National Aeronautics and Space Administration
KSC AR 2010 • 1

Table of

Contents

2	 Vision, Mission & Core Competencies

3	 Center Director’s Message

6	 Significant Events

10	 Launch Vehicle Processing

14	 International Space Station & Spacecraft Processing

20	 Launch Services Program

24	 Constellation Ground Operations Project

26	 Center Planning & Development

28	 Engineering & Technology

34	 Research & Technology Achievements

38	 Environmental Leadership

42	 Education

46	 Outreach to the World

50	 Kennedy Business Report

	 	 CFO Report

	 	 Economic Impact

	 	 Work Force Diversity

	 	 Procurement Report
KSC Vision, Mission

& Core Competencies

KSC Vision

KSC is the world’s preeminent launch complex for government and 

commercial space access, enabling the world to explore and work in space.

KSC Mission

KSC safely manages, develops, integrates and sustains space systems 

through partnerships that enable innovative, diverse access to space and 

inspires the nation’s future explorers.

KSC Core Competencies

•	 Acquisition and management of launch services and 

commercial crew development

•	 Launch vehicle and spacecraft processing, launching, landing 

and recovery, operations and sustaining engineering

•	 Payload and flight science experiment processing, integration 

and testing

•	 Designing, developing, operating, and sustaining flight and 

ground systems, and supporting infrastructure

•	 Development, test and demonstration of advanced flight 

systems and transformational technologies

•	 Developing technology to advance exploration and space systems

Located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, the California 

Nebula is so named because it appears to echo the outline of 

California on the west coast of the United States.
KSC AR 2010 • 3

I

n fiscal year 2010, Kennedy Space Center forged ahead in

its efforts to be the world’s preeminent launch complex for

access to space. The highly skilled work force remained

focused on processing and launching space shuttle missions

and expendable launch vehicles, while also preparing for the

next chapter of spaceflight. We continued to inspire, engage

and inform through enriching education opportunities. We also

continued to design, develop and construct the launch site

processing infrastructure to support exploration.

During the year, Kennedy launched four shuttle missions,

working toward completion of the International Space Station.

Mission accomplishments included processing and delivering

the Tranquility node and cupola to the space station, as well as

the Russian-built Mini Research Module.

The Launch Services Program processed and launched

three missions, including NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory,

the first-of-its-kind mission to reveal the inner workings of the

sun in unprecedented detail.

Among the major milestones of the year was a visit by

President Barack Obama to Kennedy on April 15, 2010, where

he outlined details for the new course the administration is

charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human spaceflight.

The year also saw changes in organizations as well as the landscape of Kennedy. A new Center

Planning and Development Office was established to enhance the economic vitality of Kennedy, and

the Space Transportation Planning Office was formed to support the agency’s new direction.

Work in Applied Sciences and Engineering continued to flourish. New partnerships were formed

and existing ones strengthened. In 2010, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Exploration Park

at Kennedy, a new technology and commerce park being developed by Space Florida on Kennedy

property.

In Kennedy’s “green space” initiatives, Florida Power & Light’s Space Coast Next Generation Solar

Energy Center at Kennedy was commissioned, providing a 10-megawatt, solar power facility that will

provide electricity to more than 1,000 Florida homes and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by

more than 227,000 tons.

These are just a few highlights of the many accomplishments that were achieved by the outstanding

work force. I invite you to take a few minutes to read more and look back on what made 2010 such an

exciting year at Kennedy.

Center Director’s

Message

Robert D. Cabana
Birds flock to warmer water in the 

Launch Complex 39 area at Kennedy 

Space Center. In the background 

is the Vehicle Assembly Building. 

Kennedy coexists with the Merritt 

Island National Wildlife Refuge, 

habitat to more than 310 species of 

birds, 25 mammals, 117 fish and 65 

amphibians and reptiles.
In the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy 

Space Center, President Barack Obama addresses the 

participants of the Conference on the American Space 

Program for the 21st Century on April 15, 2010. In his 

remarks, he outlined the new course his administration 

is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership 

in human spaceflight.
6 • KSC AR 2010

Significant

Events

1. Oct. 9, 2009: LCROSS impacts moon

Kennedy Space Center workers watched a live broadcast of NASA’s Lunar Crater 

Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and its Centaur rocket impact the 

moon at about 7:30 a.m. EDT. The collision was designed to send up a plume 

of debris that could have indicated water ice and was monitored by various 

telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

2. Oct. 28, 2009: Ares I-X test rocket launches

NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket lifted off at 11:30 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B. 

The flight test lasted about six minutes until splashdown of the booster stage nearly 150 miles downrange 

of the Space Coast.

3. Nov. 9, 2009: NASA awards ISSC contract

NASA selected C&C International Computers and Consultants Inc. of Hollywood, Fla., to provide 

institutional support services at Kennedy Space Center.

4. Nov. 16, 2009: Atlantis launches on STS-129 mission 

Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began an 11-day delivery flight to 

the International Space Station at 2:28 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis 

transported spare hardware to the station and returned a station crew member to 

Earth.

5. Nov. 19, 2009: Kennedy solar farm commissioned

Representatives from NASA, Florida Power & Light and SunPower Corp. formally commissioned a onemegawatt facility at Kennedy Space Center. It is NASA’s first large-scale solar power generation facility.

6. Nov. 20, 2009: Tranquility node transferred to NASA

The European Space Agency transferred ownership of the Tranquility node to 

NASA during a ceremony at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing 

Facility. Tranquility, a pressurized module, was delivered to the space station 

during shuttle Endeavour’s STS-130 mission.

7. Nov. 27, 2009: Atlantis completes STS-129 mission 

Space shuttle Atlantis and its returning crew of seven astronauts ended an 11-day 

journey of nearly 4.5 million miles with a 9:44 a.m. EST landing at Kennedy Space 

Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

8. Dec. 14, 2009: WISE spacecraft launches

NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, launched aboard a Delta II 

rocket at 9:09 a.m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket 

placed WISE into a polar orbit 326 miles above Earth.

9. Feb. 8, 2010: Endeavour launches on STS-130 mission

Space shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida’s Space Coast 

with a 4:14 a.m. EST launch from Launch Pad 39A on a mission to deliver the 

Tranquility node and cupola to the International Space Station.
KSC AR 2010 • 7

10. Feb. 11, 2010: Solar Dynamics Observatory launches

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, launched aboard an Atlas V rocket 

at 10:23 a.m. EST from Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

in Florida. SDO is a first-of-its-kind mission to reveal the sun’s inner workings in 

unprecedented detail.

11. Feb. 12, 2010: NASA awards concession agreement for 

Kennedy Visitor Complex

NASA selected Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts Inc., of Buffalo, N.Y., to provide concession 

services for the operation of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The new agreement 

began May 1, 2010.

12. Feb. 21, 2010: Endeavour glides home

Space shuttle Endeavour and six astronauts ended a 13-day journey of more than 

5.7 million miles with a 10:20 p.m. EST landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle 

Landing Facility. The STS-130 mission delivered the last major U.S. portion to the 

International Space Station.

13. March 4, 2010: GOES-P satellite launches

NASA’s latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-P, lifted 

off aboard a Delta IV rocket at 6:57 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-37 

at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The latest National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite joined four other similar spacecraft to 

improve weather forecasting and monitoring of environmental events.

14. April 5, 2010: Discovery launches on STS-131 mission 

Space shuttle Discovery launched about 45 minutes before sunrise, at 6:21 a.m. EDT, from Kennedy 

Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A, on a mission to deliver science experiments, equipment and supplies to 

the International Space Station.

15. April 8, 2010: Solar power facility commissioned

NASA, Florida Power & Light, or FPL, and political leaders commissioned FPL’s 

Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center at Kennedy Space Center. The 

10-megawatt solar-power facility will provide electricity to more than 1,000 Florida 

homes and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 227,000 tons.

16. April 15, 2010: President visits Kennedy Space Center

President Barack Obama visited Kennedy Space Center and delivered remarks 

on the bold new course the administration is charting for NASA and the future 

of U.S. leadership in human spaceflight. The president’s visit preceded NASA’s 

Conference on the American Space Program for the 21st Century, held at the 

center’s Operations and Checkout Building and Visitor Complex.

17. April 20, 2010: Discovery completes STS-131 mission

Space shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts ended a 15-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles with 

a 9:08 a.m. EDT landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

18. May 14, 2010: Atlantis launches on STS-132 mission

Space shuttle Atlantis launched at 2:20 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s 

Launch Pad 39A on the STS-132 mission to deliver the Russian-built Mini 

Research Module, cargo and critical spare parts to the International Space 

Station.
8 • KSC AR 2010

19. May 26, 2010: Atlantis returns to Earth

Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 

8:48 a.m. EDT landing at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

20. May 27, 2010: Final shuttle solid rocket boosters arrive

The final space shuttle solid rocket booster segments arrived by Florida East 

Coast Railway and were interchanged at the NASA Railroad located north of 

Titusville, Fla., for delivery to Kennedy Space Center. The segments will be used 

for shuttle Atlantis on what currently is planned as the “launch on need,” or 

potential rescue mission for the final shuttle flight, Endeavour’s STS-134 mission.

21. May 28, 2010: Kennedy hosts first Lunabotics Mining Competition 

NASA’s first Lunabotics Mining Competition, hosted by Kennedy Space Center’s Education Programs and 

University Research Division, drew more than 20 university teams to design and build remote controlled or 

autonomous excavators, called lunabots.

22. June 2, 2010: Secretary of Labor pledges work force assistance

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the U.S. Department of Labor 

awarded a $15 million grant to assist workers in Florida who will be affected by the 

end of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

23. June 4, 2010: NASA and Department of Commerce present Space Industry Task Force 

update

Central Florida business and industry leaders participated in a town hall meeting in Orlando, Fla., to hear 

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke present an update on the 

Presidential Task Force on Space Industry Work Force and Economic Development. The task force will 

determine how a $40 million, multi-agency initiative for regional economic growth will be used to prepare 

space industry workers for future opportunities.

24. June 5, 2010: Astronaut induction ceremony at Kennedy’s Visitor 

Complex

Four former astronauts were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame for 

2010 during a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. 

Inducted were Guy Bluford Jr., the first African-American to fly in space; Ken 

Bowersox, pilot of the first maintenance mission to restore NASA’s Hubble Space 

Telescope; Frank Culbertson Jr., commander of the first space shuttle night 

landing at Kennedy; and Kathy Thornton, a mission specialist during the first threeperson spacewalk flight.

25. June 25, 2010: Exploration Park Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking ceremony for NASA and Space Florida’s new technology and 

commerce park, known as Exploration Park at Kennedy Space Center, was held 

outside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory.

26. July 1, 2010: Kennedy Space Center hosts U.S. Naturalization Ceremony

NASA helped welcome more than 100 people as new U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at 

the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administered the 

Oath of Allegiance to candidates representing 36 countries.
KSC AR 2010 • 9

27. July 11, 2010: Sea turtle hatchlings released along Kennedy shoreline

Kennedy Space Center helped with the unprecedented effort to save wildlife from the effects of the BP 

Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The first group of hatchlings from endangered sea turtle 

eggs, 22 Kemp’s ridley turtles, was released into the Atlantic Ocean off Kennedy’s Central Florida coast.

28. July 14, 2010: Final external fuel tank arrives at Kennedy Space 

Center

The last newly manufactured external fuel tank, ET-138, for Atlantis’s STS-135 

mission, arrived at Kennedy Space Center aboard the Pegasus barge from NASA’s 

Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

29. July 29, 2010: Kennedy hosts Community Leaders Breakfast

Kennedy Space Center hosted its annual Community Leaders Breakfast at the Kennedy Space Center 

Visitor Complex. Center Director Bob Cabana provided an overview of space center operations and a look 

ahead at upcoming missions and activities.

30. Aug. 10, 2010: Robonaut 2 arrives at Space Station Processing 

Facility

Robonaut 2, or R2, designed by NASA and General Motors, arrived at Kennedy 

Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility for processing and packing. R2 

was delivered to the International Space Station on space shuttle Discovery’s STS133 mission.

31. Aug. 20, 2010: Kennedy to support new Center of Excellence

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, announced that Kennedy Space Center will support the 

new Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, a university-led consortium sponsored 

by the FAA. The new center will perform research and development to help build a safe and strong U.S. 

commercial space industry.

32. Aug. 26, 2010: Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer arrives at Kennedy 

Space Center

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, or AMS, arrived at Kennedy’s Shuttle 

Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-5 aircraft for processing at the Space 

Station Processing Facility. The particle physics detector will fly aboard shuttle 

Endeavour’s STS-134 mission, targeted to launch Apr. 19, 2011.

33. Sept. 16, 2010: NASA awards Launch Services Contract

NASA announced the award for its Launch Services (NLS) II Contract, managed by Kennedy Space 

Center. The award will provide a broad range of launch services for NASA’s planetary, Earth-observing, 

exploration and scientific satellites.

