Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Table of Content

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 1

Center Director’s Message ............................................................................ 2

NASA Vision and Mission .............................................................................. 3

U.S. Vision for Space Exploration................................................................... 4

President’s Management Agenda ................................................................ 6

Significant Events............................................................................................ 8

Our Transformation ....................................................................................... 12

The NASA Values........................................................................................... 13

Space Shuttle Program ................................................................................. 16

International Space Station and Payload Processing.................................. 21

Launch Services Program ............................................................................ 23

Hurricane Damage and Recovery............................................................... 25

Environmental Leadership ........................................................................... 26

Spaceport and Range Technologies ........................................................... 28

Partnerships .................................................................................................. 31

Education Programs..................................................................................... 32

Outreach to the World.................................................................................. 34

2004 KSC Business Report

Chief Financial Officer’s Letter ................................................................ 38

Economic Impact .................................................................................... 40

Work Force Diversity ............................................................................... 43

Procurement Report ............................................................................... 44
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Center Director’s Message

On the day our astronauts take their first steps on the “red

planet,” historians will ask, “When did this journey truly

begin?” They will point back to 2004 and this incredible year

in our Agency’s history. The year 2004 will undoubtedly go

down as one of the most pivotal years for NASA as President

George W. Bush, on January 14, announced America’s new

Vision for Space Exploration. The U.S. Congress proved its

commitment to our Agency when it endorsed the Vision in

November by fully funding the President’s proposed space

exploration budget.

In 2004, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) made a commitment to

“raising the bar” and surpassing the Columbia Accident

Investigation Board requirements, and by all accounts, we

met this challenge. Our team reassembled Space Shuttle

Discovery’s major components, preparing it for testing and its

eventual roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building in 2005.

Shuttle technicians completed stacking the Solid Rocket

Boosters as they awaited mating to the STS-114 External Tank.

Preparing for our return to the International Space Station

(ISS), our ISS team diligently processed payloads for the Space

Station, with the high bay of the Space Station Processing

Facility at KSC packed full of flight hardware ready to fly. None

of this would have been possible without the hard work of

14,000 dedicated people at KSC.

We are very proud of our Launch Services Program for

enabling incredible scientific discoveries. They ensured

successful launches of Gravity Probe B, Aura, Messenger and

Swift spacecrafts, and accomplished the major preparation

work for an early January 2005 launch of Deep Impact,

starting the year off with a bang. NASA also saw the Mars

Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exceed all expectations, lasting four times longer than their life expectancy. They

sent dramatic pictures back to Earth and discovered that

water, which could have facilitated life, once existed on Mars.

They have literally rewritten the scientific textbooks concerning

Mars right before our very eyes.

In addition to launch and payload processing, KSC is recognized as having world-class engineers and scientists, with

several of our research scientists being awarded Inventor of

the Year and top awards in research and development. The

total list of accomplishments by the KSC work force in 2004

stretches as high as the Vehicle Assembly Building, too many

to begin to list them all here. But as I’ve said many times, each

KSC team member plays a pivotal role in our success. They

range from the security guards carefully clearing each worker

and visitor through our gates; to mission-support specialists

ensuring our “mini-city” keeps functioning on a day-to-day

basis; to our professional processing technicians working on

space flight hardware.

The year 2004 was unusual in that it dealt KSC some major

adversity provided by Mother Nature, with Hurricanes Charley,

Frances and Jeanne. But true to their reputation and commitment to the NASA family, KSC people helped each other and

their communities, and found ways to perform their work

under adverse conditions. This ensured a full Center recovery

with minimal impact to our mission.

As the year closed, KSC had its eyes looking toward the

future. The first step in the Vision for Space Exploration is

returning our Space Shuttles safely to flight. We’re on track for

a launch window of May to June 2005, and it will be a

tremendous day when Discovery flies again.

With America’s new Exploration Vision, NASA will return to the

Moon, then to Mars and beyond, and historians will record

2004 as “when it all began.” I’m excited about where NASA is

heading for the future with the vision guiding our way. It will

be a tremendous journey for our nation, and I invite you to join

us every step of the way!

