NASA TM-1999-208551

Chronology of KSC and

KSC Related Events for 1998

Elaine E. Liston

.__. October 1999
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NASA TM-1999-208551

Chronology of KSC and

KSC Related Events for 1998

Elaine E. Liston

InDyne, Inc., Kennedy Space Center, FL

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John E Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899-0001

._ October 1999
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FOREWORD

This 1998 Chronology is published to describe and document KSC's role in NASA's progress.

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 date of occurrence, though the source cited may be dated one or more days after the event.

Materials were researched and prepared for publication by Archivist Elaine E. Liston.

Comment on the Chronology should be directed to the John F. Kennedy Space Center,

Archives, LIBRARY-E, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 32899. The Archivist may also be

reached by e-mail at Elaine.Liston-l@ksc.nasa.gov, or (407) 867-2407.

Table of Contents

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

February ....................................................................................................................... 29

March ........................................................................................................................... 47

April ............................................................................................................................. 67

May .............................................................................................................................. 86

June ............................................................................................................................. 104

July .............................................................................................................................. 117

August ......................................................................................................................... 124

September .................................................................................................................... 134

October ....................................................................................................................... 148

November ................................................................................................................... 169

December .................................................................................................................... 181

JANUARY

JANUARY2. A Brevard County congressman wants proposed layoffs at Kennedy Space

Center blocked until lawmakers can investigate the impact on space shuttle safety. Rep.

Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, is concerned about the proposal to lay off anywhere from 250

to 600 or more United space Alliance workers - up to 10 percent of the shuttle work force.

He wants a congressional committee to look into the plan. A NASA spokeswoman said

this week that no decision has been made to let anybody go. NASA spokeswoman Peggy

Wilhide said United Space Alliance, a new company formed to privatize the shuttle

program, has proposed layoffs, but she would not give specific numbers. She said United is

charged with making the shuttle program more efficient but insisted NASA would not

compromise safety. The controversy has drawn strong words from Weldon and Florida's

two U.S. senators, Democrat Bob Graham and Republican Connie Mack. The three

lawmakers wrote NASA Administrator Dan Goldin demanding answers about the proposed

cutbacks. Several months ago, NASA told Congress that it could support 12 launches a

year and could transfer $190 million from the shuttle budget to the budget for the proposed

space station. "What factors suddenly changed that now require layoffs?" the lawmakers

asked Goldin in their letter. ["Weldon: No KSC layoffs until safety is studied," The

Orlando Sentinel, January 2, 1998, p A-5.]

Shuttle launch director James F. Harrington has announced his retirement effective

January 2. He will be succeeded in the launch director's position by Shuttle Processing

deputy director David A. King and Process Engineering director Ralph R. Rose. As the

senior member of the Shuttle launch team during the three-day countdown, the launch

director makes the final determination to launch and also oversees prelaunch preparations at

the space center, as well as KSC landing operations. Harrington began his space career in

1957 as a senior flight engineer for General Dynamics at Cape Canaveral on the MercuryAtlas launch team. ["KSC's Harrington to retire," The Brevard Technical Journal,

January 1998, p 1.]

JANUARY4: The crew that will carry astronaut David Wolf back to Earth from Russia's

Mir space station will fly in to Kennedy Space Center this week to take part in a two-day

practice countdown for a planned Jan. 22 launch. Led by veteran astronaut Terrence

Wilcutr, the seven-member crew will take part in emergency training starting Friday at

launch pad 39B. On Saturday, the astronauts will climb aboard shuttle Endeavour for a

practice countdown. Wolf, who has been conducting research aboard Mir since his arrival

there in late September, is to be replaced on the outpost by astronaut Andy Thomas.

Thomas will be the last of seven NASA astronauts to spend time on Mir as part of a

program aimed at preparing NASA for the construction and operation of its planned $40

billion international space station. He is scheduled to return to Earth aboard shuttle

Discovery in June. ["Practice countdown set for Endeavour crew," Florida Today, January

4, 1998, p 6E.]

JANUARYS". NASA is poised to head for the moon tonight with the launch of its Lunar

Prospector probe. The probe is destined for an intensive, yearlong mission to search for

water and other resources future moon dwellers might use. It is to be carried into space on

the maiden flight of Lockheed Martin's Athena rocket, which is set for launch at 8:31 p.m.

from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Officials say there is a 70 percent chance of good weather
for the flight, which marks NASA's return to the moon 25 years after its manned Apollo

program ended. After launch, the probe will rake about 4 '/2 days to reach the moon before

settling into a 63-mile-high orbit above the surface. ["NASA ready for another trip to the

moon," Florida Today, January 5, 1998, p 1A.]

JANUARY6:. A trip back to the moon for the U.S. space program will have to wait at least

one more day because radar equipment maintained by the Air Force failed Monday. The

radar equipment - which will track the unmanned rocket during its ascent into space - had a

pressurization leak noticed by technicians as the countdown began. The launch of the

Lunar Prospector mission was scrubbed about an hour before the scheduled 8:31 p.m.

liftoff. "It was a range-safety issue. Without the radar, we could not have 100 percent

tracking capability, and it became a public-safety issue," Lt. Col. John Martin said. Repairs

would have taken several hours, so the launch was postponed until 9:28 p.m. today. There

is a four-minute window of opportunity for the launch. ["Moon trip is postponed until

tonight," The Orlando Sentinel, January 6, 1998, p A-3.]

• An Athena rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station at 9:28 p.m. carrying the

Lunar Prospector spacecraft. "We feel like we've taken a giant step forward to returning to

the moon," said Scott Hubbard, Lunar Prospector's mission manager from NASA's Ames

Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "I think we can look forward to getting some

startling and exciting new data about the moon and about our universe." When the mission

ends, controllers purposely will crash the explorer onto the surface. In doing so, the NASA

spacecraft will bring to rest ashes of renowned planetary scientist Gene Shoemaker, who

died in July 1997. Lunar Prospector is carrying an ounce of Shoemaker's cremated remains

in a tiny cylinder embedded deep inside the spacecraft. ["Probe races to moon," Florida

_, January 7, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, January 6, 1998. STS-89: The helium signature

leak test was completed yesterday and Endeavour's payload bay doors were closed by

midnight. Thermal blanket installation on the left payload bay door begins Thursday and

concludes on Sunday. Loading of hypergolic propellants into Endeavour's Orbiter

maneuvering system pods began this morning and will continue through tomorrow. All

three auxiliary power units will be hot-fired on Thursday. STS-90: Shuttle Columbia's

payload bay doors were opened yesterday to accommodate Ku band antenna testing

yesterday afternoon. The orbiter's nose and main landing gear tires were also installed

yesterday. Orbiter maneuvering system testing and replacement of fuel cells No. 1 and 3 are

in work. Window polishing efforts begin tomorrow and inspections of the forward reaction

control system are scheduled for Friday. STS-91: Discovery's payload bay doors are open

and Ku band antenna deploy and testing are complete. Body flap corrosion repair work has

resumed. Preparations ate in work for removal of the orbiter's forward reaction control

system tonight. Friday, technicians will replace fuel cell No. 2. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 6].]

JANUARY _ NASA gave shuttle Endeavour the green light for launch in two weeks,

while independent safety experts voiced renewed concern Wednesday over plans to lay off

600 shuttle workers around the same time. After an all-day meeting at Kennedy Space

Center, senior NASA officials cleared Endeavour and its seven-astronaut crew for a planned v
Jan. 22 liftoff to Russia's space station Mir. The main goal of the mission is to pick up

astronaut David Wolf, who has been on Mir for four months, and drop off his replacement,

astronaut Andy Thomas. But while the NASA bosses huddled, members of the

independent Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel began an investigation into plans to furlough

workers from United Space Alliance, the company taking over shuttle operations. Richard

Blomberg, acting chairman of the panel that oversees NASA for Congress, said he is

worried the cuts could jeopardize shuttle safety by reducing the number of inspections and

tests on key shuttle systems. Another concern revolves around whether the alliance can

make cuts without slashing into an increasingly thin cadre of highly skilled employees who

work with hazardous shuttle systems. "Ultimately, they are going to have to keep the

proper skill mix within the work force," Blomberg said. In a November report prepared for

the White House, the panel warned that the skills and experience mix at KSC already was

being eroded as NASA began to slash its federal work force by more than 3,000 people.

Further cuts, the panel said, would represent "a potential safety concern" as NASA hands

over shuttle operations tot he alliance at the same time it prepares for construction of its

international space station. Space station construction begins this summer.

A joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the alliance was hired in October 1996 to

gradually take over daily shuttle operations so NASA could focus on research, such as

planning a human mission to the moon or Mars. NASA told alliance officials two months

ago that it faced a $100 million shortfall in money to run the shuttle fleet between January

and October of this year. As a result, the alliance is planning to cut as many as 600 shuttle

jobs at KSC and at a nearby spare parts debot. The pink slips are expected to be sent out in

late January or early February. The new safety panel investigation comes hand in hand with

a separate layoff analysis being conducted by NASA's Office of Safety, Reliability and

Mission Assurance at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. NASA safety chief

Fred Gregory, a former astronaut and veteran shuttle mission commander, is heading the

study. The NASA safety study is to be delivered to agency administrator Daniel Goldin by

Jan. 16. The layoffs are expected to follow. ["Panel renews concerns over shuttle safety,"

Florida Today, January 8, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-89 will arrive today at KSC for the Terminal

Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space

Shuttle flight providing the crew of each mission opportunities to participate in simulated

countdown activities. Activities will include crew participation in simulated launch day

events and they will enter the orbiter Endeavour fully suited for simulated Shuttle main

engine ignition and cut-off sequences. Following TCDT, the crew is scheduled to depart

KSC for their homes in Houston on Saturday (Jan. 10) for final flight preparations.

Endeavour is now targeted for launch on Jan. 22 at 9:43 p.m. Mission STS-89 is the eighth

Mir docking mission and the seventh and final mission in which an American astronaut will

live and work on the Russian outpost. Crew members for STS-89 are: Commander

Terrence W. Wilcutt; Pilot Joe F. Edwards, Jr.; Mission Specialists Andrew S. W. Thomas

(who will be replacing David A. Wolf as a Mir crew member), Bonnie J. Dunbar; James F.

Reilly II; Michael P. Anderson; and cosmonaut Salizhan Shakirovich Sharipov of Kirghizia.

[KSC Countdown, January 6, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle StatusReport,Wednesday, January 7, 1998. STS-89: Loading of

hypergolic propellants into Endeavour's orbiter maneuvering system pods continues

3
through tomorrow. The Rotating Service Structure will be retracted tomorrow at 11 a.m.,

pending weather, to support hot-fire tests of auxiliary power units No. 1, 2 and 3 on

Thursday. Tomorrow night, technicians will gain access to the orbiter's left payload bay

door to begin thermal blanket installation. Concluding on Sunday, this work will complete

repair efforts on the previously dinged door. NASA managers are conducting the STS-89

Flight Readiness Review at KSC today and are expected to announce an official launch date

at the meeting's conclusion this afternoon. STS-90: Functional tests of Columbia's orbiter

maneuvering system continue today. Yesterday, technicians replaced fuel cell No.1 and

replacement of fuel cell No. 3 is in work today. Remote manipulator system removal is

slated for Friday. Window polishing efforts are under way and inspections of the forward

reaction control system also begin Friday. STS-91: Removal of Discovery's forward

reaction control system was completed yesterday. Technicians are working to install

instrumentation that supports the new Super Lightweight External Tank scheduled to fly on

this launch for the first time. Friday, technicians will replace fuel cell No. 2. Body flap

corrosion repair and fuel cell monitoring modifications continue. [Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-maih

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 7].]

JANUALRY8: Congressman David Weldon will visit the Kennedy Space Center today to

meet with employees to discuss the year in Congress and other issues relating to the space

program and the Space Coast. [KSC Countdown, January 8, 1998.]

# Spacehab wins NASA contract. A $42.86 million, two and one-half year contract has

been awarded to Spacehab, Inc., Vienna, VA, by the Johnson Space Center. Spacehab will

perform research and logistics mission support in their Payload Processing Facility at Cape

Canaveral. The new contract will provide logistical support to the International Space

Station, and both NASA and commercial science experiments. [KSC Countdown, January

8, 1998.]

# Kenneth Payne, a veteran leader in the field of acquisition and logistics management,

has been named Director of Logistics Operations at KSC. Payne is a certified Acquisition

Program Manager and Logistician who has managed major aerospace/aeronautical

programs through their life cycle. He also is familiar with programs that have international

involvement, having worked on such multinational efforts as the F-16 aircraft program.

Payne is a member of the Senior Executive Service and currently serves as deputy director

of Requirements, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force

Base, Ohio. [KSC Countdown, January 8, 1998.]

Joseph H. Rothenberg, Director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,

MD, has been named to head the Agency's Office of Space Flight, NASA Administrator

Daniel S. Goldin announced today. Rothenberg will lead the Human Exploration and

Development of Space enterprise. As Associate Administrator for the Office of Space

Flight, Rothenberg will be responsible for all NASA human space flight programs, as well as

a variety of expendable launch vehicle operations and tracking and communications

functions. The appointment is effective Jan. 12. [NASA News Release #98-4, January 8,

1998.]

V _
Former astronaut and Kennedy Space Center director Roy Bridges said Thursday he

does not believe impending layoffs at the spaceport will put shuttles and their astronaut

crews at risk. The remarks, made after Bridges spoke to the Leadership Brevard business

group, came one day after members of an independent NASA watchdog panel expressed

new concern about the agency's plan to cut 600 more jobs. Bridges said he felt the

reductions could be made without jeopardizing shuttle safety because NASA plans to launch

six shuttle missions this year - two less than 1997. "It's something we need to keep on top

of, but our launch rate will be down this year, so we will need fewer people," Bridges said.

"However, the important thing is that the people who are left are focused on their work

and not worried about job security." The layoffs, which are expected to start later this

month, will affect 10 percent of the work force at United Space Alliance, the private

company taking over shuttle operations for NASA. The cuts will be made in addition to

NASA's continuing effort to cut 3,000 civil service jobs agency-wide, including many at

KSC, as part of a plan to reduce the size of the agency and turn work over to private

contractors. Bridges said NASA is pushing United Space Alliance to improve morale

among its employees at the center. "I would say that morale is finally turning around in the

civil service sector," Bridges said. "Now, USA has to do that with their people and inspire

them as part of this magnificent effort to launch shuttles and bring them back safely."

["KSC official: Job cuts won't affect shuttle safety," Florida Today, January 9, 1998, p 4A.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, January 8, 1998. STS-89: At the conclusion of

yesterday's Flight Readiness Review, NASA managers announced Jan. 22 as the official

launch date for mission STS-89. At the launch pad, loading of hypergolic propellants into

Endeavour's orbiter maneuvering system pods is complete. Due to unfavorable weather

conditions, retraction of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) in support of auxiliary power

unit (APU) hot-fire testing has been postponed. Should weather prohibit this evening's

rescheduled APU testing the hot-fire would be performed late Monday night with no

impact to the launch date. Work to repair the thermal blanket on the left payload bay door

is under way. The STS-89 crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility yesterday at about

7 p.m. to participate in launch familiarization activities. The crew will take part in the

Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test on Friday and Saturday. STS-90: Functional

tests of Columbia's orbiter maneuvering system continue and fuel cell replacement work is

complete. Post-flight window inspections were completed yesterday. Preparations are in

work for remote manipulator system removal slated for Friday. Window polishing efforts

are under way and inspections of the forward reaction control system also begin tomorrow.

STS-91: Technicians continue to install instrumentation that supports the new Super

Lightweight External Tank scheduled to fly on STS-91 for the first time. Preparations are in

work for fuel cell No. 2 replacement on Friday. Body flap corrosion repair and fuel cell

monitoring modifications continue. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 8].]

Payload Processing Status Report, Thursday, January 8, 1998. STS-89: 8th MIR

Docking SPACEHAB double module; Target Launch Date: Jan. 22, 1998; Current

Location: Launch Pad 39-A; Launch Vehicle: Endeavour. Operations Scheduled:*

Spacehab pressure decay test 0an. 11); * Spacehab interface verification test (IVT) Part 2

(Jan 12); * Spacehab experiment and equipment stowage/payload closeouts (Jan 16); *

Payload bay door closure for flight (Jan. 16 4 p.m.) ; * Mid-deck experiment stowage (Jan.
21). STS-90:NEUROI_akB;TargetLaunchDate: April 2, 1998; Current Location:

Operations and Check-out Building (high bay); Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Columbia;

Launch Pad: 39B. Operations currently in work: * Crew Equipment Interface Test; * Flight

crew equipment stowage; * Spacelab configuration for flight. Scheduled milestones (dates

are target only); * Install Neurolab in payload canister (Jan. 27) * Transfer Neurolab to

OPF (Jan. 30); * Install into payload bay of Columbia (Jan. 30). Intemational Space

Station-Node 1/PMA-1/PMA-2 (STS-88). Target Launch Date: July 9, 1998; Current

Location: Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF); Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle

Endeavour Launch Pad: 39B. Operations currently in work: * Installation and testing of

communications systems software; * PMA-2 oxygen line installation and testing; * Poweredon electrical system testing; * Installation of space vision system targets. Scheduled

milestones (dates are target only): * 4-A Integrated Equipment Assembly arrival (1/9); *

Mate PMA-2 with Node 1 (late January); * Cargo element testing (1/27-2/5); * 3-A PMA-3

arrival (2/6) * First truss arrival (2/17); * End-to End Test (2/28); * Long Spacer arrival

3/27); * Node 1/PMA 1-2 Weight/Center of Gravity Determination (5/18). Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Payload Processing Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

January 8].]

JANUARYg:. NASA is considering bypassing Cape Canaveral and the U.S. rocket industry

when it sends a probe to collection Martian rocks in 2005. A U.S. congressman thinks the

plan may be illegal. And Florida space officials say it could mean a loss of tens of millions

of dollars to the Space Coast economy. The National Aeronautics and Space

Administration has been talking with France for the past three months about the French

supplying a new Ariane V rocket for the launch from French Guyana, NASA Administrator

Dan Goldin told a group of 2,000 astronomers in Washington this week. It would mark the

first time Cape Canaveral was not used to launch an American planetary probe. And it

would be the first mostly American spaceship to be launched outside of the United States,

NASA officials said. With the latest fervor in exploring Mars, triggered by 1996's finding of

a possible Martian fossil and last year's Pathfinder landing, France asked NASA to be

included in its biggest mission to Mars yet. That mission - which is still in the planning

stage - would gather several rocks from different places on Mats, use Mars' own atmosphere

to make rocket fuel, then return the rocks to Earth for extensive examination. "If this goes

on a foreign launch vehicle, it means it's not going to be launched here at the Cape. It

means people are going to be not working," U. S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, said.

But NASA spokesman Don Savage said that if there is foreign participation in a mission,

the law allows NASA to launch on a foreign rocket. Weldon said he will seek a legal ruling

on the issue. ["NASA may take French rocket to Mars, leaving Cape out," The Orlando

Sentinel,_ January 9, 1998, p A-7.]

V

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, January 9, 1998. STS-89: The hot-fire of all three

auxiliary power units (APU) was successfully completed last night with satisfactory results.

The crew of mission STS-89 continues to take part in the Terminal Countdown

Demonstration Test being held at KSC this week. Tomorrow, they will go through

simulated launch day activities including entering the orbiter Endeavour for a simulated

main engine ignition and cut-off. They will depart for their homes in Houston tomorrow

afternoon to complete their pre-mission training. Currently, the crew is scheduled to return

to KSC on Jan. 19 for final launch activities. STS-90: Installation of Columbia's fuel cells is

6
completeand functionaltestsareinwork. Also in work are operations to remove the

remote manipulator system robotic arm, functional tests of the orbiter maneuvering system,

and auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks. STS-91: Leak checks of the orbiter's

freon loop are complete. Preparations are in work to remove and replace fuel cell No. 2

and to prepare the forward reaction control system to be sent to the Hypergol Maintenance

Facility for routine inspections. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, January 9].]

The first in a new class of communications satellites for the British military is orbiting

Earth today after a successful ride into space Friday. The $150 million satellite, Skynet 4D,

was carried into orbit on a Boeing Delta 2 rocket that was launched at 7:32 p.m. Friday

from Cape Canaveral Air Station. The mission is the first of 12 Delta flights scheduled

from the Cape this year. Built by the European company Matra Marconi Space, the 3,300-

pound satellite is the first among a trio of spacecraft that Great Britain has ordered to

augment its military communications network. ["Delta 2 rocket successfully sends satellite

to new home," Florida Today, January 10, 1998, p 4A.]

# The Photovoltaic Module 1 Integrated Equipment Assembly (IEA) arrived at KSC Jan.

9 from the Boeing Company. This IEA is one of four integral units designed to generate,

distribute and store power for the International Space Station. It will carry solar arrays,

power storage batteries, power control units and a thermal control system. The 16-foot

long, 16,850-pound unit is now undergoing preflight preparations in the Space Station

Processing Facility. It is scheduled for launch on STS-97 in April 1999. [KSC Countdown,

January 13, 1998.]

JANUARYIO. In a bid to secure Florida's future in an increasingly competitive global

space launch business, state leaders will announce Monday (January 11) a task force to lure

next-generation spaceships to the Space Coast. Its first job will be a tough one - winning an

intense bidding war between states and nations vying to become the launch site for

Lockheed Martin's proposed VentureStar Reusable Launch Vehicle, or RLV. The

spaceship could dominate the 21't century launch market, and Cape Canaveral's launch pads

could become vacant unless the vehicle is flown from here. "It's going to be a very, very

hot competition for the RLV home base," said Ed O'Connor, executive director of

Spaceport Florida Authority, a state agency created in 1989 to attract aerospace business.

Expected to leap from the drawing board to launch pads during the next five years,

VentureStar and other RLVs will head into orbit without dropping spent booster stages or

fuel tanks back to Earth. That means they will not have to take off from coastal spaceports

- such as Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Station - and fly over the ocean to

avoid endangering the public. Instead, they will be able to take off from anywhere in the

world, which raises the possibility that Florida could be shut out of the billions of dollars of

business the new vehicles will bring. The battle for that business will begin Jan. 22, when

Lockheed Martin hosts a VentureStar meeting to discuss launch site requirements at its

Skunk Works division in Palrndale, Calif. The company is expected to make its launch site

decision next year. Construction of the full-scale VentureStar, as well as launch facilities, is

expected to begin in 2000. ["State aims to lure hunch vehicles," Florida Today, January

11, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]
# A newgenerationof rocketswill bringmorelaunchesto CapeCanaveralAir Stationandmorehazardousmaterialswith them. But sincetheEvolvedExpendable Launch

Vehicles would be flown from a facility already equipped to handle rocket blasts, they will

have no greater effect on the environment than current rockets. That's the finding of a

federal environmental impact statement on the rockets - known as EELVs. If approved,

the rockets will start flying from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base in

California about 2002. [''Report Oks launch of new rockets," Florida Today, January 11,

1998, p 4B.]

JANUARY12:. Two new tour destinations opening Jan. 16 at KSC will draw visitors into

the heart of Shuttle launch operations and offer a close-up look at preparations for on-orbit

construction of the International Space Station. The new attractions represent the second

phase of a comprehensive effort to make the American space program as accessible as

possible to members of the general public visiting KSC. Located in the Launch Complex

(LC) 39 area - where the Space Shuttle is prepared for flight and launched - is the 60-foottall LC 39 Observation Gantry. The other new tour destination is called the International

Space Station Center (ISSC). It is located adjacent to the Space Station Processing Facility,

in the KSC Industrial Area. "These new destinations, along with the Apollo/Saturn V

Center, give the visitor unprecedented access to the U.S. space program and Kennedy Space

Center," said James Ball, chief of the NASA Public Services Office at KSC. "Now, instead

of a tour largely limited to driving around our facilities, the visitor can spend as much of

their day as they wish in the heart of our operational sites, getting an up-close and personal

view of both history and the future." [NASA News Release #9-98, January 12, 1998.]

John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, may return to space in

October aboard shuttle Discovery, Newsweek magazine reported Monday. Glenn, 76, would

serve as a payload specialist to conduct tests for the National Institutes of Health on the

effect of weightlessness on aging. Newsweek said an announcement could be made this

week, but NASA officials said no decision has been made. Glenn, the senior senator from

Ohio, won support for the trip last year from President Clinton. Discovery is scheduled for

an Oct. 8 liftoff from Kennedy Space Center on a 10-day scientific research mission.

['"Newsweek' reports Glenn's possible return to space," Florida Today, January 13, 1998,

p 1A.]

JANUARY1). United Space Alliance will start handing out pink slips to about 500

Kennedy Space Center workers Jan. 30 as it pushes ahead with deep cuts to its work force,

company officials said Tuesday. The layoffs will take effect about Feb. 13. This week, the

company also is asking workers to voluntarily quit their iobs. It estimates as many as 100

people might take the officer, company spokesman Jack King said. When it's all over, the

company's 6,000-member work force in Florida will be reduced about 10 percent, King said.

The one possible stumbling block involves a review of the situation by former astronaut

Frederick Gregory, who is NASA's space shuttle safety chief in Washington. His report is

expected Friday, and the layoffs cannot proceed until he approves them. However, Alliance

officials said they do not think the cuts will jeopardize the shuttles and their crews, in part

because NASA has only five shuttle launches set for the remainder of the fiscal year, which

ends Sept. 30. The trouble has not escaped the attention of NASA's astronauts. Terry

Wilcutt will command shuttle Endeavour on Jan. 22 during its planned launch to the

Russian space station Mir with a crew of seven. "I have mixed feelings, because I think of

V _

8
(KSCworkers)aspartof myextendedfamily,andknowinghow muchtheytakecareof

myselfandmy crewmembers,it reallybothersmeto thinkof someof thembeing

uncertainabouttheirjobs,"WilcuttsaidTuesday."But I don't thinkanyof usworry about

(safety)becausethepeopledownthere(atICSC)justtakeincrediblecareof us." ["500KSC

layoffsexpectedJan.30," Florida Todi_y, January 14, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, January 13, 1998. STS-89: The Rotating Service

Structure (RSS) at Pad 39A is back in place around Shuttle Endeavour following the

successful completion of yesterday's auxiliary power unit hot-fire test. Stowage of flight

crew systems and part 2 of the payload interface verification test were also completed

yesterday. Today, technicians will work orbiter midbody umbilical unit mate and leak

checks. The orbiter's aft compartment close-outs continue through Saturday. A decoder on

microwave scanning beam landing system No. 3 is being replaced today and payload bay

doors will be closed for flight on Friday. STS-90: Technicians completed removal of

Columbia's window No. 6 yesterday and will install the new window today, replacement of

floodlights No. 1 and No. 5, in the orbiter's payload bay, is in work and aft flight deck

reconfiguration is under way. Fuel cell voltage tests and checks of the flash evaporator

system are scheduled to begin today. STS-91: Technicians continue education work to

remove any remaining fuel and oxidizer from the orbiter maneuvering system cross-feed

lines. Replacement of Discovery's fuel cell No. 2 continues along with fuel cell monitoring

modifications. Work to install instrumentation that supports the new Super Lightweight

External Tank continues and body flap corrosion repairs proceed on schedule. [Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 13].]

JANUARY14: Gov. Lawton Chiles' budget proposal includes $825,000 that will help

ongoing state efforts to attract commercial, civil government and military space business to

Florida's coastal spaceports. That money includes: $700,000 to help Spaceport Florida

Authority build a Space Operations Support Center in a building abandoned when the

Florida Solar Energy Center closed on the north side of Port Canaveral. The facility would

provide commercial, university and other customers with a payload operations control

center outside the gates to Cape Canaveral Air Station. Spacecraft and experiments

launched from the air station or nearby Kennedy Space Center could be monitored from

the center, which also will include laboratory, classroom and office space. Also: $125,000

to help Spaceport Florida Authority convert Launch Complex 20 at the air station into a

facility for commercial, civil government and military missions. The complex conversion -

which calls for the refurbishment of three pads and a launch control blockhouse at the site -

primarily is being paid for with $2.5 million obtained by the authority from the U.S.

Department of Defense. The state money would enable the authority to set up crucial

communications systems at the complex, which is expected to serve rockets such as the

Lockheed Martin Athena 1, the Orbital Science Taurus, the Israeli Shavit and converted

Minuteman missiles, among others. "The total proposed appropriation would further our

plans to bring more launch vehicles to the Cape and further our efforts in other areas, such

as payload operations, work force training and support to universities," said Eddie Ellegood,

the authority's director of policy and program development. ["Plan includes money to

attract space business," Florida Today, January 15, 1998, p 2A.]

9
• SpaceShuttleStatusReport,Wednesday, January14,1998.STS-89:Orbiter midbody

umbilicalunitmateandleakchecksarecomplete.Endeavour'saft compartmentclose-outs

continuethroughSaturdayandordnanceinstallationisin work today. Work to replacea

decoderon microwavescanningbeamlandingsystemNo. 3is ongoingandpayloadbay

doorswill beclosedfor flighton Friday.Hypergoficsystemcloseoutsbegintomorrowand

continuethroughSaturday.Shuttleengineerscontinueto evaluatetheauxiliarypowerunit

(APU)hydrauliclinesthatwereservicedearlierthisweek. Assessmentsof APU No. 3 is

complete. Workers today will evaluate the APU No. 1 hydraulic fines. A replacement

motion control computer and air conditioning unit for Russia's Mir Space Station will be

installed into the SPACEHAB module Sunday. Fit checks of the air conditioning unit are in

work and delivery of the computer is expected late Friday night. STS-90: Technicians

installed Columbia's window No. 6 yesterday and completed checks of the flash evaporator

system. Replacement of floodlights No. 1 and No. 5, in the orbiter's payload bay, continues

and aft flight deck reconfiguration proceeds on schedule. Fuel cell voltage tests are expected

to conclude today. Orbiter maneuvering system functional tests and APU leak and

functional checks continue. STS-91: Technicians continue work to remove residual oxidizer

and fuel from the orbiter maneuvering system cross-feed lines. Replacement of Discovery's

fuel cell No. 2 continues along with fuel cell monitoring modifications. Work to install

instrumentation that supports the new Super Lightweight External Tank continues and

body flap corrosion repairs proceed on schedule. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 14].]

JANUARY18: International Space Station (ISS) update. The return of American

astronaut Andrew Thomas in May will mark the completion of the Shuttle/Mir Phase 1

program. Phase 2 of the ISS begins in June this year with the launch of the Control

Module, formerly known as the Functional Cargo Block, from Russia on a Proton rocket.

On July 9_, Endeavour is scheduled for launch with the U.S.-built Node 1 which will be

attached to the Control Module. In December 1998, the first riving quarters and fife

support systems will be launched from Russia. Then in 1999 the first three-member ISS

crew led by American astronaut William M. Shepherd, the expedition commander, will kick

off the station's initial five month residency period. From then on, the station will be

permanently inhabited. Phase 2 will be completed in August 1999, and the station will be

ready for scientific research work. In Phase 3 of assembly, the ISS will progress gradually to

its ultimate status With a crew of up to seven members. The membership of the ISS has

also expanded to its current number of 16 participating countries. These include the

original signatories which were the United States; Japan; Russia; Canada; Belguim; Denmark;

France; Germany; Italy; The Netherlands; Norway; Spain; and England. To these have

been added Sweden, Switzerland and Brazil. [KSC Countdown, January 15, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, January 15, 1998. STS-89: Testing on

microwave scanning beam landing system No. 3 is complete, following a recent decoder

replacement. Endeavour's aft compartment close-outs are in work through the weekend

and ordnance connections began early this morning. Payload bay doors are slated for

closure on Friday. Hypergolic system pressurization is in work and will continue through

Saturday. Shuttle engineers continue to evaluate a small leak on a hydraulic fine for auxiliary

power unit No. 3. A Russian motion control computer and air conditioning unit are slated

to be installed into the SPACEHAB module on Sunday, for use on the Mir space station.

10
To preparefor installationactivities,workersFridaywill conductanexercisewith afull scale

mock-upof the airconditioningunit to confirminstallationproceduresandclearances.

STS-90:Voltagetestson Columbia'sfuelcellsarecompleteandAPU leak and functional

checks concluded yesterday. Power reactant storage and distribution system checks are in

work and are expected to conclude today. Replacement of payload bay floodlights No. 1

and No. 5 and aft flight deck reconfiguration continue. Orbiter maneuvering system

functional tests are proceeding on schedule. STS-91: Technicians have completed efforts to

remove residual oxidizer and fuel from the orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) cross-feed

lines and will remove the right hand OMS pod tomorrow. The pod will then undergo a

valve change-out in the Hypergol Maintenance Facility. Replacement of Discovery's fuel

cell No. 2 is complete as fuel cell monitoring modifications continue. Work to install

instrumentation that supports the new Super Lightweight External Tank continues and

body flap corrosion repairs proceed on schedule. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 15].]

# Retired Air Force Col. Edward P. Wynne, one of the men responsible for selecting

landing sites on the moon for the Apollo astronauts, died Thursday, Jan. 15, at home. He

was 79. ["Space pioneer Col. Edward Wynne dies at 79," January 18, 1998, p 4B.]

JANUARY16:. NASA today named John Glenn, 76, to the crew of the Space Shuttle

Discovery, scheduled to launch in October. Glenn will serve as a payload specialist on that

mission. Glenn made history 35 years ago when he strapped himself into a nine-by-seven

foot capsule atop an experimental rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Recently he asked NASA if he could fly again to conduct space-based research on aging, but

only if he met the agency's physical and mental requirements. "Not only is John Glenn a

Marine test pilot, an astronaut, and the first American to orbit the Earth, he brings a unique

blend of experience to NASA," said NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "He has fight,

operational, and policy experience. Unlike most astronauts, he never got the opportunity

for a second flight. He is part of the NASA family, an American hero, and he has the right

stuff for this mission." Since aging and space flight share a number of similar physiological

responses, the study of space flight may provide a model system to help scientists interested

in understanding aging. Some of these similarities include bone and muscle loss, balance

disorders and sleep disturbances. Senator Glenn has been a catalyst in promoting the use of

space flight for the benefit of healthy and productive aging. NASA has previously flown

astronauts up to 61 years old. Before NASA made the decision to fly Glenn, the senator

underwent a battery of medical tests conducted by NASA physicians and by independent

consultants. They all found him medically qualified for space flight. According to NASA

flight surgeons, Glenn's fitness level is excellent. "We have 42 years of medical history on

Senator Glenn and we were able to perform an exhaustive medical evaluation," said Dr.

Denise Baisden, a NASA flight surgeon. "He is medically qualified to fly." [NASA News

Release #98-8, January 16, 1998.]

¢' Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, January 16, 1998. STS-89: Preparations for the

launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-89 are proceeding on schedule, with the

43-hour countdown scheduled to begin Monday at 7 p.m. The orbiter's hypergolic system

pressurization is complete. Aft compartment close-outs and ordnance connections are in

work and payload bay doors are slated for closure later today. Today, Shuttle engineers will

11
evaluatetestdatagatheredfrom a hydraulic line for auxiliary power unit No. 3. Midbody

and vertical payload close-outs are in work today and late SPACEHAB stow activities are

slated for Sunday. An air conditioning unit will be installed in the double module on Sunday

and a Russian motion control computer will be installed in the middeck early next week.

Both items are slated for use on the Mir space station. STS-90: Columbia's power reactant

storage and distribution system checks are complete and a 72-hour decay check is in work.

Orbiter maneuvering system functional tests are nearing completion today. With checks of

the main propulsion system regulator complete, workers will need to replace two leaky

valves on the system. Replacement of payload bay floodlights No. 1 and No. 5 and aft

flight deck reconfiguration continue. STS-91: Work to remove Discovery's right hand

orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pod is under way. The pod will then undergo a valve

change-out in the Hypergol Maintenance Facility. Electrical connections for replaced fuel

cell No. 2 are complete and tests of the fuel cell monitoring modifications are in work.

Work to install instrumentation that supports the new Super Lightweight External Tank

continues and body flap corrosion repairs proceed on schedule. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 16].]

• NASA opened up shuttle missions Friday to a new class of astronauts, and the woman

who served as the backup to the late Teacher-In-Space Chrism McAuliffe finally is going to

fly in space as a result. Barbara Morgan, who has been waiting in the wings since McAuliffe

and six other were killed in the 1986 Challenger accident, will fly on an unspecified mission

to the international space station. She will do so as NASA's first "educator-mission

specialist." She will not be a "Civilian-In-Space," the name given in the 1980s to a nowdefunct program to send teachers and journalists into orbit. "We are not reviving the

Civilian-In-Space program, where we fly a civilian on the shuttle without them having a

specific role. We are expanding the reach of the astronaut program," NASA Administrator

Daniel Goldin said. "In the case of Barbara Morgan, she will be entering the next NASA

mission specialist class. She is going to go through the full training." Morgan is expected to

move to Houston later this year to begin training with NASA's 1998 astronaut class.

["Backup teacher gets OK to fly in space," Florida Today, January 17, 1998, p 2A.]

• NASA's safety chief on Friday finished a study to see if a private company could safely

cut about 600 space shuttle jobs at Kennedy Space Center. But KSC workers, whose jobs

are on the line, will have to wait until next week for the answer. NASA, including

Administrator Dan Goldin, wouldn't say what the report concluded because it was

submitted late in the day. No pink slips will be issued until NASA's safety experts clear a

job-reduction plan submitted by United Space Alliance, the private company that runs the

space shuttle program. The space alliance had not heard from NASA by late Friday,

company spokesman Jeff Carr said. With three fewer launches expected this budget year,

NASA last month asked the space alliance to trim its budget by $100 million. The alliance

answered with plans to cut its KSC work force from 5,900 to between 5,250 and 5,300.

About 100 people are expected to retire voluntarily so actual layoffs will be fewer than 500,

Carr said. Safety chief Fred Gregory, who led the four-person review team, could not be

reached for comment late Friday. ["Safety check done but no word on KSC job cuts," The

Orlando Sentinel, January 17, 1998, p A-6.]

12
A BrevardCountyschoolbusdriverwho hadjustcompletedhermorningroutes

crashedinto a Kennedy Space Center security fence Friday morning. There were no

passengers on the bus. It is unclear why she drove to the Space Center. When security

officers finally reached her after the crash, she was unable to communication, School

District spokesman Bill Johnson said. Johnson said the bus driver will be suspended from

her post pending an investigation by School District and Kennedy Space Center security

officials. ["School bus driver hits KSC gate," Florida Today, January 17, 1998, p 213.]

Lockheed Martin will roll out the first aluminum lithium "super lightweight" Space

Shuttle external tank today, bring the International Space Station another step closer to

launch. Developed to give the Shuttle the performance margin needed to carry heavy U.S.

Station elements to the 51.6 -degree orbital inclination required by NASA's Russian

partners, the tank is about 7,500 pounds lighter than the original aluminum external tank

used on all Shuttle launches to date. The new design features liquid hydrogen and liquid

oxygen tanks of aluminum lithium, and the hydrogen tank has been machined into a

orthogonal waffle pattern for greater strength and stability. Like its heavier predecessor, the

new tank measures 154 feet long by 27 feet in diameter. Following rollout ceremonies at

NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the new tank will be shipped by barge

to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., for use on STS-91 in May, the last Shuttle mission to

Russia's Mir orbital Station (and the first for the Shuttle Discovery). ["Lockheed Martin to

roll out new lightweight Shuttle tank today," Aerospace Daffy, January 16, 1998, p 8.]

JANUARY17: Marking a milestone in space exploration and international cooperation,

U.S. and Russian space officials Saturday unveiled the first segment of the new international

space station to replace Russia's aging Mir. Paid for primarily by the United States but built

in Russia, the module will be a central component of the new space station and provide a

crucial link between Russian and American segments as they are added in space. ["New

space station segment celebrated," Florida Today, January 18, 1998, p 3A.]

JANUARYI& Former astronaut Jay Apt, now director of the Carnegie Museum of

Natural History in Pittsburgh offered a 214-million-year-old Coelophysis skull to NASA for

the upcoming mission, which is scheduled to take off at 9:48 p.m. Thursday. The 8-inchlong skull will not be the object of any study but is included among several light-weight

items taken on each shuttle flight for the novelty of being in space, said NASA

spokeswoman Audrey Rivers. The Coelophysis is one of the oldest North American

dinosaurs, 6 feet long and standing nearly 3 feet at the shoulder. [''Dinosaur skull to fly on

shuttle," Florida Today, January 18, 1998, p 1E.]

Norm Thagard hated the food. Shannon Lucid and John Blaha loved the view. As for

Jerry Linnenger and Michael Foale, well, they just tried to stay alive. Now it's Andy

Thomas' turn to stay aboard the Russian space station Mir and, in the process, close out

NASA's rewarding - and frequently dangerous - program to learn how to live and work on

an orbiting outpost. Thomas is scheduled to head to Mir on Thursday night, hitching a ride

from Kennedy Space Center on shuttle Endeavour. The ship is to dock at Mir two days

after takeoff, pick up American astronaut David Wolf and leave Thomas behind. [''Last

American to Mir ready for takeoff," Florida Today, January 19, 1998, p 1A & 7A.]

13
JANUARY19. Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, January 19, 1998. STS-89:

Preparations continue for Thursday night's launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission

STS-89. The countdown remains set to begin at 7 p.m. today at the T-43-hour mark. Over

the weekend, mission managers discussed the issue of the hydraulic lines on auxiliary power

unit No. 3 and determined the system is prepared to fly without concerns. This topic will be

discussed one final time during the standard launch minus one day review at KSC on

Wednesday. Payload bay door closure was delayed Friday night due to the need to replace

a portion of the door's seal. That work has been completed and the doors will be closed for

flight early tomorrow morning. Aft compartment close-outs are also complete. At 2:30

p.m. today, the crew of mission STS-89 arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. During

the next three days, they will review their mission flight plans and fly in their T-38 aircraft

and Shuttle training aircraft. Air Force weather forecasts are predicting a 60 percent chance

of weather criteria violations on Thursday night with the main concern being thick cloud

coverage in the KSC area. The 24-hour and 48-hour forecast shows a 40 percent chance of

violation. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, January 19].]

The prospect of stormy weather could keep shuttle Endeavour on the ground

Thursday, but a small leak in its hydraulic system won't, NASA officials said Monday. With

U.S. astronaut and soon-to-be Mir resident Andy Thomas aboard, Endeavour is scheduled

to take off for Russia's space station Mir during a 10-minute launch window that will open

at 9:43 p.m. Thursday. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:48 p.m. A three-day countdown began

Monday at Kennedy Space Center after the shuttle's crew taxied into KSC's shuttle runway

in T-38 training jets. Thomas, 46, will be the last of seven NASA astronauts to conduct

research on Mir as part of a program to prepare the United States and Russia for building a

$40 billion international space station. Nasty weather, however, could conspire to keep

Thomas and Endeavour on the ground. Air Force Meteorologists say there is only a 40

percent chance the weather will be acceptable for flight. Forecasters say clouds associated

with thunderstorms over the Gulf of Mexico might sweep into Central Florida during

Thursday's launch try. Flying through such clouds could trigger dangerous bolts of

lightning. NASA mission managers, meanwhile, say a small leak in one of Endeavour's

three auxiliary power units isn't expected to stall launch plans. The units provide the

hydraulic power needed to steer Endeavour's engines in flight and operate its landing gear,

brakes and wing flaps during atmospheric re-entry and landing. But the leak is considered

minor. ["Crew arrives to gloomy forecast," Florida TQ_Isy, January 20, 1998, p 1A.]

JANUARY20. Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, January 20, 1998. STS-89: The

launch countdown for mission STS-89 began yesterday at 7 p.m. at the T-43-hour mark and

the STS-89 flight crew arrived at KSC at 2:30 p.m. Last night, Endeavour's payload bay

doors were successfully cycled and closed for flight following replacement of a seal on the

left door. The launch pad will be cleared of all personnel this afternoon to accomplish

pyrotechnic initiator controller testing and loading of cryogenics into the orbiter's power

reactant storage and distribution system. Current Air Force weather forecasts indicate a 60

percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Thursday. The primary concern is

for thick cloud coverage at the launch site. Also of concern are thunderstorm debris clouds

resulting from a cold front in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Thursday's forecast calls for

winds from the southeast at 12-18 knots, clouds scattered at 3,000 feet and 10,000 feet;

14
broken at 25,000, visibility 7 miles, temperature 64 degree F, 73 percent relative humidity,

and no precipitation. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, January 20].]

• A secret Pentagon satellite launch and a French research flight to Russia's space station

Mir could conspire to delay shuttle Endea,iour's upcoming launch by as much as a month.

If, that is, bad weather or technical problems keep Endeavour and its crew of seven - now

scheduled to head to Mir at 9:48 p.m. Thursday - on the ground beyond Saturday, NASA

officials say. Here's the situation: A classified Pentagon satellite thought to be an

experimental spacecraft to relay data is scheduled to be launched Monday on an Air Force

Atlas 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station. That means NASA will have to send

Endeavour aloft by Saturday before taking a back seat to the Atlas on the Air Force's

Eastern Range, which provides tracking, safety and weather forecasting services for all

launches from Florida's East Coast. A Sunday launch would not be an option for

Endeavour. The Air Force would be resetting range systems that day to support the Atlas

mission, which also has a back-up launch chance Tuesday. Add another day after that to

reset range systems for another shuttle launch attempt, and the earliest Endeavour could be

launched is Jan. 29. But a Jan. 29 shuttle liftoff is an option the Russian Space Agency is not

likely to approve. That same day, a French researcher and two fresh Russian cosmonauts

are to be launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to Mir. The weather forecast

for Endeavour's scheduled launch, meanwhile, remains a potential problem. Forecasters say

there is only a 40 percent chance weather will be acceptable for launch either Thursday or

Friday because of thunderstorms. "Hopefully, we'll get lucky Thursday. If not, Friday will

be tough as well," said the Air Force's shuttle weather officer, Ed Prisdac. Conditions

Saturday are expected to improve. The cloudy weather by that time is expected to have

departed the area, and Priselac said there is an 80 percent chance of acceptable launch

weather then. The situation is prompting NASA mission managers to seriously consider the

possibility of three consecutive launch attempts. Endeavour's flight will be the seventh of

eight planned shuttle trips to Mir. ["Shuttle delay could cause space traffic jam," Florida

Toda_._, January 21, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• Space-bound U.S. Sen. John Glenn returned to the nation's rocket ranch Tuesday for

the up-close-and-personal look at the spaceship that will taxi him into orbit in October.

And during a whirlwind tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Ohio Democrat - who

at 7.7 will become the oldest person to fly in space - also will take in the planned launch

Thursday of shuttle Endeavour on a mission to Russia's space station Mir. "I came down to

see the shuttle launch - haven't been here in awhile and I wanted to start getting up to speed

on everything, of course, after the announcement last week," Glenn told reporters after

stepping off a NASA jet at KSC's shuttle runway. Former astronaut Steve Oswald - who

now is director of space shuttle requirements at NASA headquarters in Washington, D. C. -

will take Glenn on a tour of the KSC's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building and NASA's

Launch Control Center. He'll also swing by the shuttle hangar where Discovery is being

readied for the October mission as well as launch pad 39A, where Endeavour is poised for

flight. ["Glenn arrives at KSC for shuttle launch," Florida Today, January 21, 1998, p 2A.]

• Russia is yet again a couple of months behind schedule in building its most crucial

component for the international space station, but NASA has decided not to let the

15
problemdelaythe$28.6billionconstructionproject. TheRussian-builtservicemodule,

which hadbeenscheduledfor launchthisDecember,isnow two to threemonthsbehind

schedule,NASA spokesmanJamesHartsfieldsaidTuesday.In meetingsthisweekin

Moscow,RussianandU.S.officialsagreedto goaheadwith two other stationlaunches

slatedfor 1998.Thefirst stationsection,theRussian-builtandAmerican-financedcargo

block,isreadyto launchfrom RussiainJune. Thatsectioncanberefueledin space,if

necessary,andcanremainin orbitwithout theservicemodulefor a year.Evenwith the

expecteddelays,thereisplentyof timeto gettheservicemoduleinto orbit byJune1999.

NASA hasa makeshiftstationroomthatcouldreplacethe servicemodule. Thatroom

couldlaunchasearlyasDecember.The first American-made station component is set to

launch in July. Last year, the Russians couldn't pay their contractor to start building the

service module. That caused the entire station schedule to slip about eight months. This

time, the problem was technical, not financial. The Russians needed to replace cracking

electrical cables and add more thermal coating to the service module, Hartsfield said.

["Russians slipping further behind on space station," The Orlando Sentinel, January 21,

1998, p A-4.]

• NASA had modified its X-34 contract with Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, VA, to

produce a second flight vehicle for the X-34 Program. "The purpose of a second vehicle is

to reduce risk to the X-34 program," said deputy program manager Mike Allen of NASA's

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. In August 1996 NASA entered into a $50

million contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. to design, build and test-fly the X-34, a small

reusable technology demonstrator. An additional $10 million was committed by NASA to

be spent in direct support of X-34 by NASA Centers and other government agencies. Now

the contract has been increased by $7.7 million to purchase long lead-time hardware,

including a new wing, fuselage, avionics set, hydraulic pump and actuator system, and more.

NASA has committed $2 million more for the government to provide wind tunnel testing,

additional testing and analysis, and a second leading-edge Thermal Protection System. An

$8.5 million option calls for purchase of shorter lead-time hardware, such as navigation

systems, while a $1.8 million option has been added for assembly of piece parts into

subsystems, integration and final assembly. These options should be formally exercised

shortly. [NASA News Release #98-11, January 21, 1998.]

• Two pilot whales were rescued from a beach at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday and

taken to Marineland near St. Augustine. The whales, a eight-foot and an 11-foot, beached

themselves and were spotted about 10:30 a.m. near Space Shuttle launch tower 39A, where

the shuttle Endeavour is poised for a Thursday launch. Sea World retrieved the animals.

No word on their condition was available Tuesday. ['_I'wo pilot whales rescued at KSC

beach," Florida Today, January 21, 1998, p lB. "2 whales found beached by shuttle launch

tower," The Orlando Sentinel, January 21, 1998, p A-6.]

JANUARY21: A special NASA safety study will not prevent a private company from

cutting about 600 space shuttle jobs at Kennedy Space Center, a top official said

Wednesday. The safety report calls for some changes in the layoff plan by shuttle operation

United Space Alliance, but the gist of it would allow cuts to proceed, NASA shuttle

program manager Tommy Holloway said Wednesday. "It's a safe situation," Holloway said.

NASA's safety office looked specifically at layoff plans. The study will not be released for a

week while it is examined by top officials. The National Aeronautics and Space

16
Administrationlastmonthaskedthe spaceallianceto slashits currentshuttleoperating

budgetby$100million, partlybecause fewer shuttles are set to launch this budget year. So

the space alliance last week came up with a plan to reduce its 5,900-employee KSC work

force to somewhere between 5,250 and 5,300. The company plans to keep layoffs, which

would go into effect Feb. 13, below 500 so it doesn't have to give the 60 days notice

required by federal law. It hopes at least another 100 workers will voluntarily retire.

Alliance spokesman Jack King wouldn't comment on the safety study because the company

hasn't seen it yet. ["Safety study won't hinder KSC layoffs, NASA says," The Orlando

Sentinel, January 22, 1998, p A-16.]

• Now that he has got his flight booked on a space shuttle, U.S. Sen. John Glenn said

NASA should not let more civilians into space without good scientific reasons. Glenn, 76

and one of NASA's original seven astronauts, said his October flight on Discovery is first

and foremost about research and how weightlessness affects the aging process, not public

relations, nostalgia or politics. Critics have called the science issue a "ruse" for Glenn to fly

again. When asked about putting civilians in space after NASA said it will make teacher

Barbara Morgan a full-fledged astronaut, Glenn said his flight is different. "I have never

favored just opening up [space] for different professions unless there was a reason for it,"

Glenn said at a news conference Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center. Glenn said after

reading literature about the effects of spaceflight, he noticed it was similar to that of aging

so he sold NASA on the idea of a research mission. ["Glenn defends his space trek but

warns NASA," The Orlando Sentinel, January 22, 1998, p A-16.]

• The director of Russia's shuttle-Mir program, a veteran cosmonaut who last flew in

1980, is joining U.S. Sen. John Glenn in the ranks of senior space travelers. Valeri Ryumin,

58, was tapped by NASA to fly aboard shuttle Discovery in late May on the eighth and final

U.S. mission to the Russian space station Mir. A veteran of three flights to Russia's nowdefunct Salyut 6 space station, Ryumin will become the third-oldest person to fly in space

during the nine-day flight, which is scheduled for launch May 28. Only former U.S.

astronauts Story Musgrave and Vance Brand flew at older ages, 61 and 59 respectively. The

average age of U.S. astronauts, according to a 1993 Florida Today study: 43 1/2 for males; 40

for females. Like Glenn, Ryumin has been tenaciously lobbying NASA - not to mention

the Russian Space Agency - for a seat on a shuttle mission to Mir. He'll be following the

footsteps of his wife, Russian cosmonaut Elena Kondakova, who flew aboard shuttle

Atlantis on a mission to Mir in May. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time,"

Ryumin said. [''Veteran cosmonaut to join old pioneer Glenn in space," Florida Today,

January 22, 1998, p 6A.]

JANUARY22. Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, January 22, 1998. STS-89: The

launch countdown for Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-89 proceeds on schedule

with no major technical issues being worked by the KSC launch team. Final preparations of

the Shuttle main engines for flight were completed this morning and launch pad close-outs

concluded at about 11 a.m. Loading of the external tank with 500,000 gallons of cryogenic

fuel began at about 1:50 p.m. Tanking was delayed more than an hour to allow workers to

adiust a gaseous nitrogen regulator valve on the Fixed Service Structure. Air Force weather

forecasters briefed launch managers this afternoon that there is now a 30 percent

probability that weather could prohibit launch tonight. A cold front and low pressure

system in the Gulf of Mexico seem to be moving thunderstorm debris clouds and anvil

17
cloudsnorth of KSC. Managers will continue to monitor the possibility of thick cloud

coverage at the launch site. The 24-hour delay forecast now indicates a 70 percent chance of

launch commit criteria violation with clouds and precipitation as primary concerns. The 48-

hour launch delay forecast indicates a 20 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch

activities. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa, gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, January 20].]

¢, Tonight's scheduled flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour will mark the first use of a

redesigned main engines expected to increase reliability and safety, NASA reported. All

three Space Shuttle Main Engines on Endeavour carry enhancements known as the Block

IIA configuration. The main Block IIA modification is the Large Throat Main Combustion

Chamber, where liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are mixed and burned at 6,000 degrees

Fahrenheit to provide thrust. The throat of the new chamber is about 10% larger than the

previous design, improving the engine's reliability by reducing pressure and temperature in

the chamber and throughout the rest of the engine, NASA said. This allows the

turbomachinery to operate at lower turbine temperatures, pressures and speeds and extends

the life of the hardware, NASA added. ["Shuttle to make first flight with redesigned main

engine," Aerospace Daily, January 22, 1998, p 4.]

¢, Even though studies have shown that it costs up to $20 million more, NASA will again

send the space shuttle Columbia to California for a tuneup instead of doing the work in

Florida, a key NASA official said late Thursday. It's another blow for Kennedy Space

Center, where an estimated 600 jobs will be cut next month. In 1996, National Aeronautics

and Space Administration officials proposed doing much of the shuttle maintenance and

modification work at KSC instead of Boeing Co.'s plant in Palmdale, Calif. But that did not

happen. Shuttle renovation is big business. The work now being done on Atlantis in

California costs about $70 million. The Columbia tuneup, which won't start until 1999, will

probably cost less. NASA and shuttle operator United Space Alliance are not releasing the

results of a joint study on where to do the work. After a news conference Thursday, NASA

Launch Integration Manager Don McMonagle said Columbia's tuneup will be in Califomia.

NASA and the space alliance told Boeing officials in Palmdale to get ready to map out a

plan for Columbia's work in Califomia_ But Palmdale has not formally been notified that

Columbia is coming there, Boeing spokesman Alan Buis said. Because Columbia will get a

complicated internal glass cockpit, Palmdale is "a logical choice," Buis said Friday. Two

federal studies found that it is cheaper to do the work in Florida because of lower wages and

transportation costs. That may be true, but KSC is too busy with launches to handle shuttle

renovation, NASA officials have said. Only two launches are scheduled between now and

Oct. 1, an unusually slow launch rate. However, nine launches - an all-time high - are

scheduled for the following 12 months. Somehow work should still be done at KSC, where

it is cheaper and people are losing their jobs, said Ed Ellegood, operations director of the

Spaceport Florida Authority, a state-funded agency that tries to attract space business.

["California plant gets shuttle work again," The Orlando Sentinel, January 24, 1998, p A4.]

JANUARY23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, January 23, 1998. STS-89: Space

Shuttle Endeavour and its seven member flight crew launched on time yesterday from

KSC's Launch Pad 39A at 9:48:15 p.m. After confirming that the firing room consoles were

18
in synchwith the orbiter'sgeneralpurposecomputers(GPC)duringabuilt-in20-minute

hold, launchmanagersworkednosignificantproblemsthroughtheremainderof the

countdown.Weatherforecastsimprovedthroughouttheclayasthethick cloudsassociated

with a coldfront andlow pressuresystemin theGulf of Mexicomovednorth of KSC. The

solidrocketboosterrecoveryshipsarekeepingstationwith theSTS-89boosters,but have

not begundivingandretrievaloperationsdueto unfavorableweatherconditions.

Preliminaryinspectionsof the launchpadindicatenomajordamage.OrbitingEarthevery

90minutesand closingin on theRussianMir spacestationfor Saturday'splanneddocking,

Endeavourremainsin goodshape.NASA flight controllerswill put oneof the orbiter

GPCsbackin useafteranunintendedshutdownearlythismorning. No flightimpactis

expected. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, January 23].]

• The space shuttle Endeavour rocketed up the East Coast and into orbit tonight on a

mission to deliver critical supplies, repair equipment and a final U.S. crew member to the

Russian space station Mir. With Mercury astronaut and future shuttle flier John Glenn

looking on from a VIP viewing site, Endeavour's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited with a

splash of light at 9:48 p.m., kicking off a complex orbital ballet to chase down the aging

Russian outpost. To catch up with Mir, which flies in an orbit that requires virtually all the

shuttle's fuel and power to reach, Endeavour had to take offwithin about 10 minutes of the

time Earth's rotation carried the Kennedy Space Center - and the shuttle - in to the plane of

the station's orbit. By launching directly into that orbit, Endeavour should be able to catch

up with Mir on Saturday for a docking at 3:12 p.m. The main objectives of Endeavoutas

mission are to pick up astronaut David Wolf after a four-month stay aboard Mir; to drop

off his replacement, astronaut Andrew Thomas, for a final U.S. visit; and to deliver 4,400

pounds of equipment, supplies and fresh water. In addition, Endeavour will carry nearly

3,000 pounds of experiment samples and discarded equipment back to Earth. Joining

Thomas for Endeavour's mission are the commander, Terrence Wilcutt; the pilot, Joseph

Edwards; Bonnie Dunbar; Michael Anderson; James Reilly; and Russian Air Force Lt. Col.

Salizhan Sharipov. Thomas is making his second flight, Wilcutt his third and Dunbar her

fifth. The rest are rookies. NASA plans one final flight to Mir in late May to pick up

Thomas and deliver additional supplies. [William Harwood. (1998). The Washington Post

[Online]. Available WWW: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/mir/

mir.htxn [1998, January 23].]

A Florida task force seeking to make Brevard County home for the vehicle that will

succeed the space shuttle met for the first time Thursday with Lockheed Martin officials in

California. The aerospace giant's proposed VentureStar Reusable Launch Vehicle is the

subject of a fierce bidding war between several states and foreign nations vying to be its

launch site. Many space analysts expect the VentureStar to dominate the 2U century launch

industry by offering quick, cheap access to space. During a meeting in Palmdale, Calif., state

business leaders attended a launch site requirements briefing hosted by Lockheed Martin's

Skunk Works division. Dubbed the Horida VentureStar Capture Team, the state's task

force includes Spaceport Florida Executive Director Ed O'Connor and Lynda Weahterman,

president of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast. O'Connor

said the meeting showed him that VentureStar could operate perfectly from Cape

Canaveral. "If there was any surprise, it was how compatible it is to what we do," he said.

19
"It's veryconsistento wheretheCapeis headingoand a good fit to NASA operations" at

Kennedy Space Center. Company officials will visit Cape Canaveral launch facilities in

about two months to weigh what the area has to offer, O'Connor said. VentureStar launch

site bids also are expected from California, New Mexico, Virginia and several foreign

countries. [''Task force meets with Lockheed," Florida Today, January 23, 1998, p 6A.]

A top NASA official has ordered all project aimed at sending humans to Mars or back

to the moon ended because there is no money to pay for the expensive missions. "I am

directing the centers, effective immediately, to issue termination notices for all (programs)

associated with beyond-Earth-orbit activities such as human lunar or Mars exploration,"

wrote Richard Wisniewski, acting associate administrator for spaceflight, in a letter dated

Jan. 9. NASA spokesman Michael Braukus confirmed NASA's action Friday, but said it

would be unfair to portray the agency as disinterested in a mission to the moon or Mars.

"There is a budget funding problem," Braukus said. "Mr. Wisniewski is making a business

decision." Word that NASA is turning its back on sending astronauts deeper into space

contradicts momentum that seemed to be building for a long-range Mars mission. Despite

the growing interest, Congress and the Clinton administration declined to endorse a Mars

mission, which could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. NASA plans to spend about $25

million on six "advanced projects" during the current budget year, according to a list

supplied by Braukus. ["NASA axing projects to send astronauts to moon, Mars," Florida

T_oA_, January 24, 1998, p 5A.]

# Boeing officials are investigating an engine problem during the successful launch of one

of their Delta rockets this month, which could delay two upcoming flights. The problem

did not affect the Jan. 9 launch, which placed a $150 million British military

communications satellite into orbit. However, officials say they won't fly the rocket again

until the problem is understood. With the investigation under way, the company is

continuing preparations for two upcoming missions - a Jan. 31 liftoff from Vandenberg Air

Force Base in California and a Feb. 5 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Both

missions are commercial flights of communications satellites. The last Delta took off from

Cape Canaveral and experienced two unexplained jolts during firings of its second stage.

The first occurred during the third fating of the rocket's second stage, Nelson said. A short

time later, the same stage separated from the spacecraft and inexplicably was jolted again.

The second jolt caused the expended stage to tumble. If the shock had caused such a

tumble while the spacecraft was attached, the $150 million satellite would have been lost.

Nelson said officials are examining the problem closely. ["Boeing investigates engine

problem on Delta rocket," Florida Todi_y, January 24, 1998, p 5A.]

JANUARY26: An Air Force Atlas 2A rocket is poised to launch on a hush-hush military

mission about lunch time today. The Lockheed Martin-built rocket is scheduled to lift off

from Cape Canaveral Air Station between 12:15 and 2:15 p.m. The exact launch time is

classified. Weather forecasters expect favorable conditions. Although the rocket's cargo is

a Pentagon secret, military analysts say the Atlas probably is carrying a $250 million

prototype for a new generation of data relay satellites. The Atlas rocket is expected to head

up the Eastern seaboard to place the spacecraft into an orbit that covers two-thirds of the

globe. A liquid-fueled Centaur booster then will deliver the satellite into an egg-shaped

orbit that will swing the spacecraft between 200 and 24,000 miles above Earth. [*'Secret

satellite set for launch today at Cape," Florida Today, January 26, 1998, p 2A.]

20
• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, January 26, 1998. STS-89: Following a successful

docking with the Mir space station on Saturday at 3:14 p.m., Endeavour is in the second day

of joint docked operations. Working no major orbiter issues, the STS-89 flight crew is busy

transferring hardware and supplies to and from Mir. Solid rocket booster recovery ship

Liberty Star arrived at hangar AF with the right hand booster in tow at 8:30 a.m. today.

Recovery ship Freedom arrived at Port Canaveral at about 11 a.m. today, towing the left

hand booster. Workers are preparing to properly orient the left hand booster to finish the

trip to hangar AF. Inspections of both boosters are planned for later this week. STS-90:

Discovery's drag chute installation is complete and body flap corrosion repair work

continued through the weekend. Installation of a power drive unit for the orbiter's fight

hand external tank umbilical door and modifications to the umbilical wiring continue.

Tomorrow, the robot arm will be installed in Discovery's payload bay and fuel cell voltage

testing begins on Friday. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, January 26].]

• American astronaut Andy Thomas couldn't get a good tailor in Russia for his crucial

space pressure suit, but he found one on board the space station Mir on Monday. So

concern about whether Thomas could stay on Mir, which surfaced Sunday when he didn't

fit in his suit, evaporated. Mir commander Anatoly Solovyev loosened some sewn-in-place

leg straps on Thomas' suit, feting an overzealous alteration made in Russia in November.

After the alteration, Thomas was able to slide into the white pressure suit, which is needed

if he has to abandon the station in a Soyuz capsule. The suit was loosened about an inch,

and straps may be covered with duct tape to keep them in space, officials said. Meanwhile,

a handful of minor problems annoyed - and awoke - Endeavour's crew. A computer

software glitch caused one of the shuttle's positioning jets to shut off late Sunday. Control

of the shuttle-Mir complex was shifted to the Russian station. But Mir started running low

on thruster fuel, so Mission Control had to awaken Endeavour's astronauts at 2:15 am.

Monday to tell them to take control. NASA is installing new software to fLXthe problem.

["Impromptu tailoring makes Mir astronaut's spacesuit fit," The Orlando Sentinel, January

27, 1998, p A-3.]

• Launch pad processing for the Delta III, scheduled for first launch in June, will be

faster than Delta II in one respect, according to a Boeing official at Cape Canaveral AFS.

On Delta II, he says, the fairing is placed around the payload after it is mated to the rocket.

On Delta III, the fairing will go on the payload before mating. Delta Ill will be able to lift

8,000 pounds to geosynchronous transfer orbit, twice as much as Delta II. ["What's Ahead:

Delta III payloads wilt be encapsulated when they reach the pad," Aerospace Daily,

January 26, 1998, p 3.]

JANUARY27: The Air Force will try again today to launch an Atlas 2A rocket carrying a

secret military satellite, though there is only a 20 percent chance of good weather. Poor

weather caused officials to scrub Monday's liftoff attempt. The launch window runs from

12:15 to 2:15 p.m. ["Launch will be attempted again," Florida Today, January 27, 1998, p

1A.]

21
• SpaceShuttleStatusReport,Tuesday,January27,1998.STS-89:Thesolidrocket

boosterrecoveryshipsdeliveredthe left andrighthandboostersto HangarAF for postflight inspections yesterday. Open assessments are scheduled to begin today. Initial reports

revealed some water impact damage to the right hand booster including damage to the

forward skirt and forward segment. Also, damage was reported to the left hand exit cone. In

addition, two main parachutes (one from each booster) and a diver operated plug were lost

at sea during recovery operations over the weekend. More detailed inspections of both

boosters are planned to continue throughout the week. STS-90: Work to remove residual

reactants from Columbia's orbital maneuvering system continue. A leak may exist on one of

the manifolds and workers today will attempt to isolate that system to complete the inerting

process. As a result, installation of the main engines and installation of Neurolab into the

orbiter has been delayed several days. Servicing of the ammonia boilers is complete to date

and mid-body close-outs continue. STS-91: Installation of the orbiter's robotic arm and

fuel cell modification checks are currently in work today. Air lock checks and body flap

inspections are also on going. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, January 27].]

• Shuttle Endeavour's astronauts will wrap up their delivery work at MArtoday while a

Russian-French crew on Earth makes final preparations for a launch to the outpost. With

the U.S. shuttle and Mir linked up 248 miles above Earth, the Endeavour crew is to finish

hauling 7,400 pounds of gear between the two ships. Homeward-bound NASA astronaut

David Wolf, meanwhile, will give replacement Andy Thomas a few final bits of advice

before Endeavour's departure from Mir at 11:52 a.m. Thursday. Endeavour is to land at

Kennedy Space Center at 5:36 p.m. Saturday. NASA officials at that time will continue

inspections on the two $20 million booster rockets that helped propel the shuttle into

space. At least $7.2 million in damage was done to the boosters when they splashed down

in 10-foot seas after a Jan. 22 launch. Two parachutes were lost and part of one of the

segmented boosters was damaged beyond repair. ["Endeavour astronauts to wrap up Mir

work today," Florida Today, January 28, 1998, p 6A.]

v

• John Glenn and the International Space Station received special mention in President

Clinton's State of the Union speech. Also, the man who will sit in the commander's seat

when NASA begins a new age of space exploration sat next to first lady Hillary Rodham

Clinton during the speech. Astronaut Robert D. Cabana, 49, will lead a one-woman, threeman team aboard shuttle Endeavour in July on the first mission to start constructing the

international space station. Hugh Harris, NASA spokesman, said Cabana's presence at the

speech and the president's mention of the international space station are significant. "It

shows the interest that the White House has in continuing our advancement in space

technology and also in international cooperation," Harris said. "I think the space program

has done as much or more than any other program to promote really positive international

programs and improve relations." ["Astronaut attends speech," Florida Today, January 28,

1998, p 1A.]

JANUARY28: NASA's Space Shuttle managers have reviewed the process that space

flight operations contractor United Space Alliance (USA) will use to lower operating costs

and have determined that safety will not be compromised. NASA's Safety and Mission

Assurance Risk Assessment team concurs with the process USA used to determine

22
reductions in their work force. NASA asked USA to ensure that the flight rate for 1999 and

beyond can be safely supported after the efficiencies are carried out. Both NASA and USA

understood that work force reductions would be part of the space flight operations contract

to reduce costs. The space flight operations contract was awarded to USA at the beginning

of the 1996 fiscal year. [NASA News Release #98-16, January 28, 1998.]

# Taps sounded and a crowd of 200 people bowed their heads Wednesday as Space Coast

residents paid tribute to the astronauts killed in the space shuttle Challenger disaster and

Apollo 1 fire. "It is important we do this in Titusville, because all you have to do is turn

your head a little and you can see where every manned space flight began," said former

astronaut Loren Shriver, who is the deputy director for launch and payload processing at

Kennedy Space Center. It was the 12 _ annual gathering at Astronaut Memorial Plaza in

Sand Point Park. On January 27, 1967, at 1831 EST, fire broke out in the command

module during a pre-launch test on Launch Complex 34. The crew was on board and the

spacecraft's 100% oxygen atmosphere pressurized to 16.7 psia. The fire resulted in the

deaths of astronauts Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom; Edward H. White, II; and Roger B. Chaffee.

On January 28, 1986, at 11:38:00 EST, an explosion 73 seconds after liftoff claimed crew

and vehicle. The crew of STS-51L included Commander Francis R. Scobee; Pilot Michael J.

Smith; Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair; Teach in

Space Project representative Sharon Chrism McAuliffe; and Payload Specialist Gregory B.

Jarvis. ["Apollo 1, Challenger astronauts remembered," Florida Today, January 29, 1998, p

lB. A Summary of Major NASA Launches, July 1980, p V-17. Space Shuttle Mission

Chronology 1981-1995, March 1996, p 9.]

With NASA giving its official blessing Wednesday, the private company that runs the

space shuttle program will start sending out about 400 layoff notices Friday to workers at

Kennedy Space Center. The layoffs at K_SC will be less than the anticipated 500 because

more people than expected voluntarily left United Space Alliance, which runs the shuttle

program, said company spokesman Jeff Cart. Overall, the number of alliance employees at

ICSC will drop from about 5,900 to roughly 5,300. The number of pink slips going out still

is vague because there are two more days for people to leave voluntarily with the same

severance package as those who are laid off, Carr said. By Wednesday, 170 workers had

taken advantage of the severance benefits, with a few dozen other retiring or quitting

without the package. The layoffs will be effective Feb. 13.