34. Sept. 20, 2010: Discovery makes planned trip to launch pad

Space shuttle Discovery made its trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building to 

Launch Pad 39A, in preparation for the STS-133 mission to the International 

Space Station.

35. Sept. 28, 2010: External fuel tank makes last move to Vehicle Assembly Building

The last delivered external fuel tank was transported from the barge that carried it from Louisiana to 

the Vehicle Assembly Building for processing. The tank, designated ET-122, will support space shuttle 

Endeavour’s STS-134 mission to the International Space Station.
10 • KSC AR 2010

Launch Vehicle

Processing

During Fiscal Year 2010, Kennedy Space

Center’s Launch Vehicle Processing

Directorate and ground operations

processing team prepared Atlantis, Discovery and

Endeavour for four missions to the International

Space Station. Several challenges were overcome

and process efficiencies were initiated in order to

achieve four successful space shuttle launches from

Launch Complex 39, all while implementing personnel

reductions as the team prepares for the end of the

Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

The ground processing team received and

processed the final external fuel tank and solid rocket

booster segments for the STS-135 mission, the final

shuttle flight. The team also helped plan and prepare

for the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program

by assisting in key areas of shuttle transition and

retirement.

Mission STS-129/Atlantis 

The processing team surpassed several resource

obstacles as Atlantis was prepared for its STS-129

mission. One challenge was the fact that the Ares I-X

integrated flow on Launch Pad 39B coincided with

the STS-129 integrated flow at Launch Pad 39A.

Processing required that many of the same personnel

and equipment resources were shared between the

two pads, which required constant coordination

between multiple elements and programs. Another

challenge for STS-129 was a late requirement to add

instrumentation to the mobile launcher platform and

the shuttle vehicle to help understand the main engine

acoustic environment that was believed to be the

cause of an anomaly on a previous mission.

Atlantis launched on Nov. 16, 2009, at 2:28

p.m. EST, on its 31st flight, after achieving a record

low number of problem reports during prelaunch

processing in its orbiter processing facility. It was the

129th space shuttle mission and the 31st flight to the

International Space Station.

On its third day of flight, Atlantis docked with the

space station and delivered the ExPRESS (Expedite

the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station)

Logistics Carrier (ELC-1) and the ELC-2. The crew

also carried the repaired S-band Antenna SubAssembly (SASA) to the station that was returned

to Earth on a previous mission. Mission specialists

performed three spacewalks, bringing the total

number of space station assembly spacewalks to

136. The STS-129 mission also marked the last

crew rotation mission for the Space Shuttle and

In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility 

(RPSF) at Kennedy Space Center, workers perform 

the propellant grain inspection of the final solid 

rocket booster segments, which is a required 

safety analysis, June 8, 2010. The segments will be 

used for what currently is planned as NASA’s final 

space shuttle flight, STS-135.
KSC AR 2010 • 11

International Space Station programs.

Atlantis touched down at Kennedy’s Shuttle

Landing Facility on Nov. 27 at 9:44 a.m. EST after

traveling nearly 4.5 million miles in orbit.

Mission STS-130/Endeavour

During Endeavour’s STS-130 mission processing

flow, the team implemented several weight-saving

modifications in support of the future STS-134

mission. Also, several upgrades to the vehicle were

implemented to enhance flight safety. The space

shuttle remained in the Vehicle Assembly Building

(VAB) during the holidays and rolled out to the pad

during a cold weather spell in early January 2010.

Endeavour began the STS-130 mission with a

spectacular early morning launch Feb. 8 at 4:14 a.m.

EST. The first launch attempt the day before was

scrubbed due to clouds over the Launch Complex

39 area. After a flawless ascent into orbit, Endeavour

arrived at its destination, the International Space

Station, on Flight Day 4. Carried into orbit were the

Tranquility module and the cupola.

Mission specialists helped attach Tranquility to the

space station. The cupola, a robotic control station

with six windows around its sides and another in

the center to provide a 360-degree panoramic view

around the station, was attached to its berth on the

Tranquility module. Mission specialists performed

three spacewalks to further complete the outfitting

and assembly of the station.

After 217 orbits around Earth, Endeavour safely

landed at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility. The

130th space shuttle mission ended with a nighttime

touchdown Feb. 21 at 10:20 p.m. EST.

Mission STS-131/Discovery 

The original plan to move Discovery to the VAB

on Feb. 12, 2010, was delayed due to cold weather

at Kennedy. With improved weather conditions,

Discovery began its journey to the Vehicle Assembly

Building on Feb. 22. After the shuttle was attached to

the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters,

space shuttle Discovery rolled out to Launch Pad 39A

on March 3.

Discovery’s predawn launch, on April 5 at 6:21

a.m. EDT, began its 38th flight into space. The crew

of the International Space Station welcomed the

shuttle crew upon their arrival April 7. The following

day, the 27,270-pound multi-purpose logistics module

Leonardo was unberthed from the payload bay and

attached to the space station. Throughout the course

of the 11-day docked portion of the mission, supplies

aboard Leonardo were transferred to the space

station and three spacewalks were completed.

After traveling more than 6.2 million miles in orbit,

Discovery completed the 131st space shuttle mission

by touching down at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing

Facility on April 20 at 9:08 a.m. EDT. Landing had

been scheduled for the day before, but was waved off

due to poor weather conditions.

A panoramic image shows space shuttle Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at Kennedy Space 

Center in Florida, as the shuttle is prepared for “rollover” to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 9, 

2010.
12 • KSC AR 2010

Mission STS-132/Atlantis 

The STS-132 mission was significant in that it

concluded a very busy year in ground processing.

Atlantis’ trip from its orbiter processing facility to the

Vehicle Assembly Building on April 13, 2010, was

historic in the fact that it occurred exactly 25 years to

the date of its first arrival at Kennedy Space Center.

Once there, Atlantis was attached to its external fuel

tank and twin solid rocket boosters and then rolled

out to Launch Pad 39A. Engineers and technicians

achieved a smooth processing flow and actually set

a new record low for the number of problem reports

during prelaunch processing.

A flawless countdown led up to Atlantis’ smooth

climb into orbit, May 14 at 2:20 p.m. EDT, on its 32nd

flight. The shuttle and payload weighed more than 4.5

million pounds.

Atlantis docked with the space station on May

16 and its mission specialists conducted three

spacewalks to deliver the Russian Rassvet module,

which eventually was connected to the space station.

Rassvet means “dawn” in Russian. Atlantis also

carried a picture of Sir Isaac Newton along with a

4-inch-long wood sample of Newton’s apple tree. The

piece is from the original tree that supposedly inspired

Newton’s Theory of Gravity.

After orbiting Earth 186 times and traveling more

than 4.8 million miles in orbit, Atlantis landed at

Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility on May 26 at 8:48

a.m. EDT.

Last Shut

Deliveries 

External Fuel Tank Element

NASA’s last delivered external fuel tank, ET-122,

built for the Space Shuttle Program, arrived aboard

the Pegasus Barge from the agency’s Michoud

Assembly Facility in New Orleans to Kennedy on

Sept. 27, 2010. The tank, originally damaged during

Hurricane Katrina in 2006, was completely repaired

and is slated to fly on Endeavour’s STS-134 mission.

Solid Rocket Boosters and

Motor Segment

The final motor segment arrived from the ATK solid

rocket booster plant in Promontory, Utah, to Kennedy

on May 27, 2010.

The final booster segments were transported

from ATK, using the Florida East Coast Railway for

the final leg of the trip to the center. In the Rotation,

Processing and Surge Facility, workers performed

the propellant grain

inspection of the booster

segments, which is a

required safety analysis.

The booster segments

were transferred from

the Assembly and

Refurbishment Facility

to the Vehicle Assembly

Building for stacking.

The right and left

forward assemblies

were refurbished and

processed at Kennedy.

They are comprised

of three components,

the nose cap, frustrum

and forward skirt. They

were stacked and will

be joined to an external

fuel tank and space

shuttle Atlantis for what

A mobile gantry crane lifts one of the solid rocket boosters used during space 

shuttle Atlantis’ STS-132 launch in May 2010 from a hoisting slip at the Solid 

Rocket Booster Disassembly Facility at Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Force 

Station in Florida.
KSC AR 2010 • 13

currently is planned as the final STS-135 mission to

the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Transition and 

Retiremen

The Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate and

ground operations embarked on the first significant

steps for transition and retirement of NASA’s space

shuttle fleet and the infrastructure that supports

launch processing operations. Launch Pad 39B

served as a pathfinder for transitioning a complex

set of facilities while continuing to safely launch

shuttles from Launch Pad 39A. After cryogenic and

other hazardous systems were successfully safed

and decommissioned, the 48 facilities that comprise

Launch Pad 39B were transferred to the Constellation

Program. A contract was signed to demolish the pad,

paving the way for future launch opportunities.

The Mobile Launcher Platform-1 (MLP-1) served as

a test case for transitioning complex ground support

equipment. More than 100 spare hardware items were

removed from the MLP to be maintained for shuttle

support. After all of the hazardous systems were

successfully safed and decommissioned, MLP-1 was

transferred to the institution for demolition. The team

also is finalizing the requirements to decommission

the shuttles upon completion of the last flight, and

prepare them for display in museums.

Ares I-X Flight Test

The Launch Vehicle Processing Directorate and the

Ground Operations contractor were at the forefront

of efforts to prepare, integrate, test and successfully

launch the Ares I-X test vehicle. Several modifications

were successfully designed, certified and tested to

support the launch.

After various segments of the flight hardware

were integrated into the launch vehicle, the Ares I-X

test rocket underwent a thorough checkout using

newly developed and integrated test procedures

designed to satisfy unique test requirements and

ensure flight readiness. The test team created a new

launch countdown procedure specifically for Ares

I-X. The team also used several rigorous simulations

to exercise and enhance the procedure as well as

provide valuable training for the launch team.

The team’s efforts culminated with a successful

launch of the Ares I-X vehicle from Launch Pad 39B,

on Oct. 28, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. EDT. The flight test

lasted about six minutes until splashdown of the

booster stage nearly 150 miles downrange of the

Space Coast.

Space shuttle Atlantis appears to stand upright but actually is suspended vertically by crane well over the 

floor of the transfer aisle in Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, Oct. 6, 2009.
14 • KSC AR 2010

International Space Station & 

Spacecraft Processing

For more than a decade, Kennedy Space

Center’s International Space Station and

Spacecraft Processing Directorate has played

an integral role in constructing one of the largest

scientific and technical collaborations in space. During

Fiscal Year 2010, the directorate processed some of

the final assembly components for the U.S. portion

of the station, as well as a multitude of research

experiments.

Known as the “Stocking the Station” mission,

STS-129 delivered 14 tons of critical spare parts for

the station’s electrical, plumbing, air conditioning,

communications and robotics systems in November

2009. In the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF),

Kennedy’s team mounted the parts and one research

payload to two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers bound for

the orbiting outpost. During the mission, both carriers

were deployed to parking locations on the station’s

integrated truss assembly.

The SSPF then hosted the European-built

Node 3 module called Tranquility. Kennedy’s team

worked with the Italian Space Agency and the prime

contractor, Thales Alenia Space based in Turin, Italy,

to get the module ready to fly aboard the STS-130

mission in February 2010. Technicians also processed

a station structure that astronauts hail as one of the

best -- the cupola -- providing a seven-windowed,

360-degree view of the universe.

Next, technicians modified the Leonardo multipurpose logistics module (MPLM) and loaded it with

several experiments, supplies, food and a new crew

quarters for the station. Another major component

processed in the SSPF was an 1,800-pound orbital

replacement unit (ORU) -- the ammonia tank assembly

-- which was installed on the

outside of the station during STS131 in April 2010.

The team then collaborated

with Boeing’s Checkout Assembly

and Payload Processing Services

(CAPPS), NASA’s Johnson

Space Center, Rocket and

Space Corporation Energia (RSC

Energia), and the European

Aeronautic Defense and Space

Co. (EADS Astrium) to process

two major station payloads for the

STS-132 mission. The Russianbuilt Mini Research Module

(MRM-1) and the Integrated

Cargo Carrier were readied for

their May 2010 trip to space in

the Astrotech payload processing

Workers check the cupola, at left, being aligned with the Tranquility module, at right, during processing 

inside Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility, Aug. 31, 2009, for the STS-130 mission 

to the International Space Station.
KSC AR 2010 • 15

facility at Port Canaveral, Fla. Technicians in the

SSPF focused their attention on the mission’s flight

support equipment and the space-to-ground antenna

(SGANT) that provides two-way data, voice and video

communications for station residents.

Work continues for the remaining scheduled

space shuttle missions. In August 2009, technicians

began processing STS-133’s ExPRESS Logistics

Carrier-4, which is filled with external payloads

and experiments. They modified MPLM Leonardo

to become the Permanent Multipurpose Module

(PMM), which will be left aboard the station for future

microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials

science, biology and biotechnology. SSPF technicians

also got up close and personal with a human-like

experiment -- Robonaut 2, also known as R2 -- a

dexterous humanoid astronaut that could one day

help with tasks outside the station.

