' KHR-10 

March 1986 

Chronology of KSC and 

KSC Related Events for 1985 

N87-2L530 ewrgms 4 NASA-- CHBClYGLOGY CP KSC AND 

BSC-BELAIEC EBEKlS FOR 1965 ItiASA) 121 p 

Avail: NTIS HC AC6/RF A01 CSCL 22A c- Unclas 

3/16 00696C7 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Ad mi n ist ration 

John F. Kennedy Space Center 

KIC CORM 16-12 (REV. 0/76l 
CHRONOLOGY OF 

KSC AND KSC-RELATED 

EVENTS FOR 

1985 

SELECTED 

Ry Ken Nail, Jr. 

New World Services, Inc. 

ARCHIVIST 
t 

This chronology is published to fulfill requirements of KMI 

2700.1 (as revised) to describe and document KSC's role in 

NASA programs. 

Materials for this chronology were selected from a number of 

published sources. The document records KSC events of 

interest to historians and other researchers. Arrangement 

is by month: items are by date of the published sources. 

Actual date of the event may be indicated in parenthesis 

when the article itself does not make that information 

explici t. 

Materials were researched and prepared for publication by 

Historian-Archivist Ken Nail, Jr., with the assistance of 

Elaine Liston, both of New World Services, Inc., EG&G 

subcontractor for KSC Library services. 

Comment on the chronology should be directed to the John F. 

Kennedy Space Center, NWSI-E, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 

32899. 

9A.4- Center Services 
CONTENTS 

Paqe 

January ......................................... 1 

February ........................................ 10 

Illustration ............................... 13 

March ........................................... 19 

April ........................................... 29 

May ............................................. 39 

June ............................................ 45 

July ............................................ 54 

Illustration ............................... 58 

Illustration ............................... 65 

August .......................................... 68 

September ....................................... 77 

Illustration ............................... 83 

October ......................................... 87 

November ........................................ 97 

December ........................................ 106 

Appendix A ...................................... 117 

Appendix R ...................................... 118 
B 

f JANUARY 1985 

January 2: Hughes Aircraft Co. selected Astrotech Space 

Operations CO.'S Titusville facility as the site for 

prelaunch processing of six Hughes satellites that will ride 

aloft in the space shuttle this year. Astrotech vice 

president and general manager Harold Zweigbaum said the 

satellites will be prepared for four Hughes customers - 

Western Union, American Telephone & Telegraph Co., Mexico 

and AUSSAT TTY Ltd., an Australian concern. Each satellite 

will be used for commercial communications, he added. 

[Hodges. TODAY, p. 14C, Jan. 3, 1985.1 

January 5: The space shuttle Discovery began its seven-hour 

rollout to pad 39A at. about 1:30 a.m. "Everything went 

smoothly," NASA spokesman Dick Young said in the afternoon. 

After locking Discovery onto its launch mounts at 8:31 a.m., 

workers surrounded the shuttle with the rotating service 

facility before attaching umbilical cords. Discovery is 

scheduled to be launched January 23. [Ash. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

16A, Jan. 6, 1985.1 

January 6: A practice shuttle countdown went smoothly as 

Kennedy Space Center workers cont-inued to prepare the 

Discovery for its classified January 23 mission. 

"Everything is going fine; we are right on time," said KSC 

spokesman Hugh Harris. The five-member crew was expected to 

enter the shuttle at approximately 5:30 a.m. January 7 and 

conclude the simulated liftoff at 8 a.m. ["KSC Ready for 

Flight of Shuttle," TODAY, p. 6A, Jan. 7, 1985.1 

January 7: The five-member Discovery crew and the shuttle 

itself successfully completed its dress rehearsal for the 

January 23 liftoff of its Defense Department mission. The 

terminal countdown demonstration test ended at 8:03 a.m. 

with a simulated ignition of Discovery's three main engines, 

said KSC spokesmen. The test had begun at 1:40 p.m. January 

6. Flying aboard Discovery for Flight 51-C are mission 

commander Thomas Mattingly, shuttle co-pilot Loren Shriver, 

mission specialists Elison Onizuka and James Ruchli and 

payload specialist Gary Payton - all officers in various 

branches of the military. [Yacenda. TODAY, p. 8A, Jan. 8, 

1985.1 

-1- 
7 1 

I 

January 11: Spaceport USA, formerly known as the Kennedy Space 

Center Visitors Information Center, invited some 800 people 

to attend the grand opening of its new $13.5 million 

facilities. On hand for the occassion were Leonard Nimoy, 

famed as Mr. Spock in the "Star Trek" series, shuttle 

astronaut Robert Crippen, Florida Lt. Gov. Wayne Mixson, KSC 

Director Dick Smith and Harry Chambers, vice president and 

general manager of TW Services Inc. also attended the gala. 

Highlight events of the evening were the appearance of Nimoy 

and the two films: "Flight of the Aurora'' and the IMAX 

film, "Hail Columbia!" [Yacenda. TODAY, pp. 1A ti 16A, 

Jan. 12, 1985.1 

January 14: Pre-launch preparations for the January 23 liftoff 

of Discovery were back on track, as crews worked to make up 

time lost over the weekend due to the malfunctioning of a 

Master Events Controller. A matching Master Events 

Controller was taken from Challenger and KSC officials said 

the problem was resolved and there were not expected to be 

any delays in the scheduled liftoff. 

Kennedy Space Center spokesman Rocky Raah said several 

problems affecting Challenger's thermal protection system 

have also been resolved, though that shuttle's February 20 

launch could be delayed if the workers don't catch up to the 

schedule for reinstalling the delicate thermal tiles. 

[Yacenda. TODAY, p. 6A, Jan. 15, 1985.1 

January 15: Kennedy Space Center officials sent NASA headquarters a proposed launch schedule for 1985 for expendable 

rockets: 

* Feb. 14, an Atlas Centaur rocket is scheduled to carry an 

INTELSAT telecommunications satellite to orbit. 

* Sometime in May, another Atlas Centaur is to lift a second 

I NTELSAT, 

* In late July or early August, a third Centaur will carry a 

third INTELSAT. 

* On Oct. 17, a Delta will carry aGOES weather satellite to 

space for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

-2- 
* In December, an Atlas Centaur is to loft a Navy FLTSATCOM 

navigation satellite. 

The schedule supplements 12 shuttle launches planned for the 

year, all from KSC. [Yacenda. TODAY, p. 9A, Jan. 16, 

1985.1 

January 16: Ground workers preparing for Wednesday's launch of 

the Discovery have encountered more problems, but none 

should delay the mission, NASA officials said. Kennedy 

Space Center spokeswoman Andrea Shea said two damaged cables 

leading to launch pad 39A were uncovered during testing 

following the ordnance loading operations. Also, firingroom technicians decided to replace a computer buffer device 

that malfunctioned late on January 15, taking advantage of 

the down time caused by the need to replace the damaged 

cables, Shea said. Meanwhile, a sensitive test for minute 

gas leaks in the shuttle's engines was successfully 

completed with no problems uncovered in the test. 

[Yacenda. TODAY, p. 7A, Jan. 17, 1985.1 

January 17: U. S. Senator Jake Garn (R-Utah) is scheduled to 

fly aboard the space shuttle Challenger's February 20 

flight, NASA announced. Garn, a 10-year member of the 

appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA's budget, 

will become the first civilian passenger in space. Debra 

Rahn, a spokeswoman for NASA's headquarters in Washington,. 

D.C., said discussions are still under way with other crew 

members and trainers to determine an appropriate role for 

the senator. "There have been some discussions of carrying 

out life sciences experiments, but that's still up in the 

air," Rahn said. [Yacenda. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Jan. 18, 

1985.1 

<> A small leak found in a fuel line aboard the shuttle 

Discovery slowed work at the pad but engineers were 

optimistic the ship would take off on time next week. The 

latest problem was found late in the night of January 16 

when a test of the shuttle's fuel lines and other plumbing 

showed a small leak. Rocky Raab of NASA said the leak was 

traced to pipes entering the high-pressure hydrogen fuel 

pump of the No. 1 main engine. ["Tiny Fuel Leak Probably 

Won't Delay Shuttle," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. C-3, Jan. 18, 

1985.1 

- 3- 
V I 

January 20: Four of the five astronauts who will fly the 

January 23 secret DOD mission arrived at Kennedy Space 

Center at 4:35 p.m.; The four - Mattingly, Ruchli, Shriver, 

and Onizuka - skipped their usual arrival statements to 

reporters after flying to KSC from Houston. (Air Force 

Major Gary Payton arrived at KSC earlier without explanation 

from NASA.) The four crew members were greeted by family 

members and quickly driven to their KSC quarters, according 

to NASA spokesman Hugh Harris. [Dickerson. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

12A, Jan. 21, 1985.1 

January 21: The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's 

administrative offices and visitor exhibits have moved into 

a new S1.75 million complex bearing the names of two 

wildlife officers who died in 1981 while fighting a fire on 

the refuge. The Scott J. Maness-Beau W. Sauselein 

Administrative Visitors Facility opened to the public in 

late December after a construction period of nearly two 

years, according to Steve Gard, assistant refuge manager. 

Maness and Sauselein died June 8, 1981, when the bulldozer 

they were using to dig firebreaks hit a tree stump, forcing 

the two to flee from a blaze on foot. Trap.ped by the fire, 

they were found alive - but severely burned. Both died a 

short time later. An official opening ceremony is planned 

for early summer when exhihits are completed, Gard said. 

The center is located on SR 402 about 3-1/2 miles east of 

Titusville, or a mile west of the old facility. [Lafferty. 

TODAY, pp. 1B & 3R, Jan. 21, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center officials blamed the weather for 

freezing water lines at oceanside launch pad 39A and said 

the cold may have caused a main engine control computer 

aboard Discovery to malfunction. "We've never had to launch 

in cold weather like this," NASA spokesman Charles Redmond 

said. Despite the cold, the official countdown got under 

way on time at 4 a.m. The normal pre-launch sequence was 

varied for this secret DOD mission to obscure the flight's 

actual departure time, scheduled for sometime between 1:15 

p.m. and 4:15 p.m. January 23. Military officials 

considered activating the countdown clock at nine minutes 

before liftoff. 

Engineers continued to investigate the cause of the problem 

in the engine controller, a "black box" that interacts with 

Discovery's five main on-board flight computers to drive the 

craft's primary propulsion system. Pad workers were 

-4- 
scheduled to load super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid 

hydrogen into storage tanks on Discovery said NASA 

spokeswoman Lisa Malone. Officials refused to say when the 

fueling would take place. [Yacenda. TODAY, pp. 1A & 14A, 

Jan. 22, 1985. Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. C-1 b 

C-7, Jan. 22, 1985.1 

January 22: The threat of ice forming on the space shuttle 

Discovery forced a 24-hour delay of the scheduled January 23 

liftoff, NASA announced. Shortly before midnight (January 

221, the space agency announced that "extreme weather 

conditions in the area are projected to cause icing 

conditions on the external tank" and said the launch would 

be rescheduled for the afternoon of January 24. 

The cold weather already was responsible for some launch 

problems. Freezing temperatures burst water valves and 

pipes in the launch pad fire extinguishing system during the 

night January 21. Hazardous pad operations, such as filling 

the shuttle's external fuel tank, could not be conducted 

without an operational f ire-extinguishing system on the 

pad. Other than weather-related difficulties, no other 

significant problems had occurred. [Yacenda. TODAY, pp. 1A. 

& 14A, Jan. 23, 1985.1 

January 23: A handful of demonstrators, including a Darth Vader 

look-alike, picketed outside Kennedy Space Center to protest 

what they called the militarization of space. 

Orlando resident Bruce Gagnon, state coordinator of the 

coalition, said, "I'm very proud of the space program in its 

peaceful civilian applications. That's why we haven't been 

here for other launches. We're here now because this is the 

beginning of the 'Star Wars' [Strategic Defense Initiative] 

offensive." Orlando resident Becky Acuna, who wore the 

Darth Vader costume, said she believes most passers-by made 

"a clear connection" between the fictional symbol of evil 

and what she said is the evil inherent in military control 

of space. [Bumpus-Hooper. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. A-14, 

Jan. 24, 1985.1 

January 24: NASA officials have ordered TW Services Inc. to 

halt showings of "Flight of the Aurora" at Kennedy Space 

Center's Spaceport USA until technical problems in the 

multimedia presentation are worked out. NASA officials 

-5- 
decided to take the multimedia presentation "off-line until 

we get it fine-tuned," said Chuck Hollinshead, director of 

Public Affairs at KSC; the film had its last showing January 

16. 

"It's an awfully complex show and we kind of rushed to get 

it ready for the grand opening," Hollinshead said, citing 

problems with distorted colors and groups of slides not 

showing up on the screen during the 30-minute presentation. 

"The show never got the long run it needed to get all the 

bugs out," said George Meguiar, manager of Advertising and 

Public Relations for TW Services, which operates Spaceport 

USA on a contract from KSC. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. lB, Jan. 

25, 1985.1 

<> America's first manned military space flight got under way 

at 2:50 porn., carrying five crew members and, presumably, a 

satellite into orbit. The exact departure time for the 

Discovery remained secret until nine minutes before liftoff 

from Pad 39A. 

"We did not have unexpected holds," was the most Shuttle 

Management Director Tom Utsman would say about the launch 

schedule. "There wasn't a problem as far as meeting our 

customer's needs." NASA Launch and Landing Director Bob 

Sieck said several small problems cropped up during the last 

portion of the countdown but none were "show stoppers." 

Those problems included a malfunctioning auxiliary power 

unit vent, officials said. 

Utsman said the warmer weather eliminated any possibility of 

icing problems on the outside of the shuttle's external fuel 

tank - a concern that forced the scrubbing a day earlier. 

"We had small, very small ice coverage that was melting and 

we didn't have anything out of the ordinary for a winter 

launch," Utsman said. 

Visibility was the clearest yet for any of the shuttle's 15 

departures. The craft could be seen more than 4-1/2 

minutes. By .the time the rocket's flame disappeared, 

Discovery was 150 miles downrange and 50 miles up. 

[Yacenda. TODAY, pp. 1A b 16A, Jan. 25, 1985.1 

-6- 
<> Nine people gathered in a semicircle and joined hands as 

Discovery roared into clear skies at 2:50 p.m. with its 

Defense Department cargo. "I think it's a very historic day 

in the same vein as Nagasaki and Hiroshima," said John 

Linnehan, an "inactive" Catholic priest who belongs to 

Immanuel House Peace Community in St. Petersburg. ''1 feel 

the only way we can react to what's happening here is to 

symbolically turn our backs on it and pray God will forgive 

us for contaminating outer space," said Linnehan. "We have 

an arms race here (on Earth) and now we're taking it into 

space . 'I 

Brothers Steve and Randy Gardner (both of Merritt Island) 

spray painted a slogan on a sheet that read, "Spy in the sky 

beats speakin' Russian." A cheer went up from the crowd 

when the brothers displayed it atop their truck. Steve 

Gardner, 28, pointed to the protesters and said, "I didn't 

think about doing this until we saw those guys. I had to 

make a little rebuttal." [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 16A, Jan. 

25, 1985.1 

January 26: Holloway Corp. (Titusville, FL) won a $132,677 NASA 

contract for modifications to the Operations and Checkout 

Building for payload test and integration at the Kennedy 

Space Center. The contract includes modifications of a 

coolant control room and addition of new power panels and 

receptacles, [Kassak. TODAY, p. 8C, Jan. 26, 1985.1 

January 27: Discovery made a picture-perfect landing at 4:23 

p.m. at KSC's Runway 15 - about three miles from where the 

shuttle lifted off January 24. "She sure looks clean," said 

KSC spokesman Dick Young. The mission was the third 

shortest of the 15 shuttle flights. The shortest mission - 

two days, six hours and 13 minutes - was flown by Columbia 

in November 1981. Discovery has made both of the shuttle 

program's landings at KSC. The DOD mission just completed 

lasted three days, one hour, 33 minutes and 27 seconds. 

After Sunday's landing, Air Force officials said no new 

information would be released about the military aspect of 

the mission. "The Air Force does not plan on (saying) 

anything more," said Captain Miles Wiley, an Air Force 

spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. NASA 

spokesman Hugh Harris said much the same thing. He said the 

normal post-f light news briefing was cancelled because 

shuttle program chief Jesse W. Moore, who normally conducts 

the briefing, was in Washington, D.C. 

-7- 
About 8:30 porn., KSC workers began towing Discovery to the 

Orbital Processing Facility, where the vehicle would be 

readied for its next mission. [Perez. TODAY, pp. 1A & 12A, 

Jan. 28, 1985.1 

<> Four private planes flew into the restricted airspace 

surrounding Kennedy Space Center - one just five minutes 

before Discovery touched down, Air Force officials said. 

The three other violations were reported 30 minutes or more 

before the shuttle landed, they said. At least two of the 

planes were identified by government aircraft and their 

pilots face fines, suspension of flying privileges or both. 

[Herlihy. TODAY, p. 3A, Jan. 28, 1985.1 

January 28: Discovery returned from its three-day mission in 

great shape, said KSC spokesman Jim Ball. "It really is in 

excellent condition compared to other missions," he said. 

Only about 12 heat-protection tiles were damaged during the 

flight - roughly one-third the number normally damaged. 

Ball also said technicians will examine why a device on the 

orbiter's wing recorded a higher-than-normal pressure 

reading before the launch. 

Discovery's mission ended a day earlier than planned due to 

an unfavorable weather forecast for the KSC landing site 

today. Major Ron Hinkle, an Air Force spokesman at JSC in 

Houston, said weather factors were considered for the 

landing date, but, in keeping with secrecy surrounding the 

mission, refused to say if it ended early. 

After a delay due to the breakdown of a cooling unit on the 

runway, the orbiter was towed to its hangar by 1 a.m., Ball 

said. [Perez. TODAY, pp. 1A & 14A, Jan. 29, 1985.1 

January 30: Ground was broken at Kennedy Space Center for a $25 

million facility to assemble and refurbish the twin solid 

rocket boosters that propel space shuttles into space. 

Rooster Production Co., formed January 1 as an outgrowth of 

United Space Boosters Inc., will build and occupy the new 

Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility 

under contract from NASA. The company will put an 

additional $22 million worth of equipment and capital into 

the facility, said George Murphy, Rooster Production 

executive vice president. 

-8- 
Construction on the 42-acre site about a mile south of the 

Vehicle Assembly Building is expected to be complete by 

August 1986. The construction contract is separate from the 

five-year $274 million contract USRI received from NASA in 

August to manufacture, assemble, test and deliver 84 sets of 

the twin rocket boosters. USBI also is required under the 

contract to refurbish boosters after each flight. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, p. 18C, Jan. 31, 1985.1 

-9- 
FEBRUARY 1985 

February 2: Dr. Carlos Rlazquez (PT-TPO-A) is currently engaged 

in remote sensing research concerning the impact of stress 

upon plants, i.e., internal leaf structure changes. Also 

working toward the development of this remote sensing 

technique is Dr. George Edwards of the University of 

Florida's agricultural research center in Lake Alfred, 

Florida. ["IR Can Spy Plant Stress Before Eyes Do," SCIENCE 

NEWS, p. 70, Feb. 2, 1985.1 

<> Scientific Systems Services Inc. (Melbourne, FL) won a $1.5 

million contract to provide software for the space shuttle 

launch processing system at Kennedy Space Center. Under the 

one-year contract from Martin Marietta Aerospace in Denver, 

SSS will design and develop enhancements that ensure the 

software for the various launch functions is compatible with 

upgraded computer equipment that Martin Marietta is 

supplying. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 8C, Feb. 2, 1985.1 

February 3: NASA and the Air Force have embarked on a multimillion-dollar program to improve weather forecasting and to 

increase the chances of local orbiter landings. The twoyear, $2.7 million Meteorological Systems Modernization 

Program will create "a unique forecasting facility that 

doesn't exist anywhere else in the world," said Ray Cerrato, 

chairman of the program for Kennedy Space Center. 

Scheduled for completion in May, 1986, officials hope the 

new equipment will better forecast rain, lightning, wind, 

visibility and other factors that, unless prepared for, can 

delay a launch, landing or preparation of a shuttle. To 

reduce the chance of error, advanced computers have been 

installed at the Air Force's Cape Canaveral Forecast 

Facility and devices to measure short-range, local weather 

conditions have been installed throughout NASA-and Air 

Force-owned land. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1B & 38, Feb. 3, 

1985.1 

February 5: David Roland Inc. (Titusville, FL) won a S3 million 

NASA contract for site preparation and construction of a 

two-story addition to the existing Deep Space 

Instrumentation Facility (DSIF) . Radio frequency shielding 

-10- 
will be part of the structure to be built at Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station. Under the contract, Roland will build 

phase one of the new addition to the DSIF which will house 

the Centaur Payload Operations Control Center. [Kassak. 

TODAY, p. 16C, Feb. 6, 1985.1 

<> Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), whose district includes Kennedy 

Space Center, was elected as the new chairman of the 

Subcommittee on Space Science & Applications of the House 

- Science is Technology Committee, which is responsible for 

authorizing the space portion of the NASA budget. ["Nelson 

Named as New Chairman of House Space Subcommittee,' DEFENSE 

DAILY, p. 203, Feb. 6, 1985.1 

February 10: The space shuttle Challenger is set for an 8:30 

a.m. EST launch on March 3 and is targeted for a KSC landing 

at 9:22 a.m. EST on March 7, just ten hours before the Air 

Force launches an Atlas-Centaur from Cape Canaveral between 

7:09 and 7:28 p.m. EST. 

"We're.stil1 going on the seventh," Charles D. Gay, KSC 

Director of Expendable Vehicles Operation, said. "We worked 

it out with the (tracking) range Friday [February 81, and 

they can recycle all their resources. Everything fell in 

place. " 

Challenger was rolled from the Orbiter Processing Facility 

to the Vehicle Assembly Building at about 9:30 a.m. EST 

today. Work on the heat tiles was expected to continue in 

the VAB and at the launch pad. "We don't know of any other 

problems we have to solve," said NASA spokesman Hugh 

Harris. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, Feb. 1, 1985.1 

February 11: Playalinda Reach was closed today and was not 

expected to reopen until early May when a road paving 

project is complete, according to Canaveral National 

Seashore officials. Martin Paving Co. (Daytona Beach, FL) 

will begin work on a $1.4 million contract to pave the 

five-mile road that runs parallel to the beach. The 

contract calls for building a two-lane road and moving 

parking areas next to the dunes so visitors can get to the 

beach without crossing the road. ["Playalinda Reach Closed 

Until May," TODAY, p. lB, Feb. 11, 1985.1 

-1 1- 
February 12: Celestis Group (Melbourne, Florida) won initial 

government approval for their space burial service. The 

company plans to launch cremated human remains. News of the 

approval came to Celestis in a phone call from former 

astronaut Donald "Deke" Slayton, the man whose rocket 

they've hired for the job. Jennifer Dorn, director of the 

Department of Transportation's Commercial Space 

Transportation Office, announced that DOT had approved the 

mission plans of Slayton's Space Services of America. 

[Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Feb. 13, 1985.1 

February 13: Patrice Mion and Bill Sargent - students at the 

University of Florida - are part of a $66,000 project at 

Kennedy Space Center: the project is designed to use the 

decomposing organic matter in KSC's marshes as an organic 

charcoal filter to dispose of the heavy metals produced by 

high tech industries and other sources, according to G. 

Ronnie Rest, associate director of UF's Center for 

Wetlands. [Bailey. THE TRIBUNE, p. 2A, Feb. 13, 1985.1 

February 15: Challenger's rollout to launch pad 39A was delayed 

24 hours for the precautionary replacement of an electronic 

capacitor in one of the solid rocket booster-control units. 

Sources said the schedule preceding liftoff was tight and 

the double delay - due to the tiles and the capacitor's 

replacement - probably would result in one-day slip in the 

launch date. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Feb. 16, 1985.1 

February 16: A mock countdown of March 3's space shuttle launch 

began following Challenger's successful rollout from the 

Vehicle Assembly Building to its pad at launch complex 39. 

Workers secured Challenger to the launch pad just after 

midnight. The loading of the shuttle's payload, which 

includes two satellites, began in the afternoon, according 

to KSC spokesman Dick Young. 

Rollout began at about 6 p.m. EST February 15, and took more 

than five hours to cover the 3-1/2 mile distance, said Jim 

Ball, another space center spokesman. [Lafferty. TODAY, 

p. 16A, Feb. 16, 1985.1 

<> Space shuttle missions cloaked in military secrecy are 

favored by a large majority of registered voters in every 

section of Florida, according to the latest Sunshine State 

-1 2- 
ORIGINAL PAGE IS 

OF POOR QUALITY 

The seven-member Challenger crew completed a successful 

countdown rehearsal February 17. When the mission was 

scrubbed March 5, most of the crew - including Sen. Jake 

Garn (R-Utah)- was reassigned to Discovery's mission 51-D 

which was launched on April 12, the anniversary of 

Columbia's first-ever shuttle launch in 1981. 

-13- 
n 

Survey. The survey, conducted for TODAY, found that 72 

percent of those polled favor military shuttle missions 

while 74 percent support keeping secret information such as 

launch and landing dates. Kennedy Space Center spokesman 

Dick Young said the favorable results show a "public 

acceptance'' of the military's role in the space shuttle 

program. He said NASA "would very much welcome'' the 

public's support. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A b 20A, Feh. 17, 

1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Costello Construction Company 

Inc. (Merritt Island, Florida) a $74,350 contract to 

construct a storage building for the Launch Equipment Test 

Facility (LETF). According to the fixed price, set aside 

contract, the building must be completed within sixty days 

of notice to proceed. [Marth. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 

31-85, Feb. 16, 1985.1 

February 17: The seven-member crew of the Challenger - 

including Utah Sen. Jake Garn - completed a successful 

countdown dress rehearsal at LC 39A at Kennedy Space 

Center. "We're ready to fly,'' said Mission Commander Karol 

Robko, at a launch pad press conference held after the twohour exercise ended right on schedule at 4 p.m. EST. A 

heavy press turnout for the conference was attributed to the 

'presence in the crew of senator Garn, the first civilian 

observer in space. Referring to the baskets used in the 

launch pad evacuation procedures, Commander Bobko called 

them "the second most exciting ride you can take off the 

launch pad. " 

Asked how it felt to go through the launch procedures, Garn 

said, "I think we were all excited. This is the real 

thing." [Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, Feb. 18, 1985.1 

February 19: An Air Force "Jolly Green Giant" (CH-3E) 

helicopter was used to rid the VAB roof of an 80-foot mast 

that included a mechanism used to install lightning rods to 

protect spacecraft during electrical storms. The device was 

put atop the VAR during the Apollo-Soyuz project in 1972. 