The long-anticipated layoffs had to wait until a NASA safety review approved the cuts. The

report said the layoffs would not "compromise safety." Only three launches are scheduled

between now and Sept. 30, the end of the budget year, the report concluded. However,

NASA safety chief Fred Gregory and an independent safety panel expressed doubt over

whether that same margin of safety will exist once the number of launches increases. The

space alliance is scheduled to launch seven shuttles next year. There was "little apparent

evidence" this could be done, said a letter by the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, an

independent group created by Congress after the 1967 fatal Apollo 1 fire. Cart said his

company, which is laying off people based on how they perform instead of on seniority, has

several months to fine tune efficiencies and show how this can be done. The independent

safety panel raised questions about what the cutbacks would do to an already discouraged

KSC work force. ["Shuttle workers soon will receive pink slips," The Orlando Sentinel,

January 29, 1998, p A-4.]

23
# SpaceShuttleStatusReport,Wednesday, January28,1998.STS-89:Endeavour's

systemscontinuedto performverywellasall transferactivitieswerecompletedand

undockingpreparationsbeganthismorning. Theorbiterundockedfrom Mir ontime at

11:56a.m.today.At HangarA.F, solid rocket booster disassembly is in work and aft skirt

removal is planned for today. Forecasters expect generally favorable weather conditions

for Saturday's planned Shuttle landing at KSC. Early predictions indicate scattered clouds at

2,000 feet and broken at 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds from the northeast at 5-6

mph; temperature 67 degrees and relative humidity 54 percent. Touchdown of Shuttle

Endeavour is targeted to occur on the first of two landing opportunities at about 5:35 p.m.

STS-90: Technicians began work to replace 3 thrusters last night on Columbia's orbiter

maneuvering system and will continue efforts through midnight tonight. Leak checks of the

OMS begin tomorrow. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of the water spray boiler is complete.

Replacement of the No. 3 payload bay floodlight and installation of a Spacelab fluid line are

complete. STS-91: Pressure checks of Discovery's flash evaporator system (FES), loop No.

1 and fuel cell functional checks are complete. Tests of FES loop No. 2 are in work today.

Preparations for tomorrow's fuel cell voltage tests are in progress. Work on the orbiter's

airlock, body flap and super lightweight tank instrumentation modification continue. [Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mall: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 29].]

JANUARY29: The shuttle Endeavour streaked homeward Thursday, parting ways with

space station Mir after a four-day stay to deliver tons of supplies and U.S. astronaut Andy

Thomas to the Russian vessel. Endeavour began separating from Mir shortly before noon,

slowly firing its steering jets and hovering about 240 feet from the space station until hitting

the thrusters and making a final inspection orbit. The shuttle is scheduled to return to

Kennedy Space Center at 5:36 p.m. Saturday. Forecasters say weather conditions will be

excellent for the landing. Thomas, the last American scheduled to live aboard Mir, replaced

astronaut Dave Wolf, who has been there since September. A research scientist and

mechanical engineer, Thomas will conduct microgravity experiments. Thomas' arrival on

Mir was marked by a brief foul-up over his spacesuit, which was too tight, and criticism by

cosmonauts of his limited ability to speak Russian. Despite Russian requests for more U.S.

missions to Mir, NASA has no plans to return after picking up Thomas in May, NASA

spokesman Bruce Buckingham said. NASA's next major focus: the international space

station. The first shuttle launch related to the $29 billion Russian-American project is

scheduled for June. ["Endeavour heads back home," The Orlando Sentinel, January 30,

1998, p A-6.]

• The Boeing Co. expects to scoop up some of the United Space Alliance workers getting

laid off at Kennedy Space Center during a job fair next month, company officials said

Thursday. About 400 alliance workers are expected to lose their jobs starting Friday, but

Boeing officials said they have 150 immediate job openings at KSC and NASA's Johnson

Space Center in Houston. Available positions run the gamut from administrative support to

engineering. At least 100 of those positions - involving work on the Ddta launch vehicle

program - will be at KSC, Boeing spokeswoman Ann Beach said. Beginning Monday, laidoff workers will have access to counseling, job search and resume preparation services, as

well as job skills seminars. The center will remain open for about two months. ["Laid-off

KSC workers given options," Florida Todqay, January 30, 1998, p 8A.]

24
• A militarysatellitethatwill likelyserve as an orbiting switchboard is circling Earth today

after a smooth launch Thursday aboard an Atlas rocket. Following three straight days of

scrubs, the Atlas left its Cape Canaveral Air Station launch pad at 1:37 p.m. with a classified

spacecraft for the Pentagon's National Reconnaissance Office. An hour and 15 minutes

later, Air Force officials said the Lockheed Martin rocket had separated from its passenger,

according to plan, successfully placing the spacecraft in orbit. The spacecraft is to circle

Earth in a highly egg-shaped orbit that takes it 24,000 miles above the northern latitudes

then dips it just 200 miles over Antarctica. From this path, it can see two-thirds of the

globe. ["Atlas launches on fourth try," Florida Today, January 30, 1998, p 8A.]

• NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has reversed a controversial order to cancel

most agency research programs aimed at supporting future astronaut mission to the Moon

and Mars early in the 21 st century. Goldin's reversal voids much of a memo to NASA field

centers on Jan. 9 ordering the termination of activities "uniquely directed toward human

exploration beyond low-Earth orbit" by Jan. 30. The memo from Deputy Associate

Administrator for Space Flight Richard J. Wisniewski said the terminations, which involved

about $10 million worth of activities, were being ordered "to continue to the resolution of

funding shortfalls within the agency." Cost overruns on the International Space Station

program have left NASA scrambling to find savings in its Fiscal 1998 budget, which runs

through Sept. 30. The termination order prompted an outcry both inside NASA and in

public when it was leaked. NASA officials, acting on the direct orders of Acting Deputy

Administrator John R. Dailey, initially refused any comment last week on the termination

plans. It was unclear whether Goldin himself had approved the Jan. 9 memo. Goldin's

chief spokeswoman confirmed the reversal on Jan. 29 after Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.)

revealed that the NASA chief had assured him planning for manned missions to Mars and

the Moon would not be curtailed. She said NASA officials planned to detail the decision

this week (Feb 2-6, 1998). ["Goldin reverses cuts to manned moon/Mars plan," Aviation

Week & Space Technology, February 2, 1998, p 24.]

JANUARY30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, January 30, 1998. STS-89: Endeavour

continues to perform very well as the STS-89 flight crew secure the items transferred from

Mir and make final preparations for tomorrow's Shuttle landing in Florida. Saturday,

mission managers will make a go/no go decision for deorbit burn at about 4:10 p.m., with

the bum taking place at 4:28 p.m. Touch down at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility is

scheduled for 5:35 p.m. A second landing opportunity at KSC is available at 7:11 p.m. and

with favorable weather conditions predicted through the weekend, Edwards Air Force Base

is not being called to support tomorrow's landing operations. At Hangar AF, solid rocket

booster disassembly and nozzle removal are in work and nozzle shipment to Utah is slated

for Monday. Booster segment disassembly will proceed through next week. Forecasters

expect favorable weather conditions for Saturday's planned Shuttle landing at KSC. Early

predictions indicate few clouds at 2,000 feet and at 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds

from the north at 8-14 mph; temperature 65 degrees and relative humidity 48 percent. STS90: Following the replacement of three thrusters on Columbia's orbiter maneuvering system

yesterday, thruster leak checks are in work today. Preparations to replace a relief valve on

auxiliary power unit No. 2 are under way and Spacelab water line leak checks are in work.

STS-91: Pressure and leak checks on Discovery's flash evaporator system are complete.

Preparations for today's fuel cell voltage tests are also complete. Work on the orbiter's

25
airlock,bodyflapandsuperlightweightankinstrumentationmodificationcontinue.[Bruce

Buckingham.(1998).KennedySpaceCenterSpaceShuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 30].]

# Gov. Lawton Chiles and the state's leading business barons called Friday on the

Legislature to back a $2 million effort to lure the next generation rocket ship to Brevard

County. "This is survival," Chiles said after listening to a brief presentation at the second

annual Florida Economic Summit at a posh Tallahassee hotel. At stake is Florida's grip on

the space industry as NASA prepares to turn the reins of the space transportation system

over to private industry, supporters warned. The rocket ship, called VentureStar, would be

able to launch and land anywhere when it becomes operational by 2003 threatening to make

the facilities at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral obsolete in the 21 st century. The

ship, which will launch vertically and land like the space shuttle, is expected to spur a $40

billion space industry by radically reducing the cost of transporting satellites and other

payloads into orbit. Where companies now pay $10,000 a pound to send their products in

space, VentureStar promises to cut the cost to $1,000 per pound. Chiles and U.S. Rep.

Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, agreed to head a special team to tout the benefits of launching

from Florida and to convince VentureStar builder Lockheed-Martin that Brevard County is

the cheapest alternative. The biggest hitch, however, is finding the $2 million, which would

pay for such things as a media barrage, economic studies and environmental impact

statements. Lockheed-Martin released the details of its proposal last week, and the

governor's $45.1 billion budget proposal does not include money for the recruitment drive.

["Officials back spending plan to bring VentureStar to Brevard," Florida Today, January

31, 1998, p 2A.]

JANUARY31: Forty years ago, a team of scientists and engineers successfully launched

Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite to orbit the Earth. This historic accomplishment marked

the nation's debut in the Cold War-era space race and set the stage for the establishment of

the civilian space agency that would become NASA. JPL and the Army Ballistic Missile

Agency, based in Huntsville, AL, joined in firing the satellite toward space from the missile

test center at Cape Canaveral, FL, on January 31, 1958. [NASA News Release #98-15,

January 28, 1998.]

• Payload Processing Status Report, Saturday, January 31, 1998. NEUROLAB (STS-90):

Target Launch Date: April 2, 1998 at 1:19 p.m. Current Location: Operations and Checkout Building (high bay); Launch Pad: 39B; Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Columbia.

Operations currently in work: * Neurolab close-outs. Scheduled milestones (dates are

target only): * Install Neurolab in payload canister ( Feb. 4); * Transfer Neurolab to OPF

(Feb. 9); * Install into payload bay of Columbia (Feb. 9); * Interface Verification Test (Feb.

11 - 12). 9_ MIR docking - Spacehab single module (STS-91): Target Launch Date: May 28,

1998 at 8:05 p.m. Current Location: Launch Pad 39A; Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle

Discovery. Operations in work: * Outfitting Spacehab single module with logistics racks).

International Space Station - Node 1/PMA-1/PMA-2 (STS-88): Target Launch Date: July

9, 1998. Current Location: Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF); Launch Vehicle: Space

Shuttle Endeavour; Launch Pad: 39B. Operations currently in work: * Node 1 power

qualification testing; * Reinstallation and testing of PMA-2 oxygen line. Scheduled

milestones (dates are target only): * Combined Functional Test (2/8 - 2/13); * Softmate

PMA-2 with Node 1 (2/13); * Begin cargo element test (2/13); * 3-A PMA-3 arrival (2/6

26
tentative); * First truss arrival (2/17); * End-to End Test (2/28); * Node lleak test (3/18 -

21); * Long Spacer arrival 3/27); * Node 1/PMA 1-2 Weight/Center of Gravity

Determination (5/18). [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Payload

Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 31].]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Saturday, January 31, 1998. STS-89: Space Shuttle

Endeavour landed today on KSC's runway 15 at 5:35 p.m., successfully ending 9 days of Mir

transfer and on-orbit science activities. With excellent weather conditions at KSC, flight

controllers decided to bring the seven-member flight crew home on the first of two landing

opportunities. Today's landing marked the 42nd KSC landing in Shuttle history and the

13th consecutive landing in Florida. The orbiter landed on orbit 139 having traveled 3.6

million statute miles. The STS-89 crew will spend the night at KSC and depart for Houston

tomorrow. Endeavour is scheduled to be towed to OPF bay 3 after midnight tonight,

following routine sating and SPACEHAB destow activities. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, January 31].]

• A former Kennedy Space Center worker has agreed to plead guilty to hacking into

computers at several Orlando businesses, according to court records. The employee is

charged with unlawfully accessing a computer at the University of Central Florida's Institute

for Simulation and Training. The charge is a felony. The employee worked for Lockheed

Martin, a NASA subcontractor. Attorney, Mark Blechman, said the Orlando man had no

malicious or criminal intent when he broke into the companies' computers. Blechman said

the employee was studying NASA's computer security when he tried to test the security of

several former employers. Blechman said the investigation began after NASA computer

security officials found several large data tiles stored in the employee's working folder.

["Ex-KSC worker pleads guilty to breaking into computers," Florida Today, January 31,

1998, p 3A.]

DURING JANUARY: NASA has exercised two more options from its Medium

Expendable Launch Vehicle Services (MELVS) contract with Boeing. The National

Aeronautics and Space Administration's options include the launch of three satellites aboard

two Boeing Delta II rockets. The first launch, scheduled for the first quarter of 2000, will

carry the Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) satellite. The second option, for the second quarter of

2000, includes two, dual-manifested satellites. Boeing will launch the satellites using a new,

dual-payl0ad-attach fitting designed for Delta II by Matra Marconi Space. The two

spacecraft are JASON and the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Energetics and

Dynamics (TIMED) satellites. ["NASA exercises two options for Boeing Launch Services,"

The Brevard Technical Journal, January 1998, p 21.]

• The number of launches at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center (KS(2)

continues to climb back toward the busy levels characteristic of the mid-1960s, when 40-50

missions a year were launched. During the coming year up to 35 missions, using nearly $7

billion worth of boosters and payloads, are scheduled for launch from the Cape and KSC.

They include 12 Delta missions, nine Atlas missions, four Titan 4s, two Athenas and one

Pegasus from the Cape plus seven space shuttle flights from KSC. Twenty of the flights are

commercial and seven are military missions, with the remainder being largely scientific. The

27
1998 schedule represents an increase of more than 30% over the 24 launches flown from

the Cape and KSC in 1997. ["Back to the future," Aviation Week & Space Technolouy,

January 26, 1998, p 19.]

28
FEBRUARY

FEBRUARYI: Thinner and pale after four months on Mir, astronaut David Wolf found

himself in a topsy-turvy world Sunday: He wobbled and his body felt at times as though it

was spinning. That didn't stop him, however, from savoring Earth and all its pleasures. He

gobbled down pizza and cookies and stayed up until 4 a.m. his first night back. He was up

three hours later, joking about his new svelte self. Wolf, a 41-year-old doctor, returned to

Earth on Saturday night aboard space shuttle Endeavour. He walked off the ship, a little

shaky after 128 days of floating in weightlessness. Wolf lost 20 pounds aboard Mir. Wolf,

who was the sixth and next-to-last American to live on Mir, skipped a beach party thrown

by his family in his honor Saturday night, so as not to interrupt his medical tests.

["Slimmer, trimmer astronaut wolfs down pizza, cookies," Florida Today, February 2,

1998, p 2A.]

FEBRUARY2: The Clinton Administration's Fiscal 1999 budget proposal calls for NASA

to start setting aside money to help pay for a next-generation reusable launcher and begin

building a new spacecraft to study Jupiter's moon Europa, but the space agency should

expect tight budgets to continue for the foreseeable future. While NASA has contributed

mightily to the reduction of the federal deficit, absorbing a budget cut of more than 20% in

the last five years, the agency found little thanks when President Clinton unveiled the first

balanced U. S. budget in 30 years. Clinton's budget, which must be approved by Congress,

calls for NASA to receive $13.465 billion in Fiscal '99, a slight drop from this year's funding

and the sixth consecutive decline proposed by the President. The White House also

envisions a relatively flat NASA budget over the following three years, forcing the agency to

continue to find savings from within to fund new space initiatives. By contrast, other U.S.

science and technology accounts benefited handsomely from the anticipated federal budget

surplus. Administrator Daniel S. Goldin shrugged off the disparities, saying NASA's efforts

to operate more efficiently allowed the agency to fully fund all key areas of its strategic plan

within the flat budget. "I am proud that NASA doesn't have to ask for more funds," he

said, adding, "Our turn will come." But that turn may not come soon. With the White

House budget forecasting a flat NASA budget through Fiscal 2002, Goldin made it clear

that construction of the International Space Station will have to be completed before

money is freed up for grand new endeavors, such as human mission to Mars. There was

dismay that the space agency was a low priority for the White House. "The President seems

to be throwing money everywhere but NASA," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.),

chairman of the House space subcommittee. ["Clinton Budget Overlooks NASA,"

Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 9, 1998, p 34 & 71.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, February 2, 1998. STS-90: Replacement of a relief valve on

Columbia's auxiliary power unit No. 2 and water spray boiler checkout are complete. Leak

checks on the Spacelab water line are also complete and work on payload bay flood light

No. 3 continues. Tunnel adapter flow rate leak testing and airlock ducting reconfiguration

are in work. STS-91: Voltage tests on Discovery's fuel cells were completed Friday.

Installation of the power drive unit for the orbiter's right extemal tank umbilical door is

under way. Work on the orbiter's airlock, body flap and super lightweight tank

instrumentation modification continue. The new Super Lightweight External Tank is

scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral today and await transport to KSC's turn basin. With

bad weather expected today and tomorrow, delivery of the tank to KSC's Vehicle Assembly

29
Building is expected no earlier than Wednesday. STS-88: Following Endeavour's on-time

landing at KSC on Saturday evening, the orbiter was towed to Orbiter Processing Facility

bay 1 early yesterday morning. SPACEHAB destow activities were complete at 2 a.m.

Sunday and Endeavour arrived at the OPF door at 3:34 a.m. Draining of cryogenic reactants

from the power reactant storage and distribution system is in work. Strong back installation

is in work today to support payload bay door opening tomorrow and payload removal

begins Thursday. Post landing inspection of Endeavour's lower surface revealed 95 total

hits, of which 38 measured one-inch or greater. The fleet average is 83 total hits with 13

greater than one-inch. STS-89 booster disassembly continues with the left hand nozzle

removed last Friday and right hand nozzle removal planned for today. [Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa_gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 2].]

@ Work on the planned space station may grind to a halt this summer unless Congress

reverses recent orders blocking the transfer of money into the cash-strapped program,

NASA officials warned Monday. The threat - issued by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin -

came as the White House unveiled a 1999 budget plan that would slightly shrink NASA's

budget as other federal science agencies grow by leaps and bounds. Goldin effectively put a

gun to Congress' head on the issue of space station cash transfers - which has grown into

one of the touchiest subjects for the space agency on Capitol Hill. With the launch of the

first piece of the international orbiting laboratory looming in June, the threat of a work

slowdown or stoppage amounts to a game of fiscal chicken with lawmakers. Late last

summer, Congress shot down NASA's request to shift $200 million into the station from

the agency's science, aeronautics and overhead accounts. The money was needed to keep

the program on track in the face of Russian work delays and U.S. cost overruns, NASA said.

Earlier in the year, the agency had siphoned money from the shuttle program for the same

purposes. But Congress refused to allow another transfer. Get the station program under

control, lawmakers ordered NASA, but do so without raiding other parts of your budget. It

was unclear how NASA's latest warning will play on Capitol Hill, as many lawmakers had

not yet returned to Washington for the week. ["NASA in showdown about space station,"

The Orlando Senlinek February 3, 1998, p A-4.]

• Canaveral National Seashore's nude sunbathing controversy managed to make it into

President Clinton's 1999 budget proposal Monday. Buried in the sea of charts and

mountains of federal agency requests is a single paragraph that, by now, is familiar to those

in Brevard County who have been following the issue. The paragraph reads: "None of the

funds made available in this or any other Act for any fiscal year may be used to designate, or

to post any sign designating, any portion of Canaveral National Seashore in Brevard County,

Florida, as a clothing-optional area or as an area in which public nudity is permitted, if such

designation would be contrary to county ordinance." The language is the result of Rep.

Dave Weldon's successful efforts last year to get such a sign-blocking provision inserted

into an annual appropriations bill. The Palm Bay Republican supported the sign prohibition

because he things it will clear the way for the county to enforce its anti-nude sunbathing

ordinance. [''Sunbathing controversy in proposal," Florida T_d_y, February 3, 1998, p

2A.]

3O
• Dr. Ghassem Asrar has been selected as the new NASA Associate Administrator for

Earth Science, Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced today. [NASA News Release

#98-19, February 2, 1998.]

FEBRUARY3: NASA's prime shuttle contractor today will launch a bid to acquire the

company that overhauls parts of the booster rockets used to help propel the agency's

spaceships into orbit, officials said Monday. United Space Alliance will open talks with

USBI, the company that refurbishes non-motor segments of NASA's shuttle solid rocket

boosters. "We're entering into formal discussions to further explore that possibility," said

alliance spokesman Jeff Carr. A joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the alliance

was hired by NASA in October 1996 to gradually take over day-to-day shuttle fleet

operations from the nation's space agency. The effort involves consolidating most NASA

shuttle program contracts into a single pact that is expected to save the agency about $400

million over a six-year period. The consolidation plan now calls for USBI, which is a

division of United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt 7 Whitney Propulsion Operations unit, to be

come a subcontractor to the alliance in July. Work done by the company, which employs

about 1,100 people at Kennedy Space Center, then would be absorbed by the alliance when

USBI's current NASA contract expires Sept. 30, 1999. NASA in 1996 extended USBI's

$500 million shuttle booster refurbishment contract, which calls for the company to

refurbish non-motor parts of the boosters, such as their nosecones and parachutes. In

signing the extension, the company agreed to close facilities in Alabama and Louisiana and

consolidate operations at KSC. About 175 jobs were transferred to KSC as a result.

["Alliance discusses takeover of USBI," Florida Today, February 3, 1998, p 9C & 10C.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, February 3, 1998. STS-90: Polishing of

Columbia's windows concluded yesterday and work on payload bay flood fight No. 3 is

complete. Airlock ducting reconfiguration is also complete. Tunnel adapter flow rate leak

testing is in work today and preparations are under way for main engine installation

beginning tomorrow. Columbia's payload premate test begins today and Neurolab will be

installed in the payload canister Feb. 4. The canister is currently scheduled to arrive at OPF

3 early Feb. 9 from the Operations and Checkout Building. STS-91: Installation of the

power drive unit for the orbiter's right external tank umbilical door continues. Work on

Discovery's airlock, body flap and super lightweight tank instrumentation modification

continue. Preparations are in work for auxiliary power unit installation slated for this week.

The new super lightweight external tank, to be used on STS-91, arrived at Port Canaveral

yesterday and remains docked while severe weather passes through central Florida. With

high winds prohibiting tugboat operations today, managers expect the tank to arrive at

KSC's turn basin no earlier than tomorrow, weather permitting. STS-88: Draining of

cryogenic reactants from the power reactant storage and distribution system and aft

compartment structural leak checks are complete. Technicians continue to gain access to

orbiter systems and postflight inspections are under way. Flight crew equipment destow is

in work. Strong back installation continues in support of payload bay door opening and

SPACEHAB removal later this week. STS-89 booster disassembly continues with segment

demate preparations in work. The booster nozzles have been removed and are en route to

Utah. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-maih domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

February 3].]

31
When 170 employees of the private company that runs the space shuttle program

volunteered to be laid off for no extra benefits, the state was so surprised that it wouldn't

give unemployment checks to some of them. Yet those ex-workers volunteered to be laid

off because their company told them they get the normal unemployment benefits, and it

would save their colleagues' jobs. Now those workers will get their money, but just who is

going to pay them hasn't been finalized, officials said Tuesday. It could end up costing

United Space Alliance, which runs the shuttle program for NASA, an extra $1.2 million to

honor its promise to those workers. The promise was that these workers would get the

same unemployment benefits as those who are getting pink slips on Friday. The alliance is

laying off an additional 400 workers who didn't volunteer. The workers who volunteered

for layoffs will get their checks from the space alliance, not the state, firm spokesman Jack

King said Tuesday. But the state today will reconsider its decision to deny benefits to the

voluntarily laid offworkers and may pay them, said Dianne Parcell, an operations

management consultant for the state Department of Labor and Employment Security.

Normally, workers are given extra money to take voluntary layoffs. That extra money

disqualifies those workers for unemployment benefits or means they get reduced benefits,

Parcell said. The state isn't used to a situation where workers quit for no extra money.

After consulting with the state, the space alliance called the rest of its volunteers and told

them to not bother applying to Florida for unemployment. They will get the equivalent of

unemployment checks - up to $275 a week for up to 26 weeks - directly from the company,

King said. If a worker finds a new job, the checks will stop coming from the company, just

like it does with the state. But if the state decides to pay the workers, that's fine too, King

said. ["Somebody will pay volunteers for layoffs," The Orlando Sentinel, February 4,

1998, p A-5.]

¢, Three men wearing mesh hoods robbed the Kennedy Space Center Credit Union on

Tuesday morning_ escaping with two drawers of cash, officials said. The men walked into

the bank, which is a mile north of State Road 528 on U.S. 1, about 9:20 a.m. The three men

ordered the four customers and five bank workers inside at the time onto the floor while

one man stood guard at the door and at least one man waved a handgun. No one was

injured. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Sheriff's Office. ["Three men

rob KSC Credit Union near Cocoa," Florida Today, February 4, 1998, p 213.]

F.EBRUARYS: A Boeing Delta 2 rocket has been cleared for launch from Cape Canaveral

Air Station today, but gusty winds could keep its satellite-delivery mission on the ground.

The 12-story rocket and its cargo - four mobile telecommunications satellites - are

scheduled to blast off between 8:22 and 9:22 a.m. Air Force meteorologists say there is a 40

percent chance that stiff ground-level winds could force a delay in the fast launch for the

Globalstar L.P. consortium, a partnership of 10 international telecommunications and

aerospace companies. "The wind is a major concern," said Joel Tumbiolo, a weather officer

with the Air Force's 45 "_Space Wing which provides forecasting services for Space Coast

launches. [''Gusty winds could delay Delta launch," Florida Today, February 5, 1998, p

7A.]

¢, Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, February 5, 1998. STS-90: Installation of

Columbia's airlock hatch "D" is complete. The hatch provides access from the tunnel

adapter to the Spacelab transfer tunnel. Today, work is under way to install new bushings

on the main engine heat shields. Inspections of micrometeorite hits on an orbiter radiator

32
andaft compartmentcloseoutsarealsoinwork. Columbia'smainenginesareslatedfor

installationnextThursdayandtunneladapterpressuredecaychecksbegintomorrow

afternoon.The payloadprematetestisongoingandNeurolab'sinstallationinto the

orbiter'spayloadbayisplannedfor Feb.11. STS-91:Installationof Discovery'sthree

auxiliarypowerunits isunderwayandwill continuethroughMonday. Workon thepower

driveunit for therightexternaltankumbilicaldoor continues.Body flapcorrosionrepair

andsuperlightweighttankinstrumentationmodificationsarealsoinwork. Thenewsuper

lightweightexternaltank,to beusedon STS-91,remainsdockedonits bargeatPort

Canaveral.Highwindshavepreventedtugboatoperationssofar thisweekandtoday

managerspredictthetankwill arriveatKSC'sturn basinno earlierthan10a.m.tomorrow,

weatherpermitting. STS-88:FlightcrewequipmentdestowiscompleteandEndeavour's

postflightinspectionscontinueonschedule.Strongbackinstallationandpayloadbaydoor

openingwerecompletedyesterdayandSPACEHABremovalis slatedfor Monday.

Technicianscontinueto installaccessplatformsin theorbiter'saft compartmentandmain

propulsionsysteminspectionsbeginnextweek.[BruceBuckingham.(1998).Kennedy

SpaceCenterSpaceShuttleStatusReport [Online].AvailableE-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status[1998,February5].]

• Thefirst launchfor theinternationalspacestationmayfaceanother delay, NASA

Administrator Dan Goldin told Congress on Thursday. NASA, meanwhile, is making plans

to keep its shuttle fleet busy should the schedule be delayed, Goldin said. The space agency

also is taking another look at whether hundreds of shuttle worker layoffs at Kennedy Space

Center will compromise flight safety, Goldin said during his first appearance this year before

the House Space subcommittee. The planned June launch of the Russian-built Functional

Energy Block - a space tugboat that will serve as the foundation of the $40 billion station -

might be pushed to late July or August, Goldin said. If that happens, it would postpone

until September the liftoff of shuttle Endeavour, now planned for early July. The ship is to

carry into orbit the first U.S. hardware to help build the outpost. Unlike last year, when

NASA blamed Russian hardware delays for causing a six-month slip in the station's

construction schedule, this time NASA is seeking extra time, Goldin said. One reason is a

delay in the launch of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility spacecraft, which was

scheduled to fly on a shuttle in August but now will not get into orbit until December or

later, Goldin said. "We're trying to balance the workload," he said. "Because the Advanced

X-ray Astrophysics Facility spacecraft is not going to be launched when it is supposed to,

we have a big long gap. "They are looking at taking a number of flights we have and having

a more uniform separation through the year." A final decision on new station launch dates

is expected in a few weeks. Goldin could not rule out further changes to the station launch

schedule. With that in mind, he has ordered his spaceflight managers to create an alternate

plan for keeping the shuttle fleet active in the event of a major schedule shift. Of eight

shuttle missions planned for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, six are dedicated to hauling

station hardware into orbit. Goldin told congressional committee members the agency

wants to take another look at whether it has enough workers to maintain safety margins as

the launch pace quickens. "I've asked the safety experts to review exactly where they are

before we start ramping up to that flight rate to establish they have everything in place, and

they are ready to assume that," he said. ["Station may be delayed again," Florida Today,

February 6, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

33
F.EBRUARY6.. NASA's main contractor at Kennedy Space Center handed out layoff

notices to 363 employees Friday as the company began cuts to its shuttle work force. An

additional 194 positions with United Space Alliance will be lost through attrition and

voluntary departures, eliminating a total of 557 iobs from the company's 6,000-member

work force. The notices came a day after NASA Administrator Dan Goldin assured

Congress the layoffs would not jeopardize the safety of the shuttle fleet. However,

members of an independent group of aerospace experts that oversees NASA for Congress

said they will keep monitoring KSC to make sure the reduced work force can do its job

effectively. "I am not overly concerned, but we will continue our team visits to KSC, and

we are watching very closely" how the layoffs unfold, said Richard Blomberg, a member of

the Aerospace Safety advisory Panel. NASA's safety chief, Federick Gregory, approved the

cuts last month, even though his team expressed concern that the remaining workers might

be pressed to keep up with an increased shuttle schedule during the next few years. NASA

plans to launch up to eight missions annually once it begins construction of the $40 billion

international space station - tentatively set to start this summer. Laid-off employees will

work their last day Feb. 20. ["363 KSC workers end week with pink slips," Florida Today,

February 7, 1998, p 1A.]

• NASA's international space station got an extra boost of sorts Friday with the delivery

to Kennedy Space Center of a new fuel tank that will allow shuttles to carry more cargo into

orbit. The 15-story fuel reservoir weighs 7,500 pounds less than the current models. As a

result, it will enable the ships to carry 7,500 pounds more into space. The additional cargo

capacity will be crucial to NASA as it begins this summer to raise the 480-ton outpost

during a five-year series of U.S. shuttle and Russian rocket flights. The lightweight tank "is a

real key item in getting the space station into orbit," said June Malone, a spokeswoman for

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "Every pound you take off of the

tank is one pound more you can take into orbit." The new tanks - which are made of a

lighter weight aluminum-lithium alloy - weigh 58,000 pounds and cost about $43 million

each, Malone said. The aluminum-lithium alloy is said to be 30 percent stronger than the

metal mix used on previous tanks. The first new tanks will be used for the May 28 launch

of Discovery. That shuttle will fly NASA's ninth and final mission to Russia's Mir space

station. [''Shuttle to get new lightweight fuel tank," Florida Today, February 7, 1998, p

2A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, February 6, 1998. STS-90: Functional tests on

Columbia's airlock hatch "D" are complete. Inspections of micrometeorite hits on an

orbiter radiator and checks on the orbiter's environmental control and life support system

are complete. Aft compartment closeouts and payload premate testing continue.

Technicians proceeded with main engine heat shield rework efforts today and no work is

planned on Columbia over the weekend. Next week, the Neurolab payload is scheduled to

arrive at the OPF on Wednesday for installation into the orbiter's cargo bay and Shuttle

main engines will be installed on Thursday. STS-91: Tests on Discovery's power reactant

storage and distribution system are complete. Installation of the orbiter's three auxiliary

power units continues through Monday. Work on the power drive unit for the right

external tank umbilical door continues. Body flap corrosion repair and super lightweight

tank instrumentation modifications are also in work. The new super lightweight external

tank, to be used on STS-91, arrived at KSC's turn basin at about 11 a.m. today. Workers

transported the 154-foot-long improved tank to the Vehicle Assembly Building this

34
afternoon,whereit will undergoprocessingfor flight.The newtankweighsabout 7,500

pounds less than the original ET. STS-88: Payload disconnects are complete and removal is

slated for Monday. Shuttle main engine post flight inspections are under way and Ku

antenna assembly checks are in work as well. Removal of Endeavour's tunnel adapter is

scheduled for later next week. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, February 6].]

FEBRUARY 7." Facing a wicked weather forecast for today, the Boeing Co. now plans to

wait until Sunday to make a third attempt to launch a Delta 2 rocket on a satellite-delivery

mission from Cape Canaveral Air Station. The 12-story rocket and its cargo - four

commercial telecommunications satellites - are scheduled to blast off during a launch

window that will open at 8:22 a.m. Sunday and close at 9:47 a.m. that day. ["Rocket launch

reset for Sunday," Florida Today, February 7, 1998, p 2A.]

Brevard County once again finds itself competing with Alabama and Mississippi for a

space-related facility that will generate several hundred jobs. But that's where the similarities

end when comparing the current race for a laser testing facility to last year's battle for

Boeing Co.'s Delta 4 rocket plant. Unlike the Boeing plant, the current competition won't

come down to which state offers the most goodies, said Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Lehner,

spokesman for the Pentagon" Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. "The major

difference is that this is a government and not a private sector project," Lehner said. "The

decision (expected in the fall) is going to be strictly based on the site guidelines." In the

latest competition, Cape Canaveral Air Station and Kennedy Space Center are two of four

finalists to house the testing facility for an experimental chemical laser. The Redstone

Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., and a site at Mississippi's Stennis Space Center are the other

finalists. The facility is expected to employ 500 to 700 people. U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, RPalm Bay, said Brevard's biggest advantage will be its existing infrastructure at KSC and the

air station. The laser-testing project is included in President Clinton's proposed 1999

budget. Weldon said Sen. Bob Graham and Gov. Lawton Chiles likely will head Florida's

effort, especially when it comes to working on the White House. There are plenty of ways

to sell the Air Force on the Brevard sites, said Ed Ellegood, director of policy and program

development at Spaceport Florida Authority. "One of the requirements for this project is

going to be a large, thermal vacuum chamber," Ellegood said. NASA needs a similar

machine to test large, deep-space payloads for launch - providing an opportunity to share

limited resources. Spaceport Florida Authority - a state agency created in 1989 to attract

aerospace business - has a successful history of partnering with the federal government, to

the advantage of both. As with most things centered in Washington, however, politics also

will play a role. Mississippi has powerful Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott going to bat for

it. "Politics will play a big role, maybe even a controlling role," Ellegood said. "We'll just

have to wait and see." The program calls for the lasers to be mounted on a network of 20

to 30 satellites. The lasers would be used to destroy ballistic missiles shortly after launch.

The concept is an updated version of the 1980s Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars,"

missile defense proposal. ["Laser, Delta plant races differ," Florida Today, February 7,

1998, p 14C & 13C.]

Two Russian cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station, appeared live on the QVC

shopping channel, set out to hawk the American-made $32.75 Fisher Space Pen, used on

35
NASA space flights since 1967 because it can write in the absence of gravity. But the

featured attraction at the sale was the $25,000 Sokol KV-2 spacesuit. At least six callers

made serious inquiries about the suits, said QVC spokeswoman Ellen Rubin. The show also

sold 11 tiny pieces of Mars rock for prices ranging from $90 to $2,500. The financially

shaky Russian space program gets an undisclosed donation from the proceeds. ["Mir

cosmonauts try their hand as pitchmen on QVC," The Orlando Sentinel, February 8,

1998, p A-3.]

• Salty air is costing Brevard County residents millions of dollars every year - from car and

homeowners to the military and NASA. Brevard's subtropical shoreline is particularly

susceptible to rust and considered one of the most corrosive areas in the world. Florida has

a more corrosive environment because of the combination of high temperatures, high

average relative humidity, high average rainfall and - especially - a gradually slopping ocean

bottom that makes waves break farther out and roll father onto the beach, said Lou

MacDowell, a senior material specialist at Kennedy Space Center's corrosion labs.

Consequently, more salt mist is put into the air. At Kennedy Space Center, experts have

studied the effects of corrosion for the past 30 years at its Beach Corrosion Test Site about

100 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. The lab has developed many types of protective coatings

that NASA uses to guard launch structures and other equipment, said MacDowell. KSC

technologies also are spun off and used commercially to repair local corrosion problems.

"We... hope that the coatings developed will solve many needs identified throughout the

country and the world," said Karen Thompson, a KSC engineer who helped develop a

corrosion-inhibiting coating that also withstands extreme heat. [''Salt air cost millions in

rust," Florida Today, February 9, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

FEBRUARYg: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, February 9, 1998. STS-90: Leak

checks of Columbia's crew module and tunnel adapter are complete. The transfer tunnel's

forward extension has been installed and ammonia system servicing is complete. The

payload premate test is also complete. Aft compartment closeouts and main engine heat

shield rework continues. The Neurolab payload is scheduled to arrive at the OPF on

Wednesday for installation into the orbiter's cargo bay and Shuttle main engines will be

installed on Friday. STS-91: Discovery's three auxiliary power units have been installed.

Replacement and cycling of the power drive unit for the right-hand external tank umbilical

door continues. Body flap corrosion repair and super lightweight tank instrumentation

modifications continue and engine heat shield attach point mold impressions are being

taken today. The orbiter's external airlock is in the OPF and will be installed into the

orbiter Feb. 13. The Mir docking mechanism is being mated to the airlock today. The new

super lightweight external tank arrived in the Vehicle Assembly Building Friday afternoon to

begin processing for launch on STS-91. Preparations are in work today to lift the tank and

move it from the transfer aisle to the check out cell in high bay 2. STS-88: Endeavour's Ku

band antenna assembly checks are complete. Payload disconnects are complete and

SPACEHAB removal occurs today. Shuttle main engine post flight inspections are in work

and removal of Endeavour's tunnel adapter is scheduled for Thursday. [Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 9].]

FEBRUARYIO: J. IL Dailey, acting deputy administrator, has approved buyouts for up to

an additional 200 KSC civil service employees. The buyout is effective immediately, with

36
the separationwindow closingApril 3. Thepreviouslyapprovedseparationdateof Sep.30

for qualityassuranceandsafetyandoccupationalhealthemployeesremainsunchanged.

Accordingtot hebuyoutapprovalplan,thiswill bethelasttimethat abuyoutopportunity

isofferedto employeeswho arenot eligiblefor retirementor thosewho areeligiblefor

optionalretirementto receivethe full buyout. An optional retirement eligible employee

who does not accept a buyout opportunity will be eligible to receive only 40 percent of the

amount allowed by law should a future buyout be offered. ["Civil Service buyout extended

through Apr. 3," KSC Countdown, February 10, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, February 10, 1998. STS-90: Pressure decay

checks of Columbia's crew module and tunnel adapter are complete. Replacement of the

bushings on the main engine heat shields is in work. Preparations are under way for a

pressure test of the orbiter's flash evaporator system on Friday. Aft compartment closeouts

are ongoing, and main engine installation is slated for Friday. Technicians noted separated

insulation on a piece of tubing in Columbia's midbody. Closeouts of midbody bay 7 will be

delayed one day while workers replace the insulation. As a result, the Neurolab payload is

now scheduled for installation into the orbiter on Thursday rather than tomorrow. STS-91:

Replacement and cycling of the power drive unit for the right external tank umbilical door

are complete. Body flap corrosion repair and super lightweight tank instrumentation

modifications continue, and engine heat shield attach point assessments are in work. The

Mir docking mechanism is being connected to Discovery's external airlock, and the airlock

will be installed into the orbiter on Feb. 13. The super lightweight external tank will be

transferred to the checkout cell in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 2 today. Once that

transfer is complete, solid rocket booster stacking will begin for mission STS-91. STS-88i

Yesterday, the SPACEHAB payload was removed from Endeavour's payload bay. Orbiter

power systems validation is also complete. Main propulsion system and Shuttle main engine

post-flight inspections continue, and orbiter maneuvering system cross-feed lines will be

drained beginning tomorrow. Tunnel adapter removal is scheduled for Thursday. [Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 10].]

FEBRUARYll: Kennedy Space Center workers who have lost their jobs in recent layoffs

say they are afraid the cuts will compromise shuttle safety and increase the workload and

stress among those still on the job. The concerns were expressed in interviews this week

following the Feb. 6 termination of 548 workers from United Space Alliance, the NASA

contractor that is taking over operation of the shuttle fleet. "I think (the alliance) is going

too far with these layoffs. There are going to be a lot more mistakes. My job was to try and

catch those mistakes when they happened or to prevent them from happening. Where's

the time to do that now?" said Wes Clark, an alliance quality control inspector and 13-year

veteran of the program, who was laid off. Senior NASA and alliance officials dispute such

fears and insist the cutbacks will not hurt safety. They say they will do nothing that would

put the ships and their astronaut crews at risk. "If we're not able to meet the safety

requirements that are demanded, we're out of business, and we know that," alliance

spokesman Jack King said. "We are confident (the layoffs) are not going to affect safety in

any manner. The continuing worries come as NASA Administrator Dan Goldin meets

today in Washington, D. C., with the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, an independent

group of aerospace experts that serves as a NASA watchdog for Congress. The panel has

been critical of the layoffs, and recently cited its concerns in a report to former astronaut

37
and current NASA shuttle safety boss Frederick Gregory. The report stated: *The loss of

positions will leave the KSC work force without the mix of skills needed to meet an

increased shuttle launch schedule in future years. *The cuts could result in fewer

inspections to key shuttle systems. *The alliance is unrealistically assuming it can rehire laidoff employees if the need arises later. *The company is ovedy optimistic in its estimates

that the reduced work force will be able to pick up the slack by working more efficiently.

Despite such reservations, Gregory approved the layoffs because of a $100 million shortfall

in NASA's budget. In all, the reductions represent nearly a 10 percent cut in the alliance's

6,000-employee work force. ["Do KSC layoffs go too deep?," Florida Today, February 12,

1998, p 1A & 7A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, February 11, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's main

engine heat shield attach point work continues. Preparations continue for a pressure test of

the orbiter's flash evaporator system on Friday. Aft compartment closeouts are ongoing,

and main engine installation is now slated for next Thursday. Replacement of the tubing

insulation in Columbia's midbody is complete, and closeouts of midbody bay 7 are in work.

Transfer of the Neurolab payload from the Operations and Checkout Building to the OPF

begins at about 4 a.m. tomorrow. Neurolab will arrive in the payload canister at about 6 a.m.

and will be installed into the orbiter after 10 a.m., weather permitting. STS-91: Body flap

corrosion repair and super lightweight tank instrumentation modifications continue, and

engine heat shield attach point assessments are in work. The Mir docking mechanism is

being connected to Discovery's external airlock, and the airlock will be installed into the

orbiter on Friday. The super lightweight external tank has been transferred to the checkout

cell in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 2. Mission STS-91 booster stacking operations

have begun on the mobile launch platform in VAB high bay 1. STS-88: Main propulsion

system and Shuttle main engine post-flight inspections continue. Draining of the orbiter

maneuvering system cross-feed lines continues, with oxidizer line draining complete and fuel

line draining in work today. Tunnel adapter removal is now scheduled for Monday. [Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shutde-status [1998, February 11].]

FEBRUARY12: Marking the end of an era, a Spacelab module completed preflight

preparations last week in the Operations and Checkout Building and was installed in the

payload canister for transfer to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The STS-90 Neurolab

payload was honored with a ceremony after being lowered into its payload canister for the

last time. This phase of the Shuttle program is winding down as the second phase of the

International Space Station (ISS) program gets under way. Microgravity and life sciences

research that formerly was conducted in Spacelab modules, such as Neurolab, will eventually

be conducted inside the completed ISS. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will

focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. STS-90 is slated for launch in

April. ["Neurolab processed at KSC for last flight," KSC Countdown, February 12, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, February 12, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's main

engine heat shield attach point work continues with match drilling in work today.

Preparations for Friday's pressure test of the orbiter's flash evaporator system will wrap up

today. Aft compartment close-outs are ongoing, and main engine installation is now slated

for next Thursday. The Neurolab payload arrived at OPF bay 3 shortly after 6 a.m. today

and is now being installed into Columbia's cargo bay. STS-91: Body flap corrosion repair

38
and super lightweight tank instrumentation modifications continue, and engine heat shield

attach point assessments are in work. While mating the Mir docking mechanism to

Discovery's external airlock, KSC technicians noticed some galling on several of the bolts

that connect the two components. NASA engineers are evaluating the possibility of

replacing the bolts and resuming airlock processing early next week. STS-88: Draining of

hypergolic fuel from Endeavour's orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) cross-feed lines is

complete. Preparations for next week's OMS pod functional testing are under way. Main

propulsion system and Shuttle main engine post-flight inspections continue. Tunnel adapter

removal is now scheduled for Monday. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 12].]

• Independent safety advisers remain concerned that layoffs of 548 workers at Kennedy

Space center could jeopardize safe operation of the space shuttle fleet. But those fears did

not make it into a briefing the experts gave to NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin on

Thursday. "It's not like we're ducking it," said John Stewart, a consultant with the

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, whose members presented their annual report to Goldin

at NASA headquarters. "We made our views known on that. They know what we think."

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel was created by Congress after the Apollo spacecraft

fire Jan. 27, 1967. Its job is to review space agency programs and made recommendations.

Ultimately, it is up to NASA's administrator whether to follow those recommendations,

Stewart said. "We try to stay out of the decision-making loop," Stewart said. "But if we

went to Mr. Gregory or Mr. Goldin and said, 'This activity should stop or pause,' they

would give our views serious consideration." ["Shuttle safety still concerns experts,"

Florida Today, February 13, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

FEBRUARY13: The Voyager 1 spacecraft is set to break another record and become the

explorer that has traveled farthest from home. At approximately 5:10 p.m. EST on Feb. 17,

1998, Voyager 1, launched more than two decades ago, will cruise beyond the Pioneer 10

spacecraft and become the most distant human-created object in space, at 6.5 billion miles

(10.4 billion kilometers) from Earth. The two are headed in almost opposite directions

away from the Sun. ['Woyager 1 now most distant human-made object in space," NASA

News Release #98-30, February 13, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, February 13, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's main

engine heat shield attach point work continues. The orbiter's flash evaporator system will

undergo pressure tests today. Aft compartment close-outs are ongoing, and main engine

installation is slated for next Thursday. With external tank and solid rocket booster closeouts nearing completion, ET/SRB mate is slated for Feb. 19. The Neurolab payload was

installed into Columbia's cargo bay yesterday and payload interface verification testing is

scheduled for next week. STS-91: Installation of Discovery's forward reaction control

system is complete. Body flap corrosion repair and super lightweight tank instrumentation

modifications continue, and engine heat shield attach point assessments are in work. NASA

engineers continue to evaluate the galling noticed on about 13 out of 96 bolts that connect

the Mir docking mechanism to Discovery's external airlock. Managers may opt to changeout the flawed bolts and resume airlock processing next week. STS-88: Preparations for

next week's OMS pod functional testing continue. Main propulsion system and Shuttle

main engine post-flight inspections continue. Tunnel adapter removal is now scheduled for

39
Monday and fuel cell voltage testing begins Wednesday. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 13].]

# Two doctors will accompany Sen. John Glenn, NASA's newest and oldest astronaut,

into space in October. One of them is a heart surgeon. The other is trained in emergency

medicine. "No, no, no," NASA spokeswoman Jennifer McCarter said when asked whether

the doctors were assigned for the benefit of Glenn, who will be 77 at the time of the space

shuttle flight. "It's coincidence." NASA announced last month that Glenn, who became

the first American to orbit the Earth 36 years ago next week, will return to space aboard

shuttle Discovery as part of a study on aging. The space agency on Friday named the six

astronauts who will be launched with Glenn on Oct. 29. Five of the six are space veterans,

including both doctors: Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai, the heart surgeon, and NASA

astronaut Scott Parazynski, who completed a 22-month residency in emergency medicine in

the early 1990s. Rounding out the crew are commander Curtis Brown, Jr., pilot Steven

Lindsey, mechanical engineer Stephen Robinson and Spanish astronaut-engineer Pedro

Duque. During the 10-day mission, the astronauts will release a sun-watching satellite that

failed to provide data during a botched flight late last year. The satellite never received a

crucial computer command before it was released from Columbia; two spacewalking

astronauts had to go out and capture it. ["Glenn to fly with doctors aboard," The Orlando

Sentinel, February 14, 1998, p A-3.]

• The juggling of NASA's shuttle launch schedule began in earnest Friday as officials

announced a two-week delay in its next piloted spaceflight. Much of the remainder of the

agency's shuttle launch schedule for the next two years, meanwhile, remains up in the air.

The first ripple came as NASA pushed back the planned April 2 launch of shuttle Columbia

to April 16. A crew of seven, including former Kennedy Space Center engineer-turnedastronaut Kay Hire, is to conduct a 17-day medical research mission on that flight. NASA

shuttle program managers decided to move the mission back two weeks because Columbia's

next flight - the planned August 26 launch of an advanced astrophysics observatory - is

being delayed until at least December. Discovery's upcoming flight to Russia's space station

Mir remains scheduled for launch May 28, but the delay in the astrophysics mission is

prompting NASA managers to review nearly all other 1998 and 1999 missions. The launch

date for that flight as well as other station construction missions in 1998 and 1999 now are

under review. A new station construction schedule is expected to be ironed out in late

March or early April. ["NASA juggles shuttle launches," Florida Today, February 14, 1998,

p 5A.]

FEBRUARY14: The first four Globalstar spacecraft were launched Feb. 14 from Cape

Canaveral on board a specialized version of the Boeing Delta 2 following eight days of

weather delays caused by E1 Nino-generated weather patterns. The new Delta 7420-10

version used only four solid rocket boosters and an advanced composite shroud. The four

spacecraft were ejected in two pairs off a Boeing dispenser mounted on the Delta second

stage as the vehicle flew south of Australia a little more than an hour after launch. At

separation from the dispenser, one of the $13-miUion satellites began rotating at about 3

rpm., a rate higher than planned. A Loral/Qualcomm team at Globalstar's San Jose, Calif.,

control center was able to stabilize the spacecraft without difficulty, however. Each of the

979-1b. spacecraft deployed their 35-ft solar arrays during their first pass over the U.S. The

40
satellites were placed into an initial 1,247-km. (775-mi.) transfer orbit inclined 52 deg. But

by next week, they are to be maneuvered higher into Globalstar's operational orbit at 1,414

km. The spacecraft are the first of 56 Globalstars planned. ["Globalstars finally orbited,"

Aviation Week & Space Technolomr., February 23, 1998, p 40.]

FEBRUARY17: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, February 17, 1998. STS-90: Late

last week, NASA managers agreed to postpone for two weeks the launch of Mission STS90, setting the new target launch date of April 16, 1998. The delay will permit better

utilization of available Shuttle resources to support orbiter processing. In the OPF,

preparations continue for the installation of Columbia's main engine heat shields and for the

installation of the tunnel adapter for the Neurolab module. The interface verification test of

the Neurolab also continues today. STS-91: Installation of Discovery's forward reaction

control system is complete. Close-outs are continuing today. Preparations to conduct the

auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks are in work. The airlock is scheduled to be

installed into the orbiter's payload bay this week. STS-88: Preparations continue for the

orbital maneuvering system pod functional tests and for the fuel cell voltage tests. Tunnel

adapter removal is underway today. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 17].]

• On Tuesday, Feb. 17, at about 5 p.m., the Voyager 1 spacecraft passed the Pioneer 10

spacecraft at the edge of our Solar System to become the most distant human-created

object in space. Voyager 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral on Sep. 5, 1977 and has

traveled 6.5 billion miles. Data received from Voyager suggests that within the next 10 years

the spacecraft will enter into interstellar space for the first time. ["Did you know?" KSC

Countdown, February 19, 1998.]

FEBRUARY18: Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., NASA's Associate Administrator for Space

Science, has announced his departure from the Agency in the near future. Huntress is

responsible for NASA's programs in astrophysics, planetary exploration and space physics.

["Huntress announces his departure from NASA," NASA News Release #98-31, February

18, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, February 18, 1998. STS-90: Servicing of

Columbia's potable water system is complete. Work on the orbiter's main engine heat

shield attach points continues and should conclude today. With successful completion of

the heat shield work, main engine installation will begin early tomorrow morning.

Neurolab's interface verification test is complete and transfer tunnel installation is slated for

Friday. STS-91: Interface verification testing on Discovery's forward reaction control

system is complete. The auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks continue and

preparations for external airlock installation are complete. The airlock will be installed into

the orbiter's payload bay later this week. Installation of Discovery's right-hand orbiter

maneuvering system begins early next week. STS-88: Tunnel adapter removal is complete.

Orbital maneuvering system pod functional tests are in work and fuel cell voltage tests are

slated for tomorrow. Work on Endeavour's reaction control system is under way and

technicians will replace a 4-inch disconnect on the main propulsion system today. [Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 18].]

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FEBRUARY19: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, February 19, 1998. STS-90: Work

on the orbiter's main engine heat shield attach points continues and should conclude today.

Main engine installation is now scheduled to begin tomorrow. Neurolab's transfer tunnel

installation is also set for Friday. STS-91: The auxiliary power unit leak and functional

checks continue and preparations for external airlock installation are complete. The airlock

will be installed into the orbiter's payload bay next week. Installation of Discovery's righthand orbiter maneuvering system also begins next week. STS-88: Tunnel adapter removal is

complete. Orbital maneuvering system pod functional tests are in work and fuel cell voltage

tests are set for today. Work on Endeavour's reaction control system continues under way.

[Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-marl: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

February 19].]

FEBRURY20: It was 36 years ago today that John Glenn made history - on Feb. 20,

1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth, flying aboard the Friendship 7

Mercury capsule. ["Glenn takes spin through history," The Orlando Sentinel, February

20, 1998, p A-6.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, February 20, 1998. STS-90: Work on the orbiter's

main engine heat shield attach points continues. Main engine installation will begin once this

work is complete. Neurolab's transfer tunnel installation has been rescheduled for Monday.

STS-91: The auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks continue. The airlock will be

installed into the orbiter's payload bay no earlier than late next week. Installation of

Discovery's right-hand orbiter maneuvering system also begins next week. STS-88: Tunnel

adapter removal is complete. Orbital maneuvering system pod functional tests and fuel cell

voltage tests will continue today. A functional test of the forward reaction control system is

set for Tuesday. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, February 20].]

• NASA shuttle managers are requesting a 10-week delay in starting intemational space

station assembly flights, documents obtained by (Florida Today)Gannett News Service

show. The planned July 9 launch of shuttle Endeavour to carry a pressurized docking

module into orbit may be put offuntil Sept. 17, according to a proposal by NASA's Flight

Production Schedules Working group at Feb. 10 meeting at Johnson Space Center in

Houston. Though not unexpected, the schedule slip casts more doubt on the complicated

and expensive venture between the United States and 15 nations to build an orbiting

laboratory 220 miles above Earth's surface. A final decision hasn't been reached, said Ed

Campion, a spokesman for the shuttle program at Johnson Space Center. If Endeavour's

mission to deliver the module aloft is delayed, it likely will postpone a Russian launch of the

Functional Cargo Block, a 43-foot-long component containing propulsion, command and

control systems. The cargo block is U.S.-owned but built at Russia's Krunichev space

center under contract to Boeing. The cargo block is scheduled to launch June 30 atop a

Proton rocket from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome. "There is a desire to keep the Russian

launch in close proximity to the (Endeavour) launch," Campion said. ["NASA wants to

delay first flights to build station," Florida Today, February 21, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

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# Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3), the third PMA for the International Space

Station (ISS), arrived at KSC Friday from the Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, CA.

The Z1 Integrated Truss Segment, the initial framework component for the International

Space Station, also began its processing at ICSC in the Space Station Processing Facility last

week. PMA-3 and the Z1 truss are set to fly on Space Shuttle mission STS-92, the third ISS

assembly flight. While in orbit, PMA-3 will be removed from the orbiter's payload bay by

the astronauts using the remote manipulator arm and mated to Node 1, a connecting

passageway to the living and working areas of the International Space Station. The primary

purpose of PMA-3 is to serve as a Shuttle docking port through which crew members and

equipment will transfer to ISS during later assembly missions. Beginning this year with the

launch of the first International Space Station element, more than 100 components will

ultimately be assembled in low Earth orbit over the next five years using approximately 45

assembly flights. When complete, the station will provide access for researchers around the

world to permanent, state-of-the-art laboratories in the weightless environment of space.

["New International Space Station elements arrive at KkSC," KSC Countdown, February 24,

1998.]

FEBRUARY23: Astronauts Jerry M. Linenger, M.D. (Capt. USN), Blaine L. Hammond

(Col., USAt o and M. Rhea Seddon, M.D., have retired from NASA to pursue private

interests. ["Shuttle veterans depart NASA," NASA News Release #98-33, February 23,

1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, February 23, 1998. STS-90: Work continues on

the orbiter's main engine heat shield attach points. Main engine installation, to follow this

work, is expected to begin on Thursday. Installation of the Neurolab transfer tunnel is

currently in work. On Thursday, the external tank is scheduled to be mated to the solid

rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-91: Tests on the remote

manipulator system began today in the OPF as modifications to the orbiter's airlock and

check-outs of the orbiter's body flap continue. Installation of Discovery's right-hand orbiter

maneuvering system is set for Thursday. In the Vehicle Assembly Building o stacking

operations for Discovery's solid rocket boosters have begun. STS-88: Functional tests of

the orbital maneuvering system and the forward reaction control system are underway

today. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

February 23].]

FEBRUARY24: The aerospace industry will be watching Cape Canaveral Air Station this

week as officials start a three-day conference today to discuss how Florida can attract more

launch business to the site. Representatives of the military, government and private

companies will be part of the fourth annual Florida Space Launch Symposium at the

Melbourne Airport Hilton. They will focus on what must be done to bring more

commercial business to Cape Canaveral, which traditionally has served as the Air Force's

launch point for secret military satellites. But the increasing demand for rockets to take

private communications satellites into orbit is prompting the military to make its Cape

operations more amenable to commercial customers. "We want to learn how to improve

our business practices in order to meet the changing and growing needs of the commercial

space industry," said Col. Ron Larivee, vice commander of the 45 _ Space Wing at Patrick

Air Force Base, a sponsor of the symposium. Speakers will address other measures Florida

43
could undertake to improve its position, including: *Attracting business from other

aerospace fields, such as manufacture of satellites and rockets. *Improving the Eastern

Range - the tracking system the Air Force uses to monitor Florida launches - so it can

support more launches. *Competing to be the launch site for next-generation rockets,

called Reusable Launch Vehicles. ["Symposium explorers future of commercial launches,"

Florida Today, February 24, 1998, p lB.]

• The people who build satellites for the growing commercial space market say the best

place to launch their spacecraft is neither Florida nor a highly regarded European site in

South America. It's Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California. That's the surprising

upshot of a survey that evaluated customer satisfaction at Cape Canaveral Air Station and

Kennedy Space Center as well as the European site in French Guiana and spaceports in

Katzakhstan and China. The results of the $35,000 study, commissioned by the Florida

Space Business Roundtable, were unveiled Tuesday at the Florida Space Launch

Symposium, an aerospace industry conference in Melbourne. Officials say the findings

mean more bad news for efforts to make Cape Canaveral a prime launch site for the

expected $100 billion a year commercial space industry in the 21 _' century. "We have got to

fred a way to change the way we do business," said Forrest McCartney, vice president of

launch operations for Lockheed Martin Corp. The company lofts Atlas and Titan rockets

from Cape Canaveral. "The future of the Space Coast is certainly up for grabs at this

point," McCartney said. "Vandenberg looks like the Avis of launch sites. In other words,

they are clearly trying harder," said Philip Toney, president of Launch Site Engineering,

which conducted the survey. Horida's coastal spaceports fared well in two categories:

Satellite manufacturers found it relatively easy to ship their spacecraft to the Space coast and

gave the area high marks for its amenities. But satellite manufacturers clearly thought that

government red tape at Florida's spaceports presents big headaches for business executives.

Commercial satellite launches now outnumber the combined total of launches each year

from Florida by NASA and the Air Force, officials said. As a result, Florida will have to

begin catering to commercial satellite manufacturing and launch service companies.

Otherwise, officials said, satellite makers won't hesitate to take their business elsewhere.

["Survey: Brevard launch sites fail to measure up," Florida Today, February 25, 1998, p 1B

& 2B.]

FEBRUARY2F,: After an extensive review, NASA has partially terminated the Clark Earth

science mission due to mission costs, launch schedule delays, and concerns over the onorbit capabilities the mission might provide. NASA will retain launch vehicle services. The

Clark mission was part of NASA's Small Satellite Technology Initiative (SST19 program,

originally scheduled for launch in mid-1996. To date, NASA has invested approximately

$55 million in Clark. The Agency expects to recover some assets of the mission, such as

some spacecraft payloads, components and subsystems which may be used on other NASA

projects. ["NASA terminated Clark Earth Science mission," NASA News Release #98-

35, February 25, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, February 25, 1998. STS-90: The mission is

currently baselined to last 16 days (MET of 15/21:50). The option to add the 17th day,

(MET of 16/21:48) if power margins permit, will be addressed during the flight. Work on

the orbiter's main engine heat shield attach points is complete and installation of the main

engines is now in work. The Neurolab transfer tunnel has been installed and mechanical

44
mates are in work today. Tomorrow, the STS-90 crew will participate in the crew equipment

and interface test (CEIT) and a sharp edge inspection of the orbiter's crew module and

Neurolab. Also tomorrow, the external tank is scheduled to be mated to the solid rocket

boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-91: Modifications to the orbiter's airlock

and check-outs of the orbiter's body flap continue. Installation of Discovery's right-hand

orbiter maneuvering system is set for Thursday. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking

operations for Discovery's solid rocket boosters have begun. STS-88: Functional tests of

the orbital maneuvering system and the forward reaction control system continue today.

Preparations are also underway to remove auxiliary power unit No. 3. [Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 25].]

• A top NASA manager acknowledged Wednesday that agency officials doubt Russia will

meet a December deadline for launch of a space station component that would give the

outpost important guidance, control and living-conditions capabilities. Launch of the

Service Module - the third piece of station hardware scheduled to go up this year - may be

postponed to March 1999 or later, Joseph Rothenberg, NASA's new associate administrator

of space flight, told a congressional subcommittee. Rothenberg did not speculate on

whether difficulties with the Service Module will again prompt NASA to rewrite the entire

launch sequence for the station. However, he assured skeptical members of the House

Space and Aeronautics subcommittee such a change will not cost U.S. taxpayers more

money. NASA expects to give Congress a more precise picture of station costs and

schedules in about two weeks, Rothenberg said. ["Russians may delay station - again,"

Florida Today, February 26, 1998, p 1A.]

FEBRUARY26: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, February 26, 1998. STS-90:

Work to install the orbiter's main engines is complete and Neurolab transfer tunnel

mechanical mate operations continue. The tunnel interface verification test is scheduled for

tomorrow. The STS-90 crew today is participating in the crew equipment and interface test

(CEIT) and a sharp edge inspection of the orbiter's crew module and Neurolab. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is being mated to the solid rocket boosters.

STS-91: Modifications to the orbiter's airlock and check-outs of the orbiter's body flap

continue. These items are scheduled to be installed in the orbiter next week. Installation of

Discovery's right-hand orbiter maneuvering system is set for Friday. In the Vehicle

Assembly Building, stacking operations for Discovery's solid rocket boosters have begun.

STS-88: Functional tests of the orbital maneuvering system continue today. A similar test

was successfully completed on the forward reaction control system yesterday. Preparations

are also underway to remove auxiliary power unit No. 3. [Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, February 26].]

• The company planning to build a next-generation spaceship to replace NASA's shuttle

will whittle potential launch sites down to a short list by the end of the year, and Florida's

spaceports are expected to be finalists. But if it's cheaper to do business elsewhere,

aerospace giant Lockheed Martin says it will homeport its VentureStar Reusable Launch

Vehicle in another state or nation. "With this program, everything is going to come down

to the bottom line - dollars," Stephen Black, a Lockheed Martin program manager told

officials Thursday at the Florida Space Launch Symposium, an industry conference held in

45
Melbourne.State officials, meanwhile, said Florida intends to make a strong pitch to attract

the VentureStar and other commercial space business to Cape Canaveral Air Station and

Kennedy Space Center. The bidding war between potential VentureStar launch sites began

in January when Lockheed Martin hosted competing spaceports at a briefing in California.

Ten states, including leading contenders California, New Mexico, Florida and Virginia, sent

representatives to the launch site selection briefing. There are a couple of key disadvantages

to launching from Florida, Black said. One is frequent thunderstorms that trigger cosily

launch delays. The other is uncertainty over whether the already busy coastal spaceports

will be able to accommodate as many as 40 VentureStar flights a year. ["Lockheed Martin

to narrow list of launch sites by end of year," Florida Today, February 27, 1998, p 8A.]

FEBRUARY2Z" An Atlas rocket lifted off at 7:22 p.m. Friday from Cape Canaveral Air

Station. The Lockheed Martin rocket carried a commercial communications satellite to a

temporary orbit 19,000 miles above the Earth. During the next few weeks, the spacecraft

will fire its own engines to climb into its final orbit about 22,000 miles high. Operated by

Intelsat Video Services of Washington, D.C., the 8,000 pound satellite joins a fleet of 26

Intelsat satellites already providing television, telephone and data transmission services

worldwide. The $200 million mission is the second Atlas rocket launch of 1998 and the 37 _

successful Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral. The next rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

is set for March 16, when another Atlas rocket is to take offwith a Navy communications

satellite. ["Atlas rocket lifts TV satellite into orbit," Florida Todfty, February 28, 1998, p

2A.]

46
MARCH

MARCH 1: The term "space race" will take on a new meaning this week. With the

Legislature convening Tuesday (March 3), Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles and Space Coast

lawmakers will be scrambling to persuade colleagues to invest taxpayer dollars in an effort to

lure next-generation spaceships to the state. That same day, key state advisers will hold a

public forum in Melbourne to discuss a bidding war for a spaceship that could render

obsolete the rockets and shuttles that now anchor Florida's position in a booming

commercial space market. If the state fails to attract the new fleet of launchers, Floridians

could find themselves shut out of what promises to be a $100 billion a year business after

the turn of the century. "It's going to impact their future. Are they going to have one, or

not?" said Jim Bodine, chairman of the Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance. The alliance is

a key state economic development advisor. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in January

launched a nationwide competition that will lead to the selection of a homeport for its

planned VentureStar Reusable Launch Vehicle. Ten states are bidding for the spaceship,

which will bolt into orbit without shedding rocket boosters or fuel tanks on its way. That

means the spaceship will not have to be launched from a coastal spaceport in order to fly

over uninhabited ocean areas to avoid endangering the public. In fact, the VentureStar will

be able to launch from virtually anywhere in the world. States and nations competing to be

VentureStar's homeport will receive formal requests for proposals from Lockheed Martin in

April or May. A final decision on VentureStar's launch site is expected to be made in late

1999. ["Legislators getting their chance to weigh in on new 'space race'," Florida Today,

March 1, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

MARCH2: A federal judge in Orlando, citing a lack of evidence, has thrown out a twocount indictment against a NASA engineer who was charged with making a false statement

and obstructing a government proceeding. Refusing to send the case to the jury at the

conclusion of the four-day trail, U.S. District Court Judge Patricia C. Fawsett ordered all

charges dropped against the Merritt Island man. The engineer, a NASA employee for 26

years, was indicted on Dec. 5, 1997, on charges of making a false statement and obstructing

a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States. Government attorneys

said the engineer told investigators that a subcontractor suspected of overbilling NASA had

been verbally directed by NASA and the prime contractor to bill the way in which it did.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the subcontractor had not been directed to bill

NASA in that fashion, government attorneys said. In her ruling on Feb. 25, however,

Fawsett said "the government has failed to carry its burden to prove the charges...in fact,

the evidence shows that it's more reasonable and probable than not that the defendant is

factually innocent of the crimes charged." ["Judge clears NASA engineer, rejects two-count

indictment," Florida Today, March 3, 1998, p lB.]

i_ Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, March 2, 1998. STS-90: The Neurolab transfer

tunnel has been mechanically and electrically mated and the tunnel interface verification test

was completed on Friday. Space Shuttle main engine close-out operations and leak checks

are complete. Main engine heat shields are being installed and a landing gear functional test

is scheduled for today. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the extemal tank was successfully

mated to the solid rocket boosters on Thursday. Close-out operations are continuing. STS91: Discovery's right-hand orbiter maneuvering system pod was not installed last Friday as

planned due to concerns with the attach points. The pod is scheduled to be installed

47
tomorrow. Preparations to install the orbiter's airlock and check-outs of the orbiter's body

flap continue today. The airlock is scheduled to be installed later this week and the body flap

will be installed early next week. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking operations for

Discovery's solid rocket boosters continue. STS-88: Preparations to remove the main

engines are underway with heat shield removal in work today. Also, preparations are

underway to remove and replace the orbiter's 4-inch liquid hydrogen external tank

disconnect attach point. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, March 2].]

MARCHS: Air Force pilot Eileen Collins will be named the first female shuttle

commander today at a White House ceremony, officials said Wednesday (March 4). Collins,

41, has been in line for the job since May, when she flew her second NASA shuttle mission

as a pilot. She will take the commander's seat on shuttle Columbia during a December

mission to release a $2.5 billion astronomy satellite. The lieutenant colonel became NASA's

first female pilot in 1995. Hillary Rodham Clinton will make the announcement at 11 a.m.

today during an event emphasizing the importance of math and science studies. Later,

Collins and the first lady will be joined by actor Tom Hanks at a Washington, D. C., high

school. Collins flew on shuttle Discovery in 1995 and on shuttle Atlantis in May. As pilot,

she served as backup to the spaceship commander, who actually flies the shuttle and

oversees the mission. ["Columbia gets first woman in command," Florida Today, March

5, 1998, p 1A.]

BIARCI-I6: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, March 6, 1998. STS-90: Leak checks on

Columbia's crew module and Ku-band testing are complete. Main engine heat shields are

being installed and aft compartment close-outs are in work. Payload bay door inspections

are under way and the doors are scheduled to be closed for flight this afternoon. Spacelab

internal close-outs are in progress as well. STS-91: Discovery's right-hand orbiter

maneuvering system pod was installed yesterday and electrical mates are complete.

Preparations to install the orbiter's body flap continue and installation of auxiliary power

unit No. 1 concludes today. The airlock is scheduled to be installed in the orbiter this

afternoon. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking operations for the STS-91 solid

rocket boosters continue and will conclude next week. STS-88: Preparations for next

week's removal of Endeavour's main engines continue and heat shield removal is in work

today. Technicians are troubleshooting a helium isolation valve on the orbiter's reaction

control system and work is also under way to replace a line that supplies gaseous nitrogen to

the Spacelab. ATLANTIS (OV-104): Atlantis remains at Palmdale, CA, undergoing

scheduled maintenance and orbiter modifications. The vehicle is due to be ferried back to

KSC in August. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, March 6].]