James W. Kennedy

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Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 3

NASA Vision & Mission

The NASA Vision

To improve life here,

To extend life there,

To find life beyond.

The NASA Mission

To understand and protect our home planet,

To explore the universe and search for life,

To inspire the next generation of explorers

 ...as only NASA can.

This image of comet NEAT was taken with a Mosaic I

camera from the Kitt Peak National Observatory near

Tucson, Ariz., on May 7, 2004.

(Left) On a tour of the Orbiter Processing Facility,

Center Director Jim Kennedy (center) views the External

Tank door corrosion work being performed on Endeavour

during its Orbiter Major Modification period which began

in December 2003.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

U.S. Vision for Space Exploration

In January 2004, President George W. Bush announced the

nation’s Vision for Space Exploration and NASA started

working on several tasks in its support. KSC established an

Exploration Office to quickly focus Center efforts and provide a

unified approach to contributing to the vision.

The Exploration Office leads and focuses the Center’s efforts in

aligning with the Vision for Space Exploration, and ensures the

Center supports the needs and requirements of the Exploration Initiative. The Exploration Office is responsible for establishing and maintaining good working relationships with

external organizations that lead and support key elements of

the initiative. The office is also responsible for communicating

exploration needs and requirements across the Center.

KSC employees responded well in making important

contributions supporting the Exploration Initiative. In the

area of requirements definition and analysis, the work

force participated with simulation-based acquisition and

with ground-support system requirements development

and concepts of operations.

In the area of Constellation Systems, KSC employees provided:

• a key member of the Safety and Mission Assurance

Working Group

• launch site facility infrastructure studies

• ground operations concepts

• command and control systems concepts

• Integrated Discipline Team members for the integrated

systems approach, including the lead for Ground

Infrastructure and support for 12 other teams

• Crew Exploration Vehicle request for proposal development and SEB team members

• System Integrator request for proposal development and

SEB team members

KSC also served as a key member in the Operations Advisory

Group. In the area of Human Systems Research and Technology, KSC workers developed key bio-regenerative life-support

technologies. To benefit Exploration Systems Research and

Technology, KSC workers served in key roles in technology

formulation planning.

Inside KSC’s Space Life Sciences Lab, Dr. Kyeon-Hye Kim checks

plants in a plant growth chamber for testing under various light

conditions. This research will be crucial to long-term

habitation of space by humans.

4 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 5

KSC employees are playing a crucial part in planning and

developing Exploration Outreach efforts. These efforts include

presentations and assisting with planning the first Space

Exploration Conference and NASA’s Centennial Challenges

program, which offers prize contests to stimulate innovation

and competition in exploration and ongoing NASA missions.

KSC workers stepped up to support the Vision for Space

Exploration and currently serve in key roles to help NASA in the

challenging endeavors that will take us to the Moon, Mars and

beyond. They consistently demonstrate the key knowledge,

skills and capabilities that will help to make the exploration

vision a reality.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

An artist’s rendering of the “Earth, Moon, Mars

and Beyond” echoes the U.S. Vision for Space

Exploration.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

The President’s Management Agenda

KSC fully embraces the President’s Management Agenda to

achieve NASA’s mission as safely and efficiently as possible.

Within the agenda’s framework are five initiatives used to

improve government performance. KSC continues to fully

support the Agency’s implementation of these initiatives.

Strategic Management of Human Capitol

NASA strives to attract and retain the best and brightest

scientists and engineers. In FY 2004, KSC implemented an

Integrated Human Capital Strategy, focusing on work force

optimization, recruiting and the student “pipeline.” The KSC

work force optimization effort facilitated staffing for multiple

Agency requirements, including Return to Flight and the

Launch Services Program. In addition, KSC implemented a

reorganization to implement specific Columbia Accident

Investigation Board (CAIB) Report recommendations, including

a centralized Safety and Mission Assurance organization.

KSC continues to actively participate in the NASA Corporate

Recruiting Program, and in July 2004 began utilizing the

NASA Flexibility Act Authorities as delineated in NASA’s Work

force Plan.

