole Stott. “I really envy Rick, tion with as much internal weather and another for During the 14-day In their spare time, they because Rick got to see the volume as a 747,” said an issue with space shuttle mission, the crew delivered enjoyed their newfound space station at its very be- Sturckow. “It’s really im- Discovery’s liquid hydro- the Multi-Purpose Logistics weightlessness. ginning and he’s seen it now pressive. It’s a credit to all gen fill-and-drain valve, the Module Leonardo contain- Stott took time to essentially complete. I think the great work done here by crew lifted off just before ing life support and sci- propel herself into Leonardo it’s pretty neat to be to hard working people at the midnight Aug. 28. ence racks, a new treadmill and bounced off like a ball, bookend it like that,” said Kennedy Space Center.”

Turbo team leader reaches new heights from hot seat By Linda Herridge removal is aligning the “duck bills” prior to engine installation,” Tandy said. “Seeing the engines interface Spaceport News inside the main combustion chamber said. with the orbiter after weeks of prepa- after which the weight of the engine Since the flight readiness tests ration is very rewarding.” nterest in high-performance en- is transferred from the orbiter to the are complete, the mechanical, Though she is not the first gines is usually associated with engine installer. Tandy said engine electrical, avionics, turbo pumps and woman in the engine shop, Tandy is men. But for Jessica Tandy, a I removal takes about three hours combustion engine groups are per- the only woman currently training to turbo machinery engineer with Pratt forming final walk downs and will be an engine move director. & Whitney since 2005, and engine installation takes about start the process over with engine In addition to her current posi- helping to process the space shuttle four hours per engine, depending on installation for the next mission. tion, Tandy also is a task team leader main engines occupies most of her circumstances. “Engine installation is one of on turbo pump removal and instal- work day at Kennedy Space Center. The engines were then transport- my favorite things to do,” Tandy lation. “It’s very exciting to work on ed to the Space Shuttle Main Engine space shuttle main engines,” Tandy Processing Facility where they were said. “They are very complex and the checked for leaks. They underwent learning opportunities are endless.” two-hour and then eight-hour drying After Endeavour’s STS-127 purges to remove moisture and were mission ended in July, Tandy served lifted into vertical stands this week. as the move director-in-training dur- Technicians removed inspec- ing the main engine removal process tion port hardware so the blades and in Orbiter Processing Facility-2. bearings on the high pumps She sat in the hot seat on the Hyster could be inspected. Tandy said static forklift and focused on operating the inspections also were conducted to rail table, which is used to install or inspect for anomalies, such as cracks, remove engines, while communicat- contamination and erosion. ing with technicians who were in the “Every component of the engine NASA/Jack Pfaller aft compartment of the orbiter. is inspected to some degree and Jessica Tandy, a turbo machinery engineer with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, maneuvers a Hyster A critical element of engine many requirements must be satisfied forklift into a main engine on . Oct. 30, 2009 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 7 Remembering Our Heritage NASA retires Tracking and Data Relay Satellite By Kay Grinter Reference Librarian