MARCH 7: A wingless space lifeboat designed to bring astronauts home from the

planned international space station takes its maiden free flight Monday, gliding in after being

dropped 23,000 feet above the Mojave Desert. NASA's X-38 aircraft is a "lifting body,"

built to glide through the sky on lift generated by its aerodynamic shape before deploying a

high, controllable parachute. The aircraft has no landing gear. Instead, it sets down on

skids. The craft is the prototype for a "crew return vehicle" the space agency is developing

48
for thespacestation. Plannersenvisionasix-personcraftattachedto the outside of the

station, ready to carry crew members home if there's an emergency and a space shuttle can't

be launched in time. The aircraft has flown before, but never on its own. The previous

flights have been attached to a pylon under a B-52's wing. In Monday's test, the unmanned

craft will make an unpowered descent, slung beneath a steerable parachute called a parafoil.

When deployed, the parafoil has an area of 5,500 square feet - as much surface area as the

wings of a Boeing 747. Like the first space shuttle Enterprise, the X-38 is a prototype for

use in the atmosphere and will never go into space. ["NASA to test space lifeboat from

air," Florida Today, March 8, 1998, p 3A.]

• An environmental research program named by former astronaut Sally Ride now is going

by a new moniker. NASA's "Mission to Planet Earth" project which aims to use

instruments onboard aircraft, satellites and space shuttles to do environmental research now

is being referred to as the agency's "Earth Science" enterprise. The title "Mission to Planet

Earth" originated 10 years ago in a report on future directions for the U.S. civilian space

program by a commission led by Ride, who became the first American woman to fly in

space in 1983. ["Program gets new name," Florida Today, March 8, 1998, p 6E.]

• NASA is planning to build a second X-34 spaceship so that a test-flight program can be

completed event if the first craft is destroyed. Orbital Sciences Corp. is building an X-34

spaceship for NASA under a $50 million contract awarded in August 1996. The small

spacecraft will be used to test advance systems that can be used on next-generation reusable

ships that might replace NASA's four-orbiter space shuttle fleet. The agency, however,

recently decided to build a second X-34. The primary reason: a prototype NASA spaceship

known as the Delta Clipper was destroyed in a 1996 crash on the fifth flight of a similar test

program. NASA plans to launch the X-34 craft on up to 50 test flights. A significant

number of those might be staged from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. ["NASA signs up

for second ship," Florida Today, March 8, 1998, p 6E.]

MARCH & A key Senate committee will take up a bill Thursday to fuel the booming

commercial space industry by cutting government red tape that is prompting U.S.

companies to take their business overseas. If the measure is enacted into law, proponents

say it will make U.S. companies more competitive in what now is a $77 billion-a-year global

industry. If not, U.S. businesses could continue to lose to foreign competitors that are

carving healthy niches into an industry growing at 20 percent a year. "There is no denying

that today the United States' preeminence in commercial space is threatened," said U.S. Sen.

Bob Graham, D-Miami Lakes, the bill's co-sponsor. "While our space industry is rapidly

preparing for the 21 'I century, federal policy in dealing with this important source of

economic activity is stuck on the launch pad." Dubbed the Commercial Space Act, the bill

is to be considered by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology. The

enterpiece is a provision that would give the federal government the authority to license the

return to Earth of next-generation spaceships that will be operated by commercial

companies. The federal government now has the authority to license commercial space

launches but would be powerless to regulate the homebound trips of commercial

spaceships, such as Lockheed Martin's planned VentureStar Reusable Launch Vehicle. That

private sector spaceship, which Lockheed Martin plans to build within the next few years,

would be launched like a rocket and return to Earth like a NASA space shuttle. Meanwhile,

at least four other entrepreneurial companies are working on next-generation vehicles that

49
also would fly both to and from orbit. "The way the law presently exists, commercial

companies can launch but cannot lad any vehicle returning from space," Graham said.

The bill also would: *Require the federal government, including the Department of

Defense, to buy commercial launch services for satellite delivery and other missions rather

than maintain standing armies to do the job. *Direct NASA to study the possibility of

turning over its planned international space station to commercial operators once the

outpost is assembled in orbit. *Require the Defense Department to conduct a study of its

national spaceports, including Cape Canaveral Air Station, to see what upgrades are needed

to enable a flourishing commercial launch industry. *Allow excess ballistic missiles to be

converted into launch vehicles so they could carry out satellite-delivery missions. Under

the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the missiles no longer can be used for their

intended purpose, which was to carry nuclear weapons to enemy targets around the globe.

Graham said converting the missiles into space launchers for small scientific and educational

payloads would save U.S. tax money that otherwise would be spent to store or destroy the

missiles. Beyond that, the bill aims to clarify complex and sometimes divergent commercial

space licensing requirements among various federal agencies. Some industry experts,

however, say the bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, R-Cape Coral, takes a BandAid approach to mending an outdated law passed in 1984. That law was passed when the

federal government had determined that NASA's space shuttle would be the nation's sole

launch vehicle for civil government, military and commercial cargoes. The 1986 Challenger

explosion prompted the U.S. government to swiftly reverse course and bar commercial

cargoes from NASA's shuttles. The move opened the door for U.S. rocket manufacturers

to begin offering commercial launch services. Staffers in the offices of both Graham and

Mack say the new bill not only is adequate but is expected to win the backing of the

majority of the Senate committee. If passed by the committee, the Senate bill then will be

taken up by the full Senate. ["Space bill's aim: Ease regulations," Florida Tod_ay, March 9,

1998, p 1A & 5A.]

.MA.RCHg: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, March 9, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's

main engine heat shields are installed and aft compartment close-outs continue. The payload

bay doors were closed for flight Friday afternoon and strong back removal is planned for

today. Orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) leak checks pick-up this afternoon and final

assessments of the orbiter's elevons are in work today. STS-91: Installation of Discovery's

airlock is complete and electrical connections are in work. Modifications to the external

tank separation camera and the orbiter's global positioning system are under way. Auxiliary

power unit installation and leak checks continue. This week, OMS pod interface verification

testing and installation of the monitoring system for the docking mechanism's pyrotechnic

devices are scheduled. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, stacking operations for the STS91 solid rocket boosters continue with mating of the right forward segment planned for

tonight. STS-88: Endeavour's engine heat shield removal is complete and Shuttle main

engine removal is in work with engine No. 2 already pulled. Technicians are currently

performing torque checks on the left wing-to-fuselage attach bolts. A payload cooling line is

also being removed today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-maih domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, March 9].]

50
• TheplannedtestMondayof aprototypespaceshipthatwould serveasa lifeboat for

international space station crews was canceled Monday because of problems with the B-52

aircraft that was to carry it aloft. The test has been reset for Thursday at Edwards Air Force

Base in California, NASA officials said. The unmanned X-38, which resembles a mini-space

shuttle with curved wings, is to be dropped from 23,000 feet attached to a parachute to test

its aerodynamic performance. ["Spaceship's test flight reset for Thursday," Florida Today,

March 10, 1998, p 6A.]

MARCH 10: After more than five fruitless months, NASA scientists declared the

Pathfinder spacecraft officially dead Tuesday after a last-ditch attempt to communicate with

the little rover and lander than made history last summer. Up to the final "time of death" at

1:21 p.m. local time, they held out hope that they could communicate once more with the

comatose craft that likely had long ago succumbed to the cold and dust of the Martian

winter. "This is sort of the end of the end," said Richard Cook, the mission manager.

["Scientists rule Pathfinder dead," Florida Today, March 11, 1998, p 2A.]

MARCH 11." NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin plans to tell a House panel today that no

decisions have been made yet that would delay the planned summer launch of the

international space station's first elements. The space agency chief will present a milestonestudded timeline for the coming months that will help managers decide whether the Russian

Space Agency is back on track with its Interim Control Module, Goldin said Wednesday.

His comments came after an event at which Vice President Al Gore and Russian prime

Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed a new set of cooperative agreements. ["NASA sets

timeline for Russia," Florida Today, March 12, 1998, p 1A&2A.]

MARCH12: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, March 12, 1998. STS-90: Work on

Columbia's right inboard elevon is complete and both forward and aft compartment closeouts are in work. Tomorrow, technicians will complete work to install the aft doors. Aft

compartment structural leak tests will follow. The orbiter is currently scheduled to roll over

to the Vehicle Assembly Building at 10 a.m. on Monday, to be mated to the external tank

and solid rocket booster stack in high bay 3. STS-91: Electrical connections on Discovery's

airlock are complete. The orbiter's recently repaired body flap has been installed and

instrumentation mates are under way. Modifications to the external tank separation camera

and the orbiter's global positioning system continue. In the Vehicle Assembly Building,

stacking operations for the right-hand solid rocket booster continue in high bay 1. STS-88:

All three of Endeavour's main engines were removed earlier this week. Inspections of the

drag chute compartment were completed yesterday in preparation for drag chute installation

today. Auxiliary power unit installation is under way and technicians continue to perform

torque checks on the wing-to-fuselage attach bolts. A Spacelab gaseous nitrogen line is

being removed today and orbiter hydraulic system testing is in work. Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 12].]

• Node 1, the first U.S. element of the International Space Station, continues with

planned prelaunch preparation activities at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF).

Node 1 is a connecting passageway to the living and working areas of the space station as

well as provides for Shuttle docking ports. The midpoint has now been researched in the

Cargo Element Integrated Test which will ultimately verify the node's functional readiness

51
for launch.Tuesday,Mar. 10, in the SSPF, the node was removed from the element

rotation stand, or test stand, for an interim weight and center of gravity determination.

Upon completion of this activity, the node was hoisted into the Shuttle payload

transportation canister and the doors closed. There the node will be pressurized with a

combination of helium and remain for a two-week leak check. At the conclusion of the

test, the node will be removed from the payload canister and returned to the element

rotation stand for completion of the Cargo Element Integrated Test. ["ISS Node 1 ready

for leak test," KSC Countdown, March 12, 1998.]

The Landsat-7 Earth science spacecraft will not be launched in July 1998 as planned due

to necessary changes in the design of the electrical power supply hardware for the

spacecraft's main instrument. A new target launch date will be set by NASA officials after

completion of instrument thermal vacuum tests scheduled for this July. ["Landsat-7 Launch

Delayed," NASA News Release #98-41, March 12, 1998.]

• Assembly of the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, NASA's Advanced X-ray

Astrophysics Facility, was completed last week with the installation of its power-generating

two solar panels. AXAF is scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-93, in

December 1998. ["Assembly of NASA's X-Ray Telescope Completed," NASA News

Release #98-43, March 12, 1998.]

The wingless X-38, a prototype for a space station lifeboat, was dropped from a B-52

bomber and successfully glided to a landing in the Mojave Desert on Thursday in its maiden

flight, NASA said. ["Space station lifeboat makes smooth flight," Florida Today, March

13, 1998, p 8A.]

MARCH 13: Based on a moment of midnight inspiration, Vice President

Gore today will announce his plan to make a live video image of the full, sunlit Earth -

spinning on its axis against the blackness of space - continuously available to the world, via

television and the Intemet. The vice president's idea and, perhaps more important, his

sense of urgency have triggered a scramble at NASA to make it happen inexpensively - and

fast. Gore conceived the project a month ago, officials say, and he hopes to see it launched

by 2000. The "all-Earth, all-the-time" images, to be transmitted from a small spacecraft

stationed between Earth and the sun, would resemble the historic portrait of the fragile and

isolated blue planet snapped by Apollo 17 astronauts - the last men on the moon - on Dec.

7, 1972, a picture that has become an icon. NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said he

hopes to keep the project's cost dose to $20 million and definitely below $50 million, and

will solicit commercial participation - by a cable TV company, for example - to lower the

costs even further. ["The World, Live -Just a Click Away," Kathy Sawyer. (1998). The

Washington Post [Online]. Available WWW: www.washingtonpost.c0m/w psrv/digest/tech4.htm [1998, March 13].]

MARCH 14: Florida has a fighting chance to win a nationwide battle for the nextgeneration spaceship expected to dominate the world's launch industry in the 21 't century.

But several deal-busting impediments stand in the way of providing a home for Lockheed

Martin's VentureStar. The low-cost launcher could drive out of business the shuttles and

rockets that now fly from Florida. Among the obstacles will be the need to fly the vehicle

up to 40 times a year in good weather - not into Florida's notoriously frequent

V

52
thunderstorms. Those requirements are detailed in documents obtained by Florida Today

from Lockheed Martin. The documents provide the first public glimpse at how Kennedy

Space Center and Cape Canaveral match up with the ship. "If you look at it subjectively, we

don't have all the benefits they are looking for, and there are obstacles to overcome," said

Warren Wiley, a NASA project director at ICSC who is assisting in the state's VentureStar

recruitment drive. Florida is competing for VentureStar against California, New Mexico,

Virginia, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Oklahoma. A host of factors - not the

least of which will be economic incentive packages - will be weighed by Lockheed Martin

before the company decides on a short list of three or four sites in September. The final

launch site is to be picked in the fall of 1999. The winner will be home to a spaceship that

stands to capture an estimated $20 billion-a-year business by cutting the high cost of

launching cargo on current generation rockets by a factor of 10. ["Bid for spaceship faces

barriers," Florida Todaty, March 15, 1998, p 1A&2A.]

Minnie, The last surviving "astro-chimp" from the early days of the space program, has

died at 41. Once an understudy for the space-going chimpanzees Ham and Enos, Minnie

died March 14 of old age, Coulston Foundation spokesman Don McKinney said. Minnie

was the only female chimp trained for the Mercury Project in the early 1960s, but never

flew. ["Last surviving 'astro-chimp' dies," Florida Today, March 28, 1998, p ZA.]

MARCH 13: The Navy's Vanguard 1 satellite lost the space race two generations ago, first

to the dreaded Soviets and then to the almost as equally dreaded U.S. Army. But Vanguard

1 has done what its competitors couldn't: survive. It is the oldest man-made object in

space. The 3-pound sphere, nicknamed "the grapefruit satellite" by the Russians, turns 40

on Tuesday (March 17) and could have hundreds more birthdays after that. Vanguard 1 has

left the three satellites that beat it into orbit in ashes. Sputnik 1, the first satellite launched,

lasted four months and burned up as it returned to Earth. Sputnik 2, which carried the dog

Laika, made it to five months. After the Navy had two failures with the Vanguard program,

the Army took the lead in the United States' space efforts and launched Explorer 1 in 1958.

Explorer 1 fell to Earth in 1967. But the 6.5-inch Vanguard 1 has circled Earth more than

158,000 times and keeps going around and around. It should last a few hundred years more,

engineers calculate. Vanguard l's team at Cape Canaveral 40 years ago was disappointed

when the Army took over and the press labeled Vanguard's failures "Kaputnik." That

disappointment has turned to pride. "We've got one up there a lot longer than anything

else," Vanguard launch director Bob Gray said. Vanguard 1 has flown for nearly 5.28 billion

miles. That's the same as 28 round trips between Earth and the sun, 152 round trips to the

moon and 15 times around the world - combined. Since Vanguard I was launched, 2,469

space objects have fallen back to Earth. Vanguard 1 remains in orbit because it is so high.

Vanguard 1 changed the way we look at Earth, correcting theories about the world's size,

shape and air density. Geophysicists used Vanguard's data and determined the Earth wasn't

round, but somewhat pear-shaped. Vanguard I was launched on March 17, 1958 from

Launch Complex 18A at 0725 EST. It was the second U.S. satellite. ["Energizer Bunny of

space," The Orlando Sentinel, March 16, 1998, p A-10. A Summary of Major NASA

Launches, July 1980, p A-3.]

MARCH16: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, March 16, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's

forward and aft compartment closed-outs were completed last week. Weight and center of

gravity testing was completed on Friday and Columbia was placed on the orbiter transport

53
systemSaturdayto support rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Technicians began

preparing for orbiter rollover activities at about 8 a.m. today and first motion started at

10:50 a.m. Columbia arrived in the VAB at 11:33 a.m. This afternoon, workers will connect

the sling and lift the orbiter to a vertical position and mate it to the external tank and solid

rocket boosters already stacked in VAB high bay 3. Early tomorrow morning,

orbiter/external tank hardmate will be complete and umbilical connections begin Tuesday

night. STS-91: Technicians completed leak checks on a section of flex hose recently

replaced on Discovery's tunnel adapter, and airlock water and fluid line leak tests are

complete as well. Modifications to the external tank separation camera continue. Today,

technicians are preparing to replace power control assembly No. 3 on the orbiter docking

system because the current unit has an incompatible configuration. Rework of the main

engine heat shield attach points will conclude this week and preparation for the payload

premate test is under way. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, STS-91 booster stacking

operations will resume after Shuttle Columbia is mated to the STS-90 external tank. The

right forward assembly is the final booster segment left to be stacked. STS-88: Endeavour's

orbiter docking system floodlight is being replaced and removal is complete. Removal of the

Spacelab gaseous nitrogen line is also complete. The manipulator positioning mechanism, a

device that supports the remote manipulator system, or robot arm, is being installed in the

orbiter's midbody. Torque checks of the wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue and

installation of auxiliary power unit No. 3 is slated for today. Leak checks of the main

propulsion system's gaseous hydrogen line start today and preparations for orbiter

maneuvering system (OMS) pod removal are in work. Hypergolic deservicing and cross-feed

line disconnects begin Wednesday and right hand OMS pod removal begins next Monday.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March

16].]

Lockheed Martin Atlas Rocket successfully lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Station at

4:32 p.m. Monday. The rocket, carrying a Navy communications satellite, was delayed 10

minutes because of a problem with a ground control computer. The $190 million Navy

satellite is the first of three spacecraft that will enable the Pentagon to instantaneously beam

spy satellite photos, intelligence reports, missile warning alerts and strike order to soldiers

worldwide. The 7,000-pound satellite was dropped off in an orbit with a high point of

about 14,000 miles. Thruster firings will be carried out over the next nine days to lift the

satellite into an orbit 22,300 miles above Earth. The next two satellites, which are slated to

blast off from Cape Canaveral this fall and next spring, will operate above the Atlantic and

Indian oceans, respectively. ["Atlas rocket boosts satellite into orbit," Florida Today,

March 17, 1998, p 2A. "Bound for space," Florida Today, March 17, 1998, p 1A.]

MARCH1Z. First motion of Columbia's rollover from Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 to

the Vehicle Assembly Building, began yesterday morning at 10:50 a.m. The orbiter is

scheduled to rollout to the Pad 39B on Mar. 23. Columbia, and her seven-person crew is

currently scheduled for launch on STS-90, on April 16. The mission is expected to last just

under 17 days, with a KSC landing projected on May 3. ["Columbia rolled-over to the

VAB," KSC Countdown, March 17, 1998.]

• Responding to U.S. criticism of Russian construction delays, Russia's space agency chief

claimed Tuesday the United States was facing similar difficulties on parts it is building for

54
theinternationalspacestation.AgencydirectorYuri Koptev,tryingto turn thetableson

the United States, said NASA was trying to "concentrate attention entirely on Russia's

difficulties" even though it was "three months behind" in constructing a laboratory module.

Earlier this month, NASA's Gretchen McClain, deputy associate administrator for the space

station, said the agency was 1 1/2 months behind on the module, which is supposed to fly

next year. The work was two months behind until recently, so the manufacturer has made

up some time. NASA officials also recently acknowledged that initial assembly flights this

summer - scheduled to start with a Russian rocket launch in June followed by shuttle

Endeavour in July - likely will be delayed again by two months. The agency is expected to

make a decision on Endeavour's launch date in May, officials said. ["Top Russian space

official criticizes U.S. for delays," Florida Today, March 18, 1998, p 7A.]

4) Despite some last-minute scrambling, Brevard County lawmakers were confident

Tuesday that House and Senate leaders would approve a $1.6 million plan for Florida to try

to capture the next generation space shuttle. Gov. Lawton Chiles proposed spending that

amount earlier this month, and House budget writers included the item in a $44 billion

spending plan that faces a floor vote Friday. While the item was not included in a Senate

spending plan that was circulating Tuesday, a powerful chairman pledged it would be when

the full Senate debates it Friday. Spaceport Florida Authority will use the money to help a

task force promote Cape Canaveral as the base for VentureStar, which is expected to

dominate the 21s_century launch market for commercial satellites. ["Budget plan marks $1.6

million for Florida to woo VentureStar," Florida Today, March 18, 1998, p 1A.]

For the second time in four months, heavy equipment has smacked a space shuttle

being readied for launch. Late Tuesday, a huge steel sling hit shuttle Columbia after

technicians had positioned the orbiter inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy

Space Center, officials said. There was no serious damage. "Just a scuff on a blanket

(providing insulation), that's all," said KSC shuttle operations chief Bob Sieck. A bolt that

helps keep the sling attached to the shuttle was sticking, and when workers got it free, the

sling swung back and brushed against Columbia, Sieck said. There are no delicate thermal

files in that part of the shuttle, just thermal blankets. The scuffed blanket still can be used,

Sieck said. The accident happened a month after the space alliance laid off 347 workers at

KSC, but ICing said the reductions did not have any effect on what happened. "It does not

appear to be an operator error," King said. NASA still will study the accident because

"somewhere there's a lesson learned," Sieck said. In December, a cargo bay door on shuttle

Endeavour was banged when a weld on a large brace broke and the brace slammed against

Endeavour. Shuttle insulation was damaged and replaced. Columbia still will make its April

16 launch on a flight to study the effect of zero gravity on the nervous system, officials said.

["Shuttle gets scraped - but not damaged," The Orlando Sentinel, March 19, 1998, p A-9.]

MARCHI8: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, March 18, 1998. STS-90: The

orbiter Columbia is hardmated to the external tank (ET) in VAB high bay 3 and umbilical

connections are in work. During removal of the orbiter sling yesterday evening, the aft sling

contacted the orbiter near the left aft ET attach point and damaged the thermal protection

system (TPS) in that area. Today, technicians will cut away the impacted thermal protection

system files and inspect the surface area beneath it to ensure that no structural damage to

the orbiter exists. Shuttle interface testing resumes this afternoon and managers do not

expect the additional work to significantly impact the overall schedule. Columbia remains

55
scheduledto roll out to Pad39Bon Monday morning. STS-91: Preparations are under way

for replacement of power control assembly No. 3 on Discovery's orbiter docking system

this weekend. Modifications to the external tank separation camera continue. Rework of the

main engine heat shield attach points will conclude this week. The payload premate test is in

work today. In the Vehicle Assembly Building o STS-91 booster stacking operations have

resumed with mating of the right forward assembly segment. STS-88: Endeavour's main

propulsion system leak and functional testing began yesterday and continues through

Monday. Installation of auxiliary power unit No. 3 begins tomorrow and concludes Friday.

Torque checks of the wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue. Hypergolic deservicing and

cross-feed line disconnects are now slated to begin tomorrow and right hand OMS pod

removal is planned for next Thursday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 18].]

• Payload Processing Status Report, Wednesday, March 18, 1998. NEUROLAB (STS90): Simulator training for Neurolab experiment installation at the launch pad. 9_ MIR

docking Spacehab double module Alphamagnetic Spectrometer (AMS) (STS-91)" Transfer

AMS from Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) to Space Station Processing

Facility (SSPF). International Space Station-Node 1/PMA-1/PMA-2 (STS-88): Pressurized

leak test of Node-1. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Payload

Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 18].]

MARCH 19: The international space station may have to be put on hold and re-evaluated

because of more problems with the project's Russian partners, a senior NASA official said

Thursday. Joseph Rothenbergo NASA's associate administrator for space flight, told

Congress the decision on whether to press ahead would come May 15. That is when NASA

will know whether it wants to continue delays from the Russian Space Agency - or admit to

Congress the station cannot be completed as planned. Rothenberg's public

acknowledgment was the first from a NASA manager that the Russians' participation has

become so integral the station can't be built without them - unless Congress is willing to

spend much more money and time. His comments came during a Capitol Hill hearing in

which some of the project's staunchest supporters said they were shaken by NASA's recent

admission of another cost overrun, this one nearly $4 billion. ["Space station project in

peril," Florida Today, March 20, 1998, p 1A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, March 19, 1998. STS-90: Technicians

completed inspections of the orbiter surface beneath a scuffed thermal blanket on

Columbia's left aft sidewall. Inspections revealed no structural damage. Workers are

completing efforts today to put the original blanket back in place. The incident occurred

Tuesday evening when the orbiter's aft sling contacted a thermal blanket following

orbiter/external tank mating activities in the VAB. KSC managers expect no schedule

delays due to the additional work. No thermal files were damaged and KSC managers

expect no schedule delays due to the additional work. The Shuttle Interface Test is in work

and will conclude tomorrow. Preparations for Columbia's rollout to Pad 39B started this

afternoon and the Shuttle is expected to begin first motion at 7 a.m. on Monday. Atop the

giant crawler transporter, the Shuttle is slated to arrive at the pad by 1 p.m. Monday and the

Rotating Service Structure will be pulled around the Shuttle at about 4 p.m. STS-91:

56
Preparationscontinuefor replacementof powercontrol assembly(PCA)No. 3 on

Discovery'sorbiterdockingsystemthisweekend.ThePCAisincompatiblewith a new

AdrogynisPeripheralDockingSystem(APDS)thatwill fly for thefirst timeonSTS-91.

The newAPDSmechanismisintendedfor useon theInternationalSpaceStation.

Auxiliarypowerunit installationiscompleteandleakchecksarein work. Thepayload

prematetestisscheduledthroughnextweek. In theVehicleAssemblyBuilding,stackingof

the rightforwardassemblysegmentconcludedyesterdaycompletingtheSTS-91solidrocket

boosterstack.STS-88:Endeavour'smainpropulsionsystemleakandfunctionaltesting

beganyesterdayandcontinuesthroughMonday.Torquechecksof thewing-to-fuselage

attachboltscontinue.Hypergolicdeservicingandcross-feedline disconnectsareunderway

andrighthandOMSpod removalpreparationsbeginnextweek.BruceBuckingham.(1998).

KennedySpaceCenterSpaceShuttleStatusReport [Online]. AvailableE-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status[1998,March19].]

MARCH20: Sen. Patsy Kurth, D-Malabar, passed a last-minute, $1.6 million budget

amendment Friday that supporters say will rescue the future of Florida's commercial space

industry. Kurth's amendment, adopted during a marathon floor session, brought the Senate

version in line with the House. That means it stands a much greater chance of surviving

final House and Senate budget negotiations, which begin after next week's vote. ["Senate

Oks space money," Florida Today, March 21, 1998, p lB.]

MARCH21: NASA's Cassini probe is headed for its first big maneuver since leaving

Earth. The craft, launched Oct. 15, is hurtling toward Venus for a planetary shove next

month in the direction of its eventual target - Saturn. If all goes as planned, Cassini is to

ship around Venus on April 26 and use the planet's gravity to gain speed for its 2-billionmile journey to the Saturn system. The Venus maneuver will be followed in the next few

years by three more planetary flybys. The craft is to loop around Venus again in June 1999,

Earth in August 1999 and Jupiter in December 2000. Cassini is to reach Saturn in 2004.

["Cassini on course for Venus flyby," Florida Today, March 22, 1998, p 1A.]

MARCH2,2: After a costly delay in construction, NASA's $1.3 billion Advanced X-ray

Astrophysics Facility is finally finished and should be ready for shipment to Kennedy Space

Center this summer. That would put the telescope on track for a December launch aboard

shuttle Columbia on a mission to give scientists unprecedented views of the unseen X-ray

universe - and a better idea of the engines driving the cosmos. Columbia is scheduled to

carry the telescope into space Dec. 3. The X-ray telescope is the third of NASA's four

"great observatories" that experts are using to rewrite our understanding of the universe.

The final instrument in the group - the Space Infrared Telescope Facility - is scheduled for

launch in 2001. ["X-ray probe will zoom on cosmos," Florida Today, March 23, 1998, p

1A&2A.]

MARCH23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, March 23, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's

Shuttle Interface Test was successfully concluded Friday. At about 7:30 a.m. today the

Shuttle began its 4.2 mile trip to launch Pad 39B atop the crawler transporter. It is expected

to be hard down on the pad surface at about 1:30 p.m. today. The Rotating Service

Structure will be moved to the park position around the Shuttle at about 4:30 p.m. today.

STS-91: Over the weekend, workers completed auxiliary power unit connections and orbiter

maneuvering system (OMS) cross-feed connections. OMS leak checks are under way.

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Replacement of power control assembly (PCA) No. 3 on Discovery's orbiter docking

system is complete and functional tests are planned throughout this week. In the Vehicle

Assembly Building, solid rocket booster stacking operations are complete and close-outs are

in work. Preparations are under way to mate the new super lightweight external tank to the

boosters on Thursday. Workers will perform a final weighing of the tank just prior to

mating activities. STS-88: Replacement of a liquid hydrogen 4-inch disconnect is complete.

Technicians will disconnect Endeavour's OMS cross-feed lines today and begin hypergolic

deservicing tonight. Torque checks of the orbiter's left wing-to-fuselage attach bolts

continue. The manipulator positioning mechanism that supports the robot arm is being

installed in the orbiter's midbody. Right hand OMS pod removal is slated to begin

Wednesday and checks of the forward reaction control system thrusters are in work. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 23].]

• Building the international space station will take two years longer and cost nearly $3

billion more than NASA just said 12 days ago, an independent team of experts will report

this week. NASA Administrator Dan Goldin told lawmakers March 12 that the space

station price was rising from $17.4 billion to $21.3 billion. But the latest cost estimate is

overly optimistic, said Jay Chabrow, head of a seven-member review team that Goldin

appointed last fall to provide an outside analysis of station accounting. The price tag likely

will be $24 billion, Chabrow said. The station will cost more because it will take longer to

build - as much as 38 months - Chabrow, a former executive with aerospace giant TRW,

said in a interview Monday. NASA thinks the station will be completed by December 2003.

NASA officials have not seen Chabrow's report, which will be submitted to the agency

Friday, and would not comment. It will be forwarded to Congress by Monday. ["Billions

more for space station?" The Orlando Sentinel, March 24, 1998, p A-I&A-5.]

MARCH24: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, March 24, 1998. STS-90: Shuttle

Columbia arrived at Pad 39B yesterday at about 3:20 p.m. At about 7 p.m., the Rotating

Service Structure was extended around the Shuttle. Launch pad validations began yesterday

and will continue through this evening. Preparations are in work for the Shuttle main engine

Flight Readiness Test tonight and the helium signature leak test on Friday. Workers will

perform a routine freon flush of a gaseous nitrogen line on the Mobil Launch Platform

today. The orbiter midbody umbilical unit is slated for standard leak checks today and

orbiter hydraulic connections are scheduled for tonight. STS-91: Rework on a connector

for Discovery's orbiter docking system and the new androgynous peripheral docking system

is complete. Potable water servicing is in work today and modifications of the orbiter's

external tank 0gT) separation camera continue. Cycling tests on the right hand ET

umbilical door are under way and power redundancy tests on the orbiter's aidock are in

work. Tunnel adapter hatch "D" is being installed in Discovery's midbody today and

functional tests on hatch "C" and "D" will precede tunnel adapter installation set for next

Tuesday. Preparations are in work for main engine installation late next week. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, preparations continue for orbiter/ET mate on Thursday. STS88: Technicians completed deservicing Endeavour's oxidizer lines last night and fuel line

draining will resume on Thursday. Torque checks of the orbiter's left wing-to-fuselage attach

bolts continue. The manipulator positioning mechanism that supports the robot arm is

being installed in the orbiter's midbody. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

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Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 24].]

MARCH25: Looking as regal and svelte as his famous father did 37 years ago, John F.

Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday night visited the place where the moon race began. Helping to

celebrate the premiere of HBO's celebrated Apollo docudrama series, he mingled with an

estimated 900 guests at the Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center. Actor/director Tom

Hanks and H-BO hope the "From the Earth to the Moon" series will do for television

audiences what "Titanic" is doing at movie box offices across the nation - revisit an epic

milestone with dramatic and personal narrative. Kennedy was making only his second visit

to KSC, which is named after his father. His first trip was eight years ago. Real life moon

walker Buzz Aldrin paused to discuss his futuristic ideas on space tourism with bystanders,

but the reporters and photographers held behind a velvet restraining ropes bolted for

Kennedy the moment he arrived. Kennedy gave them his reasons for attending the affair:

"(HBO) found the entertainment potential in American history. The space program was

really the blending of political will, technological innovation and popular imagination. And I

think they have found a way to really dramatize that, and we're happy to participate." As

for you JFK's futuristic vision of space: "this space station is the next logical step. I look

forward to learning a little bit more about it and understanding what it's about." During his

presentation Kennedy said that when his dad first started talking about going to the moon, a

Gallup poll found only one third of the public supported the effort. Most non-NASA

scientists were against the effort, he said. He expressed awe of the Saturn V rocket, noting

it was six stories higher than the Statue of Liberty and burned fuel at the same rate as three

million automobiles.

The 12-part docudrama, which Hanks produced, co-directed and co-wrote, was fdmed

partially on location at Kennedy Space Center last year. Tracing the beginning of the moon

campaign from Alan Shepard's 1961 suborbital flight through the final Apollo mission in

1972, "From the Earth to the Moon" will debut on April 5 and air new installment for six

successive Sundays. Hanks, a two-time Academy Award Best Actor winner, had other

filming obligations and was unable to attend the KSC premiere. Hanks became a space buff

during the filming of "Apollo 13," which chronicled the saga of the ill-fated 1970 mission.

He and Disney-MGM Studios were instrumental in salvaging the so-called White Room, the

launch gantry boarding platform, from NASA's rusting "boneyard" and employing the

refurbished version for the production. ["JFK Jr. joins stars at HBO premiere," Florida

Today, March 26, 1998, p 1A&2A.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, March 25, 1998. STS-90: Launch pad

validations continue and Columbia's main engine Flight Readiness Test is complete. Orbiter

hydraulic connections began last night and will conclude later today. Preparations for

Friday's helium signature leak test are under way. Purging of the gaseous nitrogen (GN2)

lines on the mobile launch platform continues and cleaning of a GN2 panel is in work.

Minor hydrocarbon buildup from previous launch activities requires cleaning of the GN2

equipment. STS-91: Tests on Discovery's right hand external tank umbilical door and

airlock power redundancy tests are complete. Verification of the orbiter docking system

(ODS) and androgynous peripheral docking system is complete. Potable water servicing

and modifications of the orbiter's external tank (ET) separation camera continue. Tunnel

adapter hatch "D" installation continues in Discovery's midbody and the tunnel adapter will

59
beinstallednextTuesday.Payloadpremate testing begins tomorrow and continues through

Saturday. Preparations are in work for main engine installation late next week. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, preparations continue for orbiter/ET mate tomorrow. STS-88:

Tonight technicians will begin efforts to drain Endeavour's orbiter reaction control system

cross-feed lines and complete hypergolic deservicing. Engineers are evaluating a leaky

thruster on the forward reaction control system (FRCS) and may opt to replace the thruster

after FRCS removal. Torque checks of the orbiter's left wing-to-fuselage attach bolts

continue. The manipulator positioning mechanism that supports the robot ann is being

installed in the orbiter's midbody. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 25].]

MARCH26: The launch of NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE)

spacecraft aboard on Orbital Sciences Pegasus X.L vehicle is scheduled for Wednesday, Apr.

1, during a window which extends from 9:38:32 - 9:45:40 p.m., EST. The drop of the

Pegasus from the L-1011 aircraft is targeted to occur inside the launch window at 9:40 p.m.

at a location over the Pacific Ocean approximately 100 miles from Vandenberg Air Force

Base, CA. ["TRACE spacecraft to be launched aboard Pegasus XL Apr. 1," KSC

Countdown, March 26, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, March 26, 1998. STS-90: Launch pad

validations continue and Columbia's hydraulic connections are complete. Main engine ball

seal leak checks are in work and preparations are under way for the helium signature leak

test set for tomorrow. Purging of the gaseous nitrogen (GN2) lines on the mobile launch

platform and cleaning of a GN2 panel continues through next week. Auxiliary power unit

interface leak checks are under way and preparations for hypergolic system loading are in

work. Prelaunch propellant load is slated for the middle of next week. On Monday, the

orbiter's payload bay doors will be opened to give technicians access to two bolts on a

getaway special canister. Workers will add a washer to each bolt to ensure proper torque

and the doors will be closed again on Tuesday. The minor unplanned work will not impact

the launch date. STS-91: Discovery's body flap shaft installation is complete and body flap

rub panel modification is in work. External tank (ET) separation camera modifications

continue and the super lightweight tank instrumentation work is underway. Auxiliary power

unit lubrication servicing is in progress. Preparations continue for tunnel adapter

installation Tuesday. Payload premate testing begins tomorrow and continues through

Saturday. Preparations are also in work for main engine installation late next week. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, preparations continue for orbiter/ET mate. STS-88: Leak

checks of the replaced liquid hydrogen four-inch disconnect are complete and good.

Change-out of a leaky liquid oxygen prevalve on Endeavour's main propulsion system is

complete and checks are in work. Draining of the fight hand orbiter maneuvering system

fuel cross-feed lines has been rescheduled to next week. Next week, technicians will also

remove the forward reaction control system (FRCS) to replace a leaky thruster. Torque

checks of the orbiter's left wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue. Installation of the

manipulator positioning mechanism that supports the robot arm continues. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 26].]

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• If NASA sold tickets on the space shuttle and squeezed 50 passengers aboard, it would

have to charge $10 million per ticket just to break even, a study shows. The study, done

join@ by NASA and private industry, concludes the space-vacation business is feasible,

potentially lucrative, and not that far in the future. But it said the price would have to come

down to about $100,000 to make civilian travel feasible. "It's got to get 100 times more

reliable and 100 times more regular," said Jack Mansfield, a former NASA associate

administrator. "There are technical, operational, regulatory and other problems, but the

study concluded that these problems are no longer intractable," said Thomas Rogers,

president of the Space Transportation Association. "We can begin to open up space to the

general public." The report said the space-ride business should be done by private

enterprises separate from NASA, but the government would be needed to help such

enterprises get off the ground. Rogers said he envisioned private rocketeers providing

suborbital flights on demand in less than 10 years. ["Civilian space travel feasible, but

costly," Florida Today, March 27, 1998, p 1D.]

MARCH2Z" Kennedy Space Center's first full-fledged astronaut is coming back to her

former home port next week to take part in a dress rehearsal for a planned April 16 launch

aboard shuttle Columbia. Former shuttle engineer I<LayHire, who was selected as an

astronaut in December 1994, will fly in to the space center's air field Sunday with the rest of

the crew for Columbia's flight, a 17-day medical research mission. Led by veteran astronaut

Richard Searfoss, the seven-member crew will go through emergency training at launch pad

39B on Monday. The next day, the astronauts will suit up and board Columbia for the last

three hours of a two-day practice countdown. "We're excited that Kay is coming home,

and we're looking forward to providing her the first class support that we give all the

astronauts," KSC spokesman Joel Wells said Friday. "But she is very special to us." Hire,

38, worked as a shuttle engineer at KSC from May 1989 until March 1995, when she moved

to Houston to begin astronaut training at Johnson Space Center. She will serve as a mission

specialist on Columbia's flight, which will be the 90 tb for NASA's shuttle program.

Preparations for Columbia's launch remain on schedule for a planned launch at 2:19 p.m.

April 16. Senior NASA managers, meanwhile, will hold a formal flight readiness review at

KSC on Thursday. ["KSC's first astronaut, six others arrive Sunday for launch rehearsal,"

Florida Today, March 28, 1998, p 2A.]

• Payload Processing Status Report, Friday, March 27, 1998. NEUROLAB (STS-90):

Mid-deck experiment hardware interface verification testing. Preparations for Neurolab and

mid-deck experiment stowage. 9 d' MIR docking Spacehab module Alphamagnetic

Spectrometer (AMS) (STS-91): AMS stand-alone testing. International Space Station-Node

1/PMA-1/PMA-2 (STS-88): PMA-2 electrical harness installation. Digital analysis and

documentation of Node-1 port interfaces. Resumption of common berthing mechanism

testing. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Payload Processing

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, March 27].]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, March 27, 1998. STS-90: Launch pad validations

are essentially complete less orbiter midbody umbilical mating activities, currently slated for

the first week in April. Main engine ball seal leak checks were completed yesterday and

helium signature leak testing occurs today. Purging of the gaseous nitrogen (GN2) lines on

the mobile launch platform and cleaning of a GN2 panel continues through this weekend.

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Preparationsfor nextweek'sprelaunch propellant load are in work. NASA managers may

opt to open Columbia's payload bay doors on Monday to give technicians access to two

bolts on a getaway special canister. If the work is needed, technicians will add a washer to

each bolt to ensure that the bolts are properly secured. The doors will be closed again on

Tuesday. The minor unplanned work will not impact the launch date. STS-91: Discovery's

body flap shaft installation and auxiliary power unit lubrication servicing are complete.

Thermal protection system work near the nose landing gear is complete and will pickup on

the body flap rub panel Monday. Body flap rub panel modifications continue through next

week. Auxiliary power unit electrical checkouts are in work today. Orbiter docking system

electrical and mechanical system checks are slated for Saturday and payload premate testing

begins Monday. Preparations are also in work for main engine installation late next week.

STS-88: Draining of the right hand orbiter maneuvering system fuel cross-feed lines has

been rescheduled to next week. Next week, technicians will also remove the forward

reaction control system (FRCS) to replace a leaky thruster. Torque checks of the orbiter's

left wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue. Installation of the manipulator positioning

mechanism that supports the robot arm continues. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 27].]

MARCI-I29: The most difficult project ever planned in space passes through here first.

Inside a building that could hold 180 average-size homes, workers at Kennedy Space Center

are hustling around the first U.S. piece of the international space station. Dressed in white

coveralls and plastic gloves, they are meticulously checking every inch of the 22-foot

component, which will be used as a docking port for space shuttles and a hallway leading to

other station rooms. It is the first of 22 large station pieces that are to be prepared at KSC

for flight in an effort so complex that it rivals the epic work done at the spaceport to send

men to the moon. "We've never done anything quite like this before," said Steve Francois,

one of KSC's top space station officials. The work is going on day in and day out, despite

new and serious funding and political problems in Washington, D.C., facing the embattled,

14-year-old project. Despite the avalanche of bad news, KSC technicians are quietly

combining the patience and skill of a surgeon with the brawn of massive machinery to

prepare millions of pounds of station hardware for flight. The men and women say their

work is a critical link in a complex chain that starts at the drawing board and ends when the

station's lights finally are turned on in orbit.

At KSC, it could take workers as little as six weeks or as long as a year to get individual parts

ready for launch. Each piece must be problem-free because officials don't know what to

expect when it all gets into space. "In orbit, there's not a question in anyone's mind that

we're going to find a lot of peculiar things," said John Talone, director of the Space Station

Integration Office at KSC. KSC workers have one thing in their favor: years of experience

gingerly shuffling equipment and experiments into rockets and shuttles and lofting them

above the Earth. NASA first orbiting space station, called Skylab, was prepared and

launched from KSC in the 1970s aboard Saturn rockets. This decade, KSC experts also

have prepared such delicate payloads at the Hubble Space Telescope, the Galileo probe to

Jupiter and the Cassini spacecraft to Saturn. "The strong point of Kennedy is its ability to

take complex payload elements and integrate them into a single shuttle flight or a

combination of flights, like we have coming up with space station," Kinslow said. "I feel

like we have the best experts working on this." Their skill will be tested this summer, when

62
plans call for different station pieces to be assembled to see how they work together.

"Obviously, there's a lot of stuffyou can't do when you're building a station one piece at a

time in orbit," Talone said. "But we believe the testing and verification we've evolved to is

complete. Everything that can be done here is being done in spades." ["KSC skills pull

station together," Florida Today, March 30, 1998, p 1A&2A.]

MARCH30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, March 30, 1998. STS-90: Engineers

completed efforts to load test configuration software to support Columbia's upcoming

prelaunch tests. Helium signature leak testing concluded last week. Over the weekend,

workers continued efforts to flush the gaseous nitrogen system lines and expect to complete

their efforts today. Loading of prelaunch propellants into Columbia's on-board storage

tanks begins Wednesday. The STS-90 flight crew arrived at KSC yesterday and are

involved with mission familiarization activities today. On Tuesday they will participate in

the Terminal Coundown Demonstration Test with a full dress, simulated main engine

shutoff at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Having reviewed available payload data, NASA managers are

confident that the two bolts on a getaway special canister (GASCAN) in Columbia's payload

bay are properly secured and ready for flight. Opening the orbiter's payload bay doors to

access the GASCAN will not be necessary. STS-91: Installation of pyrotechnic devices that

support Discovery's remote manipulator system, landing gear, Ku Band antenna and Firex

system is Complete. Body flap rub panel modifications continue, through next week.

Auxiliary power unit lubrication servicing and orbiter docking system electrical and

mechanical system checks are in work. Payload premate testing is slated for today and main

engine installation begins later this week. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, ET/SRB mate

was postponed last Thursday while workers conducted inspections of the STS-91 solid

rocket booster stack. An extensive search for a magnet location marker missing from the

right forward center segment is under way. The magnet is used by VAB workers as a visual

reference during segment mating operations only and removed after stacking is complete.

Managers have viewed video that shows the black, 3/4" wide x 2" long magnet properly

afftxed before the right forward center segment was mated to the right aft center segment.

However, no video is available of that portion of the booster after mating activities were

complete. NASA managers are evaluating the unlikely possibility that during stacking

operations the small magnet fell into the center joint that connects the forward segment

with the aft segment. Extensive inspections conducted during mating activities give no

indication that the magnet fell into the center segment. Pending successful completion of

this evaluation, ET/SRB mate is scheduled to resume Wednesday and managers would then

expect no impact to the STS-91 launch date. STS-88: Torque checks of Endeavour's left

wing-to-fuselage attach bolts are complete. Draining of the right hand orbiter maneuvering

system fuel cross-feed lines begins today in preparation for right band orbiter maneuvering

system pod removal next week. Technicians will complete forward reaction control system

(FRCS) removal on Wednesday and then begin work to replace a leaky thruster. With

installation of the manipulator positioning mechanism complete this week, technicians will

install the robot ann next Thursday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, March 30].]

4, A missing magnet that may have been sealed inside one of shuttle Discovery's boosters

could delay the ship's May launch, NASA officials said Monday. The tiny magnet, which is

used to mark locations on the outside of the booster during assembly, was discovered

63
missing last week. It had not been recovered by late Monday, prompting concerns that the

magnetic strip may have been sealed inside the 14-story booster while it was being

assembled. If the magnet is not found, NASA officials will have to decide if they need to

take the booster apart and examine it for the missing object, said Joel Wells, a spokesman at

Kennedy Space Center. However, they also could decide that the tiny magnet poses no

danger to the booster's performance - even if it is inside - and continue with preparations

for Discovery's May 28 launch. Wells said NASA wants to make a decision by Wednesday.

If the agency decides to take the booster apart, the extra work would delay Discovery's

flight by about a week, he said. The spaceship currently is set to make NASA's final flight

to the Russian space station Mir, where NASA astronaut Andy Thomas is serving a fourmonth tour of duty. The magnet, which is three-fourths of an inch wide and 2 inches long,

is among 36 small magnets used to mark the outside of a booster segment while technicians

are stacking it with adjoining sections. Technicians use the magnets as visual markers to

align the segments correctly. Just because it is missing, NASA officials say, does not mean

that the magnet is inside its booster. Some observers worry that the job cuts with United

Space Alliance could cause the remaining NASA workers to be overburdened, prompting

mistakes. "There is no reason to believe that this is any way related to workmanship, the

cutbacks or morale," Wells said. ["Shuttle faces delayed launch," Florida Today, March

31, 1998, p 4A.]

It's the one place Kay Hire has never been in at Kennedy Space Center - strapped

inside a shuttle ready for launch. Hire will become the first KSC engineer to attempt the

leap from Earth to space during a 16- to 17-day mission of shuttle Columbia in April. In

town to practice for the April 16 launch, KSC's first astronaut said Monday that the

upcoming flight gives her a new perspective on the spaceport where she worked for six

years. "It's a much different feeling seeing that vehicle sit there on the pad because that's

the one I'm going to fly this time," said Hire, an engineer and commander in the Navy

Reserve. "It's a great feeling of anticipation and excitement." On her debut spaceflight,

Hire and her crewmates are to run a science-packed mission devoted to the study of the

nervous system. As the crew's flight engineer, Hire's main job will be helping oversee the

spaceship's systems while four of her flying partners carry out experiments designed to

uncover the intricacies of the brain and nervous system. "She's carrying the hopes and

aspirations of a lot of great workers down here at the Cape into space with her," said

Columbia's Commander Richard Searfoss. "My experience here at the Kennedy Space

Center has given me even greater confidence as a crew member because I know the hard

work that goes in here," Hire said. "The folks that work here really, truly put their lives

into this job. They truly understand the importance of it." Hire will be making her first

spaceflight with a crew that includes pilot Scott Airman and astronauts Rick Linnehan, Dave

Williams, Jay Buckey Jr. and Jim Pawelczyk. [''Astronaut prepares for debut," Florida

T__o_d__,March 31, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

MARCH31: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, March 31, 1998. STS-90: Launch

preparations for STS-90 continue on schedule. Flushing of the gaseous nitrogen system

lines on the mobile launch platform at Pad 39B concludes today. Loading of prelaunch

propellants into Columbia's on-board storage tanks begins tomorrow. Early next week,

orbiter aft compartment close-outs and ordnance installation will begin. The STS-90 flight

crew will conclude their mission familiarization activities at KSC today following a dress

rehearsal of a simulated main engine cut-off at the launch pad. They are slated to return to

64
theirhomesin Houston,TX laterthisafternoon. STS-91:Auxiliarypowerunit lubrication

servicingandorbiterdockingsystempassivedockingchecksarecomplete.Payloadpremate

testingis inwork throughtomorrowandpreparationsfor mainengineinstallationon

Thursdayarein work. Tunneladapterinstallationis inwork today. Externaltankandsolid

rocketboostermatingactivitieswill resumetomorrowwith noimpactexpectedto

Discovery'stargetlaunchdate.Yesterday,NASAmanagersdiscussedtheissueof a location

markermagnetthatwasreportedmissingfrom the rightforwardcentersegmentof the

STS-91boosterstacklastweek.Basedon thoroughinspectionsandmonitoringduring

stackingoperations,KSCofficialsareconfidentthatthe 3/4" widex 2" longmagnetdidnot

fall intothe centerjoint that connectsthe booster'sforwardandaft segments.STS-88:

Torquechecksof Endeavour'srightwing-to-fuselageattachboltsarein work.Drainingof

theright handorbitermaneuveringsystemfuelcross-feed lines is in work. Technicians will

complete forward reaction control system (FRCS) removal on Wednesday and then begin

work to replace a leaky thruster in the Hypergol Maintenance Facility. With installation of

the manipulator positioning mechanism complete this week, technicians will install the

robot arm next Thursday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, March 31].]

# NASA decided Tuesday that shuttle Discovery's boosters are safe for the ship's May

launch to the Russian station Mir, ending a search for a missing magnet feared to be inside

one of the twin rockets. The small magnet still is lost, but officials said it was highly unlikely

it accidentally was sealed inside a booster during assembly. Used as a marker on the outside

of the booster, the magnet more likely was knocked off by accident and lost in the Kennedy

Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building_ officials said. "There have been times when

we've caught human hairs and brush bristles," KSC spokesman Joel Wells said. "The

thought of them missing a 2-inch magnet is almost impossible." By picking up booster

work, NASA will be on track for Discovery's planned May 28 launch to the Russian space

station Mir to pick up American astronaut Andy Thomas. Officials said even if the magnet

- three quarters of an inch wide and 2 inches long - were inside the booster, it would not

affect the safety of the flight. Engineers at Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,

conducted an exhaustive analysis of that possibility using computer simulations, and they

found no safety threat, said June Malone, a Marshall spokeswoman. Members of a NASA

watchdog group expressed confidence Tuesday in NASA's decision. They also doubted the

mishap was linked to recent job cuts at KSC that have left fewer workers to prepare the

shuttles for launch. ["Missing magnet won't delay flight," Florida Today, April 1, 1998, p

1A.]

DURING MARCH: Bruce H. S. Anderson has become the chief counsel of Kennedy

Space Center. Anderson most recently served as chief counsel for the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers TransAtlantic Programs Center in Winchester, VA, providing legal oversight and

support for the Corps' construction, operations, and maintenance projects in Europe, the

former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Africa. Anderson has a bachelor of science

degree in civil engineering from the University of Alabama. He earned his law degree from

the same institution in 1975. Between engineering and law school, he was employed as a

structural design engineer with Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Newport

News, VA. ["New chief counsel named at Kennedy Space Center," The Brevard

Technical Journal, March 98, p 7.]

65
NASA'sKennedySpaceCenter(I_C) isslatedto receivemorethan$270millionin

newfundingnextyear,U.S.RepresentativeDaveWeldon(R-PalmBay)hasannounced.

NASA'sfiscalyear1999budgetrequest,aswellasthePresident'stotal federalbudget

proposal,wassubmittedto CapitolHill. KSC fundingwouldrisefrom $583million this

yearto nearly$855million text yearunderthe NASAplanandis oneof only threeNASA

fieldcentersto receiveafundingincrease.SpendingontheSpaceShuttleprogramwould

increaseto $3.06billion, up$136millionfrom $2.92billionthis year.NASA'soverall

budgetrequestof $13.5billion isonlyslightlylowerthanthisyear's$13.6billion allocation

andisasignificantimprovementoverearlierWhiteHouseplansto cut NASA's fundingby

up to a billiondollars.That proposalwasreversedwhenWeldon,workingwith

RepresentativesDennisKucinich(D-OH) andNick Lampson (D-TX), led a bipartisan

effort to demonstrate support for NASA on Capitol Hill. Their effort to stabilize NASA's

funding garnered the support of more than 200 of their House colleagues, including House

Speaker Newt Gingrich, and is widely credited with holding off the Administration's original

plans for deep cuts. ["KSC, Shuttle to receive budget increases," The Brevard Technical

Journal, March 98, p 28.]

66
APRIL

APRIL 1: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, April 1, 1998. STS-90: The STS-90

launch countdown will begin at 2 a.m. on 4/13/98. Yesterday, the Terminal Countdown

Demonstration Test was completed successfully. Loading of prelaunch propellants into

Columbia's on-board storage tanks begins today and continues through Friday. Drying of

the gaseous nitrogen (GN2) lines on the mobile launch platform is in progress as GN2

system cleaning efforts conclude. Technicians will resume external tank ordnance canister

modifications in Columbia's aft compartment after hypergolic loading is complete. Early

next week, orbiter aft compartment close-outs and ordnance installation will begin. STS-91:

Functional tests of Discovery's external tank umbilical doors and ammonia system servicing

are complete. Technicians have also completed installation of the payload bay camera.

Heat shield and body flap work continues in the orbiter's aft compartment as preparations

for main engine installation are in work. Payload premate testing will conclude today and

preparations for tunnel adapter installation continue. In the Vehicle Assembly Building high

bay 1, external tank and solid rocket booster mating activities resume today following super

lightweight tank weighing operations. STS-88: Draining of Endeavour's right-hand orbiter

maneuvering system fuel cross-feed lines is complete and removal of any residual fuel is in

work. Torque checks of the right wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue. Removal of the

orbiter's forward reaction control system (FRCS) is in work and the FRCS will be delivered

to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility tomorrow to undergo thruster replacement. Main

propulsion system gaseous hydrogen leak checks are slated to occur this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 01].]

• Journalists will no longer be allowed to listen in on conversations between Russian

Mission Control and cosmonauts on the Mir space station, officials said Thursday. The

shift in policy came after a seven-hour spacewalk Wednesday failed to accomplish repairs to

the outside of Mir. When asked why the sound system was turned off, officials said it

reflected a recent decision to prevent reporters from listening in. Pressed further, Deputy

Mission Control chief Viktor Blagov cited problems with "unconscientious" journalists who

allegedly exaggerated some of Mir's past problems. ["Media can't eavesdrop on Mir,"

Florida Today, April 3, 1998, p 9A.]

APRIL 2: Space Shuttle Program managers today affirmed April 16 as the launch date for

NASA's second Shuttle mission of 1998 - a two week plus life sciences research flight that

will focus on the most complex and least understood part of the human body, the nervous

system. The Flight Readiness Review held at the Kennedy Space Center earlier today is the

final major review by all of the Shuttle project offices to evaluate the readiness of the flight

crew, vehicle, along with launch and mission control flight teams to support the launch of

Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-90 Neurolab mission. Columbia is scheduled for

launch on April 16, 1998 from Launch Complex 3913. The 2 I/2 hour available launch

window opens at 2:19 p.m. Eastern. The STS-90 mission is scheduled to last 15 days, 21

hours, 50 minutes. However, mission managers are reserving an option of extending the

flight one additional day for science operations if Shuttle electrical power margins permit. A

launch on April 16 and a 16 or 17 day nominal mission being flown would have Columbia

landing back at Kennedy Space Center on May 2 or May 3. The STS-90 Mission

Commander is Richard A. Searfoss. Pilot for the flight is Scott D. Altman. There are three

67
mission specialists assigned to this mission - Richard M. Linnehan, who is also serving as the

Payload Commander, Kathryn P. (Kay) Hire and Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams from the

Canadian Space Agency. Two payload specialists - Jay Clark Buckey, Jr. and James A. (Jim)

Pawelczyk - round out the seven member STS-90 crew. STS-90 will be the 252 flight of

Columbia and the 90 m mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in April

1981. ["Neurolab Shuttle Mission to launch April 16," NASA News Release #45-98,

April 2, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, April 2, 1998. STS-90: At Pad 39B, launch

preparations continue on schedule. Prelaunch oxidizer loading is complete and loading of

fuel into Columbia's on-board storage tanks is in work. Cleaning of the gaseous nitrogen

lines on the mobile launch platform continues through tomorrow. Today, workers will run

cycling tests on the circuit breaker controller that supports Columbia's main engine No. 2.

Technicians will resume external tank ordnance canister modifications in Columbia's aft

compartment after hypergolic loading is complete. Early next week, orbiter aft

compartment close-outs and ordnance installation will begin. The STS-90 Flight Readiness

Review is underway and NASA managers are expected to announce April 16 as Columbia's

official launch date at the conclusion of the meeting. STS-91: Workers are removing access

platforms used for Discovery's body flap work to make way for Shuttle main engine

installation efforts. Engine installation is slated to begin late tonight and body flap rub

panel work will resume next week. Payload premate testing has resumed today following

successful troubleshooting of a failed signal during yesterday's testing. Tunnel adapter

installation is slated to begin early next week. In Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 1,

mating of the first super lightweight external tank and STS-91 solid rocket boosters is

complete. STS-88: Removal of Endeavour's forward reaction control system (FRCS) was

completed yesterday, and the FRCS will be moved to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility

today for about one month of work to replace a leaky thruster. Removal of residual fuel

from the orbiter's right-hand OMS cross-feed lines continues in preparation for next week's

removal of the right-hand OMS pod. Torque checks of the right wing-to-fuselage attach

bolts continue. Main propulsion system gaseous hydrogen leak checks are slated for this

week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April

2].]

APRIL 3: Payload Processing StatusReport, Friday, April 3, 1998. NEUROLAB (STS-90):

Preparations in pad payload changeout room for Neurolab initial experiment stowage. 9_

Mir docking Spacehab module Alphamagnetic Spectrometer (AMS) (STS-91): AMS standalone testing. International Space Station-Node 1/PMA-1/PMA-2 (STS-88): Rotation of

node to zenith down. Resumption of testing for node common berthing mechanism.

Preparation of PMA-3 for oxygen and nitrogen line installation. KSC arrival activities for

ISS-3/4A Long Spacer (STS-97). Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Payload Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 3].]

• Expendable Launch Vehicle Payload Processing Status, Friday, April 3, 1998. ELV

spacecraft arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: May 9. Mars Orbiter: Sept. 4. Mars

Lander. October 15. Stardust: Nov. 12. Space Shuttle: AXAF (STS-93): August 14. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Payload Processing Status Report

68
[Online]. AvailableE-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April

31.1

# Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, April 3, 1998. STS-90: At Pad 39B, prelaunch

propellant load is complete. Columbia is currently powered down to allow workers to

replace an electrical circuit breaker that supports main engine No. 2. The breaker failed

during tests yesterday. Ordnance canister modifications in Columbia's aft compartment have

resumed following successful hypergol loading efforts. Early next week, orbiter aft

compartment close-outs and ordnance installation activities begin. The STS-90 Flight

Readiness Review concluded yesterday afternoon and NASA managers affirmed April 16 as

Columbia's official launch date. STS-91: Installation of Discovery's main engines began last

night with engine No. 1. Main engines No. 2 and No. 3 will be installed today. Body flap

rub panel work will resume next week. In the orbiter's midbody, functional testing of the

orbiter docking system's upper hatch is complete and payload premate testing continues.

The assembly power controller units that support the AMS payload arrived in the OPF this

week and are being installed today. Preparations continue for tunnel adapter installation

early next week. STS-88: Removal of residual propellants from Endeavour's right-hand

orbiter maneuvering system cross-feed lines is complete and removal of the right-hand

OMS pod is slated for next week. Torque checks of the right wing-to-fuselage attach bolts

continue. Main propulsion system gaseous helium leak checks are slated for next week.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April

3].]

APRIL 4" Millions of Africans could be threatened by debris from failed Cape Canaveral

rocket launches unless the Air Force quickly fixes problems in systems that allow officials to

destroy wayward vehicles during flight, Air Force documents show. If the problems are not

solved, some in the Air Force say part of a network that tracks the rockets might have to be

temporarily shut down Sept. 30 - a move that could ground 70 percent of all missions flown

from Cape Canaveral Air Station and Kennedy Space Center. The Air Force Eastern

Range, which extends more than 10,000 miles from Cape Canaveral to the South Atlantic

Ocean and into the Indian Ocean, is a network of stations that relies heavily on 1950s

technology to monitor rocket flights. Most of the stations have antiquated systems that

allow safety officers to beam coded radio signals to stray rockets so they can be deliberately

blown up over the sea before threatening populated areas. The Air Force is spending $2

billion to modernize the network, but the work is three years behind schedule and will not

be completed until 2006. Air Force officials say the most immediate problems will be

solved in a $4.6 million program scheduled to be completed by September. "We would not

in any way ever jeopardize the public at the expense of getting a satellite on orbit," said Col.

Ronald Larivee, vice commander of the Air Force's 45 m Space Wing, which operates the

Eastern Range. Air Force officials note that 3,500 launches have been conducted on the

Eastern Range since 1950 without an injury or death in the general public. Documents

reveal how the problems could come to head this fall. That is when NASA plans to shut

down a tracking station in Bermuda. The shuttle missions to build NASA's planned

international space station would not be impacted. Flight paths will take those orbiters

farther north and within range of tracking stations that have less severe equipment

problems. ["Rocket range woes may pose threat," Florida Today, April 5, 1998, p 1A &

2A.]

69
APRIL 6: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, April 6, 1998. STS-90: Over the weekend,

workers completed efforts to replace a failed electrical circuit breaker that supports

Columbia's main engine No. 2. Late last Friday, managers decided to replace an integrated

electronic assembly (lEA) in the aft of the left-hand solid rocket booster. The replaced

IEA had transistors from the same manufacturing lot as those that had recently failed tests

at KSC's SRB Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. The IEA replacement work was

completed over the weekend and retests are slated for today. Technicians will complete

efforts to reassemble the gaseous nitrogen panel on the mobile launch platform today and

panel hydrocarbon sampling is in work. Orbiter aft compartment close-outs are in work and

will conclude Saturday. STS-91: Installation of Discovery's main engines is complete and

main propulsion system assembly leak checks are in work. The assembly power controller

units that support the AiMS payload have been installed in the orbiter's midbody, and

SPACEHAB fluid line installation is complete. Payload premate testing will conclude early

this week. The tunnel adapter installation begins today and the SPACEHAB tunnel will be

installed Saturday. Body flap rub panel work resumes this week. STS-88: Preparations for

the removal of Endeavour's right-hand OMS pod are in work today and removal is slated

for Wednesday. Main propulsion system helium leak and functional tests begin Thursday,

and liquid oxygen testing begins next week. Torque checks of the right wing-to-fuselage

attach bolts continue. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, April 6].]

APRIL 7: A looming delay in construction of NASA's international space station may

prompt the agency to fly a shuttle medical research mission twice within the next three

months, officials said Tuesday. "We'd be very delighted at the prospect," said mission

Commander Richard Searfoss. "If we had a vote in the matter, which we don't, we would

certainly vote to go do it again in a few months." The first flight of the Neurolab mission

will be carried out aboard shuttle Columbia next week. The shuttle is to launch April 16

from Kennedy Space Center. A joint effort of researchers in the United States, Canada,

France and Germany, the 16-day mission will allow the crew to perform detailed studies of

the human brain and nervous system. Seven astronauts will carry out 11 investigations in

areas such as cardiovascular and blood pressure regulation, motor skills, insomnia and the

adaptation of the balance system in weightlessness. But an anticipated delay in the

construction of the $40 billion international station is prompting NASA managers to

consider flying the mission a second time this summer. The first station construction flight

- launch of a Russian-built space tug from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan - is

scheduled for June 30. The first U.S. station construction mission is to be carried out after

the planned July 9 launch of shuttle Endeavour. The launch dates for both those missions,

however, are expected to be pushed back until Aug. 25 and Sept. 3, respectively, because of

delays with Russian and American station equipment. That slip would open a slot this

summer for a reflight of the Columbia Neurolab mission, NASA officials say. A decision

on the station schedule and the possibility of a second Neurolab mission is expected by

mid-May. ["Neurolab mission may fly twice," Florida Today, April 8, 1998, p 1A.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, April 7, 1998. STS-90: Retests of the replaced

integrated electronic assembly in the aft of the left-hand booster are complete and good. In

Columbia's aft compartment, the external tank attach point ordnance canister modifications

70
arecomplete.Orbiter midbodyumbilicalunit mateandleakchecksarealsocomplete.

Efforts to cleanandreassemblethegaseousnitrogensystemon themobilelaunchplatform

arecomplete.Orbiter aft compartmentcloseoutscontinuethroughSaturday.Preparations

to pickupthelaunchcountdownonMondayareunderway.Payloadearlystowactivities

arein work. STS-91:Electricalconnectionsof theassemblypowercontrollerunitsthat

supportthe A_MSpayloadarecompleteandinterfaceverificationtestingis inwork. Orbiter

dockingsystemvoltagechecksandlightingfunctionaltestsarecomplete.Discovery'smain

engineandmainpropulsionsystemintegratedtestingis inwork. Payloadprematetesting

concludesthisweek.Preparationsfortunneladapterinstallationareinwork andthe

SPACEHABtunnelwill beinstalledSaturday.Body flapcloseoutsareunderway. STS-88:

Preparationsforthe removalof Endeavour'sright-handOMSpod continueandremoval

beginstomorrow.Transferof theOMSpod to theHypergolMaintenanceFacilityisslated

for Friday. Mainpropulsionsystemleakcheckscontinuewith hydrogensystemtestsin

work. Helium systemtestingbeginsThursdayandliquidoxygensystemtestingwill follow

nextweek. Torquechecksof therightwing-to-fuselageattachbolts continue.Bruce

Buckingham.(1998).KennedySpaceCenter Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 7].]

APRIL 8: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, April 8, 1998. STS-90: Columbia's

prelaunch preparations continue on schedule with the launch countdown slated to begin

early Monday morning. Orbiter aft compartment closeouts are proceeding very well and

will conclude Saturday. Payload early stow activities are nearing completion today in the

orbiter's cargo bay. Ordnance installation begins later today following final inspections of

the right forward booster integrated electronic assembly. STS-91: Interface verification

testing of the assembly power controller units that support the AMS payload is complete.

Discovery's main engine and main propulsion system integrated testing continues and

inspection of the ground support equipment used during leak checks is in work. Payload

premate testing concludes this week. Preparations for tunnel adapter installation are in

work and the SPACEHAB tunnel will be installed Saturday. Body flap closeouts continue.

Preparations for Friday's Crew Equipment Interface Test are under way. STS-88:

Preparations for the removal of Endeavour's right-hand OMS pod are complete and pod

removal efforts begin later today. Main propulsion system leak checks continue with helium

system tests in work. Liquid oxygen system testing will follow next week. Torque checks of

the right wing-to-fuselage attach bolts continue. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 8].]

APRIL 9: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, April 9, 1998. STS-90: At Pad 39B,

ordnance installation was completed last night and pyrotechnic initiator controller testing is

in work. Payload early stow efforts are also complete. Columbia's prelaunch preparations

continue on schedule with the launch countdown slated to begin early Monday morning.

Orbiter aft compartment closeouts continue through Saturday. STS-91: Discovery's main

landing gear wheel and tire assembly installation is complete. Nose wheel steering and break

system hydraulic tests are also complete. Payload cooling kit line leak checks concluded

yesterday. Orbiter midbody and aft compartment closeouts are in work and tunnel adapter

installation begins later today. SPACEHAB tunnel installation is slated for early next week.

Following inspection of the ground support equipment used during Space Shuttle main

engine (SSME) leak checks, SSME/main propulsion system integrated testing will resume.

71
Preparations for Friday's Crew Equipment Interface Test continue. STS-88: Removal of

Endeavour's right-hand orbiter maneuvering system pod is complete and inspection of the

helium isolation valve is in work. Main propulsion system leak checks continue in the

orbiter's aft compartment. In the orbiter's midbody, alignment of the androgynous

peripheral docking system base is complete and replacement of an orbiter docking system

floodlight is scheduled for this week. Torque checks of the right wing-to-fuselage attach

bolts continue. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, April 9].]

APRIL 10." The traditional high season for the tourism industry has left area hotelers and

others in the industry feeling a little low this year. A warmer-than-normal winter up North,

combined with Florida's heavy rainfall, persuaded many would-be tourists to pass on

Sunshine State vacations this winter. Many days during the season there was as little as a 10-

degree difference in temperatures between here and up there. Attendance at Kennedy

Space Center Visitor Complex, as might be expected, also was off during the season. "We

didn't see growth in the first quarter. Attendance was pretty flat," spokeswoman Melissa

Tomasso said. "We are seeing attendance pick up as we are heading toward Easter,"

Tomasso said. ["Officials lament tourism lag" Florida Today, April 11, 1998, p 1A & ZA.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, April 10, 1998. STS-90: At Pad 39B, preparations

for launch are on schedule. Hypergolic system pressurization is complete and launch

countdown preparations are in work. The 43-hour countdown is slated to begin at 2 a.m. on

Monday. Vertical stowage of the flight crew's systems is in work and orbiter aft

compartment closeouts continue through Saturday. The STS-90 flight crew arrives at KSC

Monday afternoon. STS-91: Discovery's midbody and aft compartment closeouts continue.

The Crew Equipment Interface Test began today and tunnel adapter installation begins

tonight. SPACEHAB tunnel installation is slated for early next week. Shuttle main engine

and main propulsion system integrated testing resumes Monday. Main Engine heat shield

installation is in work. STS-88: Inspection of Endeavour's fight-hand orbiter maneuvering

system pod isolation valves is complete and good. Technicians will reset two recessed pins

found on the OMS pod and reinstall the pod next week. Main propulsion system leak

checks continue in the orbiter's aft compartment. Torque checks of the right wing-tofuselage attach bolts continue. Brace Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, April 10].]