KSC “rolled out” a number of human capital tools, including

the Travel Manager and Resume Manager systems. In

addition, KSC supported a number of Agency-level initiatives,

including the development and pre-production efforts of the

Competency Management System. KSC also provided training

and system administration support to all Centers transitioning

to that system. To facilitate this year’s budget-planning

activities, KSC used the Workforce Information Management

System, a tool developed by Langley Research Center.

Competitive Sourcing

In the framework of the NASA Competitive Sourcing initiative,

KSC is working to achieve effective competition between public

and private sources, and is meeting competitive sourcing

goals defined by the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB). The Center completed its Competitive Sourcing Plan

and has been provided specific support for the upcoming

competition for the NASA Shared Services Center, an approach

for consolidating specific NASA business and technical support

services.

Financial Management

KSC supported full-cost configuration for FY 2004 operations,

implementing Integrated Financial Management (IFM) Core

Finance in October 2003. The Center demonstrates continued

progress in addressing IFM Core Financial stabilization and

data issues, as well as in identifying, standardizing and

improving Center reports. KSC was actively involved in the

KSC managers and employees gather in the Center’s television

studio to watch Pres. George W. Bush announce the goals for

NASA’s new mission during an address from NASA

Headquarters on Jan. 14, 2004.

6 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 7

Agency transition to e-Payroll in August 2004, successfully

implemented a Travel Manager upgrade, and developed

requirements and prepared for the initiation of the next

financial management module: Integrated Asset Management. The Center completed planning for the Agency’s

selection of a vendor for the “e-travel” module, scheduled for

implementation in 2006.

e-Government (e-Gov)

KSC continued implementing a common network infrastructure for NASA e-Gov activities and participating in the federal

e-Gov initiatives. In FY04, KSC successfully completed the One

NASA ePresence pilots based on the Oracle and IBM solutions.

The NASA Management Information System (NMIS) progressed smoothly into Phase II. The majority of the KSC NMIS

key performance indicators are now online. KSC continues to

support the Agency’s Identity Management System Project,

and is working toward the rollout of SmartCard planned for FY

2005. KSC manages the Agency Security Update System

project. In FY 2004, nearly 85 percent of the Agency’s computer systems participated in the project. As part of the

Agency’s solutions on achieving the OMB’s Getting-to-Green

initiative, this activity received considerable attention from the

OMB and other federal agencies. KSC continues to lead the

Space Operations Mission Directorate’s ODIN WebEx pilot. In

addition, the Center works closely with the Agency’s Chief

Information Officer office in aggressively addressing the OMB

directive on restructuring the Information Technology System

Security Plans.

Integrated Budget and Performance

Along with the Agency, KSC implemented full-cost operational

procedures in FY 2004 and was successful in using the

Integrated Financial Management Budget Formulation system

for this year’s budget submission process. KSC worked with

the Agency to standardize structures and resolve budget

execution issues under full-cost operations, and continued –to

educate the Kennedy work force on the policies and procedures which accompany managing resources under full-cost

methods.

Through this framework, KSC realizes its strategic goals:

ensuring and advancing access to space for exploration,

development and use; providing innovative spacecraft and

range technologies for safe space operations and exploration

missions; and offering safe, world-class services.

Astronaut Leland Melvin talks to students at Gainesville Elementary School, a NASA Explorer School in Gainesville, Ga. Melvin

discussed the new Vision for Space Exploration with the next generation of explorers on Sept. 21, 2004.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Significant Events

10/01/03 – NASA celebrates 45 years of service.

10/05/03 – KSC Director Jim Kennedy addresses passing of

astronaut Gordon Cooper and recognizes his everlasting

contributions to the Space Program.

10/12/03 – International Space Station element Cupola arrives

at KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility. Shipped from Italy,

the European Space Agency element will be installed on the

Space Station in early 2009. The dome-shaped module has

seven windows, giving astronauts a panoramic view.

10/12/03 – NASA’s two Crawler Transporter vehicles receive

new “shoes.” The $10 million project replaces the 456 treadbelt shoes on each crawler. The shoes, which weigh more

than one ton apiece, are critical for safely transporting the

Space Shuttle to the launch pad.