NASA said the mast was now obsolete and posed a possible 

safety threat. 

-14- 
The gear was installed originally to help forestall any 

delays due to electrical storms at the time of the ASTP. 

"There was a short launch window on that (less than 10 

minutes) and we had to rendezvous with the Russians. We 

didn't want any holdups," NASA spokesman Dick Young said. 

[Herlihy. TODAY, pp. 1B & 2B, Feb. 20, 1985.1 

<> KSC officials declined to clear Challenger for its expected 

March 3 launch; the officials had just attended a "launch 

readiness review" meeting. It was announced, however, that 

tile replacements are complete and that gap filler and 

quality verification work continues. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 

16A, Feb. 20, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Doug Wilson Enterprises, Inc. 

(Cape Canaveral, FL) a $98,439 contract for the construction 

of a Ground Support Equipment Storage Facility. Under the 

contract, Wilson Enterprises is responsible for the 

construction of a pre-engineered metal building located 

south of the OPF low bay on a concrete slab with reinforced 

concrete foundations; the contract also includes the 

preparation and utilities installation.. The fixed price 

contract calls for Wilson Enterprises to complete all work 

on the facility within 200 days of notice to proceed. 

[Marth. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 32-85, Feb. 19, 1985.1 

February 21: NASA again delayed the next launch of the space 

shuttle, saying that Mission 51-E will depart Kennedy Space 

Center no earlier than 8:31 a.m. EST March 4. It also 

announced that the deployment of a telecommunication 

satellite via an Atlas-Centaur rocket has been postponed two 

weeks, to no earlier than 6:56 p.m. EST March 21. 

Of the one-day delay in Challenger's departure, an official 

NASA statement said: "The additional time is required in 

the schedule to complete cargo integration and orbiter 

systems testing prior to launch." [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

12A, Feb. 22, 1985.1 

February 22: NASA officials said that KSC teams can launch 

shuttles on both March 4 and March 19, but it will mean 

besting their own performance records to do it. To meet 

their tightest-ever launch turnaround deadlines, KSC 

officials have scheduled a launch pad preparation period of 

-15- 
less than four working days: this assumes that no unexpected 

problems will develop. Details were discussed at a morning 

KSC press conference featuring Launch Director Bob Sieck and 

Billy Childers, who coordinates activities. 

"We've had schedules for over a year showing this 

turnaround," Childers said. "This is the first time we've 

tried it." Sieck said the biggest threat to the timetable 

is getting Challenger launched on time, at 8:31 a.m. EST, 

March 4. "There's no contingency time," Sieck said. "There 

are no non-work days. In fact, the last non-work day we 

observed here at Kennedy was New Year's Day." [Lunner. 

TODAY, pp. 1A b 12A, Feb. 23, 1985.1 

February 25: A potential strike by Pan Am workers was not 

expected to disrupt shuttle launch operations, according to 

Hugh Harris, KSC's chief spokesman. About 10 of the 255 

union members work with the Air Force unit that monitors 

weather for Kennedy Space Center. 

"Pan Am has assured us that the jobs that would be left 

vacant will be performed by Pan Am management," said Lt. 

Col. Robert Nicholson, Jr. at Patrick Air Force Rase. 

Sam Casella, business agent for Teamsters Local 769, said 

negotiations had been underway since September 1984 and the 

strike was expected to occur February 28 should Pan Am's 

contract offer not meet with union approval. [Lunner. 

TODAY, p. lR, Feb. 26, 1985.1 

February 26: Engineers at Kennedy Space Center have been trying 

to determine whether a small leak where super-cold hydrogen 

is fed to Challenger during liftoff could be a problem 

during the March 4 launch, KSC spokesmen said. The leak's 

severity is acceptable under NASA standards, but engineers 

at three space agency locations reassessed those standards 

to see if a serious problem existed, said Center spokesman 

Jim Ball. 

The problem is with a seal where a 17-inch line leading from 

the external fuel tank enters the vehicle and pumps liquid 

hydrogen to its engines during the launch. [Lafferty. 

TODAY, p. lA, Feb. 27, 1985.1 

-16- 
<> NASA, worried about its declining launch business, won a 

major turf battle by getting the Air Force to agree to book 

one-third of all space shuttle flights. In return, NASA 

will stop its opposition to an Air Force plan to develop and 

build 10 single-use rockets to be used in competition with 

the shuttle, for two satellite launches a year, NASA 

Administrator James Beggs said. ["NASA, Air Force Reach 

Deal on Shuttle Use," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. A-6, Feb. 27, 

1985.1 

February 27: A faulty battery cell found aboard a $100 million 

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite forced NASA to postpone 

space shuttle Challenger's launch three days, till March 7. 

The delay was announced after routine tests revealed the 

cell was not holding a charge, said Kennedy Space Center 

spokesman Jim Ball. The problem can be fixed while the 

shuttle is on the pad, but the cargo bay doors must be 

reopened, he said. 

Challenger's postponement also will push back the launch of 

Discovery from March 19 to March 22, said KSC spokesman Dick 

Young. The turnaround time between the two launches - 15 

days - is the quickest eyer scheduled between shuttle 

flights. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. lA, Feb. 28, 1985.1 

February 28: Two Lockheed Space Operations Co. employees were 

suspended from their jobs after Kennedy Space Center 

security officials spotted them loading government property 

into their automobiles, KSC spokesman Dick Young said. The 

men weren't arrested but charges were expected to be filed 

with the State Attorney's Office next week, Young said. 

Security officials reported seizing $400 worth of computer 

supplies and other items February 27 as well as a loaded 

weapon found in one of the automobiles. The men were 

detained early on the morning of the 27th outside KSC's 

central supply facility in the industrial area, Young said. 

["Lockheed Workers Suspended From Jobs," TODAY, p. lR, Mar. 

1, 1985.1 

<> Bettie Yates (Rockledge, FL) was awarded $425,000 in damages 

after a federal jury decided a NASA subcontractor was partly 

to blame for her son's death in a fall from a Kennedy Space 

Center launch pad, officials said. After deliberating for a 

day and a half, the jury ordered North Florida Steel to pay 

-17- 
damages, ruling that company officials were partly to blame 

for the May 5, 1981, accident in which 23-year-old Anthony 

Hill died. 

Hill, a former construction worker with Wilholt 

International Corp., fell 110 feet while installing a 

handrail on the catwalk of launch pad 39R. An investigation 

revealed that a grating beneath Hill's feet had given way 

before the fall. [Ash. TODAY, p. lB, Mar. 1, 1985.1 

-18- 
MARCH 1985 

Uarch 1: A threatened strike by Pan Am World Services workers 

began and ended the same day after Pan Am obtained a court 

order forbidding one of its unions from honoring another 

union's picket lines. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Mar. 

6, 1985.1 

March 3: Technicians began unloading two satellites from 

Challenger this morning in preparation for its March 5 

rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building, a Kennedy Space 

Center spokesman said. While the faulty TDRS satellite is 

repaired, a Canadian satellite aboard Challenger will be 

removed and placed aboard Discovery which is to replace 

Challenger on the pad and to be launched, barring further 

difficulties, in late March or early April. The satellite 

shuffle was decided upon by NASA officials after tests 

located a problem on a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 

already in orbit. Tests indicated its sister TDRS aboard 

Challenger could have the same problem which centers on a 

device used to encode classified information the Department 

of Defense will use on military shuttle missions flown out 

of KSC and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 

Modifications to the TDRS were expected to take several 

weeks. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Mar. 3, 1985.1 

March 4: Bacteria may one day be a vital part of the Shuttle 

Transportation System,. suggests an 18aonth study at the 

Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. Scientists 

at Kennedy are studying the feasibility of using a 

photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas, to covert solar 

energy into the hydrogen necessary to get the space shuttle 

off the ground. 

With a goal of 24 shuttle flights a year, scientists are 

hoping to lessen reliance on non-renewable hydrogen sources, 

such as natural gas or coal. Richard Strayer and David 

Raska of the Bionetics Corporation, a KSC contractor, report 

that although their hydrogen production has exceeded 

published reports, it still isn't competitive with 

non-renewable sources. Strayer and Raska present their 

findings today at a meeting of the American Society for 

Microbiology in Las Vegas. [Healy and Findlay. USA TODAY, 

p. 4D, Mar. 4, 1985.1 

-19- 
<> 

<> 

The White House told the Air Force and NASA to begin a study 

leading to joint development of a bigger and more powerful 

space shuttle for the 21st century. In a major policy 

change, the Reagan administration wants the Air Force to 

share with NASA the cost of designing and acquiring the 

"second-generation" shuttle. The $10 billion cost of 

developing the shuttles now used was borne by NASA, though 

the Air Force is to use it a third of the time. An 

administration source said, "We think this is the way to 

make space transportation cost-effective in the future." 

["Air Force Will Help Develop Next Shuttle," THE ORLANDO 

SENTINEL, p. A-7, Mar. 5, 1985.1 

NASA's shuttle mission planners met but did not decide 

whether to reassign the crew of Challenger's cancelled 

flight, including Sen. Jake Garn, to the next flight of 

Discovery. A decision is expected within the week. "There 

is just no idea which way to go" because so many factors are 

involved, including payload weight, astronaut training, 

customer schedules and launch preparation, said NASA 

spokesman Charles Redmond. He said Challenger might be 

launched a few days before April 30, the date now scheduled 

for the shuttle to carry Spacelab in its cargo bay on a 

mission of scientific experiments. The-agency then would 

hope to resume the regular schedule for the rest of the 

year. Garn's and French payload specialist Patrick Baudry's 

chances of being chosen for Discovery's mission are enhanced 

because results of their space medical work would help 

Spacelab's crew members. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, 

p. A-7, Mar. 5, 1985.1 

Harch 5: Greer Electric Co. Inc. (Rockledge, FL) was awarded a 

$213,980 contract for the installation of a lighting systems 

at Launch Complex 398. The contract calls for Greer to 

replace four existing floodlight poles with 47-foot-high 

light poles and install lighting systems on those new poles 

and on an additional 30-foot pole. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 16C, 

Mar. 6, 1985.1 

<> The space shuttle Challenger rolled back to the Vehicle 

Assembly Building from pad 39A, two days before it was 

supposed to have been launched. Its mission was scrubbed 

because of a defect in a satellite it was supposed to 

carry. Challenger covered the three-mile trip in more than 

six hours. ["Earth-Round Orbiter," TODAY, p. lA, Mar. 6, 

1985.1 

-20- 
<> Rockwell International established a $2.5 million orbiter 

components service center in Cape Canaveral which could add 

100 local jobs within a year, city officials said. The 

facility, at 8600 Astronaut Boulevard, will be used to 

troubleshoot and repair a variety of mechanical parts and 

electronic systems used by the shuttle, according to Ron 

Tulino, manager of the facility. Such repairs now are done 

by the manufacturer, frequently at distant factories. 

Tulino said, 'We are being asked right now to do some 

related repairs on the turnaround on this vehicle 

(Challenger), because we are here." [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, 

Mar. 6, 1985.1 

March 6: A vigilante who takes offense at bad driving habits 

has been slashing tires at Kennedy Space Center. The 

culprit used a tool to break the valve stem of two tires on 

two cars during the past month, according to KSC spokesman 

Dick Young. His 2-by-2-1/2 inch calling card is 'a little 

note left on the windshield chastising them for their bad 

driving habits," Young said. The card, a copy of a typed 

note, is signed, 'Ye old valve cutter." 

Young said six cases of tire slashings have been reported 

at KSC during the past month - two. of them the work of the 

"valve cutter" and the other four the work of more 

traditional vandals. KSC security is investigating the 

incidents, Young said. ["Tire Slasher Targets 'Bad 

Drivers'," TODAY, p. lB, Mar. 7, 1985.1 

<> Most of the astronauts - including Sen. Jake Garn - who were 

to have flown on the scrubbed Challenger mission were 

assigned to Discovery's next mission. The crew will include 

mission commander Karol J. Bobko, pilot Donald E. Williams, 

mission specialists M. Rhea Seddon, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, and 

S. David Griggs, and payload specialists Charles D. Walker 

and Garn. Crew members bumped from Discovery will be 

assigned to a future flight, NASA said. No specific launch 

date has been determined for Discovery's next flight, but it 

is expected to be late March or early April. 

The space agency said it took crew training, future mission 

dates and individual assignment requirements into 

consideration when it chose the new Discovery crew. "In the 

case of Jake Garn, NASA cited the busy congressional 

schedule and Garn's direct involvement in experiments to be 

conducted on this flight," A NASA news release said. 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. SA, Mar. 7, 1985.1 

-2 1- 
<> Hughes Aircraft Co. has placed its proposed Titusville 

satellite-assembly plant on hold for at least a year, citing 

a decline in the communications satellite business, a 

spokesman said. The delay means the $160 million plant on 

U. S. Highway 1 near Kennedy Space Center will be redesigned 

and may not be occupied until 1990, more than three years 

later than originally announced. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO 

SENTINEL, pp. B-1 & B-2, Mar. 7, 1985.1 

March 7: Wind gusts of up to 25 knots delayed the scheduled 

removal of a satellite from the launch pad at Kennedy Space 

Center, but other preparations for the next shuttle mission 

went well, NASA officials said. Discovery was expected to 

be rolled over from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the 

Vehicle Assembly Building at noon on March 8. ["Winds Delay Satellite Work," TODAY, p. 8A, Mar. 8, 1985.1 

March 8: A 2,500-pound work platform fell and crashed into the 

side of space shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center, 

putting a worker in the hospital with a broken leg and 

grounding the orbiter. The accident was expe'cted to delay 

Discovery's launch from the targeted March 28 date into 

early April, said NASA official Charles Redmond. 

"I just heard a bang and I looked up, and the bucket fell 

down on top of me," said injured Lockheed worker Gary 

Sutherland, 35, a resident of Port St. John. "It caught me 

before I could do anything." Sutherland was listed in 

stable condition at Jess Parrish Memorial Hospital in 

Titusville; his injuries included two breaks in his left leg 

and a bruised shoulder. 

The falling platform grazed Sutherland's shoulder, knocked 

him onto the catwalk he had been standing on, bounced off 

the catwalk's 45-degree-angle chain supports and careened 

into Discovery's left cargo bay door, according to various 

KSC sources. Photographs of the shuttle damage show two 

holes about 3 feet apart, each about 5 inches long. 

Following a preliminary inspection by a special accident 

review board, a NASA statement said that one of the buckets 

above Discovery had been retracted and stowed, but broke 

loose when the rolling bridge was moved. 

-22- 
Teams from Johnson Space Center, Rockwell International's 

California shuttle factory and other engineer and design 

experts were expected to arrive later in the night [March 81 

to begin assessing the damage. NASA said it would not 

release any further information about the accident until its 

six-man review board, chaired by KSC Cargo Projects Director 

John Neilon, issues its findings. NASA spokesman could not 

estimate when the board might be concluding its 

investigation. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 18A, Mar. 9, 

1985.1 

March 9: Technicians began opening the Discovery's cargo bay 

doors in an attempt to analyze damage caused when a work 

platform crashed into the orbiter on the morning of March 

8. A subsequent delay in the launch of the shuttle, could 

be anywhere from four to 10 days, said NASA spokesman 

Charles Redmond. 

Meanwhile, an investigation board met throughout the day to 

begin an assessment of the accident and will begin 

interviewing witnesses March 11, according to a 

spokeswoman. No details of the board's findings will be 

released until the investigation is complete, officials 

said. It's not known how long the probe will take. 

An interior view of the cargo bay door is expected to reveal 

whether radiators that dissipate heat during shuttle 

missions were damaged by the 2,500-pound platform, said KSC 

spokesman Dick Young. The investigation board will attempt 

to find out why the platform fell, looking into design, 

construction, operation and maintenance. Young said it's 

not known whether the cargo bay door will be repaired or 

replaced, or whether Discovery could be replaced by 

Challenger. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A & 20A, Mar. 10, 

1985.1 

March 11: NASA officials are considering giving the next 

shuttle launch date back to the Challenger after Discovery 

was damaged by a falling platform last week, a NASA 

spokesman said. A team of engineers investigating the 

mishap will determine March 12 how long repairs will take, 

which will help NASA officials decide which orbiter will 

make the flight, said NASA spokesman Hugh Harris. 

["Challenger May Replace Discovery for Mission," TODAY, p. 

6A, Mar. 12, 1985.1 

-23- 
March 12: Jim Ball, KSC spokesman, easily won election to a 

seat on the Titusville city council. Ball, who carried ten 

of the thirteen precincts, garnered a total of 3,379 votes 

to 2,407 for his opponent Rick Anderau. Both men were 

newcomers to elective politics. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1B & 

3i3, Mar. 13, 1985.1 

<> Repairs to a damaged Discovery have begun at Kennedy Space 

Center, where NASA expects to launch the patched-up shuttle 

by mid-April, officials said. "We are going to fly 

Discovery," said Hugh Harris, chief KSC spokesman. He said 

NASA officials, who reportedly considered using Challenger 

instead, determined that the time needed to switch cargo 

connections in the shuttles would be excessive. Two footsquare patches of the material used in building the cargo 

doors are expected to arrive today (March 13) from Rockwell 

International's Tulsa, Oklahoma, factory, Harris said. The 

patching is expected to take about ten days. After that, 

new thermal blanketing must be installed, and the door 

re-tested before Discovery can be rolled from its hangar in 

the Orbiter Processing Facility into the VAB. 

"A launch date for Discove.ry will not be chosen until a day 

or two after the orbiter has moved to the VAB and mated with 

its external tank and booster set," said a NASA 

spokeswoman. NASA hopes to announce an updated schedule of 

flights and cargoes for the next six months when it releases 

Discovery's timetable. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, Mar. 13, 

1985.1 

March 14: George W. Walter, pioneer member of Donald D. 

Buchanan's team of design engineers, died at Wuesthoff 

Memorial Hospital in Rockledge, Florida, following a serious 

illness. Walter, along with the other members of his team, 

created launch pedestals, hold-down and support mechanisms, 

blast deflectors and umbilical towers for America's earliest 

Redstone rockets. During the design phase of KSC, Buchanan 

and Walter traveled to Washington to fight for the idea of a 

giant tractor crawler to move rocket assemblies to the pad. 

Walter's evaluation of the crawler-transporter design was 

upheld by an independent consultant firm. 

As head of the structural section, Walter had responsibility 

for all the launch towers, heavy steel structures, launch 

pad foundations and deflector systems. 

-24- 
Walter, a resident of Merritt Island, Florida, is survived 

by Yvonne, his wife of 44 years, three sons, a brother, two 

sisters and three grandchildren. [Backman. TODAY, pp. 1B & 

3B, Mar. 15, 1985.1 

Uarch 15: The holes in Discovery's cargo door have been plugged 

and repairs should be completed by the night of March 16, 

NASA officials said. "They have installed the patches," 

said NASA spokesman Dick Young. "They will be installing 

additional plates inside and outside to make sure the 

patches stay in place. It may be ready for rollover to the 

VAB by next weekend." [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Mar. 

16, 1985.1 

Uarch 19: NASA planners chose April 12, the fourth anniversary 

of the shuttle program's first launch, as the target date 

for the next flight of Discovery, sources said. Repairs to 

Discovery continued on schedule and point toward the April 

date. KSC spokesman Dick Young, however, insisted that no 

official date had been determined. 'It's an assessment 

date, and it's subject to change," Young said. An 

assessment date, he explained, is one which NASA planners 

would like to meet: the firm launch date will be announced 

when Discovery has moved into the VAB and been mated with 

its external tank and boosters. Rollover is expected to 

occur March 23. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, Mar. 20, 1985.1 

<> Four minutes and 38 seconds from liftoff, the launch of an 

Atlas-Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

was delayed by an on-board computer problem: an hour later 

the launch was scrubbed. "We don't seem to be coming up 

with much here," said the voice of Charles Gay, launch 

director, monitored at the press observation sit'e. "Let's 

go ahead and terminate and come back up another day.' NASA 

officials laid the cause of the scrub to a synchronization 

problem in a flight control computer. The computer was 

receiving different data from its ground and vehicle 

sources, and so ordered the countdown stopped, NASA 

officials said. Sources at the launch site said the new 

launch date could be as early as March 20. [Lunner. TODAY, 

p. 4A, Mar. 20, 1985.1 

Uarch 20: Inadequate maintenance combined with mechanical 

fatigue probably caused the March 8 industrial accident that 

punched two holes in the Discovery at Rennedy Space Center, 

-25- 
NASA officials said. Official results of the investigation 

are not due until April 4, but Charles Redmond, a NASA 

spokesman in Washington, D.C., discussed preliminary 

findings, saying, "We've checked out all the other (work 

buckets) and cleared them. Preliminary indications are that 

it needs more frequent inspections than what we've given 

it. It's probably a case where the machine itself was 

within specifications, but we should have done something 

that we didn't." Redmond said further that, "after 15 

flights and an awful lot of extra tile work, we're beginning 

to see 'life fatigue' on some of this equipment." [Lunner. 

TODAY, p. lA, Mar. 21, 1985.1 

March 21: Bad weather delayed the scheduled launch of an AtlasCentaur rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, but 

NASA officials said they plan to fly the twice-delayed 

mission March 22, weather permitting. 

In shuttle news, NASA officials said repairs to the 

Discovery were proceeding on schedule. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 

11A, Mar. 22, 1985.1 

Uarch 22: After two delays in one week, a $41 million Intelsat 

communications satellite was launched into space at 6:55 

p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an 

Atlas-Centaur rocket. NASA's George Diller described the 

liftoff as "flawless. It was one of the prettiest AtlasCentaur launches we've seen in a long, long time," he said. 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 9A, Mar. 23, 1985.1 

<> Edwin "BUZZ" Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon 

during Apollo 11's mission, was inducted as a Gen. Jimmy 

Doolittle fellow in ceremonies sponsored by the Cape 

Canaveral Chapter of the Air Force Association. The general 

led bombing raids on Tokyo during World War 11. A crowd of 

325 was on hand at the Crossway Inn in Cocoa Beach to 

receive Aldrin, the former Gemini and Apollo astronaut and 

now professor at the University of North Dakota. 

Aldrin thanked those involved with his induction and spoke 

about the importance of education. He is the first 

astronaut with a doctorate of philosophy. "I think that 

education paved the way for the opportunities that later 

came my way by being in the right place at the right time," 

Aldrin said. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 20A, Mar. 23, 1985.1 

-26- 
Harch 23: Discovery was successfully moved from its processing 

hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building and officials 

predicted that it would journey to its launch pad March 28. 

Shuttle workers, meanwhile, finished replacing 

heat-resisting blankets on one of Discovery's cargo bay 

doors, completing repairs to two punctures in the door that 

occurred in an accident March 8. KSC spokesman Jim Ball 

also said that as a precautionary measure, a 17-inch seal 

where hydrogen flows into Discovery had been replaced. A 

tentative launch date of April 12 was set. ["Shuttle 

Discovery Ready to Roll Out This Week, NASA Officials 

Predict," TODAY, p. 9A, Mar. 24, 1985.1 

March 25: Frank A. Kennedy Inc. (Cape Canaveral, FL) won a 

$97,235 NASA contract to replace an air handling unit in 

Hangar N at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and to install 

additional lighting fixtures in the low bay area of the 

Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. 

[Kassak. TODAY, p. 14C, Mar. 25, 1985.1 

<> Top executives from companies belonging to the American 

Stock Exchange toured the Kennedy Space Center, hoping to 

learn more about the possibilities of commercialization in 

space. "I think-as (the space program) goes on, the degree 

of risk and apprehension of potential customers will 

decrease," said Wallace W. Both, board chairman and 

president of Ducommun Inc., which manufactures a signifcant 

portion of the shuttle's external fuel tanks. 

Isaac T. Gillam, NASA's assistant administrator for 

commercial programs, told the executives that the space 

agency is trying to make it easier for U. S. corporations to 

do business in space. "The program is outlined to take 

advantage of what we do best, what you do best and what (the 

universities) do best," Gillam said. "What we're trying to 

do is get an edge for U. S. industry." [Perez. TODAY, p. 16C, Mar. 26, 1985.1 

<> NASA can survive at 1985 spending levels and still build a 

fifth space shuttle, said Rep. Bill Nelson, D-Melbourne, FL, 

chairman of a House space sciences subcommittee. "If we (in 

Congress) are ever able to make a serious attempt at 

reduction of the federal deficit," he said, "and sooner or 

later (we're) going to have to...then NASA's going to have 

to take its part of the belt-tightening as well. "I've 

already had the staff looking at how we would reorganize our 

-27- 
priorities should it be a freeze at fiscal year '85 levels." 

Nelson, speaking to the Cape Canaveral Press Club in Cocoa, 

said his subcommittee is looking for financial answers to 

such questions as: "How we continue on with the space 

station, the science experiments, and so forth? How we can 

still keep the option of keeping the fifth orbiter alive? 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 9A, Mar. 26, 1985.1 

Uarch 27: NASA announced that the next shuttle launch at KSC 

would occur April 12 and that it would feature elements of 

two missions scrubbed earlier this year. Flight Director 

Randy Stone indicated that the upcoming liftoff has two 

launch windows - from 8:04 to 8:18 a.m. and from 8:45 to 9 

a.m. Additionally, the announced date is also the fourth 

anniversary of the first shuttle flight. Landing at KSC was 

scheduled for April 17, at about 8:14 a.m. [Lunner. TODAY, 

pp. 1A & 16A, Mar. 28, 1985.1 

Harch 29: President Reagan, in a speech to the National Space 

Club, named the members of the long-awaited National 

Commission on Space; notable among the 14 members were 

Thomas 0. Paine, former NASA administrator: Brig, Gen. 

Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager; Neil A. Armstrong; shuttle 

astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan and former U. N. ambassador 

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick. ["Reagan Names Space Commission," 

SCIENCE, p. 161, April 12, 1985.1 

March 30: Shuttle flight and ground crews completed an 18-hour 

mock countdown, prompting NASA to announce that Discovery 

appears set for its April 12 liftoff. Senator Jake Garn and 

the rest of the seven-member crew were aboard the orbiter 

before dawn preparing for a mock 8 a.m. launch, said NASA 

spokesman Hugh Harris. 

After the rehearsal, Garn said he was anxious to go into 

space. He disregarded critics and cartoonists who poked fun 

at the planned experiments. "I haven't been concerned about 

publicity," he said. And later, Garn autographed copies of 

the comic strip "Doonesbury" with the signature: "Barf in" 

Jake Garn. "If everything had gone perfectly, I couldn't 

have seen. . .the whole process," he said. 