APRIL 11." A plan for the future of Patrick Air Force Base, written by its commander,

could leave the installation vulnerable to closure as Pentagon officials push to shut down

more bases, experts say. The 45 '_ Space Wing, which calls Patrick home, is moving ahead

with the plan, written in September by Brig. Gen. Randall Starbuck, that made several

unprecedented recommendations for reducing the size of the base, officials say. They

include reducing the Air Force's role in launching military rockets from Cape Canaveral Air

Station and turning over the job to private contractors, converting Patrick into an Air Force

Reserve base and cutting the Space Wing's manpower and moving it to the air station. The

changes - scheduled to be in place by 2002 - are under review by the U.S. Air Force Space

Command, which is incorporating them into its plan for the future, said Capt. Lewonnie

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Belcher,a Space Command spokeswoman in Colorado Springs, Colo. ["Patrick cuts could

make base target for closure," Florida Today, April 12, 1998, p 1A & 7A.]

APR//,/2: NASA's most detailed orbital study of the human brain and nervous system is

ready to get under way this week as seven astronauts take off on the second space shuttle

fright of the year. Shuttle Columbia and its crew, which includes former Kennedy Space

Center engineer Kay Hire, are to blast off between 2:19 and 4:49 p.m. Thursday (April 16).

A three-day launch countdown will start early Monday. Later in the day, the astronauts are

to arrive at ICSC from their home base at Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA

officials say the 17-day mission, called Neurolab, will help researchers gauge the ill effects of

weightlessness on astronauts during long stays in space. Columbia's crew will carry out their

research in a cargo bay laboratory the size of a small school bus. Flying along as test

subjects will be mice, rats, snail eggs, crickets and swordfish. Many of the animals will be

dissected during or after the flight so scientists can determine how their nervous systems

were affected by the lack of gravity in space. Former shuttle engineer Hire will become the

first KSC worker to fly in orbit. ["Neurolab shuttle flight set Thursday," Florida Today,

April 12, 1998, p 1A.]

APRIL 1.3: For more than three decades, the tens of thousands of people who worked on

America's spaceships here knew their place: They could get capsules and space shuttles

ready for launch, but someone else got to fly in them. An engineer who rose through the

ranks at Kennedy Space Center, Kay Hire, will make a familiar trek to launch pad 3913 on

Thursday. But she won't be examining the movable arm that connects the launch tower to

the space shuttle or make last-minute spacesuit inspections, as she has done before. This

time she'll climb aboard. Columbia commander Rick Searfoss said Hire has "an intensity

and desire that is really overwhelming." Hire, a 38-year-old former Merritt Island resident,

is used to blazing trails. As a commander in the Naval Reserve, she was the first American

woman assigned to a combat aircrew. But the biggest breakthrough will come during

Columbia's launch, scheduled for 2:19 p.m. Thursday (April 16). Hire will shatter what

some call "a caste system" between Kennedy and its National Aeronautics and Space

Administration sister/rival, Johnson Space Center in Houston. Kennedy prepares shuttles

in the blue-collar, dirt-under-your-fingernails tradition. The white-collar Johnson engineers

take over just seconds after liftoff. They also choose who gets to fly. In nearly six years at

KSC, Hire monitored a console at the Launch Control Center, headed the checkout of

spacesuits and docking systems and supervised the connecting arm between the shuttle and

launch tower. Like other KSC workers, Hire wanted to fly in the shuttle, not just help

prepare it. Hire was selected as an astronaut in 1994. That broke down any barrier, real or

perceived, between the two space centers and paved the way for others at KSC. Two more

Kennedy workers were chosen for the astronaut corps last year. ["Engineer's dreams break

stratosphere," The Orlando Sentinel, April 13, 1998, p A-1 & A-4.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, April 13, 1998. STS-90: The launch countdown

for mission STS-90 began on time today at 2 a.m. KSC managers are working no major

issues at this time and launch preparations continue on schedule for lift-of on Thursday.

Columbia's aft compartment closeouts are complete and replacement/reload of mass

memory unit No. 1 concluded over the weekend. Vertical stowage of the flight crew

systems is in work and the first of three Neurolab late stow waves begin this afternoon.

The STS-90 flight crew is slated to arrive at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 3:30 p.m.

73
today. They will participate in crew equipment fit checks, routine medical examinations and

fly in the Shuttle Training Aircraft in the days leading up to launch. Air Force weather

forecasters are currently indicating only a 20 percent chance that weather conditions could

prohibit launch activities on Thursday. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 3,500 and

25,000 feet; visibility of at least 7 miles; winds from the southwest at 12-17 knots; a

temperature of 81 degrees F and relative humidity of 60 percent. There is a slight chance

for showers in Thursday's forecast. The 24-hour and 48-hour delay forecasts both indicate

a 40 percent chance that weather could violate launch commit criteria. CREW FOR

MISSION STS-90: Commander (CDR): Richard Searfoss; pilot (PLT): Scott Altman;

Mission Specialist (MS1): Rick IAnnehan; Mission Specialist (MS2): Kay Hire; Mission

Specialist (MS3): Dave Williams; Payload Specialist (PS1): Jay Buckey; Payload Specialist

(PS2): James Pawelczyk. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, April 13].]

APRIl, 14: NASA plans to give shuttle Columbia a little extra boost in orbit Thursday

(April 16). For only the second time ever, the agency plans to fire the ship's two small

maneuvering engines during launch in a test that could help shuttles carry hefty pieces of

the planned international space station into orbit. The engines typically are used for just

two jobs: to maneuver the vehicles while they are in orbit and to slow them down at the

end of the flight so they can begin their drop through Earth's atmosphere. However,

NASA officials want to fire them during Thursday's launch to see whether they can provide

extra power for space station work. Officials think the engines could enable the shuttle to

hoist an extra 500 pounds. The engine fwing should be imperceptible to the crew, who

instead will feel the push of the spaceship's much larger and far more powerful three main

engines. While this is the first time NASA is doing the maneuver as a test, it was done once

before out of necessity. In July 1985, shuttle Challenger lost one of its main engines about

five minutes into launch. The crew fired the ship's maneuvering engines in an emergency

move that helped the craft limp into orbit. Here's how the test will work on Columbia:

The engine firing is scheduled to occur 2 minutes and 14 seconds into flight, just after the

shuttle's twin solid rocket boosters are jettisoned into the Atlantic Ocean. The firing is to

last 1 minute and 42 seconds. During that time, the engines will burn about 4,500 pounds

of fuel, which gives a shuttle the ability to carry an extra 250 pounds into space. ["Shuttle to

get extra power at launch," Florida Today, April 14, 1998, p 2A.]

# Astronauts who will rocket into orbit this week aboard the shuttle Columbia to study

the nervous system got an early bon voyage Tuesday from President Clinton. "I hope you

find out a lot of things about the human neurological system to help me because I'm

moving into those years where I'm getting dizzy and I'm having all these problems and I

expect you to come back with all the answers," Clinton told the seven astronauts. "We'll

take that on board as one of the challenges that we'll try to meet," Columbia commander

Richard Searfoss replied with a laugh. Columbia's astronauts were at Kennedy Space

Center, preparing for Thursday's liftoff. Clinton spoke with them by video hookup from

the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he was joined by NASA's newest and oldest

astronaut, Sen. John Glenn. The launch countdown continues without disruption Tuesday.

Perfect weather was forecast for Thursday's 2:19 p.m. liftoff. ["Astronauts get early bon

voyage," Marcia Dunn. (1998). The Washington Post [Online]. Available WWW:

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www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19980414/V000563-041498-idx.html [1998,

14].]

I1_ Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, April 14, 1998. STS-90: Launch preparations are

proceeding on schedule. Yesterday, the pyrotechnic controllers on Columbia's external tank

and solid rocket boosters were successfully tested. Earlier this morning, cryogenic reactants

were successfully loaded into the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system.

Orbiter midbody umbilical unit securing is in work and final preparations of the Shuttle

main engines begin this afternoon. Neurolab late stow activities are also scheduled to

resume this afternoon. Launch managers are working no major technical issues at this time.

The STS-90 flight crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility yesterday at about 4 p.m.

Today they will undergo routine medical checks and finalize their mission flight plans. Air

Force weather officials have improved the launch day forecast, indicating a zero percent

chance that weather conditions could prohibit launch activities on Thursday. The forecast

calls for few clouds at 3,500 and scattered clouds at 25,000 feet, visibility of at least 7 miles;

winds from the south at I2-18 knots; a temperature of 82 degrees F and relative humidity of

58 percent. Forecasters predict no chance of showers at launch time on Thursday. The 24-

hour and 48-hour delay forecasts both indicate a 40 percent chance that weather could

violate launch commit criteria. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, April 14].]

APRIL 1..g: Thousands of tourists are in town for shuttle Columbia's liftoff Thursday. "We

expect it to be highly attended and highly viewed, as well it should be," KSC spokeswoman

Joel Wells said. The crowds are packing hotels and restaurants in Brevard County, which

had seen a slowdown in tourism this winter and spring because of warmer weather than

usual up north and cool, rainy weather here. Shuttle launches always draw a crowd, but

officials say a combination of factors is causing the upswell for the start of Columbia's 17-

day flight to study the human brain and nervous system. The factors include: *People

already are visiting Florida for the Easter holiday or spring break, and may have decided to

stay longer to see the launch. *The weather, with sunny days in the high 70s, is beautiful.

NASA says the same perfect forecast should hold Thursday, giving Columbia an excellent

chance of flying on time. *Columbia's daytime launch, liftoff is set for 2:19 p.m., is more

attractive to people than evening or middle-of-the-night tiftoffs. "There are lots of people

wanting to see this launch," said Melissa Tomasso, a spokeswoman for Kennedy Space

Center's Visitor Complex. "It's a very popular mission." Five days before every shuttle

launch, the Visitor Complex starts selling tickets to its special viewing site for the liftoff. All

1,500 tickets for Columbia's launch sold within two hours Saturday. ["Huge crowds to view

launch," Florida Today, April 15, 1998, p 1A.]

# Gov. Lawton Chiles and his Cabinet members proudly passed a resolution Tuesday

recognizing the Lunar Prospector, the first spacecraft to blast off from the state's launch

pad at Cape Canaveral. "Florida is intent on being a long-term player as space moves from

federal projects into reliable, commercial transportation systems," Comptroller Bob Milligan

said. He pointed out that the unmanned craft, designed to map the moon and study its

geology and magnetic properties, already has relayed evidence of water - a key to

colonization - in the form of ice at the lunar poles. "This gives us an added incentive to go

back to the moon," said Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson, who flew aboard a space

75
shuttlewhenheservicedin Congress.The SpaceportFlightAuthority,the state'sspace

agency,operatesLaunchComplex46inpartnershipwith theNavy,Air ForceandNASA.

["Fla.Cabinetlaudslaunchfrom statepad," Florida Today, April 15, 1998, p 8A.]

# When NASA tries to launch Columbia on Thursday, the space agency will be using the

fewest Kennedy Space Center workers ever for a shuttle flight - 661 fewer than last launch.

That has some people concerned about safety and others proud about cost-savings. This

will be the first launch since United Space Alliance, the private company that runs the daily

operations of the shuttle, cut 549 people from its payroll in February. The cutbacks were a

response to a NASA request for a $100 million reduction in spending. The company has

5,300 workers left here. In addition to those cuts, 112 NASA employees have taken special

bonuses to retire since late January. KSC has 1,900 civil servants. Some workers and safety

experts say the job cuts have hurt morale at KSC, but NASA and space-alliance officials say

everything is fine. "This is a reflection on the incredible efficiency where we can continue

to launch shuttles and save money at the same time," NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham

said. Because of technical problems and schedule-shifting, NASA is flying only five shuttles

in the budget year that ends Sept. 30. Normally, NASA flies seven or eight annually.

Because of the reduction in launches, the number of labor hours spent preparing each

shuttle has increased 20 percent despite the layoffs, making the space alliance feel "very

confident," company spokesman Jeff Carr said. NASA is able to create the savings because

it is ending two long-time shuttle programs: Spacelab and shuttle-Mir. ["Can pared-down

KSC staff get Columbia into orbit?" The Orlando Sentinel, April 15, 1998, p A-4.]

• A subcontractor making products for the international space station has pleaded guilty

to giving more than $32,000 in kickback payments, NASA said Wednesday. Dynasty

Performance Inc., a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Services of Melbourne, pleaded

guilty to one kickback charge. The plea was entered by the company's president, Traci

Marie Maceroni, in U.S. District Court in Orlando on Friday. A federal investigation

revealed that Maceroni, acting on behalf of the company, paid more than $32,000 in

kickbacks to a Lockheed procurement manager involved with space station project at

Kennedy Space Center. The manager awarded Dynasty subcontracts in return for the

kickbacks, said Richard Triplet-t, NASA's assistant inspector general for investigations. The

company could face fines or be ordered to pay restitution, Triplett said. Triplett would not

disclose the Lockheed procurement manager's name or whether he has been charged. The

NASA official said the investigation is continuing. [''Space station subcontractor pleads

guilty to kickbacks," Florida Todsy, April 16, 1998, p 10A.]

• An astronaut caused a $10 million solar satellite to malfunction after it was released by

the space shuttle Columbia last fall, a top NASA manager said Wednesday. An investigation

found that astronaut Kalpana Chawla didn't send the satellite, called Spartan, a key signal to

turn itself on, shuttle program manager Tommy Holloway said in a Kennedy Space Center

news conference. Holloway said there were other factors behind the satellite failure,

including communication, training and procedural glitches. He also said the entire crew

should have done a better job overseeing the satellite deployment. ["Astronaut gets blame,"

The Orlando Sentinel, April 16, 1998, p A-4.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, April 15, 1998. STS-90: Operations to launch

the Shuttle Columbia on Mission STS-90 are continuing without problem today. Launch

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remainssetfor 2:19p.m.tomorrowfrom KSC'sPad3913.Neurolablatestowactivities

werecompletedearlierthismorningand closeoutsof thespacelabandthe airlockwere

conductedsoonafterwards.Activationof Columbia'scommunicationsystemsalsobegan

on timethisafternoon.Operationshavecommencedto preparefor themovementof the

RotatingServiceStructureto launchposition.TheRSSissetto berolledbackat about8

p.m.today.Tomorrow,effortsto loadthe externaltankwith 500,000gallonsof liquid

oxygenandliquidhydrogenwill beginat about5:30a.m.Duringthisthree-houroperation,

thecrewwill beawakenedandbeginfinal preparationsforlaunch.Theyarescheduledto

departfor thepadat about11a.m.Air Forceweatherofficialscontinueto forecastazero

percentchancethatweatherwill prohibit launchactivitiestomorrow afternoon.The

forecastcallsfor fewcloudsat 3,500andscatteredcloudsat25,000feet;visibilityof at least

7 miles;windsfrom the southat 12-18knots; atemperatureof 82degreesFandrelative

humidityof 55percent.The24-hourdelayforecastalsoindicatesazeropercentchance

thatweathercouldviolatelaunchcriteria.BruceBuckingham.(1998).KennedySpace

CenterSpaceShuttle StatusReport [Online]. AvailableE-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status[1998,April 15].]

APRIrL 16.. NASA is searching for a new name for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics

Facility (AXAF), currently scheduled for launch Dec. 3, 1998, from the Space Shuttle

Columbia. AXAF is the third of NASA's Great Observatories, after the Hubble Space

Telescope and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Once in orbit around Earth, it will

explore hot, turbulent regions in the universe where X-rays are produced. Dr. Alan Bunner,

director of NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe science program, will

announce April 18 at the National Science Teacher's Association meeting in Las Vegas, NV,

the start of a contest, open to people worldwide, to find a new name for the observatory.

Entries should contain the name of a person (not living), place, or thing from history,

mythology, or fiction. Contestants should describe in a few sentences why this choice

would be a good name for AXAF. The name must not have been used before on space

missions by NASA or other organizations or countries. The grand prize will be a trip to

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL, to see the launch of the satellite

aboard the Space Shuttle. Ten runner-up prizes will be awarded and all entrants will receive

an AXAF poster. [NASA News Release #98-63, April 16, 1998.]

• Ken Aguilar has been named Chief, Equal Opportunity Program Office, effective

Monday, April 20. Aguilar succeeds J. Albert "Jay" Diggs Jr., who retired on April 3.

Aguilar formerly was KSC's personnel director, involved with the management of personnel

programs, employment, student programs, employee development and training_ union

management relations, insurance, retirement, compensation and policy development. Pat

Simpkins will succeed Aguilar as acting directory of personnel. [KSC Countdown, April 16,

1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, April 16, 1998. STS-90: The launch of Space

Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-90 with Neurolab was postponed 24 hours earlier today

due to difficulties with one of two network signal processors (NSP) on the orbiter. Mission

managers first noticed the problem at about 3 a.m. today during normal communications

systems activation prior to tanking operations. As a result, work to load the external tank

with the cryogenic propellants did not begin and launch postponement was made official at

about 8:15 a.m. The NSPs, which are located in the orbiter's middeck, format data and

77
voicecommunicationsbetweenthegroundandtheSpaceShuttle.Both processorsare

requiredfor launchandlandingandarealsohighlydesirablefor on-orbit mission

operations.Theunitwhichfailed,NSPNo. 2,hasat thistimebeenremovedand replaced.

Testingof thenewunit isscheduledto becompletedthis evening.The RSSwill remainin

theopenlaunchconfiguration.Thecountdownclockhasbeenresetto theT-11 hourhold

positionandwill remainthereuntil 11:59p.m.Tomorrow,theexternaltankwill beloaded

with 500,000gallonsof liquidoxygenandliquidhydrogenbeginningat about5:30a.m.

Duringthisthree-houroperation,thecrewwillbeawakenedandbeginfinalpreparations

for launch.Theyarescheduledto departforthepadat about11a.m. Air Force weather

officials continue to forecast a zero percent chance that weather will prohibit launch

activities tomorrow afternoon. The forecast calls for few clouds at 3,500 and scattered

clouds at 25,000 feet; visibility of at least 7 miles; winds from the south at 12-20 knots; a

temperature of 83 degrees F and relative humidity of 55 percent. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 16].]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, April 16, 1998, UPDATE. STS-90: The launch

of Columbia on mission STS-90 has been rescheduled for Friday, April 17 following the

successful replacement and retest of a failed network signal processor on the orbiter. The

launch of Columbia with the Neurolab spacelab onboard was postponed 24 hours earlier

today due to difficulties with one of two network signal processors (NSP) on the orbiter.

Mission managers first noticed the problem at about 3 a.m. today during normal

communications systems activation prior to tanking operations. As a result, work to load

the external tank with the cryogenic propellants did not begin and launch postponement

was made official at about 8:15 a.m. The NSPs, which are located in the orbiter's middeck,

format data and voice communications between the ground and the Space Shuttle. Both

processors are required for launch and landing and are also highly desirable for on-orbit

mission operations. The RSS will remain in the open launch configuration and the

countdown clock has been reset to the T-11 hour hold position where it will remain until

11:59 p.m. Tomorrow, the external tank will be loaded with 500,000 gallons of liquid

oxygen and hquid hydrogen beginning at about 5:30 a.m. During this three-hour operation,

the crew will be awakened and begin final preparations for launch. They are scheduled to

depart for the pad at about 11 a.m. Air Force weather officials continue to forecast a zero

percent chance that weather will prohibit launch activities tomorrow afternoon. The

forecast calls for few clouds at 3,500 and scattered clouds at 25,000 feet; visibility of at least

7 miles; winds from the south at 12-20 knots; a temperature of 83 degrees F and relative

humidity of 55 percent. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, April 16].]

APRIL 17: The planned July 1998 launch of NASA's Deep Space 1 technology validation

mission from Cape Canaveral, FL, has been rescheduled for October. The delay is due to a

combination of late delivery of the spacecraft's power electronics system and an ambitious

flight software development schedule, which together leave insufficient time to test the

spacecraft thoroughly for a July launch. Deep Space 1 is the first launch in NASA's New

Millennium program, a series of missions designed to test new technologies so that they can

be confidently used on science missions of the 21st century. The New Millennium Program

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andDeepSpace1aremanagedbyJPLfor NASA'sOfficeof SpaceScience,Washington,

DC. [NASA News Release#98-64, April 17, 1998.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, April 17, 1998. STS-90: Space Shuttle Columbia

lifted off from ICSC's Launch Pad 39B on time today at 2:19 p.m. EDT. Following

yesterday's scrubbed launch attempt, workers replaced a faulty network signal processor

located in the orbiter's middeck last night. Once retests were complete, KSC launch

managers worked no significant technical issues throughout the remainder of the launch

countdown. STS-90 is the first Shuttle mission to focus completely on the study of the

human nervous system. Researches expect to glean information that will help overcome the

physiological challenges encountered during space flight and assist in the treatment of

diseases here on Earth. The solid rocket booster recovery ships were deployed Wednesday

and are expected to be on-station with the boosters in the Atlantis Ocean by 4 p.m. today.

Recovery operations will begin this evening. The ships are expected to arrive at Port

Canaveral with the boosters in-tow at about 3 p.m. tomorrow. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 17].]

# With Friday's teeth-shaking, picture-perfect launch of the space shuttle Columbia over,

the specimens in the flying zoo are just now adjusting to zero gravity. "The first day is

crucial for our experiments," said David Liskowsky, a NASA special projects scientist. "The

initial exposure to microgravity, that's what you're seeking." The test subjects include

NASA's most diverse group of scientific guinea pigs: 1,514 crickets, 233 fish, 152 rats, 135

snails, 18 pregnant mice, five professional astronauts and two nonastronaut scientists. One

last-minute animal hitchhiker, a 3-inch common brown bat, attached itself to the shuttle's

cool external tank before launch and fell asleep. It probably didn't survive liftoff and

wouldn't have been a good test subject, NASA scientists said. ["U day is critical for critters

on Columbia," The Orlando Sentin¢l, April 18, 1998, p A-15.]

APRIL 18: Except for some minor fish-tank problems, the first day of experiments on

space shuttle Columbia's brain-research flight went swimmingly Saturday. Columbia's crew

members spent their time trying to capture, for the sake of science, how 2,052 animals and

seven humans adjusted to their new lack of gravity. "The biggest challenge, I think, is

controlling your body position, because it tends to move around, even when you try very

hard to stay still," said Astronaut Kay Hire. But the crew had to stay still sometimes to do

its work. Astronauts squeezed, sliced and shook their way through a series of experiments.

They also dissected animals in space on Saturday, just the start of a series of surgeries

scheduled for the 17-day mission. Astronauts also shook four fish tanks to see what it would

do to the sense of balance of the fish. The fish have wiring connected to their brains, but it

hasn't been sending all the data to scientists at Kennedy Space Center. Hire, the first KSC

worker to fly in space, said sleep was no problem. "I had imagined I would have to be

peeled off of one of these windows just from the excitement of watching the Earth go by

below us," she said. "But I was pretty exhausted at the end of the day, and it was very easy

for me to go ahead and fall asleep." ["Guinea pigs in space tested," The Orlando

Sentinel, April 19, 1998, p A-4.]

APRIL 20: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, April 20, 1998. STS-90: The solid rocket

boosters from Columbia's launch Friday were returned to Hangar AF Saturday afternoon.

79
Initial indications revealed no problems with recovery operations. Open assessments of the

boosters will begin today. Also, minimal damage was reported to Pad 39B following launch.

Mission managers have indicated the mission may be extend a day if cryogenic margins and

consumable permit. The decision will come mid-way through the flight. STS-91:

Discovery's midbody and aft compartment closeouts continue. Hydraulic operations and

checks of the main propulsion system are complete. SPACEHAB tunnel installation is

slated to begin tonight. Rollover to the VAB is currently targeted for no earlier than Friday,

April 24. STS-88: Preparations for the installation of the right-hand orbital maneuvering

system pod are currently in work. The pod is scheduled to be installed tonight. Docking

base wire harness installation for the International Space Station is also in work this week.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April

2o].]

• Two manatees, found in a Cocoa Beach drainpipe in February, were checked over by

SeaWorld Orlando veterinary specialists before their release into the Banana River at KARS

Park. A third manatee was also released. The release site is on the southern boundary of a

"no motor" zone for boats and includes 10,500 acres of the Banana River, said Kathy

Whaley, spokeswoman for the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. "It's a perfect

location for them, if they choose to stay here," Whaley said. "We've counted up to 400

manatee in this area in the springtime." ["3 misguided manatees go back to river," The

Orlando Sentinel, April 21, 1998, p A-4.]

APRIL 21: JoAnn Morgan, KSC associate director for Advanced Development and

Shuttle Upgrades, has been named this year's recipient of the Kurt H. Debus Award by the

National Space Club. The Debus Award is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by

the Florida aerospace community upon those whose leadership and contributions have

advanced America's space program. The official presentation is scheduled for May 15.

Named after KSC's first director, the Debus Award previously has been bestowed on

former Center Director Forrest McCartney, former KSC Deputy Director George Page and

former contractor executive George Faenza of McDonnell Douglas. Morgan's tenure with

the U.S. space program began in 1958. ["JoAnn Morgan receives Debus Award," KSC

Countdown, April 21, 1998.]

APRIL 23: Payload Processing StatusReport, Thursday, April 23, 1998. STS-91:92 MIR

Docking SPACEHAB Module Alphamagnetic Spectrometer (AIMS); Target Launch Date:

May 28, 1998; Current Locations: Spacehab Processing Facility/Space Station Processing

Facility; Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Discovery; Launch Pad: 39A. Operations Scheduled:

* Spacehab module arrives at SSPF from Spacehab Processing Facility (4/27); * Install

Spacehab/AMS into payload canister (4/28); * Rotate payload canister from horizontal

position to vertical position (4/29); * Transport Spacehab/AMS to Pad 39-A (4/30); *

Install Spacehab/AMS into Discovery (5/4); * Spacehab Interface Verification Test (IVT)

(5/10-5/11); * AMS Interface Verification Test (IVT) (5/12); * AMS end-to-end test

(5/17); * Payload bay door closure (5/20). STS-88: Intemafional Space Station - Node

1/PMA-1/PMA-2; Target Launch Date: July 9, 1998 NET; Current Location: Space Station

Processing Facility (SSPF); Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour; Launch Pad: 39B.

Operations currently in work: * Forward and starboard hatch leak tests; * Testing of node

common berthing mechanisms; * Internal smoke detector tests; * Configuration work for

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PMA-2 installation. STS-90: NEUROLAB; Launched: April 17, 1998 2:19 p.m.; Current

Location: On-orbit Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Columbia. Expendable Launch Vehicle

Payload Processing Status: ELV spacecraft arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: July 19;

Mars Orbiter: Sept. 4; Mars Lander: Oct. 15; Stardust: Nov. 12; Space Shuttle: AXAF

(STS-93): Aug. 14. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Payload

Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 23].]

# Instead of saving time and money as first predicted, Russian participation in the

international space station is having just the opposite effect on the 16-nation construction

project, a NASA advisory panel found. The program is over budget and behind schedule,

and a great deal of the blame goes to Russia, the Cost Assessment and Validation Task

Force concluded in a report released by NASA Thursday. Although members of Congress

have been saying the same thing for years, the Clinton administration and NASA officials

have been reluctant to acknowledge the 4-year-old partnership with Russia is a prime factor

in cost overruns and delays. The Clinton administration originally invited the Russian Space

Agency to become a space station partner in 1993, enlisting top officials at NASA to sell the

deal to Congress partly on the belief it would save an estimated $2 billion, expand the

station's capabilities and enable the research station to be completed sooner. Those

assumptions were faulty, concluded the panel chaired by Jay Chabrow, an aerospace

industry consultant who led the seven-member team of private and government analysts

during its five-month investigation of station costs and schedules. The outlook isn't getting

any better. "With continuing funding shortfalls carrying into 1998, the absence of any hard

indicators that adequate Russian funding will be provided soon, and the recent Cabinet

shake-up in Moscow, it is likely Russian Space Agency elements will experience further

delays," the panel concluded. The report findings are sure to muddy the waters this spring

as Congress prepares to act on NASA space station funding requests for the coming fiscal

year. ["Russia's role in station has project overbudget, behind schedule," Florida Today,

April 24, 1998, p 2A.]

APRIL 24: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, April 24, 1998. STS-90: NASA managers

have indicated the mission may be extended a day if cryogenic margins and consumables

permit. The decision is expected to be announced early next week. STS-9h Discovery's

midbody and aft compartment closeouts continue. SPACEHAB tunnel installation is

complete and the payload bay doors are closed. Rollover to the VAB is currently targeted

for the morning of Monday, April 27. Rollout to Pad 39A is set for no earlier than Saturday,

May 2. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April

24].]

• A Boeing Delta 2 rocket carried four satellites into orbit Friday to bring cellular

telephone service to remote areas of the globe. The 6:38 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral

Air Station marked the second lot of an eventual constellation of 48 satellites to be launched

during the next 16 months by Globalstar, an international telecommunications partnership.

The $2.6 billion system will lead to service in some of the most remote areas on Earth as

the company tries to grab a big share of an exploding market. Currently, more than half of

the world's population has never used a telephone. ["Delta lobs satellites into orbit,"

Florida Today, April 25, 1998, p lB.]

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APRarL 26.- Bound for Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft is headed for its first

interplanetary turn Sunday by flying near Venus and using the planet's gravity to gain speed

for its 2-billion-mile journey. It's the first of four planned planetary flybys for Cassini,

which will use the maneuvers to reach Saturn in 2004. Once there, it will begin a four-year

study of the planet's rings, moons and atmosphere. The trek near Venus is the most crucial

milestone to date for the probe, which was launched from Cape Canaveral in October.

["Cassini to zip past Venus," Florida Today, April 25, 1998, p 1A & 6A.]

# The United States and Russia likely will delay the start-up of construction of NASA's

international space station until late October -- a four-month delay, U.S. space agency

officials said Sunday. The reason: A crucial Russian command and control center and a

U.S. lab have fallen behind schedule, all but scuttling plans to begin station construction

with the planned launch of a Russian space tug from Kazakstan on June 30. The delay,

which is expected to be agreed upon this week, would push back the first U.S. station

construction mission aboard shuttle Endeavour from July 9 until mid-November. The first

research crew on the new station, as a result, wouldn't open the outpost for business until

mid-1999 -- a six-month delay. In any case, NASA officials say they are anxious to begin

launching the station construction project, which is considered by some the most complex

engineering effort in history. "We really need to get started before the end of the year,"

NASA space station project director Randy Brinkley said. A joint project of space agencies

in the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, the $40 billion space station is

envisioned as a 480-ton cluster of laboratories that will span an area larger than an American

football field 250 miles above Earth. ["Station likely delayed," Florida Today, April 27,

1998, p 1A.]

APRIl., 27: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, April 27, 1998. STS-90: Over the

weekend, the flight crew completed efforts to bypass a leaky valve in Columbia's carbon

dioxide removal system that threatened to shorten the mission. With retests of the repaired

system successfully completed and all of Columbia's systems performing very well, mission

managers are still entertaining the option of extending the mission by one day. Managers

are expected to make an extension decision on Wednesday. STS-91: Discovery's midbody

and aft compartment closeouts were completed over the weekend. The orbiter is expected

to begin its move from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building

this afternoon. Discovery will be mated to the super lightweight tank in high bay 1 tonight

and the entire Shuttle stack is scheduled for transport to Pad 39A later this week. STS-88:

Endeavour's power reactant storage and distribution checks are in work. Preparations for

right-hand orbiter maneuvering system pod functional checks are under way. Technicians

are replacing window No. 1 today. Preparations for remote manipulator system installation

continue. Functional tests of the orbiter/external tank umbilical doors are scheduled to

occur this week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: d°rn°@news'ksc'nasa'g°v/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, April 27].]

After 33 baby rats on their ship died over the weekend, shuttle Columbia's astronauts

did everything they could to save the ones that remained. They hand-fed them water,

stayed up late and treated them with all the kindness you'd give a kitten. In the end, it paid

off. NASA officials said Monday that the crew saved 56 of the baby rats - enough to make

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a smallcadreof researchanimalsfor thecrew'sexperimentsonthebrainandnervous

system.As aresult,researcherson thegroundstill canaccomplish"the vastmajority" of

their sciencework bysharingtissuesfrom theremaininganimals,saidDr. JosephBielitzki,

NASA's chiefveterinarian.["Columbiacrewnursesratsafter 33die," Florida Today,

April 28, 1998, p 8A.]

@ The Spacehab Single Module arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF)

from the Spacehab Processing Facility at Port Canaveral. The pressurized mini-laboratory

arrived at the SSPF for installation into the payload canister/transporter, together with the

AMS-01 payload. The canister will be rotated vertically on Wednesday and then taken

Thursday to Launch Pad 39A. ["Spacehab moved to the SSPF," KSC Countdown, April

28, 1998.]

APRIL 28: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, April 28, 1998. STS-90: Columbia

continues to provide a stable platform for neurological science research and all systems on

board are operating very well. The Space Shuttle orbits Earth every 90 minutes traveling

17,500 miles per hour. To date, Columbia has completed more than 175 orbits of the

Earth. Tomorrow mission managers are expected to make a decision on extending the

mission by one day. STS-91: Yesterday, Discovery was transferred from Orbiter Processing

Facility bay 2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The orbiter arrived in the VAB just after 5

p.m. yesterday. Efforts to mate Discovery to the new super lightweight external tank in

high bay I will conclude this afternoon. The entire Shuttle stack is scheduled for transport

to Pad 39A later this week. NASA managers decided today to move the STS-91 target

launch date to June 2. The additional time will accommodate orbiter processing

requirements and launch preparations at Pad 39A. STS-88: Endeavour's power reactant

storage and distribution checks continue. Right-hand orbiter maneuvering system pod

interface testing is under way. Technicians continue efforts to replace window No. 1.

Preparations for remote manipulator system installation are complete. Functional tests of

the orbiter/external tank umbilical doors are scheduled to occur this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 28].]

• NASA's international space station is plagued with more launch delays and cost

overruns. There are no guarantees the successor to the space shuttle will be based in

Brevard County. And competition for the lucrative commercial launch business threatens

to leave Florida with an ever-slimmer share of the world market. To those who suggest this

puts a cloud over this week's 35 _ Space Congress in Cocoa Beach, Bruce Melnick disagrees.

"It's those kind of stories that are going to make this Space Congress more exciting than the

ones in the past," said Melnick, a Boeing vice president at Kennedy Space Center and twotime shuttle astronaut who is chairing this year's event. Four days of seminars and exhibits

begin Tuesday and end Friday. ["Challenges await Space Congress," Florida Today, April

26, 1998, p 1E & 6E.]

• Russia's space station Mir is finally headed for the trash heap. In a first step toward

bidding farewell to their battered outpost, Russian officials said Tuesday they gradually will

begin to lower Mir's orbit next month to prepare to discard it in 1999. Mir could stay in

orbit longer, however, if the new international space station continues to face delays, Yuri

Semyonov, head of the state-run RKK Energia, told the/TAR-Tass new agency. His

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companybuilt Mir andhasbeenrunningit sinceit wasputin orbit in 1986.A cargo ship

that is scheduled to dock with Mir on May 17 will use its engines to begin dragging the 120-

ton station's orbit closer to Earth, Semyonov said. "Every future spacecraft docking with

Mir will bring the station down," Semyonov said. ["Russians prepare to discard workhorse

space station Mir," Florida Todsy, April 29, 1998, p 8A.]

• Delays and political tttrmoil are plaguing NASA's international space station. And some

in Congress, upset by mounting costs, are calling for the program's head. But veteran

astronaut John Young dismisses the headlines as so much deja vu. "We've gone through

the same growing pains with every program we've ever had," Young said during Tuesday's

keynote speech to open the 35 _ Space Congress. "Gemini, Apollo, Skylab. The shuttle was

supposed to start in '78 and it launched in '81. When you've never done something, and

you're doing it for the first time, you can't estimate when you're going to finish it." John

David Bartoe, NASA's station project manager, said the space station will offer the

opportunity for groundbreaking orbital research. "Research into the effects on humans and

cell tissues and protein crystals will touch more people than any other research," he said.

While describing Russia as the Achilles' heel in the project, the panel expressed confidence

the Russians would meet their obligations. ["Patience wears thin on station delays,"

Florida Today, April 29, 1998, p 8A.]

• Itworked for Apollo 13 in the 1970s. Now a Los Angeles aerospace company is

hoping a slingshot trip around the moon can save a communications satellite that is stuck in

the wrong orbit around Earth. "The mission is a good gamble," Ronald Swanson of

Hughes global Services said Wednesday. No one has ever sent a commercial satellite around

the moon. If it works, it could mean a new way of rescuing wayward satellites without

having to haul them back to Earth on a NASA space shuttle. Hughes is spending less than

$1 million on the attempt. The 3.8-ton, 18-foot-high satellite has 3,700 pounds of fuel on

board. That's more than enough to escape Earth's gravity and go to the moon but not

enough for it to orient itself into the proper alignment 23,000 miles above the Earth. So

Hughes engineers next month will order the satellite to fire its motors for a nine-day trip to

the moon and back. They hope lunar gravity will steer the satellite to where it can be

captured by Earth's gravity in an orbit high enough to be useful. [''Wayward satellite will be

swung around moon," USA Today, April 30, 1998, p 5A.]

APR/L 30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, April 30, 1998. STS-90: Space Shuttle

Columbia's onboard systems continue to perform well on orbit as the flight crew wraps up

their neurological research activities. NASA managers decided today that Columbia will

return to Earth as scheduled on Sunday, May 3. With preliminary weather forecasts

indicating favorable conditions to support a Shuttle landing at KSC on Sunday, mission

managers are not calling on Edwards Air Force Base, CA, to support Sunday's landing

activities. The first Sunday landing opportunity at KSC is at 12:09 p.m. EDT with a second

opportunity at 1:43 p.m. EDT. STS-91: Discovery has been hard-mated to the new Super

Lightweight External Tank in YAB high bay I and umbilical interface connections continue

on schedule. The Shuttle Interface Test began yesterday and will conclude tomorrow.

Discovery is scheduled to begin its roll out to Pad 39A on Saturday, May 2 at about 3 a.m.,

atop the mobile launch platform and crawler transporter. STS-88: Testing of Endeavour's

power reactant storage and distribution system is complete. Installation of the remote

manipulator arm is slated to begin today. Right-hand orbiter maneuvering system pod

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interfacetestingcontinues.Functionaltestsof the orbiter/external tank umbilical doors are

scheduled for this week. The main propulsion system liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen

systems are slated for leak and functional tests this week as well. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, April 30].]

• ICSC has more than 150 natural gas vehicles, the largest fleet of these vehicles in NASA.

Benefits include significantly less air pollution than gasoline or diesel, longer-life engines and

less maintenance due to clean burning and less dependence on foreign oil (natural gas is a

domestic fuel). ["Did you know?" KSC Countdown, April 30, 1998.]

DURING APRIL: NASA managers are considering returning the Hubble Space Telescope

to Earth for study - and eventual display in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum

- once the telescope's mission is completed around 2010. A possible future space shuttle

mission to return the historic observatory was reviewed last week at the 352 Annual Space

Congress at Cape Canaveral. Examination of the telescope after what would be about 20

years in space would provide valuable data on the effects to aerospace materials of longterm space exposure. ["NASA managers are considering..." Aviation Week & Space

Technology., May 4, 1998, p 19.]

• NASA wants proposals by May 1 for a smallsat to be launched to the Lagrangian point

as part of a $50 million mission proposed by Vice President Gore to provide a highresolution image of the sunlit Earth for free distribution on the Intemet. Dubbed "Triana"

by Gore, the "Earth Observing Post" would consist of a satellite weighing 330 pounds or

less, with a 2,048-pixel CCD camera able to produce 7-kilometer resolution of Earth's

surface for educational outreach. The satellite will be positioned at the L-1 point, roughly 1

million miles from Earth, where the gravitational pulls of the earth and the sun will allow

the spacecraft to maintain a constant view of Earth. Plans call for launching the satellite on

an expendable launch vehicle or from the U.S. space shuttle, with a upper stage to get it to

L-1. ["NASA seeking proposals on L-1 satellite," Aerospace Daily, April 7, 1998, p 5-6.]

• Given that the shuttle's Neurolab mission studied the human brain, some NASA

managers might want to have their own heads examined. Why? For allowing too much

tacky show biz to intrude on the flight. First, at the Kennedy Space Center, the Power

Rangers - dressed in Grade-B Halloween-type "space" costumes -were allowed to film a

king-fu routine atop the 400-ft.-tall Vehicle Assembly Building as Columbia roared off in the

background. Meanwhile, at ground level, NASA admitted to the press site a Bulgarian folk

singer who plugged her new CD. Then, after launch, controllers patched in a phone call to

Columbia from Vanna White of "Wheel of Fortune" fame. ["I Dream of Jeannie,"

Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 4, 1998, p 17.]

85
MAY

MAYI: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, May 1, 1998. STS-90: Orbiter Columbia and

the STS-90 flight crew began their third week of nervous system research as the Neurolab

mission approaches an end. The Shuttle is expected to touch down at KSC's Shuttle

Landing Facility Sunday May 3 at 12:09 p.m. EDT. The deorbit bum is scheduled to occur

about one hour before touchdown at 11:02 a.m. There is a backup landing opportunity at

KSC on Sunday at 1:43 p.m. EDT. NASA managers have not called for Edwards Air Force

Base, CA, to support Sunday's landing activities. Preliminary weather forecasts indicate

favorable conditions to support a Shuttle landing at KSC on Sunday. STS-91: Mating

operations for Discovery and the new super lightweight external tank, and umbilical

connection leak checks are complete. Technicians have complete efforts to shave off a thin

layer of thermal protective foam from a small area on the external tank's outer surface.

Shaving efforts will minimize the chance of TPS foam debris contacting the orbiter during

ascent. The Shuttle is expected to begin its transfer to Pad 39A at about 3 a.m. Saturday

morning. STS-88: Endeavour's remote manipulator system has been installed in the

orbiter's payload bay. The right-hand orbiter maneuvering system's helium system is

undergoing verification tests today. Leak and functional tests of the main propulsion system

are in work. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: dorno@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 1].]

MAY& Twin sonic booms should be heard thundering across the Space Coast around

lunch time today as shuttle Columbia swoops in for a scheduled landing at Kennedy Space

Center. The landing will be slightly different than expected for the astronauts. Columbia's

crew uncovered a minor problem Saturday in tests of systems needed during the fiery

plunge through the atmosphere and landing. During the tests, a problem seen during

Columbia's launch resurfaced. The cooling system on one of the shuttle's three hydraulic

systems - used during launch and landing - failed. The hydraulic systems control the ship's

wing flaps, rudder and landing gear. The cooling systems spray water onto the hydraulics

and prevent them from overheating. The cooling system has been troublesome to NASA

engineers in recent years, with water repeatedly turning to ice and shutting down the system.

This time engineers think a valve that controls the water flow probably failed, said NASA

flight director John Shannon. During the launch, and again Saturday, the hydraulic unit

functioned properly for about 10 minutes before it automatically shut down after becoming

too hot. Although the shuttle is able to land safely with only one hydraulic unit working,

and previously has returned under the power of two units, officials would like to have the

third system available as a backup. So today, controllers will call on the plan used in 1991,

when a similar problem occurred on shuttle Atlantis. Instead of starting the hydraulic unit

as planned about 45 minutes before landing, the crew will leave the troubled unit off until

the critical last 6 I/2 minutes before touchdown. Engineers expect the unit to work for 10

minutes before it overheats. ["Hydraulic unit fails, but shuttle set to land," Florida Today,

May 3, 1998, p 1A.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Sunday, May 3, 1998. STS-90: The Space Shuttle

Columbia glided to a successful landing on runway 33 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility

today at 12:09 p.m. EDT. Neurolab scientists and their research teams gathered at KSC to

begin preliminary ground processing of the valuable data gleaned from STS-90's nervous

86
system experiments. With excellent weather conditions at KSC, flight controllers opted to

bring Columbia and her seven-member flight crew home on the first of two landing

opportunities, executing the deorbit burn at about 11:11 a.m. today. At the flight's

conclusion, the orbiter and crew had traveled 6.375 million statute miles and completed 256

orbits of the Earth. Columbia's 13th KSC landing marked the 43rd KSC landing in Shuttle

program history. Following routine orbiter sating, servicing and payload destow activities,

Columbia will begin its transfer from the SLF to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at about

10:15 p.m. and will arrive in the OPF at about 11:30 p.m. MET EDT: Main Gear

Touchdown 15:21:49:59; 12:08:59 p.m. -- Nose Gear Touchdown 15:21:50:13; 12:09:13

p.m. - Wheels Stop 15:21:50:58; 12:09:58 p.m. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 3].]

• Astronaut Kay Hire returned Sunday to the place where her NASA career began:

Kennedy Space Center. The former KSC engineer and first astronaut chosen from

Florida's spaceport arrived on shuttle Columbia in the lunch time landing of its 16-day

mission studying the brain and nervous system. The work is to help NASA learn how

spaceflight affects astronauts' nervous systems as well as uncovering solutions to common

Earth ailments such as insomnia or motion sickness. Now researchers will spend months

studying information on things such as the nervous system's control of blood pressure,

sleep and balance. ["Scientists eager to test shuttle data," Florida Today, May 4, 1998, p

1B & 2B.]

• Shuttle Columbia returned home Sunday to crystal-blue skies but a hazy future for its

next flight as NASA officials struggle to nail down a launch schedule for the remainder of

1998. Two questions remain. One is whether to fly Columbia in late summer on the same

neurological research mission that ended Sunday. The second is when NASA and Russia

can start building the international space station. Until these questions are settled, the

launch schedule at Kennedy Space Center will be muddled. "I don't recall a period when

we had as many flights in question as we do right now," said Tommy Holloway, chief of the

shuttle program, during a news conference after Columbia's lunch time landing at KSC.

Two flights of shuttle Discovery are the only missions set for the rest of the year. One will

be NASA's last flight to the Russian station Mir in June; the other will be a research mission

with returning astronaut John Glenn aboard in October. Holloway said NASA will decide

this week whether to repeat Columbia's mission, a 16-day excursion to study the intricate

workings of the brain and nervous system. NASA and Russia were to start building the

station this summer, but delays have pushed the first shuttle construction flight back into

September at the earliest, Holloway said. It's possible that flight - a mission aboard shuttle

Endeavour- won't be launched until December or even January, Holloway acknowledged.

Building the station - a $40 billion international effort -will require 45 shuttle launches, 15

Russian rocket launches and about 1,200 hours of spacewalks during six years of

construction. ["Shuttle lands to sketchy plans," Florida Today, May 4, 1998, p 1A.]

MAY4- Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, May 4, 1998. STS-91: Space Shuttle

Discovery rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building Saturday May 2 at 3:26 a.m. and

arrived at Pad 39A at about 9:30 a.m. Once at the pad, hotfire testing of Discovery's three

auxiliary power units was completed and launch pad validations began. Yesterday, the

payload was installed into the payload changeout room. The Rotating Service Structure has

87
been extended to the vehicle and the orbiter's payload bay doors are slated to be opened

later today. Pad validations continue and payload installation is scheduled for tomorrow.

The STS-91 flight crew is scheduled to arrive at KSC at 3:30 p.m. today for the Terminal

Countdown Demonstration Test set for Wednesday and Thursday. STS-88: Leak and

functional tests on Endeavour's main propulsion system are complete. Following last

week's installation of the remote manipulator system, verification testing of the system is

under way. Endeavour's window No. 1 is scheduled for installation today and replacement

of window No. 3 occurs this week. The right-hand orbiter maneuvering system's helium

system continues to undergo verification tests. STS-90: Following Columbia's on-time

landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility yesterday and after payload deservicing was

completed at the SLF, Columbia was towed to OPF bay 3 arriving at about midnight. Post

flight draining of cryogenic reactants from the orbiter's power reactant storage and

distribution system is under way. Preliminary inspections of Columbia's lower surface

revealed no significant damage with only 73 total "debris hits" of which 11 measured 1 inch

or greater. The STS-90 flight crew departed from Florida at about 9 a.m. today, headed

back to their homes in Houston, TX. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 4].]

# They're the last NASA crew scheduled to fly onto humanity's most remote outpost.

Shuttle Discovery's astronauts are at Kennedy Space Center for a week of practice leading

to their planned June 2 launch to the Russian space station Mir. Their mission: Travel, one

last time, to the station to pick up NASA astronaut Andy Thomas and end the productive -

and sometimes highly dangerous - shuttle-Mir program. "It will bring to a close a very

successful and educational phase in our process to build the international space station,"

KSC spokesman Joel Wells said. Discovery's crew for the nine-day flight includes two

astronauts who have made short visits to Mir and a Russian cosmonaut who helped design

the station. The crew will run through a launch day countdown rehearsal Thursday. Other

work this week will include emergency escape training and reviewing their mission plan.

["Discovery crew practices for mission to Mir," Florida Today, May 5, 1998, p 4A.]

MAYS: Shuttle Columbia's recently completed mission to study the brain and nervous

system won't be repeated this fall, NASA officials decided Tuesday. Managers had

considered a second flight to keep their calendar open for NASA's biggest challenge -

starting to build the international space station. "Our top priorities are to launch the first

elements of the international space station as soon as possible," said Ed Campion, a NASA

spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "By not flying it, we have the maximum

flexibility." NASA would like to launch its first station construction flight later this year.

Officials are considering dates ranging from early September to January 1999. The

uncertainty has been caused by NASA and Russian delays. ['NASA won't repeat Neurolab

mission," Florida Today, May 6, 1998, p 8A.]

@ Kennedy Space Center has landed the premiere of Armageddon on June 29. Cast

members expected to attend: Bruce Willis, which may mean wife Demi Moore, Billy Bob

Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton and Steve Buscemi. The guest list of 500 is

already drawn up and can't grow. That's all the temporary theater that the studio is building

beside the Apollo/Saturn V Center will hold. The movie was filmed in part at KSC.

["Movie to launch at KSC," The Orlando Sentinel May 6, 1998.]

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MAYr: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, May 6, 1998. STS-91: Preparations for

the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test continue on schedule. The STS-91 flight

crew arrived at KSC Monday evening and are participating in mission familiarization

activities this week before their launch day dress rehearsal set for Thursday. Discovery's

master event controller (MEC) No. 1 failed tests on Monday and technicians completed

MEC removal efforts yesterday. A new MEC will be installed tomorrow afternoon.

Orbiter midbody umbilical mates are complete and vertical payload installation concluded

yesterday. The helium signature test continues through this afternoon. Routine forward

and aft compartment cleaning is in work through the weekend and external tank umbilical

close-outs conclude tonight. STS-88: Verification of Endeavour's fight hand orbiter

maneuvering system helium system continues. Technicians are checking a valve on the

reaction control system. Installation of a strut in bay 3 of the midbody is in work. Drag

chute installation is in work and hydraulic checks of Endeavour's main landing gear begin

tonight. Window No. 1 is scheduled for installation Friday. STS-93: Following NASA's

decision yesterday not to refly the Neurolab mission, KSC workers will focus efforts to

process Columbia for the AXAF mission on STS-93. Draining of the orbiter's power

reactant storage and distribution system is complete and technicians now have access to

Columbia's aft compartment. Fuel cell and water spray boiler evaluations are in work. The

payload bay doors will be opened today and technicians will begin Neurolab deconfiguration

on Friday. Removal of the Spacelab payload from the cargo bay occurs Monday. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscfibe shuttle-status [1998, May 6].]

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin acknowledged Wednesday that Russia's

participation in the international space station is not working, leaving U.S. taxpayers to pay

more and wait longer to get the outpost built. The frank admission before a House panel

was a major reversal for Goldin, who has previously defended the partnership and

expressed "cautious optimism" that NASA and the Russians could solve their problems.

"We were too naive in expecting them to act like we act," Goldin said of the Russian

government's repeated failure to provide adequate money for their portion of the 15-nation

project. "The Russians have been welcomed into the largest science project of the 20_

century. They are going to have to decide do they want to be a partner or do they want to

have some other relationship with us." Goldin's testimony may mark a turning point in the

stormy relations between Congress, NASA and the White House over Russia's involvement

in the space station. No longer was he asking for "one more chance," as he and his top

managers have done so many times in the past. Instead, he promised that on June 15 he

would deliver to Congress a new assessment of station costs and assembly schedules - one

that would include estimates of moving forward without key Russian hardware. Despite the

delay, Goldin's words seemed to mollify Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., who as

chairman of the House Science Committee has been a persistent station taskmaster. He has

repeatedly criticized Russia, the Clinton administration and NASA for frequent broken

promises, missed timelines and hidden costs. ["NASA: Russia has let us down," Florida

Toda_.£, May 7, 1998, p 1A & 7A.]

MAYZ" Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, May 7, 1998. STS-91: The Terminal

Countdown Demonstration Test concluded at about 11 a.m. today with a simulated main

engine cut-off at the pad. Following the test, the flight crew was set to return to Houston,

89
TX laterthisafternoon. On the Shuttle Discovery, helium signature testing is complete.

Cleaning of the gaseous nitrogen (GN2) system on the mobile launch platform and

reassembly of the Shuttle main engine GN2 purge panel concluded yesterday. Technicians

will replace multiplexer demultiplexer (MDM) No. 4 this week because of an internal card

failure. MDM No. 4 is one of 23 MDMs on board the orbiter that convert and format data

from the vehicle for transfer to the Shuttle's general purpose computers. STS-88:

Verification of Endeavour's fight hand orbiter maneuvering system helium system is

complete. Replacement of window No. 3 is complete and windows No. 1 and No. 4 are

slated for replacement later this week. Drag chute installation and hydraulic checks of

Endeavour's main landing gear continue. STS-93: Post flight inspections of Columbia's

main engines are under way. Work to destow the flight crew equipment is in work. Fuel

cell and water spray boiler evaluations continue. Tomorrow workers begin efforts to

deconfigure the Neurolab payload and Spacelab removal is slated for Monday. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 7].]

MAYS: Payload Processing Status Report, Friday, May 8, 1998. Operations currently in

work: STS-91 9 _ MIR docking Spacehab Module Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AIMS):

Spacehab electrical/water system connections. AMS stand-alone testing within orbiter

payload bay. STS-88 International Space Station-Node 1/PMA-1/PMA-2: Leak check of

PMA-2 interface. Cargo Element Integrated Test. Future Payload Processing Status: ELV

spacecraft arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: July 19 (Launch Oct. 15); Mars Orbiter:

Sept. 4 (Launch Dec. 10); Mars Lander: Oct. 15 (Launch Jan. 3, '99); Stardust: Nov. 12

(Launch Feb. 6, '99). Space Shuttle payload arrivals: AXAF/STS-93: Aug. 14 (Launch Dec.

3)(no earlier than). Payload Special Note: In OPF Bay 3, Columbia's payload bay doors

have been opened. With the decision not to refly Neurolab, work will begin to

mechanically and electrically disconnect the Spacelab payload. Its removal from Columbia's

payload bay is scheduled for Monday, May 11. It will be returned to the Operations and

Checkout Building for deconfigurafion. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Payload Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-maih

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 8].]

# An Air Force Titan 4 rocket carried a spy satellite into orbit Friday that experts think

will be used to eavesdrop on communications in the world's hotspots. The 9:38 p.m.

launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station marked the third mission of the Air Force's latest

version of the Titan, the most powerful unmanned American booster in use today. ["Titan

rocket sends spy satellite into orbit," Florida Today, May 9, 1998, p 6A.]

MAYll: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, May 11, 1998. STS-91: Replacement of

Discovery's master event controller No. 1 and the change-out of multiplexer demultiplexer

No. 4 are complete. Over the weekend, technicians completed work on the mobile launch

platform's gaseous nitrogen system. The payload bay doors are closed and crew

module/SPACEHAB pressure leak checks are complete. Loading of hypergolic propellant

into Discovery's onboard storage tanks is under way, with oxidizer loading in work today

and fuel loading slated for tomorrow. Preparations for next Monday's tanking test of the

new super lightweight external tank are ongoing this week. STS-88: Replacement of the

yaw actuator on Endeavour's main engine No. 2 is complete. Window No. 4 has been

removed and replacement occurs this week. Drag chute installation is in work and

9O
preparations for radiator deployment and inspection begin today. STS-93: Post-flight

inspections of Columbia's main engines are complete. Main landing gear wheel and fire

removal begins today. Orbiter power system validations are complete and forward reaction

control system functional tests pick up tomorrow. The payload bay doors are open and

workers have demated Neurolab's electrical connections. Payload removal is slated for

tomorrow. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 11].]

# Gordon Cooper hadn't seen the place since Faith 7 lifted him into orbit 35 years ago.

But on Sunday when the control center, or blockhouse, at the historic Space Launch

Complex 14 was reclaimed from nature and opened to the public for the day, Cooper was

among those reminding visitors of the nationwide fascination with space travel. The site

was where John Glenn took Friendship 7 on the first manned orbital mission in February

1962. That mission was followed by Scott Carpenter's Aurora 7 flight in May 1962 and

Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 flight in October 1962. Cooper became the sixth and final astronaut

to fly in NASA's Mercury program 35 years ago this week. Project Mercury was initiated in

1958 and ended in 1963. Itwas this nation's first man-in-space program. And while it may

not have been a labor of love for members of the 45 * Operations Support Squadron to

refurbish the blockhouse, it was done with a deep respect for the history of the place.

Members of the squadron donated thousands of hours over the past two years cleaning off

mildew, replacing old plumbing, painting and polishing the blockhouse. The blockhouse

will serve as a conference center at Cape Canaveral. Brig. Gen. Randall Starbuck,

commander of the 45 _ Space Wing, allocated $60,000 for the refurbishing effort. The

blockhouse served as the launch control station only 100 yards from the launch site. Sealed

beneath 8 feet of sand and locked behind a foot-thick vault door, technicians and engineers

monitored and launched Atlas rockets. ["Launching space history," Florida Today, May

11, 1998, p 1B & 2B.]

MAYlg: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, May 12, 1998. STS-91: Loading of

hypergolic propellant into Discovery's onboard storage tanks continues. Oxidizer loading is

complete and fuel loading begins today. Preparations for next Monday's tanking test of the

new super lightweight external tank continue. Tomorrow, the payload bay doors will be

reopened and SPACEHAB testing will begin. On Friday, the AMS payload will undergo

orbiter interface verification tests. STS-88: Endeavour's radiator deployment is complete

and inspections of the radiator's lower surface are in work today. This week technicians will

conduct leak and functional testing of the gaseous oxygen system on the orbiter's main

propulsion system. Preparations to install window No. 4 are in work. STS-93: Removal of

Columbia's main landing gear wheels and tires is complete. Brake assembly removal is slated

for today. Functional checks of the orbiter's forward reaction control system (FRCS) are

also complete and FRCS disconnection begins later today. Neurolab removal efforts began

this morning. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 7].]

MAY13: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, May 13, 1998, STS-91: Loading of

hypergolic propellant into Discovery's onboard storage tanks is complete. Today,

technicians will begin close-outs of the orbiter's aft compartment in preparation for

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Monday's tanking test of the first super lightweight external tank. Shuttle integrated voltage

tests are scheduled for today. Opening of the orbiter's payload bay doors is under way and

SPACEHAB interface verification testing (IVT) begins this morning. The AMS payload

will undergo its IVT on Friday. STS-88: Leak and functional testing of the gaseous oxygen

system on Endeavour's main propulsion system is complete. Radiator lower surface

inspections and window No. 4 installation are also complete. Hydraulic pressurization tests

of the main engine thrust vector control and elevons are in work. STS-93: Removal of

Columbia's main landing gear brake assembly is complete. Down loading of the orbiter's

experiment recorder data to the ground support equipment is also complete. Yesterday,

workers removed Neurolab and the Spacelab transfer tunnel from Columbia's payload bay.

Today, preparations for hypergolic deservicing are in work. Nose landing gear wheel and

tire inspections and GAS canister removal efforts begin today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 13].]

MAY14: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, May 14, 1998. STS-91: Close-outs of

Discovery's aft compartment continue in preparation for Monday's tanking test of the fast

super lightweight external tank. Shuttle integrated voltage tests begin today. Yesterday,

technicians opened the orbiter's payload bay doors and completed SPACEHAB tunnel leak

checks. SPACEHAB interface verification testing (IVT) is under way and the AMS IVT is

set for Friday. STS-88: Hydraulic pressurization tests of Endeavour's main engine thrust

vector control and elevons are complete. Leak checks on the orbiter maneuvering system

oxidizer valves are also complete. Hydraulic leak checks of the main landing gear struts are

scheduled to begin today. Endeavour's radiators will be stowed in the orbiter's midbody

today. STS-93: Columbia's nose landing gear wheel and tire inspections are complete.

Removal of the GAS canisters from the orbiter's middeck was completed yesterday. Today,

preparations for hypergolic deservicing are in work. Workers will also remove the forward

extension of the Spacelab transfer tunnel later today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shutrle-status [1998, May 14].]

MAY1,.q: On the final NASA mission to the Russian space station Mir next month, shuttle

Discovery's launch will be fed by a new, lighter fuel tank that never has flown. The new

tank weighs about 7,500 pounds less than its predecessor, allowing the shuttle haul heavier

cargoes into orbit. The extra carrying room will be critical once NASA's shuttle fleet starts

hoisting big pieces of the international space station off the planet. Before it takes its first

leap off the launch pad, however, the tank will get once last test Monday. Kennedy Space

Center workers will fill the new model with more than 500,000 gallons of super-cold liquid

oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Then they will see how the tank holds up and will check for

leaks before draining it. If all goes well, the tank will be cleared for its debut launch. If

there are problems, NASA has a potentially serious dilemma. Depending on the problem,

the tank work could delay the mission by days or much longer if the shuttle has to be

moved off the launch pad for extensive work. However, NASA officials say they expect no

surprises Monday, only confirmation that the tank is ready to go. The new tank is the third

model that has been designed for NASA's space shuttles. The first model flew on only six

missions before a new version of the tank was launched in 1983. Called the lightweight

tank, that model weighed 10,000 pounds less than the original version - considered quite an

accomplishment for the time. It's been used on every shuttle launch since. But with the

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internationalspacestationprojectlooming,NASA beganlooking for new ways to lighten its

spaceships. Enter aluminum lithium, a tough material that weighs much less but is stronger

than the aluminum alloy now used for the tanks. NASA calls it the "super-lightweight

tank." ["New lightweight shuttle tank gets final test Monday," Florida Today, May 16,

1998, p 1A & 2A.]

I_ Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, May 15, 1998. STS-91: Retests of Discovery's

replaced master event controller and multiplexer/demultiplexer were successfully completed

yesterday. Aft compartment close-outs continue in preparation for testing of the first super

lightweight external tank. Liquid hydrogen loading is slated to begin Monday at about 7 a.m.

and liquid oxygen loading follows at 10:20 a.m. SPACEHAB interface verification testing is

complete and the AMS IVT is scheduled to begin this afternoon. Following the AMS IVT,

Discovery's payload bay doors will be closed. The Rotating Service Structure will be

retracted on Sunday in preparation for the tanking test. STS-88: Endeavour's radiators are

stowed in the orbiter's midbody and the payload bay doors have been closed to support

inspections. Hydraulic leak checks of the main landing gear struts are in work. STS-93:

Preparations for Columbia's hypergolic deservicing are complete. Removal of the Spacelab

tunnel forward extension is also complete. Draining of the orbiter maneuvering system

propellant tanks is under way. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, May 15].]

4_ Payload Processing Status Report, Friday, May 15, 1998. Operations currently in work:

9th MIR DOCKING SPACEHAB MODULE ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER

(AMS) (STS-91): Target Launch Date: June 2, 1998 6:10 p.m. EDT. Current Location:

Space Shuttle Discovery payload bay; Launch Pad: 39 A. PAYLOAD OPERATIONS IN

WORK: * AMS stand-alone testing in payload bay; * Establish AMS electrical connections

with Discovery;* AMS Interface Verification '_rest (IVT). INTERNATIONAL SPACE

STATION (STS-88) Node 1 (Unity): Target Launch Date: Sept. 3, 1998 NET (under

review); Current Location: Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF);Launch Vehicle: Space

Shuttle Endeavour; Launch Pad: 3913. SPACE STATION OPERATIONS CURRENTLY

IN WORK: * Cargo Element Integrated Test;* Integrated Compatibility Test; * Ventilation

control system flow balance checks. FUTURE PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS:

ELV spacecraft arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: July 19 (Launch Oct. 15); Mars

Orbiter: Sept. 4 (Launch Dec. 10); Mars Lander: Oct. 15 (Launch Jan. 3, '99); Stardust:

Nov. 12 (Launch Feb. 6, '99); Space Shuttle payload arrivals: AXAF/STS-93: Aug. 14

(Launch Dec. 3)(no earlier than). Payload Special Note: In the Operations and Checkout

Building, the Neurolab Spacelab module has been removed from the payload canister and

was installed into the workstand on Thursday. Deintegration of the laboratory experiment

racks is now beginning. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Payload Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 15].]

MAY16: Months ahead of John Glenn's return to space, motels and trailer parks are

booked for 100 miles around. High school bands all over Brevard County are thumping out

the Marine hymn. "Go, Glenn, Go" T-shirts are being rushed to Florida from cutting

boards in Hong Kong and Honduras. John Herschel Glenn Jr., middle-named for the 186

century astronomer who discovered Uranus, is coming back to the beach resort where he

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blastedoff into historyFeb.20,1962.Glennwasthe first American to orbit Earth. He's

due to lift off again Oct. 29. At the Econo Lodge in Cocoa Beach, which Glenn and his

fellow astronauts owned when it was the Cape Colony Inn, the receptionist answers the

phone: "Home of the original seven astronauts... Sorry, we sold out for that week when

the flight was announced." Tens of thousands of campers are expected to line the beaches

of Cape Canaveral and the banks of Banana River. Thousands more are expected to watch

from powerboats and cruise ships in the Atlantic, where Russians used to trawl for minnows

of Cold War intelligence. The Atlas missile that carried Glenn aloft was a mere firecracker

compared with the monstrous rockets that will power his next trip. Johnnie Johnson, a

former deputy commander of Kennedy Space Center, stood at Pad 14, just off ICBM Road,

where John Glenn blasted off into glory. "The gantry was sold for scrap years ago, a victim

of Florida cancer: rust." An armadillo grazed near the bunker that once stored liquid

oxygen, the fuel that boosted the missile aloft. The entrance to the complex is marked by a

monument to the Mercury Seven, fashioned from some exotic missile metal. Buried

beneath it is a time capsule, to be opened in 2462, containing photos, movies, blueprints of

the capsule and Glenn's Marine Corps pilot's wings. Johnson pointed to the 5-foot-high

bank of Burroughs computers along the wall that controlled every phase of Glenn's flight

from launch to recovery. "Combined, they had 30,000 bytes," Johnson said, "about what's

needed to turn out an expensive wristwatch these days." Hangar S is where the Mercury

astronauts lived just before launch, undergoing final medical tests and donning their

spacesuits before boarding a van to the pad. And where they constantly complained about

the smell from the cages housing the chimpanzees that preceded them into the heavens.

The hangar now is what Johnson described as a "cleansing area for retrievable space scrap."

One room stores row upon row of helmeted silver spacesuits, like a display in Madame

Tussaud's wax works. The ghost town setting of old hangars and decaying gantries is a

reminder that the carnival atmosphere of the pioneer space days all but disappeared when

flight training and Mission Control, with its highly sophisticated computer complex, moved

to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The training is just as rigorous, but the new

breed of astronaut is more sedate. Yesteryear's bawdy, barracks behavior would be frowned

on nowadays. The actual launch still takes place at Kennedy Space Center. Glenn's shuttle,

about the size of a DC-9 passenger jet, will depart from Pad 39B, rocketed off by 7.2 million

pounds of thrust, compared with the 360,000 pounds of thrust from the Atlas popgun that

lofted his phone-booth sized Mercury capsule 3 1/2 decades ago. ["Once and future Glenn

to rise again," Florida Today, May 17, 1998, p 1B & 5B.]

MA]V18: NASA is expected to clear shuttle Discovery today for its June 2 launch to the

Russian space station Mir after successfully finishing tests Monday on the ship's new fuel

tank. Top NASA managers will meet at Kennedy Space Center starting this morning for a

final review of the shuttle. "We expect to be ready for a June 2 launch date," said KSC

spokesman Joel Wells. During the nine-day mission, Discovery and its crew are to pick up

astronaut Andy Thomas, who has been living on MAr since January. The flight will clear the

way for the planned start of construction later this year on the new international space

station. Discovery passed a major hurdle Monday when its external fuel tank was filled with

more than 500,000 gallons liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in an important check of the

tank's new design. The tank, which feeds the shuttle's three main engines during launch,

looks the same as its predecessors but weighs 7,500 pounds less. The lost weight means the

spaceships will be able to carry heavier cargoes into orbit. The increased capacity will be

needed once the shuttle fleet starts hauling pieces of the international station into orbit.

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["Light spaceshuttlefueltankreadyfor launch,NASAsays." Florida Today, May 19,

1998, p 5A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, May 18, 1998. STS-91: Today, Shuttle engineers

successfully completed the tanking test of the new super lightweight external tank (SLWT)

set to fly for the first time with Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-91. From Firing Room

No. 1, the test team subjected the external tank and orbiter to a simulated launch

countdown scenario. The simulated countdown clock started Saturday night at 9 p.m. with

reactant loading of Discovery's power reactant storage and distribution system and

culminated with a planned ground launch sequencer (GLS) cut-off at T-31 seconds today at

4:50 p.m. Cryogenic loading of the SLWT liquid hydrogen tank began at about 7:20 a.m.

today and loading of the liquid oxygen tank began at about 10 a.m. A SLWT data evaluation

team with members from KSC, Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center

were primarily interested in the tension loads that would be placed on the new tank during

fuel loading. The extremely cold cryogenic fuels can cause the external tank to shrink up to

1-inch in diameter and several inches in length. This shrinkage places a tension or "pinch"

load on the external tank/solid rocket booster strut attach points located near the tank's aft

dome. The data evaluation team began gathering "pinch" load data at the 7 percent full

mark during liquid hydrogen tanking. Throughout the entire liquid hydrogen tanking

process, the tension loads were well within the acceptable limits. The SLWT data evaluation

team completed their test objectives earlier than expected so the test team chose to move

GLS cut-off up by about two hours. An orbiter data evaluation team also used the test

scenario as an opportunity to check-out various orbiter systems. The KSC ice/debris

inspection team conducted remote inspections of the external tank from firing room No. 1

throughout the test and performed an onsite inspection after the SLWT was 100 percent

full and halfway through stable replenish. Though additional hands-on inspections will

follow this week, preliminary reports show the external tank in excellent condition.

Draining of the external tank concludes at about 7 p.m. tonight and boil-off should be

complete tomorrow afternoon. Preliminary results from the data evaluation teams will be

presented at tomorrow's STS-91 Flight Readiness Review, where the official launch date and

time is expected to be announced. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa_gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 18].]

MAYIg- The Flight Readiness Review for the STS-91 mission is being held today in the

Mission Briefing Room of the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building. Mission

managers are expected to announce the go-ahead to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery

from Launch Pad 39A on June 2 at about 6:10 p.m. The FRR follows the successful

completion of the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) last Friday and the pre-launch cryogenic

test of the Shuttle's first super lightweight external tank (SLWT) on Monday. The SLWT

will be used for the first time on STS-91. ["STS-91 Flight Readiness Review today; launch

target is June 2," KSC Countdown, May 19, 1998.]

• The street in front of 45 a' Space Wing Headquarters at Patrick Air Force Base will be

dedicated in honor of astronaut Edward White II during a Memorial Day ceremony. The

event will be held at the Memorial Plaza on base, May 22 at 10 a.m., with the dedication

made by Space Wing Commander General Randall Starbuck. Several current and former

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astronauts are expected to attend the ceremony. [KSC Countdown, May 19, 1998 and May

21, 1998.]

MAY20: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, May 20, 1998. STS-91: Following

yesterday's Flight Readiness Review, NASA Shuttle managers announced June 2 as the

official launch date for Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-91. As the launch team proceeds

with standard prelaunch preparations, Shuttle engineers are evaluating a minor overboard

water leak from the orbiter's fuel cell No. 3 relief valve to determine its acceptability for

flight. The leak was first noticed Monday afternoon during the tanking test of the new super

lightweight external tank. With the super lightweight tank (SLWT) test complete, the

Rotating Service Structure at Pad 39A has been moved back in place around the orbiter.

