July 12, 2002 Vol. 41, No. 14 Spaceport News America’s gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to Earth and beyond. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/snews/snewstoc.htm John F. Kennedy Space Center Inside Kennedy Space Center Page 2 – The Germans led during the early days of the 40 years as NASA Center space program. Page 3 – Pioneers helped shape KSC’s manned and LOC began unmanned space programs. Remembering Our Heritage Page 4 –KSC facilities feature July 1, 1962 innovative designs. As the Kennedy Space Center Page 5 – Uses of rocket team begins a yearlong celebration technology continue to evolve. of our 40th year as a NASA center, Page 6 – Center generates it benefits us all to take a look back numerous spaceport and range at the beginnings of KSC. technology spinoffs. Only if we know where we came Page 7 – KSC becomes from will we understand where we Spaceport Technology Center. are as a launch center and Space- port Technology Center and how Page 8 – Astronauts maintain ties to KSC. we better can help propel NASA’s mission: “To improve life here. To Page 9 – Presidents, kings and extend life to there. To find life celebrities visit Center. beyond.” By listening to those who took Page 10 – Public affairs assists media in sharing the story, us to the Moon, we can learn just how far we can go if we put our Page 11 – History of KSC hearts and souls and minds to it. continues to be recorded; Histories written, being written. KSC’s diverse beginnings started before it was first designated a Page 12 – Cape Canaveral Launch Operation Center (LOC) named and renamed. July 1, 1962, and later renamed John F. Kennedy Space Center. This special commemorative issue of Spaceport News offers just a taste of that early history. For those who want to drink deeper from the vast well of the KSC story, Above, a Mercury capsule is processed in Hangar S at Cape Canaveral. the issue points to other sources of Behind the windows in the concrete wall were astronaut crew quarters. historical inspiration. Below, the Mercury launch team poses for a group portrait. Page 13 – Cape Canaveral inhabited by various groups. Page 14 – A wild landscape become a space center. Page 15 – Families boast three generations of KSC employees. Page 16 – Major events at KSC highlighted in chronology. Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS July 12, 2002 Germans led during early days of KSC By Anna Heiney The road to the stars may pass through Kennedy Space Center, but it actually began more than 50 years ago in wartime Germany. In 1945, at the close of World War II, more than 100 rocket scientists working in the German rocket center of Peenemunde Kurt Debus (left) and Karl Sendler surrendered to American forces hold and look at telemetry data. rather than the Soviets. They were moved to Ft. Bliss, Texas, to develop ballistic missiles for the U.S. Army. Kurt Debus (center) makes a point during a launch as Wernher von Braun Under the direction of rocket (to Debus’ right) and Hans Gruene (front) and look on. pioneer Wernher von Braun, the team tested rockets in White Sands, N.M., until 1950, when they joined the Army’s Ordnance Guided Missile Center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. In 1956, the group became the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, and was folded into the National Aeronautics and Space Administra- tion in 1960. Albert Zeiler (left) and Kurt Debus Virginia Whitehead, Future pose at the launch pad. Payloads manager in the Interna- tional Space Station/Payload Kurt Debus (center) reaches out to shake hands with astronaut Frank Processing directorate at Kennedy Borman after a successful launch. Space Center, worked with the chanical expertise to the Mercury German team at White Sands and Redstone, Saturn and Shuttle fondly remembers their enthusiasm. programs, as well as several “I’d get the preliminary telemetry unmanned programs. information on film,” she explained. Frank Childers, a NASA retiree “They’d come running in from the Hans Gruene expresses his cama- and historian, worked for Sendler field and grab that data right out of raderie with secretary Ann Nelson. for 20 years and came to know my hand. They’d get so excited. also remembered for securing KSC’s German leaders. They just ate, slept and breathed support for the first visitor center, Kurt Debus’ daughter Sigi Northcutt “Both Karl Sendler and Albert space.” and for his desire to protect KSC’s (left) and her daughter Michelle Zeiler were brilliant engineers and While the entire team helped Peters are pictured with a new environment. great managers,” he said. boost the U.S. space program off Debus Award display. When Debus came to Cape With their dedication and the ground, Kurt Debus, Hans Canaveral in the early 1950s to set