Following the successful mock liftoff, the crew observed two 

satellites being loaded into Discovery's cargo bay, said 

Leslie Vock, NASA spokeswoman. [Herlihy. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

16A, Mar. 31, 1985.1 

-28- 
APRIL 1985 

April 1: Twenty-five years ago today, weather forecasting was 

revolutionized when photographs showing Earth's weather 

patterns were broadcast from space. TIROS-1 - the 

Television Infrared Observation Satellite built by RCA 

Astro-Electronics - was launched from Cape Canaveral. It 

was the forerunner of today's advanced spacecraft that 

provide a wide range of sophisticated weather data and serve 

as search-and-rescue aids for ships and aircraft in 

distress. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 5A, Apr. 2, 1985.1 

<> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

administrator Anthony Calio and NASA deputy administrator 

for space science and applications Samuel W. Keller worked 

out a framework in which NOAA would use the space shuttle to 

launch its next three polar-orbiting weather satellites - 

known as NOAA K, L, and M - instead of using cheaper, 

refurbished Titan I1 ICBM's being offered by the Air Force. 

In return, NASA would make up the roughly $90 million price 

difference stemming from modifications required to launch 

the satellites from the shuttle. ["NASA, NOAA Make A Deal," 

SCIENCE, p. 309, Apr. 19, 1985.1 

April 2: The falling platform which damaged the Discovery in 

March fell because of a design defect caused a cable linkage 

on an overhead crane system to break. According to sources 

who asked not to be identified, a notice that warned of 

defective operation had been posted on the crane system, but 

it was small and might have fallen off. The sources said 

that NASA's investigative board found that the design defect 

caused a linkage in one cable gradually to weaken and break, 

dropping the 2,500-pound metal platform and injuring a 

worker's leg before colliding with one of Discovery's two 

cargo bay doors on March 8. [Associated Press. "Report 

Blames Cable for Shuttle Damage," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. 

lD, Apr. 3, 1985.1 

<> American Business Interiors (Melbourne, FL) won a contract 

from USBI Booster Production Co. Inc. (Titusville, FL) for 

the planning and interior design of office areas at its new 

solid rocket production facility at Kennedy Space Center. 

Jeanne Kenaston is the project manager and Susan Freeland 

director of design. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 16C, Apr. 3, 1985.1 

-29- 
<> James Reggs, NASA Administrator, advised members of Kennedy 

Space Center management to "tighten things up" in the wake 

of two March delays of space shuttle missions, reported 

AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY'S April 1 issue this week. 

"While there are excuses in both cases, I consider them just 

that, and I told (the managers) that I was not going to 

tolerate it - they are all on notice," said Reggs. The 

article said the accident was expected to lead to changes in 

KSC's work safety procedures. NASA's investigation of the 

accident has not yet released its report to the public and 

KSC's chief spokesman Hugh Harris said "We will not talk 

about an investigation until the final report is made." 

Harris said the official report was originally scheduled for 

release April 4 but is now expected at a later date. 

The magazine also quoted Beggs characterizing the Discovery 

accident as "a serious breach" of NASA work procedures. "1 

do not think this represents a serious problem with 

discipline or motivation and desire by either NASA or 

contractor employees," Reggs said. "They still exhibit 

enthusiasm, and the morale is high. But as a consequence of 

this accident we will have to tighten things up." [Lunner. 

TODAY, pp. 1A t 16A, Apr. 3, 1985.1 

April 3: The House of Representatives ordered the 1986 budget 

for NASA frozen at current spending levels. Rep. Rltuce 

Morrison (D-Conn.), who led the effort, said, "The time to 

institute a freeze on spending is now." Melbourne, Florida, 

Democrat, Bill Nelson tried to stop the freeze by urging 

members not to "whack away" at individual budgets but wait 

until later in the session when a freeze could be applied 

across the board." Congressman Nelson is the chairman of a 

House space sciences subcommittee. 

NASA spokesman Hugh Harris did not know how the proposed 

freeze would effect current space projects. Kennedy Space 

Center Director Richard Smith was flying to Washington to 

attend budget hearings, Harris said. [Mecham. TODAY, pp. 

1A & l6A, Apr. 4, 1985.1 

April 4: Preparations for Spacelab 3 to fly aboard Challenger 

proceeded smoothly toward its April 29 launch, said Kennedy 

Space Center officials. Spacelah 3 Cargo Manager Eldon 

Raley led reporters through the Orbiter Processing Facility, 

offering them an unusually closeup view into the cargo bay 

as technicians performed final work on the large laboratory. 

-30- 
Heat tile problems, which pushed Challenger off the launch 

schedule, have been solved, Raley said. A chemical reaction 

between materials used to attach tiles to the orbiter caused 

the tiles to loosen, and thousands of them have been 

replaced. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 9A, Apr. 5, 1985.1 

April 5: NASA released an ambitious launch schedule projecting 

41 missions in 33 months, including a flight by an American 

schoolteacher next January, the first Christmas trip in more 

than a decade and missions with astronauts from nine foreign 

countries. The manifest lists nine more flights this year, 

15 in 1986 and 17 in 1987. ["NASA Sets A Full Load of 

Launches," TODAY, pp. 1A & 18A, Apr. 6, 1985.1 

April 8: Three technicians were slightly burned when part of an 

electrical circuit exploded on a space shuttle launch pad 

under construction. The accident occurred about 1-1/2 miles 

from complex 39A, where preparations continued for April 

12's launch of Discovery. Officials said they did not know 

the cause of the accident. 

The three employees of McDonnell Douglas Technical Services 

Co. were able to walk to a van, officials said. J. D. 

Powell was treated at the Kennedy Space Center medical 

facility and returned to work, and E. B. Mills and G. T. Day 

were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Titusville, where 

they were treated and sent home. [AP. "Launch Pad Blast 

Hurts 3 Workers," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. B-1, Apr. 9, 

1985.1 

April 9: McDonnell Douglas Technical Services Co., Kennedy 

Space Center Division, won a NASA award for the study of the 

Space Station's impact on the Kennedy Space Center. The 12- 

month study will examine manpower facilities, services and 

equipment necessary for the support of an eight-person 

orbiting space platform. NASA will use the results to 

allocate more efficiently resources for the Space Station's 

future design phases. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 16C, Apr. 10, 

1985.1 

<> "There has never been a crew that was better prepared to go 

- or was more anxious to go," smiled Utah Senator Jake Garn 

(R), NASA's first in-flight congressional observer. "The 

only problem is that Friday (April 12) isn't tomorrow." 

-31- 
Garn, along, with the five other Discovery crew members 

arrived at KSC in T-38 jets and the Shuttle Training 

Aircraft, the Grumman Gulfstream 11. Mission Commander 

Karol Robko introduced his crew and each spoke briefly. 

Robko and Garn will be accompanied on STS-51-D by Dr. Rhea 

Seddon-Gibson, Charles Walker, and mission specialists David 

Griggs and Jeffrey Hoffman. '[Lunner. TODAY, p. 5A, Apr. 

10, 1985.1 

April 10: Processing of Discovery for its April 12 morning 

launch continued without a hitch at Kennedy Space Center, 

with weather conditions the sole concern remaining, NASA 

officials reported. "We don't launch in the rain," KSC 

spokesman Jim Ball said. Launch pad 39A was cleared of 

workers from about 6 p.m. to about 2 a.m. April 11 to allow 

loading of super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen into the 

orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks. In the VAB, workers 

joined Challenger, with Spacelab 3 inside its cargo bay, to 

its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Challenger is 

scheduled for rollout to 39A on April 15 in preparation for 

its expected April 29 launch. [Lunner. TODAY, p. llA, 

Apr. 11, 1985.1 

April 11: A tiny leak in the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis 

System, the McDonnell Douglas drug processing experiment was 

discovered early in the morning. For a time during the day, 

NASA thought the leak might result in the cancellation of 

the experiment and the removal of astronaut Charles Walker, 

who is to operate the CFES equipment. Shortly after 3 p.m., 

McDonnell Douglas spokeswoman Susan Flowers received word 

that a faulty gasket had been fixed. 

"We're going to fly," she said. "Charlie will fly and 

everybody's happy. We're back on track.'' [Lunner. TODAY, 

pp. 1A & 20A, Apr. 12, 1985.1 

<> Three Rrevard County firms have. been awarded about $1 

million to study the impact of space station development at 

Kennedy Space Center, NASA officials announced. The studies 

are designed to determine how elements of the station and 

payloads for it will be processed for launch. Also, 

in-orbit maintenance systems for the proposed space station 

will be evaluated. 

-32- 
McDonnell Douglas Technical Services Co. at Kennedy Space 

Center has been awarded a $434,563 contract to analyze 

ground processing operations. Harris Corp. won a $298,254 

contract to assess the space station's mission requirements 

and associated payload launch-site operations. Boeing 

Aerospace Co. of Cape Canaveral was awarded a $260,000 

contract to study space station maintenance operations. 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 8A, Apr. 12, 1985.1 

April 12: With only 55 seconds to spare, Discovery (STS-51-D) 

lifted off Pad 39A at 8:59:05 a.m. and remained visible to 

the naked eye for only about 45 seconds before it entered 

dense cloud cover at about 15,000 feet. The last-minute 

launch drama was due to touch-and-go weather conditions that 

threatened to damage the shuttle as it lifted into space. 

NASA officials said that no safety rules were violated by 

the launch into the cloud cover. Once approved for liftoff, 

the shuttle performed flawlessly, according to two KSC 

officials who conducted a press briefing an hour after 

launch. 

There were no private aircraft in violation of NASA's 

launch-day airspace area, launch director Bob Sieck said, 

but a cargo ship of unknown registry steamed too close to 

the solid rocket booster recovery area about 120 miles off 

shore, he said. The stray ship was in the recovery area 

about 10 minutes before continuing northward, Sieck added. 

Since the launch already was awaiting better weather, [the 

ship] did not contibute to the delay, he said. [Lunner. 

TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, Apr. 15, 1985.1 

April 13: The space shuttle Atlantis arrived at Kennedy Space 

Center atop its Boeing 747 carrier to join the space shuttle 

fleet. Atlantis, the fourth shuttle, was flown from Edwards 

AFB, California, with a one-day delay due to bad weather at 

Ellington Field near Houston, Texas, the 747's refueling 

stop. ["Space Shuttle Arrives at the Cape," DEFENSE DAILY, 

p. 257, Apr. 16, 1985.1 

April 15: Challenger began its slow trek to pad 39A at 12:19 

this morning in preparation for its launch at noon 0-n April 

29. [Dickerson. TODAY, p. 7A, Apr. 15, 1985.1 

-33- 
<> Marvin Jones, former commander of the Eastern Space and 

Missile Center in Brevard County, has been named to a major 

management position at Kennedy Space Center, NASA officials 

announced. KSC Director Richard Smith hired Jones as 

director of safety, reliability, quality assurance and 

protective services. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, Apr. 16, 

1985.1 

April 16: NASA awarded McDonnell Douglas Technical Services 

Co. (Titusville, Florida) a $62 million contract extension 

for its support services related to the Spacelab project at 

Kennedy Space Center. The cost-plus-award fee contract 

provides for the continued operation and processing of the 

Spacelab flight hardware. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 16C, Apr. 17, 

1985.1 

April 18: Harris Corp. 's Government Aerospace Systems Division 

was awarded two preliminary design and definition contracts 

for NASA's manned space station program, the company 

announced. A member of the Rockwell International space 

station team, Harris will receive about $2.1 million for the 

. design of the station's communications and tracking system. [Hodges. TODAY, p. 16C, Apr. 19, 1985.1 

<> Commander Robert Overmyer and the six crewmen of the 

scheduled April 29 Spacelab 3 mission aboard Challenger 

completed a simulated launch countdown test at about noon. 

"We're ready to go," Overmyer said immediately after the 

practice session. "It was as slick as a whistle today. I 

hope the real count goes as well as this did." The crew 

tried unsuccessfully to radio their counterparts aboard 

Discovery as it passed overhead on the last full day of its 

mission. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 13A, Apr. 19, 1985.1 

<> Dave D-ickenson was selected to be LSOC's director of Orbiter 

Processing Facility Operations replacing Harry Bowman who 

moved to the staff of the LSOC Director of Operations. 

["Dave Dickenson Selected Director of OPF Operations," STAR 

GAZER, p. 1, Apr. 18, 1985.1 

April 19: The space shuttle Discovery (STS 51-D) limped home to 

Kennedy Space Center at 8:55 a.m. EST, sustaining a tire 

blowout, lost tires and a foot square gash in one of its 

-34- 
wings, NASA Officials said. "We were getting close to 

having two flat tires," said shuttle mechanical systems 

manager Ken Colley, during a post-landing briefing. All of 

Discovery's tires were damaged beyond reuse, he said. One 

lost 13 of its 16 layers of rubber, another nine of its 16 

layers, said Colley. 

During runway inspection, KSC teams discovered 123 impact 

marks - far more than usual - on Discovery's tiles. They 

also found a "dinner-plate-sized" hole where the left wing 

and its outboard elevon meet. One entire tile and pieces of 

three others were missing, and heat that built up after the 

tiles loosened burned a hole into the honeycomb interior of 

the elevon structure, Colley said, He and Launch Director 

Rob Sieck said it appeared likely that the tile loosened 

during the ascent phase of the mission, allowing superheated air to melt the elevon's lower aluminum skin during 

re-entry. [Lunner. TODAY, pp, 1A is 16A, Apr. 20, 1985.1 

<> Top officials from the People's Republic of China, which 

plans to begin launching satellites from the space shuttle 

in 1988, viewed their first shuttle landing at KSC. The 

Chinese delegation was headed by Dr. Son Jian, minister and 

chairman of China's State Science and Technology 

Commission. Speaking through an interpreter, Song, aged 53, 

said his country has a strong interest in television 

broadcast satellites and satellites capable of surveying and 

mapping the earth. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 3A, Apr. 20, 

1985.1 

April 23: America must plan to establish a habitat on Mars 

within the next 25 years or risk Soviet domination of space, 

said Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt, former Apollo 17 astronaut and 

u, S. Senator and now an aerospace consultant. He described 

his vision of space exploration in a speech presented at a 

banquet at the Patrick Air Force Base Officers Club during 

the opening day of the 22nd annual Space Congress. 

[Herlihy. TODAY, p. 2B, Apr. 24, 1985.1 

<> Rockwell International officially opened its space shuttle 

components service facility in Cape Canaveral, signaling 

another step toward making space flight a commercial 

business, said Florida congressmen Rill Nelson and Don 

Fuqua. 

-35- 
. 

"Even though Rockwell is no longer the space shuttle 

operator, we're still deeply involved with the shuttle 

program at Kennedy Space Center," said A1 Martin, head of 

Rockwell's shuttle program division. [Hodges. TODAY, p. 

16C, Apr. 24, 1985.1 

<> Because of an unusually weighty cargo, NASA officials 

decided to end the upcoming shuttle mission at Edwards Air 

Force Rase in California instead of Kennedy Space Center: 

the change in landing sites will not affect the April 29 

noon launch of Challenger and Spacelab 3. 

NASA officials also said that Discovery is expected to be 

repaired in plenty of time for its next mission, June 12. 

The brakes will be replaced, said spokesman Jim Mizell. 

"We're not doing anything to Challenger based on that 

(Discovery landing damage) ," he said. 

He said the hole in Discovery probably occurred after one 

tile - a tile that had flown an earlier mission successfully 

- was either partially de-bonded from the aluminum elevon at 

liftoff or became loose during Discovery's ascent, allowing 

superheated air to flow beneath the protection system. 

"At that point, it was like a blowtorch on the aluminum and 

it just .burned a hole in there," Mizell said. [Lunner. 

.TODAY, pp. IA & 14A, Apr. 24, 1985.1 

April 24: Americans should be colonizing the moon and traveling 

to Mars today - not just launching shuttles into space, said 

acclaimed science fiction author Ray Rradbury to an audience 

of more than 400 at a luncheon at the 22nd annual Space 

Congress in Cocoa Beach. He said the United States has not 

gone far enough in space exploration. "I wish the Russians 

would do something fabulous on the moon tomorrow," Rradbury 

said. "We would be out there like that!" 

Bradbury said he is disappointed that the space program has 

not been more heavily touted. He wants to put together a 

light-and-sound show on the Apollo launch pad "and blast the 

hell out of people. You have the most exciting stage in the 

world right here in Cape Canaveral and you're not doing 

anything with it," Bradbury said. "The Vehicle Assembly 

-36- 
Building is the greatest cathedral in the world. I burst 

into tears when I walked inside. How come you're so blind 

to your own potential?" [Skolnick. TODAY, p. 2R, Apr. 25, 

1985.1 

April 26: Six crewmembers of Challenger's seven-man team 

arrived at KSC at 5:25 p.m. EST, just hours after the 

countdown for the April 29 launch began. Those arriving 

were Pilot Frederick Gregory, mission specialists Norman 

Thagard, William Thornton and Don Lind and payload 

specialists Taylor Wang and Lodewijk van den Berg: [Mission 

Commander Robert Overmyer arrived the following day]. 

Workers spent most of the day continuing to ready Challenger 

for its flight: the 55-hour countdown, complete with several 

built-in holds, began at noon. [Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

20A, Apr. 27, 1985.1 

<> NASA's Kennedy Space Center held a briefing concerning the 

possible award of a contract for a study to define the 

concept of a Space Operations Technology/Support Research 

Center that would assist in the development of commercially 

viable space projects. ["KSC Evaluating Commercial Space 

Support Center," DEFENSE DAILY, p. 332, Apr. 29, 1985.1 

April 28: A confident panel of NASA experts pronounced 

Challenger, on its Spacelab cargo and two satellites Itgo for 

launch," praising the processing team who readied the 

shuttle for flight only ten days after Discovery's recent 

landing. They said that they had expanded today's launch 

window to 2:39 p.m. EST from noon. Jess Moore, NASA shuttle 

chief, said: "We're showing the thumbs-up sign now." 

The launch forecast is "excellent,11 said Air Force Capt. Art 

Thomas: he was delivering his last shuttle weather forecast 

before taking a new assignment in Spain. NASA determined 

that the 9-volt household-type batteries needed to assist in 

the liftoff of two privately developed satellites from the 

cargo bay would be reliable. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 10A, 

Apr. 29, 1985.1 

-37- 
April 29: The space shuttle Challenger rocketed from Kennedy 

Space Center at 12:02 porn.; a computer glitch briefly 

delayed - approximately two minutes - the launch but didn't 

keep NASA from setting a record. Challenger was launched 

only 17 days after Discovery started its last mission April 

12. The previous shortest turnaround was 34 days. 

"We feel very, very proud," said Thomas Utsman, KSC shuttle 

operations director. "We felt that everybody really pitched 

in and started in that countdown 17 days ago. The 

facilities fellows at the pad were able to clean it up in 

near-record time. The vehicle processing troops did an 

excellent job. It culminated in a very, very nominal 

launch." [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 12A, Apr. 30, 1985.1 

-38- 
HAY 1985 

May 1: Kennedy Space Center Director Richard Smith challenged 

area business leaders to "spread the word" about the 

opportunities that await companies which pursue ventures in 

space. Speaking to a capacity crowd at Royal Oak Country 

Club in Titusville for the annual Industry Appreciation 

Luncheon, Smith said North Rrevard will prosper from 

activity in space, providing that private enterprise knows 

what business potential exists there. 

"This area has one heck of a lot going for it, but we must 

be aggressive and we've got to work," Smith said. Part of 

the task amounts to promoting space as a business tool. 

"The general public can spread that word a lot better than 

we (NASA) can." [Hodges. TODAY, p. 20C, May 2, 1985.1 

<> Experiments assembled in West Germany arrived at Kennedy 

Space Center for flight aboard the next Spacelab mission - 

the first manned spaceflight whose primary mission will not 

be directed by the United States or the Soviet Union. 

Mission Control for Spacelab D-1 activity during the 

October, 1985, flight will be from the German Space 

Operations Center in the town of Oberpfaffenhofen, near 

Munich. 

''1 consider the cooperation of Europe - in particular 

between the United States and the Federal Republic of 

Germany - as an especially good example of cooperation 

between partners," said Dr. Albert Probst, parliamentary 

state secretary of West Germany's Ministry of Research and 

Technology, who spoke to NASA officials at KSC. [Lafferty. 

TODAY, p. 11A, May 2, 1985.1 

<> Payload racks for the Spacelab D1 mission were delivered to 

Kennedy Space Center from Rremen, West Germany, by a USAF 

Lockheed C-SA and will be processed for an October 16 launch 

in the orbiter Columbia. The D1 mission is a dedicated 

German flight, and the payload was integrated and checked 

out by MBB/ERNO in Bremen. It consists of experiments in 

the disciplines of botany, biology, life sciences, medicine, 

materials boundary layer effects and navigation. ["Payload 

Rack Delivery," AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 21, May 

6, 1985.1 

-39- 
Hay 3: Three Lockheed Corp. executives in charge of the 

shuttle-processing program at Kennedy Space Center were 

removed from their positions and assigned to other positions 

within California-based Lockheed. The three were Albert 

Schroter, president of Lockheed Space Operations Co., John 

Denson, executive vice president and deputy program manager, 

and Ron Peterson, vice president and director of 

operations. The main cause of the job changes was a soonto-be-released NASA report which partly blames Lockheed for 

the March accident in which a 2,500-pound "cherry picker" 

work bucket fell from its stowed position, knocking an 

employee to the ground and punching two holes in the shuttle 

Discovery's insulation on the left cargo bay door. The NASA 

investigation, according to Tom Utsman, director of shuttle 

management and operation for the space agency, is expected 

to conclude that the work platform was poorly designed by 

NASA. Rut Lockheed erred by using the platform after one of 

its structural supports was broken, Utsman said. "There was 

some misuse of equipment: it shouldn't have been in 

service." 

The new executives are E. Douglas Sargent, David Owen and 

David Dickenson. Sargent, the new president, had been at 

Lockheed headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Owen and 

Dickenson held management positions with Lockheed's Space 

Operations Co. in Titusville. [Stein. THE ORLANDO ' 

SENTINEL, pp. C-1 & C-3, May 7, 1985.1 

May 6: Challenger's successful landing at Edwards Air Force 

Base in California's desert does not change NASA's plans to 

use KSC as its primary landing site, said Jesse Moore, head 

of the NASA shuttle program. ''1 don't want anyone to draw a 

conclusion...that all flights of the shuttle program will go 

to (Edwards)," Moore said. "The runways here certainly 

offer us a lot of additional margin. Our objective is to 

land as many flights as we possibly can back at Kennedy 

Space Center," Moore said. He also said that stress gauges 

attached to Challenger's landing gear should provide NASA 

with the data it needs to deal with the KSC-type landing 

conditions," Challenger was expected to return to KSC from 

California on May 11. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 12A, May 7, 

1985. I 

7: Challenger appeared to weather its recently completed 

weeklong mission without any serious complications. 

Examination of Challenger's tires, brakes and heat-resistant 

tiles have uncovered only minor damage to the orbiter 

following its May 6 touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base in 

California. 

-40- 

--_ 
A piece of thermal blanket loosened and curled up from 

Challenger's right orbital maneuvering pod and at least 50 

tiles were damaged, NASA spokesmen said. [Lafferty. TODAY, 

p. 7A, May 8, 1985.1 

May 8: "The assessment date (for Discovery's next launch) now 

is the 14th, but we still have a very strong chance of 

making the official June 12 launch date if everything goes 

as planned," said Debbie Marth, Kennedy Space Center 

spokeswoman. "The assessment dates are mobile: they move 

back and forth." Discovery's rollout to the launch pad is 

planned for May 30, Marth said. The June liftoff will be 

the fifth for Discovery and the 18th flight of the shuttle 

program, she said. [Dickerson. TODAY, p. 9A, May 9, 1985.1 

May 11: Challenger returned to KSC atop its Boeing 747 carrier 

jet at 11:02 a.m. EDT, thirteen minutes ahead of schedule. 

That was preceded by a low pass over the runway and North 

Brevard by pilot Dick Scobee. Challenger joins Discovery 

and Atlantis at KSC. To make room for Challenger, the 

Atlantis was moved from one of two bays in the processing 

facility to the Vehicle Building said NASA spokesman George 

Diller. Discovery is housed in the other processing 

facility bay and is being repaired following brake, tile and 

wing damage sustained during its mission last month. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, p. 20A, May 12, 1985.1 

Hay 13: NASA plans to increase private industry's utilization 

of the space shuttle by making it easier for paying 

customers to use the orbiter, John Neilon told a dinner 

meeting of the Rrevard League of Municipalities in Melbourne 

Beach. "In many instances industry has the view that 

government is in the way. We're working to change that," 

said Neilon, who is director of cargo projects management at 

Kennedy Space Center. [Herlihy. TODAY, p. 3B, May 14, 

1985.1 

Hay 14: Costello Construction Co. Inc. (Merritt Island, FL) won 

a $2 million NASA contract for the construction of Phase IIB 

of the Cargo Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space 

Center. Costello will be responsible for the construction 

and utility installation of five support buildings, service 

and parking areas, and access roads in the industrial area. 

[Kassak. TODAY, p. 16C, May 15, 1985.1 

-41- 
Hay 16: A 200-pound steel I-beam was knocked from its mountings 

by a crane and crashed in Discovery's open cargo bay, but 

did not damage the shuttle's aluminum fuselage, NASA sources 

said. Results of an investigation into a similar accident 

which occurred March 8 are expected next week. 

In the latest incident, the steel beam was mounted near the 

aft of the shuttle cargo bay, where it is used as part of a 

system to calibrate the orbiter's Ku-band communications 

system. "The beam was installed and it was in the raised 

position, so that when the overhead crane was moved, it hit 

the beam," said Jim Ball, NASA spokesman. 

NASA and Lockheed Space Operations Co. officials said there 

the force of the crane hitting the beam broke two welds that 

hold the beam on its pedestal. When the beam fell, the 

platform broke its fall and its electrical cables helped 

stabilize it, Ball said. 

The Spartan experiment platform, scheduled to be carried 

aboard the shuttle next month, was in Discovery's cargo bay 

when the accident occurred. It was in the front bay and not 

near the impact area, officials said. None of the other 

three satellites scheduled to go into space June 12 were in 

the bay when the accident happened, Ball said. Since no 

injuries or major damage was incurred, there will be no 

formal inquiry into the latest accident, he said. The 

incident is not expected to affect Discovery's processing 

timetable. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 16A, May 17, 1985.1 

<> Gary Sutherland, 35, of Port St. John, said he is ready to 

go back to work at Kennedy Space Center where he was injured 

by a falling work bucket on March 8. Sutherland, a Lockheed 

Space Operations Co. employee, sustained two breaks in his 

left leg and a bruised shoulder. 