Today, the ice/debris inspection team will evaluate data taken from a hands-on inspection

of the external tank thermal protection system as part of the SLWT test data evaluation

process. With the payload bay doors open, technicians are completing electrical

connections that support the AIMS payload. STS-88: Technicians are preparing to make

auxiliary power unit drain fine connections tomorrow. Rework on the main engine heat

shield attach points is underway. Standard inspections of the payload bay doors are in work.

STS-93: Removal of Columbia's main engine heatshields is complete. Shuttle main engine

No. 2 has been removed and removal of the two remaining engines is in work. Replacement

of multiplexer demultiplexer No. 2 is slated to occur today and removal of fuel cell No. 2 is

scheduled for this week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, May 20].]

MAY21: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, May 21, 1998. STS-91: KSC workers have

gained access to Discovery's aft compartment and will conduct standard main engine

hydraulic testing today. Following yesterday's final inspection of the super lightweight

external tank, the ice/debris inspection team noted no significant thermal protection system

damage resulting from the recent tanking test. Engineering evaluations of the leaky fuel cell

No. 3 relief valve are expected to conclude tomorrow. Though repairs on the valve are not

expected to be necessary, as a precaution KSC engineers are developing a plan to reach the

over board valve from Discovery's midbody should access be required. Electrical

connections supporting the AMS payload are complete. The payload bay doors remain

open as AMS end-to-end testing begins today and continues through Saturday. Payload bay

camera testing is slated for this week and installation of the external tank separation camera

is in work. The payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed on Tuesday. STS-88:

Technicians are making auxiliary power unit drain line connections today. Rework on the

main engine heat shield attach points continues. Standard inspections of the payload bay

doors also continue today. STS-93: Columbia's main engine removal is complete.

Technicians have also removed fuel cell No. 2 and a replacement fuel cell is being installed

today. Preparations are under way to install multiplexer demultiplexer No. 2 today. Efforts

to remove the extended duration orbiter 0SDO) pallet are in work through next week.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May

21].]

MA Y22: Another delay in the construction of the international space station has left

NASA with nothing to launch this summer, officials said Friday. The station's first two

,,=,row

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launches - originally set for late 1997 - on Friday were rescheduled for Nov. 20 in

Kazakhstan and Dec. 3 at Kennedy Space Center. NASA recommended the launch delays

- the third in the past year - agency spokesman Ed Campion said. The 15 countries that

run the $46 billion project will vote on NASA's recommendation in a May 30 meeting at

ICSC. Russia once again is being blamed for the delay. The Russians are late with their

Service Module, which provides the station's living quarters, life support, flight control and

propulsion. The module is 95 percent complete but won't be ready for launch until early

April 1999. The Service Module is the third part to be launched, but it needs to be in orbit

within six months of the first two sections to keep them from going out of control, the

Russians say[ NASA contends the first two station parts technically can last 18 months

without the Service Module but decided there was no reason to launch them early. This

means the shuttle-launching scheduled will come to a stand still after the launch of

Discovery, set for June 2. The next launch is Oct. 29 with U.S. Sen. John Glenn's return to

space. ["NASA launchers get summer break," The Orlando Sentinel, May 23, 1998, p A13.]

• Payload Processing Status Report, Friday, May 22, 1998. 9th MIR DOCKING

SPACEHAB MODULE ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER (AMS) (STS-91):

Target Launch Date: June 2, 1998 6:10 p.m. EDT; Current Location: Space Shuttle

Discovery payload bay; Launch Pad: 39 A. PAYLOAD OPERATIONS IN WORK: *

AMS end- tQ:end communications test. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (STS-88)

Unity (Node 1); Target Launch Date: Sept. 3, 1998 NET (under review); Current Location:

Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF); Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour; Launch

Pad: 39B. SPACE STATION OPERATIONS CURRENTLY IN WORK: * Work to

remove and replace Node 1 cold plates. FUTURE PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS:

ELV spacecraft arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: July 19 (Launch Oct. 15); Mars

Orbiter: Sept. 4 (Launch Dec. 10); Mars Lander: Oct. 15 (Launch Jan. 3, '99); Stardust:

Nov. 12 (Launch Feb. 6, '99); Space Shuttle payload arrivals: AXAF/STS-93: Aug. 14

(Launch Dec. 3 NET). Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Payload

Processing Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 22].]

• Space Shuttle StatusReport, Friday, May 22, 1998. STS-91: With evaluations of the

leaky fuel cell No. 3 relief valve complete, Shuttle engineers are recommending that no

additional work or testing be performed on the valve preflight. The minor leak is well within

acceptable limits and engineers are confident that in-flight water production will not be

seriously impacted. AMS end-to-end testing began early this morning and continues

through Saturday. Payload bay camera testing is slated for this week and installation of the

external tank separation camera is in work. The payload bay doors are scheduled to be

closed on Tuesday. STS-88: Technicians have completed auxiliary power unit drain line

connections. Flushing of the ammonia boiler system is scheduled for today. In the Vehicle

Assembly Building, solid rocket booster joint close-outs are in work and external tank/solid

rocket booster mate is slated for the first week in June. STS-93: Technicians have

completed electrical connections on Columbia's replaced fuel cell No. 2 and mechanical

mating is in work today. Replacement of multiplexer demultiplexer No. 2 is also complete.

Yesterday, workers removed the orbiter's payload recorder. Efforts to remove the extended

duration orbiter (EDO) pallet continue through next week. Preparations for orbiter

maneuvering system functional tests are in work. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

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SpaceCenter Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 22].]

MAY23: Walter Koenig, better known as Pavell Chekov from the original "Star Trek"

series, reached out Saturday to shake the hand of a 30-something fan at the Kennedy Space

Center Visitor Complex. According to officials at the Kennedy Space Center complex,

thousands visited the center duirng the second day of Space Week 98, which featured actors

from three generations of Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" series, as well as astronauts

Capt. Alan Bean, who served with the Apollo XII mission, and Dr. Ed Gibson, who spent

84 days in space on a Skylab mission. Area residents and visitors will get the opportunity to

meet more astronauts during Space Week, which continues through Monday at the

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. ["Stars of space and screen touch down at KSC,"

Florida Today, May 24, 1998, p D-1.]

MAY26: The entrance to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be revamped as

part of a $10 million project that includes two new attractions. Opening in 1999 near the

renovated entrance building are a 300-seat theater with a film exploring the possibilities of

life on other planets and a display that looks at the future of robotic explorers. The new

exhibits are part of a bigger, $90 million project that has added attractions off the visitor

center's main campus, including an observation deck overlooking the space shuttle launch

pad and a behind-the-scenes look at construction of the international space station. "Over

the past two years, we've concentrated on real exhibits and showing people what happens at

the space center," said Rick Abramson, president and chief operating officer of Delaware

North Parks Services, which operates the center through a leasing agreement with NASA.

"Now it's time to bring the main campus up to date." Abramson announced the project at

Pow Wow, the massive international travel trade show under way in Chicago. The visitor

center's entrance building will close June 15 for refurbishing, and visitors will enter through

a temporary site, Abramson said. The new entrance will open in December and will include

video screens that show the off-site attractions. The 11-minute, $1 million movie will be

housed in the former Spaceport Theater. The robot display, which features Marie, twin

sister of Sojourner rover that recently explored Mars, will replace "Satellites and You." The

automated exhibit will tout robots as the unsung heroes of space exploration. ["$10 million

will give a lift to space center entrance," The Orlando Sentinel, May 27, 1998, p B-5.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, May 26, 1998. STS-91: Discovery's main engine

leak checks are complete and orbiter aft compartment close-outs are in work. Installation

of the external tank separation camera is also complete. End-to-end testing of the AMS

payload concluded Saturday and payload bay door closure is slated to occur today. At pad

39A, preparations are under way for ordnance installation early tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow afternoon, technicians will partially drain and then refill the orbiter maneuvering

system oxidizer tank to ensure proper loading and pressurization. Launch countdown

preparations begin this week with the 43-hour countdown clock scheduled to start Saturday

at 9 p.m. The STS-91 flight crew arrives at KSC Saturday at 12:30 p.m. STS-88: Flushing of

Endeavour's ammonia boiler system was completed Friday. Preparations are in work today

to support forward reaction control system installation on Wednesday. Auxiliary power unit

leak and functional testing is under way. In the VAB, solid rocket booster joint close-outs

continue and external tank/solid rocket booster mate is slated for the first week in June.

STS-93: Mechanical connections of Columbia's replaced fuel cell No. 2 are

v

98
complete.Efforts to removetheextendeddurationorbiter0SDO)palletcontinuethrough

nextweek.Orbitermaneuveringsystemfunctionaltestingisin work. Main propulsion

system inspections are under way and water spray boiler No. 3 off-load is in progress. This

week technicians will replace the nose landing gear wheels and tires. Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 26].]

MAY27: Final preparations are hitting full stride at Kennedy Space Center today as NASA

gets ready for next week's planned launch of shuttle Discovery on an orbital taxi mission.

Agency managers say nothing is standing in the way of sending the spaceship and its crew to

the Russian space station Mir at 6:10 p.m. Tuesday. The countdown is scheduled to begin

Saturday (May 30). During the nine-day mission, Discovery is to make NASA's last flight to

Mir and pick up astronaut Andy Thomas, who has been living on the outpost since January.

When Thomas returns to Florida, it will mark the end of a partnership that began in March

1995 when former astronaut Norm Thagard became the first American to take up residence

on Mir. Seven NASA guests have made Mir their home, gathering information about

running a space station so the United States can lead construction of a new international

station beginning in November. Discovery has cleared one potential problem that could

have delayed its flight. Engineers have decided the ship can fly with a leaking water valve.

The valve, which vents water into space, does not need to be repaired before the flight.

The water is a byproduct of the way the shuttle produces electricity in its fuel cells and is left

behind for Mir's residents to use for drinking and cooking. Engineers concluded the leak

would not keep the shuttle from producing an adequate amount of water for Mir's crew,

nor would the released water endanger Mir by contaminating its outside surfaces.

["Preparations under way for Discovery launch," Florida Today, May 28, 1998, p 11A.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, May 27, 1998. STS-91: Preparations to begin

the launch countdown for mission STS-91 on Saturday continue on schedule. Discovery's

payload bay doors were closed for flight yesterday afternoon. Ordnance connections on the

solid rocket boosters are complete and pyrotechnic initiator controller (PIC) checks are in

work today. Drain and refill of the orbiter maneuvering system oxidizer tank follow PIC

checks this afternoon. Discovery's aft main engine compartment close-outs are on a

scheduled hold today due to planned launch pad clears and will resume tomorrow. The

STS-91 flight crew arrives at KSC Saturday at 12:30 p.m. STS-88: Technicians have

completed inspections and measurements of Endeavour's payload bay door seals. The

forward reaction control system was delivered to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 yesterday

and will be installed into the orbiter tonight. Auxiliary power unit leak and functional testing

is in work this week. In the Vehicle Assembly Bay, solid rocket booster joint close-outs

continue. STS-93: Efforts to remove Columbia's extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet

are in work. Orbiter maneuvering system functional testing continues. Main propulsion

system and water spray boiler No. 3 inspections also continue. Removal and replacement

of the nose landing gear wheels and fires is in work. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 27].]

MAY28: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, May 28, 1998. STS-91: Preparations to

begin the launch countdown for mission STS-91 on Saturday are proceeding on schedule.

Installation and checkout of the ordnance on the solid rocket boosters are complete.

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Refilling of Discovery's orbiter maneuvering system oxidizer tank concluded yesterday and

pressurization of the hypergolic system began this morning. Aft main engine compartment

close-outs have resumed today and will conclude Saturday with aft door installation. The

STS-91 flight crew arrives at KSC Saturday at 12:30 p.m. STS-88: Installation of

Endeavour's forward reaction control system is in work and interface checks are scheduled

for tomorrow. Auxiliary power unit leak and functional testing continues this week. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, solid rocket booster joint close-outs continue. STS-93:

Replacement of Columbia's nose landing gear wheels and tires is complete. Technicians

continue preparations for tomorrow's planned removal of the extended duration orbiter

(EDO) pallet. Orbiter maneuvering system functional testing also continues. Main

propulsion system inspections are under way and water spray boiler No. 3 core off-load

continues. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 28].]

MAY29: Labor strife at Cape Canaveral Air Station will not affect Tuesday's scheduled

launch of shuttle Discovery to Russia's space station Mir, NASA officials and labor leaders

said Friday. Ed Hill, president of the 2,000-member Transport workers Union Local 525,

said the union likely would not call a strike on Monday or Tuesday. A strike may have

forced NASA to delay Discovery's launch. Discovery is scheduled to liftoffat 6:10 p.m.

Tuesday on NASA's final trip to Mir to pick up American astronaut Andy Thomas, who has

spent five months aboard the station. The local is protesting Sverdrup Technology Corp.'s

decision not to recognize the union when the company takes over the $200 million Launch

Operations and Support Contract at the air station Monday. Hill said the union first will

seek legal and political remedies to the dispute. He said he personally assured U.S. Rep.

Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, the union would take no action that would jeopardize the

launch. The contract change has resulted in about 200 layoffs including 139 union workers.

Despite the Air force's critical role in coordinating shuttle operations, NASA spokesman

Bruce Buckingham said there was little concern about a strike affecting the launch. "This is

an Air Force issue, not a NASA issue." Buckingham said. ["Labor woes won't affect launch

of Discovery, official says," Florid_a Today, May 30, 1998, p 6A.]

# Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, May 29, 1998. STS-91: The STS-91 launch

countdown begins tomorrow at 9 p.m. and all prelaunch preparations continue on schedule.

The contingency space suits are installed in the orbiter's airlock. Aft main engine

compartment close-outs continue with installation of the aft doors slated for tomorrow

morning. Preliminary weather forecasts indicate a 40 percent chance that weather could

prohibit launch activities on Tuesday. The primary concern is for seabreeze thunderstorms

with associated showers and anvil clouds. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 4,000

feet and broken clouds at 30,000 feet; visibility of 7 miles (in thunderstorms possibly 2

miles); winds from the southeast at 12 knots peaking to 18 knots; a temperature of 83

degrees F and relative humidity of 63 percent. STS-88: Installation of Endeavour's forward

reaction control system is complete and interface checks are planned for today. Auxiliary

power unit leak and functional testing continues and main engine heat shield attach point

work is under way. Technicians will install hydraulic pump No. 3 today. Endeavour's

payload bay doors will be opened today and later the Ku-band antenna will be deployed. In

the Vehicle Assembly Building, solid rocket booster joint close-outs continue. STS-93:

Columbia's orbiter maneuvering system leak and functional testing is complete. Ammonia

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off load from waterspray boiler No. 3 concluded yesterday and electrical checks are in work

today. Technicians are preparing to remove Columbia's extended duration orbiter (EDO)

pallet today. Main propulsion system leak and functional testing begins today. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, May 29].]

• Payload Processing Status Report, Friday, May 29, 1998. 9th MIR DOCKING

SPACEHAB MODULE ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER (AIMS) (STS-91):

Target Launch Date: June 2, 1998 6:10 p.m. EDT; Current Location: Space Shuttle

Discovery payload bay; Launch Pad: 39 A. PAYLOAD OPERATIONS IN WORK: *

Payload preparations to begin launch countdown. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

(STS-88) Unity (Node 1): Target Launch Date: Dec, 1998 NET; Current Location: Space

Station Processing Facility (SSPF); Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour; Launch Pad:

39B. SPACE STATION OPERATIONS CURRENTLY IN WORK: * Reinstallation of

Node 1 cold plates. FUTURE PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS: ELV spacecraft

arrival status at KSC: Deep Space 1: July 19 (Launch Oct. 15); Mars Orbiter: Sept. 4

(Launch Dec. 10); Mars Lander: Oct. 15 (Launch Jan. 3, '99); Stardust: Nov. 12 (Launch

Feb. 6, '99); Space Shuttle payload arrivals: AXAF/STS-93: Aug. 14 (Launch Jan. wk 4

NET). Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Payload Processing

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, May 29].]

• NASA and its worldwide partners will try to set a new schedule for building the

international space station during meetings this weekend at Kennedy Space Center. The

top space officials are expected to bless a new plan NASA unveiled last week, which calls

for the first two construction flights to be launched in November and December. Work on

the station was to begin in June but has been pushed back because of Russian delays in

completing key early pieces of the outpost. The new launch schedule will lay out the 33

space shuttle missions and 15 Russian rocket launches that will be needed to build the

station during six years of construction. ["Meetings will try to revise station-building

schedule," Florida Today, May 30, 1998, p 6A.]

• An independent auditor said Friday that NASA did a good job evaluating all the risks

before rocketing 72 pounds of nuclear materials into space. The Cassini probe, which will

arrive at Saturn in 2004, was the subject of protests and criticism when launched in October.

But the General Accounting Office, a government arm that has been critical of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration in the past, praised the agency's system of evaluating

risks. Protesters said a mishap during launch could have caused serious health risks because

of the plutonium on board, which will be used as fuel for the spacecraft. They also worry

what will happen as the probe slingshots past Earth next year. "NASA did a good job in

trying to ensure the risks were addressed," said Alan Li, associate director at GAO for the

division that handles NASA audits. "We're not talking about a handful, but many experts in

many areas were consulted." In addition to the unmanned plutonium missions already

planned, plutonium is considered by some as a necessary part of any human mission to

Mars. ["Cassini handling praised," The Orlando Sentinel, May 30, 1998, p A-8.]

MAY30: To spark interest in space exploration and finance a $10 million prize for the best

three-person spacecraft, a not-for-profit foundation has announced a sweepstakes in which

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thegrandprizeisa freesuborbitaltrip intothegreatbeyond.Of course,to cashin your

prize,you'llhaveto waituntil thenewspacecraftisdesigned,built andworking. TheSt.

Louis-based X PRIZE Foundation, with the support of the New Spirit of St. Louis

Organization, is offering the $10 million to the first private team of entrepreneurs and

aerospace experts to build a three-person craft capable of going 62 miles into space twice

within 14 days. ["$10 million prize offered to send tourists to space," Florida Today, May

31, 1998.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Saturday, May 30, 1998. STS-91: The countdown for

launch of mission STS-91 remains on schedule to begin tonight at 9 p.m. at the T-43 hour

mark. All pre-launch activities continue on schedule. The contingency space suits have been

installed into the orbiter's airlock and check-out of those suits will be completed today.

Flight crew equipment stowage in the orbiter's mid-deck continues today and aft main

engine compartment close-outs are complete. Final main propulsion system checks are

underway. The crew for mission STS-91 arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at about

12:50 p.m. EDT today. They will spend the days prior to launch at KSC reviewing their

flight plans, undergoing final medical examinations and flying in the Shuttle Training

Aircraft. The STS-91 crew are: Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and

Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Wendy Lawrence, Janet Kavandi and Valery

Ryumin. Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, currently on the Mir space station, will be

returning with the rest of the crew following Shuttle/Mir docking operations. Given an on

time launch June 2, Discovery is scheduled to land at KSC on June 12. Air Force weather

forecasts are currently indicating a 40 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch

activities Tuesday. The primary concern is for thunderstorms with associated showers and

anvil clouds. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 4,000 feet and broken clouds at 30,000

feet; visibility of 7 miles (in thunderstorms possibly 2 miles); winds from the

southeast at 12 knots peaking to 18 knots; temperature 83 degrees F and relative humidity

63 percent. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 30].]

MAY31: Space Shuttle Status Report, Sunday, May 31, 1998. STS-91: The countdown for

launch of mission STS-91 began as scheduled at 9 p.m. yesterday at the T-43 hour mark. All

pre-launch activities at Kennedy Space Center continue without problem toward a target

lift-off time of 6:10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, from Launch Pad 39A. Today at ICSC,

engineers are preparing the Shuttle Discovery for the loading of cryogenic reactants into the

onboard power reactant and storage distribution tanks. Loading is set to begin at about 5

p.m. Prior to this operation, a standard orbiter and solid rocket booster pyrotechnic

initiator controller test will be performed. Cryogenic loading operations are expected to

conclude by midnight tonight. The crew for mission STS-91 arrived at KSC yesterday

afternoon and will spend their time before launch reviewing their flight plans, undergoing

final medical examinations and flying in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. The STS-91 crew are:

Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and Mission Specialists Franklin

Chang-Diaz, Wendy Lawrence, Janet Kavandi and Valery Ryumin. Mission Specialist

Andrew Thomas, currently on the Mir space station, will be returning with the rest of the

crew following Shuttle/Mir docking operations. Air Force weather forecasts have today

updated their forecast and are now indicating a zero percent chance that weather could

prohibit launch activities Tuesday. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 4,000 feet and

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broken clouds at 30,000 feet; visibility of 7 miles; winds from the northeast at 10 - 12 knots;

temperature 83 degrees F and relative humidity 63 percent. The 24-hour scrub turnaround

forecast reveals similar conditions with a zero percent chance of launch commit criteria

violation. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, May 31].]

I_ NASA and its partners approved a new schedule for building the international space

station Sunday. U.S. officials also said the Russians have agreed to end operations aboard

the Mir station in July 1999. The new schedule, which delays the start of construction from

June to November, was negotiated to give cash-strapped Russia time to finish paying for

work on a critical piece of the future outpost. Ending operations on Mir is crucial, NASA

officials say, because Russia can't afford to run the 12-year-old outpost and build the new

station. Russia had hoped to keep Mir operating through the end of 1999. "The longer

they keep it up there, the more they are spending money to maintain it," said Joe

Rothenberg, NASA's chief of manned spaceflight. "We would like it de-orbited as early as

possible, and July 1999 is a practical date. Many (Russians) at this meeting for the first time

have agreed it's a date" they will work toward. In the meantime, work on the new station

would begin with the first launch from Russia of the Control Module named Zarya (Russian

word for sunrise) on Nov. 20, followed by shuttle Endeavour's launch Dec. 3 with the initial

U.S. component Unity. The third segment, which has been delayed, should be ready for

launch from Russia in April 1999, officials say. It will serve as living quarters for the early

three member crews, which will begin inhabiting the station in July 1999. The rest of the

schedule lays out 33 shuttle missions and nine Russian rocket launches to complete the

station by January 2004. By the time it's finished, the station will be home to crews of six

for half-year missions. ["New schedule set for space station," Florida Today, June 1,

1998, p 2A. "International Space Station partners adjust target dates for first launches,

revise other station assembly launches," NASA News Release #98-93, June 1, 1998. ]

103
JUNE

JUNE 1: Sverdrup Technology Corp., a $1 billion engineering firm, was awarded the $200

million Launch Operations and Support Contract at Cape Canaveral Air Station in April. It

has made job offers to about 410 of the 445 workers it will need when the contract takes

effect June 1. ["Space contract could be union-buster," Florida Today, May 28, 1998, p

1A.]

A computer problem on the Russian space station Mir could delay NASA's planned

launch Tuesday of shuttle Discovery to pick up the final American astronaut living aboard

the outpost. NASA managers will meet this morning to decide whether they should halt

launch preparations if it seems the computer glitch will not be fixed in time for Discovery's

arrival at Mir on Thursday. The system is needed to keep Mir steady while the spaceship

docks at the station. "It's enough of a concern right now that it will be the red hot topic

tomorrow morning," said Bruce Buckingham, Kennedy Space Center spokesman on

Sunday. The problem surfaced Saturday, when Mir's automatic steering system failed,

apparently due to a problem with the computer that runs it. The crew replaced the suspect

computer with a spare on Sunday, but the system still wasn't working, NASA officials said

late Sunday. Now ground controllers are struggling to figure out whether something else

could be to blame. "They just don't know at this point," Buckingham said. ["Mir's woes

may delay shuttle," Florida To,lay, June 1, 1998, p 1A.]

James M. Guinn, United Space Alliance, received the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the

American Society of Safety Engineers award Safety Professional of the Year for 1997.

["KSC safety engineer wins honor," Florida Today, June 1, 1998, p 2E.]

John Glenn, continuing training for his upcoming space mission, donned rappelling

gear and his orange flight suit Monday to practice exiting the space shuttle in the event of

emergency. Glenn and his six fellow crew members took turns popping out of the hatch of

a life-size shuttle mockup and lowering themselves down the side of the spacecraft. The

exercise simulates how the astronauts would exit the shuttle if there was an emergency while

the vehicle was on the ground, either before takeoff or after landing. Glenn completed the

exercise without a hitch. The Ohio Democrat will become the oldest man in space when he

flies on the nine-day mission to help NASA learn more about aging in space. Glenn will be

77 when he blasts off on Oct. 29 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, which is planned to

lift off today for NASA's final rendezvous with the Mir space station. ["Glenn readies for

ride," Florida Tod_y, June 2, 1998, p 5A.]

JUNE 2: A NASA shuttle is chasing down the Russian space station Mir today on a final

mission to pick up an American guest and end a unique - and sometimes turbulent -

chapter in the history of space exploration. Shuttle Discovery blasted offTuesday evening

from Kennedy Space Center on the last flight to Mir while the outpost was passing over

Ireland on its 70,183 re orbit of Earth. The ship is to arrive early Thursday afternoon at the

station, where the crew will be reunited with U.S. astronaut Andy Thomas, who has lived

there since January. Discovery is to remain docked at Mir for four days while the seven

astronauts and two cosmonauts from the two ships unload food and other supplies for the

Russians who will remain aboard. Discovery's flight had a perfect start with an on-time

launch at 6:06 p.m. in sweltering heat that hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit earlier - a record for a

104
launchday. NASA'ssafetylimit forlaunchinga shuttle is 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The 97

degree heat at the launch pad caused a couple of minor technical problems before

Discovery left. NASA decided to launch four minutes earlier than planned to avoid other

potential glitches, heat-related or otherwise, that could ground the shuttle. Discovery took

an extra 7,500 pounds of supplies to Mir because it used a new, lighter fuel tank. The tank

"performed beautifully," said launch integration manager Don McMonagle. Two of

Discovery's maneuvering jets failed on the way up to orbit, but NASA can work around the

problem, McMonagle said. On board for the 91 st shuttle launch were commander Charles

Precourt, pilot Dominic Gorie, flight engineer Wendy Lawrence, Franklin Chang-Diaz,

Janet Kavandi and former cosmonaut Valery Ryumin, Russian manager of shuttle-Mir

operations. Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center on June 12. The

shuttle fleet will not fly again until Oct. 29, when Discovery carries Sen. John Glenn on the

Mercury 7 astronaut's return to space. Glenn has not flown since he became the first

American to orbit the planet in 1962. He will be 77 when Discovery lifts off, making him

the oldest person to fly in space. ["Final flight to Mir begins," Florida Today, June 3,

1998, p 1A & 8A. "Shuttle is on quest for elusive particles," The Orlando Sentinel, June

3, 1998, p A-6. William Harwood. (1998). The Washington Post [Online]. Available

WWW: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inafl/longterm/mir/mir.htm [1998, June 3].]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, June 2, 1998. STS-91: Final Mir docking,

SPACEHAB-SM, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). Space Shuttle Discovery launched

today from KSC's Launch Pad 39A at 6:06 p.m. EDT. Though the launch team did slightly

delay operations to load the external tank with cryogenic propellant this morning to evaluate

a few minor technical issues, no major concerns were worked during the remainder of the

countdown. As planned, launch managers determined the exact orbital location of the

Russian space station Mir during the countdown's T-9 minute built-in hold. Managers then

decided to launch Discovery at 6:06 p.m. EDT to achieve optimum Shuttle system

performance and to accommodate Shuttle/Mir rendezvous activities slated for Thursday.

Mir continues to maintain a stable attitude control environment and is ready to support

docking operations on Flight Day 3. STS-91 is the final Shuttle flight scheduled to join with

the Mir and will be orbiter Discovery's first Mir docking. The primary objective of the

mission is to pickup U.S. astronaut Andrew Thomas and return him to Earth concluding

four months of on orbit research. More than 3,000 pounds of supplies and water will be

transferred to Mir during the four-day Shuttle/Mir union. The solid rocket booster

recovery ships were deployed Monday at about 3 p.m. and are expected to arrive in Port

Canaveral Thursday afternoon with boosters in-tow. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 2].]

• Delays to the International Space Station are burning $100 million a month, according

to a General Accounting Office study. The massive orbiting research lab is 18 months

behind schedule, including a five-month delay announced recently because of problems with

a key Russian component. So far, delays and other problems have meant nearly $2 million

in extra costs for the United States. And further delays are possible, according to the report

issued this week. Two key senators who ordered the GAO study, Republican Sens. John

McCain and Bill Frist, said the report concerns them. NASA needs to do more to control

costs and should be held more accountable for cost overruns, said the senators, who are

supporters of the station. Costs to develop the space station have jumped by billions

105
because of overruns with contractor Boeing, Russia's problems delivering on their part of

the deal and other mix-ups. The U. S. tab for the project will be almost $96 billion,

including operating it for 10 years, according to the study. That is almost $2 billion more

than GAO estimated three years ago. The station is the work of an international

consortium. It is scheduled to be completed by December 2003. ["Space station's costs

trouble 2 GOP senators," The Orlando Sentinel, June 3, 1998, p A-5.]

JUNE3: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, June 3, 1998. STS-91: Following a

successful launch yesterday at 6:06 p.m., Shuttle Discovery continues to orbit the Earth

today every 90 minutes. Post launch inspections of Launch Pad 39A revealed no major

damage and no unusual debris. The solid rocket booster recovery ships were on station

with the STS-91 boosters at about 6:45 p.m. yesterday off the coast of Jacksonville, FL.

Preliminary inspections revealed no significant damage to the boosters. The recovery ships

are expected to arrive at Hangar AF late tomorrow morning with boosters in tow.

Recovery ship Freedom is expected at the hangar by 10:30 a.m. and Liberty is expected to

arrive at about 12:30 p.m. STS-88: Today, technicians are instating the hydraulic pump that

supports Endeavour's recently replaced auxiliary power unit (APU) No. 3. APU leak and

functional testing continues through tomorrow with APU lubrication oil servicing also

slated for tomorrow. Shuttle main engine heat shield attach point rework continues.

Thursday, workers will replace orbiter window No. 8. Next week, water spray boiler

servicing begins. STS-93: Replacement of Columbia's nose landing gear wheels and tires is

complete. Technicians removed the extended duration orbiter (EDO) pallet last week.

Preparations to remove the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system tank set

No. 5 are in work. Main propulsion system leak and functional testing continues.

Preparations to remove APUs No. 1 and No. 3 from the orbiter begin this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 3].]

JUNE 4: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, June 4, 1998. STS-91: The Space Shuttle

Discovery successfully docked with the Russian Mir Space Station today at 12:58 p.m. EDT.

Solid rocket booster recovery ship Freedom arrived at Hangar AF today at about 10:30 a.m.

with the left-hand booster in tow. Recovery ship Liberty arrived at about 12:30 p.m. with

the right-hand booster in tow. Booster recovery operations, off the coast of Jacksonville,

FL, went well with all parachutes recovered and no significant booster damage noted

following preliminary inspections. Hands-on inspections are slated to begin Monday. STS88: Technicians completed installation of the hydraulic pump that supports Endeavour's

auxiliary power unit (APU) No. 3. APU leak and functional testing continues and APU

lubrication oil servicing begins today. Shuttle main engine heat shield attach point rework

continues. Forward reaction control system interface verification testing is in work and

preparations to replace orbiter window No. 8 are under way. Next week, water spray boiler

servicing begins. STS-93: Leak and functional testing of Columbia's liquid oxygen main

propulsion system is complete. APUs No. 1 and No. 3 lubrication oil off load is also

complete, in preparation for removal of both APUs. Preparations to remove the orbiter's

power reactant storage and distribution system tank set No. 5 continue and tank set No. 4

removal preparations will follow. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 4].]

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• The lastShutfle-Mirdockingisscheduledto takeplacetodaywhenSTS-91Mission

Commander Charlie Precourt maneuvers Discovery to link up with the Russian space

station at approximately 12:58 p.m. The event might not be televised due to problems with

the orbiter's KU-band communication system. Once docked, the Shuttle and Mir crew

members will begin transferring more than 3,000 pounds of supplies and water to the

station during the four days that the two space vehicles will remain mated together. Moving

over to Discovery for the return trip home will be astronaut Andy Thomas, who has been

working and performing experiments aboard Mir since Jan. 25. Most of the long-term U.S.

experiment hardware that has been aboard during the Shuttle-Mir program will also be

transported back to Earth aboard the orbiter. With Pilot Dominic Gorie at the controls,

Discovery is scheduled to undock at about noon on June 8. Landing is planned for about 2

p.m. June 12. ["Discovery to dock with Mir today; Thomas to transfer," KSC

Countdown, June 4, 1998.]

• NASA has formed the Office of Human Space Flight Programs in Russia to oversee the

transition from the Phase 1 Shuttle-Mir program to the assembly and operation of the

International Space Station (ISS). Astronaut Michael A. Baker will be lead representative in

this office to the Russian Space Agency and its contractors. The move places Russian

liaison for all human space flight operations under one office and consolidates preparations

for the assembly of the ISS. These activities include mission operations, crew training,

logistics and technical liaison with Russian space organizations. [KSC Countdown, June 4,

1998.]

• Twenty-five women and men will make up the astronauts candidate class of 1998,

scheduled to arrive at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, in mid-August to begin one

year of training and evaluation. This year's class consists of eight pilot and 17 mission

specialist candidates, including Barbara Morgan, who was named as an Educator Mission

specialist in January. Of the 25 class members, 21 are male and four are female. [''NASA

names astronaut class of 1998," NASA News Release #98-97, June 4, 1998.]

JU2VE 5" Kennedy Space Center will host the premiere for the film "Armageddon" this

month. "Armageddon," a film about the possible demise of humankind via an earthbound

meteorite, opens nationwide July 1. It will premiere at KSC on June 29. Disney's

Touchstone Pictures, the film's production company, said the guest list had been

completed, but invitations had not been sent. Most likely, few KSC workers will be invited.

But actors such as Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve

Buscemi, as well as producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay, all have been

confirmed to attend the invitation-only premiere screening and private party. The

screening will take place in a state-of-the-art theater being built by Disney technicians

outside the Apollo/Saturn 5 Center. The party after the premiere will include performances

by Aerosmith, which is fronted by Steven Tyler, Liv Tyler's father. The band recorded

several songs for the film's soundtrack. On June 30, a screening of the film will be shown

to KSC crew members and winners of a contest sponsored by Florida Today. ["Film's

premiere will bring celebs to KSC," Florida Today, June 6, 1998, p 1A.]

JUNE 6: Someone will strum a guitar and lead songs in Russian and English. Everyone

will exchange gifts. And astronaut Andy Thomas will get ready to leave his space home.

The crews of shuttle Discovery and the Russian station Mir will hold a goodbye party today

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on their last full day before the shuttle leaves Monday. Thomas has been living on the

station since January as America's final visitor to Mir in NASA's joint program with the

Russians. Launched June 2 from Kennedy Space Center, Discovery arrived at Mir on

Thursday for NASA's final visit to the Russian laboratory. Hatches between the two craft

will be closed midday Monday. Departure is set for noon. Discovery is to return to KSC

Friday. ["Sadness, celebration mark end of Mir era," Florid;a Today, June 7, 1998, p 1A.]

• A Russian space tug that will be the first part of NASA's planned international space

station to be launched recently was given a moniker: "Zarya" - which is the Russian word

for "sunrise" or "dawn." Previously known as the Functional Cargo Block, the space tug is

scheduled to be launched Nov. 20 on a Russian rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome in

K,azakstan. A U.S. docking module dubbed "Unity" will be attached to the tug in

December. The Russian space tug -which was financed by the United States and built by

Russia - is equipped with propulsion systems that will be needed to keep the embryonic

outpost in orbit during the early stages of station construction. ["Russia names station

space tug," Florida Today, June 7, 1998, p 1E.]

• A man was airlifted to a hospital with a serious head injury Saturday afternoon after his

vehicle overturned at Kennedy Space Center. The man, whose name was not released, was

found about 3:20 p.m. with his Jeep pickup on top of him, according to KSC spokesman

Bruce Buckingham. A passer-by who came upon the accident called for help and used a

jack to lift the truck off the man, Buckingham said. The man was flown to Orlando

Regional Medical Center. The accident occurred off Kennedy Parkway about three miles

south of Haulover Canal. Buckingham said the man apparently was driving north on

Kennedy Parkway when his truck hit a culvert. KSC security officials investigated the

accident. Because of some of the items found in and around the truck, it is believed the

man was either going or returning from fishing, KSC officials said. The man was in an area

that is usually open to the public. ["Fisherman injured in KSC accident," Florida Today,

June 7, 1998, p 2/3.]

JUNE 8: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, June 8, 1998. STS-91: The Space Shuttle

Discovery undocked on-time from the Russian Mir Space Station today at 12:01 p.m. EDT.

This event marks the 9th and final planned Shuttle/Mir docking. The STS-91 solid rocket

boosters are undergoing hands-on inspection at Hangar AF today. So far, workers are

reporting that the booster segments are in very good condition. Booster disassembly efforts

begin later this week. STS-88: Interface verification testing of Endeavour's forward reaction

control system is complete. Auxiliary power unit (APU) leak and functional testing

continues and APU lubrication oil servicing is in work. Shuttle main engine heat shield

attach point rework continues. Work to replace orbiter window No. 8 occurs this week and

water spray boiler servicing preparations are under way. STS-93: Technicians have removed

Columbia's APU No. 1 and preparations to remove APU No. 3 are in work. The

commander and pilot flight seats have also been removed from the orbiter. Leak and

functional testing of Columbia's liquid helium main propulsion system is under way. This

week workers will perform standard torque checks of the wing-to-fuselage bolts and

conduct gaseous oxygen system leak checks. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 8].]

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# Mike Mott, NASA Associate Deputy Administrator (Technical), has announced his plan

to leave NASA to join Boeing Space Transportation, Seal Beach, CA, as Vice President,

Business Development. Mort, one of the Agency's top three managers, has served the

NASA Administrator since January 1994. ["Michael I. Mort to leave NASA," NASA

News Release #98-99, June 8, 1998.]

• Monday's undocking of the shuttle orbiter Discovery from the Russian Mir space

station signified the end of Phase One of the International Space Station program. After a

final farewell, the crews closed the hatches between the two space vehicles at 9:07 a.m.

Once Discovery was undocked, STS-91 Pilot Dominic Gorie performed a last inspection

flyaround of the Mir. The crew then focused their attention on recording data from the

Apha Magnetic Spectrometer and microgravity experiments in the payload bay and the

middeck crew cabin area. Discovery is still scheduled for a landing at KSC's Shuttle

Landing Facility at about 2 p.m. June 12. [KSC Countdown, June 9, 1998.]

JUNE 9: Senate appropriators acknowledged Tuesday the international space station has

deep financial and schedule problems as they passed a one-year spending bill that does little

to address the project's shortcomings. The bill was easily approved by voice vote of the

Senate appropriation subcommittee with jurisdiction over NASA, the departments of

Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other independent agencies. The

measure now goes to the full committee for approval before it can be taken up by the full

senate. A similar process begins next week in the House. The Senate bill would give NASA

$13.6 billion in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, about $150 million more than requested by

President Clinton. The measure also would provide $2.3 billion for the station, busting the

$2.1 billion annual spending cap NASA, the Clinton administration and Congress had

attempted to maintain since the project was redesigned in 1994. While there are no

significant new starts or policy changes for NASA, there is an important accounting switch

for the multi-nation space station. Citing years of frustration over NASA and the Clinton

administration shifting budget projections and launch targets for the station, senators split

the Human Space Flight account into separate accounts - one for the station and another

for launch vehicles and payload operations. Lawmakers also inserted language expressing

alarm at a recent report by an independent cost assessment and validation team that

projected the station would cost $7 billion more and take 38 months longer to build than

previously expected. ["Senate subcommittee approves space budget," Florida Today, June

10, 1998, p 10A.]

• A $150 million mission to boost a television satellite into orbit for Norway went off

smoothly Tuesday evening from the Space Coast. A Boeing Delta 2 rocket lifted off from

Cape Canaveral Air Station at 8:35 p.m., carrying the Thor-3 satellite into space. Launch

was delayed for two hours because of a pressure problem at the pad. The spacecraft is

expected to enter service Aug. 1, joining a handful of other spacecraft under the control of

Telenor Satellite Services AS of Oslo, Norway. The next launch from the Space Coast is

scheduled for June 18 when a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket is to deliver an

international television satellite into orbit. The launch window will extend from 6:48 to 8:08

p.m. ["Delta 2 rocket puts satellite into orbit for Norwegians," Florida Today, June 10,

1998, p 10A.]

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JUNE 10: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, June 10, 1998. STS-91: The Space

Shuttle Discovery continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes providing a research

platform for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Hands-on inspection of the STS-91 solid

rocket boosters is complete and reports indicate that the boosters are in excellent condition.

Weather forecasters expect generally favorable weather conditions on Friday to support

both Shuttle landing opportunities at KSC. The first KSC opportunity is at 2:03 p.m. EDT

and the second is at 3:39 p.m. Edwards Air Force Base, CA is not expected to be called up

to support Friday's landing activities. STS-88: Checkout of Endeavour's orbiter

maneuvering system (OMS)/reacfion control system flight controls is complete. Auxiliary

power unit (APU) lubrication oil servicing is in work and ammonia servicing preparations

are under way. Water spray boiler checks are in work today and Shuttle main engine heat

shield attach point rework continues. Next week, connections of the right hand OMS pod

crossfeed transfer lines begin. STS-93: Technicians have completed removal of APUs No. 3

and No. 1 and replacement of both units is in progress. Standard torque checks of the wingto-fuselage bolts are under way. Removal of Columbia's Spacelab fluid lines and tests of the

tactical air command and navigation system are scheduled to occur later this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available IS-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 10].]

JUNEll: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, June 11, 1998. STS-91: Discovery's

seven-member flight crew is occupied today with preparations for tomorrow's Shuttle

landing activities. At Hangar AF, inspections of the solid rocket boosters are complete and

disassembly of the booster segments is under way. Removal of the aft skirts is complete

and nozzle removal begins today. Weather forecasters expect favorable weather conditions

on Friday to support both Shuttle landing opportunities at KSC. The fast KSC opportunity

is at 2 p.m. EDT and the second is at 3:36 p.m. Edwards Air Force Base, CA is not

expected to support Friday's landing activities. STS-88: Endeavour's auxiliary power unit

(APU) lubrication oil servicing and ammonia servicing are complete. Water spray boiler

checks are in work and Shuttle main engine heat shield attach point rework continues. Next

week, connections of the right hand OMS pod crossfeed transfer lines begin. STS-93:

Testing of Columbia's gaseous hydrogen main propulsion system is complete. Removal of

the Spacelab fluid lines concluded yesterday. Technicians are installing APUs No. 3 and No.

1 today. Standard torque checks of the wing-to-fuselage bolts continue. Efforts to replace

portions of Columbia's flight deck floor are under way and inspections of the carbon

dioxide removal system are scheduled through next week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,June 11].]

JUNE 12: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, June 12, 1998. STS-91: The orbiter

Discovery returned to Earth today landing on KSC's runway 15 at 2 p.m. EDT. Today's

landing concludes the 9th and final Shuttle/Mir docking mission and returns astronaut

Andrew Thomas home after more than four months onboard the Russian outpost. Clear

weather conditions at KSC supported flight controllers' decision to land Discovery on the

first of two opportunities. This was the 44th KSC landing in Shuttle Program history and

15 _ consecutive KSC landing. The orbiter landed on orbit 155 having traveled 3.8 million

statute miles. The STS-91 crew will spend the night at KSC and depart for their homes in

Houston, TX tomorrow afternoon. Following SPACEHAB destow activities on the

runway, Discovery will be towed to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 arriving at about 11

V

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p.m. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June

12].]

# For more than three years an American flag adorned the inside of the Russian space

station Mir, plastered next to its Russian counterpart. Earlier this month, Andy Thomas

spoke to Earth from in front of that flag, talking about wanting ice cream and sunshine after

4 '/2 months in space. Friday at 2 p.m., Thomas came home to sunshine and Oreo ice

cream. The space shuttle Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center, returning Thomas

and that flag to U.S. soil. The flag no longer is needed as a backdrop to emphasize RussianAmerican space cooperation, because the shuttle-Mir program is over. But Discovery

commander Charlie Precourt asked that the flag, an optical data disk and a wrench used to

repair Mir be sent as symbols to the international space station. The first segment of the

massive project is supposed to be launched late this year. NASA Administrator Dan Goldin

promised the Mir veteran a hug, brought roses and arranged for an ice-cream delivery to

Thomas, who was carried off the shuttle in a reclining seat. ["Shuttle ferries U.S. flag back

from outpost on Mir," The Orlando Sentinel, June 13, 1998, p A-12.]

JUNE15: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, June 15, 1998. STS-95: Discovery was

towed into OPF bay 2 Friday at about 11 p.m. following an on time landing at KSC's

Shuttle Landing Facility. Over the weekend, draining of the orbiter's power reactant storage

and distribution system was completed. Post flight inspections of Discovery's thermal

protection system revealed 198 debris hits to the orbiter's outer surface. On the orbiter's

lower surface, only 44 hits measured 1-inch or greater. Payload bay door opening is slated

for Thursday and payload removal follows on Friday. Technicians will remove the forward

reaction control system on Thursday to accommodate planned thruster replacement work.

Engineers will also begin evaluations of the troubled Ku-band system this week. Removal

of the nozzles from the STS-91 solid rocket boosters is complete and shipment of the

nozzles to Utah for final inspections occurs today. STS-88: Endeavour's water spray boiler

checks continue. Technicians are conducting fit checks on the androgynous peripheral

docking system to ensure compatibility with the International Space Station. Checks of a

fuel cell relief valve panel are in work. Thursday, connections of the right hand OMS pod

crossfeed transfer lines begin and ammonia system servicing is scheduled this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, June 15].]

JUNE 16: The solid rocket booster (SRB) recovery ship Freedom Star is expected to arrive

at Port Canaveral today towing a barge containing a Shuttle super lightweight external tank

(ET). This is the first time that a recovery ship has transported an ET to Florida from the

Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. The two recovery ships were modified and

outfitted with towing equipment last year so they could be used to replace a contractor

towing service. The changeover is expected to have a potential cost-savings to ICSC of

about $50,000 per trip. The tank towed on this five-day trip will fly on the STS-95 mission

in October. ["SRB recovery ship completes first tank tow today," KSC Countdown, June

16, 1998.]

JUNE 17: Officials with California aerospace giant Lockheed Martin will tour KSC in their

effort to decide where to base a next-generation spaceship called VentureStar. The reusable

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vehicle,whichwill eventuallyreplaceNASA'sspaceshuttlefleet,isviewedas the key to the

Space Coast's survival in the 21 't century commercial space industry. Some of Florida's top

economic development experts, who want the state to remain the nation's primary gateway

to space, will play host at the important meeting. Lockheed Martin will decide in the fall of

1999 where VentureStar will operate, and the competition is tough. Initially, 10 states put

together proposals, but the list now tops 18. The company plans 35 to 40 VentureStar

launches a year, meaning the winner will get thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in

space-related business. Florida recruiters began preparing their pitch four months ago with

the creation of a team headed by U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, and Gov. Lawton

Chiles. Carol Lane, a director of business development for Lockheed Martin, would not say

what state is the leading candidate. She did say the company is looking for the cheapest and

best place to launch. The state already has pledged $4 million for a hangar at Kennedy

Space Center that eventually could house VentureStar. It also is working with Congress to

allow for more commercial launches at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. ["VentureStar

officials size up KSC," FloHdi_ Today, June 17, 1998, p 1A.]

• NASA chief Daniel Goldin acknowledged Wednesday the international space station

has significant budget and schedule problems but said construction will begin as planned

this fall. Goldin's position was presented to House lawmakers in a 29-page report in which

he stated NASA will wait until February to finish a plan to attack the trouble. That drew

immediate criticism from members of Congress, including some who back the project.

Goldin's report -which will be aired by the Science Committee in a Wednesday hearing -

contained the agency's response to an independent review panel's damning assessment in

April. The study said the station could cost $7.3 billion more than NASA estimated and will

not be completed until late 2004 or possibly February 2007. The February 2007 date is

more than three years behind the current deadline. Goldin wrote that NASA "will spend

the next few months carefully scrubbing these estimates, examining other alternatives and

assessing the urgency for making" more changes to the station program. He also wrote that

a final plan to deal with the problems will be'ready in February, which is when President

Clinton will submit his frscal year 2000 budget to Congress. ["NASA admits to flaws in

space station plan," Florida Today, June 18, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford will broadcast their daily talk show, "Live... with

Regis and Kathie Lee," at Kennedy Space Center on June 29, in conjunction with the

premiere that day of the film "Armageddon," which was filmed at KSC. ["Get your tickets

now to see Regis, Kathie Lee," Florida Today, June 18, 1998, p 2A.]

JUNE 18: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, June 18, 1998. STS-95: Technicians have

gained access to Discovery's aft compartment and preparation for orbiter maneuvering

system fuel tank draining is now in work. Yesterday, workers removed the orbiter's forward

reaction control system and today it will be moved to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility for

planned thruster replacement work. Initial inspection of the troubled Ku-band system is

complete and engineering evaluation is under way. Payload demates are ongoing and

payload removal occurs tomorrow. Dumping of the flight recorder data to ground support

equipment is also complete. Shuttle main engine post flight inspections are in work this

week. STS-88: Endeavour's water spray boiler checks continue. Connection of the right

hand OMS pod crossfeed transfer lines is in work. Testing of the orbiter's network signal

processor continues. STS-93: Checks of Columbia's flash evaporator system are complete.

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The orbiter's Ku-band antenna has been stowed in the payload bay and the doors will be

closed today. Drag chute installation is in work today and electrical connections begin

tomorrow. Window inspections are in work and polishing begins next week. Columbia's

auxiliary power units No. 3 and No. 1 will be installed into the orbiter beginning

Wednesday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, June 18].1

• An Atlas rocket was launched Thursday evening on its way to deliver an Intelsat

communications satellite to orbit. The spacecraft will provide TV and Internet services

between North America, South America and Europe. The Lockheed martin rocket began

its $253 million mission at 6:48 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Station. ["Atlas rocket fires

satellite into orbit," Florida Today, June 19, 1998, p 2A.]

JUNE 19: Not live. Not from Kennedy Space Center, anyway. Producers for

"Live...with Regis and Kathie Lee" confirmed Friday afternoon the show will not come to

Brevard County on June 29. That's when the talk show was supposed to be broadcast live

from the Rocket Garden at the Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center. The Regis

Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford celebrity chat program was supposed to dovetail with that

night's premiere of the motion picture "Armageddon." "Apparently, (show producers)

couldn't get commitments from the stars to appear on the show," said AJ Duncanson with

Watermark, the local publicity agency that handles activities at the KSC's Visitor Complex.

["Regis and Kathie Lee skip KSC visit," Florida Today, June 20, 1998, p 2B.]

JUNE20: With NASA planning to fly Sen.John Glenn aboard the shuttle in October,

Jerrie Cobb, 67, wonders whether there's room for another aviation pioneer. Shortly after

selecting the original Mercury 7 astronauts in 1959, NASA began a secret program to

determine whether women were capable of flying into space. The first woman picked was

Jerrie Cobb. NASA under pressure from the Mercury 7 astronauts and others, killed the

women's training program in 1961. Two years after the women's program was canceled,

Russia became the first nation to fly a woman, a textile factory worker named Valentina

Tereshkova, into space. It would be 22 years before the United States followed suit. In

1995 Eileen Collins was preparing to be the first American woman to pilot a shuttle. She

invited Cobb and the dozen other women, who were part of the female astronaut program

when it was canceled in 1961, to attend her launch. The astronaut asked the women

whether there was anything they wanted to give her to take into space. Cobb gave her a

gold pin of an extinct Columbian bird, the Indian condor. The response from NASA has

been cool concerning Cobb's request to fly in the shuttle. A NASA official wrote in April

that the space agency couldn't fly everyone who wanted to board the shuttle. "This

compels us to fly those fortunate few who, by representing us all, can return to us the most

benefit from the precious resource," says Joseph Rothenbergo NASA's associate

administrator for spaceflight. ["Pioneer flier aims for liftoff," Florida Today, June 21,

1998, p 4A.]

JUNE21 -22: Four thousand acres burned in the southeast comer of Kennedy Space

Center. The fire started June 21 and burned a couple days. It closed State Road 3, the main

route employees take to KSC. Most of the acreage burned was undeveloped, but the fire

threatened several orange groves. People visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center

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at times had to brush ash off their clothes as they walked through thick smoke, but

attendance numbers were not affected. ["Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge," Florida

Todd, August 2, 1998.]

JUNE24: Hundreds of jobs could be lost starting in October when service and support

contracts at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Station are merged for the first

time, according to U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon. In a rare move, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, DMiami Lakes, and U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, D-Miami, have joined the Palm Bay Republican in

sending a letter to NASA chief Dan Goldin expressing their fear about what the reductions

could do to the Space Coast's economy. The consolidation's goal is to cut an estimated 760

to 1,140 jobs over the course of the 10-year contract. That is 20 percent to 30 percent of

the 3,800 service workers at both sites, officials said. Currently, KSC and the air station

have separate contracts to handle a wide range of services needed to keep the installations

running on a day-to-day basis. Engineers and technicians involved in launching NASA's

space shuttles and unmanned military and commercial rockets fall under different contracts

and would not be affected. Despite the bleak outlook, some officials say the reductions are

necessary if the Space Coast is to become more competitive in the rapidly growing

international commercial launch market. EG&G Florida, Inc. now runs base operations at

KSC, while Johnson Controls World Services does the same at the air station. Air Force

and NASA officials serving on the board of directors to select the new contract said they

were prevented by law from discussing the matter. ["Contract consolidation could cost

jobs," Florida Today, June 25, 1998, p 1A & 18A.]

JUNE 27." John Glenn won't ride shuttle Discovery into space until late October. But

already most hotels are booked, there's talk of parades in his honor and the media are

preparing to mob the area. Tourism officials expect more than 120,000 people to converge

on the Space Coast for Glenn's launch. Tourists and locals already are sporting T-shirt

tributes to the senator, and tourist attractions at Kennedy Space Center are beefing up their

Glenn exhibits. The hoopla is building because Glenn is the best known of Arnerica's

astronauts. He became world famous in 1962, when he piloted Friendship 7 around the

Earth three times. It was America's first manned orbital hunch. Glenn is set to blast off

Oct. 29 on a nine-day flight. He will be 77. Once he is aloft, he will become the oldest man

to fly in space. Glenn's official mission is to learn about aging in space. But his flight also

will give the agency a public relations bonanza before it starts building its over-budget, farbehind-schedule international space station in November. The timing of the flight couldn't

be better for Brevard County either. The excitement will provide a major economic boost

during what normally is the slow season before winter visitors arrive. Estimates of 120,000

people viewing Glenn's liftoff- from roadways, beaches and Kennedy Space Center -

would make it among the most watched shuttle launches. It would be well short of the

record held by the launch of Apollo 11 on the first moon landing mission in July 1969:

Police estimated 750,000 to 900,000 people jammed the area. Shuttle Discovery drew about

250,000 people in September 1988, when it blasted off on NASA's first shuttle mission after

the Challenger disaster 2 1/2 years earlier. The KSC Visitor Complex and the Astronaut Hall

of Fame are bolstering Glenn-related exhibits. The Astronaut Hall of Fame is offering a

special guide to the John Glenn artifacts it has on display. Other events are being planned

at the museum to coincide with Glenn's flight. National news organizations are showing a

strong interest in Glenn's mission, shattering a ho-hum attitude that has surrounded shuttle

flights in recent years. "From all over the world, we are seeing (media) interest. To see that

v

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level of interest, you would have to go back to the Apollo program," said Doug Ward,

spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Houston. ["Area economy to soar with Glenn's

flight," Florida Today, June 28, 1998, 1A & 2A.]

JUNE28: Faster than "Contact"t More powerful than "The Cape"t Able to leap "From

the Earth to the Moon" in a single bound! It's the world premiere of"Armageddon" at

Kennedy Space Center Monday nightt The screening bash will be held at NASA's Saturn 5

Museum. KSC spokeswoman Lisa Malone isn't making concessions, not with having to

entertain some 500 media projects a year. On the other hand, given the extensive planning

by Touchstone Pictures' advance men, NASA reasoned that accommodating Hollywood

was a no-lose proposition. "We wanted to cooperate as best we could, because of the high

number of potential viewers and the favorable impression of NASA in the storyline, even

though it was science fiction," Malone says. "What made this very intense for us was that

they were here for 10 days straight, working long hours at various locations, sometimes

simultaneously. It's a big job to get your arms around. We had to call in our 'surge

employment.' These are groups of retirees who've worked here before and agree to help us

during launches, landings and film crews. We really need them." "Armageddon" director

Michael Bay ("The Rock") sends Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Steve Buscemi and a motley

crew of oil riggers aboard a pair of space shuttles to destroy a Texas-size asteroid hurtling

toward Earth at 22,000 miles per hour. Complicating matters only somewhat is that NASA

has 18 days' notice to get it done. Billy Bob ("Slingblade") Thornton stars as the can-do

space agency director with a genius for improv. ["Whether blast or bombast, film with

1,000 local extras makes a major splash here," Florida Today, June 28, 1998.]

JUNE29: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, June 29, 1998. STS-95: With evaluation

of Discovery's Ku-band antenna now complete, engineers have determined that an

electronic failure caused the data transmission problem experienced on STS-91. The

system's deployment assembly will be replaced. Today, orbiter maneuvering system

functional testing is in work. Leak tests on the flash evaporator system are under way and

troubleshooting of the fuel cell water relief valve continues. Technicians will set up

platforms in the orbiter's midbody today to gain access to the orbiter docking system.

Electrical demates of the docking system base begin tomorrow. STS-88: Leak checks on

Endeavour's right hand orbiter maneuvering system cross-feed lines are complete.

Technicians are checking Endeavour's fuel cell water relief valve to compare data with

Discovery's leaky valve. Cycling of the nose landing gear is in work and checks of the

power reactant storage and distribution system are under way. Water spray boiler servicing

begins today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, June 29].]

JUNE30: ICSC's Huey UH-1 helicopter is being flown to help Florida's Division of

Forestry pinpoint the location of wildfires that have ignited throughout the state for the

past several weeks. The state office requested assistance from the space center last week.

The helicopter, which is outfitted with a Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) system

and portable global positioning satellite (GPS) system, has helped ground forces prioritize

their firefighting efforts and determine evacuation routes since June 23. An infrared camera

that is part of the FLIR collects temperature data and images, while the GPS system

provides the exact coordinates of the fires and passes the data on to firefighters on the

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ground. KSC's security team routinely uses the FLIR equipment prior to Shuttle launch and

landing activities to ensure that the areas surrounding the launch pad and runway are clear

of unauthorized personnel. EG&G Florida operates the NASA-owned helicopter. The

KSC security team has been called on before to support missing person searches and

wildlife tracking activities on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. ["KSC helps state

flight brush fires," KSC Countdown, June 30, 1998.]

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JULY

JULY2: KSC is continuing to provide support to the community to help battle wildfires.

This week, the space center provided a fire engine, advanced life support ambulance and

crews to assist Brevard County fire departments while they battled this week's fires in the

Mires and Scottsmoor areas. The space center has also stationed an Aircraft Rescue and

Fire Fighting Vehicle to support U.S. Forestry Service aircraft engaged in water drops and

fire-fighting support operations at Tico Airport in Titusville. Earlier, a KSC helicopter

equipped with forward looking infrared radar (FLIR) was used to provide additional

assistance to local, county, federal and state agencies when they request help in reducing the

wildfire threat to Florida communities. ["KSC aids Brevard fire departments in Mims,

Scottsmoor," KSC Countdown, July 2, 1998.]

NASA engineers grew increasingly concerned Thursday about the effects of wildfires on

the "clean rooms" where modules of the new international space station are stored.

Wildfires raged about 10 miles from Kennedy Space Center, spokesman Bruce Buckingham

said. So far, filters and air handlers in the clean rooms have managed to cope with the

airborne debris. "Nothing is burning on the base yet, but there is concern because we have

100,000 acres here," he said. The Space Center is part of a national wildlife refuge full of

pine, scrub brush and marshland. Most of the base is separated from the mainland fires by

the Indian River. Last week, lightning ignited several fires on the Cape, burning about 4,000

acres, Buckingham said. Also Thursday, NASA employees took carloads of donated food,

water and toiletries to fire victims. ['"Clean rooms' worry NASA," Florida Today, July 3,

1998, p lB.]

JULY& Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, July 6, 1998. STS-95: Last week, the power

converter units that supported the STS-91 payloads were removed from Discovery's cargo

bay. Functional testing of Discovery's main propulsion system is in work. Preparations are

under way to remove the Shuttle main engines later this week. Today, main engine heat

shield removal is continuing. Post flight waste management system servicing is in progress.

Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system (IVHM) begins this week.

The IVHM upgrade, already installed on Columbia, provides real-time Shuttle system

monitoring capability to ground and flight controllers. STS-88: Endeavour's forward

multiplexer demulfiplexer and its dedicated signal conditioner are being replaced. Corrosion

repair on the main engine heat shield attach points continues. Technicians are working to

replace a pyrotechnic electrical harness on the orbiter's fire protection system. Testing of

Endeavour's power reactant storage and distribution system is scheduled this week. STS-93:

Corrosion repair of Columbia's external tank umbilical doors continues. Workers are

servicing the coolant loops for the orbiter's three fuel cells. Replacement of water spray

boiler No. 3 is in progress. Auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3 will be installed

beginning Thursday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, July 6].]

# The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing

Facility (SSMEPF) next to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 will be held at 9:30 a.m.

Monday, July 6. KSC Director Roy Bridges will give the opening remarks. Other

participants will be U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon; Bob Sieck, KSC Director of Shuttle

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Processing; Donald McMonagle, Launch Integration Manager; and Rocketdyne Vice

President John Ptowden. The 34,600 square-foot SSMEPF will be the new home for KSC

Shuttle main engine operations, which currently take place in the Vehicle Assembly Building

(VAB). The new facility was constructed to improve the capacity and efficiency of main

engine operations while increasing safety in the VAB. ["Space Shuttle Main Engine

Processing Facility to open July 6," KSC Countdown, July 2, 1998.]

JULY Z° During the battle against brush fires in the north Brevard County area last week, a

task force made up of KSC Fire Rescue Services personnel and equipment and other units

were able to save 54 structures from destruction, including 42 homes. Seventeen space

center firefighters were on the front lines from June 30 through July 5 along with one fire

engine and an advanced rescue and fire-fighting vehicle. The center also supplied a railroad

car with 20,000 gallons of water to the rural Mires area where there are no fire hydrants.

Another five Rescue Services workers and a 5,000-gallon water tank truck continue to

provide help for U.S. Forestry Service and other agency aircraft at the Space Coast

Executive Airport ('rICO) in Titusville. The airport services as a center of operations for

aircraft that are used to drop water and fire retardants on the fares. The help that ICSC

provides to the community is a part of the center's Mutual Aid Support program. ["KSC

firefighters help save homes, business in North Brevard," KSC Countdown, July 7, 1998.]

NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, has modified its contract with United

Space Alliance (USA) of Houston to include more than $900 million in work on the Space

Shuttle's solid rocket booster and other shuttle elements. USA is the prime contractor for

the space shuttle fleet operations. This $919.5 million cost-plus-award-fee/incentive-fee

contract modification includes work previously performed under three separate NASA

contracts: work on the boosters performed by USBI at Kennedy Space Center in Florida;

design and production of primary shuttle avionics software by Lockheed Martin in

Houston; and processing of flight crew equipment, including space suits, personal

equipment and tools, performed by Boeing Aerospace Operations in Houston. The new

work comes under Phase 2 of NASA's space flight operations contract with USA. Under

Phase 1 of the contract, NASA consolidated operations of 12 separate contracts under

USA. Phase 2 will consolidate an additional 16 contracts as part of a continuing NASA

effort to transfer day-to-day shuttle operations from government employees to private

companies. The performance period under Phase 2 runs through Sept. 30, 2002. ["NASA

awards more shuttle work to USA," NASA News Release #e98-h, July 7, 1998.]

Funding for NASA's international space station survived Tuesday despite efforts by

Sen. Dale Bumpers to scuttle the project. With his retirement looming in January,

Bumpers, D-Ark., tried one last time to cut offmoney for the project, but the Senate voted

66-34 to reject the idea. The senator has tried for eight years to kill the space station, which

could cost as much as $93 billion to build and operate. ["Station survives another attempt

to scuttle project," Florida Today, July 8, 1998, p 2A.]

JULY& A group of 20 U.S. Division of Forestry firefighters from Mississippi and

California spent half a precious day off Wednesday touring the Kennedy Space Center and

resting up before heading back to work early tomorrow. They rode down the three-milelong landing strip where space shuttles return to Earth and walked underneath shuttle

Columbia in its hangar, where workers are preparing it for a January flight. They took a

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tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building and visited the launch pad that shuttle Discovery will

use in October to start a nine-day flight that returns Sen. John Glenn to space. Everywhere

they went, the firefighters were stopped by ICSC and United Space Alliance workers who

wanted to thank them for their efforts. ["Firefighters, volunteers get tour, thanks from

KSC staff," Florida Today, July 9, 1998, p 4A. "Firefighters get behind scenes tour of

KSC," KSC Countdown, July 9, 1998.]

JULY13: Space Shuttles Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour will rest in their bays

Thursday, with only security officers to keep the ships company. The rest of Kennedy

Space Center's 14,000 contractor employees will be seated before television screens

beginning at 8 a.m. watching a forum on safety called "Super Safety Day." The day long

session marks the first time all of KSC's employees have devoted a day to training. NASA,

Air Force and industry officials will roll out their new "safety culture," which assigns safety

responsibility to all employees, from shuttle maintenance and payload processing to grounds

keeping. Safety once was the purview of the safety office, officials said. "Now the safety

office becomes a consultant, trainer and adviser," said Al Sofge, associate director of safety

and mission assurance at KSC. Speakers and panelists will include K__qCDirector Roy

Bridges, 45 * Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Randall Starbuck and Gordon Fullerton,

former astronaut and current research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in

Edwards, Calif. Their words will be piped to various locations around the center, said KSC

spokesman Bruce Buckingham. "Pretty good isn't good enough," Buckingham said. "We

want a safety record that shows no violations at all...We know that is pretty near

impossible, but we want to strive for that." ['"Culture' of safety grows at KSC," Florida

To__q.d__,July 14, 1998, p 1A.]

JULY16: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, July 15, 1998. KSC's Shuttle status

reports will be issued throughout the summer on a periodic basis. The typical rule of thumb

will be you can generally expect a status report each working day once the Space Shuttle is

at the pad. (Discovery is scheduled to roll out to the pad for mission STS-95 during the

third week in September.) Until that time, status reports will be issued once or twice a week

or only as events warrant. Other reports (expendable launch vehicle status and payload

status reports) will be issued periodically as well. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, July 15].]

# Groucho's Comedy Club was the location of a fund-raiser for the Space Cats Club.

Space Cats is a nonprofit group working for the protection of feral cats at Kennedy Space

Center. The event was hosted by the United Space Alliance NMA Chapter 380. ["Comedy

fund-raiser benefits feral cats," Florida Today, July 16, 1998.]

# The new head of United Space Alliance said Thursday one of his top goals is to make

sure a layoff like the one in January of more than 500 local alliance employees does not

happen again. "It was painful for the individuals involved, and we're concerned about

them," Russ Turner told well-wishers at a reception in his honor at the Howard Johnson

Plaza Hotel. "It had an impact on the whole community." He said the company can avoid

that painful experience by "keeping the shuttle and international space station sold in

Washington." Turner, who is based at the alliance's Houston headquarters, recently was

named president and CEO. He successes Paul B. Smith, who announced his retirement

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June 15. Theallianceisa joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that oversees dayto-day operations of the space shuttle for NASA. Turner also reassured the crowd that

safety will continue to be a top priority, not just for the astronauts and the shuttle, but for

the entire work force. ["New CEO of United Space Alliance vows to avoid future layoff

pain," Florida Today, July 17, 1998, p lB.]

JULY17: The July launch of a Japanese TV satellite has been delayed while engineers

complete an investigation into problems with three similar spacecraft already in orbit. The

launch of the Hughes Space and Communications builtJCSAT 6 aboard an Atlas rocket was

scheduled for July 29 from Cape Canaveral Air Station. ["Problems stall satellite launch,"

Florida Today, July 18, 1998, p ZA.]

# Repair work is progressing on the $6.2 million rotating Space Mirror, which broke and

ground to a halt in November at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The 25-ton

memorial to astronauts who died in the line of duty sits in front of the popular tourist

attraction. Jim DeSantis, president of the nonprofit Astronaut Memorial Foundation, said

the rotating mirror's mechanism should be back in operation before astronaut John Glenn

returns to space Oct. 29. The mirror's electrical system is undergoing $22,000 worth of

repairs, DeSantis said. Bids for fixing the more expensive structural damage will be opened

within two weeks. DeSantis said the mirror broke because of human error after a planned

power outage at KSC. ["Space Mirror to be turning by October," Florida Today, July 18,

1998, p 1B & 2B.]

JULY21: He conquered space, but was powerless against a more earthly opponent:

leukemia. Alan Shepard, one of the revered astronauts of Project Mercury and one of only

12 men to walk on the moon, died Tuesday in California after a lengthy illness. He was 74.

Shepard gained hero status May 5, 1961, when he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in the

Freedom 7 spacecraft and became the first American to fly in space. Almost a decade later,

in January I971, Shepard returned to space and achieved a childhood dream when he

became the fifth human being to walk on the moon and the first lunar golfer - whacking

two golf balls with a smuggled six-iron. Only four of the "Mercury Seven" are still living -

Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Walter Schira. Beth Dickey. (1998).

ABC News [Online]. Available WWW:

www.abcnews.corn/secfions/science/DailyNews/shepard980722.html [1998, July 22].]

JULY23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, July 23, 1998. STS-95: Shuttle

Discovery's main engine heat shields were removed July 9 and the engines were pulled July

10. The orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) has undergone evaluation and troubleshooting

in recent weeks due to problem indications during the STS-91 flight. Three of Discovery's

right hand OMS pod thrusters have been replaced and leak checks are in work today. Also,

a propellant valve position indicator on the left hand OMS pod was replaced yesterday.

Earlier this week, the main propulsion system's liquid oxygen system underwent routine leak

and functional tests. Today, preparations are under way to cut out the orbiter's leaky water

relief valve. Removal of the fuel cell No. 3 relief valve occurs tomorrow. STS-88:

Endeavour's modular auxiliary data system interface verification is complete. Preparations

for remote manipulator system (RIMS) removal are also complete and the RIMS is being

removed from the orbiter today. Testing of the orbiter's microwave scanning beam landing

system is in progress. STS-93: Installation of Columbia's new lightweight commander and

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pilot seatsis completeandfunctionaltestsontheseats are in work. Middeck locker

installation is also complete. Servicing of the orbiter's three freon coolant loops continues.

Checkout and servicing of the water spray boiler and pressure tests of the flash evaporator

system are under way. Columbia's window No. 1 is being replaced this week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, July 23].]

4_ The 12-part cable drama on space, "From the Earth to the Moon," H-BO's sweeping

chronicle of America's space program, received a leading 17 nominations Thursday for the

Prirnefime Emmy Awards. ["Emmy nominations shoot for the 'Moon,' Florida Today,

July 24, 1998, p 1D.]