10/18/03 – NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft arrives for final

launch preparations. The spacecraft was shipped from Ball

Aerospace & Technologies in Boulder, Colo., to the Astrotech

Space Operations facility located near Kennedy.

11/07/03 – Three mission specialists are added to the

STS-114 crew. The new crew members, Andrew Thomas,

Wendy Lawrence and Charles Camarda, join mission

commander Eileen Collins, pilot James Kelly and mission

specialists Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi (of the

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), who were named

to this flight in 2001.

11/19/03 – KSC dedicates the Space Life Sciences Laboratory.

The 100,000-square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s

ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology

studies and analytical chemistry labs. The SLS Laboratory also

includes facilities for developing space flight experiments and

flight hardware, new plant-growth chambers, and an Orbiter

Environment Simulator that will be used for ground-control

experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight

experiments.

11/20/03 – The International Space Station, which has orbited

Earth more than 29,000 times, celebrates five years in space.

8 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Representatives of NASA KSC and the state of Florida prepare to cut the ribbon officially opening the Space Life Sciences Lab at

a ceremony in front of the new lab on Nov. 19, 2003. In the front row, from left, are Dr. Samuel Durrance, executive director of

the Florida Space Research Institute; KSC Director Jim Kennedy; Frank T. Brogan, president of the Florida Atlantic University;

Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings; and Catherine and Grier Kirkpatrick, children of the late Sen. George Kirkpatrick.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

11/21/03 – Veteran NASA astronaut John Phillips and seasoned Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev are selected as the

next Space Station crew, Expedition 11. Their six-month mission

is set for launch in April 2005, aboard a Soyuz 10 launch

vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russia.

01/03/04 – Mars Exploration Rover Spirit successfully sends a

radio signal after the spacecraft bounces and rolls for several

minutes upon its initial impact at 11:35 p.m. EST.

01/14/04 – President George W. Bush announces the Vision

for Space Exploration. This plan offers a building-block strategy

of human and robotic missions, beginning with returning the

Space Shuttle to flight and completing the International Space

Station. The vision also calls for humans to return to the Moon

by 2020 and eventually explore Mars and beyond.

01/25/04 – Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity returns the

first pictures of its landing site, revealing a surreal, dark

landscape on Mars.

01/29/04 – NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe designates the

last Thursday in January as annual NASA Remembrance Day.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, NASA leaders unveil a

plaque honoring Columbia, the STS-107 astronauts and their

loved ones. The plaque dedication was made on the 16th floor

inside the “Columbia room,” a permanent repository of the

debris collected in the aftermath of the tragic accident.

01/30/04 – Construction is complete on a new air traffic

control tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The tower

rises nearly 100 feet over the midpoint of the runway,

giving controllers a 360-degree view of KSC and north

Brevard County.

02/02/04 – Administrator O’Keefe announces the Martian

hills, located east of the Spirit rover’s landing site, will be

dedicated to the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 crew.

04/07/04 – The new Florida quarter design is unveiled. The

“Gateway to Discovery” coin depicts Florida’s past with a

Spanish Galleon and the state’s future with a Space Shuttle.

Administrator O’Keefe and Gov. Jeb Bush attended the

ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex.

04/15/04 – A study by the Partnership for Public Service and

the American University Institute for the Study of Public Policy

Implementation says young people, women and minorities

selected NASA as the best place to work in the federal

government.

04/20/04 – Gravity Probe B, which will test two of Albert

Einstein’s theory of relativity predictions, launches from

Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), Calif., aboard a Delta II

launch vehicle.

9

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gives out free Florida

quarters to children ages 18 and younger

following a ceremony unveiling the state’s

quarter design at the KSC Visitor Complex

on April 7, 2004.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

05/03/04 – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognizes KSC as a Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)

Star site, joining an elite group of organizations considered to

have the best safety programs in the nation. VPP is a national

program designed to recognize and promote effective safety

and health management.