Sutherland said his employer and NASA have been helpful 

during his rehabilitation period. "1 got a nice big picture 

from the astronauts; they all signed it for me," he said. 

"It didn't help my broken leg any, but it made me feel 

better." [Lunner. TODAY, p. 16A, May 17, 1985.1 

May 17: Space Coast General Contractors Inc. (Cocoa, FL) won a 

$43,960 NASA contract for the construction of a platform and 

a staircase for the Hangar L chamber in the industrial area 

-42- 
at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The refurbished 

chamber will contain a controlled environmental life support 

system to simulate conditions suitable for growing plant 

life in space. Researchers will monitor the effects of the 

controlled environment, and the data collected will be used 

in research necessary for long-duration space flight. 

[Kassak. TODAY, p. 8C, May 18, 1985.1 

May 22: Kennedy Space Center workers expect to roll Discovery 

from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building early on 

the morning of May 28. 

runs from 7:31 to 7:35 a.m. 

NASA said the June 12 launch window 

At the VAR, Discovery will switch places with Atlantis, the 

newest NASA shuttle, which has been stored there since its 

arrival at KSC earlier this month. Atlantis is being 

outfitted for its first mission in September. Work also 

continues on Discovery's wing flap, damaged when a tile 

loosened during its last flight. This allowed superheated 

air to flow underneath protective tiles and burn through its 

aluminum skin. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, May 23, 1985.1 

Hay 23: A mechanical problem with two of the satellites 

Discovery is scheduled to deploy on its next mission has 

delayed the shuttle's launch date to no.earlier than June 

17, Kennedy Space Center officials said. Engineers at 

Hughes Aircraft Co., manufacturer of the satellite involved 

in the delay, discovered a potential problem with an antenna 

positioning mechanism during routine tests of similar 

spacecraft, said KSC spokeswoman Lisa Malone. 

"This problem could affect the in-orbit performance of the 

AT&T Telstar 3D and Morelos satellites scheduled for launch 

aboard Discovery," Malone said. Morelos is the 

communications satellite being placed into orbit for the 

Mexican government. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 20A, May 24, 

1985.1 

Hay 28: NASA officials indefinitely ruled out any shuttle 

landings at Kennedy Space Center. "We're not scheduled to 

go into KSC under any circumstances," Discovery Commander 

Daniel Brandenstein said, discussing NASA's decision to 

avoid a Florida landing at all costs until a shuttle brake 

problem is better understood. 

-4 3- 
NASA sources in Washington said the decision on using the 

virtually endless dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Rase in 

California is being made on a flight by flight basis, but 

may extend for the next five missions. . The announcement 

that KSC won't be considered even as a bad weather backup 

site is unprecedented. [Lunner. TODAY, p. IA, May 29, 

1985.1 

-44- 
c 

JUNE 1985 

June 2: NASA is considering sanding or painting part of the 

15,000-foot Kennedy Space Center runway to prevent its rough 

concrete surface from damaging rear shuttle tires so badly 

that they can't be reused after a landing. Most landings at 

Edwards Air Force Base in California have been on the dirt 

lake bed rather than the concrete runway. To insure good 

traction, the concrete runway surface at KSC was roughened 

by brushing as it dried, and that is what may be causing 

excess tire wear. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 is 

A-4, Jun. 3, 1985.1 

June 3: It will be at least October before Rockwell 

International engineers can redesign the shuttle's steering 

system and NASA is ready to resume KSC landings. Once the 

new system is in place, however, KSC landings are expected 

to become "99 percent routine," with or without crosswinds. 

The steering redesign is intended to reduce the stress put 

on the shuttle's braking system when the vehicle lands at 

Kennedy Space Center. 

U.S. Rep. Rill Nelson (D-Melbourne, FL), head of a 

congressional committee that oversees NASA, said he agrees 

with its decision to avoid shuttle landings at KSC for the 

near future. "Until we get the brakes fixed, it's prudent 

to land at Edwards," he said in an interview from France, 

where he is attending the Paris Air Show. [Lunner. TODAY, 

pp. 1A & 12A, Jun. 4, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Met-Con, Inc. (Cocoa, FL) a 

$31,450 contract for the construction of robotic control 

housing to be used in robotics research and development. 

Met-Con must deliver and install a prefabricated indoor room 

to be used for robot control. ["Cocoa Firm Wins Contract 

for Robotic Control Housing," NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 

98-85, Jun. 3, 1985.1 

June 4: The seven-member crew for Discovery's June 17 mission 

arrived at Kennedy Space Center to watch the shuttle roll 

out to its launch pad. The six-man, one-woman crew consists 

of Cmdr. Daniel Brandenstein, Pilot J. 0. Creighton; mission 

-4 5- 
specialists John Fabian, Steven Nagel and Shannon Lucid; and 

payload specialists Patrick Baudry (France) and Prince 

Sultan Al-Saud (Saudi Arabia). [Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, 

Jun. 5, 1985.1 

<> NASA spokesman Jim Ball said rollout was a day late because 

of a problem with a main events controller, designed to 

coordinate signals with the onboard computers. The small 

black box was replaced and the delay should not affect the 

launch date, he said, ["Shuttle Discovery Rolls Out to Pad 

for June 17 Liftoff," THE TRIBUNE, p. 4A, Jun. 5, 1985.1 

June 5: John McCullough, Lockheed Space Operation Co.'s 

director of quality assurance at Kennedy Space Center, has 

been "reassigned to a staff position in the safety, 

reliability and quality assurance directorate," said 

Lockheed spokesman John Williams. Neither Lockheed nor NASA 

officials commented on the reasons for the move which 

followed a pair of major accidents inside the shuttle 

hangar, a poor contract performance fee from NASA and the 

replacement of Lockheed's top local managers a month ago; 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, Jun. 6, 1985.1 

June 6: The seven astronauts who will fly the June 17 shuttle 

mission aboard Discovery went through a countdown rehearsal 

and their commander Dan Brandenstein said "we hope to leave 

a big streak in the sky in about a week." The crew, which 

includes a Saudi Arabian prince, climbed into the cabin of 

the shuttle for the final two hours of the test, running 

through procedures for launch day. 

"We had a dry countdown that went perfectly," Brandenstein 

told reporters after the practice was completed. ''I very 

much wish we could have launched today," said Sultan Salman 

Al-Saud, one of two foreigners flying on the international 

crew. "We have 11 days to go. It seems like 11 years." 

The other foreign astronaut is Patrick Raudry, a French 

military pilot who will conduct medical experiments. 

["Astronauts Rehearse for Discovery Mission," THE ORLANDO 

SENTINEL, p. A-8, Jun. 7, 1985.1 

June 8: Specialty Maintenance and Construction Inc. (Lakeland, 

FL) won a $2.4 million NASA contract for an addition to the 

Test Group Support Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force 

Station. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 14C, Jun. 10, 1985.1 

-4 6- 
June 14: The seven crew members of Discovery's STS 51-G mission 

landed on the KSC runway shortly after 1:00 p.m. declaring 

themselves fit and ready for the June 17 liftoff. At their 

landing field press conference the weather became the main 

topic of interest. 

Daniel Brandenstein, mission commander, said the crew was 

"trained and ready to go if the weather would coope'rate.'' 

Payload specialist Sultan Salman Al-Saud, who will be the 

first Arabian in space, offered a solution for better 

weather on launch day. Speaking in both English and Arabic, 

he said he wanted to exchange the rain along the Space Coast 

for the sunny weather of his native Saudi Arabia. French 

payload specialist Patrick Raudry said he knows he is the 

envy of many of his fellow Frenchmen.. "I'm glad the first 

Frenchman into space is me," he said. 

The other crew members are Steven Nagel, John Fabian, 

Shannon Lucid and John Creighton. [Jennings. TODAY, pp. 1A 

& 16A, Jun. 15, 1985.1 

June 16: A group of aspiring astronauts and planetologists 

visited Kennedy Space Center as part of the Space-Challenge 

Program. The seven elementary school students from the 

Denver-Boulder, Colorado, area were sponsored by the 

Aerospace System Division of Ball Corporation. The group 

was invited to view the launch of STS 51-G on the 17th and 

tour Epcot in Orlando the next day. [Kurth. TODAY, p. lR, 

Jun. 17, 1985.1 

June 17: Discovery lifted off on time at 7:33 a.m., despite a 

lightning strike which hit the support structure of the 

launch pad at 6:lO p.m. the previous evening and only a 

cautiously optimistic weather forecast for launch morning. 

NASA's list of VIP guests for the launch included: 

ambassadors from Chile, France, and Mexico: Jacques Louis 

Lions, head of the French Space Agency, Gen. Bernard 

Capillon, head of the French Air Force: three Mexican 

astronauts and other officials: Charles 2. Wick, director of 

the U.S. Information Agency: and Gene Roddenberry, creator 

of the "Star Trek" TV series. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, Jun. 

17, 1985.1 

-47- 
<> 

<> 

<> 

<> 

KSC Public Affairs information officer Mark Hess has been 

selected to succeed Rill O'Donnell in Washington, D.C., as 

public affairs officer for the space station. "Rocky" Raab 

leaves KSC next month for Ogden, Utah, to become public 

relations manager for Morton-Thiokol 's rocket booster 

division. Raab will be on hand at KSC for future shuttle 

launches, however. [Salamon. TODAY, p. lR, Jun. 18, 

1985.1 

STS 51-GIs launch was attended by 120 foreign news 

personnel, up from the usual 25 to 50. Most of the increase 

was in journalists from Mexico, Saudi Arabia and France. 

Payload Specialist A1 Rassam Abdulmatsen, Saudi Arabia's 

backup for Prince Sultan Salman Al-Saud, watched the launch 

from KSC. "This is one of the greatest moments," 

Abdulmatsen said. "He (Al-Saud) is the first Moslem to 

travel into space." 

Nearly 30 Saudi Arabian princes and an Arab sheik also were 

among the VIPs at KSC for the launch. Also on hand were 

ambassadors from Chile, Mexico, France and Saudi Arabia. 

Moments before liftoff, Christina D'Herrerra, a special 

guest from Mexico, read a poem in Spanish entitled "Mexican 

Star" to a capacity crowd at the VIP center. [Kurth. 

TODAY,. pp. 1R & 3R, Jun. 18, 1985.1 

NASA announced it has hired EG&G to determine the need and 

design of an experiment preparation laboratory proposed for 

Kennedy Space Center. The value of the contract was 

withheld by EG&G personnel, but it is a "modest" amount, 

said Lori Statmore, an EG&G spokeswoman. The facility, if 

built, is expected to be self-supporting, run by a private 

contractor and open to all businesses with experiments 

planned forshuttle flights, a company spokesman said. Also 

included in the study is the development of a NASA-sponsored 

symposium on space commercialization, to bo held this fall. 

More work on the contract is exDected to follow the 

symposium, Statmore said. [Dickerson. TODAY, p. 2B, Jun. 

18, 1985.3 

The launch of Discovery was threatened temporarily by an 

isolated power outage that cut Kennedy Space Center's 

regular supply of nitrogen gas for about an hour starting at 

-48- 
3:32 a.m. The nitrogen, used during shuttle fueling for 

fire prevention, is pumped to the launch pad from NASA's gas 

facility just south of KSC on SR 3. 

Florida Power & Light Co. spokesman Jim Rentz said that a 

line break occurred on Pine Island Road near the Indian 

River, possibly as a result of high winds from Sunday's 

thunderstorms. "We don't know what caused it, but one of 

the crossarms broke and one of the lines came down," Rentz 

said. "That's the only station that serves the Cape that 

requires manual switching." The utility had to send a crew 

to the site to repair the damage. 

KSC Shuttle Manager Tom Utsman and Launch Director Bob Sieck 

said pad crews retained pressure in the system by activating 

three backup compressors and diverting gas from lines used 

by Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 

1A & 10A, Jun. 18, 1985. 

June 18: The twentieth anniversary of the first Titan 3C launch 

was celebrated by a gathering of Air Force and space 

industry scientists at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 

Lt. Gen. Forrest McCartney described the 127-foot, 700-ton 

rocket as a key "building block of space" that helped expand 

a vital military communications satellite network. 

The Titan 3C's first launch 20 years ago was from Complex 40 

and included a dummy satellite and between 1965 and 1982 it 

launched more than 80 military and NASA satellites into 

space. The Titan 3C was replaced by the 34D Titan boosters 

currently in use. The newest generation of the Titans are 

known as "complementary launch vehicles" designed to be used 

sometimes instead of the shuttle but not to compete with it, 

officials said. [Herlihy. TODAY, p. lB, Jun. 19, 1985.1 

<> As Discovery orbited overhead, Kennedy Space Center workers 

prepared for two more launches this month and next. NASA 

rescheduled the liftoff of an unmanned Atlas-Centaur rocket 

with an Intelsat communications satellite aboard to June 

29. 

The next shuttle launch will be Challenger's Spacelab 2 

mission, now targeted for July 12 at 4:30 porn.; there is a 

75 minute launch window. Spacelab is already installed in 

Challenger's cargo bay and tests on its connections to the 

-49- 
shuttle's systems are complete. It will be moved to the VAB 

on June 23 for connection of the solid rocket boosters and 

rollout to LC 39 is expected to occur June 27. [Lunner. 

TODAY, p. 14A, Jun. 19, 1985.1 

<> On June 18, 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became America's 

first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off 

aboard the space shuttle Challenger. ["Today in History," 

TODAY, Section A, last page, Jun. 18, 1985.1 

June 20: Lockheed Space Operations Co. work practices at 

Kennedy Space Center ignored NASA and other federal safety 

rules and led to a $200,000 accident March 8 that injured a 

worker and grounded Discovery for several weeks, a NASA 

report concluded. The 89-page report is highly critical of 

Lockheed's procedures in the Orbiter Processing Facility, 

and makes 11 key findings, observations and 

recommendat ions. 

The committee recommended. that Lockheed form safety 

committees, revise its operating procedures involving the 

cranes and platforms, redesign its "danger" tags that are 

attached to inoperable equipment, redesign the hoist system, 

improve maintenance, improve communications between workers 

and managers. The report was drafted by an investigating 

committee headed by John Neilon, KSC cargo management 

chief. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 5A, Jun. 21, 1985.1 

<> A rubber-like material found in Challenger's liquid hydrogen 

system earlier this month has NASA officials wondering where 

it came from and workers racing to clean it up. Jim 

Harrington, NASA's flow director for the shuttle program, 

said he hopes the material can be cleaned out of Challenger 

by June 21 so it can make its June 23 rollover to the 

Vehicle Assembly Building . 

The black, crumbling material was discovered in early June 

when workers were checking a valve that connects the orbiter 

with the external tank, according to Warren Wiley, NASA's 

chief of the Main Propulsion and Fuel Cell Branch. Puzzling 

NASA officials is that the substance they've found 

apparently is foreign to the shuttle program, Wiley said. 

They are investigating whether it comes from KSC contractors 

or manufacturers, he said. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. SA, Jun. 

21, 1985.1 

-50- 
June 24: Discovery landed in a crosswind at Edwards Air Force 

Base at 9:12 a.m. Pacific time, burying its left wheel six 

inches into the soft desert runway. That landing was 

similar to April's shuttle landing at KSC when the brake 

locked . 

NASA associate administrator Jess Moore said the wheeldragging may have been due to the soft, wet conditions of 

the desert lake bed, but he conceded that the brake may have 

locked up as it did during the previous Kennedy landing. 

Pending a new series of brake tests conducted at the R. F. 

Goodrich facility in Troy, Ohio, the next KSC landing is 

expected to occur in November . 

Concerning the just completed Discovery mission (51-G) , Moore said, "I would have to say that this is one of the 

most successful missions of the shuttle program. This was 

particularly rewarding from the standpoint that essentially 

100 percent of our objectives were accomplished and we had a 

number of very significant operations on board." [Lunner. 

TODAY, pp. 1A C 14A, Jun. 25, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center will be assigned sustaining engineering 

for space shuttle systems in a gradual shift of 

responsibilities from Johnson Space Center. The change, 

which will assign hardware engineering to the site of its 

operational use, involves such systems as brakes, toilets, 

thermal tiles and other components that require continuing 

engineering monitoring and updates. The Johnson center has 

had sustaining engineering responsibility since the shuttle 

program began . ["Industry Observer, '' AVIATION WEEK 61 SPACE 

TECHNOLOGY, p. 13, Jun. 24, 1985.1 

June 25: Discovery's brakes worked fine when it landed at 

Edwards Air Force Rase in California on June 24, NASA 

officials said; they further indicated that the shuttle was 

expected to return to Kennedy Space Center on June 29. 

"Officials reported that overall, it was a very smooth 

mission," said Les Reinertsen, NASA spokesman. "The space 

shuttle main engines have been inspected and are in 

excellent condition. An inspection of the brakes revealed 

that they are in very good condition, as well as the tires. 

There were no brake anomalies (problems) reported for this 

landing." 

-51- 
A softening of the desert runway by recent rains was the 

official explanation for Discovery's wheels having sunk into 

the runway. 

"Officials estimate that about 60 or 70 tiles will have to 

be replaced,'' Reinertsen said. "The areas with the most 

tile damage are the belly and the chine area near the main 

engine. The damage is believed to have occurred during 

ascent." [Lunner. TODAY, p. llA, Jun. 26, 1985.1 

June 26: NASA and Spaceport USA officials decided to give the 

30-minute multimedia production titled "Flight of the 

Aurora" another chance, five months after it was canceled 

for 'If ine-tuning," according to Chuck Hollinshead, KSC 

public affairs director. 

"We're just showing it to occasional viewers to get some 

reaction," Hollinshead said. "We want to see if people 

think it's too long, too short, too technical, things like 

t ha t . I' 

The $200,000 production was pulled five days after it 

premiered. Since then, improvements were made in the 

production's timing and to its cameras while the basic 

format was kept the same, Hollinshead said, though he added 

it's likely more changes will be necessary. [Lafferty. 

TODAY, p. lB, Jun. 27, 1985.1 

June 29: NASA successfully launched an Atlas-Centaur rocket and 

INTELSAT VA payload with just minutes to spare and amidst 

dark clouds and thunderstorms. The launch came at 8:44 

p.m. - 16 minutes before the last of three launch windows 

would have expired. The launch had been originally 

scheduled to occur at 6:58 p.m. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 14A, 

Jun. 30, 1985.1 

<> Challenger moved on its crawler transporter from the 

Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39A early this 

morning. The three-mile trip began at 4:22 a.m. and was 

completed about six hours later, a NASA spokeswoman said. 

-52- 
The shuttle Discovery which had arrived at KSC on the 28th 

was moved today from the runway to the Orbiter Processing 

Facility to be prepared for its August 24th flight. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, p. 14A, Jun. 30, 1985.1 

-53- 
JULY 1985 

July 2: Launch preparation employees will work this 

Independence Day to avoid any delay in the planned July 12 

launch of Challenger, Kennedy Space Center spokesmen said. 

July 4 was to be a holiday for workers, but a slowdown in 

preparing Challenger prompted the need for an extra workday, 

spokesman George Diller said. A day was lost when 

Challenger's rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility 

to the Vehicle Assembly Building was delayed so workers 

could clean up a substance contaminating the orbiter's 

hydrogen system. 

At a press conference following the "smooth" launch 

countdown demonstration, Mission Commander Gordon Fullerton 

said different members of the crew would drink both Coke and 

Pepsi from each company's new beverage dispensing systems to 

see how well the cans work. Other crewmembers include: 

payload specialists Loren Acton and John-David Bartoe, 

mission specialists Story Musgrave, Anthony England and Karl 

Henize and pilot Roy Bridges. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 4A, 

Jul. 3, 1985.1 

July 4: The same substance that protects Kennedy Space Center 

rocket gantries from corrosion will protect the inside of 

America's symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, which is 

undergoing two years of refurbishing in New York City 

Harbor. 

Known as IC-Zinc 531, the product was developed at NASA's 

Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland by NASA scientist 

John Schutt, who began working on his anti-corrosive primer 

coating in 1968, NASA officials said. [Lafferty. TODAY 

Special Supplement, p. 28, Jul. 4, 1985.1 

<> Challenger's solid rocket boosters were tested as crews 

worked through Independence Day to avoid delaying a launch 

scheduled for July 12, NASA officials said. In the morning, 

workers completed loading liquid propellant . 

One of the time-consuming problems encountered was a rubber 

substance contaminating Challenger's liquid hydrogen 

system; workers had to remove and clean portions of the 

system. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 13A, Jul. 5, 1985.1 

-54- 
July 5: Costello Construction Co. Inc. (Merritt Island, FL) won 

a $238,000 NASA contract for the Missile Research Test 

Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The complex 

will be used for testing and inspection of solid rocket 

motors. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 8C, Jul. 6, 1985.1 

July 7: "All the experiments are ready to go," said Jim Ball, a 

Kennedy Space Center spokesman, speaking of those 

experiments slated to be carried aboard Challenger when the 

shuttle program's 19th mission is launched July 12. [Jean. 

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 & A-4, Jul. 8, 1985.1 

July 9: Frank A. Kennedy Inc. (Cape Canaveral, FL) won a 

S223,532 NASA contract for modifications to the logistics 

room and machine shop in the Operations and Checkout 

Building at Kennedy Space Center. The 0 & C facility 

includes administrative offices, checkout laboratories for 

Spacelab and astronauts' quarters. [Kassak. TODAY, p. 14C, 

Jul. 10, 1985.1 

<> Challenger's Mission 51-F crew arrived at KSC at 4:45 p.m. 

aboard four T-38 jet trainers and a Shuttle Training 

Aircraft. Smiling and. relaxed, crew members greeted 

families and then briefly posed for photographers. 

"This crew is really ready to go," said Gordon Fullerton, 

the commander. "We're ready to do it on the first try, if 

possible." KSC officials say they do not foresee any 

problems with July 12's scheduled 4:30 p.m. liftoff. 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 13A, Jul. 10, 1985.1 

July 10: NASA and Air Force safety officials expressed concern 

that Challenger's "scheduled launch window - 75 minutes 

beginning at 4:30 p.m. [July 121 - will clash with prime 

'weekend pilot' flying time and jeopardize the launch area. 

The launch will be the program's only late afternoon launch, 

said NASA spokesman Jim Mizell. "And that's just to meet 

the requirements of the scientific payload - we don't 

necessarily like to launch then." [Herlihy. TODAY, p. 2R, 

Jul. 11, 1985.1 

-55- 
July 11: Overcast skies and a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms 

were predicted for 'launch afternoon - July 12 - with winds 

from the south at 5 to 10 mph, according to National Weather 

Service spokesman Bob Chase at Daytona Beach, Florida. 

["Skies Cloudy for Launch," TODAY, p. 1E3, Jul. 12, 1985.1 

<> Lt. Scott Funk, Air Force weather forecaster, said a "very 

good weather picture" was shaping up, and that Challenger 

should be able to wait out a fast-passing shower if one 

develops. The forecast is for a 40 percent chance of rain. 

"All systems look good,ll for the 4:30 launch of Mission 

51-F, said Jesse Moore, NASA shuttle boss. "We're expecting 

some excellent science return from this mission." He said a 

two-hour extension of launch time could be stretched to 

three by sacrificing some science requirements. [Fisher and 

Jean. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 & A-6, Jul. 12, 1985.1 

July 12: Challenger's 51F mission was canceled just three 

seconds from launch when a valve in one of its three main 

engines malfunctioned. The failed valve helps direct cold 

liquid hydrogen used by shuttles both as fuel and coolant 

through a tangle of tubing inside a main engine. The valve 

was about in the middle of its useful life, having been 

fired a total of seven times and flown on three earlier 

missions. 

The stuck valve was expected to mean a delay of from one 

week to two months in the launch of the Spacelab 2 mission, 

KSC officials said following the launch abort. 

The engines had been running for almost four seconds when 

the shutdown signal was sent. Launch pad fire-control 

systems responded immediately to the command, dousing 

Challenger's tail section with tons of water. Some 500,000 

gallons in volatile fuel did not ignite. 

Commander Gordon Fullerton and his six colleagues were out 

of the shuttle within 40 minutes of the shutdown. "1 

remember from my last flight, the feeling was familiar as 

the main engines started to light: an increase in the noise 

level and a definite shaking of the whole vehicle," 

Fullerton said during a post-abort news conference. "I was 

expecting to feel the big bang of the SRBs about four 

seconds after that first shaking started. 

-56- 

All four orbiters - Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and 

Atlantis - are currently on site at Kennedy Space Center and 

the shuttle fleet is complete, though not so neatly housed 

as implied in this specially created photograph. 
Kennedy Space Center, NASA's Washington, D.C. , headquarters, 

Johnson Space Center in Houston and Marshall Space Flight 

Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

But, Diller added, "It would be highly speculative to guess 

what they (NASA officials) will decide. There are so many 

ways they can play that, we just have to wait." The 

decision will be based on "logistical considerations" to 

accommodate all the different payload customers, Diller 

said. 

Space agency officials have said that if Challenger's 

aborted mission can't be rescheduled soon, the scientific 

mission may have to be put off until the first of the year, 

when a second launch pad will be available at KSC. [Kurth. 

TODAY, p. lA, Jul. 15, 1985.1 

<> The space shuttle Columbia returned to KSC atop a Roeing 747 

jet at 7:23 p.m. and was to remain at the landing strip 

overnight as technicians began the 12-hour task of 

separating the two vehicles, NASA said. The piggybacked 

shuttle took an unexpected tour of coastal Brevard when its 

NASA pilot decided to fly briefly along the beach before 

landing, NASA spokesman George Diller said. "We got some 

calls from people wondering what they saw...fly by. That 

was a grand tour at the pilot's discretion," he said. 

All four orbiters are now at KSC, with Challenger still on 

the pad after the last-minute abort on July 12; Discovery 

and Atlantis are housed in the processing facility, said 

NASA spokesman Jim Ball. "It's really no problem," [having 

all four orbiters on site] Diller said. "It's just a matter 

of where everything comes to rest...a matter of moving a few 

things around." [Herlihy. TODAY, p. 5A, Jul. 15, 1985.1 

July 15: Workers replaced a rocket engine valve actuator 

believed to be the cause of Challenger's launch abort July 

12. The actuator, built by Hydraulic Research Textron 

(Valencia, California) controls hydrogen used to cool the . No. 2 engine. It has redundant controls and one control 

system failed, eliminating a fail-safe backup and causing 

the rocket engine computer to halt the launch. NASA also 

plans to replace the computer. ["NASA Replaces Suspect 

Engine Valve Actuator in Challenger," DEFENSE DAILY, p. 76, 

JUle 16, 1985.1 

-59- 
July 16: Workers have begun servicing the grounded Challenger's 

main engines as if they had recently flown. NASA managers 

have decided to replace the faulty valve, main engine 

controller and possibly some wiring, despite tests earlier 

in the week showing that the original controller and its 

wiring were in working order. 