In December 2009, ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-3

arrived for its STS-134 mission to the station. It is

slated to carry two spare S-band communications

antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare

parts for the station’s two-armed robot named Dextre

and micrometeoroid debris shields. In August 2010,

technicians began processing the Alpha Magnetic

Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a state-of-the-art particle

physics detector that will use the unique environment

of space to study the universe and its origin by

searching for dark matter.

Space station elements took the team international,

as well. In August 2010, the team shipped tools and

flight support equipment for six ORUs, including the

flex hose rotary coupler, to the Japan Aerospace

Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) launch complex on the

island of Tanegashima. The ORUs are scheduled to lift

off in January 2011 atop JAXA’s H-IIB launch vehicle

for delivery to the station aboard an uncrewed HTV-2

transporter.

As the current space station effort reaches its

critical “Assembly Complete” milestone, the U.S.

portion of the station is rapidly emerging as a National

Laboratory and major platform for research and

discovery.

Inside Kennedy Space Center’s Orbiter Processing Facility-3, technicians install a DragonEye proximity 

sensor, developed by SpaceX, in space shuttle Discovery on July 28, 2010. DragonEye is a laser imaging 

detection and ranging sensor that was tested on Discovery’s docking operations with the International 

Space Station during the STS-133 mission.
16 • KSC AR 2010

International Space Station Researc

Processing and Development 

The International Space Station and Spacecraft

Processing Directorate’s Research Processing and

Development Team at Kennedy Space Center was

instrumental in performing preflight testing and

integration on an array of space station research

payloads. It also helped enable the successful

operation of those payloads in space and the return of

significant scientific findings to Earth.

Throughout processing, the center worked to

develop and refresh critical civil service engineering

skills for future programs, such as collaboration with

government and commercial entities interested in

sending experiments to the space station’s National

Laboratory.

Kennedy’s ISS Research Processing and

Development Team readied the General Laboratory

Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator

(GLACIER) for several space shuttle missions to the

orbiting outpost during Fiscal Year 2010. It provided

a double, middeck-locker-size freezer/refrigerator for

a variety of experiments that required temperatures

ranging from 39 degrees to -301 degrees F.

Engineers and technicians in the SSPF also

prepared the Materials International Space Station

Experiment (MISSE) for missions STS-129 and STS131. MISSE is a series of external exchangeable

test beds located on the European Space Agency’s

Columbus External Payload Facility and NASA’s

Express Logistics Carriers. During STS-134, MISSE-8

will be attached to the outside of the station and

evaluated for the effects of atomic oxygen, vacuum,

solar radiation, micrometeorites, direct sunlight, and

extremes of heat and cold.

Following is a synopsis of some of the major

biological research payloads that Kennedy developed,

flight certified, and directed in-orbit operations and

associated ground controls.

The Advanced Biological Research System

In Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility, May 11, 2010, technicians disconnect the 

remaining racks from the inner walls of multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo after its return from the 

STS-131 mission to the International Space Station.
KSC AR 2010 • 17

(ABRS) was the first of 50 successful biological flight

experiments developed at Kennedy to permanently

reside on the space station. ABRS is a single-locker,

closed system with two growth chambers. Each

chamber is capable of independently controlling

temperature, illumination and atmospheric

composition to grow a variety of biological organisms,

including plants, microorganisms, and small insects

and spiders.

The LADA Vegetable Production Unit Plants,

Protocols, Procedures and Requirements was

developed and managed as a collaboration between

the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) at Utah State

University and the Russian Institute for Biomedical

Problems. LADA utilized an existing garden to

advance the technology required for plant growth in

microgravity, studied related food safety issues and

investigate the non-nutritional value of astronauts

developing plants in space.

Work for future shuttle missions to the station is

ongoing in the SSPF.

The Space Test Program-Houston 3 (STP-H3)

was mounted on ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC3) for the STS-134 mission and consists of several

components.

One component, called Canary, will test concepts

in low Earth orbit for future long-duration spaceflight

missions by investigating the interaction of ions with

the background plasma environment around the

space station.

Another named Massive Heat Transfer Experiment

(MHTEX) is expected to achieve flight qualification of

an advanced capillary pumped loop system.

Also included in the STP-H3 is the Variable

Emissivity Radiator Aerogel Insulation Blanket Dual

zone thermal control Experiment suite for Responsive

space (VADER). It will test a robust, reconfigurable

thermal control system geared primarily toward small

responsive space missions but can be applied to a

wide range of missions and satellite classes. It also

will test a new form of multilayer insulation using

Aerogel material as the thermal isolator.

On the International Space Station, astronaut Timothy Creamer harvests genetically modified 

Arabidopsis plants grown in the Advanced Biological Research System (ABRS) sub-rack facility 

using a green fluorescent protein imaging system and fixation tube Feb. 26, 2010. The imaging 

system and fixation tube were developed at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Lab.
18 • KSC AR 2010

Commercial Orbital Transportation

Services

In Fiscal Year 2010, the International Space Station

and Spacecraft Processing Directorate provided

support to NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation

Services (COTS) program.

SpaceX, which was awarded procurement for

three demonstration flights under COTS, continued

to develop Launch Complex-40 (LC-40) at Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station

in Florida for its launches and

Kennedy shared technical

lessons learned.

Kennedy also received

funding from the American

Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA) initiative to support

upgrading LC-40’s lightning

towers, power substation,

facilities and conductive

floor in an effort to enable

commercial space partners. The

funds also allowed the center

to initiate a new effort that

enables commercial providers

to request and acquire center

services and capabilities to

support commercial space

development.

The Falcon 9’s first stage

was tested with all nine

engines in McGregor, Texas,

prior to shipment to Kennedy

for the Pathfinder mission.

After a planned hot fire on

the pad, SpaceX successfully

demonstrated the Pathfinder

launch on June 4, 2010. This

launch has paved the way for

SpaceX to perform its COTS

1 Demonstration mission in

December 2010. This is the first

of three demonstration flights

with the last flight destined for

the International Space Station in late 2011.

Through the NASA Commercial Resupply Services

(CRS) contract, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp.

are among other providers making resupply missions

to the station with food, water and spare parts after

the Space Shuttle Program is retired.

The canister containing the payload for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-129 mission to the International 

Space Station is lifted toward the Payload Changeout Room at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A 

on Oct. 30, 2009.
A United Launch 

Alliance Atlas V rocket 

carries NASA’s Solar 

Dynamics Observatory 

into orbit from Launch 

Complex-41 at Cape 

Canaveral Air Force 

Station, Feb. 11, 2010, 

at 10:23 a.m. EST.
During Fiscal Year 2010, NASA’s Launch

Services Program (LSP), managed at

Kennedy Space Center, had a busy year as

the team prepared launch vehicles and overcame

challenging processing requirements for spacecraft

for two launches, along with mission integration

activities for 14 missions on contract. LSP provided

advance planning of more than 35 future expendable

launch vehicle missions for the Exploration Systems,

Science, and Space Operations mission directorates.

The office supported NASA’s Science Mission

Directorate during its announcement of opportunities

for the Discovery 12, and Explorers and New

Frontiers programs.

LSP strengthened its partnerships

with the U.S. Air Force and the National

Reconnaissance Office, while seeking new

partnership opportunities. It also served in an

advisory capacity for the Commercial Crew

Program and supported NASA’s 21st Century

Space Launch Complex with programmatic

planning and lessons learned.

Wide-field Infrared Surve

Explorer 

NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

(WISE) launched on a Delta II rocket, on Dec.

14, 2009, at 9:09 a.m. EST from Vandenberg

Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. The

spacecraft was launched into polar orbit

about 326 miles above Earth.

During processing at VAFB, the team

met the challenge of keeping the WISE

satellite cooled to a required temperature

by using solid hydrogen. Modifications were

made to vent stacks at the Astrotech facility

and Space Launch Complex-2 in order to

accommodate delivery of the liquid hydrogen

20 • KSC AR 2010

Launch Services

Program

In the White Room at Space Launch 

Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base 

in California, the Delta II payload fairing 

begins to surround NASA’s Wide-field 

Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) on Nov. 

25, 2009.
in a special cryostat container. The container was

cooled during a two-week period in order for the liquid

hydrogen to reach a solid state.

Kennedy worked with NASA’s Goddard Space

Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., to develop a system

that reduces launch vehicle loads at the spacecraft to

launch vehicle interface. The center worked with JPL

and United Launch Alliance to use in-house analytical

tools for the complicated flow at the launch pad.

Highlighting its in-house capabilities, LSP

performed a considerable amount of trade studies in

the coupled-loads area in the design of the isolation

system for the WISE spacecraft. The unique LSP

capability allowed the WISE team to perform the

design and manufacturing of the isolation system in a

short timeframe without impacting the launch date.

The satellite is now surveying the entire sky in

a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum called

the mid-infrared with far greater sensitivity than any

previous mission or program ever has. The WISE

survey will eventually consist of millions of images

from which hundreds of millions of astronomical

objects will be cataloged, providing a vast storehouse

of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way

and the universe.

Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO),

launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V

rocket, on Feb. 11, 2010, at 10:23 a.m. EST from

Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

During processing at the Astrotech facility in

Titusville, Fla., the telescope had several very

stringent contamination requirements for its highresolution optics. In order to fulfill these requirements

and simultaneously maintain SDO at 78 degrees F,

Astrotech purchased a large laminar flow enclosure

for the sensitive telescope and increased the

capability of its air conditioning system. To reduce

the heat generated by equipment and workers during

the daytime, the work flow was switched to evenings,

when outside temperatures were typically lower.

SDO was the first mission launched for NASA’s

Living with a Star (LWS) Program and is designed

to understand the causes of solar variability and its

impacts on Earth. SDO will take a closer look at the

sun and help develop the ability to better understand

its influence on the Earth and near-Earth space by

studying the solar atmosphere. Understanding the sun

and how it works better will allow scientists to better

predict and forecast the weather out in space and

provide earlier warning to protect aircraft, satellites

and astronauts.

LSP also supported a commercial mission, the

Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean

Basin Observation (COSMO-4), which launched on

Nov. 5, 2010, from Space Launch Complex-2 West at

VAFB. The launch was the 350th Delta II launch and

the last manifested commercial launch from SLC2 West. LSP was able to test new ground support

equipment that it installed on the pad to prevent

damage to the launch vehicle during direct load of

KSC AR 2010 • 21

Rising above the pad’s fixed service tower, a Delta 

IV rocket soars into the sky with the GOES-O 

satellite aboard. Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT 

June 27, 2009, from Launch Complex-37 at Cape 

Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
22 • KSC AR 2010

hypergolic propellants. The ground support equipment

may be beneficial for future Department of Defense

and polar-orbiting missions.

Advisory Services

In addition to traditional end-to-end launch

services, the program also provided advisory support

for future NASA missions, including the Lunar

Atmospheric and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE),

developed by Ames Research Center and bound for

the moon on a Minotaur V in 2013; the James Webb

Space Telescope (JWST), a spacecraft developed by

Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., that

will launch aboard a European Space

Agency Ariane rocket; and the Global

Precipitation Measurement (GPM)

spacecraft, another Goddard mission

that will launch aboard a Japan

Aerospace Exploration Agency J-II

rocket.

Also in this advisory role, LSP

proposed support for six tasks on the

Crew Resupply Services contract,

led by Johnson Space Center. One

of these tasks is to perform an

independent analytical verification

and validation of guidance, navigation

and controls on SpaceX’s Falcon

9, and Orbital Sciences’ Taurus II,

rockets. For the first time, the office

served in an advisory capacity to the

International Space Station Program

for its Crew Resupply Services, by

providing technical evaluations of the

CRS vehicles’ major systems and

subsystems, performing independent

verification and validation and

providing risk evaluation data.

LSP also supported studies for Orion flight and

re-entry tests, the International Space Station docking

node, NASA’s Flagship Technology Demonstration

Program for the Exploration Systems Mission

Directorate and Project M, a mission to launch a

Robonaut to the moon.

Major Acquisition Activities

In September 2010, NASA’s Launch Services

(NLS) contract was extended by the agency for 10

years, through 2020, with the award of four Indefinite

Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts. The expendable

At Space Launch Complex-2 at 

Vandenberg Air Force Base in 

California, the first of three solid 

rocket boosters for the Delta II 

rocket for launch of NASA’s Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer 

(WISE) is positioned next to the 

rocket’s first stage in the pad’s 

mobile service tower, Oct. 21, 2009.
KSC AR 2010 • 23

launch vehicles that NASA will use for its science,

Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions are United

Launch Alliance’s Atlas V, SpaceX’s Falcon 1 and 9,

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Pegasus and Taurus XL,

and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.’s Athena I

and II. NLS II will continue to provide the agency with

competitive, commercial launch services to address

customers’ needs.

Also, the program awarded an Indefinite Delivery/

Indefinite Quantity contract to Astrotech in Cape

Canaveral, Fla., for payload processing services from

Jan. 2, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2014, or for processing

a maximum of five missions, whichever comes first.