05/13/04 – NASA names 50 new Explorer Schools in part of a

major NASA education effort to inspire the next generation of

explorers that may one day venture to the Moon, Mars and

beyond.

05/20/04 – The first pieces of Space Shuttle Columbia debris

loaned to a non-governmental agency for testing and

research travel from KSC to the Aerospace Corporation in El

Segundo, Calif.

06/16/04 – The President’s Commission on Implementation of

U.S. Space Exploration Policy releases its report unanimously

supporting America’s Vision for Space Exploration. Titled “A

Journey to Inspire, Innovate and Discover,” the report contains

eight findings and 14 recommendations on how to implement

the vision.

07/15/04 – Earth-Observing System Aura launches from VAFB

aboard a Delta II on a NASA mission to study the Earth’s

ozone, air quality and climate.

07/16/04 – NASA celebrates the 35th anniversary of the

launch of Apollo 11, a powerful 363-foot Saturn V rocket that

zoomed toward the Moon’s surface. On July 20, 1969, at

approximately 10:56 p.m. EDT, astronaut Neil Armstrong took

the historical first step on the Moon’s surface.

08/03/04 – The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment,

GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft launches

from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Delta II Heavy

launch vehicle for a scientific investigation of the planet

Mercury. It will be the first mission to orbit Mercury.

08/13/04 – Hurricane Charley makes landfall at KSC in the

evening. The Category 1 hurricane brings sustained winds of

75 knots. (The Hurricane Damage and Recovery section of this

report provides further information regarding the incidents

KSC endured during hurricane season.)

09/05/04 – Hurricane Frances makes landfall at the Center

at 1 a.m. The category 2 hurricane brings sustained winds of

91 knots.

09/25/04 – At 11 p.m., Hurricane Jeanne storms through KSC.

The category 3 hurricane produced the highest sustained

winds (100 knots) of all the storms that enveloped the Center.

10 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

During a visit to the Museum of

Science and Industry in Tampa, KSC

Deputy Director Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr.

greets students from one of NASA’s Explorer

Schools, Stewart Middle School.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 11

Apollo 11 lifts off from Launch

Complex 39A on Dec. 16, 1969,

carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong,

Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin on

the first mission to land on the Moon.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Our Transformation

12

During the past two years, NASA has progressed in the

beginning stages of transforming itself. The need for this

transformation was born primarily out of the organizational

flaws highlighted through the Columbia accident and

subsequent investigation report, combined with a new Agency

focus on exploration. It became clear that NASA must not only

change, but also transform itself to meet future challenges.

To truly transform, the Agency needs to change on many

fronts. A complex organization cannot be transformed by

changing in only one or two areas. Rather, the organization

must be viewed as a system of interdependent sub-systems.

Organizational performance is an emergent property of the

relationships and interactions between these sub-systems.

Founded on this understanding of organizational performance, NASA undertook a series of initiatives focused on

changing different aspects of the Agency. While these

initiatives can be categorized into a detailed systems framework, their impact on NASA’s technical, organizational and

human excellence should be considered. This can be

represented graphically below.

KSC is working diligently to support this Transformation. The

position of KSC Change Manager was created, and the Star

Alignment Team (SAT) formed to focus on guiding KSC’s efforts

for organizational and cultural change consistent with the

Agency Transformation. The SAT analyzed data from surveys

and reports dating back to 1984 and developed a comprehensive description of the areas for improvement at KSC. Projects

kicked off to improve the areas of communication, performance management, and adherence to the NASA Values, just

to name a few.

In addition to these local efforts, KSC also supported Agencylevel initiatives. Behavioral Science Technology (BST) began its

cultural improvement work at KSC, beginning with a survey of

the entire work force and culminating in work with the Safety

and Mission Assurance Directorate. KSC also continued its

support of the One NASA effort. One NASA is an Agency

initiative focusing on centers and individuals making decisions

for the common good, standardizing to increase efficiencies

and collaborating to leverage existing capabilities. KSC is

committed to cultural change and to sustaining continuous

system, process and organizational improvement to ensure

the highest levels of safety and mission success.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

The NASA Values

The NASA Values are at the heart of all that we do, and are

profoundly powerful as we strive to improve our Agency and

Center. They form the bedrock for our cultural change and, in

fact, the whole NASA Transformation. Our values serve as an

anchor in this sea of change, and ensure that as we move

forward, we do so in a manner that is consistent with what

we want to be as an Agency.