"You're talking about a full seven days of turnaround on the 

main engines and main propulsion system, which doesn't 

include a helium signature test," said Jim Ball, NASA 

spokesman. The helium test involves pumping helium gas 

through the entire fuel system as a final check for leakage, 

he said. 

NASA said that payload managers would take advantage of the 

delay to repair one Spacelab experiment that developed an 

oil leak and service others which contain perishable 

containers. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 7A, Jul. 17, 1985.1 

July 17: "The Dream Is Alive," an IMAX film that gives viewers a 

"window seat" on a space shuttle flight, premieres July 21 

at 11:30 a.m. at.Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA. The 

37-minute movie replaces "Hail Columbia!" and is 13 minutes 

longer and will cost 75 cents more to see, Spaceport USA 

spokesman George Maguiar said. 

Narrated by Walter Cronkite, the $3.6 million film was 

produced and directed by Graeme Ferguson, the Canadian 

inventor of the IMAX system. It was made with the 

cooperation of NASA and the Smithsonian Institution's 

National Air and Space Museum and was funded by the Lockheed 

Corp. as a public service. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1R & 3B, 

Jul. 18, 1985.1 

<> Columbia suffered damage to about 2,500 of its tiles - more 

tile damage than any shuttle has incurred in space - after 

the Boeing 747 transport plane carrying it to Kennedy Space 

Center flew through a brief rain shower July 14 on the 

Omaha-KSC leg of its trip from California. Approximately 

300 to 400 of the tiles are damaged seriously enough to 

replace. No estimate of a dollar amount or repair time for 

the damaged tiles was immediately available but the damage 

was not expected to disturb NASA's mission schedule, since 

Columbia isn't scheduled to fly until the end of the year. 

-60- 
Dick Barton, a Rockwell spokesman, explained that tiles are 

designed to resist heat, not objects. '"It isn't a question 

of thermal dynamics," he said. "A raindrop in the 

atmosphere has a certain amount of mass...When you hit it at 

250 miles per hour, it becomes a projectile." [Lunner. . 

TODAY, p. lA, Jul. 18, 1985.1 

July 19: The computer that communicates with the Spacelab 

experiments in Challenger's cargo bay refuses to activate 

and NASA may fly the mission using a backup unit, officials 

said. "The experime'nt computer failed to power up," said 

KSC spokesman Jim Ball. "They're going to be doing some 

troubleshooting of it over the weekend. There's a general 

feeling that the other two computers can take over." 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. SA, Jul. 20, 1985.1 

<> Sharon McAuliffe, a 36-year-old social studies teacher from 

Concord, New Hampshire, was named by NASA to be the first 

private citizen to fly aboard the space shuttle. 

McAuliffe's backup will be Barbara Morgan, 33 and an 

elementary teacher from McCall, Idaho. 

McAuliffe's project for the projected January 22, 1986, 

Challenger flight is to keep a journal like the pioneer 

travelers of the Conestoga wagon days. '"I want to demystify 

NASA and space flight," she said. [Mecham. TODAY, pp. 1A & 

12A, Jul. 20, 1985.1 

July 20: President Reagan handed a group of American 

entrepreneurs a setback by ruling that a French rocket 

marketing firm [Arianespace] does not have a predatory 

pricing policy. The ruling allows the space shuttle 

competitor Ariane to be advertised and marketed in the 

United States. Ariane's primary non-shuttle competitor has 

been Transpace Carriers, Inc. which now markets the U.S. 

Delta rocket. [Mecham. TODAY, p. 12A, Jul. 21, 1985.1 

July 22: Kennedy Space Center someday may be linked by "bullet 

train" to Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. Malcolm Kirschenbaum, 

a Cocoa Beach developer and attorney and member of the 

Florida High-speed Rail Commission, said. "From everything 

I've seen, we have a very good chance to fit into that 

(bullet train) grid. We are viewed as a very logical site 

for a high-speed rail station," mainly because of Kennedy 

Space Center. 

-6 1- 
He advised Brevard chambers of commerce to team up with the 

state and federal government, NASA and local industries to 

bring a bullet train station to the county. The idea has 

been endorsed by the Brevard County Commission which agreed 

to provide statistics and planning information to the task 

force. [Crook. TODAY, p. lB, Jul. 23, 1985.1 

<> NASA managers decided to launch Challenger and its Spacelab 

2 payload at 3:23 porn., July 29, and run its experiments 

with a backup computer. The 3:23 p.m. launch time can be 

adjusted to avoid bad weather, said Kennedy Space Center 

spokesman George Diller. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, Jul. 23, 

1985.1 

July 

<> 

<> 

25: A two-week investigation into marijuana cultivation on 

Kennedy Space Center property resulted in the arrests of 

three men accused of growing a total of 670 plants in North 

Brevard, said law enforcement officials. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, the Rrevard County Sheriff's Department 

and KSC security cooperated in the investigation as part of 

a statewide crackdown on marijuana sales, said Rrevard 

sheriff Is department spokeswoman Meredith Hepburn. 

Officials said more arrests are pending. ["KSC Pot Probe 

Yields 3 Arrests," TODAY, p. lR, Jul. 26, 1985.1 

The second-generation space shuttle [cr shuttle-111 to be 

defined by NASA and the Air Force should be designed to 

take-off and land at commercial airports, according to Rep. 

Robert S. Walker (R-Pa. ), ranking Republican on the House 

Space Subcommittee. ["Walker Says Shuttle-I1 Should Be Able 

to Land at Airports," DEFENSE DAILY, p. 134, Jul. 25, 1985.1 

NASA and the U.S. Air Force both told Congress that $2.2 

billion should not be appropriated to purchase a fifth space 

shuttle. In .turn, they were accused by Rep. Rill Nelson (DMel.) of helping make "decisions by negligence" for 

America's future in space. 

Shuttle program director for NASA, Jesse Moore, said that if 

the country were not facing "austere budget situations," he 

would opt for a fifth orbiter. But, he added, NASA's 

-62- 
priorities are for building the $8 billion space station. 

["Sth Shuttle 'Not Needed, NASA Says," TODAY, p. lA, Jul. 26, 

1985.1 

July 26: The Kennedy Space Center branch of McDonnell Douglas 

Technical Services Co. was awarded a $4 million contract to 

process and integrate Department of Defense payloads in the 

shuttle program, a company spokesman said. ["Air Force 

Awards $4 Million Contract," TODAY, p. lB, Jul. 27, 1985.1 

<> Despite a persistent problem with ground equipment, NASA 

decided to begin the countdown of the shuttle Challenger on 

schedule at 9 a.m. July 27. Managers planned to try 

conducting hydraulic tests on shuttle control systems during 

the countdown rather than delay the flight, said KSC 

spokesman Jim Ball. Under normal circumstances, he said, 

the hydraulic systems would have been tested before the 

start of the countdown, but workers July 25th discovered air 

in the hydraulic fluid used to conduct the tests. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, p. lA, Jul. 27, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center Director Richard Smith said that 

beginning later this year, contracts for shuttle launchsupport services and "thermal protection system 

manufacturing" will be transferred from Johnson Space Center 

in Texas to KSC. Also, beginning in 1986, KSC will take 

over responsibility for refurbishing and procuring spare 

parts and will assume additional engineering 

responsibilities. 

Hugh Harris, KSC's chief of public information, said: "A 

lot of the decision-making that is done will be consolidated 

here. It's a changing philosophy of the way you do business 

in the shuttle program." He said the changes may mean eight 

to 12 new NASA positions at KSC over a two-year period. 

In the management shuffle at KSC, Thomas Utsman was 

appointed deputy director for the space center, replacing 

George Page who retired last year. Utsman, a Cocoa Reach 

resident, currently serves as the director of Shuttle 

Management and Operations, an office being divided into two 

new organizations. 

-63- 
A new engineering organization will be directed by Horace 

Lamberth, a Satellite Reach resident who has been in charge 

of shuttle engineering since last year before the 

organization was formed. An operations organization will be 

directed by Titusville resident Robert Sieck, who will 

manage day-to-day shuttle processing and support. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A 61 16A, Jul. 27, 1985.1 

July 27: Challenger's seven-member crew, including two persons 

who devised some of the mission experiments, arrived at 

Kennedy Space Center about noon to begin their last-minute 

preparations. The crew includes commander Gordon Fullerton, 

pilot Roy Bridges, solar physicists Loren Acton and 

John-David Bartoe, geophysicist Anthony England, astronomer 

Karl Henize and physician Story Musgrave. [Fisher. THE 

ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. B-1 & B-7, Jul. 28, 1985.1 

July 28: "We've got a green light for launch," said shuttle 

chief Jesse Moore during a briefing held at Kennedy Space 

Center. [Early the next day, KSC spokesman Jim Mizell 

confirmed that launch preparations were running on 

schedule. 1 

"We've gone through the system very carefully and exercised 

all the components we were concerned about," Moore said at 

the press conference. "We've got the engines in good shape 

and ready to fly. We have not, however, found anything that 

we can precisely lay our finger on as being the absolute 

cause [of the July 12 abort] . We suspect it's some type of 

contamination," Moore said, noting that a microscopic-sized 

piece of material can foul a sensitive shuttle fuel valve. 

[Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A t 10A, Jul. 29, 1985.1 

<> As the countdown toward the scheduled July 29 launch of 

Challenger continued smoothly, space agency officials said 

they might alter countdown procedures to avoid the type of 

last second problems that forced the postponement of this 

mission two weeks ago. "We want to minimize the chances of 

a needless shutdown," said Jess Moore, head of NASA's 

shuttle program. "There may be a way to soften up some of 

our criteria." 

The possibility of new procedures is said to reflect growing 

confidence in the nation's fleet of space shuttles as well 

as concern about rising competition from abroad. 

-64- 
ORIGINAL PAGE fs 

OF POOR QUALITY 

Challenger's 51-F mission, which featured Spacelab 2 as its 

primary payload, was launched ninety minutes late at 5:OO 

p.m. on July 29. 

-6 5- 
New procedures being considered for the countdown include 

increasing the amount of time allowed for the shuttle's 

computers to verify the correct functioning of engine valves 

and broadening the criteria under which they are meant to 

operate. [Broad. THE.NEW YORK TIMES, Jul. 29, 1985.1 

July 29: Challenger lifted off more than ninety minutes late 

and limped into an emergency orbit on two engines - the 

first "abort to orbit" in the history of the shuttle 

program. "The crew was never in any danger," said Chuck 

Hollinshead, director of Kennedy Space Center public 

affairs. "The system worked as it's supposed to." 

Jesse Moore, who heads NASA's shuttle program, told a postlaunch press conference that sensors aboard Challenger 

signalled its No. 1 engine was overheating, and a computer 

automatically shut it down 5 minutes and 45 seconds into the 

flight. He said it was too early to tell whether the sensor 

or the engine was at fault. 

When the first engine shut down four minutes early, 

Challenger's computers ordered the remaining pair to burn an 

extra 20 seconds until the fuel in the external tank was 

exhausted. 

The combined power of the twin solid rocket boosters and the 

two functioning main engines boosted the shuttle beyond the 

Earth's atmosphere, but only to about 170 miles high - some 

70 miles short of its planned initial orbit. 

Later in the evening, Johnson Space Center in Houston 

reported that the crew, using the shuttle's smaller Orbiter 

Maneuvering System motors, would ad just Challenger's orbit 

into a path about 200 miles above Earth. 

The mission was originally scheduled to lift off at 3:23 

p.m. but was delayed to 5 p.m. by a software glitch in the 

guidance system of a solid rocket booster. STS 51F, planned 

for ten years and scheduled to last a week, will land at 

Edwards Air Force Base, California; NASA is using this 

California landing strip until late in 1985, when a 

redesigned orbiter steering system will be installed. 

[Lunner. TODAY, pp.lA & 14A, Jul. 30, 1985.1 

-66- 
. 

<> Fear and confusion about the "abort to orbit" performance of 

Challenger was apparently limited to the general public. "1 

was never really concerned about the astronauts safety or 

ability to achieve orbit," said NASA spokesman Jim Ball, who 

watched the launch from the KSC control room. "There was 

certainly no indication (of fear or concern) from the 

astronauts to the ground crew from the comments I heard. 

They (the astronauts) have practiced just about every 

situation anybody can think of." 

Ball, however, said he was "concerned that the shuttle might 

have other problems" when one engine shut down. "If there 

were other problems, I was afraid that might result in an 

abort overseas at a contingency site in Spain," he said. 

"Rut the other two engines did continue to perform and were 

able to make up for some of the energy loss." [Sellers. 

TODAY, pp. 1A & 14A, Jul. 30, 1985.1 

July 30: Computer sensors aboard Challenger - not engine 

troubles - probably caused STS 51F's emergency "abort to 

orbit," NASA concluded. The sensors triggered an engine 

shutdown that resulted in Challenger squeaking into. space 

only 33 seconds beyond the point at which it would have been 

forced to land in Spain. NASA engineers, interpreting 

information obtained during the launch, have singled out the 

sensors, thin wires that monitor critical engine 

temperature. 

"Until such time as this is confirmed by an examination of 

the engine and its various systems and the cause of the 

shutdown is fully understood, NASA will not launch another 

mission," a statement from spokesman Charles Redmond said. 

"We do not anticipate at this time, however, that there will 

be any resultant delay in the next mission." The next 

mission, aboard shuttle Discovery, is expected to be 

launched August 24. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 20A, Jul. 31, 

1985.1 

-67- 

- 
AUGUST 1985 

August 6: As Challenger's wheels touched down at Edwards Air 

Force Rase in California, Kennedy Space Center workers 

prepared Discovery on the launch pad for its August 24 

liftoff, set for 8:51 a.m. Discovery's preparations are on 

schedule pending resolution of the engine sensor problems 

which developed during Challenger's liftoff on July 29. 

[Lunner. TODAY, p. 4A, Aug. 7, 1985.1 

August 7: Kennedy Space Center offices will all be linked to a 

central computer soon, when a $15.3 million integrated, 

computerized data management system is installed. The costplus award fee contract was awarded to Computer Sciences 

Corp., Systems Division (Vienna, Virginia), a firm which 

already has some computer systems in place at KSC. The 

Virginia company won a competition with Harris Corp. 

(Melbourne, FL). The pact is for one year, with four oneyear extensions available. ["Harris Misses KSC Contract,'' 

TODAY, p. 20C, Aug. 8, 1985.1 

<> Discovery's five-man crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center to 

take part in a dress rehearsal countdown for their August 24 

launch. The mock countdown, ending with a simulated liftoff 

at 8 a.m. August 9, puts the launch crew, flight crew and 

other mission managers through their paces as if an actual 

launch were under way. 

The crew includes Commander Joe Engle, Pilot Richard Covey, 

and mission specialists James Van Hoften, John Lounge and 

William Fisher. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, Aug. 8, 1985.1 

August 8: Preliminary inspection of Challenger's engines 

supports NASA's theory that a faulty sensor - not actual 

engine overheating - caused the shuttle to lose power during 

its July 29 liftoff, the agency said. Technicians at 

Edwards Air Force Base, California, used a flexible fiberoptics device called a borescope to peer inside Engine One, 

the powerplant that shut down 5 minutes and 45 seconds into 

the ascent of the Spacelab 2 mission which ended August 6. 

-68- 
If, as expected, the manufacturer confirms NASA's theory, 

redesigned sensors that have been under development for the 

past 18 months will be installed in Discovery in time for 

the August 24 launch. [Lunner. TODAY, p. 13A, Aug. 9, 

1985.1 

August 10: During the processing cycle, the launch pad 

lightning mast received a strike during a storm. No one was 

injured but the command and telemetry system on a Payload 

Assist Module was believed affected by the strike. The PAM 

is attached to the American Satellite Co. ASC-1 

communications spacecraft, and the system erroneously 

reacted as if it had received a command. ["Rocketdyne 

Installs New Heat Sensors in Shuttle Main Engines," AVIATION 

WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 20, Aug. 19, 1985.1 

August 11: Challenger arrived home at KSC aboard its 747 

carrier at 12:36 p.m. The sensors and main engines will be 

inspected to determine why the engine failed, a NASA 

spokesman said. Challenger will be refurbished in coming 

weeks and prepared for the Oct. 30 mission. 

Meanwhile Discovery is on the launch pad and its five-man 

crew is preparing for an August 24 launch at 9:lO a.m. 

During the eight-day'mission, the crew is scheduled to 

deploy three communications satellites and attempt to rescue 

a fourth that was deployed in April but failed to activate. 

Orbiter Atlantis is also at KSC and will be moved to the VAB 

early Aug. 12 to be prepared for a Sept. 19 launch. 

[Dickerson. TODAY, p. lA, Aug. 12, 1985.1 

August 12: Failure of platinum temperature sensors the size of 

a human hair caused Challenger's engines to malfunction last 

month, but a solution has been found, the engine's 

manufacturer - Rocketdyne - said. "We have taken the three 

sensors out, and we have made our prediction based on our 

analysis, " said Dominick Sanchini, head of product ion for 

Rocketdyne, a division of Rockwell International. 

"It indeed was an actual case where all three failed, as we 

had projected,'' Sanchini said. He said the $3,500 sensors 

act like circuit breakers in home wiring, ordering the 

engines to shut down when excessive heat is detected. He 

-69- 
-70- 

said a new production process has greatly improved the 

sensors and that Rocketdyne wants the new ones to fly on 

Discovery's August 24 mission. [Lunner. TODAY, p. lA, 

AUg. 13, 1985.1 

August 13: Rollout ceremonies for the first shuttle/Centaur 

upper stage were conducted at General Dynamics Convair 

Division facilities in San Diego, California, prior to the 

start of acceptance testing. The liquid propellant upper 

stage is scheduled to be delivered to Florida September 4. 

The widebody stage is to be used fer the Galileo planetary 

mission, to be launched from the space shuttle in May 1986. 

["Convair Div. Rolls Out Shuttlo/Convair Upper Stage," 

[photo cutline], AVIATION WEEK & SPAC& TZCHNOLOGY, p. 25, 

Aug. 19, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Harris Corg. Government 

Information Systems Division (Melbourne, Florida) a space 

station study contract valued at $298,254. Under the 

contract, Harris will assess the mpace station's evolving 

mission requirements and assacirted payload launch site 

operations and develop computer-generated models for launch 

site processing of the station's resupply module, station 

payloads and overall station processing. The contract also 

calls for evaluation of potential applications of artificial 

intelligence in processing activities. Harris will deliver 

software, demonstrate an expert system and perform 

analyses. ["Harris Government Systems Sector in Space 

Station Study Contract," AEROSPACE DAILY, pp. 234-235, Aug. 

13, 1985.1 

August 14: "We knew what was happening long before we saw it on 

gauges," said Story Musgrave, a physician and pilot on the 

recently concluded flight of the shuttle. Challenger, 

carrying a crew of seven and $78 million in Spacelab 2 

experiments, lost power in one engine 5 minutes and 45 

seconds after liftoff from KSC July 29. 

"The drama level jumped conaiderabley at that paint tu 

Commander Gordon Fullerton remarked "We were somewhat 

tense for the rest of the ascent," Pilot Roy Rridges said 

later. "I don't think it's fair to say we were frightened 

at all, but we were tense, and we did know the ground was 

watching some other problems in the engine8 when they called 

us and told us to inhibit the automatic engine shutdown 

system. " 
Having lost a large amount of fuel that would have been used 

to make electrical energy, the crew entered a "maximum 

conservation mode." "I spent a lot of time going around 

turning out the lights, just like I do at home after the 

kids," Fullerton said. He added that the flight ranged from 

deep lows and great highs, and from total frustration to 

unbridled jubilation. [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A ti 20A, Aug. 

15, 1985.1 

August 16: Temperature sensors tougher than those blamed for 

the recent premature shutdown of a space shtutle engine were 

scheduled to be installed aboard the shuttle Discovery, NASA 

officals said. The sensors are a "ruggedized" version of 

those that caused the shutdown. 

workers will also reopen Discovery's cargo bay doors August 

18 to reposition a camera fixed on the shuttle's robot arm 

so it won't rub against a sun shield. Discovery's countdown 

is slated to begin at 3 a.m. August 22. 

In the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, the shuttle fleet's 

newest addition, Atlantis, was mated with an external tank 

and twin solid rocket boosters in preparation for its August . 27 rollout to its launch pad. Its main engines will be test 

fired on September 9 and its first launch is scheduled for 

September 19. [Lafferty. TODAY, p. 12A, Aug. 17, 1985.1 

August 17: The launch of Atlantis has been delayed two weeks - 

from September 19 to September 30. Its planned August 27 

rollout from the VAB has not been affected by the launch 

delay. The newly rescheduled mission is sponsored by the 

Department of Defense and includes a crew composed of 

Commander Karol J. Bobko, Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, and Mission 

Specialists David C. Hilmers and Robert L. Stewart. 

[Lafferty. TODAY, pp. 1A &I 20A, Aug. 18, 1985.1 

August 19: Engineers at Kennedy Space Center expect shuttle 

orbiters to begin landing at the center again next January 

or February at the earliest after the orbiters are fitted 

with improved nosegear steering capability and the 

modification is demonstrated during Edwards AFR, California, 

landings. Nose wheel steering improvements were accelerated 

for the orbiters after damage to the brakes and tires of 

Discovery in a crosswind landing at Kennedy in April. 

["Industry Observer, I' AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 

13, Aug. 19, 1985.1 

-71- 
August 20: Kennedy Space Center awarded PRC Systems Services 

Co. (Cocoa Beach, FL) a $6.8 million contract for 

engineering services to support Department of Defense and 

space shuttle cargo operations at KSC, Cape Canaveral Air 

Force Station and Vandenberg Air Force Rase, California. 

The contract initiates additional work and services under a 

contract that began in October 1983. The latest award 

brings the total value of PRC's contract to $53.8 million. 

["Capsules," TODAY, p. 16C, Aug. 21, 1985.1 

<> U. S. Rep. Rill Nelson announced that he has accepted an 

invitation from the Soviet Union to visit the country's 

space-related facilities in October. The Melbourne 

Democrat, who is chairman of the House Space Science and 

Applications Subcommittee, said the purpose of the trip is 

to express good will and gain knowledge of the Soviet space 

program. 

The invitation was extended to all members of the 

subcommittee, a NASA official, a high-ranking U. S. Air 

Force official and the three United States astronauts who 10 

years ago participated in a joint mission (Apollo Soyuz Test 

Project) with Soviet cosmonauts, he said. [Sellers. TODAY, 

p. 14A, Aug. 21, 1985.1 

August 21: Discovery's f ive-member crew flew through thunder 

and lightning to arrive on time at Kennedy Space Center's 

shuttle runway. A light rain started just after their 

arrival from Houston. The astronauts hugged their wives, 

then gave brief statements to a small group of photographers 

and a reporter gathered to greet them. 

"We've all waited a long time to do this, and as soon as the 

rain stops, we'll be ready to go out and do good work,'' said 

mission specialist Rill Fisher, whose parents live in Winter 

Park. "We're ready to go," said Cmdr. Joe Engle, an Air 

Force colonel who commanded STS-2, the second flight of 

Columbia. "I'm glad we're getting the bad weather out of 

the way today." [Lunner. TODAY, pp. 1A & 20A, Aug. 22, 

1985 . J 

<> A bit of Orange County history and some souvenirs for 

Central Florida are scheduled to be on board Discovery when 

the vehicle and its satellite repair crew leaves for a 

eight-day space call. Astronaut, Rill Fisher, whose parents 

-7 2- 
live in Winter Park, selected the local items as part of his 

personal kit for the flight. Included are an American flag 

intended for the city of Winter Park, several small city of 

Orlando flags, a photo of old Orlando from the Orange County 

Historical Museum and several family mementoes. [Fisher. 

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, AUg. 22, 1985.1 

August 22: The countdown clock for the launch of Discovery on 

August 24 began at 3 a.m. today: later in the morning 

commander Joe Engle and pilot Richard Covey performed 

exercises in a Gulfstream shuttle training jet, while Winter 

Park, Florida's Rill Fisher and mission specialists James 

o'Ox" van Hoften and John Lounge flew in T-38 jets. The 

flights serve as shuttle landing practice and help 

astronauts get used to the motion of spaceflight. 

' Launch day's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with 

good visibility and said NASA spokesman George Diller, 

should be "well within the parameters to launch.'' [Fisher. 

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. lB, Aug. 23, 1985.1 

August 24: A woman was injured late today after running a gate 

at Kennedy Space Center and then smashing into a KSC 

security guard's vehicle, a spokeswoman said. "Apparently 

she sustained some injuries. The extent of it is not know. 

She was taken to Jess Parrish (Memorial Hospital)," KSC 

spokeswoman Andrea Shea said shortly after midnight. Shea 

said the woman rammed Gate 3 on the NASA Causeway and "got 

as far as the Visitors Information Center." ["The Space 

Coast," TODAY, p. lR, Aug. 25, 1985.1 

<> Chancy tropical weather conditions forced postponement of 

the launch of Discovery and workers prepared for a second 

try for 7:57 a.m. the following day. [The second attempt on 

the 25th was scrubbed due to computer problems according to 

Launch Director Bob Sieck.] Saturday's initial launch 

effort was scrubbed at the last minute after storm clouds 

over the launch complex became "too dynamic to call," 

according to Sieck. The rains poured at noon and a 

lightning bolt cut power for 30 minutes. The commercial 

container ship "TLF Frank" caused a problem by attempting to 

enter the danger zone beneath the shuttle's flight path. It 

failed to respond to radio messages, so a helicopter was ' 

dispatched from nearby Patrick Air Force Base: the 

helicopter hovered above the ship, eventually dropping an 

advisory message in a plastic pouch. [Lunner. TODAY, p.lA, 

Aug. 25, 1985.1 

-7 3- 
August 25: Discovery's five-man crew spent another 2-1/2 

frustrating hours this morning strapped into flight seats 

that never left Kennedy Space Center's launch pad - this 

time because of computer problems. The launch attempt was 

rescheduled for 7:02 a.m. August 27. 