Infrastructure Managemen

In an effort to decrease infrastructure and costs,

LSP’s Infrastructure Management Office returned

Processing Facility 1610 back to the U.S. Air Force.

The facility had been used for processing a number of

NASA missions, including the entire National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of

spacecraft, Gravity Probe-B and Earth Observer-1.

Rehabilitation projects to NASA Building 836 at VAFB

and the Payload Hazard Servicing Facility in the

Industrial Area at Kennedy are nearing completion.

The program also completed the permitting process

of Launch Complex-17 at CCAFS to NASA for the last

east coast Delta II launch, which will be the Gravity

Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to

the moon in 2011.

At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians observe the range of motion of 

the high-gain communications antenna on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) on Nov. 18, 2009.
24 • KSC AR 2010

Constellation Ground 

Operations Project

The brilliant fire and thunder of the Ares I-X

flight test helped usher in a time of change

for NASA, the Constellation Program and the

Kennedy Space Center as the Ground Operations

Project made great strides to make sure the Florida

spaceport will remain at the leading edge of space

launch technology.

Launched on Oct. 28, 2009, during the first quarter

of Fiscal Year 2010, the Ares I-X was the first test

mission under NASA’s Constellation Program. The first

stage, a space shuttle solid rocket booster, lifted an

instrument-laden upper stage and Orion spacecraft

simulator. The launch met all its mission objectives

with a suborbital flight to record the first stage

performance of a rocket designed to carry astronauts

into space. The flight also tested Kennedy’s ability to

adapt to support new rockets and spacecraft after the

agency retires the shuttle.

Although NASA is resetting its goals for spaceflight

after the shuttle era closes, the Constellation Program

with its Ares, Orion and Ground Systems development

work are expected to heavily inform future decisions

and designs by providing real-world test knowledge

and flexible hardware.

The Ground Operations Project added to the

Kennedy skyline during the fiscal year with the

completion of a new mobile launcher’s primary

structure and systems on Aug. 2, 2010. Towering

beside the Vehicle Assembly Building, it is the tallest

launch tower NASA has built since those constructed

for the Saturn V moon rockets. One of the same

crawler-transporters that carried those Saturns to

the pad also moved the mobile launcher from its

construction stand at the West Park Site, known as

Park Site 1, to the East Park Site, or Park Site 3, so

workers could fit more of the launcher’s systems into

place. This is a testament to the commitment and

dedication of the employees here at the space center

to continue on as planned even though changes are

evident.

The launch tower may be called into service

as Kennedy moves toward becoming a spaceport

responsive to needs of a variety of rocket, spacecraft

and mission designs.

Work also began this fiscal year to remove the

fixed service structure (FSS) and rotating service

structure (RSS) from Launch Pad 39B. Both of

the gantry-like structures were built for the unique

needs of the shuttle fleet and are not expected to

be necessary for future launch vehicles currently

envisioned. Instead, with the flame trench and new

lightning towers in place, the pad’s “clean” look can

support launches of several types, potentially those

using the new mobile launcher.

The RSS was rotated to the intermediate position

for removal of secondary, non-structural sections. As

sand and wood lay on top of the pad for protection,

pieces of the structure were cut and dropped to

the ground. Demolition will continue into the next

fiscal year until the pad is transformed into a clean

pad, one without a launch tower requiring extensive

maintenance. This will forever change the landscape

of Kennedy and pave the way for the future. Along

with the pad B demolition work, there were beginnings

of dramatic changes to the landscape around the

pad as well. With the installation of the aviation lights

on the 600-foot-tall lightning protection towers, the

lightning protection system was completed.

A couple miles west of the launch pads, the

Launch Control Center also saw major changes

inside Firing Room 1, known as the Young-Crippen

Firing Room. The control room’s numerous consoles

that were needed to support a shuttle launch team

were removed and replaced with fewer state-ofthe-art consoles. The transformation of Firing Room

1 for long-term support to future programs began

with the installation of new console enclosures in

February 2010. Once the new consoles are installed,

the firing room will be used to demonstrate endto-end command and control capability. These

demonstrations will provide the opportunity to verify

the launch control system (LCS) architecture by
KSC AR 2010 • 25

commanding and controlling both simulated and real

ground support equipment. The generic command

and control LCS architecture allows Kennedy to

position itself to enable emerging ground operations

support requirements for future programs.

Changes were not limited to the Launch Complex

39 area of Kennedy. Down in the Industrial Area,

the Launch Element Test Facility (LETF) met its

operational readiness date (ORD) for completion

and the LETF project completion celebration was

held Aug. 17, 2010. The LETF modifications that

were successfully completed included a new Vehicle

Motion Simulator (VMS), an updated systems control

room and new cryogenic support systems. The VMS

will evaluate the interactions of ground connections

to simulated flight vehicles while on the pad through

liftoff.

With the release of President Barack Obama’s

proposed budget in February 2010, the agency has

been tasked to realign priorities. This realignment

includes the cancellation of the Constellation

Program. Much of the work completed this year and

those tasks that are still under way will be utilized by

the emerging programs proposed by the president

and Congress, transforming Kennedy as the launch

site of choice for government and commercial

launches.

New lightning towers shine at sunset at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 27, 2009.
26 • KSC AR 2010

Center Planning

& Development

Kennedy Space Center took significant steps

during Fiscal Year 2010 to grow its strategic

partnerships and position the spaceport

to become a multi-user space launch complex

supporting both government and commercial space

activities.

Following the rollout of the President’s FY 2011

proposals regarding NASA, Kennedy intensified

its efforts to encourage partnerships with the U.S.

commercial space transportation industry.

These efforts included a major two-day industry

workshop conducted at the center in March 2010,

with attendance by 14 companies representing

both the traditional industry providers of space

transportation systems and services, as well as some

of the leading entrepreneurial firms developing new

commercial space services. Focused discussions

during the workshop included enhancements to the

center’s existing processes and infrastructure, as well

as new capabilities and technologies. Kennedy also

presented a set of newly emerging opportunities for

facilities that are available to industry, including the

launch and recovery capabilities of Launch Complex

39 and the Shuttle Landing Facility for commercial

spaceflight providers, as well as opportunities

for industry access to technical capabilities and

technology partnerships. Space Florida described

opportunities to access financing, economic

incentives, and work force training and transition

funds, and Brevard Workforce provided information

on the highly skilled technical work force available in

Brevard County.

Kennedy subsequently published an industry-wide

Request for Information (RFI) seeking ideas about

how to best transition the center into a multi-user

space launch complex, and how Kennedy facilities,

capabilities and processes might be optimized to

meet both government and industry needs.

The Center Planning and Development Office

(CPDO) was formally reorganized in June 2010 to

report directly to Kennedy’s Center Director Bob

Cabana. This signaled an increased emphasis by the

center on its relationship with the commercial space

sector, and its interest in developing partnerships
KSC AR 2010 • 27

with the companies seeking to provide commercial

space services, such as cargo and crew delivery

to the International Space Station. To assist in this

effort, CPDO manages an external website at http://

kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov.

On June 25, 2010, officials from Kennedy and the

state of Florida formally broke ground on Exploration

Park, a long-planned, mixed-use technology and

commerce park in development by Space Florida

in collaboration with NASA under a long-term land

use agreement. The park’s initial infrastructure,

which includes a new connector road that will

enable commercial access to the existing Space Life

Sciences Laboratory, was designed, and construction

is expected to occur in FY 2011.

In August 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) established a new university-led Center

of Excellence (COE) for Commercial Space

Transportation to perform research and development

to help build a safe and strong U.S. commercial space

industry. Kennedy is supporting the new COE, which

includes several core university members in Florida.

Center Planning and Development also worked with

the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation

regarding plans to establish an FAA Technical Center

at Kennedy.

Kennedy entered into an agreement with Avera

Motors in August 2010 for the purpose of facilitating

the development support and testing of Avera’s

aluminum and composite space frame designed

for its vehicle. This partnership has the potential for

significant job creation for which the shuttle work

force is ideally suited. Avera could bring its research

and development work to Exploration Park.

Throughout the remainder of 2010, CPDO’s

expanded staff of partnership developers and

spaceport planners engaged in direct discussions with

a number of potential industry partners regarding their

company-specific needs and requirements that might

be met by utilizing the center’s unique facilities and

capabilities. By year-end, Kennedy was engaged in

actively exploring more than 50 potential partnerships.

Throughout 2010, Kennedy Space Center worked

with the growing U.S. commercial space industry

to support its development and operations. Among

the companies Kennedy is actively working with is

SpaceX, which launched its first Commercial Orbital

Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration flight

from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch

Complex-40 in December 2010.

An artist’s rendition of how Exploration Park’s first phase is expected to appear when fully developed 

as a mixed-use campus supporting research, technology development and space-related commercial 

activities at Kennedy Space Center.
28 • KSC AR 2010

Engineering

& Technology

Kennedy Space Center’s Engineering and

Technology Directorate streamlines innovation

and aligns with NASA’s new direction. The

Center’s emerging technologies can grow from studies

to concepts to reality, while pioneering research paves

the way for what promises to be a dynamic future in

exploration.

Kennedy’s engineering and technology team has

an active role in developing technology roadmaps for

the space agency’s future, leading the Ground and

Launch Processing Technology roadmap team and

participating in seven additional teams.

Exemplifying the center’s expertise in the areas

of processing, ground operations and launch, the

directorate supported several space shuttle launches

as well as liftoff of the Solar Dynamics Observatory

(SDO) and the GOES-P weather and environmental

monitoring satellite. The team also contributed

to prelaunch preparation of the Alpha Magnetic

Spectrometer-2 (AMS), set to be permanently installed

on the International Space Station during the STS-134

mission in 2011.

Among Kennedy’s unique resources is the Launch

Equipment Test Facility (LETF), where personnel

can create launch equipment prototypes, calibrate

existing equipment, test entire systems or individual

components, and simulate launch conditions. Stateof-the-art data acquisition systems and synchronized

video capability allow for accurate real-time and posttest analysis.

The facility’s Vehicle Motion Simulator, developed

and upgraded this year, simulates all the movements

a launch vehicle experiences, from rollout through the

first half-second of liftoff. The new Tilt-Up Umbilical

Arm prototype also was tested in the facility’s high

bay. Based on the Ares-I upper stage and service

module umbilical design developed by the directorate

and contractor ASRC Aerospace, the prototype was

partially built in the NASA Prototype Development

Laboratory with the remaining fabrication, integration

and setup managed by ASRC Aerospace in the

facility’s machine shop.

The Engineering and Technology Directorate

continues to play a key role in the research and

development of new systems and processes that

are critical to expanding humanity’s reach in space.

One such enterprise, the In-Situ Resource Utilization

(ISRU) project, is led by the Kennedy team under

the agency’s Exploration Technology Development

Program. The project seeks to identify, compare and

develop technologies for future explorers to make full

use of the resources available to them at destinations

like the moon or other objects beyond low Earth orbit.

ISRU leads new designs through increasingly

rigorous verification -- from the laboratory to the

field, with the ultimate goal of testing in flight. At the

International Lunar Surface Operations and ISRU

Analog Test site in the volcanic ash near the summit

of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, a collaborative effort involving

six NASA centers and multiple U.S. and international

agencies and academia, many such technologies

were put to the test.

The Regolith and Environment Science and

Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE)

project was installed on a Canadian Space Agency

mobility platform for the Mauna Kea demonstration.

RESOLVE is a chemical processing system that would

drill into the moon’s dusty surface, measure the

chemical content of the soil and extract the oxygen.

ISRU is investing in hydrogen reduction,

carbothermal reduction and molten regolith

electrolysis as potential oxygen-producing

technologies.

The NASA-led Desert Research and Technology

Studies, better known as Desert RATS, provides

engineers, astronauts and scientists nationwide an

opportunity to conduct analog testing in the Arizona

desert. The Habitat Demonstration Unit included

Kennedy technologies, such as Electrodynamic

Dust Shield, VEGGIE Plant Growth Unit and a light-
KSC AR 2010 • 29

emitting diode system. Other Kennedy-developed

technologies included the Space Exploration Vehicle

Work Package Interface Quick Attach mechanism,

Portable Communications Terminal and Avionics Line

Replaceable Unit.

The space center continues to earn recognition

for its engineering expertise. It received 227 NASA

Exported Awards for $128,625 and 165 Non-NASA

Exported Awards for $100,125, respectively ranking

third and fourth in the agency in dollar amount.

Patents were issued for a corrosion detection/

reduction invention and a foam-aerogel technology

developed in partnership with NASA’s Langley

Research Center in Hampton, Va. Members of the

Engineering and Technology Directorate also earned

one Patent Application Award, one Software Release

Award, three Board Action Awards and four Tech

Brief Awards.

An example of prestigious recognition given to

a Kennedy team member is the “Create the Future”

design contest. The employee’s invention, called

Rowheel Wheelchair Propulsion System, could

increase mobility and reduce repetitive stress injuries

for millions of people confined to wheelchairs.

The system relies on a rowing motion instead of

traditional pushing.