KSC demonstrated an unwavering commitment to “living

the NASA Values.” This can be seen not only in the projects

and initiatives it has undertaken (such as the NASA Values

Essay Contest), but also in the actions and behaviors of the

work force. The following are some of many examples for

each value.

SAFETY

We are committed individually, and as a team, to protecting

the safety and health of the public, our partners, our people,

and those assets that the nation entrusts to us. Safety is the

cornerstone upon which we build mission success.

KSC now provides greater organizational independence to

the Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) function, in

accordance with a key finding in the Columbia Accident

Investigation Board Report by establishing an independent

S&MA directorate that reports directly to the Center director.

The Center also established an Independent Technical

Authority.

All NASA Centers partnered to develop research protocols for

the medical concerns of Moon and Mars missions. These

include artificial gravity; bone, muscle and cardiovascular deconditioning; orthostatic intolerance; space motion sickness;

and microbiological changes in microgravity. The Occupational

Health Office supported Return to Flight simulations and

medical training.

During Super Safety and Health Day activities, the importance

of good health was promoted by giving employees information on wellness, disease-prevention programs and screening

tools, and by offering them opportunities to talk with health

care providers. Additionally, the new Adapted Physical Activity

Program, a fitness program for disabled employees, increased

accessibility to health and wellness activities.

Following damaging hurricanes, the Occupational Health

Office helped establish criteria to manage wet building

materials, and assess and mitigate mold growth.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 13

In the Launch Control Center, officials monitor

the “Mode VII” emergency landing simulation

being conducted at KSC on Feb. 18, 2004.

The Mode VII is an emergency

preparedness exercise for personnel,

equipment and facilities used in

rescuing astronauts from a downed

orbiter and providing immediate

medical attention.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

THE NASA FAMILY

We are a diverse team of people who are bound together in

the most challenging and rewarding of endeavors. We respect

each other, trust each other, support each other, mourn

together, celebrate together and dream together.

Immediately following Hurricane Charley, KSC moved quickly

to set up the Charley Hotline to facilitate employees helping

one another. Within hours of the hotline’s startup, numerous

employees called in offering their time and equipment to those

affected by the hurricane. Lackman Culinary Services donated

ice to employees in need, and Delaware North Park Services

donated bottled water.

EXCELLENCE

We are committed to achieving the highest standards in

engineering, science, management and leadership as we

pioneer the future. We thrive on new ideas, experiences and

continuous learning. We are always rigorous in our operations. We demonstrate and communicate an unquenchable

spirit of ingenuity and innovation.

KSC researcher Jan Zysko was awarded both the NASA

Invention of the Year Award and the Commercial Invention of

the Year Award for his development of the Personal Cabin

Pressure Monitor. It was a first for NASA and KSC to win both

awards for the same technology.

KSC launched Gravity Probe B, one of the most thoroughly

researched programs ever undertaken by the Agency, to test

two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein’s general

theory of relativity. Its goal is to assess how the presence of

Earth warps space and time, and how Earth’s rotation drags

space and time.

INTEGRITY

We embrace truthfulness and trust, and have the moral

courage and obligation to be open, honest and ethical in all

that we do. We treat everyone with dignity and respect. We

recognize our responsibility and are accountable for the

important work entrusted to us to better our society for future

generations.

KSC intensified its focus on the importance of open and honest

communication. One example of how KSC encourages

upward communication occurred just prior to the hurricanes.

An employee was concerned that a 300-foot radio tower with

a large antenna did not have the necessary structural strength

to handle the load of the antenna. Strengthening of the tower

was planned but had not yet occurred.