JU.LY27: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, July 27,1988. STS-95: Thruster

replacement work on Discovery's right hand orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod and

subsequent leak checks and X-rays are complete. Functional checks of Discovery's newly

installed crew seats are also complete. Over the weekend, technicians removed the leaky

fuel cell No. 3 water relief valve and today, installation of a replacement valve is scheduled.

Discovery's forward reaction control system will be delivered to the OPF today for

installation into the orbiter later this week. STS-88: Removal of Endeavour's remote

manipulator system (RMS) is complete and repair of the RMS will follow. Testing of the

orbiter's microwave scanning beam landing system is complete. Payload premate testing

begins later this week. STS-93: Calibration of Columbia's main propulsion system pressure

transducer is complete. Replacement of the orbiter's overboard waste valve is in work and

water spray boiler servicing continues. This week, workers will conduct pressure tests on

the orbiter's flash evaporator system and install window No. 1. ATLANTIS / OV-104 -

Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP): Orbiter Atlantis continues to undergo its

planned OMDP for inspections, maintenance and enhancements in Palmdale, CA. Last

week technicians completed the structural inspection portion of the overhaul reporting no

significant problems. Work on the elevon flipper doors is also finished. Improvements to

Atlantis' cockpit are nearing completion. Atlantis is scheduled to return to KSC on Sept. 30

to begin processing for its next mission. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, July 27].]

In its mid-'60s heyday, Space Launch Complex 37 sent eight Saturn rockets into outer

space - including the first test flight of an unmanned lunar module. The pad on the north

side of Cape Canaveral Air Station shut down in 1971, launching an inglorious quarter

century of erosion and neglect. On Monday, its lengthy hibernation ended. The Boeing

Co. detailed its plans for a new $250 million launch complex on the site, where it will send

its new family of Delta 4 rockets into space. Construction has started on the 130-acre site,

which will create 250 launch support jobs and several hundred construction jobs. Its first

rocket launch is set for January 2001. "We intend to build a completely new launch pad

with a final assembly building, as well as other improvements to the site," said Gale Schluter,

vice president of Boeing Expendable Launch Systems. Boeing first said it would build the

complex in late September, when it was awarded part of the contract to build the next

generation of unmanned rockets for the Air Force. Capable of handling as many as 18

launches a year, the complex will serve both military and commercial customers and boost

Brevard County as it struggles to retain a healthy share of worldwide launch business. Space

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LaunchComplex37wasbuilt in 1962for morethan$40million. The complexwas

occupiedin January1963andsupportedNASA'sSaturn1andSaturn1Bprograms.From

1964to 1968,thesitesupportedeightSaturnmissions,includingApollo 5, thefirst flightof

anunmannedlunarmodule. ["$250million launchcomplexplannedat Cape," Florida

Today., July 28, 1998, p 1B & 2B.]

JULY28: A memorial service honoring the life of Alan Shepard (Rear Admiral, USN,

Ret.), the first American in space, will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX, at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday, Aug. 1, in the Teague Auditorium. Attendance at

the service is limited to family members, invited dignitaries and NASA employees. ["August

1 memorial service planned for Alan Shepard," NASA News Release #N-98-48, July 28,

1998.]

A 300-acre brush fire burned out of control into the night Tuesday in a remote marsh

at Kennedy Space Center. Two helicopters being used to drop water on the blaze were

called offwhen a storm moved over the area late Tuesday afternoon. However, the rain did

not appear to help squelch the blaze. More than 300 acres had been burned in the area

south of the shuttle landing strip by about 6:30 p.m.U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials said.

Lightning from a thunderstorm Monday night is suspected of sparking the fire, north of

NASA causeway and east State Road 3. The storm moved through the area about 9:30 p.m.

NASA security officers spotted the fire about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and notified Fish and

Wildlife. Because the blaze was in a remote, swampy area, firefighters had to wait until

daybreak to gain access to it. By then it had scorched 120 acres. The helicopters began

water drops about 8 a.m. They were called off about 6 p.m. when the rain moved in. ["Fire

at KSC marsh out of control," Florida Today, July 29, 1998, p lB.]

JULY29: Johnson Controls said Tuesday it has won a $133 million contract for still and

motion picture photography at Cape Canaveral Air Station and at NASA's Kennedy Space

Center. The U.S. Air Force's 45 _ Space Wing awarded the contract, which is effective

Saturday and runs through July 2006. Johnson Controls, based in Milwaukee, beat out a

competing bid from the current holder of that contract, Bionetics Corp. of Hampton, VA.

The contract calls for Johnson Controls to furnish the Air Force and NASA Florida sites

with still, motion picture and video photography services for space launch and landing

events. ["Johnson Controls wins photography contract," Florida Today, July 29, 1998, p

7A.]

• Walter Cronkite once was the most trusted newsman in the nation, while John Glenn

was entrusted to make America's ride around the planet. History will bring them together

again at Kennedy Space Center in October when Cronkite helps CNN cover Glenn's return

to space aboard shuttle Discovery. Cronkite was in the anchor's seat for CBS in 1962, when

Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. He also reported on the space program

throughout the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. Glenn is scheduled to lift off

October 29 on a nine-day mission in which he will study the aging process. He will be 77

when he flies. ["Cronkite to report on Glenn launch," Florida Today, July 30, 1998, p

1A.]

• With no discussion, the House on Wednesday defeated an amendment that would have

canceled funding for the international space station. Members voted 323-109 to provide

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$2.1billionto keeptheplannedorbitingresearchfacilityalive. ["Spacestationfunding

surviveschallenge,"Florida Today, July 30, 1998, p 6A.]

JULY30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, July 30, 1998. STS-95: Work continues

on Discovery's replaced fuel cell No. 3 water relief valve. Preparations to install the orbiter's

forward reaction control system are complete and installation begins tonight. FRCS

interface verification testing (IVT) starts Monday. Fuel cell voltage testing is scheduled for

tomorrow. Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring system (IVHM) begins

today and continues through next week. IVHM is part of the Shuttle upgrade effort to

reduce ground processing time and improve real-time insight into an orbiter's performance

in-flight through a modernized onboard instrumentation system. Auxiliary power unit and

main propulsion system leak and functional tests are slated for next week. STS-88:

Endeavour's payload premate test is in work. Main engine heat shield attach point rework

continues. The orbiter's waste collection system will undergo functional tests later today.

Tunnel adapter installation is planned for early next week. STS-93: Yesterday, technicians

removed Columbia's gaseous nitrogen tank to gain access to power control assembly No. 1

and digital command assembly No. 1 for replacement. The new PCA and DCA will be

installed later today. Hydraulic pump connection to auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3

is under way. Window No. 1 is being installed and orbiter window polishing begins

Monday. ATLANTIS / OV-104 - Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP): Orbiter

Atlantis continues to undergo its planned OMDP for inspections, maintenance and

enhancements in Palmdale, CA. Last week technicians completed the structural inspection

portion of the overhaul reporting no significant problems. Work on the elevon flipper

doors is also finished. Improvements to Atlantis' cockpit are nearing completion. Atlantis is

scheduled to return to KSC on Sept. 30 to begin processing for its next mission. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, July 30].]

JULY31: The Italian Space Agency's Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)

for the International Space Station (ISS) arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility from

Turin, Italy aboard a special Beluga air cargo plane. Once offloaded, the module was

installed into a Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) workstand on Sunday. The 4 I/2-ton

Leonardo is the first of three modules to be supplied for the space station by Italy.

Leonardo will be launched on the STS-100 mission currently planned for December 1999.

["Italian Space Agency Space Station module to arrive at KSC Friday," KSC Countdown,

July 30, 1998.]

A Kennedy Space Center worker and a former NASA employee have pleaded guilty in

federal court to downloading inappropriate material from the Intemet onto NASA

computers. The case, which surfaced sometime this year, was investigated by special agents

from NASA's Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Customs Service and computer security

personnel from United Space Alliance. ["2 aerospace workers guilty...," Florida Today,

August 1, 1998, p 1A.]

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AUGUST

AUGUSTI: Alan Shepard, one of NASA's original seven Mercury 7 astronauts, was

honored Saturday at an emotional ceremony before a packed auditorium at Johnson Space

Center. Among the guests were all four remaining Mercury spacemen -John Glenn, Scott

Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper - who talked about Shepard with reverence

and warm humor. Two other original Mercury astronauts, Gus Grissom and Deke Slayton,

also have died. ["Heartfelt memorial honors Shepard," Florida Today, August 2, 1998, p

1A& 2A.]

AUGUST2: A newsman all his professional life, Dick Young first covered NASA as a

reporter and then worked as the agency's media chief at Kennedy Space Center. Friends

say they will remember his sharp wit and dedication to the space program when they

celebrate his life during a private gathering in September at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of

Fame. Young died Sunday at his home in Edgewater after a long illness. He was 69. "He

had a tremendous memory and a tremendous dry humor," said George Meguiar of Cocoa

Beach, a longtime fried. A West Virginia native, Richard N. Young went to college in New

England and graduated in 1953 from Boston University with a law degree. He then moved

to Florida and became an aerospace columnist and reporter for The Sentinel-Star newspaper

in Orlando for seven years. During that time, he also worked as a correspondent for Time

magazine. An early supporter of cooperative space exploration, Young was one of the first

reporters to visit the former Soviet Union's cosmonaut training center near Moscow in

1968. A year later, he joined NASA's news staff and eventually became media chief at KSC.

He retired in 1994 after 25 years of fielding questions from reporters. At the time of his

death, Young was on the board of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Association. Young,

formerly of Merritt Island, is survived by his wife, Marcy; two daughters, Lisa Butler of

Alabama and Debbie Edwards of Smart; and two grandchildren. ["Former NASA news

chief Young dies," Florida Today, August 6, 1998, p 3B. "Space center's former media

chief Dick Young dies," The Orlando Sentinel, August 7, 1998, p D-1 & D-2.]

AUGUST3: The rapturous raptor known more simply as the American bald eagle is

swooping its stealthy claws into so many lakes, rivers, and streams coast to coast that federal

officials are now set to remove the national symbol from the endangered species list.

Classified as endangered in 1978, the bald eagle was reclassified into the less-periled category

of "threatened" three years ago. After regional, state-to-state hearings that begin this week

in Sacramento, Calif., the new rule could become law as early as late 1999. The bald eagle

will still be protected by two federal acts, the Bald Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory

Bird Treaty Act, which will remain in place after the eagle is delisted. Daniel B. Wood.

(1998). ABC News [Online]. Available WWW:

www.abcnews.com/sections/science/DailyNews/eagle980803.html [1998, August 3].]

# Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, August 3, 1998. STS-95: Last Friday, workers

completed Discovery's fuel cell voltage tests, and the orbiter's forward reaction control

system (FRCS) was installed. FRCS interface verification testing is under way. The recently

replaced fuel cell water relief valve is being brazed to the panel today. Installation of the

integrated vehicle health monitoring system continues, and main landing gear wheel and tire

installation is in work. Auxiliary power unit and main propulsion system leak and functional

tests are scheduled for this week. STS-88: Endeavour's payload premate test continues with

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videoandcommunicationchecksinwork today.Main engine heat shield attach point

rework continues. Functional tests of the orbiter's waste collection system continue.

Tunnel adapter installation is planned for early next week. STS-93: Connection of the

hydraulic pumps for auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3 is complete. Technicians are

replacing Columbia's power control assembly No. 1 and digital command assembly No. 1

this week. Window No. 1 has been installed and orbiter window polishing begins today.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

August 3].]

AUGUST4: The STS-88 crew has gained a new member. Veteran cosmonaut Sergei

Krikalev joins Commander Bob Cabana, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Nancy

Currie, Jerry Ross and Jim Newman aboard Endeavour on the first U.S. element flight for

the International Space Station in December 1998. Krikalev eventually will be one of the

first full-time residents aboard the Station. That won't be his first venture living in space,

however. He has already accumulated more than one year and three months in space as a

member of two Mir space station crews. He also flew on board Discovery in February 1994

as a member of the STS-60 crew, operating the Shuttle's robotic arm and supporting a

variety of science experiments. His experience in both the U.S. and Russian programs, plus

his familiarity with the Shuttle, make him a valuable addition to the STS-88 crew. ["Russian

cosmonaut added to STS-88 crew," KSC Countdown, August 4, 1998.]

AUGUSTS: With Russian money problems continuing to haunt NASA's international

space station, the agency is planning to shift crucial Russian work to the shuttle fleet. Russia

was expected to provide more than 40 flights during station construction to keep it supplied

and boosted in orbit, but it now appears the country will not be able to afford all of them.

In response, NASA plans to modify the steering thrusters on its four shuttles so that when

the ships visit the outpost they can push the structure into a higher orbit, NASA

Administrator Daniel Goldin said Wednesday. Initially, the steering modifications will be

paid from NASA's current-year budget, Goldin told the House Science Committee.

Although the 1-million-pound station will be in outer space, its orbit will constantly decay as

the result of drag and gravity. Repeated reboosts will be needed to keep the structure from

plunging into the atmosphere and burning. NASA also might increase the fuel-carrying

capacity of the two large maneuvering engines the ships will use to steer in orbit. This, too,

would give the shuttles added ability to boost the station's orbit. Beyond that, NASA is

looking at building a new craft to be flown to the $50 billion station, where it would serve as

an on-board booster, Goldin said. ["NASA to modify shuttles to handle more station

work," Florida Today, August 6, 1998, p 1A.]

AUGUST6: Godspeed John Glenn, a commemorative exhibit honoring the life and career

of the former Mercury program astronaut and U.S. Senator, opened this week at the U.S.

Astronaut Hall of Fame. Among the many items on display are the flight operations

manual Glenn used during his Mercury mission and the Collier trophy presented following

that space flight. [KSC Countdown, August 6, 1998.]

AUGUST IO: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, August 10, 1998. STS-95: Electrical

tests on Discovery's orbiter maneuvering system and auxiliary power unit leak and

functional tests are complete. Integrated hydraulic tests begin today. Water spray boiler

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servicingisin work andgaseousnitrogenservicingof theorbiter'slife supportsystemis

underway.Installationof theintegratedvehiclehealthmonitoringsystemcontinuesand

heatshieldreworkisnearingcompletion.STS-88:Electricaltestingof Endeavour'sorbiter

dockingsystemis complete.Mainengineheatshieldattachpointreworkcontinues.Power

converterunitsNo. 1andNo. 2 arebeinginstalledtoday.Tunneladapterinstallation

beginsnextWednesday.STS-93:Columbia'spowercontrolassemblyNo. 1anddigital

commandassemblyNo. 1havebeenreplaced.Techniciansaretroubleshootingaleaky

wastetankvalveon boardtheorbiter.The STS-93superfightweightexternalfueltank

arrivesatKSCfrom its manufacturingfacilityinNew Orleansthisweek.Bruce

Buckingham.(1998).KennedySpaceCenterSpaceShuttleStatusReport [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, August 10].]

AUGUSTll: KSC managers were officially notified last week that every NASA

organization at the space center has met the requirements for ISO 9001 certification. The

certificate of ISO registration will be presented to KSC Director Roy Bridges by

representatives of Det Norske Veritas ('DNV) Inc. at 9 a.m. today. The presentation

follows a successful independent audit by DNV, an international ISO certification

organization, of the KSC Management System in May of this year. KSC's certification

applied to management of space systems, test and launch techniques, development of

associated technologies and enhancement of core capabilities. ["NASA/KSC becomes ISO

certified; ceremony on NASA TV today," KSC Countdown, August 11, 1998.]

AUGUST12: Investigators will be searching the sea today for debris and answers to why a

Titan IV-A rocket carrying a national security spy satellite blew up 40 seconds after liftoff.

The Titan IV-A launch vehicle with a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload was

launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at 7:30 a.m., August 12, 1998. The blast early

Wednesday occurred four miles above the Atlantic Ocean, about a half-mile east of the

launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Station. That area is expected to be ground zero for a

search for rocket debris that could hold a clue to the $1.3 billion mystery. It also will be the

center of a restricted zone while the search is under way, said U.S. Coast Guard officials,

who declared a 5-square-mile area of ocean closed to traffic Wednesday night. Air Force

Brig. Gen. F. Randall Starbuck, commander of the 45 _ Space Wing, said the rocket was

working well until something on board exploded 40 seconds after liftoff. Within two

seconds, flight controllers issued a destruct signal to destroy the rocket. Wednesday's

explosion came during the 25 _ and final launch of a Titan IV-A. Officials have considered

it a reliable rocket because only one other has exploded during a launch in nine years.

Former Space Wing commander Maj. Gen. Robert Hinson, who headed the unit when a

Delta rocket exploded 13 seconds after liftofflast year, will head the official inquiry into the

latest mishap. The next Titan launch is scheduled for December. ["Titan IV-A $1.3 billion

go up in smoke," The Orlando Sentinel, August 13, 1998, p A-1. "Titan Mishap,"

Emergency Bulletin (KSC), Volume 1, Issue 1, August 14, 1998.]

AUGUST14: An investigation into the rocket explosion that destroyed a U.S. spy satellite

this week will require perhaps the largest maritime salvage operation since the one after the

1986 Challenger disaster, officials said Friday. Investigators cannot yet say how much it will

cost or how many vessels will be involved in raising the remains of the Air Force Titan 4

rocket and its top-secret payload from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. What is clear,

though, is that recovering the wreckage is crucial to pinpointing the cause of one of the

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costliestfailuresin U.S.spaceflighthistory. The$344millionTitan4 and its clandestine

cargo - a National Reconnaissance Office satellite - erupted into a cascading fireball 40

seconds after launch Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A split-second

before the explosion, the nose of the 194-foot rocket began to pitch downward - signaling

the end to what had been a normal flight. Two Titan 4 missions, meanwhile, are scheduled

from the Cape in December and January, and preparations for those flights will continue as

the investigation unfolds. Exactly when the probe will be completed, however, is anybody's

guess. ["Recovering entire satellite crucial," Florida Today, August 15, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

AUGUST15: Highlander Technologies Inc., of Titusville has received a contract to

provide engineering support to Kennedy Space Center. Financial terms were not disclosed.

NASA-KSC contractor Dynacs Engineering Services Co. awarded the subcontract to

Highlander, which will develop and Internet-connected database and software for KSC

security systems. [The Orlando Sentinel, August 16, 1998.]

AUGUST17: Deep Space 1 arrives at KSC on Monday, Aug. 17. It is part of the New

Millennium Program, which is focusing on testing high-risk, advanced technologies in space

with low-cost flights. The mission of Deep Space 1 will take it by the near-Earth asteroid

1992 KID, and possibly two comets. It will carry two advanced science instruments - a

Miniature Integrated Camera and Imaging Spectrometer (MICAS) and a Plasma Experiment

for Planetary Exploration (PEPE). One of the scientific goals of Deep Space 1 is to find

out the effects of solar electric propulsion on solar wind measurements. Launch date is

Oct. 15 aboard a Delta II rocket. ["Deep Space 1 to test advanced technologies, fly by

asteroid," KSC Countdown, August 13, 1998.]

• Countdown is more than two months away. The only things going faster than the

8,300 hotel rooms along the Space Coast are the VIP passes that allow a few lucky shuttle

junkies access onto Kennedy Space Center property for the launch. "We've been sold out

since March, and we're still getting calls every day," said Debra Green, general manager of

the 300-room Hilton in Cocoa Beach and president of the Cocoa Beach Hotel Motel

Association. "The entire county is sold out. It's going to be huge. We're telling people to

book in Orlando and Volusia County." From Titusville to Melbourne, the talk is of the

former astronaut turned U.S. senator who will take a second ride into space in October

aboard the shuttle Discovery. The county expects between 200,000 and 250,000 space

enthusiasts in town for the Oct. 29 launch, lured by the nostalgia of NASA's early days.

Visitors already are snapping up commemorative T-shirts at the Kennedy Space Center

Visitor Complex and signing a guest book at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which has

opened a special exhibit on Glenn. There hasn't been this much excitement about a space

shuttle launch since 1988, when American astronauts returned to space two years after the

Challenger explosion. Between 6,000 and 7,000 reporters are expected, and CNN

announced that Walter Cronkite, the former CBS anchor who reported Glenn's 1962 flight,

will help with coverage of the launch. [''Glenn's 2"d flight into space giving Brevard hotels a

lift," The Orlando Sentinel, August 18, 1998, p 1B & 4B.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, August 17, 1998. STS-95: Discovery's ammonia

servicing work was completed Friday. Preparations are under way for Shuttle main engine

installation this week. Installation and testing of the integrated vehicle health monitoring

system continue and water spray boiler servicing is in progress. Standard torque checks of

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the wind to fuselage attach bolts are slated for today. STS-88: Cable testing of Endeavour's

orbiter docking system is in work and ODS functional testing begins tomorrow.

Replacement of the orbiter's aft hatch seal is under way and leak checks will follow.

Installation of power converter units No. 1 and No. 2 continues. Tunnel adapter

installation begins Friday. STS-93: In the Orbiter Processing Facility, technicians have

completed rework of hypergolic ground support equipment that will support Columbia this

processing flow. Preparations for ball valve leak checks are in work today. Orbiter window

No. 5 is being installed this week. The STS-93 super lightweight external fuel tank arrived at

ICSC last week and was moved into the VAB transfer aisle yesterday. Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, August 17].]

AUGUST20: Kennedy Space Center Shuttle launch team members are undertaking a

practice run today to keep minds fresh during the unusual five-month pause between

launches. About 150 people responsible for executing Shuttle launch commands are

manning their firing room consoles during the integrated simulation, going through a

battery of standard prelaunch tests. They are also being tested through a series of 12 to 14

major problems randomly being thrown at them, all conjured up by the KSC Simulation

Team. Since June, the launch team has taken advantage of the available time for additional

training. By Oct. 29, the target launch date for the next Shuttle mission, they will have

conducted three external fuel tank loading simulations, a simulated loading of hypergolic

propellants into the orbiter maneuvering system and reaction control system, and two

launch countdown simulations. ["Launch team keeps fresh with practice runs," KSC

Countdown, August 20, 1998.]

• Aerospace workers are preparing for the worst. A contract designed to merge service

and support operations at Brevard County's space facilities and a military installation is just

days from being awarded. The Joint Base Operations & Support Contract- which

combines service and support functions at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Kennedy Space

Center and Patrick Air Force Base - will be awarded sometime next week, Chris Hunt, vice

president of Transport Workers Union Local 525, said NASA sources told him Thursday.

A NASA spokesman would not confirm or deny Hunt's statement. The Air Force would

not comment. The consolidated NASA/Air Force contract, worth $2 billion to $3 billion,

could result in an estimated 760 to 1,140 job cuts at KSC and the air station over its 10-year

lifetime. That is 20 percent to 30 percent of the 3,800 service and support workers at the

two sites, officials said. The new contract, which will take effect Oct. 1, doesn't cover

engineers and technicians involved in launching space shuttle and rockets. "It's really up to

the contract winner to determine how they will best perform the contract," said NASA

spokesman Bruce Buckingham. ["Launch-support workers brace for contract signing,"

Florida Today, August 21, 1998, p 12C & 11C.]

AUGUST21: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL, Director Roy Bridges today announced

Space Gateway Support (SGS) of Herndon, VA, has been selected for award of a

government contract to perform base operations for Kennedy and the 45 e_Space Wing,

which includes Cape Canaveral Air Station and Patrick Air Force Base. SGS is a joint

venture of Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Herndon, VA; ICF Kaiser Defense

Programs, Inc., Fairfax, VA; and Wackenhut Services, Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The

cost-plus award fee contract features a five-year basic performance period, beginning Oct. 1,

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1998, and an option for a five-year extension. The potential value of the contract, called the

Joint Base Operations Support Contract CI-BOSC), exceeds $2 billion over 10 years. SGS

will perform work that is being performed by Kennedy's Base Operations Contract, EG&G

Florida, and the 45 mSpace Wing's Launch Base Support contractor, Johnson Controls, and

16 other individual base-support contracts. The Joint Performance Management Office, a

new organization staffed with a mixture of NASA and Air Force employees, will manage the

J-BOSC contract. The Executive Director of the office will report to a Board of Directors.

The board's chair and vice chair will rotate every two years between the Kennedy director

and 45 _ Space Wing commander. ["SGS Awarded NASA and Air Force Joint Base

Contract," NASA Contract Announcement #C98-m, August 21, 1998.]

Jim DeSantis, president of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation for the past six years,

has resigned effective Oct. 16. ["Astronauts foundation chief resigns," Florida Today,

August 22, 1998, p lB.]

AUGUST24: About 400 jobs will be lost at Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Air Force Base

and Cape Canaveral Air Station under a new $2.2 billion contract awarded on Friday. Space

Gateway Support of Hemdon, VA., a joint venture headed by aerospace giant Northrop

Grumman, announced on Monday it will hire 2,500 workers for so-called "base operations"

when SGS takes over on Oct. 1. That's a 14 percent reduction from the current work force

of about 2,900 employed under separate contracts by EG&G Florida and Johnson

Controls. The consolidated 10-year contract covers a variety of support jobs, ranging from

garbage collection to firefighting to security. The areas that will receive the heaviest job cuts

haven't been determined. KSC Director Roy Bridges speculated last week that higher-paid

management staff are among the most vulnerable to job cuts, because NASA and the Air

Force have duplicate staffs. The new contract is expected to save NASA and the Air Force

about $900 million over 10 years. Officials say savings will go for infrastructure

improvements and will be passed on to commercial launch customers to help Cape

Canaveral stay competitive with rival launch sites in the United States and abroad. ["Space

operations to lose 400 jobs in contract shift," The Orlando Sentinel, August 25, 1998, p

C-1 & C-4.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, August 24, 1998. STS-95: Last week, Discovery's

main engines were installed. On Saturday, KSC technicians began precautionary efforts to

secure Discovery, Endeavour and Columbia in their respective OPF bays due to the threat

of Hurricane Bonnie. Discovery's payload bay doors were closed and the orbiter was

powered down. Managers will continue to monitor the hurricane's status and hope to

resume processing later today. Once the decision to proceed is made, workers will power

up the orbiter and launch processing system, open the payload doors and deploy the Ku

band antenna. Also, main engine securing and pump torque checks are scheduled. Payload

premate testing will follow payload bay door opening. Work delays due to hurricane

preparedness efforts are not expected to impact any major Shuttle processing milestones.

STS-88: Endeavour's power converter unit installation is complete. Functional checks on

the orbiter docking system (ODS) were conducted last week and ODS electrical testing

begins tomorrow. On Saturday, due to the threat of Hurricane Bonnie, Endeavour's payload

bay doors were closed and the orbiter was powered down. Once processing resumes,

workers will power up the orbiter and launch processing system and open the payload

doors. Main engine heat shield attach point rework and tunnel adapter installation efforts

129
will also resume. STS-93: On Saturday, as a precaution due to the threat of Hurricane

Bonnie, Columbia's payload bay doors were closed and the orbiter was powered down.

Managers will continue to monitor the hurricane's status and hope to resume processing

later today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, August 24].]

AUGUSTgg: Louise Shepard, the wife of pioneering Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard,

died Tuesday night on an airline flight to her hometown, officials said. Her death follows

the July 21 death of Alan Shepard, one of the original seven astronauts and America's first

space traveler. ["Shepard's wife, Louise, dies on flight," Florida Today, August 27, 1998, p

lB.]

AUGUST26: For the second time in as many weeks, a rocket carrying a multi-milliondollar satellite exploded shortly after launch Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Air Station.

With memories of the Aug. 12 explosion of an Air Force Titan IV-A rocket and its $1

billion spy satellite still fresh, Boeing's new Delta III rocket lifted off from Launch Complex

17B on its maiden flight at 9:17 p.m. The first minute and 20 seconds went according to

plan but then, as the Delta was jettisoning some of its nine solid-fuel boosters, the rocket

pitched forward and exploded in a spectacular fireball of liquid hydrogen and oxygen.

Television replays shows the blast emanating from the mid-body of the rocket's lower stage.

A state-of-the-art Galaxy X communications satellite was destroyed. No one was hurt.

"After separation of the first six solid-rocket boosters, we experienced an explosion,"

Boeing flight commentator Greg High said. "We have no idea exactly what happened."

One piece of wreckage appeared to explode as it hit the water. But most of the flaming

debris fell harmlessly into the Atlantic Ocean and proved no threat to coastal residents in

Brevard County. The Delta III, a beefed-up version of the long-successful Delta II, has

strap-on rocket motors and a more powerful upper-stage engine that allow it to hurl up to

8,400 pounds into high Earth orbit - almost double the Delta II's capacity. Boeing officials

billed the Delta III as an evolutionary step toward an even larger launch vehicle, the Delta

IV, which they plan to have ready by 2001. _Ihe next Delta III launch was scheduled for

spring of 1999. ["2 "a rocket explodes," The Orlando Sentinel August 27, 1998, p A-1 &

A-14.]

Legislation expected to come out of Congress this year could double the number of

commercial launches from Kennedy Space Center and add hundreds of millions of dollars

to the local economy. U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, DMiami Lakes, met at Port Canaveral on Wednesday to discuss the Commercial Space Act

they have sponsored. The bill has been approved by both the House and Senate, but a final

bill reconciling versions between the two legislative bodies needs to be approved by year's

end. KSC is slowed in its effort to attract commercial launches because it faces more

restrictions than competing foreign markets such as France and China_ While the U.S.

builds 70 percent of all the satellites launched, it launches only 30 percent of them. There

are about 35 commercial launches a year in the United States, 25 of which fly from KSC.

Another 100 or so commercial launches are from overseas sites. One restriction is in the

ability it has to track rockets and missiles after launch to ensure they are headed for the

correct orbit. KSC's tracking range is taxed tracking NASA and Department of Defense

launches, often meaning commercial launches have to be postponed or companies can't get

130
afirm commitmentonlaunchdates.Anotherrestrictionisthat othercountriesallow

reusablevehiclesfor commerciallaunches,reducingthecost.TheUnitedStatesallowsonly

NASA to launchreusablevehicles,but noneof the commercialcompanies.Theactwould

havegovernmentagencies,suchastheU.S.Air ForceandNASA,studyhow to expand

KSC'sabilityto monitorlaunches.It alsowouldallowprivatecompaniesto get

reusablevehicles.WeldonandGraham-who sponsoredthelegislationin their

legislativebodies - said the bill is very popular in Congress. The only thing that

it up, they said, is that there is not much time left for legislation to be finalized.

help space industry," Florida Today, August 27, 1998, p 1B & 2B.]

licenses for

respective

could hold

["Bill may

AUGUST27: State Road 528 is getting a new name. Commonly known as the Beeline, the

stretch of road from Hwy. 436 near Orlando International Airport to U.S. Hwy. 1 in Cocoa

is being renamed Kennedy Space Center Highway. A special unveiling ceremony for the

new signage takes place today, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. on the westbound highway shoulder 2.5

miles west of State Road 3. Participating in the ceremony are Roy Bridges, KSC Director;

Rick Abramson, president and CEO of Delaware North Parks Services of Spaceport, Inc.;

and J.B. Kump, Communications & External Relations for Florida Boeing Operations.

Also, U.S. Representative Dave Weldon; State Representative Randy Ball; State Senator

Charles Bronson; and Malcolm Kirschenbaum, vice-president of EKS, Inc. and member of

the board of directors of the Florida Department of Transportation. ["KSC on the map

with renaming of SR528," KSC Countdown, August 27, 1998.]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, August 27, 1998. STS-95: Securing Discovery's

main engines and main propulsion system leak and functional tests are complete. Potable

water servicing is in progress and preparations for tunnel adapter installation have resumed.

Today, technicians are installing the main engine heat shields and proceeding with integrated

vehicle health monitoring hardware installation in the aft and midbody compartments. This

afternoon the Ku-band antenna will be deployed and undergo electronic retests. In high

bay I of the Vehicle Assembly Building, mating of the external tank and solid rocket

boosters was completed Tuesday. STS-88: Installation of Endeavour's transfer tunnel

adapter is complete. Strongbacks have been installed on the payload bay doors and the

right hand radiators are deployed. Power converter unit electrical mates are in work today.

Workers have resumed main engine heat shield work. Electrical system testing on

Endeavour's orbiter docking system is slated through today. This afternoon freon coolant

loop No. 2 will be deserviced. STS-93: Functional checks of Columbia's fuel cells are

complete. Troubleshooting of the fuel cell No. 2 pulse code modulator is under way.

Technicians are also working to replace an overboard waste dump valve. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, August 27].]

• The Delta 3 accident might put in jeopardy some upcoming launches of its sistership -

the Delta 2 - on which its design is based. Boeing officials say they hope to exonerate the

rockets' common systems quickly, which would allow a Delta 2 to fly Sept. 1 from

Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. The next Delta 2 launch from Cape Canaveral is

set for Oct. 15. Its mission is to carry NASA's Deep Space 1 probe on the start of a

journey to study an asteroid. Beyond that, two more Delta launch are scheduled for NASA

in December and January - both are NASA Mars probes that are to continue to agency's

search for past or current signs of life on the Red Planet. While concerned about the

131
mishap,NASA officialssaytheywill keepworkingtowardtheOct. 15liftoff of the asteroid

probe. The missionmustgetunderwaybyearlyNovembersothe spacecraftcancatchits

target. In additionto theNASAflightsfrom Florida,aDelta2 missionis scheduledfor the

Capeon Nov. 14,with thelaunchof aRussiancommunicationssatellite.Another Delta 2 is

scheduled in December from California with an Air Force research satellite. ["Delta 2

launches in jeopardy," Florida Today, August 28, 1998, p 2A.]

AUGUST28: A guidance system failure doomed the inaugural launch of Boeing's Delta 3

rocket on a $225 million satellite-delivery mission, investigators confirmed Friday.

Investigators also confirmed it was the rocket's cargo - a 4-ton TV satellite - that slammed

into the Atlantic Ocean, sending up an eerie orange mushroom cloud several minutes after

the Delta exploded Wednesday night. Still unclear, however, is exactly what caused the

rocket's guidance system to go awry about 55 seconds into flight. Investigators hope to

answer that question quickly enough to clear smaller Delta 2 rockets for flights within the

next week. Boeing officials expect to fly a second Delta 3 in February. [''Guidance system

on Delta at fault," Florida Todsy, August 29, 1998, p 1A & 4A.]

AUGUST31: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, August 31, 1998. STS-95: Over the

weekend, workers completed installation of Discovery's main engine heat shields.

Installation of the integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM) system brackets are

complete and IVHM sensor installation is nearing completion. Today, technicians are

conducting orbiter integrated hydraulic testing and preparing for tunnel adapter installation

slated to occur later today. Closeouts of the orbiter's midbody compartment continue in

preparation for Wednesday's Crew Equipment Interface Test. Testing of the Ku-band

antenna continues. In high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid

rocket booster mating cioseouts are ongoing. STS-88: Installation of the forward extension

of Endeavour's transfer tunnel is complete. Connection of the orbiter docking system

pyrotechnic devices and servicing of freon coolant loop No. 2 are also complete. Main

engine heat shield inspections and the power converter unit interface verification test are in

work. STS-93: Troubleshooting of the fuel cell No. 2 pulse code modulator continues.

Technicians are also working to replace an overboard waste dump valve. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, August 31].]

DURING AUGUST: The most visible landmark at KSC, the 525-foot tall Vehicle

Assembly Building (VAB) is getting a facelift. EG&G Florida painters have been repainting

the 209-foot long American flag and replacing the 22-year old Bicentennial Emblem with

the NASA logo, just in time for NASA's 40" anniversary in October. The painting will

require about 550 gallons of red, white and blue paint to cover the entire 73,000-square foot

area. Two workers on each of six platforms, which are suspended from the top of the

VAB, are using rollers and brushes to apply the paint. Spray painting is prohibited due to

possible over-spray damage to vehicles and equipment. The painting is expected to be

completed in mid-September. ['WAB gets makeover, new design for 40_hanniversary,"

KSC Countdown, August 18, 1998.]

Extending its long history with Lockheed Martin's Arias, NASA has exercised two more

options under its existing Intermediate Expendable Launch Vehicle (IELV) contract with

Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (ILS). Atlas has been selected to launch two

V  ̧

V_

132
tracking and data relay satellites - TDRS I and J - in December 2001 and June 2002,

respectively. The satellites will launch on Atlas IIA launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral

Air Station. ["NASA extends Atlas Lockheed business," The Brevard Technical Journal,

August 1998, p 28.]

133
SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 1: NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has named Alan Ladwig Senior

Advisor to the NASA Administrator, Edward Heffernan Associate Administrator for

Legislative Affairs, and Lori Garver Acting Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans.

Heffernan's appointment became official on Aug. 14, 1998, Ladwig's and Garver's on Aug.

28, 1998. ["Ladwig, Heffeman and Garver named to key NASA roles," NASA News

Release #98-157, September 1, 1998.]

Boeing's fleet of Delta 2 rockets will return to flight Friday, clearing the way for two

upcoming NASA missions to Mars and another to study an asteroid, company officials said

Tuesday. An investigation, meanwhile, is continuing into the guidance system failure that

doomed the Aug. 26 maiden launch of a more powerful Boeing Delta 3 rocket on a $225

million satellite-delivery mission. The company's smaller Delta 2 rockets were temporarily

grounded in the wake of the Delta 3 launch explosion, which destroyed a commercial TV

satellite. ["Rockets scheduled to soar despite blast investigation," Florida Today,

September 2, 1998, p 2A.]

SEPTEMBER 2." One of the nation's costliest space launch failures was caused by

something any homeowner can relate to - a split-second power outage. That's what

happened Aug. 12, when a battery powering the guidance system of an Air Force Titan 4A

rocket failed, triggering an explosion that destroyed the vehicle and a secret spy satellite,

Pentagon officials said Wednesday. "The question we have to answer for ourselves now is,

WC'hy did it (the power failure) happen?'" said Air force Maj. Gen. Robert Hinson, who is

heading the investigation. With a hangar full of recovered rocket wreckage around him,

Hinson outlined the final moments of the failed $1 billion mission. Thirty-nine seconds

after the Titan blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station, the flow of electricity from the

guidance system battery was interrupted for a fraction of a second. A split second later,

after battery power was restored, the Titan's guidance control computer sent a command

that resulted in the rocket pitching down and to the right while traveling about 675 mph at

17,000 feet. That caused the rocket to break up, triggering its automatic destruct system.

Range safety officers also sent destruct signals to the exploding rocket to make certain it

would not threaten the coastal population. The debris fell harmlessly into the Atlantic

Ocean. ["Titan 4 blast blamed on brief battery power outage," Florida Today, September

3, 1998, p 1A.]

SEPTEMBER 3: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, September 3, 1998. STS-95:

Technicians have completed premate testing for the robot arm. Functional tests on

Discovery's external airlock upper hatch and replacement of a faulty electronic assembly

that supports the Ku-band antenna are also complete. Valve leak checks on the orbiter

maneuvering system oxidizer storage tanks are under way and fuel tank checks concluded

yesterday. The STS-95 flight crew participated in the Crew Equipment Interface Test

yesterday, familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments.

Today, workers will complete installation and relocation of sensors for the integrated vehicle

monitoring system (IVHM) and IVHM system testing follows this evening. Over the

weekend, technicians will perform Ku-band system testing and prepare for payload bay

door closure slated for the middle of next week. In the Vehicle Assembly Building this

week, workers completed installation of an accelerometer on the external tank and a camera

134
on theleft solidrocket booster's forward assembly. Data will be collected with these tools

during ascent as part of the Shuttle program's study on how external tank foam debris

impacts orbiter tile damage. STS-88: Removal of Endeavour's main landing gear wheels and

tires is complete and the nose landing gear wheels are installed. Radiator No. 4 installation

is in work today and tomorrow. Preparations are in progress for robot arm installation

tomorrow. Main engine heat shield work continues and engine installation begins next week.

STS-93: Preparations for fuel cell voltage testing are ongoing and testing begins later today.

Testing of the overboard waste dump valve and heater is under way. Heat shield corrosion

control efforts continue. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, September 3].]

• Johnson Controls and EG&G Florida are protesting their loss of the base-operations

contracts for Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air

Station. A consolidated 10-year contract, worth an estimated $2 billion, was awarded Aug.

21 to Space Gateway Support, a Virginia-based consortion headed by Northrop Grumman.

Johnson Controls and EG&G had held the operations contracts for more than a decade.

["Firms protest NASA loss," The Orl,mdo Sentinel, September 4, 1998, p lB.]

SEPTEMBER 4: The Unity connecting module, the first U.S. built component of the

International Space Station, moved a step closer to orbit this week when Boeing, the

manufacturer of Unity, officially headed over the module's "keys" to NASA. NASA

officially accepted the module after review and certification of Unity's construction by

NASA and Boeing station managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Unity is scheduled

for launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 mission on Dec. 3. Unity is a critical

component of the International Space Station, a six-sided connector with a berthing port

on each side. Along with Unity at Kennedy, more than a half-dozen major pieces of U.S.

and foreign-built hardware are now being prepared for launch. ["NASA accepts "keys" to

first U.S. built station component," NASA News Release #98-160, September 4, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER _: The public's ration of coveted car passes for prime viewing sites at

Kennedy Space Center is long gone. One of America's original Mercury 7 astronauts, John

Glenn, is scheduled to return to space Oct. 29. At 77, the Ohio senator, who became the

first American to orbit Earth in 1962, will become the oldest human to fly in space. The

mission is creating a demand for launch viewing passes that far outstrips supply. Like any

shuttle launch, NASA is issuing 5,000 passes. Pass holders are allowed to take cars, trucks

and vans to a NASA Causeway viewing site. Most of the passes - 3,650 - are being

distributed to KSC workers and the public in communities surrounding other NASA

centers. The remainder are being doled out to 1,350 people who have sent requests to

NASA. The company that runs the KSC Visitor Complex, Delaware North Parks Services

of Spaceport Inc., will be allotted 1,500 launch-viewing tickets for sale to the public. The

tickets, at $10 each, will go on sale five days before the launch. ["Passes to watch historic

Glenn launch hard to get," Florida Today. September 6, 1998, p 1A.]

SEPTEMBER 10: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, September 10, 1998. STS-95:

Technicians have completed checks of Discovery's Ku-band antenna system and plan final

stowage later today. Pressurization of the landing gear tires for flight is also complete.

Checkout of the robot arm concluded earlier this week and orbiter midbody close-outs

135
continueonschedule.Preparationsareunderwayfor tomorrownighfs payloadbaydoor

closure.Today,workersareconductingaft compartmentstructuralleakchecksand

completingforwardcompartmentclose-outs.Saturday,Discovery'sweightand centerof

gravitydeterminationtestsarescheduledandSundaythevehiclewill beplacedon the

orbitertransfervehiclefor Monday'srolloverto theVehicleAssemblyBuilding. In the

VAB thisweek,workerscompletedinstallationof anaccelerometeron theexternaltankand

acameraonthe left solidrocketbooster'sforwardassembly.Datawill becollectedwith

thesetoolsduringascentaspartof theShuttleprogram'sstudyonhow externaltankfoam

debriscontributesto orbitertiledamage.Thefocalpoint of the cameraisdelineatedbya

grid of smallmarkson theextemaltankneartheleft forwardSRB/ETattachpoint. These

marksmaybevisiblewhentheShuttlerollsoutto Pad39Bon Sept.21. STS-88:

Endeavour'smainlandinggearwheelinstallationiscomplete.Workersremovedradiator

No. 3 from the orbiter'spayloadbaydooryesterday.Theremovedradiatorsarebeing

replacedbyunitsoutfittedwith anewprotectivelayermeantto reducemicro-meteorite

impactsin flight.RadiatorNo. 2willbereplacedtoday. Shuttlemainengineinstallation

begantodayandpreparationsfor externalairlockleakchecksarein progress.Functional

testson thetunneladapter'supperhatchandrobot armchecksarescheduledto occurlater

today. STS-93:Nitrogenservicingof Columbia'senvironmentalcontrolandlifesupport

systemiscomplete.Hydrogenleakchecksonthe orbiter'spowerreactantstorageand

distributionsystemarein work. Techniciansaredrainingthe orbiter'swastetanktoday

beforereplacingafaultyoverboarddumpvalve.BruceBuckingham.(1998).Kennedy

SpaceCenterSpaceShuttleStatusReport [Online]. AvailableE-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status[1998,September10].]

SEPTEMBER 13: America's commercial launch industry reached its 100 * mission last

week with the successful flight of Boeing Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in

California. The 100 _ commercial rocket mission blasted off Sept. 8, marking a milestone

for one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. The first 50 commercial

launches occurred during six years, from March 1989 to August 1995, while the next 50

took only three years. The landmark launch was a Delta II rocket carrying a cluster of five

communications satellites for the Iridium global wireless telephone system into low Earth

orbit. Revenue from U.S. commercial launches this year is $757.5 million and could

approach $1.4 billion by year's end. [''Commercial launch industry reaches its 100 *

mission," Florida Today, September 13, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER 14: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, September 14, 1998. STS-95:

Over the weekend, workers performed weight and center of gravity tests on Space Shuttle

Discovery before lowering it onto the orbiter transfer vehicle. At about 10 a.m. today,

Discovery rolled out of KSC's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2. The orbiter arrived in the

Vehicle Assembly Building a short while later and was lifted from the orbiter transfer

vehicle at about 4:30 p.m. Discovery will be soft mated to the external fuel tank at about 6

a.m. tomorrow. Hard mate connections will follow Tuesday and interface verification tests

will be conducted prior to next Monday's rollout to Launch Pad 39B. STS-88: Workers

completed electrical connections of Endeavour's auxiliary power converter unit. Shuttle

main engine installation is complete and engine securing is in work. Replacement of

radiator No. 2 is under way. The orbiter's radiators are being replaced by units outfitted with

a new protective layer meant to reduce micro-meteorite impacts in flight. Functional tests

on the robot arm continue and external airlock leak checks are in progress. STS-93:

v

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HydrogenleakchecksonColumbia'spowerreactantstorageanddistributionsystem

continue.Theorbiter'swastetankoverboarddumpvalveisbeingreplaced.Bruce

Buckingham.(1998).KennedySpaceCenterSpaceShuttle StatusReport [Online].

AvailableE-mail:domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status[1998,September14].]

• WhenDiscoverylaunchesU.S.Sen.John Glennandsixother crewmembersinto orbit

on Oct. 29,veteranspacebuffswill noticethedifference.ThefuturisticNASA logo

dubbed"theworm" hadadornedtheshuttlefleetsinceColumbia'smaidenflight 17years

ago.It's gone. Instead,oneof NASA'soriginalblue"meatball"emblemsdecorateseach

sideof thefuselage.A larger meatball - 6 feet in diameter - has been painted on the left

wing. A crowd of 100 or so spectators caught a glimpse of Discovery's new look Monday,

when workers rolled the shuttle from its service hangar to Kennedy Space Center's giant

Vehicle Assembly Building. Most of those watching seemed to like the change. Some, such

as launch integration manager Don McMonagle, weren't overly concerned with the emblem

choice. "As long as we're in space," McMonagle said, "I don't care which one is on the

orbiter." Discovery will be mated this week to its external fuel tank and twin rocket

boosters before it's slowly rolled out to launch pad 39B late Sunday or early Monday. ICSC

officials said Discovery's latest paint job was scheduled long ago; the timing - right before

Glenn's flight - is coincidence. In fact, the worm was made an endangered species about

three years ago in an effort by NASA Director Dan Goldin to take the agency back to its

symbolic roots in the 1960s and the late '50s. "We've been trying to eradicate the worm and

go back to our original [meatball] emblem for some time," KSC spokesman Bruce

Buckingham said. "Whenever there's a chance to remove the worm, we do it." Discovery

isn't the only thing getting a face lift at KSC these days. With NASA celebrating its 40 _

birthday Oct. 1 and the Glenn launch scheduled four weeks later, paint brushes have

become almost as common here as calculators. An office building near the shuttle hangars

and the grandstand where the world's new media will view Glenn's launch are two of the

latest places to get fresh coats of paint. But by far the biggest job has been refurbishing the

facade of the 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building. A dozen workers are using 700

gallons of red, white and blue to coat the front of the building and hide its 22-year-old U.S.

Bicentennial symbol. Its replacement? The world's largest meatball, covering 12,300 square

feet. ["That old 'meatball' is new again at NASA," The Orlando Sentinel, September 15,

1998, p A-5.]

SEPTEMBER 15." NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter is undergoing final preparations in the

Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at KSC for launch in December. The

spacecraft arrived Sept. 12 at the Shuttle Landing Facility following its flight from the

Lockheed Martin Astronautics plant in Denver, Colo. Among the processing activities

planned are a functional test of the science instruments and the basic spacecraft subsystems.

Also, checks of the communications system will be performed, including a verification of

the spacecraft's ability to send data via the tracking stations of the Deep Space Network to

the Jet propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and the Lockheed Martin plant.

The orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft,

planned for launch in January 1999, and then will monitor the Martian atmosphere and

image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year (1.8 Earth years). ["Mars

Climate Orbiter being readied for launch on Dec. 10, 1998," KSC Countdown, September

15, 1998.]

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• NASA'sLife SciencesDivisionis sponsoring the Challenge Mission, a unique outreach

event, from Sept. 23-30, 1998, in Key Largo, FL. The Challenge Mission is an eight-day

deployment of the Scott Carpenter Space Analog Station on the sea floor off Key Largo.

The station is a fully functioning, submersible habitat that serves as a demonstration analog

setting for concepts and challenges of systems needed for human exploration of space.

Invited individuals and representatives of the Challenge Project museum and national

organization partners will be joined by Space Life Sciences experts in the space analog

station. ["Going 'all out' under water," NASA News Release #N98-56, September 15,

1998.]

SEPTEMBER 16" John Glenn: Mercury astronaut, American hero, prestigtous U.S.

senator. Now, a willing guinea pig. During his planned Oct. 29 mission aboard shuttle

Discovery, every beat of Glenn's 77-year-old heart will be tracked by a monitor strapped

around his waist. A tube will be inserted into a vein in his arm, allowing blood samples to

be drawn regularly without him getting stuck with a needle each time. He will swallow

bullet-size thermometer pills to detect his temperature, wince through shots, give urine

samples and wear an electrode-covered cap to bed so the quality of his slumber can be

monitored. It's all part of NASA's justification for sending Glenn back into space: to

conduct intensive research on aging that might alleviate elderly problems such as balance

disorders, brittle bones and weak muscles. Despite all the trappings of top-shelf science,

critics say the potential research payoff of Glenn's flight is slim at best and a sham at worst.

They contend that findings based on one elderly man - and an extremely healthy one at that

- cannot be translated to the 34 million Americans who are 65 or older. The result is a

rancorous debate on the merits of flying the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, with

critics calling it pure political payback and supporters staunchly endorsing the mission's

scientific goals. "This is basic, fundamental research," Glenn told reporters soon after

NASA announced his flight in January. "All of this gives us the potential not only of

dealing with the frailties of our already aged population but of helping younger people avoid

problems as they get old." During Discovery's nine-day sojourn, the crew will oversee

studies of the sun's winds and test equipment that is to be installed on the Hubble Space

Telescope during a flight to improve the observatory in 2000. But that work will likely be

over shadowed by Glenn and his medical experiments, which will explore the ailments

shared by elderly people on Earth and astronauts whose bodies are subjected to

weightlessness. Both groups suffer from weakened bones and muscles, sleep disturbances,

depressed immune systems and balance problems. Noting the similarities after reading

some medical books, Glenn began lobbying NASA in the summer of 1996 to send him

back into space, and eventually landed the seat on Discovery. Critics say Glenn is being

rewarded for defending President Clinton and Vice President Gore during last year's Senate

hearings on possible illegal campaign contributions the administration received during the

1996 election. Cooky Oberg, author of several aerospace books and an outspoken critic of

Glenn's mission, and others contend if NASA really wanted to study aging issues, it would

conduct ongoing research using senior members of its own astronaut corps. The oldest

space flier to date - astronaut Story Musgrave, who was 61 on his final launch in November

1996 - retired last year after six shuttle missions. The reason: NASA told him he would

not fly again. Critics say Musgrave, a physician, and others like him would make far better

subjects than a politician who hasn't been in orbit for 36 years. NASA officials disagree

with the critics. They say Glenn is a healthy and suitable subject, a former Marine fighter

pilot accustomed to fast flying and still capable of piloting his own plane. And while v

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concedingGlenn'sresearchwill not produceanybreakthroughs,supporterssayit could

spurvaluablefuturework. In all,theresearchersbehindGlenn'sexperimentssayheisa

uniquetestsubjectwho couldbringthemvital information. ["Scienceor freeride?"

Florida Today, September 17, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• NASA has a new plan for keeping Moscow's piece of the International Space Station

afloat: Buy a couple of Russian space capsules for about $100 million and hope some of the

money reaches the station's long-overdue crew quarters. Under a deal expected to be

wrapped up this week, the U.S. space agency would get delivery of the three-person Soyuz

capsules by 2002. The two craft would serve as escape pods for the space station until a

larger, American-made lifeboat is developed. Although there's still some haggling over

price, the Russians would likely get about $100 million. NASA says that's enough for the

Russian space agency to finish its principal contribution to the station - the crew quarters,

known as the service module - and to finance the station's control center and early resupply

flights. "It's about more than just the service module," said Joseph Rothenberg, NASA's

associate administrator for space flight. "Without the control center, the service module

doesn't do us any good." ["U.S. may buy 2 spacecraft from Russians," The Orlando

Sentinel, September 17, 1998, p A-1.]

SEPTEMBER 17: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, September 17, 1998. STS-95:

In VAB high bay 1, orbiter Discovery is mated to the external tank and Shuttle interface

testing is in progress. Main propulsion system leak checks are under way and preparations

begin tomorrow for the Shuttle's rollout to Launch Pad 39B. Discovery is slated to begin

its 4.2 mile trip to the pad at about 2 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21 and should be hard down on

the pad surface around 8 a.m. STS-88: Functional tests of the hatch on Endeavour's

tunnel adapter are complete. Replacement of the orbiter's fight hand payload bay door

radiators is complete and the radiator coolant loop will be serviced next week. Main engine

and main propulsion system integrated testing is ongoing and freon coolant loop No. 2

servicing is in work. Engine heat shield installation is scheduled today. Payload electrical

connection testing is under way and robot arm checks are complete. Auxiliary power

converter unit interface tests begin today. STS-93: Columbia's Ku-band system is

undergoing tests and the antenna has been deployed. Replacement of the orbiter's waste

tank overboard dump valve continues. Tests on the power reactant storage and distribution

system continue and auxiliary power unit water servicing is in progress. OV-104 Atlantis -

Return from OMDP in Palmdale, CA: Shuttle workers in Palmdale, CA, hand-over

responsibility for orbiter Atlantis to KSC Monday, Sept. 21, for ferry flight preparations.

Atlantis is scheduled to be bolted atop NASA's Shuttle Cartier Aircraft, a modified Boeing

747, and flown cross-country to KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility next week. Current plans

have the ferry flight departing California at first light on Sept. 22 and arriving in Florida the

next afternoon. Forecasters indicate the possibility of adverse weather conditions early next

week, so Shuttle managers will closely monitor weather trends in California as they plan to

bring Atlantis home. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available IS-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, September 17].]

• A Navy salvage team has recovered about 80 percent of the spy satellite destroyed

during a failed launch attempt on Aug. 12. The rocket carrying the top-secret satellite - a

Titan IV-A belonging to the Air Force - exploded seconds after liftoff from Cape

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CanaveralAir Station. The 61-member Navy dive team has also pulled up about 30 percent

of the Titan from a debris field on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, one to five miles off the

Brevard County coast in 50-foot-deep water. Air Force officials said Thursday that several

important components from both the satellite and the rocket remain on the ocean floor.

Divers plan to continue searching with metal detectors and sonar equipment. The satellite

and the Lockheed Martin rocket were worth an estimated $1.3 billion. An accident

investigation board has yet to release its findings, but engineers say the explosion was

probably caused by a brief power loss that confused the Titan's guidance system. ["Divers

get spy-satellite debris," The Orlando Sentinel, September 18, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER 18: To launch or not to launch. That is the question NASA and its global

partners will be asking in Moscow the next two weeks during meetings that could lead to

another Russian-caused delay in construction of the International Space Station. Whether it

makes sense to send up the first two parts of the station as scheduled in November and

December - despite Russia's failure to finish a crucial third piece of the outpost - will be

the issue at hand. The fwst station flight - launch of a Russian space tug financed by the

United States - still is scheduled to take place in two months, but it could be delayed until

early next year. Not even senior NASA officials can say whether the current station

construction schedule, which lays out an intricate series of 34 U.S. shuttle and nine Russian

rocket flights, should be saved or shredded. "The schedule is so indefinite at this point that

I'm not sure what's going to happen," said Frederick Gregory, chief of NASA's Office of

Safety and Mission Assurance at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. ["Meeting

could bring more space station delays," Florida Today, September 19, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

SEPTEMBER 21: NASA will ask Congress to approve at least $1.2 billion more over the

next four or five years to keep the International Space Station from foundering o a senior

agency official said Monday. Joseph Rothenbergo the agency's associate administrator for

space flight, said $660 million of that amount would go directly to Russia to buy Soyuz and

progress space vehicles as well as other support services. About $600 million more would

be spent at home to modify NASA's space shuttle fleet, which will be needed to take the

place of Russian vehicles that were to deliver fuel and supplies to the outpost. The goal is

to keep station construction on schedule and reduce U.S. reliance on Russia, which can't

meet its obligations because of its financial and political crises, Rothenberg said. NASA

wants to launch the first station piece Nov. 20 aboard a Russian rocket. The next segment

is to be launched Dec. 3 on shuttle Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center. Three months

ago, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin told a congressional committee he would not ask

for more money for the project, and less than eight weeks ago the House voted

overwhelmingly to keep the station alive. It is not clear whether NASA will ask Congress

for a new appropriation or find the $1.2 billion in its own budget. Rothenberg said NASA

is discussing funding options with the White House and Congress as well as negotiating with

Russian space officials on a purchase price for goods and services. [''NASA seeks $1.2

billion to keep space station alive," Florida Today, September 22, 1998, p 1A.]

# Shuttle Discovery is poised on its launch pad today for an October mission with John

Glenn aboard, but NASA officials are keeping tabs on Hurricane Georges, which may force

the ship back indoors. As Discovery made the 4-mile trek to its launch pad early Monday,

Georges was bearing down on the U.S. Virgin Islands, tearing up trees, flooding roads and

forcing thousands from their homes. At this point, NASA officials don't know whether the

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hurricane will threaten Florida's coast or head north toward the Carolinas. NASA decided

to move Discovery to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center as planned. However, they

are ready to move the ship back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, if needed. The trip

between the VAB and the launch pad takes six hours. The spaceship is scheduled for an

Oct. 29 launch on a flight that includes the return to space of Glenn, who in 1962 became

the first American to orbit Earth. ["Discovery rolls to launch pad," Florida Today,

September 22, 1998, p 1A.]

SEPTEMBER 22." Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, September 22, 1998. STS-95:

Space Shuttle Discovery rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building yesterday at about 2

a.m. and arrived at pad 39]3 at about 8 a.m. The Rotating Service Structure was moved into

place at 10 a.m. providing orbiter access to pad workers. Launch pad validations are in

work and Shuttle main engine flight readiness testing begins later today. Shuttle managers

are closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Georges and developing precautionary

plans to roll back Shuttle Discovery into the VAB if needed. At 11 a.m. today, managers

declared a Hurricane Condition IV at KSC which means forecasters are predicting up to 50

knot winds within 72 hours. Tomorrow morning, weather forecasters will brief KSC

managers on the hurricane's latest developments and the Hurricane Condition will be

addressed again. If Hurricane Condition III (50 knot winds within 48 hours) is declared

tomorrow, managers could opt to begin rollback preparations as early as tomorrow. If a

Shuttle rollback becomes necessary, managers do not expect an impact to Discovery's target

launch date. STS-88: Endeavour's radiator deployment was completed successfully. Robot

arm connector testing is complete and closeout work is under way. Freon coolant loop No.

2 servicing preparations are in progress and potable water servicing is in work. Orbiter

window No. 8 is being replaced today. In the VAB, preparations are under way for external

tank/solid rocket booster mating activities slated for later today. STS-93: Columbia's

power reactant storage and distribution system testing is complete. Mass memory unit No.

2 loading is scheduled for later today. Leak checks of the replaced overboard waste dump

valve occur today. OV-104 Atlantis - Return from OMDP in Palmdale, CA: Due to high

winds in Palmdale, CA, yesterday, workers were unable to mate orbiter Atlantis to NASA's

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Those mating activities have been rescheduled for today. If

weather permits, the cross-country ferry flight begins at first light Wednesday morning and

continues on to Ft. Hood, TX, for refueling. Currently the flight plan calls for an overnight

stay in Ft. Campbell, KY, and with a Thursday midday departure, Atlantis would arrive at

KSC Thursday afternoon Sept. 24. These plans are subject to available daylight and weather

conditions on the flight path. Shuttle managers will also factor Hurricane Georges' progress

and potential threat to KSC into any flight plan decisions. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, September 22].]

• Hundreds signed a giant mural-sized good luck card for John Glenn and the crew of the

upcoming flight of shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The

shuttle flight, scheduled for Oct. 29, features space pioneer Glenn's return to orbit. ["Wellwishers sign giant card," Florida Today, September 23, 1998, p 1A.]

• It has a futuristic engine to power its 120-million-mile flight to an asteroid. It has a

cutting-edge navigation system and 10 other new technologies that could change space

travel forever. Now all NASA's Deep Space 1 probe needs is a launch date. The agency

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will decide next week whether to try launching the $152 million mission on Oct. 15 or Oct.

25 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station, officials said Tuesday.

Although still preparing for the earlier date, NASA may postpone the flight so that a broken

heater in the spacecraft's engine can be repaired. In the end, NASA has until Nov. 10 to

get the mission started and still catch up with the desired asteroid in July 1999. Once under

way, Deep Space l's main purpose is to test a dozen new technologies that make spacecraft

smaller and more capable of flying without assistance from controllers on Earth. The

centerpiece of new technology is an ion-propulsion engine that is powered by electrically

charged atoms instead of the chemicals used in conventional engines. ["NASA to announce

launch date for Deep Space probe next week," Florida Today, September 23, 1998, p 6A.]

V

SEPTEMBER 23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, September 23, 1998. STS-95:

Launch pad validations and planned orbiter/external tank base plate modifications are

complete. Discovery's main engine flight readiness test is in work. KSC managers continue

to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Georges and have developed a precautionary

plan to roll back Shuttle Discovery into the VAB if needed. At noon, officials declared a

Hurricane Condition III and Shuttle managers decided to begin preparations to roll back

Shuttle Discovery. About 20 hours of preparation work is required for the Shuttle to be

ready for first motion toward the VAB. Consequently, transportation of the Shuttle

vehicle could begin as early as 7 a.m. tomorrow. KSC managers plan to meet again at 6 a.m.

tomorrow before giving the order to begin rollback. Hurricane Condition III means

forecasters predict about 50 knot winds in the immediate area within 48 hours. Shuttle

operational constraints call for rollback procedures if winds at the launch pad are expected

to be above 69 mph steady state. Rollback operation must be performed before steady state

winds reach 48 mph. Based on the unpredictable nature of hurricanes, KSC managers have

made this precautionary decision to minimize risk and to provide appropriate protection to

KSC personnel and to the Space Shuttle national asset. STS-88: With the declaration of

Hurricane Condition III at KSC today, workers will begin preparations to secure Endeavour

in the OPF today. Preparations for payload bay door closure will be performed in the event

that closure becomes necessary. STS-93: With the declaration of Hurricane Condition III at

KSC today, workers will begin preparations to secure Columbia in the OPF today. OV-104

Atlantis - Return from OMDP in Palmdale, CA: Shuttle Atlantis departed Palmdale, CA

today at about 9:45 a.m. EST atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747.

Current ferry flight plans have Atlantis stopping at Gray Army Airfield in Ft. Hood, TX, for

refueling. The ferry will continue on to Ft. Campbell, KY, for an overnight stay.

Depending on weather conditions on the flight path and at KSC, the managers plan to

depart Kentucky by noon tomorrow and arrive at KSC Thursday afternoon. These plans

are subject to available daylight and weather conditions on the flight path. Shuttle managers

will also factor Hurricane Georges' progress and potential threat to KSC into any flight plan

decisions. Another overnight stay in Ft. Campbell is possible. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shutde Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, September 23].]

SEPTEMBER 24: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, September 24, 1998. STS-95:

Preparations to roll back Shuttle Discovery from Launch Pad 39B are complete and

workers are ready to begin the transfer back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. At 6:30 a.m.

today, Shuttle managers made a precautionary decision to roll back Discovery with first

motion planned for 7:30 a.m., but a local weather system caused a delay. First motion has

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been rescheduled for 10 p.m. tonight with VAB arrival at about 5 a.m. Friday. Forecasters

will continue to monitor the local weather system that poses a threat of lightning and will

brief Shuttle managers before the transfer begins. Managers continue to closely monitor

the progress of Hurricane Georges and KSC remains in a Hurricane Condition III

expecting 50 knot winds within 48 hours. Forecasters indicate less than a 20 percent chance

of Georges tracking directly toward KSC and predict the storm will be off the coast of

Tampa, FL, by Saturday. However, with rain bands, wind gusts, and the possibility of

tornadoes associated with the eastern edge of the storm, KSC managers are taking all

appropriate precautions. Managers will address KSC's Hurricane Condition as new weather

information is available throughout the day. STS-88: KSC remains in a Hurricane

Condition III today and workers will continue preparations to secure Endeavour in the

OPF. Preparations for payload bay door closure will be performed if necessary. STS-93:

KSC remains in Hurricane Condition III and workers continue with preparations to secure

Columbia in the OPF today. OV-104 Atlantis - Return from OMDP in Palmdale, CA:

Shuttle Atlantis remained overnight in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, atop the Shuttle Carrier

Aircraft. Ferry flight managers are monitoring the progress of Hurricane Georges and plan

to remain in Kentucky until an appropriate departure time can be determined. Shuttle

managers at KSC will not be ready to receive Atlantis any earlier than Saturday due to

operational constraints associated with hurricane preparedness. Depending on weather

conditions on the flight path and at KSC, Atlantis' arrival at KSC could be delayed until

early next week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Spaee Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, September 24].]

• The presentation of flags to the mayors of two municipalities in Puerto Rico, has been

postponed due to the hurricane conditions in the country earlier this week. It will be

rescheduled at the mayors' convenience. The flags flew on STS-90, which was launched

April 17, 1998. ["Flag presentation," KSC Countdown, September 17, 1998. "Flag

Ceremony Postponed," KSC Countdown, September 24, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER .25."Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, September 25, 1998. STS-95:

Yesterday evening, KSC managers decided to keep Shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39t3.

Though preparations to roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building due to Hurricane

Georges were complete, local weather posed a threat of lightning that exceeded rollback

weather criteria. With the rollback first motion on hold, managers monitoring the progress

of Hurricane Georges determined that the threat to flight hardware was greater from

lightning during a rollback than that of the hurricane. As a result, the rollback was canceled

and the rotating service structure returned to position around Discovery. Hurricane

Georges is expected to remain on a northwest path near the west coast of Florida and

gusting winds at KSC are not expected to exceed 40 mph. Launch pad weather protection

will provide Discovery the necessary shelter from heavy rain and wind gusts. The lightning

protection system at the pad will provide additional defense for the Shuttle through the

weekend. All activities planned for launch of mission STS-95 remain on schedule. STS-88:

Endeavour remains secure in the OPF today and the rudder speed brake shaft has been

installed. Tunnel adapter aft hatch opening and main propulsion system leak and functional

testing are complete. Window No. 8 replacement and payload bay door closing are also

complete. Shuttle managers today are evaluating the possibility of reopening the orbiter's

payload bay doors and resuming scheduled midbody work. STS-93: Columbia remains

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securedin theOPF todaywith thepayloadbaydoorsclosed.Overboardwastetankvalve

leakchecksarecompletefollowingrecentvalvereplacementefforts. Ku-bandelectronic

assemblyinstallationisscheduledfor today.O¥-104Atlantis- ReturntoKSC:Shuttle

Atlantis remainsin Ft. Campbell,ICY,atopthe ShuttleCarrierAircraft. Ferryflight

managersaremonitoringtheprogressof HurricaneGeorgesandplanfor Atlantis to remain

in Kentucky until weather permitted its return to K_C. Sunday, KSC workers are scheduled

to begin efforts to reconfigure the Mate/Demate Device (MDD) from its current hurricane

ready configuration. The MDD, located at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), is used to

remove the orbiter from the top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft before workers tow the

orbiter to the OPF hangar. Currently, Shuttle managers expect Atlantis to arrive at KSC on

Monday, pending favorable weather assessments. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, September 25].]

• NASA has awarded a $3.44 billion contract to Lockheed Martin Space Operations Co.,

Houston, TX, to manage the Agency's space operations activities. The Consolidated Space

Operations contractor will manage all of NASA's data collection, telemetry and

communication operations supporting its Earth-orbiting satellites, planetary exploration,

and human space flight activities. The contract shifts management responsibility from five

NASA centers to a single entity, which is an unprecedented step for an operation of this

magnitude. This effort is being closely observed by other government agencies that also are

reviewing consolidating their operations. "This contract is projected to save the American

taxpayers approximately $1.4 billion over 10 years," said Daniel S. Goldin. The basic

contract amounts to $1.90 billion for a duration of five years, including a three-month

phase-in period. The contract runs from October 1998 to December 2003. The award also

contains options totaling $1.54 billion, which includes a five-year extension of the basic

effort (January 2004 through December 2008); additional options for work at the Kennedy

Space Center, FL; and enhanced mission and data service support for the International

Space Station program. ["Lockheed Martin Space Operations Co. awarded contract to

manage NASA's Space Operations," NASA Contract Announcement #c98-p,

September 25, 1998.]

• The threat of Hurricane Georges caused NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and an

entourage of top agency officials to call off a Friday visit to Kennedy Space Center. The

agency had planned a ceremony with the president of the Italian Space Agency, who was to

hand over an Italian-made module to NASA for the International Space Station.

Afterward, Goldin and a cadre of senior NASA station officials were to discuss station

issues, including the ever-worsening problems with Russia's participation in the project.

Those expected at the event included Joseph Rotenberg, NASA's associate administrator

for space flight, and Randy Brinkley, NASA's manager of the space station. A new date has

not been set for the ceremony and a possible Goldin visit. [''Storm forces Goldin to delay

visit to KSC," Florida Today, September 26, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER 26: A senator from Ohio wants to rename a Cleveland-based NASA

facility in honor of his fellow legislator and returning astronaut Sen. John Glenn. Glenn, 77,

the state's senior senator and the first American to orbit the Earth, is scheduled for an Oct.

29 launch on a nine-day mission to study elderly health problems on shuttle Discovery.

Sen. Mike DeWine, a freshman Republican, plans to honor his colleague by offering

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legislation to rename NASA's Lewis Research Center after Glenn, a Democrat who is

retiring after 24 years in the Senate. A spokesman for Glenn said that the astronaut is

honored by DeWine's intentions. However, even if DeWine is successful, NASA would not

have to agree to change the name just because Congress ordered it. The Ohio-based space

center is named after George W. Lewis, an early supporter of spaceflight and research

director from 1924 to 1947 at a predecessor agency to the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration. ["Senator wants to rename NASA facility after Glenn," Florida Today,

September 27, 1998.]

SEPTEMBER 27." The orbiter Atlantis arrived at the SLF on Sunday, Sept. 27, atop

NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, after a 5-day trip from California.

After demating at the SLF, Atlantis was moved to the OPF 2. The orbiter spent 10 months

in Palmdale, CA, being upgraded and modified for flight. Atlantis is next scheduled to fly in

June 1999 for mission STS-92, the third flight for the International Space Station.

["Upgraded Atlantis arrives after flight from California," KSC Countdown, September 29,

1998.]