The Simulated Rapid Propellant Loading (SRPL)

System at Kennedy’s CryoTestLab (CTL) was

selected to receive the National Engineer’s Council

“Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement

Award.” The SRPL System is used to develop and

demonstrate new methods and equipment for loading

a launch vehicle with cryogenic propellant and

incorporates dozens of technologies and innovations

developed by the team at the CTL.

Joining forces with contractors and Florida

universities, the directorate also tested up-andcoming innovations in a simulated space environment

aboard parabolic flights. Known as the Facilitated

Access to the Space Environment for Technology

(FAST) Development and Training Program, the flights

originate from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson

Space Center in Houston.

A dual containment platform tested slosh

dynamics, while another demonstration showed how

propellant moving inside a fuel supply depot might

Engineers check the mobility of the new Tilt-Up Umbilical Arm (TUUA) at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch 

Equipment Test Facility on Oct. 21, 2010.

Space shuttle 

Discovery begins 

its nighttime 

trek from the 

Vehicle Assembly 

Building to 

Launch Pad 

39A at Kennedy 

Space Center in 

Florida, in the 

early evening of 

Sept. 20, 2010, 

for the STS-133 

mission.
32 • KSC AR 2010

affect the stability of a docked spacecraft. For these

studies, Kennedy partnered with the Florida Institute

of Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

and United Launch Alliance. Another project, involving

the University of Florida and CFO Research Corp.,

tested a simulation tool to investigate the physics

of granular materials and design debris-impact

protection.

Two ISRU technologies were tested

on FAST flights. One demonstrated

pneumatic transfer of lunar soil,

designed by the directorate’s

Granular Mechanics and Regolith

Operations Lab with Johnson and

ASRC Aerospace. Another evaluated

the use of tribocharged electrostatic

beneficiation, a method of using a

charge to separate minerals, to enrich

mineral ilmenite. Kennedy’s Applied

Chemistry Lab partnered with ASRC

Aerospace on the project.

The directorate continues to work

with NASA’s Launch Services Program

and United Launch Alliance on the

Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE).

The goal is to develop a way to store

and transfer super-cold propellants

in orbit, a capability critical to longduration spaceflight. The directorate

designed a multilayer insulation that

was applied to the CRYOTE ground test article,

and added nearly 30 temperature sensors to help

evaluate its composite structure and thermodynamic

vent system.

At right: In the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external fuel tank, 

ET-134, for space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-130 mission, is lowered beside the twin solid rocket boosters 

already stacked on a mobile launcher platform on Nov. 23, 2009.

Kennedy Space Center Engineer 

Mike Miller demonstrates one of 

the backpacks Kennedy designed 

and built for the Desert Research 

and Technology Studies project’s 

upcoming field test in Arizona. 

The backpacks are equipped with 

GPS antennas, communications 

components and cameras.

34 • KSC AR 2010

Research & Technology

Achievements

Kennedy Space Center’s research and

technology work focused on eight capabilities

during Fiscal Year 2010 in order to support

NASA’s future space exploration programs.

Storage, Distribution and Conservation 

of Fluids (cryogens, liquids, gases)

Hydrogen is considered an important commodity

in the aerospace industry and as a future alternative

energy system. As an inherently dangerous gas due to

its combustibility and invisible flame, it’s important to

detect a hydrogen leak in a timely manner. Hydrogen

tape technology, which originally began at the Florida

Solar Energy Center operated by the University of

Central Florida, is providing a visual indication system

that can pinpoint the location of a leak, even in pipe

flanges and connections that traditional area sensors

and flame cameras may miss. At Kennedy, work is

under way to further develop HyperTape, which can

visually detect the presence of hypergols, another

chemical used in aerospace work.

Researchers at Kennedy also developed aerogel

composite materials to improve thermal insulation

properties, which minimizes the heat transfer of a

composite while reducing the weight and density of

the base material. They achieved a 25 to 50 percent

reduction in thermal heat transfer without greatly

affecting the mechanical properties or processing

conditions when compared to the base material.

This approach can reduce the weight of lunar habitat

systems, cryogenic storage tanks

and piping where weight and thermal

conductivity is critical to mission

success.

Materials for Life Cycle 

Optimizatio

Kennedy, in collaboration with

PPG Industries and the University of

Texas Health Science developed a

microcapsule technology that will detect

and control and self-heal corrosion

in electrical wires. An integrated

prognostic/diagnostic Smart Wire

System incorporates “self healing”

materials, minimizing the need to

manually repair a wire if it is within the

size tolerance for self-healing capability.

Another technology, called “smart

coatings,” detects and controls corrosion

in carbon steel, which will be used to

Inside Kennedy Space Center’s Corrosion Technology Laboratory, NASA researchers Dr. Wendy Li, at left, 

and Dr. Luz Marina Calle examine the microcapsules that form the core of the innovative smart coatings 

technology.
KSC AR 2010 • 35

develop new launch pad structures and support

equipment. Like pills that release their conten

when exposed to stomach acid, microcapsules for

smart coatings are designed to release their contents

in response to certain pH levels caused by corrosion.

Life Sciences and Habitation System

New light-emitting diode (LED) arrays for

collapsible plant growth chambers were the

focus of research into a system to produce fresh

vegetables for crews on long-duration spaceflight

missions. The new LED technology is expected to

reduce overall volume and mass while doubling

light output. Researchers at Kennedy and Orbital

Technologies Corp. also tested capillary rooting

amount concepts and conducted vibration and

acoustic hardware tests. Future tests are planned

to assess chamber performance and yields using

lettuce and radish plants.

Remediation and Ecosystem Science

To address limitations with traditional abatement

methods for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in

paints, researchers at Kennedy and the University

of Central Florida developed the Activated

Metal Treatment System (AMTS). This innovative

technology consists of a solvent solution made of

ethanol and d-limonene that contains an activated

zero-valent metal.

AMTS is first applied to the painted surface either

using spray-on or wipe-on techniques. The solution

then extracts the PCBs from the paint. The extracted

PCBs react with the microscale-activated metal

and are degraded into benign by-products. This

technology can be applied without removing the paint

or dismantling the painted structure.

In-Situ Resource Utilization and Surfa

Systems

The Dust Tolerant Intelligent Electrical Connection

System project investigated techniques to mitigate

lunar dust intrusion and accumulation on reusable

electrical connectors. Kennedy researchers explored

non-intrusive methods to detect circuit faults and

automatically re-route signals while a vehicle or lunar

surface equipment is in operation. The system would

benefit future NASA missions, as well as the military

and mining, and fuel exploration operations.

Life Cycle Optimization of Products,

Projects and Programs

The Center for Life Cycle Design established at

Kennedy leads integration of modeling and simulation

for space and other complex system design,

development and operations. The center pulls from

the best of NASA, industry and academia to create

tools and methods that will accelerate and advance

the design process while reducing cost and risk.

A prime example, the Exploration Visualization

Environment, accepts data from Kennedy’s Design

Visualization team, NASA’s Lunar Analog teams,

NASA’s Human Exploration Framework Team, Human

Architecture Team, and NASA’s flight and surface

simulators.

Kennedy’s Design Visualization Team also

worked with other groups, such as the Mars Science

Laboratory team, to optimize its designs and

concepts. The Supply and Manufacturing Chain

A technician at Kennedy Space Center applies the 

Activated Metal Treatment System to a piece of 

painted metal beam. The technology that breaks 

down PCBs in paints was developed by researchers at 

Kennedy and the University of Central Florida.
36 • KSC AR 2010

teams partnered with the Department of Defense and

Florida organizations to better understand the supply

and manufacturing capabilities critical to building

future space systems.

Space Launch and Suborbital 

Technologies

Demonstrating cryogenic fluid management (CFM)

technologies is critical for long-duration spaceflight

missions. Kennedy researchers partnered with a host

of industry partners to advance the development of a

Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE) to demonstrate

an array of critical CFM technologies in the space

and ground environment. Results will aid in the

development of high-efficiency ground operations,

lunar surface systems, upper stages, propellant

depots, solar and nuclear thermal propulsions and

cryogenic science applications. Partners include

United Launch Alliance (ULA), Sierra Lobo Inc.,

Innovative Engineering Solutions and Yetispace Inc.

Tracking, Timing, Communication and 

Navigation Technologies

Improving the safety and lowering the risks of

launch and landing operations and protecting human

life in space and on the ground involves continually

improving the tracking, communications, telemetry,

navigation and range safety systems associated with

spaceflight.

Kennedy led the research, development,

deployment and testing of a first-generation Portable

Communications Terminal (PCT), which could be

used as a means for astronauts to communicate

with each other in space. It was tested at the 2010

Desert RATS mission and a second-generation PCT

currently is under development. A Communications

Service Assembly (CSA) for future spacecraft avionics

elements is in the same stage as the PCT at Kennedy.

Aeronautical communications was also an area of

emphasis for the center and a system was developed

for experimental use on uncrewed aircraft under

the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA). The FAA will use models to study and define

communication requirements for uncrewed aircraft

flying in national air space.

Under NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research

(SBIR) Program, Kennedy developed a unique antijamming technology for GPS receivers, which is a

critical capability for safe and secure launch vehicle

navigation systems of the future.

The center also developed a WiMAX-based, highrate, in-space proximity communications technology

under a Phase II SBIR. Researchers continue to

advance the development of space-based range

technologies under the Space-based Telemetry,

Tracking and Command Subsystem (STTACS) project

in collaboration with Goddard Space Flight Center’s

Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

A Radio Frequency

and Telemetry Station was

completed that develops

technologies which provide

for pre-mission spacecraft

test and checkout, and

communications and

tracking functions during

launches.

New light-emitting diode (LED) arrays for collapsible plant growth chambers were the focus of research 

at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory.
Space shuttle Atlantis races 

to orbit over Launch Pad 39A 

at Kennedy Space Center in 

Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 

mission came at 2:28 p.m. 

EST Nov. 16, 2009.
38 • KSC AR 2010

Environmental

Leadership

Fiscal Year 2010 brought recognition to

Kennedy Space Center for its participation

in significant environment-friendly projects

and its continued achievements in ongoing “green”

initiatives.

NASA’s first large-scale solar power generation

plant was installed at Kennedy during the last fiscal

year. This year, the two locations provided a total

of 11-megawatts of solar power accomplished

through an enhanced-use lease with Florida Power

& Light (FPL). A 1-megawatt station produces

energy dedicated solely for use at Kennedy, while a

10-megawatt station, located on Kennedy property

nearby, supplies power to FPL customers in the

community. The completed system features a fixedtilt, ground-mounted solar panel system designed

and built by SunPower Corp. The 1-megawatt station

produced more than 1.6 million kilowatt-hours

of electricity in its first year of production, saving

Kennedy an estimated $156,000.

Construction of the new 10,730-square-foot

Propellants North Administrative and Maintenance

Facility in the Launch Complex 39 area was

completed in January 2011.The new building qualifies

for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in

Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum

designation -- a first for the center and one of only

two Platinum facilities throughout the agency.

Propellants North includes deconstructed Launch

Control Center firing-room glazing structures and

reclaimed waste concrete in the facility’s foundation.

The roof is constructed of recycled metal covered with

a rainwater harvesting system that supplies restroom

fixtures. The roof also is equipped with more than

80 kilowatts of integrated solar panels, rendering the

facility “off the grid.” Xeriscape landscaping uses

native species and recycled crushed crawlerway

rock for mulch. The facility features a high-efficiency

roof and walls, air conditioning with energy recovery

technology, and intelligent lighting controls with step

dimming and occupancy sensors.

During the fiscal year, Kennedy and its

environmental contractor, Innovative Health

Applications, took on two major efforts to rescue,

rehabilitate and release endangered sea turtles.

The first rescue took place in early January 2010

when back-to-back cold snaps left about 2,000

turtles “stunned” and in need of help along the

Space Coast. Many of the turtles were rescued from

the Mosquito Lagoon, with others coming from the

Indian River Lagoon and Cocoa Beach. Biologists,

environmentalists, wildlife experts and other

volunteers joined forces at the Merritt Island National

Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) within Kennedy’s boundaries

A worker with Geosyntec Consultants Inc. checks the orientation of a solar panel with an inclinometer 

at Kennedy Space Center. The solar panel powers a recirculation system that is removing contamination 

from the groundwater at this site.
KSC AR 2010 • 39

to identify and examine the turtles. Then, the animals

were transported to rehabilitation facilities throughout

Florida and South Georgia, where they stayed until

local waters warmed up to safe temperatures.

The second rescue began in the summer of 2010,

following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the

Gulf of Mexico. About 275 loggerhead, leatherback,

green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nests were carefully

transported from the Florida Panhandle and Alabama

to the MINWR. The nests were housed in a dark and

quiet climate-controlled building called a hatchery.

There, they were monitored daily for temperature

and signs of hatching. More than 14,500 hatchlings

were released into the Atlantic Ocean at Playalinda

Beach, which is adjacent to Kennedy. The relocati

and release work was a joint effort by NASA, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission, the National Park Service,

NOAA, FedEx and conservationists to help minimize

the oil contamination risk to sea turtle hatchlings.