"The team was pretty discouraged," Launch Director Rob Sieck 

said after the second scrubbing. "But they'll get a day of 

rest, which they well deserve." He blamed the launch delay 

on computer problems but said marginal weather conditions 

probably would have grounded the flight anyway. 

An August 26 attempt was ruled out by safety considerations 

surrounding fuel operations, Sieck said. Each time the 

shuttle's massive external tank is loaded and drained of its 

500,000 gallons of volatile propellant, engine ducts may 

weaken from the temperature stress. 

While damaged engine ducts could present a new set of 

problems, bad weather may cancel the flight again on the 

27th Sieck warned. NASA engineers have allowed a 43-minute 

launch window for the third attempt, but there is a 30 

percent chance of scattered showers and 15 percent chance of 

thunderstorms. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. IA, Aug. 26, 

1985.1 

August 26: NASA officials gave technicians the go-ahead late 

today to begin loading fuels aboard Discovery, which was set 

to lift off at 7:05 a.m. August 27. Air Force forecasters 

said they expected cloudy skies but gaod visibility, 

improving chances for the launch. They predicted 

thundershowers offshore. The launch window was expected to 

extend from 6:55 a.m. to 7:49 a.m. ["A Break in the Weather 

- Crew Aims for Today," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. 1A, Aug. 

27, 1985.1 

August 27: Discovery's main engines ignited at 6:58 a.m. while 

rain covered much of Central Florida including near the 

launch complex. Rut Launch Director Rob Sieck, faced with 

up to $500,000 in daily delay costs, gave the word: "GO." 

He said launch safety guidelines were ''pushed" but not 

broken. Discovery's first launch attempt was scrubbed on 

August 24 due to the weather and the second attempt, the 

next day, was scrubbed because of computer problems. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 1A, Aug. 28, 1985.1 

-74- 
<> When the countdown clock neared zero, veteran astronaut John 

Young reported improving conditions from his weather plane, 

and forecasters saw a gap in the rain clouds. "We 

bet. . . that we would be able to thread the proverbial needle 

and get through a break in the [34-minute] launch window 

available to us," said launch director Bob Sieck. [Fisher. 

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 b A-4, Aug. 28, 1985.1 

August 29: Atlantis rolled out to Launch Complex 39A for the 

first time and preparations began for a final engine test. 

With Hurricane Elena out of the way, KSC managers started 

the 3.5 mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the 

launch site at 11:41 porn., beginning a journey that required 

six hours to complete. The nature of Atlantis' first 

mission is classified military information. ["Atlantis Hits 

Pad," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Aug. 30, 1985.1 

<> Challenger is now in the Orbiter Processing Facility undergoing refurbishment and cargo integration tests; it is 

scheduled for a December mission which will include the 

deployment of two satellites. ["Shuttle Flightline," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 6A, Aug. 30, 1985.1 

August 30: In August, the automatic checkout team from United 

Space Boosters Inc. completed in 3-1/2 hours a testing 

process that required 11 months when it was first tried in 

1979. "People and machines have matured to the point that 

production speed is increasing," said Joseph Lessey, manager 

of test operations. [Harrison. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 6A, Sep. 

26, 1985.1 

August 31: Two tornadoes ripped across Kennedy Space Center, 

trapping a guard 195 feet high on the launch pad but somehow 

sparing the shuttle Atlantis. The winds were powerful 

enough to roll a 15-ton platform 100 feet and to bend four 

steel posts into 90-degree contortions. There were no 

injuries, but three vehicles sustained broken windows and an 

unoccupied semi-trailer was overturned, KSC spokesman Hugh 

Harris said. 

One tornado was spotted approaching from the west and a 

second from the south of the launch pads at about 2:20 p.m. 

Most of the workers preparing Atlantis for its final engine 

test took shelter in the mobile launch platform. Rut an 

-75- 
EG&G guard at the 195-foot level of the launch tower complex 

was unable to leave his post when the high winds slammed his 

door shut. The pressure prevented him from escaping. When 

the winds died down, the door was opened and the 

unidentified guard, shaken but unhurt, was helped to the 

ground. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. IA, Sep. I, 1985.1 

-76- 
SEPTEMBER 1985 

September 3: Commander Joe Engle piloted Discovery (STS 51-1) 

through a strong headwind to a pinpoint landing at 9:15 

a.m. EDT on a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Rase, 

California. Discovery was reported to be in good condition. 

~- 

Shuttle Director Jesse Moore proclaimed the 20th mission, 

which earned the space agency $50 million in revenue, "near 

perfect." Moore said the fleet should remain on schedule to 

launch four more flights this year. [Mecham. FLORIDA 

TODAY, p. lA, Sep. 4, 1985.1 

September 4: Six aerospace companies, including one from West 

Germany, are Pining up to bid for the job of processing 

payloads for the space shuttle program under a contract that 

could be worth $750 million. The six companies will begin 

observing shuttle cargo operations at Kennedy Space Center. 

this week. Each company is expected to send an observation 

team to learn the business in preparation for submitting a 

formal bid sometime next year. 

The six companies chosen by NASA are Roeing Co., General 

Electric Co., Grumman Aerospace Corp., Hughes Aircraft Co., 

MRR/ERNO and McDonnell Douglas Corp. 

"They're going to be able to observe Lhe procedures and 

techniques," NASA spokesman Dick Young said. "This is kind 

of an explanatory thing. The request for proposals will 

probably go out very late this year or early next year." 

[Smart. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. C-1 & C-2, Sep. 5, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center will open its gates to its employees 

and their families Sept. 21, in its first open house since 

1982. The general public will not be allowed. [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 8A, Sep. 5, 1985.1 

September 5: David Severance, a supervisor at the KSC Printing 

and Micro-graphics Department of EG&G, recently won $16,000 

for suggesting a way to save about 8 million sheets of paper 

- about $128,000 worth - from a report Lockheed prints every 

-77- 
three months. Under the New Smyrna Reach resident's plan, 

only corrections will be printed every quarter, with the 

total rewrite of the 45,000-page document rescheduled once a 

year. ["EG&G's Severance Has a Better Idea," FLORIDA TODAY, 

Sep. 5, 1985.1 

<> High winds gusting across California's Mojave Desert 

hampered Discovery's return preparations, but NASA still 

expects the shuttle to return to Kennedy Space Center 

September 8. "The high winds out here remain a nuisance," 

NASA spokesman George Diller said from Edwards Air Force 

Rase in California. Diller, a KSC employee, is assigned to 

Edwards until Discovery returns home. 

"They have to move the tail cone from the hangar to the aft 

end of the orbiter," Diller explained. "Because it's light 

and hollow, if they move that out and a gust of wind gets in 

there - away she goes!" The tail cone is placed over the 

tail section of the shuttle, protecting its main engines and 

maneuvering rockets during the cross-country ferry flight, 

and it adds stability to the modified Boeing 747 that 

carries it. 

Noting that NASA has only one of the 36-foot-long, 26-footwide tail cones, Diller said processing teams will not work 

with the aerodynamic cone if winds exceed.20 miles per 

hour. For two days, winds have been gusting to 25 mph at 

Edwards. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, Sep. 6, 1985.1 

September 6: U.S. Rep. Rill Nelson of Melbourne, who heads a 

committee which reviews NASA's budget, was formally invited 

by the space agency to fly aboard the shuttle. A specific 

flight date has not been selected, but NASA Administrator 

James Reggs told Nelson that he will not fly before January 

when New Hampshire high school teacher Christa McAuliffe 

flies aboard the orbiter. [Nelson's flight opportunity was 

subsequently advanced to Dec. 18, 1985, STS 61-Cl. 

Nelson reacted with "extreme joy and at the same time deep 

humility," at the invitation, he said at a news conference 

in Melbourne, Florida. The shuttle launch pad at Kennedy 

Space Center is just three miles from where his grandparents 

homesteaded in 1917, he said. [Fisher and Rasche. THE 

ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 & A-10, Sep. 7, 1985. Booth. 

FLORIDA TODAY, Po 1A, D~c. 16, 1985.1 

-78- 
September 8: Discovery returned to Kennedy Space Center at 

11:26 a.m. atop its specially designed Boeing 747 carrier, 

completing the last leg of STS 51-1, "It's been described by 

folks at Edwards [Air Force Rase, CAI as looking the 

cleanest one's been seen yet," KSC Public Affairs Officer 

Dick Young said. 

The next shuttle launch is scheduled to be the maiden voyage 

of Atlantis (51-51, which will go on a classified military 

mission for the Defense Department Oct. 3. The exact time 

of liftoff is classified but is scheduled to be between 2:20 

and 5:20 p.m. The orbiter is already on the launch pad and 

KSC officials have scheduled a 22-second engine-firing test 

Sept, 12. [Haj. FLORIDA TODAY, P. 3A, Sep. 9, 1985.1 

September 11: Kennedy Space Center awarded International Safety 

Instruments, Inc. (Lawrenceville, Ga.) a $247,758 contract 

to provide self-contained breathing units for emergency use 

by Spaceport workers. The breathing apparatus furnishes a 

10-minute supply of oxygen for life support in an emergency 

situation. The contract initially calls for 1785 units, 

with a provision for up to 500 more. The units will be 

manufactured at International Safety Instruments, Inc. The 

fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract, was one set aside 

for award to small businesses. [Shea-King, NASA/KSC 

RELEASE No. 187-85, Sep. 11, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center extended an existing contract with 

Planning Research Corporation (PRC) Systems Services Co. 

(Cocoa Reach, Florida): the extension adds $12,421,841, 

bringing the total contract value to $66,187,413. The 

agreement calls for PRC to provide engineering services for 

the Directorate of Engineering Development at Kennedy Space 

Center and at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. [SheaKing. NASA/KSC RELEASE No. 186-85, Sep. 11, 1985.1 

<> NASA's Kennedy Space Center awarded Intergraph Corporation 

(Huntsville, Al) a $1,350,346 contract to provide computeraided design, drafting and documentation functions. 

Intergraph will provide an on-line interactive graphic 

system capable of handling design, analysis and 

documentation tasks at Marshall Space Flight Center in 

Huntsville as well as at KSC. The contract, awarded August 

29, 1985, calls for a 16-month period of performance. 

[Shea-King. NASA/KSC RELEASE No. 188-85, Sep. 11, 1985.1 

-79- 
September 12: Atlantis (STS-51-J) spewed flames, smoke and 

thunderous noise from its three huge main engines this 

morning, but didn't rise an inch above its Kennedy Space 

Center launch pad - which was exactly what was supposed to 

happen. Moments later, KSC spokesman Jim Ball pronounced 

the engine test firing of NASA's fourth shuttle a success. 

"All preliminary indications would be that we had a 

completely successful test. . . ,I1 Ball said. "There were no 

indications of any problems whatsoever." 

The 11 a.m. firing went off right on schedule. The 

22-second ignition left a huge white cloud of steam looming 

in the warm sunny skies over the launch complex. KSC teams 

immediately began preparing Atlantis for September 16's 

dress rehearsal launch in which the crew and launch team 

will participate. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 14A, Sep. 13, 

1985.1 

September 13: NASA expects each shuttle "to last well over 100 

flights and they will probably wind up lasting much more 

than the 100 flights" for which they were designed, NASA 

space flight chief Jesse Moore told a congressional military 

subcommittee in closed-door session. 

"I fully expect it to last well into the next century," he 

said. Moore noted that the 100-flight goal was planned 

without a major overhaul. "With such overhaul or major 

inspection, the orbiter could be useful well beyond" the 100 

flight mark. ["Orbiters to Fly More Than 100 Times - 

Moore," DEFENSE DAILY, p. 61, Sep. 13, 1985.1 

September 16: A crew of five military astronauts completed the 

dress rehearsal countdown for Atlantis's maiden flight (STS 

51-J) at Kennedy Space Center without a hitch. "It was a 

perfect countdown," KSC spokeswoman Lisa Malone said hours 

afterward. "It went very well." The crew is led by Air 

Force Col. Karol Bobko. Its pilot is Ronald Grabe. There 

are two mission specialists, Robert Stewart and David 

Hilmers, and payload specialist, William Pailes. [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Sep. 17, 1985.1 

September 18: About 1-1/2 tons of tubular metal supports broke 

loose and fell nearly 100 feet down Kennedy Space Center's 

Launch Pad 39B this morning, causing some damage but no 

injuries, NASA officials said. "What caused three of the 

-80- 
five tubes in the telescoping assembly to break loose and 

fall is still under review," NASA spokesman Dick Young 

said. No cost estimate of damages was available, he said. 

Pad 39R is being modified for its first shuttle launch, set 

for Jan. 22; it was last used during the July 15, 1975, 

launch of Apollo-Soyuz mission. 

The tubes, a foot in diameter and 25 feet long, each weigh 

1,000 pounds, Young said. They support a moveable platform 

workers cross to reach a room used to store satellites - 

before they are placed aboard a shuttle. The tubes damaged 

a sheet metal structure near the bottom of the Rotating 

Service Structure that protects Orbital Maneuvering System 

engine pods, Young said. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, 

Sep. 19, 1985.1 

<> The deployment of an INTELSAT communications satellite - the 

final commercial flight of NASA's Atlas-Centaur program - is 

cleared for a September 26 liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air 

Force Station. "This whole thing has gone absolutely by the 

book," Kennedy Space Center spokesman George Diller said of 

the Atlas-Centaur preparations. "There's been no deviation 

in anything." Installation of the INTELSAT, built by Ford 

Aerospace, and testing of NASA's worldwide tracking network 

was completed this week. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, 

Sep. 19, 1985.1 

September 19: An accident investigation board appointed by KSC 

Director Dick Smith began its review of the circumstances 

surrounding an incident at Pad B at Launch Complex 39 on 

September 18 in which portions of a telescoping tube on a 

pad structure fell to the pad floor. The board is chaired 

by T. D. Greenfield, chief, Networks Engineering Division, 

Electronic Engineering Directorate. Members include James 

L. Joyner, Center Support Operations Directorate, and Emmitt 

A. Reynolds, Shuttle Engineering Directorate. Safety 

advisers are Jay Wortman and Robert A. Gerron. Legal 

adviser is Douglas Go Hendriksen of the Chief Counsel's 

Office. [Young. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 194-85, Sep. 19, 

1985.1 

September 20: Hughes Communication Systems Inc., which owns two 

lifeless LEASATs now orbiting in space, had decided not to 

launch another of the $85 million satellites. Officials of 

-81- 
the California firm, which builds 70 percent of the world's 

communications satellites, asked NASA to remove LEASAT 5 

from a December 20 shuttle payload. The earliest date for 

which the satellite could be rescheduled would be September 

1986, said Marvin Mixon, a Hughes spokesman. [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Sep. 21, 1985.1 

<> Enterprise, NASA's powerless prototype space shuttle, 

arrived at Kennedy Space Center at about 6:30 p.m. and was 

readied for display at KSC's open house the next day. The 

orbiter made the cross-country trip from Edwards Air Force 

Rase, California, in one day rather than the usual two. 

Turbulent and rainy weather along the flight path delayed 

Enterprise's arrival. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Sep. 

21, 1985.1 

September 21: About 30,000 visitors took advantage of Kennedy 

Space Center's open house and were treated to a behind-thescenes look at the workings of the space program. The open 

house - the first since 1982 - was limited to employees of 

NASA, its contractors and their families. Visitors were 

allowed to walk through the launch and control center and 

view Spacelab 2 and portions of the Spacelab 3 module. 

On launch pad 39-A, visitors could see Atlantis being 

readied for its October 1 maiden voyage on a classified 

Department of Defense mission. Also on display at the open 

house: Enterprise, sitting piggyback atop the Roeing 747 

carrier jet. A mock-up, the Enterprise will remain at KSC 

for an unspecified period before being housed permanently at 

the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. [Jennings. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Sep. 22, 1985.1 

<> 3-M Corp. is trying to figure out if workers at Kennedy 

Space Center could have damaged the wiring for an experiment 

on Discovery. The company thinks technicians replacing the 

orbiter's computer before launch in late August may have 

bumped wiring for the organic-crystal experiment below the 

computer. The experiment performed, but had to be modified 

and run on a backup electrical system. ["Aerospace," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. lF, Sep. 22, 1985.1 

-82- 
A highlight of KSC's Open House on September 21 was an 

opportunity to see the non-flying shuttle Enterprise next to 

an Apollo-era Saturn V. Both vehicles were located near the 

massive Vehicle Assembly Building. 

-83- 
September 22: Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Mel., FL) begins formal 

preparations for his future space shuttle mission with a 

trip to Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he will 

undergo the first of several medical exams by NASA doctors. 

["Nelson Checks Out for Space Checkup," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

2A, Sep. 22, 1985.1 

September 23: On LC-39A, shuttle Atlantis (STS 61-R) underwent 

a helium leak test today. Discovery (STS 51-11 remained in 

the OPF where its fuel cells were tested: the orbiter will 

be transferred to the VAR at midnight tomorrow. (STS 61-A) 

Spacelab-to-Challenger testing was underway in the OPF and 

Columbia (STS 61-C) continued to be refurbished in the VAB 

prior to its transfer to the OPF the morning of September 

25. Enterprise remained at the Shuttle Landing Facility in 

preparation for a move to near the VAB where the test 

vehicle will be on public display. ["Shuttle Flightline," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 6A, Sep. 24, 1985.1 

September 26: James Devault was chosen as Employee of the Month 

<> 

<> 

-- for Shuttle Management and Operations based on his 

significant contributions to the success of shuttle landings 

at Edwards AFR, California. He was also recognized for the 

assistance he provided at Vandenberg AFB, California, during 

the development of Vandenberg's shuttle launch facilities. 

Devault's work involves being responsible for radio 

communications systems at KSC and all ground communications 

systems at shuttle landing sites including Edwards AFR and 

overseas contingency landing sites. [Marth. NASA/KSC NEWS 

RELEASE No. 203-85, Sep. 26, 1985.1 

Second-guessing Hurricane_Gloria's travel plans, NASA 

expects to launch its last INTELSAT communications satellite 

tonight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. "Weather is 

our only concern," launch director Chuck Gay said the 

previous day. "The vehicle is ready. We have no problems 

that we're concerned about at this point. We have one small 

concern with the weather." [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, 

Sep. 26, 1985.1 

Hurricane Gloria and a malfunctioning electronic component 

combined to scrub the launch of an Atlas-Centaur carrying an 

INTELSAT communications satellite. "The earliest we can go 

is [Sept. 271, but there is officially no time or date set," 

said KSC spokesman George Diller. "They want to fully 

understand what is amiss." 

-84- 
. 

Diller said the electronic component handles data from 

several systems, including the fuel system and some flight 

control functions; it will be replaced. "A secondary 

consideration is the availability of the INTELSAT satellite 

control center in Washington, D.C. , because of the 

hurricane," Diller added. "They were afraid they could get 

it up there but not be able to get in touch with it and lose 

control of it . 'I 

NASA has additional launch opportunities for the liftoff 

from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station every night between 

September 28 and October 17. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

7A, Sep. 27, 1985.1 

September 28: An Atlas Centaur launch, originally set for 

September 26 was rescheduled for 7:36 p.m. tonight. The 

faulty data processing unit was replaced and the weather, 

relieved of the activities of Hurricane Gloria which made 

landfall in the northeast on the 27th, was expected to pose 

no problem for the evening launch. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO 

SENTINEL, p. lD, Sep. 28, 1985.1 

<> Under overcast skies, the Atlas-Centaur rocket carrying a 

multi-million dollar communications satellite lifted off at 

7:36 p.m. from Launch Complex 36. Around 2 porn., KSC 

officials were "guardedly optimistic" about the rocket's 

liftoff because of heavy thunderstorms and gusting winds. 

Ry early evening the skies cleared around the Cape Canaveral 

facility prompting a thumbs up sign for the launch. 

Countdown began at 10:21 a.m. and fueling of the rocket 

started at 6:lO p.m. KSC spokesmen said. [Jennings. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Sep. 29, 1985.1 

September 30: NASA awarded two Titusville firms a total of $1.7 

million for three contracts related to space shuttle 

operations. Holloway Corp. will receive $716,470 to 

construct two buildings at Kennedy Space Center. BAMSI 

Inc. will receive $950,812 for an operations contract at 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. 

Holloway is to build a $420,000, pre-engineered metal 

storage and maintenance facility for the payload canister 

transporter. The contract includes plumbing and electrical 

installation for the building, to be located south of the 

headquarters building in KSC's industrial area. The second 

-85- 
Holloway contract covers the construction of a $296,470, 

pre-engineered metal communications facility at KSC. The 

facility will be part of the communications network of 

audio-visual capabilities, including teleconferencing, at 

all NASA centers. [FLORIDA TODAY staff and Wire Reports, 

"Briefcase," p. 16C, Oct. 1, 1985.1 

<> The five crew members of the shuttle Atlantis (51-J) arrived 

at Kennedy Space Center at 4 p.m. and talked only about the 

weather, setting a tone of secrecy for the defense mission 

that begins October 3. Air Force Col. Karol Bobko, the 

mission commander, said he hoped for good weather, but none 

of the crew members made any mention of the details about 

their shuttle flight. The other crew members are Air Force 

Lt. Ronald Grabe as pilot: and Marine Major David Hilmers, 

Army Col. Robert Steward and Air Force Major William 

Pailes. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. lB, Oct. 1, 

1985.1 

-86- 
OCTOBER 1985 

October 1: Playalinda Beach will be closed for more than 200 

days next year when NASA begins using a launch pad closer to 

the beach, the space agency predicts. "It's going to be a 

big bite out of next year, there's no doubt about it," said 

Chuck Hollinshead, public affairs director for Kennedy Space 

Center. He also warned that if the launch pad now used is 

closed for modifications, flights may be shifted to the new 

pad, which would close Playalinda even more. [Lafferty. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 2, 1985.1 

<> The countdown for the launch of Atlantis (STS 51-51 began 

while KSC workers solved a problem of air in the solid 

rocket booster hydraulic lines by purging them. The weather 

forecast for the October 3 launch was described as 

acceptable by NASA officials. Mission commander Karol Bobko 

and pilot Ronald Grabe spent part of the day practicing 

landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and a NASA T-38 

jet trainer. Other crew members reviewed flight plans and 

performed routine pre-launch activities. The exact schedule 

of launch activities for the maiden launch of Atlantis is a 

Department of Defense secret. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

11A, Oct. 2, 198S.l 

October 2: Weather permitting, NASA's newest space shuttle 

Atlantis will make its debut October 3. The forecast from 

Air Force weather officer Lt. Scott Funk was iffy. "We 

expect rain showers and isolated thunderstorms,'' Funk said 

during a pre-launch briefing at Kennedy Space Center. "It's 

going to be a real time call." [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

lA, Oct. 3, 1985.1 

October 3: "We had a successful countdown leading to a launch 

within the prescribed launch period," said NASA about 

Atlantis's maiden launch (51-J) which came at about 11:15 

a.m. KSC spokesmen were operating under strict Department 

of Defense secrecy rules. 

Nearly five hours after launch, Mission Control in Houston 

broadcast a one-sentence update: "On the maiden voyage of 

Atlantis, the crew is doing well, and all systems on board 

-87- 
the orbiter are performing satisfactorily." NASA plans no 

further statements until 24 hours before landing, at which 

time touchdown plans will be revealed. 

Atlantis became the first shuttle ever to begin its first 

mission without delay, and its flawless performance took 

place before a sparse audience of 182 news media 

representatives - half the turnout for recent launches . "Atlantis has set a new record for on-time performance," 

said NASA's Charles Redmond. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, pp. 

1A & 2A, Oct. 4, 1985.1 

October 4: Rep. Rill Nelson (D-Melbourne) will join six 

astronauts on a five-day spaceflight aboard the shuttle 

Columbia in late December, NASA officials announced. The 

space agency said that Nelson will participate in some life 

sciences studies during the mission. The congressman is 

expected to report for astronaut training in early 

December. 

NASA spokesman Charles Redmond said that when the December 

crew slot opened, the agency assigned Nelson because it 

suited his schedule and his presence would not interfere 

with activities planned for the mission. 

U.S. Rep. Don Fuqua (D-Altha) a critic of Republican Senator 

Jake Garn's flight has said that Garn's flight was 

unnecessary. He also didn't like the idea of Nelson's 

flight, but the two congressmen reached an agreement that 

Fuqua wouldn't publicly criticize his colleague's space 

journey. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. A-1 &I A-14, 

Oct. 5, 1985.1 

October 6: The Atlantis will end its four-day secret mission 

October 7, with a 1 p.m. landing in California at Edwards 

Air Force Rase, the Air Force announced. The announcement 

came as promised 24 hours before the scheduled landing. Air 

Force officials said the shuttle's systems "continue to 

perform satisfactorily." The announcement broke a news 

blackout since Atlantis began is first mission (51-5) from 

Kennedy Space Center. [Lafferty. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 1A, 

Oct. 7, 1985.1 

-88- 
. 

October 7: Atlantis was reported in "excellent" shape and the 

crew was in good spirits following the orbiter's 1 p.m. EDT 

landing. "Of course I can't say anything about our 

mission," said Cmdr.' Karol Bobko, an Air Force colonel, "but 

I can say that the Atlantis performed superbly. I've flown 

Challenger, Atlantis and Discovery now, and I think NASA 

really has quite a fleet of orbiters and we have a great 

national asset." 

Even an inquiry about the shuttle 's routine de-orbit rocket 

burn to return to Earth was met with an "it's classified" 

from shuttle director Jesse Moore. With a grin, he said, 

"We've been delighted with the (news) coverage of this 

mission," [Mecham. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 8, 1985.1 

October 10: Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Melb.) and an entourage of 

high-ranking American space officials head for Sweden and 

the Soviet Union tonight, seeking a working relationship in 

space with the Soviet Union. "The purpose of our trip," 

Nelson said in Washington, "is to open the door to the 

possibility of civilian cooperation between the United 

States and the Soviet Union." 

Among Nelson's group are seven congressmen, former 

astronauts Tom Stafford and Deke Slayton (members of the 

final Apollo mission that linked up with a Soviet Salyut 

spacecraft in 1975) : a Department of State representative; 

Jess Moore, head of NASA's shuttle program: and Thomas Paine 

and Marcia Smith, of the National Commission on Space. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 10, 1985.1 

<> Congressional members of the trip to the Soviet Union 

delayed their departure to take part in a vote on the 

national debt which was scheduled to occur at 11 a.m. Oct. 