SEPTEMBER 28: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, September 28, 1998. STS-95:

Over the weekend, Discovery was secured at Launch Pad 39B with standard weather

protection. As Hurricane Georges passed Florida's west coast, winds at KSC did not exceed

23 mph. Last night, the Rotating Service Structure was retracted and the payload canister

arrived at the pad. The SPACEHAB, Spartan and HOST payloads are being installed in the

pad's payload changeout room today. Installation of the vertical payload assortment into the

orbiter's cargo bay occurs tomorrow. Launch pad validations are in work today. STS-88:

Endeavour's payload bay doors were opened Friday and radiator deployment is complete.

Cabin air circulation system inspection and maintenance has been performed. The various

cameras onboard the orbiter are undergoing standard inspections. Potable water servicing

and radiator functional tests are slated to begin today. STS-93: Columbia's payload bay

doors will be opened today and resume work in the orbiter's midbody compartment.

Installation of the Ku-band electronics assembly continues. OV-104 Atlantis - Returns to

KSC from Palmdale, CA: Shuttle orbiter Atlantis arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility

yesterday at about 10 a.m. Flying atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), Atlantis' ferry

flight departed Ft. Campbell, KY, Sunday morning. KSC workers demated the orbiter from

the SCA and began tow operations to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at bout 8:30 a.m.

today. Atlantis will now undergo processing for its next launch slated for June of 1999.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

September 28].]

Coming soon to a toy store near you: The "Hot Wheels" action packed version of

senator-astronaut John Glenn, his Friendship 7 capsule from long ago and the space shuttle

he'll soon be riding on. Glenn is prominently featured in Mattel Toy's latest joint venture

with NASA, in advance of the Oct. 29 launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. It features a

miniature senator in navy suit and red fie, as well as figures wearing Glenn's shuttle crew suit

and a third wearing the famous silver suit from Glenn's first space trip in 1962. Glenn, 77,

will not be compensated. "This is to get kids excited about our nation's space program,"

spokesman Jack Sparks said. ["Mattel turns Glenn into an action figure," Florida Today,

September 29, 1998.]

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SEPTEMBER 2,9: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, September 29, 1998. STS-95:

Launch pad validations are complete at pad 39B and the Rotating Service Structure has been

extended around Shuttle Discovery. Installation of the vertical payloads into the pad's

payload changeout room is complete and the orbiter's payload bay doors will be opened this

morning. The SPACEHAB, Spartan and HOST payloads will be installed into the orbiter

tomorrow and payload interface verification testing begins Thursday. STS-88: Endeavour's

payload bay doors remain open while the orbiter undergoes work in the midbody

compartment. Cabin air circulation system inspection and maintenance is complete.

Inspections of the orbiter's various onboard cameras continue. Potable water servicing and

radiator functional tests are ongoing. STS-93: Columbia's payload bay doors are open and

cycling tests of the Ku-band electronics assembly are complete. Auxiliary power unit testing

is in work today. STS-92: Orbiter Atlantis was towed from the Shuttle Landing Facility to

OPF bay 2 yesterday. With work platforms in place around the vehicle, technicians wilt

begin deconfiguring Atlantis from its current ferry flight setup. Next week, the aerodynamic

and protective tail cone will be removed from the Shuttle orbiter's aft engine compartment.

Workers will powerup the vehicle Monday and the payload bay doors will be opened.

Removal of the simulated orbiter maneuvering system pods begins late next week. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, September 29].]

• Ten years ago on Sept. 29, 1988, shuttle Discovery lifted offon a five-day mission, the

first since the Challenger accident in January 1986. Today, NASA can look back on the

past decade with pride. It has safely flown 66 shuttle missions, including notable voyages to

deliver the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, to send probes to Venus and Jupiter, and to

repeatedly link up with the Russian space station Mir. ["NASA faces woes after decade of

success," Florida Today, September 27, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• It's a race to beat John Glenn into space. NASA must launch its Deep Space 1 mission

to an asteroid just before Glenn's Oct. 29 flight on shuttle Discovery or risk an indefnite

delay, officials said Tuesday. Designed to test new technologies, the probe is to fly near an

asteroid in July 1999 and maybe a comet in 2001. Officials wanted to launch the probe Oct.

15, but spacecraft preparations are taking longer than expected. NASA now is aiming for

an Oct. 25 start. The flight is to begin at 6:59 a.m. on a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape

Canaveral Air Station. If delayed by weather or technical problems, NASA has until Oct. 27

to launch the spacecraft. Then the mission would have to wait while Discovery attempts to

fly on the 29 _ with Glenn aboard. That's because all rocket launches share the same Air

Force tracking system, and two days are needed between launch attempts to prepare it for

the next flight. If Discovery launches on time, Deep Space 1 would get a final launch shot

Oct. 31. But if Discovery is delayed a day, things get dicey. Deep Space l's rocket is on the

same pad that must be used for another NASA mission, the planned Dec. 10 launch of the

Mars Climate Orbiter probe to study Martian weather. Technicians would have to start

disassembling the Deep Space rocket no later than Oct. 31 so the Mars mission could be

ready to go Dec. 10. The Mars mission has priority over Deep Space 1 because it must be

launched during a specific window to reach the planet. ["New craft's launch window

shrinks," Florida Today, September 30, 1998, p 1A.]

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SEPTEMBER 30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, September 30, 1998. STS-95:

At Launch Pad 3913, Discovery's payload bay doors were opened yesterday. Today workers

will install the vertical payloads into the orbiter. The new Space-to-Space Orbiter Radio

(SSOR) will be installed and tested today. SSOR is being tested for use during the

International Space Station (ISS) construction process and will facilitate communication

between Shuttle crew members, space walking astronauts and ISS crew members without

relying on ground stations for transmission. Preparations are under way for tomorrow's

helium signature leak test. STS-88: Fuel servicing of Endeavour's auxiliary power units was

performed yesterday. Auxiliary power converter unit inspections began yesterday and will

conclude today. Functional tests on the orbiter's main landing gear are in work.

Tomorrow, workers will stow the flight crew equipment in preparation for the Crew

Equipment Interface Test on Saturday. Preparations for payload bay door closure are under

way. STS-93: Columbia's waste tank leak checks continue today. Preparations for next

week's payload premate test are in work. Servicing of the auxiliary power unit fuel lines is

in progress. The orbiter's body flap and elevon vertical tiles are being removed to support

upcoming structural testing. STS-92: Orbiter Atlantis was lowered onto hydraulic jacks in

the OPF yesterday. Workers are gaining access to the aft engine compartment today and

post ferry flight inspections are under way. Technicians will be occupied with efforts to

deconfigure Atlantis from its ferry flight setup over the next two weeks. Removal of the

simulated forward reaction control pod and orbiter maneuvering system pods begins late

next week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, September 30].]

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OCTOBER

OCTOBER 1: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, October 1, 1998. STS-95: The

SPACEHAB, Spartan and HOST payloads were installed in Discovery's cargo bay yesterday

at Launch Pad 39B. Orbiter hydraulic system closeouts are complete. The Space-to-Space

Orbiter Radio (SSOR) has been installed and functional tests concluded last night.

Preparations continue for tomorrow's helium signature leak test. The Spartan payload

interface verification test is under way. STS-88: Endeavour's auxiliary power converter unit

inspections concluded yesterday. Integrated hydraulic testing is complete and functional

tests on the orbiter's main landing gear continue. Workers are stowing the flight crew

equipment inside the orbiter's crew compartment in preparation for the Crew Equipment

Interface Test on Saturday. Secondary payload installation is in work and preparations for

payload bay door closure continue. STS-93: Columbia's waste tank leak checks continue.

Preparations for next week's payload premate test are in work. Servicing of the auxiliary

power unit fuel lines continues. Preparations for upcoming structural tests on the orbiter's

body flap and elevon are in progress. STS-92: Workers are setting up platforms to gain

access inside orbiter Endeavour. Technicians accessed the orbiter's aft engine

compartment yesterday and routine receiving inspections are under way. Technicians

continue with efforts to deconfigure Atlantis from its ferry flight setup over the next two

weeks. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

October 1].]

• NASA officials are tightening security at Kennedy Space Center for John Glenn's

shuttle launch this month, aware that terrorists could target the ship or the hundreds of

dignitaries in attendance. "It is more than sitting forward in the saddle a little bit. We're

actually intensifying in areas that are transparent to our (security) community," said KSC

Security Director Calvin Butch. "This all seems to be happening when we have a lot of

international unrest. We do keep in touch with federal, state and local intelligence groups

and keep advised of the international situation and threats that might be directed toward

us." All 535 members of Congress -435 congressmen and women and 100 senators -have

been invited to KSC to watch the 77-year-old Ohio senator return to space aboard shuttle

Discovery on Oct. 29. Vice President A1 Gore also may attend as well as many foreign

dignitaries, Burch said. Those officials, along with the $2 billion shuttle and the high-profile

nature of Glenn's mission, potentially make the launch a terrorist target. Special antiterrorist teams armed with advanced weapons will be on hand to support KSC's regular

security force, which carries sidearms and uses guard dogs, Burch said. Access to KSC will

be tight. The Defense Department, Secret Service, State Department and other agencies

will have a hand in security, Butch said. ["KSC boosts security for Glenn flight," Flo_da

_, October 1, 1998, p 1A.]

• In all likelihood, Sen. John Glenn, a former astronaut who is returning to space, has cast

his last vote in the Senate - No. 9,414. Glenn, 77, who is retiring after 24 years in the

Senate, will go to Houston today for the last phase of training prior to his Oct. 29 launch

aboard the shuttle Discovery. "Yeah, I'll miss it, sure," said Glenn, a Democrat. "But you

move on to other things. That's it." What he will miss most, he said, "is being able to work

on things that I have a particular interest in." What was likely his last roll call vote was

recorded Tuesday (Sept. 29) as the Senate was trying to decide whether to invoke closure -

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or shutoff debate- on a motion to proceed with consideration of legislation related to

Intemet taxation. Glenn voted with the majority on the move to shut off debate. As his

space shuttle training has intensified, Glenn has missed an increasing number of votes, but

his staff insists he hasn't been absent on anything where he would have made a difference

against the Republican majority. The Ohio senator, who became the first American to orbit

Earth in 1962, will be doing experiments relating to the similarities of the aging process and

space flight on the human body. ["Glenn wraps up duties as Senator," Florida Today,

October 1, 1998, p 4A.]

# The futuristic world of space discovery makes history today as a piece of Americana on

a postage stamp. A 5-stamp pane of 32-cent postage stamps will be issued today after a

kick-off ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex's shuttle plaza. The

ceremony doubles as the opening event for NASA's 402 anniversary activities and launches

National Stamp Collecting Month. Aerospace artist Attila Hejja, shuttle astronaut Dr. Don

Thomas and the inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service, Karla Corcoran, will be at the

11 a.m. ceremony. Two hundred children from Lewis Carroll Elementary on Merritt Island

and Mires Elementary have been invited. Melissa Tomasso, spokeswoman for the KSC

Visitors Complex, said this will be the second first-issue stamp at KSC. A first-day issue in

1994 celebrated the 252 anniversary of the first moon landing, Tomasso said. In addition,

there was a second-day issue honoring Pathfinder, Tomasso said. Hejja designed the five

individual stamps so that they come together to form a futuristic scene, complete with space

vehicles, space ships, a city and space explorers, said Barry Ziehl, spokesman for the U.S.

Postal Service out of Washington, D.C. Design elements include hidden images, including

spaceships and a man on the moon, that can be viewed only through a decoder lens. The

decoder is sold separately for $4.95. The header of the stamps appears to be floating off the

pane. The Postal Service has printed 185 million of the 32-cent stamps. ["New space

stamp debut at KSC," Florida Today, October 1, 1998, p 1B & 2B.]

# Itwas 40 years ago today that NASA was created. On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA officially

opened for business with five facilities inherited from the National Advisory Committee on

Aeronautics (NACA), which was created in 1916 to be the civilian government organization

performing research in aviation. That same day, President Eisenhower issued an executive

order transferring space projects and appropriations from other space programs to NASA.

These gave NASA 8,240 staff (8,000 from the NACA) and a budget of approximately $340

million. T. Keith Glennan, the president of the Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland,

OH, was named NASA's first administrator and NACA Director Hugh Dryden was named

deputy administrator. ["Happy Anniversary, NASA!" KSC Countdown, October 1, 1998.]

OCTOBER2: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, October 2, 1998. STS-95: At the

launch pad yesterday, workers completed preparations for Discovery's helium signature leak

test. The leak test began this morning and concludes this afternoon. Routine leak checks

of the orbiter's onboard liquid oxygen storage tanks are also in work today. The Spartan

payload interface verification test (1-VT) concluded yesterday and the SPACEHAB IVT is

under way today. STS-88: Workers will complete efforts to stow Endeavour's flight crew

equipment today. The STS-88 Shuttle crew will participate in the Crew Equipment Interface

Test this Saturday, familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew

compartments. Yesterday, secondary payload installation was completed and the Ku-band

system retest was performed. STS-93: Columbia's waste tank leak checks are complete and

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functionaltestsof theentirewastecontrolsystemareslatedfor nextweek.Preparationsfor

nextweek'spayloadprematetestcontinue.Leakchecksonthe orbiter's auxiliary power

unit exhaust ducts are in work today. Preparations for upcoming structural tests on the

orbiter's body flap and elevon continue. STS-92: Workers continue to gain access inside

orbiter Atlantis to conduct standard receiving inspections. Next week, technicians will focus

on removing the various components required for ferry flight operations. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 2].]

• With passes for prime viewing sites at Kennedy Space Center hard to come by, fans

have an alternative place to watch the historic launch of John Glenn. The U.S. Space Walk

of Fame, a tract of riverfront land where shuttle-launch watchers traditionally gather, will be

used for I_C Visitor Complex launch packages. Instead of free parking and no amenities,

visitors will pay $20 each for a package thatincludes a reserved parking spot, a John Glenn

T-shirt, entertainment by local bands, launch status briefings and NASA countdown

commentary. Concession stands will sell food, and portable potties will be available. The

company that operates the KSC Visitor Complex, Delaware North Parks Services of

Spaceport, teamed with the Space Walk of Fame Foundation to lease the privately owned

tract. Fronting the Indian River, the site is across State Road 402 from Sand Point Park and

stretches from the Max Brewer Causeway to just north of the Gemini Monument.

["Shuttle-viewing packages to be sold for Glenn liftoff," Florida Today, October 2, 1998,

p 1A.]

• The launches of the first International Space Station components - the Zarya module

and the Unity module - remain on schedule following a series of technical meetings in

Moscow that concluded today with a meeting of representatives from all international

partners. In today's meeting, all station partners reviewed and concurred with a plan to

maintain the current launch schedule for Zarya, which will launch on a Russian Proton

booster Nov. 20 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, and for Unity, which will

launch on the Space Shuttle Endeavour Dec. 3 from KSC. [''Statement following

conclusion of Moscow meetings," NASA News Release #98-176, October 2, 1998.]

OCTOBER 4: Twenty-five days is all the time that's left before John Glenn's scheduled

liftoff Oct. 29 aboard shuttle Discovery on his long awaited return to space. Glenn and the

rest of Discovery's crew have been training for months and will be at Kennedy Space

Center this week for a final countdown rehearsal. It will be their last visit to the spaceport

until launch week. ["All systems go for Oct. 29 liftoff," Florida Today, October 4, 1998, p

1E.]

OCTOBER 5." Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, October 5, 1998. STS-95: On

Friday, Discovery's helium signature leak test was successfully completed and the Spartan

payload interface verification test (IVT) was also performed. Over the weekend, the

SPACEHAB IVT was completed and the orbiter's payload bay doors were closed. Loading

of hypergolic propellants into the orbiter's onboard storage tanks begins today with oxidizer

loading. Fuel loading occurs tomorrow. Preparations for Friday's Terminal Countdown

Demonstration Test are in work. The STS-95 flight crew arrives tomorrow to begin

familiarization activities at KSC prior to the actual dress rehearsal on Friday. STS-88: On

Saturday, the STS-88 flight crew and KSC Shuttle workers conducted the Crew Equipment

150
Interface Test. Inspection activities were conducted in Endeavour's midbody and crew

compartments. Workers are installing two secondary payloads in the cargo bay today.

Hydraulic checks on Shuttle main engine No. 2 are scheduled today and robot arm checks

begin this afternoon. Final testing of the Ku-band antenna system and final inspections of

the orbiter's radiator and payload bay are scheduled in preparation for next Monday's

transfer of Endeavour to the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-93: Columbia's mechanical

systems are undergoing checks today. Functional tests of the waste collection system are

scheduled this week. Preparations for the payload premate test continue. Next week, main

engine installation begins followed by heat shield installation. STS-92: Access platforms

continue to be installed in and around Atlantis as technicians proceed with standard

receiving inspections. Preparations are under way for orbiter power system validations

tomorrow. Workers are also occupied with efforts to deconfigure the orbiter from the

recent ferry flight setup. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, October 5].]

• The United States will buy Russia's research time on the International Space Station for

$60 million. By doing so, it may help keep the cash-strapped Russian Space Agency afloat

and help it complete the module that will house the space station's crew, officials said.

NASA's effort was aimed at preventing more costly delays in building and launching the 16-

country International Space Station. ["NASA buys Russia's station research time," Florida

Todd, October 6, 1998, p 6A.]

OCTOBER 6: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, October 6, 1998. STS-95: Loading

of hypergolic propellant into Discovery's onboard storage tanks continues. Oxidizer

loading concluded yesterday and fuel loading begins today. Tomorrow morning, the

orbiter's payload bay doors will be opened and payload interface verification testing will

resume. Preparations for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) are in

work. The STS-95 flight crew arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility this evening to

participate in mission familiarization activities and TCDT exercises on Thursday and Friday.

STS-88: Installation of the Imax camera inside Endeavour's cargo bay was completed last

week and camera connection verifications were completed yesterday. Checks of the orbiter

docking system fan are complete and final Ku-band testing concluded yesterday. The

orbiter's aft compartment closeouts are ongoing and checks of the Shuttle main engine No.

2 yaw actuator continue. Final inspections of the orbiter's radiators and payload bay are in

progress. Secondary payload installation continues. Preparations for Monday's transfer of

Endeavour to the Vehicle Assembly Building proceed on schedule. STS-93: Columbia's

mechanical systems are undergoing checks this week. Functional tests of the waste

collection system will conclude today. Preparations for the payload premate test continue.

Technicians are preparing for auxiliary power unit fuel line connections today. Shuttle main

engine installation is scheduled for next week and engine heat shield installation follows.

STS-92: Access platforms continue to be installed in and around Atlantis as technicians

proceed with standard receiving inspections. Preparations are under way for orbiter power

system validations tomorrow. Workers are also occupied with efforts to deconfigure the

orbiter from the recent ferry flight setup. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 6].]

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• The STS-95 Discovery crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center late Tuesday in their T-38

jets after thunderstorms in Houston delayed their departure for several hours. John Glenn,

a former Marine fighter pilot, rode as a passenger in a jet flown by Discovery's commander,

Curt Brown. Smiling and swatting at bugs, Glenn, 77, appeared fit and spry as he was

greeted immediately by KSC's director Roy Bridges and a humid Florida night. "We sure do

appreciate you all coming out and feeding the mosquitoes," Brown jokes to the group of

about 60 reporters and photographers. "But we're happy to be down in Florida. We've

been training very hard for the last 7 1/2 months. The practice countdown marks a big

milestone in our training." During nine days in orbit, Brown and his crew are to conduct a

mixture of medical and astronomy experiments. But the attention promises to be on

Glenn, who made NASA's first orbital flight in 1962 and hasn't been in space since. The

journey will make Glenn the oldest space traveler to date and will carry him back to the

territory he was the first to chart for America 36 years ago. In those days, Glenn as a

lieutenant colonel with 5,000 hours' flight time and an impressive record as a daring fighter

pilot in two wars. Today, Glenn is a retiringo four-term Democratic senator from Ohio

whose gray and freckled countenance is triggering a wave a nostalgia for NASA's glory days.

But the returning hero will not get any breaks this week, as NASA officials say they will run

the crew through the regular practice countdown that precedes every shuttle flight. "John

Glenn will participate in this week's activities to their fullest extent," said KSC spokesman

Joel Wells. Their activities will get unusual attention from about 100 reporters,

photographers and television cameramen who have flocked this week to KSC, mainly to

follow Glenn around. ["Glenn arrives at Cape," Florida Today, October 7, 1998, p 1A &

6A.]

• The workers who operate tracking cameras that monitor all rocket and space shuttle

launches are threatening to strike, which could disrupt a busy launch schedule. Members of

the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 are in a contract dispute with

Computer Science Ratheon, the Air Force contractor that runs the camera operation.

["Strike could delay launches," Florida Today, October 7, 1998.]

OCTOBER 7: If the White House and Congress don't give NASA money to bail out its

Russian partners, it will be time to pull the plug on the $40 billion International Space

Station, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin said Wednesday. Goldin's startling comment

came under pressure from angry lawmakers during the hastily arranged hearing to explore

NASA's request for an additional $1.2 billion for the outpost. "If we cannot fund this

properly because of the budget deal, then maybe we ought to cancel the space station," said

Goldin in response to pointed questions by republican and Democratic members of the

House Science Committee. "I would say this project will have to be terminated unless there

is a commitment by the government that we have to give it the resources we need." In an

unusual display of candor, Goldin acknowledged that the huge difficulties posed by the

project had pushed him to the brink of resignation, but he decided against it. Despite the

vast uncertainties about funding, Goldin confirmed he still intends to launch the first

Russian-built piece of station hardware in November, followed Dec. 3 by shuttle Endeavour

with a connecting node. ["No cash, no station, Goldin says," Florida Today, October 8,

1998, p 1A & 5A.]

OCTOBER 8: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, October 8, 1998. STS-95: The KSC

test team assembled in the launch control room this morning to begin the Terminal

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Countdown Demonstration Test and the simulated countdown clock began at 10 a.m.

today. The STS-95 flight crew will participate in orbiter and payload familiarization

activities today. Tomorrow morning, they will don their launch and entry suits for a full

dress rehearsal of launch day activities, including entry and egress from the orbiter's crew

compartment. Loading of hypergolic propellant into Discovery's onboard storage tanks was

completed earlier this week. A cavity purge of the orbiter's main propulsion system

concluded last night. Loading of the orbiter's mass memory unit (MMU) is complete and

replacement of MMU No. 2 is scheduled. The payload bay doors are currently open and the

payload interface verification test is complete. STS-88: Endeavour's aft compartment

closeouts continue with adjustments to the main engine No. 2 yaw actuator planned this

week. A final hydraulic check of the orbiter's main landing gear is slated today.

Preparations to transfer Endeavour from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle

Assembly Building are under way. Closeouts of the orbiter's payload bay are in work and

the cargo bay doors will be closed Saturday. Vehicle pressurization tests occur Sunday and

orbiter weight and center of gravity tests are set for Monday. Endeavour will roll to the

VAB on Tuesday morning and be mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters

stacked in VAB high bay 3. STS-93: Columbia's mechanical systems are undergoing checks

this week. Technicians are connecting the auxiliary power unit fuel lines today. Shuttle

main engine installation is scheduled for next week and engine heat shield installation

follows. STS-92: Access platforms continue to be installed in and around Atlantis as

technicians proceed with standard receiving inspections. The orbiter was powered up

yesterday for the first time since its 10-month overhaul. The new multifunctional electronic

display system or "glass cockpit" is being tested this week. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 8].]

• John Glenn tried to promote science over sentiment Thursday in a vigorous bid to

stress the potential research benefits of his reunion with spaceflight. Glenn, 77, said the

experiments planned for his Oct. 29 shuttle Discovery mission are more important than his

quest to get back into space, where he made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit

Earth. He also rejected the notion that spaceflight should be open to more non-astronauts.

"I don't look at myself as just the average civilian coming back in," he said. "I have had

experience, albeit a long time ago, (but) I was coming back in for a very specific purpose like

other payload specialists have done in the past." Discovery's crew is at Kennedy Space

Center this week to practice for a liftoff that promises to be NASA's most high-profile

mission in years. ["Glenn promotes flight's merits," Florida Today, October 9, 1998, p

1A.]

OCTOBER 9: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, October 9, 1998. STS-95: The KSC

test team and the STS-95 flight crew successfully completed the Terminal Countdown

Demonstration Test today at about 11 a.m. Today's launch day dress rehearsal culminated

with a simulated Shuttle main engine cut-off at T-3 seconds on the countdown clock.

TCDT allows the launch team and crew to practice launch day activities and to validate

emergency egress procedures. The crew returned to their homes in Houston, TX, this

afternoon and will complete their mission training at Johnson Space Center. Preparations

to replace Discovery's mass memory unit No. 2 are under way. At pad 39B, the Rotating

Service Structure will be retracted for Saturday's KSC Open House and extended in place

around the Shuttle immediately following the event. Shuttle managers will meet at KSC

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Tuesday for the Flight Readiness Review and are expected to announce Oct. 29 as the

official launch date for mission STS-95. STS-88: Adjustments to Endeavour's main engine

No. 2 yaw actuator are complete and aft compartment closeouts proceed on schedule.

Final hydraulic checks of the orbiter's main landing gear concluded yesterday. Preparations

to transfer Endeavour from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly

Building continue. Closeouts of the orbiter's payload bay are in work and the cargo bay

doors will be closed Saturday. Vehicle pressurization tests occur Sunday and orbiter weight

and center of gravity tests are set for Monday. Endeavour is slated to roll to the VAB on

Tuesday morning and then be mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters stacked

in VAB high bay 3. STS-93: Columbia's mechanical systems are undergoing checks this

week. Technicians completed fuel line connections for orbiter auxiliary power units No. 1

and No. 3. Shuttle main engine installation is scheduled for next week and engine heat

shield installation follows. STS-92: Atlantis' receiving inspections continue. Preparations

for payload bay door opening are in work. Powered orbiter testing began yesterday for the

first time since the Orbiter Maintenance Down Period. The new multifunctional electronic

display system or "glass cockpit" is being tested this week. Preparations to remove the

simulated forward reaction control system are under way. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 9].]

• An Atlas II-A rocket carrying a replacement TV satellite for use over Europe and the

Middle East roared of the launch pad Friday, on target and on schedule. The successful

6:50 p.m. launch broke the recent string of liftoff explosions at Cape Canaveral Air Station.

["Atlas roars into space from Cape," The Orlan_lo Sentinel, October 10, 1998, p A-8.]

• John Glenn left Florida on Friday a bona fide member of shuttle Discovery's crew,

waving with the other astronauts at cameras pointed mainly at him. The 77-year-old sailed

through four days of final launch training at Kennedy Space Center, where NASA officials

said he is ready for his scheduled Oct. 29 return to space. But by week's end, NASA

learned that nothing will make the American hero what he seemingly wants most - to be

viewed as a regular shuttle astronaut out to do a job. Despite every effort to blend in with

Discovery's crew, the retiring U.S. senator could not escape the fascination or skepticism

surrounding his role in the flight. At one point, he even tried scolding the media into

focusing on the potential science benefits of the mission instead of his every move. But

there is no chance Glenn - the first American to orbit Earth in 1962 - will fade into the

background. Even NASA's astronauts can't see him as simply another member of the crew.

"Everyone looks at John with a little bit of awe because it's John Glenn," said astronaut Rick

Linnehan, who is assigned to help Discovery's astronauts get ready to fly on launch day.

The Discovery crew's last day at KSC began at 6 a.m. Friday when they rose and began a

dress rehearsal of what they will experience on launch day. The practice session ended

about 11 a.m. with the crew pretending that an emergency had forced a halt to the

countdown and a speedy retreat. The crew left KSC after lunch with Glenn as a passenger

in the back seat of T-38 jet flown by Discovery Commander Curt Brown. ["Glenn ready

for return trip," Florida Tod;ty, October 10, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• As the House and Senate lurched toward adjournment, the two bodies cleared

legislation that commercial space advocates have been pushing for some time. The

Commercial Space Act of 1998 gives the Federal Aviation Administration the authority to

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regulate and license reusable launch vehicles developed by U.S. companies. Until now, nongovernmental companies could send rockets to orbit to deploy satellites, but in theory they

could not fly their vehicles or payloads back to Earth. Realistically, NASA's shuttles are the

only reusable space vehicles in existence. But several companies are pursuing a new

generation of single-stage-to-orbit craft that holds out hope for dramatically reducing the

cost of access to space. Creating a government mechanism to monitor the safe launch and

re-entry of these vehicles was essential if this aerospace niche is to survive. ["Commercial

Space Act launches ventures for private businesses," Florida Today, October 10, 1998, p

5A.]

OCTOBER 10." KSC Open House will feature a display at Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral

Air Station (CCAS). The blockhouse at the launch site where astronaut John Glenn lifted

off on the first U.S. orbital mission will be open. The structure is a restored historical site

and features displays on launches from that pad. Glenn rode into orbit aboard his

Friendship 7 Mercury capsule atop an Atlas rocket from Complex 14 on Feb. 20, 1962.

More than 33,600 employees and guests attended the KSC Open House. The sites

recording the highest number of visitors were the Launch Control Center and the Orbiter

Processing Facility. [KSC Countdown, October 1, 1998. KSC Countdown, October 15,

1998.]

OCTOBER 12: Fireworks, reserved viewing sites with live music, John Glenn memorabilia

and a welcome-home parade are all in the works as Space Coast communities and

businesses prepare for the Oct. 29 shuttle launch. As the Kennedy Space Center Visitor

Complex prepares to capitalize on the desire of thousands to witness Glenn's return to

orbit, QVC is planning a home shopping broadcast from the launch-viewing site. A

quarter-million people are expected to watch the launch that will take Glenn back into orbit.

Although crowds gather for every shuttle launch, it has been 15 years since a launch has

drawn crowds rivaling the one expected for Glenn's return. Plans for a parade, a fireworks

show and a carnival atmosphere are reminiscent of the early moon shots, when crowds

were so large people slept on the U.S. 1 median, said Bob Hudson, publisher emeritus of

the weekly Star-Advocate and a local historian. Hudson said that in the late 1960s and early

1970s, organized efforts to capitalize on tourism included a rock band at a mall and

churches selling food. The V.I.P. site at Kennedy Space Center is being reserved for

national figures. A by-invitation-only event, the reception is for people who normally

would be invited to watch from KSC, said Heidi Brandow, president of the Cocoa Beach

Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber also is working with the cities of Cocoa Beach

and Cape Canaveral and with the Space Coast Office of Tourism to plan the parade. The

date will be announced after the astronauts return, said Bonnie King of the tourism office.

["Space Coast catching Glenn fever," Florida Today, October 13, 1998, p 1B & 213.]

OCTOBER 13: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, October 13, 1998. STS-95: Over

the weekend, the Rotating Service Structure was retracted for Saturday's KSC Open House

and extended in place around the Shuttle immediately following the event. On Monday,

workers completed the HOST payload Interface Verification Test and HOST end-to-end

testing is in work today. Discovery's midbody umbilical connections were made yesterday

and leak checks are complete. Technicians have also removed a faulty mass memory unit

(MMU) and replacement of MMU No. 2 is slated for Thursday. Tonight, workers will

install the astronaut contingency space suits into the orbiter. Payload closeout activities are

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scheduled through the remainder of the week. Shuttle managers have gathered at KSC today

for the STS-95 Flight Readiness Review and are expected to announce Oct. 29 as the official

launch date for Shuttle Discovery. STS-88: Endeavour's aft compartment doors are

installed and the engine compartment is closed-out for flight. Nose landing gear tire

pressurization is complete. Final payload bay cleaning and radiator inspections are complete

and the payload bay doors were closed last night in preparation for OPF roll out. Tonight,

workers will perform the weight and center of gravity test and tomorrow Endeavour will be

mounted on the orbiter transfer vehicle. The orbiter is expected to begin fwst motion to

the Vehicle Assembly Building by late Wednesday night. By Thursday, Endeavour will be

mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 3. STS-93:

Technicians completed fuel line connections for the orbiter's auxiliary power units last week.

Shuttle main engine installation begins Thursday and engine heat shield installation follows

in two weeks. STS-92: Workers have removed the forward reaction control system

simulator kit and will transfer it to the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility. The payload bay

doors will be opened this week and the ferry flight tail cone will be removed today. Powered

orbiter testing continues. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, October 13].]

• NASA announced today it will delay shipment of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics

Facility (AXAF) from the prime contractor, TRW Space and Electronics Group, Redondo

Beach, CA, to Kennedy Space Center, FL. The postponement, made following a review by

NASA and TRW, will allow additional time for TRW to complete testing of the observatory

and to replace an electrical switching box. AXAF had been scheduled for shipment later

this month to meet a Jan. 21, 1999, launch date. NASA also has directed a review of

AXAF, by NASA Chief Engineer Dr. Daniel Mulville to be completed by mid-January 1999.

A new shipment date and a new launch date will be confa'med after the review. ["NASA

delays shipment of X-ray Telescope to Kennedy Space Center to allow additional testing,"

NASA News Release #98-18,5, October 13, 1998.]

• The state will build a research facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in a move that

could help lure a next-generation spaceship to the area. Construction will begin next year

on a $15 million Life Sciences Research Facility, which will provide 100,000 square feet of

laboratory space for scientists preparing medical experiments. The experiments could be

flown on space shuttles or aboard NASA's Intemational Space Station. They also could fly

on Lockheed Martin's VentureStar, a proposed low-cost reusable launcher that is expected

to replace the shuttle. The company hopes to use VentureStar to capture the market for

launching people and experiments to the international station, construction of which is to

begin next month. Company officials have said their site selection will be based partly on

the availability of research facilities such as the one to be built at KSC. Lockheed Martin

plans to select a VentureStar launch site by the end of 1999 and begin launching in 2003 or

2004. Construction of the Life Sciences Research Facility is expected to be complete in

2001. NASA has agreed to lease a large portion of the facility to consolidate life sciences

research now carried out at Cape Canaveral Air Station. ["State plans $15 million lab at

KSC," Fl9rkLa Today, October 14, 1998, p 1A.]

OCTOBER 14: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, October 14, 1998. STS-95: At

the completion of yesterday's Flight Readiness Review, Shuttle managers announced Oct. 29

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asthe officiallaunchdatefor STS-95.At thepad,workersinstalledthe astronaut

contingencyspacesuitslastnight. TheHOSTpayloadend-to-endtestiscompleteand

payloadcloseoutactivitiescontinuethisweek.Verificationtestsof the onboardSpace-toSpaceRadiocommunicationsystemarescheduledtoday. Technicianswill alsoperform

standardcrewcabinleakcheckstoday.Replacementof massmemoryunit No. 2 begins

Thursday. STS-88:Endeavour'sfinalstructuraleakcheckswerecompletedyesterday.

Workersarecompletingorbiterweightandcenterof gravitytests,andtodayat noon,

Endeavourwill bemountedontheorbitertransfervehicle.Theorbiteris expectedto begin

first motionto theVehicleAssemblyBuildingasearlyas6 a.m. tomorrow. Thursday

afternoon, efforts begin to mate the orbiter to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in

VAB high bay 3. STS-93: Columbia's main engine installation begins Thursday and engine

heat shield installation follows in two weeks. The AXAF payload is now expected to arrive

at ICSC in early January and the payload premate test will move accordingly to midNovember. Shuttle managers are reviewing the possible impact to the STS-93 major

milestones. STS-92: Technicians are gaining access to Atlantis' midbody compartment.

Receiving inspections continue on schedule and electrical system validation is in work.

Payload bay door opening occurs this week and file ferry flight tail cone removal continues.

Lisa Malone. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 1].]

• NASA TV play-by-play announcer Lisa Malone said she hasn't had time to think about

a phrase she will use to immortalize John Glenn's scheduled record-breaking return to space

Oct. 29. The 77-year-old Ohio senator and former Mercury 7 astronaut will fly on shuttle

Discovery, becoming the oldest man in space. In 1962, he flew an Atlas rocket into space

to become the first American to orbit the Earth. "I really haven't put the slightest thought

into it," Malone said. "I don't know what I'm going to say." Seconds before Glenn liftoff

of the first time, Scott Carpenter said "Godspeed, John Glenn." Malone said she will write

down a phrase the night before the launch, as she usually does when it's her turn to call a

liftoff. This time, she said she may try to incorporate Carpenter's words, but only if no one

else says it to the crew during the minutes before the launch. "To bring back some

nostalgia," she said. Malone has served as NASA's launch commentator for the last 20

flights, and usually little attention is paid to what she says as the ship leaves the launch pad.

NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham said the parallel between Malone's job and a sports

announcer is fair. Her words will be broadcast to millions of people across the globe

watching the launch on television. The crew, however, will not hear her. Instead, they will

hear the technical crew updating them during the countdown. In that regard, not much has

changed. In 1962, Glenn heard a recording of Carpenter's words after he returned from

space. Whatever is said this time, however, Malone also should acknowledge the rest of the

seven-person crew, even if she mentions only Glenn's name, Buckingham said. ["Words

offered for sending off Glenn," Florida Today, October 15, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

OCTOBER 15: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, October 15, 1998. STS-95: At the

pad, workers completed installation and final checks of the astronaut contingency space

suits yesterday. Final testing of the new space-to-space radio communication system is also

complete. This morning Discovery's crew cabin and SPACEHAB pressure decay leak

checks began. Mass memory unit No. 2 will be installed in the orbiter this afternoon and

MMU loading begins tomorrow. SPACEHAB early stow activities begin tomorrow and

early next week orbiter aft compartment closeouts occur. STS-88: Endeavour was mounted

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on the orbiter transfer vehicle yesterday and began first motion to the Vehicle Assembly

Building at 6:18 a.m. today. The orbiter is currently located in the VAB transfer aisle and

will be mated to the STS-88 external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 3 later

today. The Shuttle Interface Test will be conducted through Monday and the entire Shuttle

stack will roll out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. STS-93: The

AXAF payload is now expected to arrive at KSC in early January and the payload premate

test will move accordingly to mid-November. Shuttle managers are reviewing the possible

impact to the STS-93 major milestones. STS-92: Removal of Atlantis' ferry flight tail cone is

complete. Technicians continue to gain access to the orbiter's midbody compartment and

receiving inspections continue on schedule. Orbiter electrical system validations continue.

Preparations are in work for removal of the simulated orbiter maneuvering system pods.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

October 15].]

OCTOBER 16: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, October 16, 1998. STS-95: Pressure

decay tests on Discovery's crew cabin and SPACEHAB module are complete. Mass

memory unit (MMU) No. 2 was installed in the orbiter yesterday and MMU loading occurs

today. SPACEHAB early stow activities are in work today and reparations are under way for

next week's orbiter aft compartment closeouts. STS-88: Endeavour is hard mated to the

external tank in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3. Tail service mast mates are in work

today. KSC launch controllers are conducting the standard launch countdown simulation

today in ftring room No. 3. Umbilical mates and leak checks are slated for tonight. The

Shuttle Interface Test begins at about 3 a.m. on Monday. The Shuttle is scheduled to roll

out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. STS-93: The AXAF payload is

now expected to arrive at KSC in early January and the payload premate test will move

accordingly to mid-November. Shuttle managers are reviewing the impact to the STS-93

major milestones. STS-101: Preparations are in work for removal of Atlantis' simulated

orbiter maneuvering system pods on Monday. Technicians continue to gain access to the

orbiter's midbody compartment and receiving inspections proceed on schedule. Orbiter

electrical system validations continue and troubleshooting of the aft compartment power

control assembly are in work. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, October 16].]

OCTOBER 18: The big questions facing NASA scientists was pretty straightforward in

February 1962: Can humans safely travel in space? Two earlier U.S. astronauts had

returned A-OK. Still, flight doctors worried. Forty-year-old Marine Col. John H. Glenn Jr.

would be the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn's three-orbit mission was a landmark

success. A few of the more far fetched fears about spaceflight were laid to rest. Now, more

than three decades later, the simple science questions of the early '60s have gone the way of

the pillbox hat. The 77-year-old Ohio senator and national hero is taking considerable heat

for his planned Oct. 29 return to space aboard shuttle Discovery. This time, the potential

science payoff is murkier. Skeptics question whether the rationale for flying Glenn - to put

him through a battery of in-orbit medical tests - is a fig leaf covering another agenda.

Glenn emphatically disagrees. "If you eliminate the science benefit then there's no reason

except that I want to go again," Glenn said. "But that's not a justification for sending

someone. There's lots of people who would like to go." Officials at the National

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AeronauticsandSpaceAdministrationsayGlennisgoingbecauseheisanidealtestsubject.

Some of the effects of spaceflight -bone loss, weakened muscles, loss of balance and

sleeplessness - mirror the aging process. Who better to look for possible links than an

aging Mercury astronaut with a meticulously documented medical history? Critics are saying

other things: That Glenn's trip is more of a sentimental journey than a research mission.

That the assignment is a political quid pro quo for his past support of NASA and the

Clinton administration. That the real goal is a public-relations windfall designed to rekindle

flagging interest in the space program. NASA researchers acknowledge that a single flight

by one older astronaut will not yield revolutionary results. But they contend Glenn will be a

valuable reference point in larger studies on the effects of space. For Glenn, the nine-day

flight will be one long visit to the doctor's office. Much of it won't be pleasant. In all,

Glenn will participate in 10 experiments, examining how weightlessness affects balance,

blood pressure, bones, muscles, the immune system, heart rates and sleep. Besides the lifescience research, 73 other experiments are planned aboard shuttle Discovery. ["Some say

mission is flight of fancy," The Orlando Sentinel, October 18, 1998, p A-l, A-8 & A-9.]

OCTOBER 19: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, October 19, 1998. STS-95: Mass

memory unit (MMU) No. 2, now on board Discovery, was loaded and retested on Friday.

SPACEHAB early stow was also completed last week. Orbiter aft compartment closeouts

are in work today. Flight crew equipment stowage begins today and continues through

Friday. Ordnance installation occurs Tuesday through Thursday. Payload bay closeouts

begin Thursday and the payload bay doors will be closed for fright later that evening. STS88: Shuttle Endeavour is located in Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3. KSC launch

controllers completed launch countdown simulation exercises Friday in firing room No. 3.

Orbiter and external tank mating concluded Saturday. The Shuttle Interface Test is under

way and umbilical leak checks are in work. Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch

Pad 39A early Wednesday morning. The threat of thunderstorms on Wednesday has Shuttle

managers considering a 2 a.m. first motion time for the Shuttle's roll out from the VAB.

STS-93: Preparation is in work for Columbia's November payload premate test. The AXAF

payload is now expected to arrive at KSC in early January. Shuttle managers are reviewing

the impact to the STS-93 major milestones. STS-101: Removal of Atlantis' left-hand

simulated orbiter maneuvering system pod is in progress. Receiving inspections proceed on

schedule. Orbiter electrical system validations continue and troubleshooting of the aft

compartment power control assembly continues. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 19].]

• Countless cars. Bumper-to-bumper traffic. Hot, frustrated drivers. Road rage. That is

what Space Coast residents can expect next week when NASA tries to launch John Glenn

on shuttle Discovery. Tens of thousands of visitors will be on hand to watch the Oct. 29

liftoff, creating enormous traffic problems that will come to a head when everyone tries to

leave the area. "It's going to be terrible," said Titusville Police Lt. Skip Toney. "This will

probably be bigger than (the first shuttle launch in 1981.) It's going to be two or three

hours to get anywhere." From Patrick Air Force Base to Port Canaveral to Titusville, the

roads will be overwhelmed with vehicles, law enforcement agencies say. Officials even

expect a traffic jam of sorts in the Banana River and the waters around Port Canaveral as

boaters try to gain a good vantage point. Crowds may rival the Apollo launches that sent

men tot he moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when hundreds of thousands of

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spectatorsshowedup. ["Historiclaunch, historic gridlock," Florida Today, October 19,

1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• Boeing officials announced Monday that they have finished an investigation into the

August explosion of their new Delta 3 rocket and are making changes to the rocket's

computer software. The Aug. 26 maiden flight of the Delta 3 rocket from Cape Canaveral

Air Station ended in an explosion when the vehicle's guidance system malfunctioned and

caused the rocket to roll from side to side. Officials said changes in the software will solve

the problem. ["Officials: Software caused Delta 3 blast," Florida Today, October 20,

1998, p lB.]

OCTOBER 20: President Clinton announced Tuesday he will fly to Kennedy Space

Center to witness John Glenn's flight aboard shuttle Discovery on Oct. 29. The president

is attending the launch "to recognized Sen. Glenn's historic return to space to recognize the

importance of our nation's space program and the hard work of the men and women that

make that program possible," said White House press secretary Joe Lockhart. Brevard

County sheriff's spokeswoman Joan Heller said the president likely will fly into either

Kennedy Space Center aboard Air Force One or helicopter there after flying to Patrick Air

Force Base. Clinton will be only the second president to witness a launch - President

Nixon was at KSC for the 1969 liftoff of Apollo 12. Clinton won't be the only VIP in town

on launch day - three planes full of assorted dignitaries and officials will be flying into the

Space Center Executive Airport in Titusville. Nearly 2,500 journalists will be on hand when

Discovery takes flight Oct. 29. ["Clinton catches Glenn fever," Florida Today, October

21, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

• A Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket delivered a Navy communications satellite to orbit

early Tuesday, clearing the way for two more launches this week from Cape Canaveral Air

Station. Next up is a rare visitor to the Space Coast - an Orbital Science Pegasus rocket

with a Brazilian satellite. A third rocket launch this week is set for Saturday or Sunday (Oct.

24 or 25). It is a Boeing Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's Deep Space 1 spacecraft to an

asteroid. ["Two more launches scheduled this week," Florida Today, October 21, 1998, p

2A.]

OCTOBER 21: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, October 22, 1998. STS-95:

Discovery's aft compartment closeouts and flight crew equipment stowage continue on

schedule. The orbiter's aft compartment doors will be installed at midnight tomorrow.

Ordnance installation is in work through Thursday. Payload bay closeouts begin tomorrow

and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight tomorrow night. Routine prelaunch

inspections of the extemal tank and solid rocket boosters are slated for tomorrow. STS-88:

Shuttle Endeavour is now hard down on Launch Pad 39A. The Shuttle began its 3.4-mile

trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad at about 2:18 a.m. today. Launch pad

validations are under way and tonight workers will conduct a planned hot fire of

Endeavour's auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3. The Rotating Service Structure will be

extended around the vehicle early Thursday morning and main engine flight readiness

testing follows later in the day. The Unity Connecting Module payload arrives at the pad

Monday for installation in the pad's payload changeout room. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 21].]

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OCTOBER 22: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, October 22, 1998. STS-95:

Preparations for the launch of Shuttle Discovery continue on schedule. At the launch pad,

ordnance installation and pressurization of the orbiter's maneuvering and reaction control

systems are complete. Discovery's aft compartment closeouts continue with the aft

compartment doors slated for installation early tomorrow morning. Routine prelaunch

inspections of the external tank and solid rocket boosters are in work today. Payload bay

closeouts conclude today and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight tonight. STS88: At Launch Pad 39A, the Rotating Service Structure was extended around the vehicle at

about 9 a.m. today and pad validations are under way. Last night, workers successfully

completed a hot fire test of Endeavour's auxiliary power units No. 1 and No. 3. Tonight the

Shuttle main engine Frequency Response Test will be conducted and tomorrow workers

begin standard hydraulic system tests. No work is scheduled over the weekend. The Unity

Connecting Module payload arrives at the pad Monday for installation into the payload

changeout room. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, October 22].]

OCTOBER 23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, October 23, 1998. STS-95: KSC

launch managers are not working any major concerns as preparations for the STS-95 launch

countdown proceed on schedule. At the launch pad, ordnance closeouts are complete and

Discovery's aft compartment doors are installed. Last night, installation of the robot arm

elbow camera was delayed, but is now complete. Payload bay closeouts concluded this

morning and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight midday today. This afternoon,

workers will verify the torque of a few screws in the external airlock and flight crew

equipment stowage will conclude tomorrow. Though managers are closely watching the

tropical activity in the Caribbean, preliminary weather forecasts indicate favorable

conditions for Thursday's launch of Shuttle Discovery. STS-88: At Launch Pad 39A pad

validations are complete. Last night, Endeavour's main engine tests began. Gusting winds at

the pad prevented workers from executing planned hydraulic work today, but improving

weather conditions will allow completion of the work next week. The Unity Connecting

Module payload arrives at the pad Monday for installation into the payload changeout room.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

October 23].]

• Workers at Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility on Friday moved

the first element of the International Space Station into the payload transporter canister for

its move to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Named, Unity, the element will be the

connecting passageway between the living and working areas of the planned International

Space Station. ["Unity moves toward joint space venture," Florida Today, October 24,

1998, p lB.]

OCTOBER 24: Deep Space 1 Mission Status Report, October 24, 1998. Deep Space 1,

the first spacecraft in NASA's New Millennium Program of missions to flight-test new

technologies, blasted into space at 8:08 a.m. Eastern time today from Cape Canaveral Air

Station, FL. Deep Space 1 separated from the Delta II launch vehicle about 550 kilometers

(345 miles) above the Indian Ocean and was sent on its way to test 12 technologies in

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coming months. The spacecraft is on a trajectory to fly by asteroid 1992 KD in July 1999,

allowing further validation of two science instruments. All critical spacecraft systems, such

as power, temperature and attitude control were performing well, the spacecraft team

reported from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. Two technologies -- large

solar arrays and a new radio transmitter/ receiver -- were validated within the first two

hours after launch. "The Deep Space 1 spacecraft is in fine health and is ready to begin its

mission of technology validation," said Deputy Mission Manager Dr. Marc Rayman at JPL.

Telemetry was received from the spacecraft through NASA's Deep Space Network at 1

hour, 37 minutes after launch, and 13 minutes later it was determined that the spacecraft's

two solar arrays had been deployed. A key new technology, the spacecraft's ion engine, will

be tested for the first time in approximately two weeks. The New Millennium Program is

designed to test new technologies so that they can be confidently used on science missions

of the 21st century. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Deep Space 1 Mission Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

October 24].]

OCTOBER2,q: Space Shuttle Status Report, Sunday, October 25, 1998. STS-95:

Preparations to begin the STS-95 launch countdown continue on schedule. Yesterday,

workers began stowing the flight crew's equipment onboard Discovery. Forecasters are

monitoring the progress of Hurricane Mitch in the Caribbean, but preliminary weather

forecasts indicate generally favorable conditions for Thursday's launch of Shuttle Discovery.

Launch managers will receive an official weather briefmg from Air Force weather

forecasters Monday. The flight crew is slated to arrive at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility

Monday at about 2 p.m. STS-88: Over the weekend, workers completed tests on Shuttle

Endeavour's main engines. Orbiter hydraulic work will resume next week. The Rotating

Service Structure retracts away from the vehicle at about 6:30 p.m. today in preparation for

tomorrow's arrival of the Unity Connecting Module payload at Launch Pad 39A. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 25].]

OCTOBER 26: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, October 26, 1998. STS-95: The

launch countdown for mission STS-95 began on time today at 8 a.m. Launch managers are

not working any significant technical issues at this time and preparations for Thursday's 2

p.m. launch continue on schedule. Final vehicle close-outs are in work and Discovery's

backup flight systems will be loaded into the orbiter's general purpose computers today.

Tonight the orbiter's navigational systems will be activated. Loading of the Power reactant

storage and distribution system (PRSD) with cryogenic reactants begins tomorrow morning.

Air Force weather forecasters are indicating a 40 percent chance that weather could prohibit

launch on Thursday. The forecast calls for scattered to broken clouds at 4000 feet and

scattered clouds at 20000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots

from the northeast; temperature at 79 degrees F; relative humidity at 62 percent. The

primary concerns are low level winds, a slight chance of showers and a low cloud ceiling.

Currently, the 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround forecast indicates a 40 percent chance

of weather violation. Managers continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Mitch in the

Caribbean, currently moving in a west-northwesterly direction away from Florida's east

coast. Mitch is not expected to affect Thursday's weather. The STS-95 flight crew is slated

to arrive at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility today at about 2 p.m. The crew members are:

Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Steve Lindsey, Missions Specialists Stephen Robinson, Scott

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Parazinski, Pedro Duque, and Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John Glenn. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 26].]

John Glenn and five of Discovery's astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center on

Monday. "I have been pleasantly surprised at the outpouring of interest in this flight,"

Glenn said. "It's really gratifying to see people get so fired up about the space program

again." Scott Parazynski was flown in later. His T-38 jet had a battery problem during a

fuel stop on the way from Johnson Space Center. A former Marine fighter pilot in World

War II and the Korean War, Glenn rode as a passenger in the jet of Discovery's

commander, Air Force Lt. Col. Curt Brown. As usual when a crew gets to KSC before

launch, they flew over their spaceship's launch pad. They saw not only Discovery but also

shuttle Endeavour, which is being readied for launch Dec. 3 on the first U.S. mission to

start building the International Space Station. Brown then led the crew in a slightly shaky

"Happy Birthday" serenade of Discovery astronaut Steve Robinson, who turned 43 on

Monday. The crew went on to greet family and friends who were waiting, including Glenn's

entourage. The countdown clocks started at 8 a.m. Monday, and officials reported no

problems in the complex three-day process to get Discovery ready for a flight that will be

watched around the globe. The crew will spend the next two days reviewing their flight

plan for the nine-day mission. Discovery's crew of seven also includes pilot Steve Lindsey,

Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque.

["Glenn, Discovery crew step closer to history," Florida Today, October 27, 1998, p 1A &

2A.]

OCTOBER 27: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, October 27, 1998. STS-95: The

launch countdown for STS-95 proceeds on schedule for Thursday's 2 p.m. liftoff of Shuttle

Discovery. Mission managers are not working any significant technical concerns at this time

and launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39B. Today at 4 a.m. workers began

loading the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution system with cryogenic reactants

and that operation will conclude at about noon today. The STS-95 flight crew arrived at

KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility yesterday afternoon at about 3 p.m. Today the crew will

participate in routine medical exams, conduct fright crew equipment fit checks, participate in

standard mission briefings and enjoy some free time with their family members. The crew

of mission STS-95 are: Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Steve Lindsey, Missions Specialists

Stephen Robinson, Scott Parazinski, Pedro Duque, and Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai

and John Glenn. Air Force weather forecasters have improved their forecast to indicate a

30 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Thursday. The forecast calls for

scattered to broken clouds at 4,000 feet and scattered clouds at 20,000 feet; visibility at 7

miles; winds at 14 knots gusting to 20 knots from the northeast; temperature at 79 degrees

F; relative humidity at 62 percent. The primary concerns are surface winds, a slight chance

of showers, and a low cloud ceiling. Currently, the 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround

forecasts indicate a 40 percent chance of weather violation. Managers continue to monitor

the progress of Hurricane Mitch in the Caribbean, currently moving westward away from

the Florida Coast at 7 knots. Mitch is not expected to affect Thursday's weather at KSC.

REVISION A: The launch countdown for STS-95 proceeds on schedule for Thursday's 2

p.m. liftoff of Shuttle Discovery. Launch managers are not working any significant

technical concerns at this time and launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39B. Today

at about 1:15 p.m., efforts to load the orbiter's power reactant storage and distribution

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system with cryogenic reactants concluded and the pad reopened for routine work.

SPACEHAB late stow activities are under way this afternoon. Air Force weather

forecasters have improved their forecast to indicate a zero percent chance that weather

could prohibit launch on Thursday. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 4,000 feet;

visibility at 7 miles; winds at 10 knots gusting to 15 knots from the northeast; temperature at

79 degrees F; relative humidity at 62 percent. Hurricane Mitch is now drifting westsouthwest further away from Florida's coast. Surface high pressure is also building near

Central Florida and these conditions will lead to light winds and a more stable airmass.

Currently, the 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround forecasts also indicate a zero percent

chance of weather violation. The STS-95 flight crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing

Facility yesterday afternoon. Today the crew have participated in routine medical exams,

conducted flight crew equipment fit checks, participated in standard mission briefings and

are enjoying some free time with their fam@ members. The STS-95 crew are: Commander

Curt Brown, Pilot Steve Lindsey, Missions Specialists Stephen Robinson, Scott Parazinski,

Pedro Duque, and Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John Glenn. Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 27].]

# Credentials have been issued to 3,750 media representatives for the liftoff of Discovery,

more than 12 times the typical media attendance for shuttle launches in the 1990s. By

comparison, 379 reporters covered Glenn's historic Mercury flight aboard Friendship 7 in

1962. For the Apollo 11 moon shot, 2,700 reporters requested access. Yet, this event has

not generated a record-setting media horde. Credentials for nearly 5,200 journalists were

issued in 1988 for the first shuttle launch after the Challenger explosion, although only 2,300

showed up. About 4,000 journalists requested access for the inaugural shuttle mission in

1981 -with 2,700 on hand for the launch. Still, Glenn has inspired standing-room-only

media crowds at routine pre-launch drills that generally go unnoticed. ["Glenn flight fuels

media frenzy: Is it all the write stuff?." The Orlando Sentinel, October 28, 1998, p A-8.]

*Audiences in 20 cities - and at KSC (but not the rest of Central Florida) - will watch

Sen. John Glenn's historic return to space in the ftrst live, high-definition broadcast of a

Shuttle launch. The launch paves the way for the introduction of digital television in

November. *The people of Western Australia have once again been asked to turn on the

lights when John Glenn passes overhead during his historic return to space. The Western

Australia state government said it wants residents to help recreate the sight Glenn saw as he

passed over during his 1962 flight. *Some 30 private and executive jets have confirmed

plans to fly into Space Coast Regional Airport south of Titusville this afternoon and

Thursday morning. *The Titusville Post Office is setting up two special locations Thursday

to postmark envelopes with a special John Glenn Returns to Space pictorial cancellation.

*BellSouth technicians are scrambling to set up phone lines to accommodate the mass of

media descending on Cape Canaveral for the John Glenn shuttle launch, company officials

said Tuesday. More than 900 new phone lines have been installed, with another 300

expected to be installed for the Thursday launch. *Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay will join

President Clinton and Gov. Lawton Chiles to watch space shuttle Discovery vault a fellow

Democrat, U.S. Sen. John Glenn, into orbit. *The boys in the blockhouse who first blasted

John Glenn into space unanimously agree he is far safer lifting off on the shuttle than atop

that trembling Atlas missile that took him into orbit 36 years ago. ["Glenn watch," Florida

T__o_d__,October 28, 1998, p 7A, 8A & 9A.]

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Theheartof NASA's historicMercury Mission Control Center might find a new home

next year, but the proposal already is controversial. NASA is considering consolidating all

equipment from the famed but aging control center in a $2.7 million tourist attraction to be

raised at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex between January and September. But

there are those who want the central part of the building - the flight control room and all

the equipment within it - to remain right where it is: in a building about a mile from the

twin Delta launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Designated a historical landmark in

1984, the Mercury Mission Control Center played a key role in early U.S. space flight,

including the February 1962 launch of John Glenn on America's first orbital mission.

Inside the building is the flight control room where engineers kept vigil over America's

earliest piloted space missions. The original flight control consoles remain in place, along

with the colorfully lighted wallsize world map that helped engineers keep track of Mercury

spacecraft - and their astronaut pilots - during six missions between May 1961 and May

1963. But the building itself is decrepit: The roof leaks, the electrical wiring is in need of

repair, some of the walls and ceilings in the facility are laced with asbestos, and it is not

accessible for people with disabilities. "It's an old building, and it would take a lot of money

to bring it up to snuff," said James Ball, chief of the KSC Visitors Services Branch.

Complicating matters is the fact that the control center often is closed to the public because

of hazardous operations at the nearby Delta launch pads. As a result, NASA is proposing

to move the equipment from the control center to a new Early Space Exploration attraction

to be built at the KSC Visitor Complex. The space agency is conferring with state and

federal historical preservation officials and will gather public comment on the idea before

making a final decision. ["Historic Mercury site threatened," Florida Today, October 28,

1998, p 7A.]

• When President Clinton comes to Kennedy Space Center to watch John Glenn's liftoff

Thursday, he'll be following a long tradition. *On Feb. 23, 1962 - just three days after

Glenn made his first flight - President John F. Kennedy took part in a celebratory parade at

the Cape and presented the astronaut with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. He

toured Atlas, Titan and Saturn launch complexes in September 1962 and was on hand for

the Polaris launch Nov. 16, 1963, just six days before his death in Dallas. *Lyndon Johnson

visited KSC with President Kennedy in February 1962 and made an impromptu stop in

Sept. 1964. During the later visit, he was briefed by Wally Schirra - one of the original

Mercury astronauts - on what then was a new, two-man Gemini spacecraft. In Sept. 1966,

Johnson showed up with West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard and gave a speech to

workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building. That was Johnson's fifth trip to the Cape.

During his tenure as vice president, he toured launch facilities in Oct, 1961 and was with

Kennedy at KSC in Sept. 1962. After returning to private life, he attended the Apollo 11

launch as a civilian VIP. *President Jimmy Carter took part in NASA's 20 _ anniversary

celebration on Oct. 1, 1978, doling out awards to astronauts in the cavernous assembly

building. *When George Bush was vice president, he got the lowdown on shuttle

operations at KSC from astronaut John Young and Robert Crippen in Mar. 1981, less than

a month before the two blasted off on NASA's first shuttle flight. He helped dedicate new

Spacelab processing facilities at KSC in Feb. 1982 and was on hand for a Labor Day picnic

in 1983. Bush's last visit was Jan. 28,1986, the day Challenger exploded. *Vice President

Hubert Humphrey toured both K,SC and Cape Canaveral Air Station on Feb. 22, 1965.

• Vice President Dan Quayle toured KSC Launch Control Center during a Feb. 1991

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practice countdown, and he watched shuttle Endeavour blast off on a space science mission

in Sept. 1992. Bush's vice president also played a role in the May 1991 dedication of the

Space Mirror astronaut memorial at the KSC Visitor Complex. ["The Cape lures

Presidents," Florida Today, October 28, 1998, p 7A.]

OCTOBER 28: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, October 28, 1998. STS-95:

Preparations for Thursday's 2 p.m. launch of Shuttle Discovery continue on schedule and

launch managers are not working any major technical issues at this time. This morning

workers completed efforts to install the SPACEHAB experiments in the orbiter payload bay

and the airlock has been closed for flight. Discovery's communication systems will be

activated today and flight crew equipment late stow activities begin at about 3:30 p.m. The

Rotating Service Structure will retract away from the Shuttle at 8 p.m. today and the launch

countdown will resume counting at T-11 hours at 11:40 p.m. External tank loading

operations begin at about 5:40 a.m. tomorrow. Air Force weather forecasters continue to

indicate a zero percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Thursday. The

forecast calls for few clouds at 4,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds at 10 knots gusting to 15

knots from the northeast; temperature at 79 degrees F; relative humidity at 64 percent.

Hurricane Mitch is still drifting westward away from Florida's coast and will not impact

Thursday's launch attempt. Currently, the 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround forecasts

also indicate a zero percent chance of weather violation. Today some of the crew will take

flights in the T-38 training jets from the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility this afternoon. The

crew will also receive an orbiter and payload systems briefing this afternoon. After the

Commander and Pilot perform runway approaches aboard the Shuttle Training Aircraft in

the evening, the entire crew will visit the launch pad and say their preflight good-byes to

visiting family members. The STS-95 crew are: Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Steve

Lindsey, Missions Specialists Stephen Robinson, Scott Parazinski, Pedro Duque, and

Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John Glenn. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 28].]

• Security for the launch was tightened Wednesday because of threats against Clinton,

Glenn and shuttle Discovery. At the entrance to the Kennedy Space Center launch site,

motorists were asked to drive slowly over cameras that examined the underside of their

vehicles for car bombs. Vehicles also were searched by guards carrying 9mm semiautomatic

weapons, and bomb-sniffing dogs were brought out. "We've had some unspecified

threats...where there are some people that could do some harm, and so we're taking it very

seriously," said Paul Morris, chief of security at KSC. "The kooks are out there too, but

there are also credible threats that are prompting the heightened security alert." About 70

members of Congress and dozens of celebrities also are attending the launch. The Clintons

will fly into Cape Canaveral Air Station. They are expected to view the fiftoff from the roof

of the Launch Control Center. ["KSC tightens security as Clintons fly in today," Florida

T_9_0_l_, October 29, 1998, p 1A.]

Celebrities expected for Discovery launch: Leonardo DiCaprio, John F. Kennedy, Jr.

and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith,

James Cameron, Bruce Willis, Corbin Bemsen, Bruce Boxleitner, Melissa Gilbert, AI

Neuharth, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Buffett, Sen. John Warner,

Buzz Aldrin and Wally Schirra, Tom Brokaw, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Walter

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Cronkite,Dan RatherandPeterJennings.["UnsinkableDiCaprioturnsCapeon end,"

The Orlando Sentinel, October 29, 1998, p A-2.]

OCTOBER 29: Space Shuttle StatusReport, Thursday, October 29, 1998. STS-95: Space

Shuttle Discovery and the seven-member STS-95 flight crew launched from KSC's Launch

Pad 3913 today at 2:19 p.m. and the orbiter is performing well on orbit. Launch managers

worked very few technical issues throughout the day's countdown activities, but

encountered a few delays in the last 9 minutes of the countdown. The countdown clock

remained in a planned T-9 minute hold for an additional 9 minutes while launch managers

and Shuttle Commander Curt Brown verified three alarms heard in Discovery's cockpit. At

T-5 minutes the NASA Test Director required an additional unplanned hold due to an Air

Force Range Operations report of unknown aircraft flying in KSC's restricted airspace.

When the countdown resumed, range officials reported again that several aircraft had been

detected inside the restricted area. Once the restricted area was confirmed clear, the launch

count continued to a successful liftoff. Shuttle managers are investigating the loss of an

item from the aft of the orbiter that could be the orbiter's drag chute door. The item

appeared to fall from the Shuttle soon after main engine start. The KSC inspection team

will review film of the launch and recover debris at the pad to determine the exact turn-ofevents. The door covers the compartment where the drag chute is housed and is located

beneath the orbiter's vertical stabilizer and above the three main engines. Though the drag

chute is deployed after landing gear touchdown to assist in slowing the orbiter, it is not

required for landing. The chute was an addition to the Shuttle's original configuration in

1992 after 46 successful landings without a drag chute. Solid rocket booster recovery

operations are under way off the eastern coast of Florida and NASA's recovery ships

Freedom Star and Liberty Star are expected to return to Port Canaveral with the boosters in

tow tomorrow afternoon. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, October 29].]

¢, For three minutes Thursday, President Clinton and Hillary Clinton were just like

250,000 other people on the Space Coast. They perched in a high spot, waited and watched

as 77-year-old Sen. John Glenn was launched into space. A minute into the launch, the

First Couple silently passed a pair of binoculars back and forth for a better look. Finally,

breaking into a big smile, Hillary Clinton said, "It's amazing." Both Clintons clapped and

cheered from the roof of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center when the

booster rockets separated. "I cannot tell you how overwhelmed with emotion I am,"

Hillary Clinton said after the launch. "It is a thrill of a lifetime." Clinton was only the

second president to view a space launch. In doing so, he may have given a boost to NASA,

which perennially scratches for budget dollars. He pronounced Glenn's flight "a great day

for America and a great day for our senior citizens," saluting the senator as "a genuine

American hero." NASA and KSC employees said the president's attendance at the launch

can only help the space program. In the launch control room with the Clintons after

Discovery blasted off, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin said Clinton was "the first

president of the United States with courage to come down here and watch a shuttle launch

in real time." KSC workers also lauded Clinton's decision. After visiting the firing room,

the Clintons greeted 100 workers in the lobby of the Launch Control Center where NASA

employees enjoyed the traditional post-launch meal of beans and cornbread. Hillary Clinton

drew the most applause, particularly when she said average Americans could learn from the

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workers' sense of teamwork. "We ought to be more like a team in America every day," she

said. Someone in the crowd yelled, "You go, Hillary," and the cheers grew louder, forcing

the First Lady to pause. She told the crowd she always wanted to be an astronaut, and said

space exploration is the key to the future. Clinton said that as he stood on the rooftop,

"We felt the ceiling rumble beneath our feet." He thanked NASA and added, "And of

course I want to thank John Glenn, my good friend and a genuine American hero." The

Clinton's arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Station at 12:30 p.m., about 15 minutes behind

schedule, and were greeted by a short line of well-wishers. Clinton said the idea to view the

launch was his wife's. "A year ago, she said we should make a list of things we want to get

done before this term is over," Clinton said. "I said, 'OK, what is first on your list?' And

she said, 'We have to go to a space launch." Clinton, in an interview with CNN,

pronounced himself an advocate for "continued aggressive exploration of space." "It's an

important day for the space program. But it's a great day for America, a great day for our

senior citizens, and I hope that all Americans share the exuberance that I feel today,"

Clinton said. ['"A thrill of a lifetime'," Florida Today, October 30, 1998, p 5A.]

OCTOBER 30." Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, October 30, 1998. STS-95:

Following yesterday's successful launch, Space Shuttle Discovery continues to perform very

well on orbit while the crew remains busy with in-flight experiment activity. Post launch

inspections of Launch Pad 39B have revealed no abnormal damage. Yesterday afternoon,

KSC's debris inspection team located debris related to the loss of Discovery's drag chute

door on the crawlerway that slopes down from the pad surface. This morning, managers

reported that about 95% of the door's material was collected before nightfall yesterday and

an additional walkdown of the area is being conducted today. Ongoing analysis of the

collected debris and of launch film footage will help Shuttle managers determine the cause

of the door's detachment. Flight controllers are confident that the missing door will not

impact the safety of this Shuttle flight and expect a safe and successful landing on Nov. 7.

Though the drag chute is deployed after landing gear touchdown to assist in slowing the

orbiter, it is not required for landing. The chute was an addition to the Shuttle's original

configuration in 1992 after 46 successful landings without a drag chute. KSC's solid rocket

booster recovery ships, Freedom Star and Liberty Star, are en route to Cape Canaveral with

boosters en tow. The left hand booster is expected to arrive at Port Canaveral at about 3

p.m. today followed by the right hand booster's arrival at 4 p.m. Preliminary reports indicate

no significant damage to the boosters. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, October 30].]

# Three of five airplanes that violated restricted airspace around Kennedy Space Center

minutes before Thursday's launch of shuttle Discovery have been identified. The Federal

Aviation Administration is in the process of contacting the owners to find out who was

flying each of the planes, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Friday. Registration

numbers on the tails of two planes, obtained by security pilots monitoring the restricted

airspace, were used to identify the owners. A third plane was followed to a landing site.

During countdowns, flight is restricted within a five-nautical-mile radius from the launch

pad. The flight-restriction zone is designed to ensure the safety of the launch, people on

the ground and other aircraft in the area, Bergen said. The five planes flew into the

restricted airspace just before launch time, causing about a 10-minute delay. ["3 of 5 planes

that flew too close to pad identified," Florida Today, October 31, 1998, p 1A.]

168
NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER 1." Engineers are still investigating why a small door covering shuttle

Discovery's drag chute compartment fell offwithin seconds of liftoff on Thursday. The

missing door isn't expected to affect the mission. Other items, such as insulation, have

come loose from the shuttle in the past. Investigators hope to determine what happened

sometime this week. Eighteen pieces, or about 90 percent, of the door were recovered

from the grass around Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B. The 11-pound piece of

aluminum, which measures about 18 inches by 22 inches, is located on the rear of the

shuttle, above the main engines. A small mortar fires during landing_ causing the door to

swing open and pop off, releasing the drag chute. The door is replaced before each

mission. The frame holding the door is replaced about every 10 missions. The

investigation team has determined that the mortar didn't fire prematurely, said Jack Kingo a

spokesman for shuttle contractor United Space Alliance. Technicians are looking at the

pins that hold the door on, among other things. Mission managers haven't decided whether

to deploy the chute for Discovery's landing Saturday. They don't have to. The first 47

missions didn't use chutes. The missing door shouldn't affect the shuttle's fiery return

through Earth's atmosphere, either. Temperatures in the compartment are expected to stay

well within acceptable fimits. ["No answers yet on why door fell off," The Orlando

Sendnd, November 1, 1998, p A-22.]