Kennedy had many accomplishments in

environmental permitting and compliance in Fiscal

Year 2010. NASA Headquarters completed a triennial

review of 13 technical protocol areas and rated

Kennedy “green” for each, the best review received in

several years. The Schwartz Road Landfill operating

permit was renewed for another five years. Water

conservation progress continues with 17 percent

reduction from the FY 2007 water usage baseline.

Recycling and environmental-protection concerns

were addressed among all organizations across the

center, with many considered to be outside the realm

of day-to-day operations. FY 2010 saw 76 booster

separation motors, 66 linear-shaped charges, and

an inertial upper stage motor dispositioned during

excess ordnance disposal, as well as the underground

storage tank at the Kennedy Service Station replaced.

Kennedy’s comprehensive waste diversion and

recycling program made continued progress in

2010 with the expansion to 57 collection stations

centerwide. The center’s top commodities recycled

or diverted from disposal in 2010 included 13,157

tons of concrete from construction projects, 1,156

tons of metal, and 363 tons of paper and cardboard.

About 178 tons of electronics parts, batteries, fuels,

chemicals and toner cartridges also were recycled.

About 52 percent of the total waste stream at

Kennedy was diverted for reuse and recycling. The

proceeds from recycled commodities are used to

fund additional recycling, pollution prevention and

sustainability initiatives.

To further support recycling markets, Kennedy

NASA’s first large-scale power generation facility opens at Kennedy Space Center in November 2009. The 

one-megawatt facility features a fixed-tilt, ground-mounted solar power system that will provide energy 

to the center.
40 • KSC AR 2010

procures recycled-content and environmentally

preferable materials where possible. Examples of

recycled-content purchases in 2010 included sanitary

tissue, paper, toner cartridges, carpet and floor

tiles, and office, janitorial and cafeteria supplies,

representing more than $1.7 million in “green”

acquisitions.

The Florida State Historic Preservation Office and

the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation entered

into a programmatic agreement with Kennedy for

the management of historic facilities. The agreement

clears the way for the center to perform normal

maintenance and minor modifications to existing and

future historic, ground-based facilities and structures

listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It

also allows for reuse of the facilities to support new

programs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) received

funding from the St. Johns River Water Management

District for wetland restoration along the Banana

Creek on Kennedy. About 500 acres of impoundments

are being restored and 12 miles of dike road removed.

NASA continues to partner with the FWS and the

U.S. Geological Service to develop and implement

sustainable mitigation strategies to restore eroded

dunes and protect Kennedy’s shoreline. These

efforts include wildlife habitats critical to sustaining

populations of threatened and endangered species,

such as scrub jays and sea turtles.

Turtle-friendly light fixtures also were designed for

NASA’s new mobile launcher constructed at Kennedy

to support future human spaceflight programs. The

aluminum fixtures are fully enclosed to reduce the

scattering of light, directing it straight down to the

work areas.

In 2010, Kennedy employees received three

NASA Blue Marble Awards for excellence in NASA

environmental and energy management. Kennedy

was recognized for environmental quality in historic

preservation, waste diversion through composting,

and reuse of materials in the NASA Causeway Seawall

Revetment Project.

Kennedy closed out Fiscal Year 2010 in the

forefront in environmental leadership across the

agency.

Newly hatched Loggerhead turtles emerge from their eggs in a climate-controlled facility at Kennedy 

Space Center in Florida on July 27, 2010. The eggs were brought to Kennedy from beaches along the 

northern U.S. Gulf Coast after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
An Anhinga perches in a shrub in the Merritt Island National Wildlife 

Refuge, which borders Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anhingas 

inhabit freshwater ponds and swamps with thick vegetation.
42 • KSC AR 2010

Education

With an increased emphasis on educational

activities from President Barack Obama

and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden,

Kennedy Space Center’s Education Office intensified

its efforts to host diverse programs and activities for

students and educators.

Through workshops and programs conducted by

the Educator Resource Center, Aerospace Education

Services Project, the Digital Learning Network and the

Exploration Station, Kennedy education specialists

reached about 54,477 students and 11,805 teachers

during Fiscal Year 2010.

Spurred on by the president’s challenge to

“make science cool,” NASA launched the Summer

of Innovation initiative using its out-of-this world

missions and technology programs to boost summer

learning. Kennedy contributed to the initiative by

reaching 2,378 student participants and 50 educators

from around the country.

Supported by research, employee feedback and

management, the Kennedy Educate to Innovate (KETI)

project was created. The project utilizes the Kennedy

work force to inspire students to pursue careers in

science, technology, engineering and mathematics

(STEM). KETI reached more than 43,000 students, far

exceeding the target goal of 35,000 students. During

the year, educational kits were created; 358 Kennedy

employees were trained in just three months; three

NASA Family Education Nights were coordinated,

reaching 737 students; and all activities were aligned

to national educational standards. The Brevard Public

School System superintendent, local school officials

and three local educator interns also were involved in

the development of KETI.

Another Kennedy education program is NASA Days

at Your School, which exposed students in Florida,

Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to NASA

STEM-based presentations and hands-on rocketry

and space propulsion

activities.

In May 2010,

Kennedy hosted the

sixth Pre-Service

Teacher Institute (PSTI),

which is a two-week

residential workshop

for 20 education majors

and is designed to

increase their skills

and confidence in

teaching mathematics

and science while

incorporating

technology and

NASA content in their

Students gather round to ask Isaac T. Gillam IV questions after the Legends and Trailblazers presentation 

at the Minority Student Education Forum in July 2010. Gillam was the first African-American NASA center 

director, from 1978 to 1981 at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.
KSC AR 2010 • 43

curriculum. Participants planned and presented a

portion of a lesson to a group of fourth-graders at

Gardendale Elementary School in Merritt Island, Fla.,

and received three hours of college credit through

Hampton University, upon successful completion of

the program.

Each year, Kennedy competitively selects students

from across the nation to participate in agencywide

and center-unique internship programs. Kennedy

also began to target various minority institutions and

tribal communities in an effort to increase the number

of underrepresented, underserved and minority

participants. During the fiscal year, Kennedy hosted

97 interns; of these, 33 percent were minorities. Four

interns subsequently accepted co-op positions at

the center. In the summer, interns participated in

the first agencywide Town Hall telecom with NASA’s

administrator and deputy.

Kennedy kicked off NASA Days at Minority

Serving Institutions (MSIs) with a visit to Jackson

State University in Mississippi. The purpose of NASA

Days is to build relationships with MSIs and provide

NASA managers with insight into the institutions’

technologies and students’ capabilities.

Kennedy also manages several agencywide

education projects, one of which is called the

Minority University Research and Education Program

(MUREP) Small Project Grantees. Those grantees

included Navajo Technical College, New Mexico State

University, Florida A&M University, North Carolina

Agriculture and Technical State University, and a

team of three Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs),

Universidad del Turabo, Universidad InteramericanaBayamon and Universidad Politecnica de Puerto

Rico, which collaborated with Michigan Technological

University.

This fiscal year, NASA’s Achieving Competence

in Computing, Engineering and Space Science

(ACCESS) Program recruited a diverse group of

20 talented undergraduate and graduate college

students with disabilities for placement at all 10 NASA

centers and NASA Headquarters for summer research

opportunities.

The Interdisciplinary National Science Project

Incorporating Research and Education Experience

(INSPIRE) is a multi-tiered student pipeline program

designed for students in grades nine through 12.

Through INSPIRE, nine rising 10th-grade students

and their legal guardians were awarded the Explorer

Experience, a summer visit to a NASA facility for a

one-day VIP tour, briefings and workshops. Sixty

rising 11th-grade students participated in the

An education specialist provides direction during a hands-on activity at the Minority Student Education 

Forum, held at the Radisson Resort at the Port, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in July 2010.
44 • KSC AR 2010

Collegiate Experience, a two-week, on-campus

residential experience during the summer at a college

or university, to encourage improved study skills

and the pursuit of higher education and careers in

STEM areas. Fifty-two rising 12th-grade students

participated in the Residential Internship, a paid eightweek summer internship at a NASA facility, gaining

valuable on-the-job experience by working directly

with NASA scientists and engineers, and participating

in after-work educational and cultural activities.

Fifty-nine rising college freshmen participated in the

Pre-College Internship, a paid eight-week summer

internship at a NASA facility.

Experiment Program to Stimulate Competitive

Research (EPSCoR) is designed to assist identified

states in establishing an academic research enterprise

directed toward a long-term, self-sustaining and

competitive capability that will contribute to the state’s

economic viability and development between NASA

research assets, academic institutions and industry.

Through a merit-based, peer-reviewed competitive

process, EPSCoR awarded $16.8 million to 24

institutions.

The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate

(ESMD) Space Grant project, which was developed

to train a highly skilled scientific, engineering and

technical work force of the future, provided 61

industry internships and 48 senior design projects. A

new senior design course was developed at Louisiana

State University and one senior design course was

pilot-tested at Utah State University. ESMD Space

Grant also contracted five faculty fellows to work

on specific projects for eight weeks at a NASA

center and implement that project into a senior

design course at their university during the 2010-11

academic year. ESMD also supported the Space

Grant Systems Engineering Paper Competition, the

Constellation Research Paper Competition and the

first Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Twenty-one student teams participated in

the Lunabotics Mining Competition held at the

Astronaut Hall of Fame in Florida. There, teams were

challenged to design and build a remote controlled or

autonomous excavator, called a lunabot, that could

collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kilograms of

lunar simulant within 15 minutes. The complexities of

the challenge included the abrasive characteristics of

the lunar simulant, the weight and size limitations of

the lunabot, and the ability to control the lunabot from

a remote control center.

Through partnerships, Kennedy was able to target

and reach a significant number of students. The

Suwannee District Schools NASA Day reached about

2,000 students; the Volusia Space Week reached

2,000 eighth-grade students and 70

teachers; Brevard Space Week reached

5,400 sixth-grade students and 318

science teachers; and Brevard Learns

About Science and Technology (BLAST)

reached 2,400 seventh-grade students.

Kennedy also partnered with the Pinellas

Science Center and the Johnson Space

Center Teaching from Space Office to host

about 300 students from underserved,

underprivileged schools.

Kennedy sponsored the second

annual Waste Limitation Management and

Recycling (WLMR) design challenge in

which fifth- through eighth-grade students

nationwide created and submitted their

designs for water filtration systems.

NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin works on a LEGO structure with students 

inside a tent set up on the NASA Causeway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 3, 2010, to 

celebrate the new partnership between the space agency and The LEGO Group.
KSC AR 2010 • 45

During a General Electric Educators Professional

Development Workshop, Kennedy education

specialists conducted a Rocketry Workshop for 53,

K-12 educators. The participants engaged in handson activities involving space shuttle, space propulsion,

spacecraft for solar system and planetary travel.

Kennedy partnered with five local middle schools on

the NASA Schools Connection Program. The goal

was to get eighth-grade students excited about STEM

before entering high school.

NASA and Reach Media Tom Joyner Morning

Show (TJMS) signed a five-year Space Act Agreement

that will allow TJMS to provide an outreach venue

for NASA to showcase its programs and products

to a national audience, as well as share specific

information about the agency’s educational

opportunities for students,

educators and parents.

Kennedy participated in the

2010 TJMS Family Reunion,

and the TJMS Back-ToSchool Campaign. The TJMS

Family Reunion reached about

12,000 people who were

exposed to NASA contentbased educational activities,

the inherent excitement of the

space program and minority

role models. The TJMS BackTo-School Campaign included

live multicity special broadcasts

and exhibits at Back-To-School

Fairs.

Students act 

as launch 

control 

engineers 

during a 

simulated 

shuttle launch, 

Aug. 5, 2010, 

at Camp 

KSC at the 

Astronaut Hall 

of Fame in 

Titusville, Fla.

University students tune up and tinker with their remote controlled or autonomous excavators, called 

lunabots, during NASA’s first Lunabotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor 

Complex’s Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2010.
46 • KSC AR 2010

When a space shuttle launches from

Kennedy Space Center or a rocket takes

off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in

California, people from around the world are able to

follow the countdown and liftoff live, whether watching

in person as a launch guest, on a TV or computer

screen, or following online through a Twitter feed or on

a blog. All in real time, all brought to the world through

the communications team at Kennedy.

The joint efforts of Public Affairs and External

Relations enable the center to provide timely and

accurate information to the media, elected officials,

community leaders, students, educators and the

general public. Through this team effort, Kennedy

aims to reach the broadest audience to inform,

educate and inspire.

Thousands of media descend upon the space

center each year to cover launches and breaking

news of the day. Added to this, are all of the launch

guests and general visitors who come to explore

this historic space center where the eyes and ears

of the world were focused upon from the earliest era

of space travel. Beginning with Mercury, Apollo and

Gemini program launches.

Not only does the team welcome thousands to the

center for an up close view of history in the making,

Kennedy brings the excitement of space travel and

exploration to the world using every communication

means available.