11. The flight should leave right afterward, an aide to 

Rep. Rill Nelson said. ["Soviet Trip Postponed For Debt 

Vote," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Oct. 11, 1985.1 

October 11: The space shuttle Atlantis is expected to return to 

Kennedy Space Center from California today at 6 p.m.; the 

Atlantis aboard its 747 transport plane left Edwards Air 

Force Rase in California shortly after 7 a.m. [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Oct. 11, 1985.1 

-89- 
October 16: A delegation of U.S. congressmen and aerospace 

officials received a definitive "nyet" [no] from Soviet 

President Andrei Gromyko on their proposal to renew 

superpower space cooperation. Gromyko told the group "the 

United States would have to back off of militarization of 

-90- 

~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ 

October 14: Orbiter Processing Facility Director Robert 

Rressette presented certificates of appreciation to almost 

two dozen members of the Lockheed Space Operations Co. 

Shuttle Processing Contract team. The team spotted 

contamination in a critical gaseous oxygen (GOX) control 

valve and replaced the entire system just prior to the 

launch of Discovery's Mission 51-1 last month. 

"Normally it takes about four weeks to [do the replacement.] 

It took these guys two weeks," said Deputy OPF Director 

Bruce Kowen. Among those receiving the certificates of 

appreciation were Robert Rarrett, Stan Carver, Joe Coughlin, 

Me1 Harmon, George Hofmann, Gene Jensen, Dick Noeske, Jack 

Weakland, Harry Prosser, Chip Galliano and Kenneth Morgan. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 5A, Oct. 15, 1985.1 

<> McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s division that processes payloads 

for the space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center is getting 

additional management. George Faenza, former director of 

the KSC unit, has been appointed vice president and general 

manager of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co.'s KSC 

division. M. Dale Steffey, who had been director of the 

Huntsville, Ala., technical services unit, has been 

appointed vice president and deputy general manager of the 

KSC division. [Reed. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. lC, Oct. 15, 

1985.1 

October 15: Ceremonies at the Vandenberg Launch Site 

commemorated the transition of the new facility from an 

activation status to an operational mde. A press 

conference featuring Under Secretary of the Air Force, 

Edward C. Aldridge, was held at the Orbiter Maintenance and 

Checkout Facility. Aldridge, who is a payload specialist on 

62-A (the first scheduled Vandenberg launch), was 

accompanied by the rest of the crew: Mission Commander, 

Capt. Rob Crippen, USN; Pilot, Lt. Col. Guy Gardner, USAF; 

Mission Specialists, Cmdr. Dale A. Gardner, USN; Col. 

Richard Mullane, USAF; and Maj. Jerry Ross, USAF; and 

payload specialist, Maj. John Waterson, USAF. [Lindeke. 

STAR GAZER, p. 1, Oct. 17, 1985.1 
space," before U.S.-Soviet space cooperation could be 

renewed, Nelson said, Gromyko's reference to space 

militarization of space refers to U.S. efforts through the 

Strategic Defense Initiative to match the Soviet Union's 

missile defense research and testing efforts which have been 

underway for several years. [Tinsley. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

lA, Oct. 17, 1985.1 

0 NASA spokesman Dick Young said two problems developed in the . 6-million-pound crawler-transporter causing it to stop half 

a mile from its destination on Pad 39A. An electrical 

malfunction occurred during the morning and a leak in a 

hydraulic line developed around midday. Both problems, the 

first NASA has encountered during a shuttle rollout to the 

pad, occurred in the system that keeps the billion-dollar 

cargo level as the transporter travels the 3-mile distance 

from the VAB to the pad. Repairs were made by 5:35 p.m. and 

the transporter reached the pad at 8:15 p.m., Young said. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Oct. 17, 1985.1 

October 17: Dr. Anna Fisher, NASA astronaut, praised KSC 

workers in a talk delivered before the Women's Executive 

Council in Orlando. "I don't think people appreciate just 

how complex an operation it is," she said. One of the major 

problems at KSC, she said, is that "people are having to put 

in long, hard hours." [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, pp. 1B & 2B, 

Oct. 18, 1985.1 

October 18: The mock launch countdown at Kennedy Space Center 

for liftoff of the shuttle Challenger went so well the eight 

crew members had a hard time keeping their thoughts earthbound afterward. 

"I wished it had been today," said Henry Hartsfield, the 

mission commander of the October 30 flight (STS 61-A). He 

said the test went smoothly except for an "anomaly" in the 

display panel: NASA said later that the problem would not 

affect the flight. 

The mission - Spacelab D-1 - has the largest crew ever, five 

Americans and three Germans. Hartsfield and pilot Steven 

Nagel will fly the orbiter: the NASA mission specialists are 

Guion Rluford, Bonnie Dunbar and James Buchli. Payload 

specialist Reinhard Furrer and Ernst Messerschmid of Germany 

and Wuhbo Ockels of the Netherlands will provide the 

international members of the crew. 

-91- 
The shuttle payload will be controlled from an operations 

center at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, near Munich. 

[Jennings. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Oct. 19, 1985.1 

October 21: The military space shuttle Mission 51-J, using the 

new orbiter Atlantis, established a shuttle high-altitude 

record of 320 mi. (515 km.) shortly after launch of the 

secret flight from Kennedy Space Center on October 3. 

["Military Shuttle Flight Sets Altitude Record," AVIATION 

WEEK C SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 26, Oct. 21, 1985.1 

<> The space shuttle Challenger is at launch pad 39A and the 

onboard maneuvering systems propellants have been loaded 

prior to the noon October 30 liftoff. Atlantis, recently 

returned from Edwards Air Force Base, California, is in the 

Orbiter Processing Facility where its cargo bay is being 

reconfigured for its second mission, scheduled for launch on 

November 27 . 

Columbia is in High Ray 2 of the OPF; its orbital 

maneuvering systems pods were being installed this week. 

Discovery is undergoing maintenance, including main engine 

work, in High Ray 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. 

Discovery is scheduled to liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force 

Base, California, on March 20, 1986. [Heller. FLORIDA 

TODAY, p. SA, Oct. 22, 1985.1 

October 22: Proposals are being sought by Kennedy Space Center 

for an overall analysis of the current ground operations 

functions for the space shuttle in order to determine high 

payoff innovative methodologies and technologies to reduce 

those operations and cut life cycle costs. Kennedy Space 

Center will be the primary focus of the study, with 

secondary consideration given to the Vandenberg launch 

site. ["KSC Opens Study of Improved Shuttle Ground 

Operations," DEFENSE DAILY, p. 269, Oct. 22, 1985.1 

October 25: A replica of the X-29 test aircraft with forward 

swept wings will be on display at Spaceport USA for a week 

beginning Oct. 29. The replica was built by Grumman Corp. 

under a contract with the U.S. Air Force for display at the 

Paris Air Show and has been displayed at Grumman plants 

around the country. ["Spaceport USA to Show Replica of Test 

Aircraft," THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. D-2, Oct. 26, 1985.1 

-92- 
. 

October 27: The largest shuttle crew ever - five Americans, two 

West Germans and one Dutchman - arrived at Kennedy Space 

Center amidst thundershowers today. "The bird's in good 

shape, and I can assure you of one thing: The crew is ready 

to go," Cmdr. Hank Hartsfield said. "I'm still trying to 

figure out if we're a gaggle or a herd," said mission 

specialist Ronnie Dunbar. "But let's go." 

For a complete crew listing see story of Oct. 18. 

[Herlihy. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 28, 1985.1 

October 28: The countdown for the weeklong flight of STS 61-A 

began at 6 a.m. and continued smoothly as the record eightmember crew spent a light day preparing for the flight. 

West Germany has booked the entire shuttle mission for $64 

million, sponsoring 76 experiments valued at $175 million. 

Most are housed in Spacelab, a 23-foot laboratory in 

Challenger's cargo bay where scientific research will be 

conducted around the clock. This will be the first time a 

manned space mission has been managed by a country other 

than the United States or the Soviet Union, but despite the 

precedent, only 50 foreign journalists have asked to cover 

the launch, half the number who came to Kennedy Space Center 

for the first Spacelab launch in.1983. 

The weather forecast calls for good visibility, although 

there remains a chance of rain in the area. [Fisher. THE 

ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. R-1, Octo 29, 1985.1 

October 29: . NASA's Teacher in Space Sharon Christa McAuliffe 

(Concord, N.H.) and her backup teachernaut Barbara Morgan 

(McCall, Idaho) took their first up-close look at the 

shuttle Challenger perched on its pad and ready for a noon 

launch October 30. 

"Amazing," said McAuliffe, who spoke briefly during a photo 

session at LC 39A. "Especially with the superstructure. 

We've seen the mock-ups and everything (at Johnson Space 

Center's astronaut training complex), but we're only used to 

seeing the cargo bay. But to see the superstructure and the 

tank. ..it's unbelievable." McAuliffe is scheduled to fly on 

the January 1986 mission. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, 

Oct. 30, 1985.1 

-93- 
<> "Challenger and the cargo and the crew all seem ready to 

go," NASA shuttle chief Jesse Moore said. "We're a little 

bit concerned about the weather." Air Force weather officer 

Lt. Francine Lockwood said rain showers were likely 

throughout the noon-to-3 p.m. launch window, as a result of 

Hurricane Juan's remnants being close to Florida. 

NASA will not launch shuttles through rain or high winds. 

If the liftoff is cancelled Oct. 30, it will be rescheduled 

for Oct. 31. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 30, 

1985.1 

<> Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands and her 

husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven, toured Kennedy Space 

Center in advance of their countryman's launch into space 

aboard the shuttle October 30. The princess said through 

her spokesman that her visit was intended as moral support 

for Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels. 

In addition to the princess and her husband, other VIP's 

expected to view the launch of STS 61-A were Italian 

aerospace executive Renato Ronifacio; actor Kirby Grant, 

known as television's "Sky King" in the late 1950s; Hermann 

Oberth, a 91-year-old German astronautics pioneer; and a 

handful of current and former German government officials. 

["Space Center Gets Dutch Treat," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 2A, 

Oct. 30, 1985.1 

October 30: Kirby Grant, television's "Sky King," was killed in 

an auto accident at 8:OO a.m. four miles west of Titusville, 

Florida, on Highway 50. Grant, 73, of Winter Springs, had 

received an official invitation to attend Challenger's 

liftoff and was en route to Kennedy Space Center at the time 

of the accident. Traveling alone in his car, Grant was 

pronounced dead on arrival at Jess Parrish Memorial Hospital 

in Titusville. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, two 

sons and a daughter. [Rink. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 31, 

1985.1 

<> Challenger lifted off right on schedule at noon; rain that 

had threatened to delay the launch never materialized to mar 

the start of NASA's 22nd shuttle mission 61-A. A balky 

electrical power cell on board Challenger had raised some 

concern - someone on the launch pad forgot to close a 

circuit breaker. Otherwise the launch was by the book. 

-94- 
Flight director Gary Coen, speaking from Mission Control in 

Houston, said neither the fuel cell problem nor a glitch in 

one of the steering rocket systems would seriously hamper 

the flight. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 31, 1985.1 

<> Challenger (STS 61-A) experienced reaction control system 

and fuel cell problems shortly after its noon liftoff. 

Neither was expected to affect mission duration. Just after 

launch, a helium pressure regulator in the right-hand RCS 

pod fuel feed system failed in the closed position. Both 

fuel and oxidizer tanks have two legs in the propellant feed 

system, called A and €3, and both must operate on the same 

leg. The crew was instructed to close the A leg and operate 

on B. When the system began to lose pressure the 

instrutions were to close B and open A. When this was 

accomplished, pressure became normal. The effect of the 

problem was that the right-hand pod lost its redundancy. 

1985.1 

[KOlCUm. AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, pe 20, NOVO 4, 

<> Professor Hermann Oberth, the 91-year-old German mentor of 

rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun, was on hand for the launch 

of Challenger and described it as "a wonderful achievement. 

This is the first step we are sure we have to take to go 

from Earth to the space station and back." After an 

orbiting space station, Oberth said, a base on the moon 

should be space technology's next major step. Oberth saw 

his last launch from KSC in 1969 when Apollo 11 lifted off. 

He watched that launch with von Rraun who attributed much of 

rocketry's development to Oberth's theories and designs. 

Born in Transylvania (now part of Romania) in 1894, Oberth 

was inspired by the visionary science fiction author Jules 

Verne, and in 1923 wrote "The Rocket Into Interplanetary 

Space." In it he predicted rockets could leave the Earth's 

atmosphere and humans could live in space without risk. 

[Lafferty. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Oct. 31, 1985.1 

<> Teachernauts Christa McAuliffe and backup Barbara Morgan saw 

their first shuttle launch together at Kennedy Space 

Center. "The whole thing is so gorgeous!" McAuliffe said 

after the mission bearing Germany's Spacelab D-1 lifted 

off. "I didn't expect myself to be as excited as I was. A 

reporter told me I was jumping up and down," she said. 

Barbara Morgan had tears in her eyes as she watched. 

-95- C' 
McAuliffe and Morgan are representatives of the country's 

2-1/2 million teachers whose roles already have been 

enhanced through the national attent ion the teacher in space 

program has received, McAuliffe said. [Gallagher. FLORIDA 

TODAY, pa 4A, OCt. 31, 1985.1 

-96- 
IWVEMBER 1985 

November 3: In 1986, KSC will receive $3.2 million to continue 

definition studies on Space Station processing requirements, 

evaluate maintenance and resupply activities, and assess 

facility needs. 

toward in-house and contracted studies which are part of the 

Phase R stage of the Space Station preliminary design effort 

that is to continue through January 1987. 

These FY 1986 funds will be allocated 

Current Phase B work at KSC focuses on ground processing 

options and concepts associated with preparing Space Station 

elements for launch. Also included is the study by KSC 

contractors evaluating facility requirements for processing 

station components, and commercial and scientific payloads. 

NASA will determine its ability to carry out on-going 

maintenance routines and resupply activities during 

con t inuous on-orbi t operat ions . 

Kennedy's Space Station operations are divided into four 

areas: Systems Engineering and Integration, Operations and 

Customer Support, Logistics System, and Project Control. 

The Space Station Project Office is headed by C.M. Giesler, 

who oversees approximately 180 NASA and contract workers. 

KSC allocations of $3.2 million for FY 1986 show a $350,000 

increase over 1985 funding of $2.85 million. This is 

consistent with an overall trend that will see a gradual 

increase in funding for each step of Space Station design 

and construction until the time of its implementation. 

[SPACE CALENDAR, p. 5, Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 1985.1 

November 4: Ramon's Restaurant, Cocoa Beach restaurant built by 

M. C. Minella in the mid-l950s, closed its doors after 

thirty years in business. "This used to be a landmark," 

said "Ruck," new owner and manager of the restaurant since 

January. "A lot of astronauts used to party here." 

A sign hanging over the dining room reminded patrons of the 

original seven astronauts, the ones immortalized in the 1984 

film "The Right Stuff." The sign read: "Our All-American 

Space Team: Malcolm S. Carpenter, Leroy G. Cooper, John H. 

Glenn, Virgil I. Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Alan R. 

Shepard, Donald Slayton." [Booth. FLORIDA TODAY, Nov. 5, 

1985.1 

-97- 
<> Don Beck, community relations coordinator for Lockheed Space 

Operations in Titusville resigned to assume duties as 

manager of communications for McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics 

in Titusville. ["PR Officials Switch Jobs," FLORIDA TODAY, 

p. 16C, Nov. 5, 1985.1 

<> Enterprise, the life-size prototype that was NASA's space 

shuttle test craft, will be leaving Kennedy Space Center for 

its permanent home in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16. KSC 

officials announced that the engineless Enterprise, 

currently on public display by a horizontal Saturn V rocket 

near the Vehicle Assembly Building, will be mated to its . Boeing 747 carrier aircraft November 15, leave the following 

day, and be removed from the 747 on Nov. 17 at Dulles 

Airport. ["Smithsonian Getting Ready for Enterprise," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Nov. 5, 1985.1 

November 5: Kennedy Space Center initiated contracting for a 

12-month study to examine present and future technology 

applications that can be used to improve the efficiency and 

lower the life cycle costs of space shuttle ground 

operations functions, including assembly, test and checkout, 

logistics, recovery, refurbishment, servicing, payload 

integration, launch operations, operations management and 

ground systems operations and management. 

Primary focus will be on Kennedy Space Center with secondary 

consideration given to the Vandenberg launch site. 

Requirements for new and modified facilities, associated 

support equipment and services, optimized test and checkout 

methods, and operational concepts will be identified in the 

study, along with vehicle modifications required to 

accomodate proposed operation concepts. ["Kennedy Opens 

Study of Improved Shuttle Ground Operations," DEFENSE DAILY, 

p. 20, Nov. 5, 1985.1 

November 6: Challenger (61-A) landed smoothly at Edwards Air 

Force Rase in California, and paved the way for a return to 

Kennedy Space Center landings in December. "I talked to 

Commander Hartsfield, and he said it responded very well," 

NASA shuttle chief Jesse Moore reported at a press 

conference, 

Hartsf ield, using a new system of nosewheel steering that 

routes his manual commands through the shuttle general 

purpose computer, veered the 100-ton orbiter about 20 feet 

-98- 
.. 

off the centerline, then back, proving the system works. 

"1111 say the bottom line today is that we're planning on 

flying into the Cape in late December," Moore said. A final 

decision on KSC landings will be made in about a week, he 

said. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Nov. 7, 1985.1 

Movember 7: Challenger is in "excellent" shape following its 

smooth landing Nov. 6 at Edwards Air Force Rase in 

California, a NASA spokesman said, "Processing is 

proceeding as normal," said Nancy Lovato, a public 

information officer at NASA's Ames-Dryden facility in 

Edwards. 

Only 18 heat-resistant tiles were damaged on re-entry after 

the 3-million-mile trip, Lovato said, A dozen of the tiles 

needing replacement are located on the shuttle's underside, 

while six additional damaged tiles need replacing elsewhere. 

Challenger is tentatively scheduled for return to KSC Nov. 

11. "They're doing de-servicing now, and making good time," 

Lovato said. [Booth. FLORIDA TODAY, p, lA, Nov. 8, 1985.1 

<> Following their week in space aboard Challenger (STS 61-A), 

five space shuttle scientists - Ronnie Dunbar, Guion 

Bluford, Ernst Messerschmid, Reinhard Furrer and Wubbo 

Ockels - flew to Kennedy Space Center for two weeks of 

medical tests. Doctors hope the results will help track the 

causes of the temporary spacesickness that afflicts nearly 

half of the astronauts early in flight - none seriously. 

The crew members will be tested in a specially equipped 

laboratory where among other things, they will be spun on 

rotating chairs, subjected to dizziness on a tilting table 

in a tilting room and accelerated on a sled, They often 

will be blindfolded and numerous blood samples will be 

taken. 

Doctors want to compare the responses from the ground tests 

with the responses from the same tests in weightlessness and 

others made before the flight. Degrees of dizziness, 

balance, speed of reorientation, blood pressure and blood 

samples will be compared. Eye movement reactions to the 

tests are another comparison. The target of the 

investigation is the inner ear system. Scientists believe 

it and the eyes get conflicting impressions of what's going 

on, confusing the brain and triggering the sickness. 

[Jean. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, pp. B-1 & 8-6, Nov, 8, 1985.1 

-99- 
November 8: Kennedy Space Center workers, using a crane to 

speed their work, damaged a 300,000-pound rocket booster 

scheduled for use on January's space shuttle mission (51-L), 

NASA officials said. There were no injuries and a damage 

estimate was not available. 

The forward center segment of the left solid rocket booster 

assembly was being processed at the rotating and processing 

storage facility, when the accident occurred, KSC spokesman 

Dick Young said. 

ring attached to the solid rocket booster segments, he 

said. NASA cannot release details until two boards - one 

from NASA and one from Lockheed Space Operations Co. - 

complete their investigations of the incident, Young said. 

["Crane Damages Shuttle Rooster," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, 

Nov. 12, 1985.1 

Workers were removing pins from a shipping 

November 12: NASA is expected to announce today that the launch 

date of U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson's five-day space shuttle 

mission has been moved two days earlier, to December 18, to 

avoid a Christmas Day landing at Kennedy Space Center. 

"We've hit every other holiday this year," a NASA spokesman 

said. "We want to avoid Christmas." (The actual launch date 

of STS 61-C was Jan. 12, 1986.). [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, 

p. SA, Nov. 12, 1985. Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Jan. 

13, 1986.1 

<> The space shuttle Atlantis was moved from its hangar to 

launch pad 39A in preparation for its launch November 26 on 

an eight-day mission (6143) that will include two 

spacewalks. Atlantis is set to begin its second flight at 

7:29 p.m. 

Meanwhile the shuttle Challenger returned to Kennedy Space 

Center on November 11 in the early afternoon aboard its 747 

carrier plane. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. C-3, 

Nov. 13, 1985.1 

November 13: KSC firefighters successfully implemented - in 

three minutes and five seconds - a new rescue technique 

called the "Return-to-Landing-Site" maneuver. The 

simulation took place on the shuttle runway and involved 'the 

Smithsonian-bound Enterprise, four mock crew members in the 

orbiter, three EGbG firefighters and astronaut Dr. James 

Bagian. 

-100- 
The new rescue plan was developed for use with the new and 

more hazardous liquid-fuel Centaur upper stage which future 

shuttles will use to boost payloads into deep space. The 

liquid hydrogen which fuels the Centaur is highly flammable; 

current centaur stages use solid fuel which are far less 

volatile. ["Shuttle Crew Fire Drill is a Test Success," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Nov. 14, 1985.3 

<> Johnnie Harrison, a Black female worker at Kennedy Space 

Center charged NASA with sex and race discrimination. The 

federal civil suit is the first of its kind to be filed 

against the space agency, a NASA spokesman said. Ms. 

Harrison asserted that she had "been denied equal 

opportunity" and wanted a trial "to let anything come 

forth." 

J. Albert Diggs Jr., director of NASA's equal opportunity 

program, said he was familiar with Harrison's charges. "We 

knew she was contemplating this (filing the suit)," Diggs 

said. He said that all previous discrimination complaints 

had been resolved through the administrative process. 

Harrison said she filed the suit after her administrative 

complaint became stalled before the Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission. [Jennings. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, 

Nov. 14, 1985.1 

November 14: Shuttle astronauts continue their countdown 

demonstration test aboard Atlantis today while workers move 

VIP bleachers to the press site parking lot. "The reason 

we're moving the site is that you cannot see launches from 

Launch Pad R from the existing VIP site on Schwartz Road," 

Darlene Hunt, KSC protocol officer, said. 

Space shuttles have been launched from Pad A since the 

program began in April 1981. The Schwartz Road VIP site, 

which has accommodated up to 4,000 special guests of NASA, 

its contractors or customers, is about four miles from Pad 

A. The new press site is about a mile closer, near the 

Launch Control Center and the Vehicle Assembly Building, but 

it will oniy handle about 1,200 people, Hunt said. She said 

officials who oversee the KSC's VIP program and their hosts 

will hold a dry run - where to park the buses, where the 

restrooms are - next week. "All the guests that attend the 

launches there will be bused in - we'll be using the TW 

Services double-deckers, " Hunt said. [Lunner. FLORIDA 

TODAY, p. 6A, Nov. 14, 1985.1 

-101- 
<> The crew of the Atlantis successfully completed its 

countdown rehearsal and pronounced themselves ready to 

undertake mission 6143 on Nov. 26 at 7:29 p.m. The seven 

member crew includes Commander Brewster Shaw - an Air Force 

lieutenant colonel - and Marine lieutenant colonel Bryan 

O'Connor, the pilot, Army Lt. Col. Sherwood Spring, mission 

specialist, Air Force Major Jerry Ross, mission specialist, 

NASA astronaut Mary Cleave, mission specialist, Charles 

Walker, payload specialist and Rudolfo Neri, a payload 

specialist from Mexico. 

''1 think the biggest thing we're going to learn is what man 

can and can't do as far as assembling space structures," 

said Jerry Ross. "We're hoping to get some kind of timemotion information to provide data to the designers of the 

space station to give them additional options when they go 

about designing the space station and actually start 

building it." [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, Nov. 15, 

1985.1 

November 18: Enterprise, NASA's prototype space shuttle, left 

Kennedy Space Center at 11:46 a.m. and arrived in 

Washington, D.C., about 4 p.m. atop the special Boeing 747 . 

designed to ferry shuttles around the country. Enterprise's 

flight plan called for it to be flown as far north as 

Baltimore, then circle the Capital Beltway and the evening 

rush hour before landing at Dulles International Airport. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Nov. 19, 1985.1 

November 23: The seven-member crew of Atlantis arrived at 

Kennedy Space Center to prepare for a mission that includes 

construction work in zero-gravity. "Everything looks real 

good right now," said KSC spokesman Jim Ball of the 

prospects for an on-time launch at 7:29 p.m. Nov. 26. 

[Herlihy. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 4A, Nov. 24, 1985.1 

November 24: Atlantis shook off a temporary flight postponement 

by borrowing a part from the space shuttle Discovery and is 

back on schedule for its 7:29 p.m. liftoff Nov. 26. A leaky 

valve in the hydraulic system of engine No. 2 was the 

culprit, officials said. Kennedy Space Center spokesman 

George Diller said, "We scrubbed the scrub. By virtue of 

the fact that installation went on schedule and testing went 

so smoothly, we picked up the countdown at 2 p.m." 

-102- 
Diller said the delay - planned temporarily to have lasted a 

full day - wouldn't have affected the operation of the 

mission, because countdown hadn't begun. "It would've been 

some aggravation, but it wouldn't have been a major slip," 

he said. [Booth. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Nov. 25, 1985.1 

November 25: Failure of a cold flow test in Centaur stage 

support equipment on Nov. 18 will not be a factor in the 

shuttle Centaur program schedule, according to Charles D. 

Gay, director of expendable vehicles operations here. He 

said the propellant flow milestones will be terminal 

countdown demonstrations in which liquid hydrogen and liquid 

oxygen will flow into the Centaur itself. The Nov. 18 test 

on Launch Pad 36, a modified Atlas Centaur pad, involved 

pumping liquid oxygen through ground support equipment, 

through the Centaur integrated support structure (CISS) and 

through a jumper back to the ground support equipment. 

["Centaur Program," AVIATION WEEK 6, SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 

22, Nov. 25, 1985.3 

<> "Everything is ready to support the mission [STS 61-Rl. We 

are all in a 'go' condition now," said NASA shuttle chief ' 

Jesse Moore. Air Force weather officer Lt. Scott Funk 

predicted scattered clouds, possibly a shower, but probably 

"a tremendously, clear, beautiful sky with almost a full 

moon" for Nov. 26's night launch of Atlantis at 7:29 p.m. 