fter a rocky start and then a stellar 26-year performance, ANASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-1, or TDRS-1, was decommissioned Oct. 28. Communications equipment that links TDRS-1 to the ground has failed, and without this capability, it can no longer relay science data and spacecraft telemetry to ground stations on Guam and to the White Sands Complex in Las Cruces, N.M. The satellite was deployed from in 1983 during the STS-6 mission, and was the first and original TDRS-East. In 1980, tentative timetables called for the placement of the first of six spacecraft in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, or TDRSS, in geosynchronous orbit on the fifth space shuttle mission, the first operational flight of the shuttle, and to have four of the satellites in orbit by the end of 1982. Shuttle delays and a problem with the satellite’s vulnerability to broadcast frequency jamming pre- vented the schedule from being met. TDRS-1 was manifested for the shuttle’s second operational flight, NASA file/1982 STS-6. The first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite and its , the primary cargo for space shuttle Challenger’s STS-6 mission, were installed into the The late Art Sawyer, Kennedy payload changeout room at Launch Pad 39A on Dec. 27, 1982. Before the mission launched, a storm packing 70 mph winds penetrated Challenger’s payload Space Center’s launch site support bay, contaminating the satellite, and it had to be moved back into the room for inspection and cleaning of its solar array hinges. manager for TDRS, told Spaceport and representatives from Western throughout the next several months event involving a physician at the News in 1980, that flying on one of Union and their prime contractor, to nudge it into a properly circular- Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station the first operational missions did not TRW, builders of the system. ized orbit. and physicians at the Massachusetts add any pressure to his job. As launch of STS-6 approached The position of TDRS-1 over General Hospital in Boston. “What does make TDRS satel- in 1983, the launch pad was subject- the Indian Ocean successfully elimi- The first step in the decommis- lites particularly challenging to ed to a storm on Feb. 28, packing 60 nated the “zone of exclusion” in an sion of TDRS-1 was to shut down coordinate,” said Sawyer, “is the to 70 mph winds. TDRS-1, already area where communications with number of different groups involved nestled in Challenger’s payload bay, spacecraft were previously impos- its critical payload systems. Maneu- in the project. Everybody’s input was contaminated. The 5,000-pound sible, providing true global cover- vers were executed to raise its orbit, must be included.” satellite, attached to its inertial age for all TDRSS users. eliminating the potential dangers of “Everybody” meant managers upper stage, had to be moved back NASA has used the satellite collision with other communications from several NASA centers, includ- into the pad’s payload changeout in ways never expected because its satellites in geosynchronous orbit. ing Marshall, Johnson and Goddard; room for inspection and cleaning of orbital inclination has been chang- Ten satellites -- TDRS-A the joint U.S. Air Force/ its solar array hinges. ing almost one degree per year since through J -- successfully have made team, suppliers of the upper stage; Following launch at long last deployment. it to orbit, although one was lost in on April 4, a malfunction of the In 1998, TDRS-1 provided the the Challenger accident in 1986. TDRS-1’s inertial upper stage first medical teleconferencing link, A contract for two additional More online booster placed it into an improper complete with voice, video and For more information about the but stable orbit. imaging data from the South Pole. satellites for the TDRSS network TDRSS Program, visit: scp.gsfc. Propellant already aboard It was used again in July 2002 to was awarded to Boeing in De- nasa.gov/sn/index.htm the satellite was used to fire the provide continuous, dropout-free cember 2007. TDRS-K and L are spacecraft’s tiny, 1-pound thrusters data during a two-hour telemedicine scheduled for launch in 2012. Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS Oct. 30, 2009

ON Ares I-X rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Oct. 20 at WORD THE STREET 1:39 a.m. EDT. How did you feel watching this significant milestone?

“Seeing the Ares I-X rocket on the mobile launcher was a fantastic sight. It’s a monument that represents the new era in human .” -- Bob Diehm, ASRC Aerospace Corp. “I was awestruck by the height of the rocket. It’s amazing what “We’re moving forward . . . we can do when we all work which is good, really good.” together.” -- Brian Hills, SGS -- Roland Benoit, SGS

“What a thrill to be able to “Truly surreal seeing a vehicle “As a brand new co-op to KSC, “I participated in building the witness the tallest rocket in other than shuttle rolling toward this Ares I-X rollout was a ground control system for Ares the world roll out and be a part the pad. It really is the dawn of a phenomenal experience, even I-X. During the rollout, I was just of history.” -- Cathy Rauback, new era.” -- Chad Carl, NASA if it was at 1:39 a.m.” -- Andrew proud to be part of the project.” “I couldn’t believe my eyes at Sierra Lobo Inc. Davis, NASA co-op -- Doug Hammond, NASA the spectacular sight of the Ares I-X rocket when it began rolling out of the VAB . . . a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.” -- Melissa Clevenger, NASA

“The last mission was the “Ares I-X represents the begin- year before I was born, so wit- ning of a new path in NASA’s “I was lucky to be going to a job nessing this rollout and realizing “I am very lucky and proud efforts to explore other worlds at pad A and was able to swing “ ‘Ares I-X Bat Signal’ appeared that we are heading back during to stand in the shadow of the as well as a new era in U.S. by to see the rollout of the Ares to show the future of spaceflight my lifetime was an indescribable future.” -- Ennis Shelton, Inno- space history.” I-X, the new generation vehicle.” at KSC, an amazing sight.” feeling.” vative Health Applications LLC -- Tristan Clouse, ManTech “History in the making!” -- Erik -- Lee Leland, NASA -- Tim Van Nes, SAIC -- Doug Grandey, Boeing Co. Murray, Innovative Health Applications LLC

John F. Kennedy Space Center Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center and is published on alternate Fridays by External Relations in the interest of KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted three weeks before publication to the Media Services Branch, IMCS-440. E-mail submissions can be sent to [email protected] Managing editor ...... Candrea Thomas Editor ...... Frank Ochoa-Gonzales Copy editor ...... Rebecca Sprague

“Goose bumps. Wow, we have Editorial support provided by Abacus Technology Corp. Writers Group. “The mobile launcher platform-1 crew is very excited to be part of this finally got to this point. Go NASA at KSC is on the Internet at www.nasa.gov/kennedy historic launch.” -- From left, Kerry Raffety, Michele Leonhard, Bruce safety . . . go Ares I-X.” -- USGPO: 733-049/600142 Johnson, Carla Rekucki and Steve Cisewski, Eduardo “Ski” Jezierski, NASA