Kennedy Web Presenc

Kennedy’s website continued to draw a worldwide

audience. The center’s home page, at www.nasa.

gov/kennedy, attracted more than 3 million views.

The Kennedy Web team also maintained the shuttle

section, at www.nasa.gov/shuttle, for the agency,

which receives more than 10 million views. Both sites

consistently ranked in the top 10 most-popular pages

within the NASA Web portal, at

www.nasa.gov.

Kennedy’s social media

presence, under the username

“NASAKennedy,” became a

standard for many to find out

the latest news from the space

center. The fan base increased

to more than 57,000 friends

on Facebook, and more than

120,000 followers on Twitter.

YouTube climbed to more than

10,000 subscribers, with more

than 400,000 video views.

The Web team created a

space shuttle era collection

Outreach to

the World

At Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site in Florida, astronaut Scott Kelly addresses participants during a 

unique event on Nov. 16, 2009, a Tweetup, held to share the excitement of a space shuttle launch with a 

new audience. The tweeters took a tour of Kennedy, spoke with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts 

and managers, and the staff on @NASA, and viewed the launch of Atlantis on the STS-129 mission.
KSC AR 2010 • 47

of feature stories and videos documenting shuttle

operations. This section highlights the technology

and people that supported the program for the

past 30 years, and can be found at www.nasa.gov/

mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/index.html.

The team provided launch processing and

countdown coverage for four space shuttle missions

and three expendable launch vehicle missions and

the test launch of the Ares I-X rocket’s capabilities.

An international Internet audience was kept up-todate during countdowns and landings with frequent

updates to the mission’s main page, and photo

and video galleries. NASA’s Launch Blog provided

live commentary and up-to-the-minute information

straight from a control room console to the reader.

Combined, this fiscal year’s launch and landing blogs

racked up more than 2 million page views. Kennedy’s

Web video products included feature videos and

podcasts, as well as highlights of launches and

landings.

News Media Operatio

News media representatives from around the world

and hundreds of tweeters were provided with timely

and accurate information about space shuttle and

expendable launch vehicle launches, special events

and other center activities. Communicating this

information is achieved via live and taped interviews,

news conferences, media updates, printed fact sheets

and newsletters, exhibits and social media outlets,

including websites, blogs and Twitter updates. Other

avenues of communication include Kennedy’s highdefinition NASA TV broadcasting; streaming video of

Kennedy events; digital imagery on the multimedia

gallery, at http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov, which

received 7 million page views in Fiscal Year 2010; and

a full-service office catering to professional journalists.

They also provided video news releases, still

photographs, video footage, tapes, CDs and DVDs to

media outlets.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

(KSCVC) shared the NASA story with more than

1.5 million guests, reaching both a national and

international audience through a combination of

exhibits, space artifacts, IMAX films and tours of

Kennedy’s hallowed grounds.

The U.S. economic decline continues to impact

tourism, however, the visitor complex attendance for

2010 was only 2.2 percent shy of its 2009 attendance.

In the spring of 2010, Delaware North Companies

Parks and Resorts was awarded the new concession

agreement to operate the KSCVC, allowing them to

continue telling the NASA story. Delaware North hit

the ground running with the launch of a robust 10-

year master plan. The new plan will create excitement

for guests as they discover the connection between

NASA and their everyday lives.

The demand for launch viewing opportunities

through the complex also grew as the end of the

shuttle program approaches. The complex instituted

a lottery system for launch ticket purchases, which

became effective with the STS-133 launch attempt.

The summer season offered exciting features,

including support of the first Lunabotics Mining

Competition held at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and

the opening of the new Star Trek Live! show at the

main complex. As part of its community outreach

program, the complex was the headlining sponsor of

Kennedy Space Center 

Director Bob Cabana, 

left, shows Commerce 

Secretary Gary Locke 

and Rep. Suzanne 

Kosmas the plan for 

Exploration Park on Aug. 

4, 2010.
48 • KSC AR 2010

the Cocoa Beach Fireworks Show as a tribute to the

shuttle program on Independence Day. The induction

of the ninth group of shuttle astronauts into the

U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame also was hosted during

the summer. Guy Bluford, Ken Bowersox, Frank

Culbertson and Kathy Thornton joined an elite group

of American space heroes during a weekend

of events.

Other activities included the grand opening of

the new “Exploration Space” exhibit where visitors

are immersed into an environment of discovery and

exploration beyond our home planet. Live theater,

interactive experiences and large-scale multimedia

presentations display what the future of space travel

may look like, and emphasized that space exploration

is not just about the hardware, but also about the

people behind the technology. The IMAX theaters also

opened a new film, called “Hubble 3D,” in the spring

and continued running it beyond the fiscal year.

The visitor complex continued to successfully

operate two retail stores in the Orlando International

Airport, and offered a variety of robust educational

programs geared toward inspiring the next generation

of explorers. More than 85,000 students participated

in programs, including Camp KSC, Overnight

Adventures, the Astronaut Training Experience,

student field trips, Brevard Space Week and “salute

to” boy scout and girl scout programs.

For more than 43 years, the complex has

operated as a self-supporting entity funded solely

through revenues earned through admission, retail

and food sales.

Government Relation

During Fiscal Year 2010, a number of federal, state

and local elected officials and community leaders

traveled to Kennedy to tour its grounds and facilities,

and to learn more about the wide range of activities

happening at the center. Kennedy also hosted a

variety of dignitaries for shuttle launches.

The center’s senior management team participated

in various workshops and meetings throughout

Florida concerning the future of the space industry.

In November, Center Director Bob Cabana appeared

before the Brevard State Legislative Delegation in

order to discuss Kennedy’s priorities, and Deputy

Director Janet Petro provided an update to the

Biotechnology Caucus in Tallahassee regarding

Kennedy’s involvement in biotechnology matters.

In March, senior management and industry

representatives joined to visit with legislators during

Space Industry Day in the state’s capital, and Cabana

testified on the long-term

benefits of science, technology,

engineering and mathematics,

or STEM, education before

the Senate Pre-K through 12

Education Committee.

April saw the arrival of U.S.

President Barack Obama at

Kennedy, the location he chose

to outline his vision for the

future of space exploration.

During his visit, the president

announced a $40 million

initiative to develop a plan for

regional economic growth and

job creation in Central Florida.

Elected officials and other

community stakeholders

At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, 110 people from 36 countries wave their 

American flags after taking the Oath of Allegiance to become American citizens, July 1, 2010. This was 

the first naturalization ceremony hosted by a NASA facility.
KSC AR 2010 • 49

gathered with Kennedy senior leadership a

Space Florida to celebrate the groundbreaking of

Exploration Park in late June. In July, Cabana met

with members of the Florida Congressional Delegation

in Washington, D.C., in support of NASA’s Office of

Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs’ annual “Day

on the Hill” event.

Exhibits

Kennedy’s Display Management Team traveled to

a variety of public events throughout Florida and the

southeast region of the United States. Notably, the

display team appeared at various sporting events,

including the NASCAR Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Fla.,

a National Hockey League Florida Panthers game

in Sunrise, Fla., and the Brevard Manatees All Star

baseball game in Viera, Fla. These appearances were

made with the purpose to inspire a new audience and

highlight some of the technological contributions that

NASA has made in the sports industry.

Kennedy exhibits also were found at home shows

and various educational events. Three displays

were loaned to the Challenger Learning Center in

Tallahassee, Fla., where about 50,000 students were

able to view them. Overall, the Display Management

Team reached more than 600,000 people as it

communicated the NASA message through the use

of displays, videos, handout information and one-onone interaction with the public. Materials focused on

the benefits of space exploration, NASA spinoffs and

NASA’s mission to explore the universe.

Guest Operations

Kennedy’s Guest Operations staff enabled more

than 21,000 guests of NASA and its center partners

to safely participate in behind-the-scenes Kennedy

tours, including educational briefings provided

by center engineers and operational experts. The

center also hosted thousands of the agency’s

invited guests to participate in launch briefings and

viewing opportunities for four space shuttle and two

expendable launch vehicle liftoffs. Guests included

members of Congress, business and agency leaders,

astronaut families, medical and legal professionals,

veterans, teachers and students.

Speakers Bureau

Kennedy Space Center’s Speakers Bureau

is composed of engineers, scientists and other

professionals, who represent the agency as speakers

at civic, professional, educational and other public

venues in Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the

Virgin Islands. The Speakers Bureau is a free service

of Kennedy’s public communication and outreach

programs. Audiences include preschool to college

students, libraries and museums, girl and boy

scouts, professional and technical organizations, and

community groups. This year Kennedy employees

participated in the Great American Teach-In, a

program that brings working professional scientists

into local classrooms to share their experiences at

NASA. In 2010, speakers from Kennedy reached more

than 54,000 people during 271 events.

Children visit 

Kennedy Space 

Center’s spinoff 

technology 

display at the 

Visiting Nurse 

Association Air 

Show in Stuart, 

Fla., Nov. 14, 

2009. 
50 • KSC AR 2010

Kennedy

Business Report

The Kennedy Space Center FY 2010 budget

totaled nearly $1.3 billion and more than

$2.2 billion when the Johnson Space Centermanaged Space Program Operations Contract

(SPOC) and related work performed at Kennedy

is included. The center also performed $85 million

in reimbursable work with other government and

commercial entities.

•	 The Space Shuttle Program (including total

SPOC impacts) executed a $1.1 billion budget by

accomplishing four successful shuttle missions,

all of which carried major components or logistics

to the International Space Station. The STS-130

mission delivered the final components of U.S.

segments to the station and the STS-132 mission

delivered the Russian Mini-Research Module and

critical spare parts. The FY 2010 activity also

included preparations for two shuttle missions

(STS-133 and 134) that slipped into FY 2011, as

well as requirements associated with retirement of

the program following manifest completion.

•	 The International Space Station’s $96 million

budget allowed for fulfillment of commitments

to international partners in completing station

assembly, including several major component

and supply deliveries -- the Tranquility module,

Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module,

integrated cargo carrier, and the Russian MiniResearch Module. Funding also helped the

ongoing processing and flow of remaining space

station components at Kennedy.

•	 The Launch Services Program (LSP) executed a

$399 million budget -- direct and reimbursable.

LSP supported the launch of two successful

missions -- the Solar Dynamics Observatory

(SDO) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

in Florida, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey

Explorer (WISE) from Vandenberg Air Force

Base in California. LSP also supported the

Geostationary Operational Environmental

Satellite-P (GOES-P) launch from Cape Canaveral

Air Force Station in an advisory capacity. The

NASA/KSC Budget Authority Summar

FY 2008 through FY 2010 ($ in Million

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

($ in Millions)

SPOC 953 946 857

KSC 1,369 1,313 1,318

FY2008

$2,322

FY2009

$2,259

FY2010

$2,175
KSC AR 2010 • 51

Space Shuttle $222

Space Station $96

Launch Services/Science $360

Constellation $175

Center Management & Operations $350

Other $115

Total KSC* $1,318

* Excludes Space Program Operations Contract (SPOC)

Kennedy Space Center

FY 2010 Budget Authority ($ in Millions

FY 2010 KSC Budget by Element

($ in Millions)

Labor

$286 (22%)

Travel

$9 (1%)

Direct Procurement

$1,023 (78%)

Seventy-eight percent of the Kennedy budget is spent through the purchase of goods and services from

commercial providers. The SPOC, or space shuttle contract, managed by Johnson Space Center in Houston

is excluded here. Its inclusion would increase the percentage of procured services to 87 percent.
52 • KSC AR 2010

program also procured launch vehicle services

and other support services for several manifested

missions scheduled to launch in FY 2011 and

beyond.

•	 The Constellation Program budget of $175

million supported ground systems design

and development and ground operations

infrastructure, including activities applicable

to future programs. The FY 2010 activity also

included the successful test launch of Ares I-X.

•	 Kennedy’s Center Management and Operations’

budget provided $350 million to maintain the

center’s critical mission essential facility systems

and life safety systems, as well as core technical

capabilities and supporting infrastructure. It also

sustained the center’s safety and engineering

technical authorities, implemented NASA’s

Chief Information Officer initiatives and provided

business systems support with improved internal

controls.

Business Development 

With the anticipated retirement of the Space

Shuttle Program in 2011, Kennedy increased its efforts

during the year to expand and strengthen partnerships

with external private and public organizations to help

meet the challenges of the pending transition. The

center had 87 active reimbursable agreements, which

generated more than $700 million in budget-offsetting

revenues. Details on Kennedy’s efforts are included in

the Center Planning and Development section of this

report.

To fulfill its mission, NASA and its contractors

require goods and services, both technical and

non-technical, ranging from expendable launch

vehicles, propellants and computer systems,

to motor vehicles, facilities and office supplies.

In meeting NASA’s demand, local contractors

employ workers, produce products, fund

payrolls and generate output. These workers

and contractors generate additional impacts as

they spend their incomes and place orders with

other local or regional firms for materials and

services. Salaries paid to employees create and

generate business for the communities where

they live. Supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants,

department stores, automobile dealers, dry

cleaners, real estate offices and other businesses

support the community of workers, and in turn,

hire employees, pay salaries and generate further

community business needs.