Mission managers have nine minutes in the first "window" to 

launch the 100-ton spacecraft. If they fail to meet that 

deadline, a second window is available from 8:07 to 8:11 

p.m. 

The night launch is expected to be visible from South 

Carolina to Miami. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Nov. 26, 

1985.1 

November 26: Atlantis [61-B] gave a dazzling fireworks show to 

Florida and parts of three other states when it climbed into 

orbit at 7:29 p.m. After burning for two minutes, the 

shuttle's two rocket boosters dropped toward the ocean: the 

blast of Atlantis's three main engines could be seen from 

the launch area for another five minutes when the orbiter 

was 500 miles downrange. 

-103- 
"It was a nice, smooth ride," said Rrewster Shaw, commander 

of the mission. Nine minutes after launch, Mission Control 

in Houston reported Atlantis was in a secure orbit about 200 

miles above the earth. 

The second night launch of 23 shuttle missions was seen as a 

bright orange dot in Charleston, South Carolina about 300 

miles north of Cape Canaveral, and was viewed as a ball with 

a flickering tail in Miami, about 150 miles south of the 

Cape . 

About 80 small planes, more than eight times the normal 

number, flew west of the Indian River just outside the 

restricted air-space to get a bird's-eye view of the launch, 

said Air Force spokesman Bob Nicholson; no airspace 

violations were reported. [Fisher. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, 

p. A-1, NOV. 27, 1985.1 

November 29: NASA is planning for a shuttle flight rate that 

would exceed the current twice-a-month mission goal. The 

increase may mean using robots to speed between-flight 

processing, NASA officials confirmed. 

"There's an anticipation of a flight rate of more than 24 

per year," said Tom Utsman, deputy director of Kennedy Space 

Center. "A lot of it ties together with what the Department 

of Defense plans would be on SDI and other things." SDI is 

the Strategic Defense Initiative program, also know commonly 

as "Star Wars." 

Utsman's comments came in response to questions raised by a 

$500,000 efficiency study KSC is funding. An outside firm 

will spend 10 months looking for "new and better ways of 

doing business which could reduce shuttle ground operations, 

manpower and life cycle costs" at KSC and NASA's West Coast 

launch site, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Nov. 30, 1985.1 

November 30: James L. Cox (Titusville, FL), a Lockheed Space 

Operations worker, suffered minor injuries in a morning 

accident at Kennedy Space Center. Cox was heading east in a 

government vehicle on a road rimming Pad 39-A when a 

swinging road barricade punctured the passenger door, NASA 

spokesman Hugh Harris said. The barricade went through the 

vehicle, breaking the back window on the driver's side, 

-104- 
Harris said. Cox was treated for minor injuries at Jess 

Parrish Memorial Hospital in Titusville and released 

December 1. ["Lockheed Worker Injured at KSC," FLORIDA 

TODAY, p. AI Dee* 1, 1985.1 

-105- 
DECEUBER 1985 

December 2: NASA Administrator James Reggs was one of four men 

indicted by a federal grand jury looking into charges that 

General Dynamics executives conspired to cheat the 

government of $3.2 million in weapons development fees. 

Reggs was a vice president of General Dynamics prior to 

joinging NASA in 1981. 

The indictments surprised Rep. Rill Nelson (D-Mel., FL), who 

chairs the subcommittee which oversees NASA's budget. 

"After all my dealings with Jim Reggs as chairman of the 

committee, my conclusion is that he is a very honorable 

man," Nelson said. He was contacted at the Kennedy Space 

Center where he is training as a crew member for the 

scheduled Dec. 18 launch of the Columbia. [Lunner. FLORIDA 

TODAY, P. lA, Dec. 3, 1985.1 

December 3: Dress rehearsal for NASA's next shuttle mission - 

. only hours after Atlantis is due to land in California. 

STS 61-C on Dec. 18 - begins today at Kennedy Space Center, 

Columbia rolled out to the launch pad early Dec. 2, and its 

crew arrived throughout the day. The shuttle's cargo, and 

RCA communications satellite, was installed overnight, and 

the practice countdown is set to begin at 8:40 p.m. today. 

The Columbia mission is scheduled to land at KSC on Dec. 

23. ["Congressman's Ship Rolls In," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 5A, 

Dec. 3, 1985.1 

<> A new, state-of-the-art logistics support facility at KSC's 

Launch Complex 39 was formally dedicated at 10 a.m. Taking 

part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony were KSC Director Richard 

Smith, Lockheed Space Operations Company President E. 

Douglas Sargent, and Dulcie Burns, a special staff assistant 

and NASA liaison for U.S. Rep. Rill Nelson. 

The new 324,640-square-foot building houses flight hardware 

spares and a variety of support equipment as well as office 

space for approximately 550 NASA and Lockheed employees. It 

consolidates into one facility logistics functions 

supporting shuttle launch processing and turnaround 

activities performed by Lockheed. [Ball. NASA/KSC NEWS 

RELEASE No. 239-85, NOV. 27, 1985.1 

-106- 
, 

<> Cmdr. Rrewster Shaw guided the 102-ton Atlantis right on the 

mark to its Edwards Air Force Rase, CA, landing at 4:34 

p.m. [Mecham. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Dec. 4, 1985.1 

<> NASA Administrator James Reggs, facing federal charges of 

defrauding the government while a General Dynamics 

executive, will take a leave of absence from his $72,600-ayear post to concentrate on defending himself, sources in 

Washington, D.C., said. "He wants to devote his time to 

clearing his name," said one source who declined to be 

identified. "We expect him to announce his leave of absence 

[Dec. 41." Operations at Kennedy Space Center are not 

expected to he affected by any change in the top NASA job, 

several KSC observers agreed. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 

lA, Dec. 4, 1985.1 

December 4: The astronaut corps would like more steering tests 

first, but Columbia will return to Kennedy Space Center at 

the end of its mission that begins Dec. 18, mission 

commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson said. "We just went through 

a very successful test this morning," Gibson said at the end 

of a mock launch NASA holds before each flight. "Everything 

at this point looks real good on the 18th." 

Gibson made his comments after the seven-member crew of 

Columbia completed its first dry run countdown, checked out 

the escape routes from the launch pad and test-drove the 

tank-like crew rescue vehicle. Gibson told reporters he and 

his fellow astronauts pressured NASA to retest the new 

nosewheel steering system that has had one test on the 

desert lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, but the 

agency ruled against them. 

Now that the decision to land here Dec. 23 has been made, 

however, only an emergency situation would change the flight 

plan, Gibson said. "All we need now is decent weather to 

get us back here," he said, noting if the first landing day 

is unacceptable, Columbia would stay in orbit an extra day 

rather than land elsewhere. 

The crew includes pilot Charles Rolden; mission specialists 

Franklin Chang-Diaz, Steven Hawley, George Nelson and Rep. 

Rill Nelson (D-Mel., FL) . [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, 

Dec. 5, 1985.1 

-107- 
December 5: NASA Administrator James Reggs, on the first day of 

a leave of absence, told agency employees via closed-circuit 

television that federal charges against him "are baseless" 

and that he expects to be cleared. "There is nothing that I 

did in the case involved that I would not do again if I had 

it to do over again," Beggs said. The charges "are 

outrageous, ridiculous and I feel confident that once this 

is brought to trial that I'll be completely exonerated of 

the charges," he said. ["Beggs Takes His Case to Workers," 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, bc. 5, 1985.1 

December 8: The impact of NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the 

economy of Florida has been both direct and substantial. 

Businesses in the state benefited from more than $810 

million in ongoing and new NASA government contracts awarded 

during fiscal year 1985. According to year-end figures, 

Kennedy Space Center awarded $77,595,000 in new contracts 

and purchases to the Florida business community during FY 

'85. Nearly $28 million ($27,905,000) of that went to offcenter firms in Brevard County for services and supplies or 

equipment. The remaining $42,790,000 in contracts or direct 

orders were awarded to firms located elsewhere in Florida. 

[Shea-King. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 233-85, Dec. 8, 

1985.1 

December 9: The forward center segment of the left-hand solid 

rocket motor to be used on space shuttle mission 51-L is 

being replaced so that additional analyses can be made. 

While the booster was being rotated early last month, 

technicians heard a cracking sound that was traced to a pin 

from a handling fixture that apparently scraped the 

segment. The right-hand motor aft center segment also is 

being replaced because the segments are cast in pairs and 

are stacked according to the way they are cast. ["Industry 

Observer," AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 13, Dec. 9, 

1985.1 

December 10: Rob Sieck, shuttle chief at Kennedy Space Center, 

described his recent tour of Chinese space launch facilities 

the "trip of a life-time. A lot of it had to do with 

diplomacy," he said of the 11-day trip that took five KSC 

executives to the People's Republic of China. The NASA 

contingent was responding to a PRC trip to KSC earlier this 

year. 

-108- 
"The next step seems to be an agreement, what they call a 

protocol, to get on with a more detailed working agreement 

with their technical people," Sieck told members of the 

Canaveral Press Club. He told of "sharp, proud and 

dedicated" Chinese engineers who work in simple but 

effective facilities in Peking and elsewhere, and of the 

contrasts to be seen in a country just entering the space 

high-tech," Sieck said. "Looks were deceiving. You would 

go into a manufacturing facility or one of their rocket test 

facilities and externally, you'd say 'Well, this is very 

old: this doesn't look like it would get the job done.' 

' age. "We didn't expect to see anything fancy or really 

"But then as you walked through and looked at things closer, 

everything was pretty simple, but it was very clean and very 

tidy and very well-maintained, and for the technology that 

they have, obviously got the job done. Nothing fancy or 

frills, or bells or whistles - just basically what it takes 

to do what they're trying to do, which is launch unmanned 

vehicles and put satellites into geosynchronous orbit, with 

an Atlas-Centaur type of technology." 

Sieck was joined on the voyage by KSC Director Dick Smith, 

cargo .chief John Conway, director of mechanical and 

facilities engineering Jim Phillips and chief of staff 

George English. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. SA, Dec. 11, 

1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center workers John Godke, Russell Vessels, 

Geoff Rowles, orbiter mechanics, Tom Westcott, quality 

control, and David Coffman, supervisor, have been 

recommended for the Lockheed Space Operations Co. 

commendation award by H.C. Byrd, manager of Launch Pad 39-A 

operations. 

NASA managers had announced a 24-hour delay in the Nov. 26 

flight of Atlantis after tests showed a valve in the 

hydraulics system of the shuttle had malfunctioned. It 

happened around midnight Nov. 23, said shuttle chief Rob 

Sieck. The KSC workers named above "got together in the 

middle of the night and figured out how to fix it, and by 

the next morning they were saying" 'OK, Management, we're 

ready to retest this thing.' They totally exceeded our 

expectations of what the team would be able to do," Sieck 

said. [Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 5A, Dec. 11, 1985.1 

-109- 
December 11: Spaceport USA appears to be winning an ongoing 

marketing battle to attract tourists to Brevard County, 

according to Harry Chambers, general manager of the Kennedy 

Space Center tourist attraction. While 11,000 fewer people 

took Spaceport USA's bus tour of the Space Center in 1985 

than in 1984, the attraction's gross sales to customers rose 

10 percent in 1985, Chambers said. [Rink. FLORIDA TODAY, 

p. 18C, Dec. 12, 1985.1 

December 15: The crew of STS 61-C arrived at Kennedy Space 

Center at 4:30 porn., following a two-hour flight from 

Houston. The Columbia's seven-member crew had dinner with 

their spouses, were briefed on launch preparation and 

reviewed flight data. "[Rep.] Rill Nelson was buoyant, and 

the rest of them were jovial," NASA spokesman George Diller 

said. "They certainly seemed to be in a frame of mind that 

they were waiting for Wednesday [Dec. 181." 

Nelson, a Melbourne, FL, Democrat and chairman of the House 

Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications, will grow 

protein crystals and monitor blood banks during the shuttle 

mission, Diller said. He will also be a human guinea pig in 

a project studying biological characteristics in space. 

Flight crew items were stowed on board late on Dec. 15, 

before the countdown started at 1 a.m., Dec. 16, officials 

said. [Booth. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Dec. 16, 1985.1 

December 17: Inclement weather and a series of minor, nagging 

problems caused the launch of Columbia (Mission 61-C) to be 

postponed one day to 7 a.m., Dec. 19,; that will mean a 

Christmas Eve landing at KSC at 7:13 a.m. "There was no 

single big hangup," KSC spokesman Dick Young said about the 

delay. "There was nothing major. It was nits. But, enough 

nits can put you behind." Launch technicians missed their 

original deadline when NASA held them to stringent 

preparation standards for Columbia, which hasn't flown for 

two years. "In a sense," Young said, "it's like flying it 

again for the first time. The message we got was: Make 

sure it's perfect, no matter how long it takes." [Lunney. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Dec. 18, 1985.1 

December 19: Grounded by a faulty "power" steering unit in 

Columbia, NASA is aiming for Jan. 4 as its next launch date, 

narrowly missing an opportunity to double last year's launch 

rate. The shutdown came 14 seconds before Columbia's 61-C 

mission was to liftoff when an hydraulic power unit 

-110- 
malfunctioned. A turbine had begun spinning nearly lO,OOO 

rpm faster than normal. A computer sensed the problem and 

automatically stopped the launch. 

"It did what it's supposed to do," said Larry Mulloy, head 

of NASA's rocket booster program at Marshall Space Flight 

Center in Huntsville, AL. Four teams of experts will be 

probing the hardware failure to determine the cause. "We 

have not had, on any of the previous flights or ground 

tests, this type of problem," Mulloy said. While the 

orbiter has undergone hundreds of modifications since its 

last flight, Mulloy said the scrub was not related to any of 

the $42 million in new equipment. 

Mission commander Robert "Hoot" Gibson told reporters his 

crew took the last-minute postponement with professional 

poise. "We were just a little bit surprised when we got the 

nine-minute recycle signal at about 15 seconds (before 

liftoff)," Gibson said. "We were waiting for the noise of 

the main engines at that time. 

"We immediately got into the safing procedures to turn the 

bird back around, getting everything configured to put it in 

a safe condition," said Gibson. "We were awfully busy at 

that point so we really didn't have time to reflect on it." 

The crew, who had been helped aboard Columbia by NASA 

technicians wearing Santa caps, safely left the cabin about 

30 minutes after the 7:54 a.m. abort. Gibson said he will 

ask his crew to stay in shape during their forced holiday 

break . 

KSC shuttle chief Rob Sieck said the delay is not expected 

to disrupt NASA's 16-flight schedule for 1986, which the 

agency has called "A Year for Space Science." [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, pp. 1A & 2A, Dec. 20, 1985.1 

<> A host of United Nations ambassadors and U.S. congressional 

representatives joined several thousand people who braved 

chilly weather to await the launch of Columbia whose 61-C 

mission was scrubbed just seconds before liftoff. 

"I wanted to give them a taste of what our space program is 

all about," said Vernon Walters, U.S. Ambassador to the 

United Nations, who brought with him ambassadors from 20 

countries, including China and the Soviet Union. But I also 

wanted to show them how open we are - that we are not 

-111- 
ashamed for it to be known that the countdown stopped 14 

seconds before launch. We have had so many successes that 

this is not a major matter," Walters said. 

Among those attending was Rep. Don Fuqua (D-Alta.), chairman 

of the House Committee on Science and Technology. Fuqua was 

critical of the shuttle flight of U.S. Senator Jake Garn 

(R-Utah) in April. 

"I still have a question about people in public office - 

non-astronauts - going on shuttle flights. There are a lot 

of highly trained people who would like to have those 

seats," Fuqua said. Rut Senator Paul Trible (R-VA) defended 

the flight of Rep. Rill Nelson (D-Melbourne, FL) , "If we are 

going to send painters, teachers and journalists into space, 

we ought to send certain people from Congress who are 

directly involved in making decisions about the space 

program.' [Williams. FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, Dec. 20, 1985.1 

December 20: Launch pad technicians expected'to have replaced 

and tested a faulty shuttle part that scrubbed the Dec. 18 

launch, Kennedy Space Center officials said. "There have 

been no hangups so far, no problems," said KSC spokeswoman 

Debbie Marth. "Everything's been going according to plan." 

NASA rescheduled its next launch attempt for Jan. 4, 1986. 

[Lunner. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Dec. 21, 1985.1 

<> Milorad "Mike" Konjevich, 58, of Cocoa Beach, FL, a NASA 

administrator for 23 years, died at Cape Canaveral Hospital 

in Cocoa Beach. He had been active in the Space and Range 

Missile Pioneers Institute and a charter member of the 

National Space Institute and the NASA/Kennedy Space Center 

Management Assn. 

Konjevich was a member of the Armed Forces Defense 

Preparedness Assn., the Patrick Air Force Base Officers 

Club, the Board of Directors of the TESLA Members Society, 

the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Lodge No. 42, the St. 

George's Greek Orthodox Church in Joliet, IL (where he was 

buried Dec. 241, the St. Simon Eastern Orthodox Church in 

Hollywood, FL, and the Serbian National Federal Lodge No. 47 

of Joliet. He was also a strong supporter of the KSC 

Library Archives. 

-112- 
Survivors include his mother, Marthat Konjevich (Channahon, 

IL); wife, Joan Konjevich (Cocoa Beach); sons Eric Konjevich 

(Cocoa Beach) and Lauris Konjevich (Channel View, FL); 

daughters, Christine Konjevich (San Francisco) and Alexandra 

Konjevich (Arlington, Texas); brothers, Milos Konjevich 

(Dallas), Daniel Konjevich (Chicago), John Konjevich 

(Anchorage, AK), and Peter Konjevich, Sam Konjevich and Don 

Konjevich (all of Joliet); sisters, Mary Book (Honolulu), 

Mildred Zaloudek (New Lenox, IL), Sophie Anderson (Joliet 

and Natalie Suyenaga (Dallas); and two grandchildren. 

[FLORIDA TODAY, p. 12A, DeC. 21, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Costello Construction 

(Merritt Island, FL) a $125,000 contract for the 

construction of a test slab for the Space Telescope Shipping 

Container. Under the terms of the contract, Costello is 

responsible for construction of a concrete test slab with a 

series of three-foot-deep anchors used to hold the test 

equipment in place. 

The Space Telescope Shipping Container will be proof-loaded 

to verify the container's structure. The dummy payload will 

simulate the weight. of the actual Hubble Space Telescope to 

be held in the shipping container. The telescope is 

currently scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 18, 

1986; it will have a launch weight of about 25,500 pounds. 

The new observatory will have an eight-foot diameter mirror 

and be able to see celestial objects 50 times dimmer than 

anything now seen. The overall length of the HST will be 

43.5 feet and its diameter will be 14 feet. [Marth. 

NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE NO. 247-85, D~c. 20, 1985.1 

<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Ebon Research Systems 

(Titusville, FL) a contract extension for the continuation 

of safety and reliability engineering services at KSC. The 

cost-plus-award-fee contract is valued at $995,330, bringing 

the total value of the original contract to $2,560,026: the 

extension covers the period from Sept. 30, 1985, through 

Sept. 29, 1986. 

Under the terms of the extension, Ebon will continue 

providing engineering and support services in the areas of 

safety, reliability, and quality assurance activities for 

the STS, payload/ground service equipment design and ground 

processing activities. [Marth. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 

243-85, D~c. 20, 1985.1 

-113- 
<> Kennedy Space Center awarded Computer Sciences Corporation, 

Applied Technology Division (KSC, FL) a contract extension 

for the continuation of communications, telemetry, and 

instrumentation support services. The cost-plus-award-fee 

contract is valued at $4,384,235, bringing the total value 

of the original contract to $10,033,687; the extension 

covers the period from Oct. 1, 1985, through Sept. 30, 

1986. Under the terms of the contract extension, CSC will 

provide support in the areas of communications, 

measurements, telemetrics, instrumentation of launch control 

firing rooms, and reliability and quality assurance 

programs. [Marth. NASA/KSC NEWS RELEASE No. 245-85, Dec. 

20, 1985.1 

December 21: The second Centaur upper stage for launch of 

planetary missions from the space shuttle arrived at Kennedy 

Space Center about a month later than planned, but the 

Centaur project is back on schedule, the NASA shuttle 

Centaur program manager said. Problems with valving on the 

CISS (Centaur integrated support structure) that routes 

cryogenic fuel to Centaur have held up delivery of the 

second Centaur, but these problems have been resolved. 

["Centaur Delivery," AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY, p. 

26, Jan. 6, 1986.1 

December 23: The launch of the Columbia (STS 614) was delayed 

two days, until Jan. 6, to give the seven crew members more 

training time, NASA officials said. The delay, third in a 

week, also means the launch of Challenger (STS 51-L) will 

slip one day to Jan. 23. Columbia's crew, initially 

scheduled to begin its mission Dec. 18, will need to brush 

up on training in shuttle simulators, said NASA spokeswoman 

Sarah Keegan in Washington. This will set back training 

time for Challenger's crew, which also needs to practice on 

the simulators at JSC in Houston, Keegan said. [Fisher. 

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, p. D-1, Dec. 24, 1985.1 

December 24: Lockheed employees who were scheduled to be off 

for the holidays will instead be summoned to work after 

Christmas to fix a faulty structure that services the 

challenger, said NASA spokesman George Diller. A rotating 

service structure that wraps around the orbiter is not 

forming a perfect seal between itself and Challenger, and if 

not repaired could contaminate sensitive equipment in the 

payload bay, Diller said. 

-114- 
"AS it stands now, we do not have contaminated air," Diller 

said. "We do have air that does not meet our standards. 

The payload guys are having heartburn about the situation." 

Repairs should be completed by Jan. 1, Diller said, and 

Challenger's payload doors will remain closed until Jan. 4, 

when a satellite designed to increase the amount of time a 

shuttle can communicate with ground stations will be loaded 

into the cargo bay. [Lafferty. FLORIDA TODAY, p. lA, Dec. 

25, 1985.1 

December 25: Kennedy Space Center technicians monitored the 

launch pad temperature of Columbia and Challenger to avoid 

equipment-damaging freezes, spokesman Dick Young said. 

Meanwhile, a "hot-fire" test Dec. 24 of a hydraulic power 

unit aboard a solid rocket booster on Columbia that foiled 

last week's launch was A-OK, Young said. If forecasts for 

extremely low temperatures prove accurate, workers will 

drain water stored at the pads for drinking fountains, 

showers, eyewashes and fire extinguishers, Young said. "The 

water will be drained back to its source and will be easily 

accessible, so we'll still be able to fight fires," he 

said. Unlike launch pads, shuttles are freeze proof because 

heated air is constantly circulated through them, he added. 

[Harrison. FLORIDA TODAY, P. lA, Dec. 26, 1985.1 

December 26: The launch pads at Kennedy Space Center were 

nearly deserted as most NASA work shut .down for the 

holidays. "We're essentially in a baby sitting mode," said 

KSC spokesman Jim Ball, one of a handful of staffers at the 

space center the day after Christmas. "There is a minimum 

crew out here." 

"No work on the vehicles is under way and none is planned," 

echoed Ball's colleague George Diller. ["Holidays Shut Down 

Space Center Work," FLORIDA TODAY, p. 3A, Dec. 27, 1985.1 

December 30: Administrative NASA workers returned to the job, 

but space shuttle processing and launch teams continue their 

holiday break until after New Year's. "They filled the 

headquarters building up today, " Kennedy Space Center 

spokesman George Diller said. "Otherwise, there's...a 

handful of people out here. . . . " 

-115- 
Immediately following Columbia's liftoff, Challenger's dress 

rehearsal countdown will begin. Challenger's 51-L crew, 

including NASA teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe, will 

practice launch procedures, culminating in a mock liftoff 

the day after Columbia leaves, Diller said. [Lunner. 

FLORIDA TODAY, p. 7A, Dec. 31, 1985.1 

-116- 
Fliqht 

51-C 

Discovery 

51-D 

Discovery 

51-B 

Challenger 

5 l-G 

Discovery 

5 l-F 

Challenger 

51-1 

Discovery 

51-J 

Atlantis 

61-A 

Challenger 

61-R 

Atlantis 

Appendix A 

NASA Space Shuttle Launches for 1985 

- Crew 

Mattingly-C, Shriver-P, 

Buchli-MS, Onizuka-MS 

Payton-PS 

Robko-C, Williams-P 

Seddon-MS, Griggs-MS 

Hoffman-MS, Walker-MS 

Ga rn -PS 

Overmyer-C, Gregory-P 

Lind-MS, Thagard-MS, 

Thornton-MS, van den Berg-PS, 

Wang-PS 

Rrandenstein-C, Creighton-P, 

Lucid-MS, Nagel-MS, Fabian-MS, 

Raudry-PS, Al-Saud-PS 

Fullerton-C, Rridges-P 

Musgrave-MS, England-MS, 

Henize-MS, Acton-PS, Rartoe-PS 

Engle-C 8 Covey-P 

van Hof ten-MS, Lounge-MS, 

Fisher-MS 

Robko-C, Grabe-P 

Stewart-MS, Hilmers-MS, 

Pailes-PS 

Hartsf ield-C, Nagel-P 

Ruchli-MS, Bluford-MS, 

Dunbar-MS, Furrer-PS, 

Messerschmid-PS, Ockels-PS 

Shaw-C, O'Connor-P, 

Cleave-MS, Spring-MS, Ross-MS, 

Neri-PS, Walker-PS 

Launch 

Date 

Jan. 24 

- 

Apr. 12 

Apr. 29 

Jun. 17 

Jul. 29 

Aug. 27 

Octo 3 

Oct. 30 

Nov. 26 

Mission , 

DOD 

Anik C-1 

LEASAT- 3 

Spacelab 3 

Morelos-1 

Arabsat l-B 

Te 1 s t a r 3 -D 

Spartan 1 

Spacelab 2 

AUSSAT-1 

ASC-1 

LEASAT-4 

DOD 

German 

Spacelab 

More los-R 

AUSSAT-2 

Satcom Ku-2 

C=Commander, P=Pilot, MS=Mission Specialist, PS=Payload Specialist 

[STS Mission Summary Chart, updated through most recent mission 

(61-R) 1 

-117- 
Appendix B 

NASA Expendable Launches for 1985 

Launch Launch Launch 

Date Payload Vehicle Complex 

March 19 INTELSAT V-A Atlas-Centaur 36R 

June 29 INTELSAT V-A At 1 as -Ce n t aur 368 

September 26 INTELSAT V-A At 1 as -Ce n t aur 368 

[Joe Green, PA-EAR. SPACEPORT NEWS, p.3, Dec. 20, 1985.1 

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