employee. “He had an even temper positive attitude, the four helped Gruene, Karl Sendler and Albert up a launch site, his deputy, Dr. and was always open to new make NASA’s motto – “On time, on Zeiler significantly influenced Hans Gruene, accompanied him. ideas.” target” – a reality. KSC’s growth as America’s premier Debus considered himself and Karl Sendler, director of Instru- Several innovations took shape gateway to space. Gruene the first employees of what mentation Systems, had a major at KSC under their leadership. “They were all really outstanding became KSC. role in the creation of the Central These included unique equipment, people,” recalled Konrad Dannen- Gruene was known as a skilled Instrumentation Facility. In his facilities and concepts still in use berg, a propulsion engineer on von engineer. As Director of Launch earlier days at Cape Canaveral, he today, such as the Vehicle Assem- Braun’s team. “They were all very Vehicle Operations, he led his team used Doppler radar systems to bly Building, the crawler-trans- involved in the early launches and to an impressive launch success develop better methods of tracking porter and launch automation. brought with them quite a bit of record: All but one of the Saturn V rockets after liftoff. “My father was very proud of experience from Peenemunde.” and Skylab launches were on time. For early launches at Cape the things his team achieved,” said Dr. Kurt Debus, the first director A true gentleman, Gruene Canaveral, Albert Zeiler, chief of Sigi Northcutt, Debus’ daughter. of Kennedy Space Center, is brought out the best in his Mechanical Systems for the Missile “He once said, ‘You have to decide perhaps best known for molding employees through mutual respect. Firing Lab, was the one who if you want to make money or make the Center into a state-of-the-art “He was an ideal boss,” said his decided whether to shut off the a contribution to humanity. We Moonport and preparing it for the former secretary, Ann Nelson, now engines or allow launches to chose to make a contribution to Space Shuttle program. But he is a NASA Transportation office proceed. He later provided me- humanity.’” July 12, 2002 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3 Pioneers helped shape space program By Matt Cavagnaro In 1958, Merritt Preston was sent “Things were less from Langley Research Center to formal in the early work at Cape Canaveral. days. We didn’t have His assignment: assistant chief the infrastructure of Operations for Project Mercury, with the goal of putting a human then that we got later being into orbit of the Earth. and have now. As a Preston ended up spending the Launch Director John Neilon (right) matter of fact, I don’t rest of his career at the Cape and is pictured during a 1976 Titan Kennedy Space Center, working his Centaur countdown with George think the word infra- way up the ranks. Page, who was to succeed him, structure had been His story isn’t unique: Many of and Walter Kapryan, former invented yet! In those the thousands of engineers, director of Launch Operations. scientists and managers that gave times, Bob Gray and I new purpose to the wilderness of would often make the Space Coast spent their careers and implement deci- at what would become KSC. In the beginning of 1962, sions that would however, engineers like Merritt entail many meetings Preston were part of teams from and management NASA centers with different goals. reviews today.” “There was a big controversy Former Shuttle launch director Bob Merritt Preston (right) is pictured Sieck (left) signs a memorandum. when Mercury was established that during a light moment with JOHN NEILON, we ought to extend the X-15 astronaut Gordon Cooper. Preston FORMER DIRECTOR, program to make it go into orbit came to the Cape to work on the UNMANNED LAUNCH instead of this man-in-a-can Mercury program in 1958 and OPERATIONS concept,” remembered Preston. retired as manager of the Shuttle Young minds from Langley and Projects office in 1973. Goddard and Marshall Space Flight Neilon served as launch director for The men and women who helped centers were brought to Florida as 60 missions including the Viking to build Kennedy Space Center 40 pioneers; as scientists creating Mars Landers and the Pioneer 10 years ago were pioneers, not only something that had never existed Rockwell executive Lee Solid, now and 11 deep space probes. in the sense of being there at the before. It was the Marshall Launch retired, is pictured with a Space “Things were less formal in the beginning, but seeing the program Shuttle Main Engine. Operations Directorate that would early days. We didn’t have the through. start the new center July 1, 1962, biomedical technologies for the infrastructure then that we got Solid became site manager of the Launch Operations Center.