Also, further economic activity is generated

through visitors to the Kennedy Space Center

Visitor Complex, its launch events and business

travel to the region. Each round of spending

recirculates NASA’s initial demand among Florida’s

businesses and households, multiplying the direct

impact on the economy.

Kennedy annually conducts an economic

impact analysis to measure NASA’s effect on the

economy at the local, regional and state levels.

The assessment found that in FY 2010, of the

$18.7 billion NASA budget, Kennedy and other

NASA centers spent $1.8 billion in wages and

commodity purchases within the state of Florida.

This monetary injection into the local, regional and

state economy induced a total economic impact

within the state of $4.1 billion in total output, $2.2

billion in household income, and generated 33,000

jobs. The report concludes that every spacerelated dollar spent in Florida produces more than

double the economic output; and every spacerelated job creates an additional 1.26 jobs within

the Florida economy. Kennedy remains by far the

major economic driver in Brevard County and a

major contributor to the economic health of the

state of Florida.

Economic Impact
KSC AR 2010 • 53

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

Output, Income & Taxes in millions of 2010 $

Employment

33,041

27,728

28,704

Output

Area of Economic Impact

Brevard County

Central Florida Region

State of Florida

State of Florida

Central Florida Region

Brevard County

25,000 26,000 27,000 28,000 29,000 30,000 31,000 32,000 33,000 34,000 35,000

Millions of 2010 $

Output

3,048

3,574

4,093

Income

1,715

2,130

2,167

Federal Taxes

228

289

314

State & Local Taxes

88

113

134

Income Federal Taxes State & Local

Taxes

Brevard County Central Florida Region State of Florida

FY 2010 Total Economic Impact o

All NASA Activitie

in Florida by Geographic Area

For every job at Kennedy, an additional 1.26 jobs are created elsewhere within the state of Florida, each

dollar of wages was multiplied into $2.09 in total income and each dollar of total direct spending for

commodity purchases and wage payments was multiplied into $2.16 of output production.

In FY 2010, the total economic impact of

NASA in Florida was:

•	 $4.1 billion in output

•	 $2.2 billion in household income

•	 33,000 jobs

•	 $314 million in federal taxes

•	 $134 million in state and local taxes

The vast majority of the impact was in

Central Florida
Kennedy Space Center is the most broadly

based, complex and successful launch center

in the world. Both NASA and contractor

personnel working at the center are essential to the

success of Kennedy.

The work force is a diverse group of people

dedicated to supporting the nation’s space program

and NASA’s future explorations. To accomplish

the various missions expected of Kennedy, these

individuals fulfill a multitude of tasks.

At the end of each year, the center takes a

snapshot of its work force. This picture includes

all federal and contractor employees chartered to

work for Kennedy. Other organizations, such as

the European Space Agency and Patrick Air Force

Base, have roles here but are not reflected in these

numbers.

As of Sept. 30, 2010, the total Kennedy

population was 13,631. This includes 2,126

NASA civil servants, 88 NASA students, 9,845

on-site and near-site contractor employees,

283 construction employees and 1,289

tenants on the center. There was an 11.6

percent decrease in the contractor work

force in 2010 due to downsizing as NASA’s

Space Shuttle Program comes to an end. The

civil servant skill mix includes scientific and

engineering, administrative, technical and

clerical workers.

Kennedy’s Human Resources Office

provided employees with many transition

opportunities and employee assistance

programs as NASA’s Space Shuttle Program

comes to an end. The office helped workers

locate and apply for federal and private jobs,

build their resumes, and hosted veteran

assistance classes.

In May 2010, the center extended a Space

Act Agreement with Brevard Workforce that

allows the organization to provide job training

and other services to the work force through May

27, 2012. Between July 2009 and June 2010, the

organization provided training to 687 workers and

held 124 workshops for 2,968 participants. During that

same period, more than 1,000 visits were recorded at

the organization’s two onsite locations for information

on job search skills, training opportunities and

employment referrals. More than 900 workers sought

information on program services and registration,

job search, resume writing and interview skills at the

onsite Brevard Workforce Express mobile unit offered

through the Aerospace Workforce Transition Program.

Human Resources, in conjunction with Brevard

Workforce, also held two onsite job fairs and two

others at offsite locations to help workers who will be

displaced by the shuttle’s retirement and transition.

54 • KSC AR 2010

Work Force

Diversity

Kenndy Space Center

Work Force Profile (through 9/30/10

Civil Servants	 2,126

Co-ops and Students	 88

Total Civil Servants 2,214

Civil Servant Skill Mix

	 Scientific & Engineering	 62%

	 Administration	 28%

	 Technical	 2%

	 Clerical	 4%

On-site Contractor Employees	 9,796

Off/Near-site Contractor Employees	 49

Total Contractor Employees 9,845

Total Construction Employees 283

Total Tenants 1,289

TOTAL KSC POPULATION	 13,631
Procurement

Report

KSC AR 2010 • 55

The companies listed below were some

of Kennedy Space Center’s top support

contractors or launch services contractors in

terms of dollars obligated in FY 2010. Following is a

brief description of their work for the agency:

Boeing Space Operation

Boeing Space Operations was the prime contractor

for the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing

Services, or CAPPS, contract. Boeing’s primary

purpose was to support all aspects of payload

processing for the International Space Station, space

shuttle and expendable launch vehicles, or ELVs.

URS Federal Technical Services, In

URS Federal Technical Services provided base

operations support for Kennedy. URS Federal

Technical Services was responsible for operations,

maintenance and engineering for specific Kennedy

facilities, systems, equipment and utilities. URS

Federal Technical Services also was responsible for

calibration and propellants handling at the center.

Abacus Technology Corporation

Abacus provided communication and information

technology services under the Information

Management and Communications Support, or

IMCS, contract. Abacus supported the majority of

these requirements at Kennedy, which included

support to agency programs, such as space shuttle,

Constellation, payloads, launch services and the

International Space Station. Services provided include

hardware and software integration development,

computer administration and maintenance, voice

and data transmission, library, graphics, publications,

printing and reproduction, and IT security.

Analex Corporation

Analex was the prime contractor on the

Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Services,

or ELVIS, contract. Analex was responsible for

performing and integrating the overall programmatic

ELV business and administrative functions, including

program and project planning, risk management,

evaluation and information technology. Services

provided include the management, operation,

maintenance and sustaining engineering of NASA’s

ELV communications and telemetry stations located

at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, or CCAFS, in

Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Analex also provided engineering services and

studies, and technical services for various ground and

flight ELV systems, missions and payloads.

Arctic Slope Research Corporatio

Arctic Slope Research, or ASRC Aerospace,

provided research and engineering services and

technical support to Kennedy’s Spaceport Engineering

and Technology Division and other center operational

customers. Support ranged in scope from engineering

development and management of complex research,

to engineering and technical support of various

Kennedy laboratories and test beds. ASRC Aerospace

utilized a consortium of affiliated universities in

performing applied research and technology

development efforts. ASRC Aerospace also provided

technology outreach to foster awareness and

utilization of Kennedy’s unique capabilities.

Innovative Health Applicatio

Innovative Health Applications, or IHA, under

the Medical and Environmental Support Contract,

or MESC, provided a broad range of medical and

environmental services to NASA. IHA operated the

on-site Kennedy medical clinic, which conducts

health exams, certifications and emergency medical

treatment. IHA also performed occupational

health services, aerospace medicine, industrial
56 • KSC AR 2010

hygiene, environmental permitting, compliance and

stewardship, ecological monitoring, and hazardous

waste disposal. IHA operated Kennedy’s Fitness

Centers and provided education outreach to the

center’s employees.

United Launch Services LL

United Launch Services, or ULS, a subsidiary of

United Launch Alliance, brought The Boeing Co.,

Delta Launch Services Inc. and Lockheed Martin

Commercial Launch Services together. ULS provided

launch services to NASA using the Delta II and Atlas

vehicles under two of three existing multiple-award,

indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity task order

contracts. Principal location for the Delta II vehicle

assembly is Decatur, Ala. Principal location for the

Atlas vehicle assembly is Denver, Colo. Both vehicles

launch from CCAFS and Vandenberg.

OAO Corporati

OAO led the Outsourcing Desktop Initiative,

or ODIN, for NASA after acquiring the OAO Corp.

The ODIN contract is an agencywide, longterm outsourcing arrangement that transfers the

responsibility and risk for providing and managing

the vast majority of NASA’s desktop, server and

intracenter communications assets and services.

Such assets include desktops, servers, mobile

BlackBerry devices, WebEx Web conferencing,

Kennedy Unified Dialup Access, or KUDA, and e-mail.

Orbital Sciences Corp

Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) of Dulles,

Va., provided the agency’s Launch Services Program

(LSP) with small and medium class expendable launch

services at CCAFS, Vandenberg, Wallops Flight

Facility in Virginia, and equatorial launch ranges. OSC

provides launch services on both of the NASA Launch

Services (NLS) I and II multiple-award indefinite

delivery, indefinite quantity task order contracts.

United Space Alliance LLC

Under a Johnson Space Center contract, United

Space Alliance, or USA, was the prime contractor for

the Space Flight Operations Contract. USA’s primary

purpose was to ensure mission success for the Space

Shuttle Program. Kennedy is the primary point of

responsibility for launch and landing of the space

shuttle. USA supports ground operations and orbiter

logistics elements of the shuttle at Kennedy.
KSC AR 2010 • 57

Your Procurement Dollars at Wo

Geographical Distribution by State

(Fiscal Year 2010 Obligation

STATE TOTAL DOLLARS

ALABAMA 2,045,890.73

ALASKA 21,332.15

ARIZONA 227,891.44

CALIFORNIA 18,756,939.41

COLORADO 269,171,251.71

CONNECTICUT 10,050,379.79

DELAWARE 30,238.50

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 615,983.00

FLORIDA 237,735,098.60

GEORGIA 513,964.00

HAWAII 130,194.91

ILLINOIS 856,101.33

INDIANA 11,272.42

IOWA 109,093.42

KANSAS 13,290.91

LOUISIANA 6,275,437.23

MARYLAND 321,071,712.53

MASSACHUSETTS 845,465.88

MICHIGAN 2,181,011.13

MINNESOTA 101,948.00

STATE TOTAL DOLLARS

MISSOURI 1,027,071.04

MONTANA 56,501.63

NEVADA 96,813.00

NEW HAMPSHIRE 492,515.88

NEW JERSEY 1,440,198.33

NEW MEXICO 1,340,212.00

NEW YORK 926,274.39

NORTH CAROLINA 774,209.16

OHIO 1,014,546.71

OKLAHOMA 9,913.66

OREGON 100,651.00

PENNSYLVANIA 8,823,910.08

RHODE ISLAND 51,801.25

TENNESSEE 4,621,263.48

TEXAS 18,000,866.67

UTAH 178,814.49

VIRGINIA 97,255,098.07

WASHINGTON 99,759.40

WISCONSIN 1,817,667.00

WYOMING 15,562.00

TOTAL $1,035,932,601.33
58 • KSC AR 2010

uitd launch servic

URS FEDERAL TECHNICAL SERVICES, INC. 116,998,841.76

ABACUS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 102,500,507.36

BOEING SPACE OPERATIONS COMPANY 88,929,179.08

ASRC AEROSPACE CORPORATION 71,935,008.09

ORBITAL SCIENCES CORPORATION 41,060,676.00

SPACE GATEWAY SUPPORT, LLC 38,972,618.71

INNOVATIVE HEALTH APPLICATIONS, LLC 23,897,873.60

ANALEX CORPORATION 23,280,388.29

OAO CORPORATION 18,585,186.38

SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 13,915,051.00

AIR LIQUIDE LARGE INDUSTRIES U.S. LP 13,442,013.15

CANAVERAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY INCORPORATED 13,212,691.04

MILLENNIUM ENGINEERING AND INTEGRATION CO 12,866,281.01

SAUER INCORPORATED 12,860,232.26

PRAXAIR INCORPORATED 7,826,787.94

DYNAMAC CORPORATION 7,583,624.00

REDE-CRITIQUE 6,220,709.23

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION 6,117,085.00

ORBITAL SCIENCES CORPORATION 5,900,179.23

BREVARD ACHIEVEMENT CENTER, INC. 5,774,650.88

ASTROTECH SPACE OPERATIONS, INC. 4,691,068.14

AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INCORPORATED 4,326,652.63

MISENER MARINE CONSTRUCTION, INC. 4,179,349.00

JONES EDMUNDS AND ASSOCIATES 3,767,900.00

TOTAL $1,035,932,601.33 

Contractor Dollars

Top 25 KSC Business Contractors for FY 201
Soaring above Kennedy 

Space Center’s Launch Pad 

39A towers, space shuttle 

Discovery heads skyward on 

its STS-131 mission, April 5, 

2010, at 6:21 a.m. EDT.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

www.nasa.gov

NP-2011-02-029-KSC