• Press credentials issued for John Glenn's launch in 1962: 300. Credentials issued for

Thursday's Glenn launch: 3,500-plus. Estimated number of people who watched QVC

cable channel hawking launch related items at Kennedy Space Center: 90 million. Number

of Titusville High School's 2,000 students who showed up Thursday: 58. Hotel and motel

rooms and condos available for rent in Brevard: 8,500. Vacancies on Thursday: 0. Distance

visitors had to go to find an open room: 60 miles. Average daily attendance at the

Astronaut Hall of Fame: 400. Attendance at the Hall of Fame on Thursday: 10,000.

Number ofT-shirts printed by Space Shirts Co. for the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl: 14,000. Tshirts the company printed for Glenn launch: 30,000-plus. Number ofT-shirts sold on a

normal day: 3,000. Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputies working the launch Thursday:

100. Deputies normally working in that area: 33. Estimated number of signatures on a 40-

foot-long mural of John Glenn at KSC Visitor Complex: 5,000. Money that Glenn-related

tourism was believed to have brought to Brevard: $20 million. ["By the numbers," Florida

Today, November 1, 1998, p 1A.]

NOVEMBER 2: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, November 2, 1998. STS-95:

Space Shuttle Discovery continues to provide an excellent platform for research activities

under way on mission STS-95. All systems onboard Discovery are operating very well.

Today at about 7:45 a.m., technicians began inspections on the STS-95 solid rocket boosters

in Hangar AF. Over the weekend, workers retrieved the video camera that had been

installed inside the left booster's forward assembly segment. Footage from that camera is

being evaluated by Shuttle external fuel tank and orbiter engineers as part of an ongoing

study on how debris contributes to orbiter tile damage. Evaluations of Discovery's drag

chute door continue and preliminary reports indicate that the drag chute remains inside its

housing in the orbiter's aft compartment and has not been inadvertently deployed. Mission

managers do not currently plan to deploy the chute during Discovery's landing operations

on Saturday. STS-88: The Unity connecting module arrived at Launch Pad 39A last week

169
andwasinstalledin thepayloadchangeoutroomon Oct.26. LastWednesday,cable

routingwascompletedfor thegroundsupportequipmentusedduringpayloadverification

tests. Endeavour's payload bay doors are open and payload testing is in work this week.

Unity will be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13. Endeavour's helium signature leak

tests begin tomorrow and preparations are in work today. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of

the orbiter's water spray boiler No. 3 and main engine testing also occur this week.

Tomorrow, the STS-88 flight crew arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at about 6:30

p.m. to participate in this week's Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The

crew will be briefed on orbiter and payload operations while at KSC. They will practice

emergency egress activities Thursday and conduct a launch day dress rehearsal on Friday.

STS-93: Adjustments of Columbia's freon coolant loops No. 1 and No. 2 are complete.

Ku-band system tests are also complete. Shuttle main engine installation is in work with

engines No. 1 and No. 2 already in place. Structural modal test preparations are under way

and auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks are in work. Solid rocket booster

stacking operations have resumed in the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-101: Removal of

Atlantis' simulated orbiter maneuvering system pods was completed last week. The orbiter's

aft compartment power control assembly is undergoing some work this week as orbiter

receiving inspections continue. Leak checks on the external airlock are also in work. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 2].]

NOVEMBER 3." Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, November 3, 1998. STS-95:

Having passed the halfway mark on this flight, Shuttle Discovery continues to perform very

well on orbit. Evaluations of Discovery's drag chute door continue and preliminary reports

indicate that the drag chute remains inside its housing in the orbiter's aft compartment.

Mission managers do not currently plan to deploy the chute during Discovery's landing

operations on Saturday. At Hangar AF, inspections of the STS-95 solid rocket boosters

continue on schedule. STS-88: At Launch Pad 39A, Endeavour's helium signature leak

tests are in work today. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of the orbiter's water spray boiler No. 3

and main engine testing also occur this week. Endeavour's payload bay doors are open and

payload testing is in work this week. The Unity connecting module will be installed in the

orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13 and functional testing of Unity's pressurized mating adapters

No. 1 and No. 2 are scheduled today. At about 6:30 p.m. today, the STS-88 flight crew is

slated to arrive at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to participate in this week's Terminal

Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The crew will be briefed on orbiter and

payload operations while at KSC. They will practice emergency egress activities Thursday

and conduct a launch day dress rehearsal on Friday. STS-93: Installation of Columbia's

main engines is complete and engine securing is in work. Potable water servicing concluded

yesterday. Orbiter landing gear functional and nose wheel steering checks are under way.

Fuel cell verifications are also in progress. Preparations for the structural modal test

continue. Solid rocket booster stacking operations continue in the Vehicle Assembly

Building. STS-101: Work on Atlantis' aft compartment power control assembly is complete.

Evaluations of the orbiter's flash evaporator system (FES) are also complete and the FES

controller may need to be replaced. Leak checks on the external airlock are also in work.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

November 3].]

V

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• The crewof STS-88arriveslatetodayfor TCDT. Mission STS-88 is the first American

flight for the International Space Station, launching the Unity connecting module. The

launch is targeted for the early morning hours of Dec. 3. ["STS-88 crew arrival today for

Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test," KSC Countdown, November 3, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 4" Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, November 4, 1998. STS-95:

Systems onboard Discovery continue to perform very well in flight. Shuttle managers have

thoroughly reviewed the data gathered to date on Discovery's drag chute door. Launch film

footage, on board orbiter temperature and stress sensors, and computer model analysis give

flight controllers the confidence to proceed as planned with normal reentry and landing

operations without deploying the drag chute. A safe and successful landing at KSC's Shuttle

Landing Facility is expected Saturday at about noon. Preliminary forecasts indicate generally

favorable weather to support Saturday's landing at ICSC. The remnants of tropical storm

Mitch will pass through Florida tomorrow and Friday and related rain and winds are

expected to move off Florida's east coast Friday night, allowing for favorable weather on

Saturday. Winds are expected out of the northeast at about 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots.

Forecasters do not expect cross winds at the SLF to exceed 14 knots and head/tail winds

should not be above 9 knots. STS-88: At Launch Pad 39A, Endeavour's helium signature

leak tests are in work today. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of the orbiter's water spray boiler

No. 3 and main engine testing also occur this week. Endeavour's payload bay doors are

open and payload testing is in work this week. The Unity connecting module will be

installed in the orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13 and functional testing of Unity's pressurized

mating adapters No. 1 and No. 2 are scheduled today. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 4].]

NOVEMBER 5: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, November 5, 1998. STS-95:

Shuttle Discovery continues to provide an excellent platform for the many research

activities occurring on board during these final days of the mission. Discovery and crew

are scheduled to return to KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility on the first of two landing

opportunities Saturday at about 12:06 p.m. The second KSC landing opportunity is

available at about 1:47 p.m. Preliminary forecasts indicate generally favorable weather to

support Saturday's landing at KSC. Tropical storm Mitch is passing through south and

central Florida today and should move off Florida's east coast by tomorrow night, providing

good weather on Saturday. Winds are expected out of the northeast at about 10 knots,

gusting to 15 knots. Forecasters do not expect crosswinds at the SLF to exceed 14 knots

and head/tail winds should not be above 9 knots. Clouds are forecast to be scattered at

4,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; temperature at 70 degrees F; and relative humidity at 60

percent. STS-88: At Launch Pad 39A, Endeavour's helium signature leak tests and

secondary payload tests are complete. Gaseous nitrogen servicing of the orbiter's water

spray boiler No. 3 and main engine testing occur this week. The STS-88 flight crew is at

KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Crew members are

being briefed on orbiter and payload activities, practicing emergency escape procedures and

conducting a full dress rehearsal of launch day activities on Friday. The countdown test

culminates with a simulated main engine cutoff at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The Unity connecting

module will be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 5].]

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NOVEMBER 6: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, November 6, 1998. STS-95: On

board Shuttle Discovery, the flight crew will conclude their research activities today and

begin preparations for tomorrow's landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. Because

forecasters expect Sunday's weather to deteriorate somewhat, mission managers have

decided to bring up backup landing support at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, on Saturday.

There are two landing opportunities at both KSC and Edwards tomorrow. KSC's first

opportunity is at about 12:04 p.m. and the second opportunity is at about 1:45 p.m. The

Edwards opportunities are at about 1:35 p.m. and 3:17 p.m. Commander Brown will

perform a deorbit burn of the orbiter maneuvering system about one hour prior to touch

down. Preliminary forecasts indicate generally favorable weather to support Saturday's

landing at KSC. Winds are expected out of the northeast at about 10 knots, gusting to 15

knots. Forecasters do not expect sustained crosswinds at the SLF to exceed 14 knots.

Clouds are forecast to be scattered at 4,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; temperature at 70

degrees F; and relative humidity at 60 percent. Though Shuttle managers do not expect to

execute them, precautionary plans are in place to accommodate a deployment of

Discovery's drag chute during reentry or after wheels stop at the SLF. The Shuttle Training

Aircraft that performs routine weather observations prior to landing and during final

approach will also visually monitor Discovery's drag chute compartment. After

touchdown, KSC ground controllers plan to proceed with normal post landing activities

with a cone shaped safety clear extending 600 feet from Discovery's aft compartment.

About 1 1/2 hours after landingo KSC workers will perform remote visual inspections of the

pyrotechnic wires that initiate the mortar that jettisons the drag chute. If no heat or stress

damage is visible, standard post flight operations will proceed culminating with the towing

of Discovery to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 about 8 hours after landing. Currently,

managers expect the pyrotechnic wire inspections to reveal no damage and plan to proceed

with normal operations. STS-88: At Launch Pad 39A, the Terminal Countdown

Demonstration Test concluded at about 11 a.m. today. Crew members successfully

conducted a launch day dress rehearsal complete with an orbiter crew compartment ingress

and simulated main engine cut-off at T-5 seconds. The crew then practiced emergency

egress procedures assisted by the KSC close-out crew. The crew departs KSC today at

about 2:15 p.m. headed for their homes in Houston, TX. Orbiter inertial measurement unit

calibration occurs today and preparations for payload interface verification testing are in

work. The Unity connecting module will be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay Nov. 13.

Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

November 6].]

The orbiter Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Nov.

7 at 12:04 p.m. EST completing its nine-day STS-95 mission which was launched from KSC

on Oct. 29. Landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) is slated to occur on orbit 135

at mission elapsed time 8 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes. Deorbit burn will occur at about 10:53

a.m. Saturday. The two KSC landing opportunities on Saturday are: 12:04 p.m. and 1:45

p.m. EST. Managers have decided to call up the back-up landing location at Edwards Air

Force Base (EAFB), CA, for a possible landing on Saturday. This is due to weather

concerns on both coasts Sunday. The two EAFB landing opportunities on Saturday are:

1:35 p.m. and 3:17 p.m. EST. If managers must keep Discovery in orbit an additional day,

three landing opportunities are available on Sunday at KSC and two at EAFB. KSC Sunday

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landingtimesare:10:17 a.m., 11:58 a.m. and 1:39 p.m. EST. EAFt3 Sunday landing times

are: 11:49 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EST. This landing of Discovery will mark the 45th landing at

KSC in the history of Space Shuttle flight. It will be the 16th consecutive landing at KSC

and the 23rd in the last 24 shuttle flights. Discovery is currently on the 92 "d Space Shuttle

mission in the history of the program. Following landing, select members of the crew are

scheduled to participate in a press conference at the ICSC Press Site auditorium. The event

will be carried live on NASA TV beginning at about 6 p.m. On the day following landing,

the entire crew will depart for Houston, TX, at about 10 a.m. SLF and KSC Ground

Operations: The Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. It is 300 feet wide and 15,000

feet long with 1,000 foot overruns at each end. The strip runs northwest to southeast and is

located about 3 miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building. Once

the orbiter is on the ground, sating operations will commence and the flight crew will

prepare the vehicle for post-landing operations. The Crew Transport Vehicle (CTV) will be

used to assist the crew, allowing them to leave the vehicle and remove their launch and reentry suits easier and quicker. The CTV and other ICSC landing convoy operations have

been "on-call" since the launch of Discovery Oct. 29. The primary functions of the Space

Shuttle recovery convoy are to provide immediate service to the orbiter after landing, assist

crew egress, and prepare the orbiter for towing to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Convoy

vehicles are stationed at the SLF's mid-point. About two hours prior to landing, convoy

personnel don SCAPE suits, or Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, and

communications checks are made. A warming-up of coolant and purge equipment is

conducted and nearly two dozen convoy vehicles are positioned to move onto the runway

as quickly and as safely as possible once the orbiter coasts to a stop. When the vehicle is

deemed safe of all potential explosive hazards and toxic gases, the purge and coolant

umbilical access vehicles move into position at the rear of the orbiter. Following purge and

coolant operations, flight crew egress preparations will begin and the CTV will be moved

into position at the crew access hatch located on the orbiter's port side. A physician will

board the Shuttle and conduct a brief preliminary examination of the astronauts. The crew

will then make preparations to leave the vehicle. Following departure from the SLF, the

crew will be taken to their quarters in the O&C Building, meet with their families and

undergo physical examinations. The crew is scheduled to depart for JSC Sunday morning.

If Discovery lands at Edwards, an augmented KSC convoy team will be on-site to safe the

vehicle, disembark the crew and move the orbiter to the Mate/Demate Device. The

turnaround team will be deployed to Edwards by charter aircraft on landing day. About 7-8

hours after Discovery lands at KSC, the orbiter will be towed to Orbiter Processing Facility

bay 1 for post-flight deservicing. Operations in the OPF will be made to prepare Discovery

for is next Space Shuttle mission, STS-96, currently targeted for launch in May. ["Discovery

Scheduled to land at KSC completing mission STS-95," KSC News Release #138-98,

November 6, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 7: The world's oldest astronaut is heading home. John Glenn and six

Discovery crew mates are scheduled to glide onto the shuttle runway at 12:04 p.m. today,

wrapping up the most closely watched U.S. spaceflight in more than a decade. About 900

dignitaries, media and family members - including Glenn's wife and children - will be on

hand to greet the crew. The weather is expected to cooperate, although low clouds and

increasing wind could pose a problem. "They're forecasting scattered clouds at 4,000 feet,

which is a go condition," said Linda Ham, entry flight director. Crosswinds at the landing

site are expected to be iust below the allowable limit of 17 mph. [''Oldest astronaut will

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wrapup long-delayedencoretoday,"_TheOrlando Sentinel, November 7, 1998, p A-1 &

A-14.]

John Glenn is back from the orbital paradise where he worked, played and prayed for

nine historic days in America's space program. Shuttle Discovery returned the astronaut

and his six crew mates to Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, ending Glenn's journey back

into space and the embrace of an admiring public. He later walked off the shuttle on his

own and into a mobile medical trailer where all astronauts are taken immediately after

landing. Two hours passed before a visibly shaken Glenn emerged from the trailer, holding

onto both railings of the staircase. The world's oldest spaceman then walked around

Discovery, stepping carefi_lly and slowly as he began to re-adapt to Earth's gravity - a

typical reaction many astronauts feel. Glenn and his crew mates then were taken to their

quarters for a reunion with family members and medical checks. Glenn's doctor

pronounced him in good shape. The crew is scheduled to leave KSC after a press

conference and return to Johnson Space Center in Houston. The end of Glenn's flight

clears the way for shuttle Endeavour's planned Dec. 3 launch and the start of NASA's most

daunting challenge since landing men on the moon - building the International Space

Station. ['"One-g and I feel fine,' Glenn says," Florida Today, November 8, 1998, p 1A &

6A.]

Space Shuttle Status Report, Saturday, November 7, 1998. STS-95: Space Shuttle

Discovery and her seven-member flight crew returned to KSC today on the first landing

opportunity at 12:04 p.m. EST. Today's landing concluded a nine day research mission of

historic significance. Weather forecasters closely monitored the cross wind conditions at

KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility today and gave flight controllers a "go" forecast in time for

the deorbit burn at 10:53 a.m. The drag chute was not deployed and had no impact on the

otherwise flawless landing. Planned visual inspections of the orbiter's drag chute

compartment commenced about 1 hour after touchdown and revealed that the chute was

intact postflight. Inspections also confwmed that pyrotechnic wiring associated with the

drag chute mortar was in excellent condition, allowing KSC managers to proceed with

routine post landing activities. After about 8 hours of SPACEH_AB destow efforts,

Discovery will be towed to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. This was the 45th KSC

landing in Shuttle history and the 16th consecutive KSC landing. Discovery landed on orbit

135 having traveled 3.6 million statute miles. The STS-95 crew will remain overnight at KSC

and depart for their homes in Houston, TX, tomorrow at about 11:30 a,m. EST. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 7].]

NOVEMBER 9: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, November 9, 1998. STS-88: Last

week, KSC's launch team and the STS-88 flight crew successfully completed Terminal

Countdown Demonstration Test activities. Endeavour's inertial measurement unit

calibrations are complete. Shuttle main engine ignitor testing concluded last week. Today,

interface verification testing begins with the Unity connecting module at Launch Pad 39A.

Unity is slated for payload bay installation Nov. 13. Preparations for next week's hypergolic

propellant loading activities are in work. STS-93: Columbia's ammonia system servicing is

complete. Leak and functional tests of the orbiter's auxiliary power units concluded last

week. Hydraulic checks of the main propulsion system are also complete. Shuttle main

engine securing continues and aft compartment closeouts are in work. Engine heat shield

V

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installation begins this week. Structural modal test preparations continue and auxiliary power

unit lubrication servicing occurs later this week. Next week, integrated hydraulic and flight

control system testing begins. Solid rocket booster stacking operations continue in the

Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-96: Following Saturday's successful noon landing of orbiter

Discovery at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, SPACEHAB experiment destow activities

concluded about 8 hours later and the orbiter was towed into OPF bay I by 10 p.m. Over

the weekend, technicians drained the power reactant storage and distribution system of all

cryogenic reactants. They are currently working to purge Discovery's main engines. Orbiter

access platforms are being installed today and the payload bay doors are slated to be opened

by midweek. By early next week, payload removal will conclude. Preliminary inspections

reveal the drag chute and its housing compartment to be in good condition, but a thorough

evaluation is under way to determine the cause of the drag chute door incident. Inspections

of Discovery's underside revealed about 136 debris hits to the black thermal protective tiles

with about 42 hits measuring I inch or greater. Processing work for the orbiter's next

mission will resume following routine post-flight inspections and deconfiguration. STS101: Installation of Atlantis' hand controller for the robot arm is complete and overall

remote manipulator system installation concludes early next week. Leak checks on the

orbiter's oxygen system crossover valves are in work. This week workers will replace orbiter

window No. 4. The auxiliary power unit lines will be connected next Wednesday. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 9].]

# The woman whose words rocketed John Glenn and shuttle Discovery into space soon

will do the same for Rosie O'Donnell. NASA commentator Lisa Malone recorded the

introduction for the Rosie O'Donnell Show this week. It will be broadcast Tuesday.

Malone, who has announced about 20 space shuttle launches, will be seen chatting with

O'Donnell for a few minutes before "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve and Cher appear.

"I've been so busy and so exhausted by the (Discovery) flight, I haven't really had time to

prepare for it," Malone said before she left Monday. ["NASA rep talks," Florida Today,

November 11, 1998, p 1D.]

NOVEMBER 10: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, November 10, 1998. STS-88: At

Launch Pad 39A, orbiter and secondary payload interface verification test 0VT)

preparations are complete. Workers have also completed the IVT for Endeavour's primary

payload, the Unity connecting module. Unity is slated for payload bay installation Nov. 13.

This week, forward reaction control system connections are scheduled and preparations for

next week's hypergolic propellant loading activities continue on schedule. STS-93:

Columbia's main engine securing is complete. Filling of the water spray boiler's core is also

complete. Orbiter aft compartment closeouts and main engine/main propulsion system

integrated tests are in progress. Engine heat shield installation is in work. Structural modal

test preparations continue and auxiliary power unit lubrication servicing occurs later this

week. Next week, integrated hydraulic and flight control system testing begins. Solid rocket

booster stacking operations continue in the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-96:

Technicians have completed removal of the drag chute mortar from Discovery's aft

compartment. Primary access has been gained to the orbiter's crew module, and power

reactant storage and distribution system tank purging is complete. Main engine purge efforts

concluded yesterday. Orbiter access platforms are being installed today in the aft

compartment and preparations for tomorrow's payload bay door opening are in progress.

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Payload removal will conclude early next week. STS-101: Replacement of Atlantis' window

No. 4 is complete. Remote manipulator system installation continues and will conclude

early next week. Leak checks on the orbiter's oxygen system crossover valves are in work.

The auxiliary power unit lines will be connected next Wednesday. Bruce Buckingham.

(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 10].]

NOVEMBER 11: The futuristic ion engine flying on NASA's Deep Space 1 probe

mysteriously shut down within minutes of being turned on this week. Ground controllers

are trying to figure out what went wrong. It was the first time since Deep Space l's launch

2 1/2weeks ago that controllers turned on the ion engine, the most intriguing of 12 "Star

Trek"-style technologies being tested on the $152 million mission. The engine must work

for Deep Space I to rendezvous with asteroid 1992 KD in July. ["Space probe's ion engine

shuts down," Florida Today, November 12, 1998, p 1A.]

NOVEMBER 12: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, November 12, 1998. STS-88:

At Launch Pad 39A, leak checks of the hydraulic hoses on Endeavour's main engine No. 2

yaw actuator are complete and good. Preparations continue for next week's hypergolic

propellant loading operations. Mating of the orbiter midbody umbilical unit is in progress.

The first U.S. component for the International Space Station, the Unity connecting module,

will be installed in the Shuttle's payload bay tomorrow. STS-93: Columbia's main

engine/main propulsion system integrated tests are complete. Checks on the multifunction

cathode ray tube display screen located on the orbiter's flight deck concluded this week.

Engine heat shield installation and aft compartment closeouts continue. Workers will

replace a damaged sensor for freon coolant line No. 2. Structural modal test preparations

continue and auxiliary power unit lubrication servicing is underway. Tonight, the STS-93

flight crew arrives at KSC to participate in tomorrow's Crew Equipment Interface Test.

Solid rocket booster stacking operations continue in the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS96: Workers have opened Discovery's payload bay doors and completed functional tests on

the doors. Preparations are in work to remove the complement of STS-95 payloads from

the orbiter cargo bay. Payload removal begins at about 8 a.m. tomorrow and the canister

will depart OPF bay 3 at about 6 p.m. Inspections of main engines and drag chute

compartment continue. Preparations for hypergolic deservicing and forward reaction

control system functional tests begin this week. STS-101: Atlantis' auxiliary power unit lines

are connected. Remote manipulator system installation continues and will conclude early

next week. The new space-to-space radio communication system is being installed inside

the orbiter. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, November 12].]

• Two brothers who tried to auction what they claimed was a "moon rock" given by

astronaut John Glenn to their father were indicted Thursday for fraud. The federal

indictment alleges that the brothers, both of Atlanta, conspired to sell the rock through a

New York auction house. They claimed that Glenn gave the rock, which he got from

astronaut Alan Bean, to their now-deceased father for his work with NASA. ["2 are

charged with fraud for 'moon rock' claims," The Orlando Sentinel, November 13, 1998.]

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NOVEMBER 13: To NASA's relief, Russian space officials have withdrawn a last-minute

request to launch the International Space Station into an orbit closer to Mir. Putting the

new space station considerably closer to Mir would have allowed the cash-strapped Russians

to haul a few thousand pounds of scientific equipment from the old outpost to the new

one. But after "frank and candid" discussions between the two partners, Russia dropped its

request, Randy Brinldey, space station program manager, said Friday. ["Russians drop

request to change orbital position of space station," Florida Today, November 14, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 16: The U.S. Laboratory module, considered the centerpiece of the

International Space Station, arrived today at the Kennedy Space Center. Targeted for

launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000, the module will undergo final prelaunch preparations at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. NASA's "Super Guppy"

aircraft transported the module to Kennedy's Shuttle runway from the Marshall Space

Flight Center, in Huntsville, AL, where it was built. The laboratory module is 28 feet in

length, 14 feet in diameter, and weighs 32,000 pounds. Comprising it are three cylindrical

sections with two end cones. Each end cone contains a hatch opening through which the

astronauts will enter and exit the lab. The exterior of the module is made of aluminum and

features a waffle pattern that strengthens the hull. It will be covered with an insulation

blanket to protect the module from the harsh temperatures of outer space. Next, an

intermediate debris shield, made of material similar to that of bulletproof vests, will protect

the module against space debris and micrometeoroids. Finally, the aluminum debris shield

will then be placed over the intermediate debris shield for added protection and to reflect

the intense sunlight, reducing the load on the air conditioning system. It is planned to be

taken into space for mating to the other International Space Station elements on station

flight designated as "5A." ["U.S. Laboratory module arrives at Kennedy Space Center,"

NASA News Release #141-98, November 16, 1998.]

• NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today named Dr. Edward J. Weiler as Associate

Administrator for NASA's Office of Space Science, effective immediately. ["Weiler named

Associate Administrator for Space Science," NASA News Release #98-204, November

16, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 19: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, November 19, 1998. STS-88:

Yesterday, hypergolic propellant loading operations were successfully completed. Today, the

payload bay doors will be opened and final checks of the Unity connecting module will be

conducted. Also, the astronauts' spacesuits to be used during the mission's three spacewalks

will be installed today and checked out tomorrow. Preparations to purge the external tank

are also underway. Managers determined today that the drag chute on Endeavour will not

be used during landing this mission. Since no definitive determination has been reached as

to why the drag chute door fell off during the launch of Discovery last month, the mortar

that deploys the drag chute on Endeavour will be removed and the chute door replaced

with one that can be bolted to the orbiter. Tests and analysis are continuing regarding

Discovery's chute door but no conclusion is expected prior to the launch of Endeavour.

STS-93: Columbia's payload bay doors are being closed today in preparation for this

weekend's scheduled structural tests. The tests are being conducted as a part of the final

structural checks prior to preparations for rollout to the pad early next year. Solid rocket

booster stacking operations in the Vehicle Assembly Building are now complete and closeouts are in work. Brace Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

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Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, November 19].]

The foundation for NASA's Intemational Space Station was laid early today as a

Russian space tug rocketed into orbit, where it will serve as the cornerstone for the $50

billion outpost. An 18-story Proton rocket lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in

Kazakstan, sending the $240 million tug - called Zarya, or sunrise - into an orbit 220 miles

above Earth. The 1:40 a.m. liftoff marked the first of 45 U.S. shuttle and Russian rocket

mission required to build the station, a job considered by many to be the most complex

engineering endeavor in human history. Financed by the United States and built in Russia,

the 24.5 ton tug will provide the propulsion system need to keep the station in orbit during

the early stages of construction. About the size of a long camper-trailer, it also will serve as

the station's initial power production plant, using two 35-foot solar wings to generate

electricity to run the outpost's systems. ["Russians launch 1't station piece," Florida

Today_, November 20, 1998, p 1A.]

NOVEMBER 23: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, November 23, 1998. STS-88:

Last week, Endeavour's payload bay doors were opened to support spacesuit installation

and checks. Spacesuit checks are complete. Ground support equipment needed for routine

vertical payload operations is in position and payload bay closeouts will conclude Sunday,

Nov. 29. Endeavour's ordnance testing resumes tonight. Orbiter aft compartment

closeouts continue today and will conclude late tomorrow night with the installation of the

aft compartment doors. Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) managers are

gathering at KSC for the Flight Readiness Review today and tomorrow. After reviewing

Space Shuttle system and ISS topics, managers are expected to announce Dec. 3 as the

official STS-88 launch date. STS-93: Columbia's orbiter maneuvering system and reaction

control system electrical checks concluded last week. Friday the orbiter's payload bay doors

were closed in preparation for Saturday's structural modal tests. Modal testing concluded

Saturday evening. Tile work is under way on Columbia's external tank umbilical doors. Last

week the main engine carrier panels were installed and next Monday main engine insulation

foaming begins. Solid rocket booster stacking operations in the Vehicle Assembly Building

are complete and close-outs continue. STS-96: Discovery's forward reaction control system

was removed from the nose of the orbiter on Friday. Workers completed hypergolic

deservicing last week. The orbiter's main engine heat shields will be removed today and

engine removal begins next week. Today workers will perform post flight tests on the new

Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring system in Discovery's main propulsion system. STS101: Atlantis' orbiter maneuvering system high point bleed line removal continues today.

Main propulsion system (MPS) electrical checks began Friday and MPS leak checks are

under way. Installation of thermal protective tiles on Atlantis' forward and aft

compartments continue this week. Tile waterproofing is also in work today. Window

inspections are ongoing and polishing begins tomorrow. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, November 23].]

NOVEMBER 24: The ion propulsion system on NASA's Deep Space 1 spacecraft came

to life Tuesday, Nov. 24, and has continued running smoothly since. The engine started up

at 5:53 p.m. EST, in response to commands sent to the spacecraft. After running overnight

in low-thrust mode, engineers commanded the engine to switch to higher-thrust modes

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today. The mission team plans to leave the engine running over the four-day Thanksgiving

weekend. ["Deep Space 1 ion propulsion system starts up," NASA News Release #98-

215, November 25, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 25: NASA program managers set Dec. 3 as the official launch date for the

STS-88 mission aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. This the first Shuttle mission dedicated

to the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), the largest and most complex

international cooperative science and engineering venture in history. The six-member flight

crew will work to mate Endeavour's primary payload, the U.S.-made Unity connecting

module, to the Russian-built Zarya control module during the 12-day mission. The Flight

Readiness Review, held at Kennedy Space Center, began Monday (November 23) afternoon

allowing all Shuttle and ISS project offices to evaluate the flight readiness of the astronaut

crew, vehicle and cargo, along with the launch and mission control teams. ["First U.S.

station element to be launched Dec. 3," NASA News Release #98-214, November 25,

1998.]

4_ NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and the President of the Italian Space Agency,

Sergio De Julio, mill meet at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 3 for a

ceremonial event transferring the "Leonardo" Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM)

from the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) to NASA. The MPLM, a reusable logistics carrier,

will be the primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a

pressurized environment. It is one of Italy's major contributions to the International Space

Station Program. The cylindrical module is approximately 21 feet long and 15 feet in

diameter, weighting almost 4.5 tons excluding its capability to hold up to 20,000 pounds of

contents. Launched in the Space Shuttle's payload bay, it will be docked to the

International Space Station once on orbit. It will transport supplies, science experiments,

spare parts and other logistical components to the International Space Station. A

ceremonial signing of a document signifying the transfer of Leonardo, the first of three

MPLM carriers, is to be held at the International Space Station Center located adjacent to

the Space Station Processing Facility. This activity will begin at 5:45 a.m. following the STS88 launch on Thursday, Dec. 3. ["Leonardo MPLM transfer ceremony to be held at KSC

Dec. 3," NASA News Release #146-98, November 25, 1998.]

NOVEMBER 26: A Titusville company wants to launch a new rocket that caters to the

growing number of commercial communications satellites waiting to be launched. E'Prime

Aerospace is seeking a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch its

proposed Eagle rocket from three possible locations, including Kennedy Space Center.

Formed in 1987, E'Prime originally planned to base its rocket design on the military's

Peacekeeper ballistic missile. Their plan was stymied, however, when the Cold War ended

and the government signed treaties to curtail production of the missiles, which were built to

carry nuclear warheads. Forced to go back to the drawing board, E'Prime has come up with

the Eagle. Fueled by solid propellant, the rocket could carry small satellites between 1,300

and 10,000 pounds. The company is aiming for its first launch in spring 2000. ["Local

company wants to fly new rocket," Florida Today, November 27, 1998, p 1A.]

NOVEMBER 30: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, November 30, 1998. STS-88:

The launch countdown for STS-88 began on schedule today at 7 a.m. in KSC Firing Room

3. Endeavour's aft compartment closeouts concluded last week and orbiter maneuvering

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system/reaction control system flight pressurization is complete. Today workers are

finishing final payload bay closeouts and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight this

afternoon. Operations to load the power reactant storage and distribution system with

cryogenic reactants begins tomorrow at 3 a.m. Tomorrow afternoon workers will demate

the orbiter midbody umbilical unit and retract it into the Fixed Service Structure. The flight

crew arrived at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility yesterday in preparation for Thursday's

launch. Today they will conduct flight crew equipment checks and take flights in the Shuttle

Training Aircraft. Air Force weather forecasters are indicating a 60 percent chance that

weather could prohibit launch on Dec. 3. The threat of low cloud ceilings and showers are

the primary concern. The forecast calls for clouds scattered at 4,000 feet and broken at

25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles;winds from the ENE at 10 knots and gusts to 15 knots;

Temperature at 72 degrees F; and relative humidity at 79 percent. The probability of

weather prohibiting launch for a 24-hour scrub turnaround remains 60 percent and the 48-

hour turnaround forecast is at 40 percent. STS-88 Crew, Commander (CDR): Robert

Cabana; Pilot (PLT): Fredrick Sturckow; Mission Specialist (MS1): Jerry Ross; Mission

Specialist (MS2): Nancy Currie; Mission Specialist (MS3): Jim Newman; Mission Specialist

(MS4): Sergei Ka-ikalev. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle

Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo_news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus [1998, November 30].]

NASA is warning pilots to keep their planes out of shuttle Endeavour's way during the

spaceship's planned launch early Thursday. Officials said Tuesday they don't want a repeat

of last month's delay in the flight of shuttle Discovery, which had to wait about 10 minutes

before launching while five planes were chased from restricted air space. Discovery, which

was carrying astronaut John Glenn, had the luxury of a 2 72 hour period in which to launch.

But Endeavour has only a 10-minute span for liftoff on its mission, which calls for it to

catch up with a Russian-made component of the International Space Station already in

orbit. "It is crucial that the shuttle launch team not be delayed with costly distractions like

airspace violators," said Ralph Roe, Kennedy Space Center's launch director. "Violating

these restrictions is not only unsafe for the astronauts, but it's unsafe for the violator." On

launch day, the restricted air space is monitored by the Air Force, and three planes from the

Federal Aviation Administration are ready to escort violators from the area. The FAA is in

charge of finding and sanctioning any pilots who willfully fly into the restricted areas.

["NASA warns pilots to steer clear of launch area," Florida Today, December 1, 1998, p

2A.]

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DECEMBER

DECEMBER 1: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, December 1, 1998. STS-88:

Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay closeouts are complete and the doors are closed for flight.

The orbiter's backup flight systems have been tested and load tests on the Shuttle's data

processing system are complete. Loading of cryogenic reactants into Endeavour's power

reactant storage and distribution system concluded early this afternoon. Later today, the

orbiter midbody umbilical unit will be demated and retracted into the Fixed Service

Structure at Pad 39A. The orbiter's navigation system self tests and main engine final

preparations are also slated to occur today. In keeping with the flight crew's on orbit sleep

cycle, crew members will wake up today at 2:30 p.m. A launch pad visit and walk-down is

slated for this evening and T-38 training jet flights from the Shuttle Landing Facility will

complete the crew's activities for the day. Air Force weather forecasters continue to

indicate a 60 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Dec. 3. The threat of

low cloud ceilings and showers are the primary concern. The forecast calls for clouds

scattered at 4,000 feet and broken at 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds from the ENE at

10 knots and gusts to 15 knots; temperature at 72 degrees F; and relative humidity at 79

percent. The probability of weather prohibiting launch for a 24-hour scrub turnaround

remains 60 percent and the 48-hour turnaround forecast is at 40 percent. Crew:

Commander (CDR): Robert Cabana; Pilot (PLT): Fredrick Sturckow; Mission Specialist

(MS1): Jerry Ross; Mission Specialist (MS2): Nancy Cuttle; Mission Specialist (MS3): Jim

Newman; Mission Specialist (MS4): Sergei Krikalev. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy

Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 1].]

• The promise of a few creature comforts and assurance of a good launch-viewing site are

worth $22 to the people expected to gather near downtown Titusville for Thursday's 3:59

a.m. shuttle liftoff. Delaware North Park Services has, for the second time, leased the Poe

family property at the intersection of Indian River Avenue and the A. Max Brewer

Memorial Parkway (the Garden Street extension). Melissa Tomasso, spokeswoman for

Delaware North, said the company is not expecting anywhere near the 8,000-strong crowd

that gathered on the field for John Glenn's return to space. The company expects about

2,000 people Thursday morning, she said. For the $22 a-person ticket price, people will get

a T-shirt with an International Space Station theme, assured parking and access to portable

toilets and concession stands. Six-time astronaut Storey Musgrave will be there to sign

autographs and to give a mission briefing_ Tomasso said. [''Many tickets available to watch

shuttle launch," Florida Today, December 2, 1998, p 2A.]

• NASA's Intemational Space Station might have no name other than that -

International Space Station - but the U.S. science lab that will be the centerpiece of the

outpost now has a moniker of its own: "Destiny." Now undergoing preparations for a

February 2000 launch, the huge can-shaped lab was so christened during a ceremony

Tuesday at Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials said the name was chosen because the

lab - considered the most advanced space workshop ever built - is a symbol of humanity's

quest to explore, discover and understand the universe. "We think the word destiny

represents the essence of the International Space Station," said NASA program manager

Randy Brinkley. About the size of the fuselage of a business jet, the U.S. lab stretches 28

feet in length and weighs 32,000 pounds. It will house 13 refrigerator-sized racks for science

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experiments and another 11 racks for power, cooling, humidity control and oxygengeneration systems. The lab is the third part of the space station to be named. The first

part - a Russian space tug launched Nov. 20 - is called Zarya, which means "sunrise" or

"dawn." The second part - a U.S. docking module to be hauled into space aboard shuttle

Endeavour Thursday - is named "Unity." NASA's cornerstone project for the 21 '_century

has been called International Space Station since shortly after President Clinton took office

in 1993 and dropped the name "Freedom," which had been assigned by the Reagan

administration. The names Alliance, Aurora, Sigma and Unity made NASA's short list in

the mid-1990s, but none of those were ever approved. ["Science lab gets new name -

Destiny," Florida Today, December 2, 1998, p 8A.]

• The door to shuttle Endeavour's drag-chute compartment shouldn't pose any problems

for Thursday's launch. A similar 11-pound piece of aluminum fell off during sister ship

Discovery's liftoff Oct. 29. For this mission, flight directors are bolting the door shut until

they figure out what caused the earlier failure. "We hope to have a permanent fLxin place

by the next mission that will allow us to use the drag chute during landing," said Doug

Lyons, NASA test director. The door protects the chute during launch and re-entry. It is

blown off by an explosive charge, and the chute is deployed as the shuttle rolls down the

runway after landing. Landing without the drag chute is not a problem. Early shuttle flights

didn't even have them. ["Door not expected to be problem this time," The Orlando

Sentinel, December 2, 1998, p A-6.]

DECEMBER 3: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, December 3, 1998. STS-88: The

Shuttle Endeavour remains earth bound today following a decision by launch controllers to

scrub today's launch attempt. The flight crew and Shuttle vehicle are safe and operations to

off-load the external tank of its 500,000 gallons of liquid propellants is currently underway.

This operation is expected to be complete by about 10 a.m. At the T-4 minute mark in the

launch countdown, after orbiter hydraulic systems were powered on, a master alarm in the

crew cabin was noted creating a launch commit criteria violation. The launch countdown

was then held at the T-31 second mark to further assess the situation. Shuttle system

engineers attempted to quickly completed an assessment of the suspect hydraulic system

and eventually gave an initial "go" to resume the countdown. With only seconds to

respond, launch controllers were unable to resume the countdown clock in time to launch

within the allotted remaining window, which was limited due to liquid oxygen (Lox) drainback constraints. Managers are discussing the 24-hour launch turn-around plans and are

expected to make a final determination later this morning. The crew of Endeavour are back

in their quarters and will be shifting their sleep and work schedule by about 30 minutes

earlier for a second launch attempt tomorrow. Air Force weather forecasters are indicating

a 60 percent chance that weather could prohibit launch on Dec. 4. The threat of low cloud

ceilings and showers are the primary concern. The forecast calls for clouds scattered at

4,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; winds from the east at 8 knots and gusts to 12 knots;

Temperature at 73 degrees F; and relative humidity at 81 percent. The probability of

weather prohibiting launch for a 24-hour scrub turnaround is 40 percent. Bruce

Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online].

Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 3].]

• NASA was to make a second attempt to launch its first space station construction

mission. Endeavour's launch attempt early Thursday was scrubbed after two warning lights

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began blinking in the ship's cockpit 4 1/2 minutes before a planned 3:58 launch. Among the

disappointed spectators was Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who had come to see the

liftoff. "What (the station) shows is how important international cooperation is on issues.

We have a lot of disputes, and this is a good way for 16 countries on Earth to deal with

them," said Albright. [''Alarm in the cockpit halts shuttle launch at last minute," Florida

Today_, December 4, 1998, p 4A.]

DECEMBER 4: Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, December 4, 1998. STS-88: After a

brief isolated shower near Launch Complex 39A, Endeavour launched this morning at

3:35:34 a.m. on its second launch attempt. The first attempt on Dec. 3 was scrubbed when

launch controllers, following an assessment of a suspect hydraulic system, were unable to

resume the countdown clock in time to launch within the remaining launch window. The

shuttle's ascent to orbit was flawless. This mission begins the largest cooperative space

construction project in history -- assembly of the International Space Station. Upcoming

significant mission events over the nearly 12-day mission include the removal of the Unity

connecting module from Endeavour's payload bay on Dec. 5 for connection to the Shuttle's

docking hatch, rendezvous with the Russian-built Zarya control module on Dec. 6, and the

first of three scheduled space walks by Mission Specialists Jim Newman and Jerry Ross on

Dec. 7. The mission is scheduled to end with a night landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing

Facility on Dec. 15 at about 10:36 p.m. EST. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 4].]

The launch of NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket

is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 10. There a two instantaneous launch opportunities

available that day. The target is the firs, opportunity at 1:56:38 p.m. EST. A second

opportunity at 3:02:23 p.m. EST is available if necessary. Liftoff will occur from Pad A at

Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. The Mars Climate Orbiter has

completed final checkout and was mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket on Nov. 30. The

Delta fairing was installed around the spacecraft on Dec. 4. ["Mars Climate Orbiter

scheduled for launch Dec. 10," NASA News Release #157-98, December 4, 1998.]

# One of the founding fathers of the U.S. space shuttle program plans to retire from

NASA in January. Robert Sieck, Kennedy Space Center's director of shuttle processing and

a 34-year NASA veteran, is leaving behind the 60-hour workweeks to pursue part-time

opportunities. The 60-year-old engineer will likely work as a consultant to NASA or the

aerospace industry. "My priorities are to spend more time with my family and stay in

Florida," Sieck said. "But I'd like to still feel like I'm doing something to support the space

program." Friday's launch of the shuttle Endeavour was Sieck's last as manager of launch

activities at Cape Canaveral. Afterward, to a standing ovation, he was awarded the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration's highest honor - the Distinguished Service Medal -

by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin as Secretary of State Madeline Albright looked on. "I

don't know of anyone who has done more for America's space program than Bob Sieck,"

Goldin said. "He was the launch director for 52 launches. I don't know that anyone is ever

going to break that record." Sieck, a native of St. Louis, joined NASA in 1964 as a systems

engineer for the Gemini spacecraft. After working on the Apollo project, he moved to the

shuttle program and became the engineering manager for shuttle landing tests. In 1978,

Sieck was made chief shuttle project engineer. He was appointed shuttle launch director in

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1984 and served in that post for most of the next 12 years, before becoming director of

shuttle processing. ["Veteran of shuttle program to retire from NASA after 34 years," The

Orlando Sentinel, December 5, 1998, p A-10.]

DECEMBER 8: JoAnn Morgan, NASA's first woman executive at Kennedy Space

Center, has been honored with the 1998 Woman of Achievement Award by the Melbourne

Branch of the American Association of University Women. Morgan's work was recognized

before 100 members and guests at AAUW's holiday luncheon Dec. 5 at the Imperial

Comfort Inn in Viera. Morgan, NASA's associate director for _Advanced Development and

Shuttle Upgrades at KSC, has been with the nation's manned flight program for 35 years,

and she has mentored many NASA professionals. ["Executive honored," Florida Tod.ay,

December 21, 1998, 1D.]

DECEMBER 6: Russian and American handiwork meet today in space, where the first

two pieces of the International Space Station are to be joined by shuttle Endeavour's crew.

The astronauts spent Saturday preparing for the job by taking an American-built module -

called Unity - out of Endeavour's cargo bay and placing it atop the shuttle's docking port.

Unity will remain on this perch today while shuttle Commander Bob Cabana flies the

spaceship underneath the Russian-made Zarya module, which has been in orbit since its

launch Nov. 20. Using the shuttle's robot arm, astronaut Nancy Currie is to latch onto the

Russian segment and link it to the waiting U.S. module. The delicate paring is set for 8:36

tonight while Endeavour is flying about 240 miles above Russia. ["Station pieces join

today," Florida Today, December 6, 1998, p 1A & 4A.]

DECEMBER & Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, December 8, 1998. STS-88:

Following last week's launch, Pad 39A is reported to have sustained less than normal

damage and is now undergoing an eight-month modification and upgrade period that

concludes in early August of 1999. The solid rocket booster recovery ships retumed to

Hangar AF on Saturday with the STS-88 boosters in tow. Full inspection of the boosters

began yesterday and preliminary reports indicate that both boosters are in good condition

following and excellent performance during Friday's launch of Endeavour. Shuttle

Endeavour continues to perform very well on orbit and is blazing the trail for future Space

Shuttle support of the International Space Station. STS-93: A transducer on Columbia's

freon coolant loop No. 2 has been replaced and servicing of the coolant line is in work this

week. Functional tests on the orbiter's external tank umbilical door are complete. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid rocket booster mating activities

concluded last week and closeouts are in work this week. STS-96: Discovery's orbiter

maneuvering system pod functional testing is complete, and workers have bonded and

sealed the drag chute door in place for flight. Preparations to remove the Shuttle main

engines are in work and heat shield removal is under way. Lubrication oil is being drained

from auxiliary power unit No. 2 today. Orbiter pyrotechnic initiator controller testing is

also in work this week. Later this week, flash evaporator system leak tests are scheduled.

STS-101: Atlantis' gaseous nitrogen line replacement is complete. Orbiter maneuvering

system bleedline removal is in work. Preparations are also under way to transfer Atlantis to

the VAB for temporary storage, making way for Shuttle Endeavour's return from mission

STS-88. Atlantis will transfer to OPF bay 3 following Columbia's rollover to the VAB in

early January. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

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Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, December 8].]

• Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman spent 6 1/2 hours outside shuttle Endeavour on

Monday, stringing electrical and data cables between two newly mated pieces of the

international space station. As the astronauts neared the end of their spacewalk, flight

controllers turned on the power. The connections worked, passing a milestone in the

station's early construction. ["Spacewalkers power up station," The Orlando Sentinel,

December 8, 1998, p A-1 & A-12.]

• A 3.9-miUion-year-old chunk of the moon that President Nixon gave to Honduras has

been seized by federal agents who said they uncovered a plan to sell the rock for $5 million.

"Operation Lunar Eclipse," an under cover investigation involving U.S. Customs, NASA

and the Postal Service, was aimed at stopping the sale of bogus lunar samples. In this case,

however, agents found a real one. Itwas brought back by astronauts on the Apollo 17

mission that lifted off Dec. 7, 1972, federal officials said. The rock was part of a larger

sample the astronauts dedicated to the people of the world before then returned to Earth,

said Capt. Eugene Cernan, the mission's commander. "we wanted to give a piece of this

rock to each country," Ceman said Monday. "It was to be part of the archives of that

nation and country." Authorities said a 60-year-old Florida man bought the tiny rock from

a retired Honduran military officer. They said the Florida man called Ceman to verify the

authenticity of the rock. Agents lured the man by placing a newspaper advertisement

seeking moon rockets, and they seized the rock once he led them to it - encased in acrylic,

stored in a safety deposit box. The man was not arrested, but he could face smuggling

charges for failing to declare the rock if he brought it into the country himself, Customs

spokesman Michael Sheehan said. ["Agents seize moon rock, part of Apollo 17 mission,"

Florida Today, December 9, 1998, p 2A.]

DECEMBER 9: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, December 9, 1998. STS-88:

Shuttle Endeavour continues to perform very well on orbit. Inspections of the solid rocket

boosters at Hangar AF continue on schedule. Preliminary reports indicate that both

boosters are in good shape. STS-93: Servicing of Columbia's freon coolant loop No. 2 is

now complete. Leak tests of the orbiter's crew compartment are scheduled later today. In

the Vehicle Assembly Building_ external tank and solid rocket booster doseouts continue on

schedule. STS-96: Leak testing on Discovery's flash evaporator system is complete.

Draining of lubrication oil from the orbiter's auxiliary power unit No. 2 concluded

yesterday. Preparations to remove the Shuttle main engines continue and heat shield

removal is in work. Orbiter pyrotechnic initiator controller testing is in progress today.

STS-101: Orbiter maneuvering system bleedline removal has been rescheduled to follow

Atlantis' VAB storage. Preparations are also under way to transfer Atlantis to the VAB for

temporary storage, making way for Shuttle Endeavour's return from mission STS-88.

Atlantis will transfer to OPF bay 3 following Columbia's rollover to the VAB in early

January. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report

[Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998,

December 9].]

• The next chapter of the Space Coast's opus on space travelwill be hastily scribbled

Friday as the area hosts the world's most famous astronaut and the crew from his latest

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jauntinto history. Organizersare expecting 40,000 people to attend the STS-95 astronauts'

2-mile parade along State Road AIA from First Street South to the Doubletree Hotel.

["40,000 expected at Glenn parade," Florida Today, December 10, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

# NASA has delayed the launch of a Mars-bound robot probe until at least Friday so a

computer software glitch on the craft can be fixed. Officials are to meet again today to

make a final decision for the start of the Mars Climate Orbiter mission. If the fLxes are

successful, the launch could occur at 1:45 p.m. or 2:52 p.m. Friday aboard a Boeing Delta 2

rocket from Cape Canaveral. NASA has to launch at one of those precise times to get the

probe on a proper trajectory to Mars. The mission was set for liftoffDec. 10 but was

postponed when officials discovered a problem with software designed to protect the

spacecraft from problems during launch. Mars Climate Orbiter is to make a 10-month

journey to Mars, arriving there in September 1999 to conduct an intense, two-year study of

Martian weather. It is to be followed by the Jan. 3 launch of NASA's Mars Polar Lander,

which is to plunk down near the south pole to search for water ice. ["Computer software

glitch delays launch of Mars-bound robot probe," Florida Today, December 10, 1998, p

2A.]

DECEMBER 10: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, December 10, 1998. STS-88: All

systems aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour continue to perform very well on orbit.

Inspections of the solid rocket boosters at Hangar AF continue and nozzle removal is in

work today. Managers plan to ship the nozzles to Utah tomorrow. STS-93: Workers are

performing a routine modification on orbiter Columbia, by shimming the payload bay's aft

bulkhead to ensure proper payload bay door closure. Leak tests of the orbiter's crew

compartment continue. Auxiliary power unit No. 2 fuel tank pressurization is scheduled

today. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid rocket booster closeouts

continue on schedule. STS-96: Removal of Discovery's auxiliary power unit No. 2 is

complete and that unit will be sent to the vendor this week for servicing. Shuttle main

engine removal is in progress with engine No. 2 already removed. Engines No. 3 and No. 1

are being removed today. Orbiter pyrotechnic initiator controller testing continues. STS101: Orbiter maneuvering system bleedline removal has been rescheduled to follow Atlantis'

VAB storage. Atlantis began its transfer to the VAB at about 1:20 p.m. today and is being

stored in VAB high bay 2 on hydraulic jacks. This move makes way for Shuttle Endeavour's

return from mission STS-88. Atlantis will be transferred to OPF bay 3 following Columbia's

planned rollover to the VAB in January. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 10].]

• Five U.S. astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut held a jubilant homewarming in orbit

Thursday, turning somesaults as they officially opened NASA's $50 billion International

Space Station. Both the crew of shuttle Endeavour and flight controllers on Earth called

the affiar a historic joining of 16 nations in the business of space exploration. "A very

significant and almost momentous event," proclaimed NASA lead flight director Robert

Castle. Their first act was turning on the lights in the 35-ton outpost, where the

temperature was 84 degrees. Towering out of Endeavour's cargo bay, the seven-story

station was passing 247 miles above the Indian Ocean at the time. ["Station comes to life,"

Florid8 Today, December 11, 1998, p 1A & 2A.]

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DECEMBER I_1."Space Shuttle Status Report, Friday, December 11, 1998. STS-88: All

systems aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour continue to perform very well on orbit. Removal

of the solid rocket booster aft skirts is complete and both nozzles have been removed.

Today, the nozzles will be shipped to Utah. Booster disassembly activities are on schedule

with completion set for Dec. 15. STS-93: Leak tests of Columbia's crew compartment are

complete. Shimming of the orbiter's payload bay aft bulkhead continues. The routine

modification ensures proper payload bay door closure. Auxiliary power unit No. 2 fuel tank

pressurization is scheduled today. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and solid

rocket booster closeouts continue. STS-96: Removal of Discovery's main engines is

complete. Orbiter pyrotechnic initiator controller testing continues and workers are

replacing window No. 6 today. Preparations to remove the orbiter's robot arm are in work

this week. STS-101: Yesterday, orbiter Atlantis moved from OPF bay 2 to VAB high bay 2

at about 1:20 p.m. It will be stored there on hydraulic jacks until Columbia transfers to the

VAB in January. This move makes way in the OPF for Shuttle Endeavour's return from

mission STS-88. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status

Report [Online]. Available E-mail: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status

[1998, December 11].]

Mars Climate Orbiter Mission Status Report, Friday, December 11, 1998. After a oneday delay, NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter blasted off launch pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air

Station, FL, at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today and hurtled skyward on a 9-1/2-

month flight to Mars to embark on a study of the planet's climate and current water

resources. The 24-hour launch delay will not change the spacecraft's arrival date at Mars on

September 23, 1999, or alter its primary mapping mission. The spacecraft shot through a

breezy, cloud-laced mid- afternoon sky atop a Delta II launch vehicle on the second day of

the primary launch period with new onboard software to guard against overcharging the

spacecraft's battery. The orbiter team tested the new software using the Mars Polar Lander

spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center, FL, as a testbed. Mars Polar Lander, which will join

Mars Climate Orbiter at Mars in December 1999, is currently being processed for launch on

January 3, 1999. Sixty seconds after liftoff, the four solid-rocket boosters were jettisoned,

two at a time, followed by first-stage separation and second-stage engine ignition. The

second-stage bum lasted approximately 11 minutes, 22 seconds, placing the spacecraft in a

low-Earth orbit at about 189 kilometers (117 miles) above Earth's surface. Third-stage

separation occurred at approximately 2:26 p.m. EST, followed by a burn of the third-stage

engine for 88 seconds. Once out of Earth's gravitational grasp, the orbiter was jettisoned

from the third stage using the spacecraft's onboard thrusters to remove all remaining

motion. Four minutes later, the spacecraft's solar arrays were unfolded and pointed toward

the Sun for power. NASA's Deep Space Network complex near Canberra, Australia,

acquired the orbiter's signal at 2:45 p.m. EST. Spacecraft controllers at Lockheed Martin

Astronautics in Denver, CO, and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, are

now assessing the spacecraft's initial performance. Now on its way to Mars, the Climate

Orbiter will rely on its low-gain and medium-gain antennas for communications with Earth

during the first half of the journey to Mars. Ground-controllers will track the spacecraft 24

hours a day during the first week of cruise, then reduce tracking time to 12 hours a day

using 34- meter (112-foot) antennas of the Deep Space Network. Twelve days into flight,

one of the spacecraft's science instruments, the Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer,

will be powered on and acclimated to the environment of space. The first trajectory

correction maneuver to remove errors in the spacecraft's flight path introduced at the time

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of launchwill beperformed10days into thecruisephase,onDecember21, 1998.That

thrusterfiring will bethelargestandlongestof all four trajectorycorrectionmaneuvers,

lastingabout 15to 20minutes andchangingthespacecraft'svelocitybyabout30meters

per second(67milesper hour). MarsClimateOrbiter andMarsPolarLanderarethe

secondsetof spacecraftto belaunchedin NASA'slong-termprogramof robotic

explorationof Mars.Bruce Buckingham.(1998).KennedySpaceCenterSpaceShuttle

StatusReport [Online]. AvailableE-mail:domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttlestatus[1998,December11].]

Nearly10,000fanslinedboth sidesof StateRoadA1A for a rareglimpseof an

Americanicon andthe restof thecrewfrom thehistoric Discoverymissionin October.

Glenn,smilinglikeakindlygrandfather,andtheother sixastronautsrodeatopthe back

seatsofred,whiteandblueCorvetteconvertiblesasthecrowdcheered,wavedminiature

flagsandsnappedpictures."It's heartwarmingwhenyouseesomethinglikethat,especially

the kids," Glennsaidafterward."That'swhatthespaceprogramisallabout." In apiece

of poetictiming,the2 p.m. celebrationwasprecededby thelaunchof aprobeto Mars

from justa fewmilesup the coastatCapeCanaveralAir Station.Spectatorscouldhearthe

roarfrom theBoeingDelta2rocketcarryingtheMarsClimateOrbiter butcouldn'tseeit

becauseof clouds.It wasoneof themostballyhooedparadesin Brevardsincethe1962

motorcadethatbroughtGlennalongSRA1A from PatrickAir ForceBaseto Cape

Canaveral.["10,000strong,paradefanssayit all," Florida Today, December 12, 1998, p

1B & 4B.]

DECEMBER 14: Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, December 14, 1998. STS-88:

Endeavour's crew awoke to the sounds of James Brown's & quote; I Got You (I Feel

Good),& quote; today, in honor of the good feelings evoked by this successful first

International Space Station Assembly mission. That wake-up call from Mission Control at

11:36 a.m. today, marks the start of the final full-day of operations for the six-member crew

of STS-88. At the time of crew wake-up, Endeavour was about 222 statute miles ahead of

the space station and pulling away from the station by about 12 statute miles per orbit. The

SAC-A satellite, deployed by Commander Bob Cabana last night, trails Endeavour by about

35 statute miles. Crew members will focus their activities today on preparing for their

scheduled return to the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday night. Cabana and Pilot Rick

Sturckow will spend a good part of the day checking out spacecraft systems for entry and

landing. At about 2:30 p.m. CST, the commander and pilot will begin checkout of the flight

control systems and the performance of aerodynamic surfaces and flight controls. About

an hour later, the flight crew will conduct a hot fire test of Endeavour's reaction control

system jets. Shortly before 5 p.m. CST, the crew will gather for its traditional in-flight crew

news conference talking with reporters at NASA centers and at Canadian Space Agency

Headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec. After about 3 hours of off-duty time, Cabana,

Sturckow and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross will eject another small satellite from a canister

in Endeavour's payload bay. MightySat is a 705-pound U.S. Air Force/Phillips Laboratory

satellite that will demonstrate several advanced technologies, including a composite

structure, advanced solar cells, a microparticle impact detector, advanced electronics and a

shock device. Deployment is set for 8:09 p.m. CST. The crew will wrap up the day's

activities as they begin configuring Endeavour's cabin and stowing equipment in preparation

for tomorrow's planned landing. Just before12:30 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Sturckow will stow

the Ku-band antenna, which provides high data-rate relay and television. The flight control

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teams in the Mission Control Center also are preparing for Tuesday's landing in Florida.

Preliminary weather forecasts indicate possible scattered clouds and rain showers in the

vicinity of the landing site for Tuesday's scheduled 9:54 p.m. CST landing. Endeavour is

orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems on the space shuttle

and space station operating normally. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 14].]

• Space Shuttle Status Report, Monday, December 14, 1998. STS-88: Mission controllers

continue to enjoy a smooth flight with Shuttle Endeavour, experiencing no significant issues

with the orbiter's onboard systems. The solid rocket booster nozzles were shipped to Utah

Friday and booster segment disassembly continues toward completion tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the flight crew will begin on-orbit preparations to bring Endeavour home late

Tuesday night. The first two KSC landing opportunities are Tuesday at 10:56 p.m. EST and

Wednesday at 12:32 a.m. EST. Mission managers have decided not to call up landing

support at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), CA, tomorrow. Should additional time on

orbit be needed, managers have additional KSC landing opportunities at 9:56 p.m. and at

11:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday. EAFB offers two back up opportunities Thursday at 1:06

a.m. and 2:43 a.m. EST. Weather forecasters are indicating the possibility of rain showers

within 30 nautical miles of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility and the likelihood for low cloud

cover. The forecast calls for scattered to broken clouds at 4,000 ft and broken clouds at

8,000 ft. Winds are predicted to be from the Northeast at 10 knots gusting to 17 knots.

The temperature at landing is expected to be 61 degrees F. Weather conditions at KSC are

expected to improve slightly on Wednesday. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space

Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 14].]

DECEMBER 15: Joseph "Joe" Gordon Jr., has been selected as the new KSC Public

Affairs Director. [KSC Countdown, December 15, 1998.]

• Gene Ceman joined Apollo 8 history makers Jim Lovell and Bill Anders on Tuesday

night at the Apollo/Saturn V Center for a look back at 1968's Christmas mission of Dec.

21-27. ["Space hands salute Apollo 8," Florida Today, December 16, 1998, p 1B & 2t3.]

DECEMBER 16: Space Shuttle Status Report, Wednesday, December 16, 1998. STS-88:

Last night, Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-88 flight crew made a safe and successful landing

on KSC runway 15. Weather concerns earlier in the week threatened to delay the Shuttle's

landing, but in the hours prior to touchdown KSC weather improved dramatically allowing

the Endeavour crew to return home on the first opportunity. Following routine sating of

the vehicle and preliminary inspections, Endeavour was towed to Orbiter Processing Facility

bay 2 arriving inside the hangar at about 5:30 a.m. Preliminary reports reveal that the

orbiter is in good shape post flight. Endeavour's lower surface sustained 70 total debris hits

with 21 of those being 1-inch or larger. Inspections of the orbiter will follow in the OPF

along with routine post flight deservicing of the orbiter's main propulsion system, hydraulic

power system and other major systems. Endeavour's next flight is on mission STS-99 in

September of 1999. The flight crew will depart the Cape Canaveral Air Station skid strip

tomorrow at about 11:30 a.m. bound for their homes in Houston, TX. Bruce Buckingham.

189
(1998). Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 16].]

• NASA's first space station assembly flight was a stunning success, but the agency's

shuttle chief warned Wednesday that safety needs to be toughened to prevent a possible

catastrophe during future missions. Citing three "close calls" that could have caused shuttle

accidents during the past 13 months, program boss Tommy Holloway called on project

engineers to rigorously focus on flight safety. Coupled with recent rocket explosions and

airline crashes, Holloway and the three mishaps should serve as a wake-up call for those

responsible for the safety of astronauts who fly aboard NASA spaceships. Holloway made

his comments hours after shuttle Endeavour landed late Tuesday at Kennedy Space Center,

capping a flawless mission during which the crew connected the first two segments of the

$50 billion International Space Station. His remarks followed an internal NASA report in

October that raised questions about whether a downsized shuttle work force could keep up

with a demanding space station launch schedule. In that review, dated Oct. 27, investigators

said they found "no evidence" that shuttle safety is being compromised. ["Shuttle chie_

Recent mishaps warrant tougher safety," Florida Today, December 17, 1998, p 1A &

16A.]

• The GOES-L weather satellite, to be launched aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March

or early April, arrived today by C-5 air cargo plane at the Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air

Station from the manufacturing plant in Palo Alto, CA. GOES-L is the fourth spacecraft to

be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites from the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ["GOES-L weather satellite arrives at

KSC for final testing," NASA News Release #16%98, December 16, 1998.]

DECEMBER 17: Space Shuttle Status Report, Thursday, December 17, 1998. STS-93:

Shimming modifications of Columbia's payload bay aft bulkhead are complete. Today

closeouts in the payload bay are under way and the payload bay doors will be closed

Monday for the holiday down period. In the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank and

solid rocket booster closeouts continue. STS-96: Alcohol flushing of Discovery's auxiliary

power units is complete. Workers are replacing the main engine No. 2 pitch actuator and

replacing orbiter window No. 7 today. Next week, fuel cell voltage tests will be conducted.

Discovery's payload bay doors will also be closed in preparation for the holiday down

period. STS-101: Adantis remains in VAB high bay 2 awaiting Columbia's move to the

VAB in early January. OPF bay 3 will house Atlantis throughout the STS-101 processing

flow. Workers have gained access to Atlantis' crew module to replace several ceiling panels

during the temporary VAB storage period. STS-99: Endeavour is jacked and leveled in the

OPF today, undergoing routine post-flight deservicing. Thorough inspections of the

orbiter's exterior are complete, and engineers are reporting about 116 debris hits of which

25 are 1-inch or larger. Main engine bearing drying is complete and workers finished offloading Endeavour's onboard cryogenics last night. Preparations are under way to open the

orbiter's payload bay doors. Bruce Buckingham. (1998). Kennedy Space Center Space

Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mall: domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe

shuttle-status [1998, December 18].]

• NASA's Kennedy Space Center has awarded The Boeing Company at KSC the final

three-year contract extension for payload ground operations service. The value of this

190
option is $331.9 million which brings the total value of the 15-year contract to $1.8 billion.

This contract extension is effective Jan. 1, 1999, and ends Dec. 31, 2001. This is the fifth

and final extension of the payload ground operations contract awarded since the original

contract was initiated in January 1987 with McDonnell Douglas Space and Defense Systems.

Under the cost-plus-award-fee/incentive-fee performance based contract, The Boeing

Company will continue to provide ground support, test and integration for payload

operations at KSC. ["KSC extends The Boeing Company payload processing contract,"

NASA News Release #169-98, December 18, 1998.]

• P. Thomas Breakfield, III, Director of Safety and Mission Assurance at Kennedy Space

Center and Joel R. Reynolds, KSC Safety Assurance Director, have announced their

retirement from NASA. J. Chris Fairey will succeed Breakfield as director, and Ann D.

Montgomery will move up to Deputy Director of Safety and Mission Assurance. This will

form the Safety and Mission Assurance management team at KSC. ["Thomas Breakfield

and Joel Reynolds retire from NASA; Chris Fairey and Ann Montgomery assigned to

leadership positions," NASA News Release #168-98, December 18, 1998.]

• An experimental NASA rocket called the X-34 will make test flights from Kennedy

Space Center starting in 2000, becoming the first new launch vehicle at KSC since the

shuttles started flying in 1981, officials said. By next fall, Lockheed Martin is expected to

pick three states as finalists to be the launch site for VentureStar, a next-generation

spaceship that could replace NASA's shuttle fleet. To help lure VentureStar, KSC officials

broke ground Friday for an $8 million complex that could serve as the hub for the X-34,

VentureStar and other commercial space enterprises. The facility will feature a large hangar

to house launch vehicles, a building to prepare satellites and experiments for liftoff, and

administrative offices. NASA and Florida Spaceport Authority each put $4 million toward

the cost of the new facility, and the state is spending another $1.6 million on recruitment

campaign for VentureStar. The reusable spaceship is expected to hold the key to 21 st

century dominance in a global commercial launch industry that was worth $77 billion last

year. Lockheed would build an assembly plant for its spaceships at the launch site as well,

bringing an additional 2,000 jobs to the winning state. Officials say the promise of test

flights for NASA's experimental X-34 is a good sign of more business to come. The X-34

is a small, winged rocket that is to be carried aloft by an airplane and launched in flight. But

unlike any unmanned rocket before it, the X-34 is designed to return to Earth and land like

an airplane. ["ICSC lands X-34 site," Florida Today, December 19, 1998, p 1B & 4B.]

DECEMBER 21: NASA today set a new launch date for the Advanced X-ray

Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), and announced that it will be renamed the Chandra X-ray

Observatory in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan

Chandrasekhar. The Chandra X-ray Observatory will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy

Space Center, FL, on or before Jan. 28 and launched no earlier than April 8, 1999. The

launch date will depend upon the actual shipping date and the results of a mid-February

independent review of progress towards preparing the Cambridge, MA, operations center

for launch. Chandra will be carried to space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission

STS-93, commanded by astronaut Eileen Collins. The shipment of the spacecraft was

delayed in mid-October so the prime contractor, TRW Space and Electronics Group,

Redondo Beach, CA, could complete testing on flight software. ["NASA selects new name

191
and sets new launch date for Advanced Space X-Ray Telescope," NASA News Release

#170-98, December 21, 1998.]

DECEMBER 22: Space Shuttle Status Report, Tuesday, December 22, 1998. STS-93:

Columbia's payload bay doors were closed yesterday for the holiday down period. In the

Vehicle Assembly Building_ external tank and solid rocket boosters are in high bay 1 and

closeouts will resume after the holidays. STS-96: Discovery's fuel cell voltage tests are

complete. Replacement of the Shuttle main engine No. 2 pitch actuator is in work.

Preparations for the holiday down period are also under way. STS-101: Atlantis remains in

VAB high bay 2 awaiting Columbia's move to the VAB in early February. The orbiter's

onboard tactical air command and navigation system (TACAN) is being installed. OPF bay

3 will house Atlantis throughout the STS-101 processing flow. Preparations are in work to

secure the orbiter for the holidays. STS-99: Endeavour's post-flight deservicing continues.

The Mighty SAT and ICBC payloads have been removed. Today, workers will close

Endeavour's payload bay doors for the holiday down period. Bruce Buckingham. (1998).

Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle Status Report [Online]. Available E-mail:

domo@news.ksc.nasa.gov/subscribe shuttle-status [1998, December 22].]

DECEMER 26: In a scientific first, a tiny microphone on NASA's Mars Polar Lander is to

eavesdrop on the planet's surface. Scientists don't expect it to be noisy, but the

microphone could capture blowing winds, the whistle of tiny tornadoes and the mechanical

chumings of the robot explorer. Whatever the microphone does pick up will be shared

with the world in 10-second sound bites on the Intemet. ["Microphone will listen to Mars

sounds," Florida Today, December 27, 1998, p 10A.]

192
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave b/an/¢ I 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

I

February 1999 Technical Memorandum 1998

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1998

i

e. AUTHOR(S)

Elaine E. Liston

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESSEES)

Information Dynamics, Inc.

Kennedy Space Center

9. SPONSORING/MONrrORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546-0001

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

REPORT NUMBER

10. SPONSORiNG/MONITORING

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

NASA TM--

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

This chronology is published to fulfill the requirements of KMI 2240.1

(as revised) to describe and document KSC's role in NASA's progress.

12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABIIJI_ STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Subject Category: Distribution:

Availability: NASA CASI (301) 621-0390

13. ABSTRACT (Maw'mum200 words)

This document is intended to serve as a record of KSC events and is a

reference source for historians and other researchers. Arrangement is

by day and month and individual articles are attributed to published

sources. Materials were researched and described by the KSC Library

Archivist for KSC Library Services Contractor Information Dynamics, Inc.

14. SUBJECT TERMS

Chronology, Atlantis, Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour,

Astronauts, Payloads, Bridges, Goldin, Launches, Landings,

Employees.

17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF REPORT

Unclassified

18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF THIS PAGE

Unclassified

19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF ABSTRACT

Unclassified

NSN 7540-01-280-5500

15. NUMBER OF PAGES

192

16. PRICE CODE

20, UMITATION

OF ABSTRACT

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