14

Jan Zysko, chief of the data and electronic systems branch of

KSC’s Spaceport Engineering and Technology directorate, tests

the Personal Cabin Pressure Altitude Monitor in an altitude

chamber at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. Zysko invented

the pager-sized monitor that alerts wearers of a potentially

dangerous or deteriorating cabin pressure altitude condition.

With hurricane season rapidly approaching, the employee

shared his concern to senior management. Management

determined the strengthening was necessary and ordered

that it be completed immediately. Managers also ensured that

all seven towers at KSC be routinely inspected and maintained, and roles and responsibilities for the work was

clarified. All seven towers survived the wind loads from

Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

After a morning launch on April 20, 2004, the Delta II rocket

carrying the Gravity Probe B spacecraft pitches over and

starts heading downrange from Space Launch Complex 2

at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

(Inset) In the NASA spacecraft processing facility on

North Vandenberg Air Force Base, principal

investigator Dr. Francis Everitt and co-principal

investigator Brad Parkinson, both from Stanford

University, hold one of the small gyroscopes

used in the Gravity Probe B spacecraft. The

GP-B towers behind them.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 15
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Space Shuttle Program

Tremendous efforts occurred during the past fiscal year to

prepare NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet for Return to Flight (RTF) and

ultimately support the Vision for Space Exploration. Orbiter

Vehicle Discovery (OV-103) was designated the RTF orbiter, and

underwent significant modifications and testing in accordance

with the Columbia Accident Investigation Board’s recommendations. Orbiter Major Modifications (OMM) and full assembly

of a Space Shuttle Main Engine were successfully performed

at KSC for the first time. Various Launch Complex 39 facilities

were upgraded and modified, and new practices were

established to ensure a safer work environment.

Space Shuttle Processing Activities

Discovery (OV-103) Accomplishments

To prepare Orbiter Vehicle Discovery for RTF, it transitioned

from its Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP) and

OMM activities to Up Mission Processing. The focus was on

implementing the RTF modifications and system testing. The

modifications included installation of the Orbiter Boom

Subsystem, Wing Leading Edge (WLE) instrumentation, and

External Tank (ET) separation camera.

Many of Discovery’s major components, which were removed

for structural and wire inspections during OMDP, were

reinstalled. These components included both Orbital Maneuvering System pods, the Forward Reaction Control System,

Rudder Speed Brake, body flap, nose cap and chin panel.

Installation of these components allowed for the start of

system testing required to validate each of the orbiter subsystems prior to flight. Discovery’s final testing and closeouts

occurred in March 2005.

Atlantis (OV-104) Accomplishments

Similarly, the Orbiter Vehicle Atlantis (OV-104) underwent a

large amount of preparation for the second RTF mission. The

orbiter’s full structural inspection satisfied more than 270

requirements, enabling Atlantis to support up to six missions.

Atlantis’ radiators, airlock and Forward Reaction Control

System were removed in order to facilitate a thorough

structural inspection. A tremendous amount of wiring modifications were also performed to support the post-Columbia

changes including the addition of the Orbiter Boom Sensor

System (OBSS), ET well camera, and instrumentation of the WLE

with strain and thermal sensors. Additional wiring modifications bolstered the reliability of redundant system capabilities.

Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility watch

closely as Discovery’s Forward Reaction Control

System is lowered into position in the orbiter’s

forward fuselage nose area. Discovery is

designated as the Return to Flight vehicle

for mission STS-114.

16 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

All three orbiters’ Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panels were

removed and inspected at KSC and Lockheed Martin in Texas.

KSC Quality Engineering performed thermo-graphic inspections which utilize a high-intensity flash lamp and infra-red

cameras for non-destructive analysis and documentation of

each panels’ characteristics. Buildup of the RCC panels prior to

re-installation required meticulous shimming of the spar fitting

hardware to achieve the correct alignment.

Endeavour (OV-105) Accomplishments

Orbiter Vehicle Endeavour (OV-105) entered its OMM phase to

begin work on 103 scheduled modifications. This includes

upgrades to the avionics and data systems such as the tripleredundant Global Positioning System, Modular Memory Unit

and the Multi-Electronic Display System. The orbiter nose cap,

which experiences the highest heat during reentry, was

successfully replaced and aligned. Orbiter structural and wire

inspections of all accessible areas are now complete. The

remaining modifications will be completed prior to vehicle

power-up and the Up Mission Processing phase. By the end of

this processing flow, Endeavour will have more than 1,600

Thermal Protection System tiles bonded.

Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Status

Assembly of the SSMEs has evolved from the Rocketdyne

Manufacturing plant in Canoga Park, Calif., to Stennis Space

Center in Mississippi and Kennedy Space Center. The first

engine was fully assembled at KSC in August 2004 and will

travel to Stennis to undergo a hot fire acceptance test later

this year.

Eleven engines are either ready or being processed for their

next flight (eight at KSC and three at Stennis). Historically,

new SSMEs were assembled in Canoga Park, with KSC

responsible for performing post-flight inspections on existing

engines in preparation for their next mission. Both functions

were consolidated in February 2002, when new engine

assembly work transferred to KSC to combine operations and

reduce costs.

17

Inside the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility, Boeing-Rocketdyne technicians prepare to move the first main engine

fully assembled at KSC. Workers prepare to place a sling around the engine to assist its lift from a vertical work stand into a

horizontal position in preparation for shipment to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to undergo a hot-fire acceptance test.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Facility/Ground Support Equipment (GSE)

Accomplishments

Rigorous inspections identified significant corrosion of all three

KSC Mobile Launch Platforms (MLPs). Significant repairs

required replacement of massive structural members,

sandblasting and application of corrosion protection. All

repairs are completed.

Inspections of both Crawler Transporter’s tread belt “shoes,”

using instrumented load tests and evaluations of fractures,

revealed fatigues and required replacements. Each Crawlers’

456 Apollo-era shoes were replaced beginning in October

2004. The shoes weigh 2,000 pounds each.

Continuous facility modifications included a major overhaul of

the Space Shuttle Launch Complex 39B, designated for RTF.

Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne briefly interrupted corrosion

control efforts. At Launch Complex 39A, a Sound Suppression

Water System test released 350,000 gallons of water on MLP

2 in several seconds on May 7, 2004. The test successfully

validated the newly installed, 48-inch main system valves. The

old valves were in place since the beginning of the Space

Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life.

The system is used to suppress acoustical shock waves and

quench the steel deck of the MLP during launch.

The Vehicle Assembly Building’s north doors were replaced.

The orbiter is towed through these doors prior to mating with

the ET and Solid Rocket Boosters. The horizontal High Bay 3

doors underwent extensive repairs due to corrosion.

Foreign Object Debris (FOD)

NASA and United Space Alliance workers developed a more

robust FOD control process in response to a CAIB recommendation. Workers in processing, quality, corrective engineering,

process analysis and integration, and operations management gathered as a working group to visit various aerospace

and related facilities to study each company’s FOD prevention

process, documentation programs and assurance practices.

Companies visited included Northrup Grumman at Lake

Charles, La., Boeing Aerospace at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas,

Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga., and the Air Force’s

Air Logistics Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The processing team instituted numerous improvements in

three fundamental areas of emphasis. First, the program

eliminated various FOD categories, and now treats all FOD as

preventable and with equal importance. Second, the program

re-emphasized the responsibility and authority for FOD

prevention at the operations level. And finally, the program

elevated the importance of comprehensive independent

monitoring by both contractors and the government. The new

FOD program has a meaningful set of metrics to measure

effectiveness and guide improvements.

Columbia Storage

Space Shuttle Columbia’s recovered components are preserved in a secure, climate-controlled facility specifically

prepared for them at KSC. NASA currently has approximately

84,200 individual items inventoried and the Columbia Debris

Recovery Office continues to receive one or two additional

items weekly.

The components continue to provide useful engineering data.

During the year, NASA received 25 requests to examine

specific vehicle components for scientific purposes. Most of the

requests were a result of CAIB findings or related to key Space

Shuttle Program issues.

Also, 17 requests were granted for research on 50 different

debris items so far. Many requested pieces of the RCC panels,

which protect the wings’ leading edges from extreme heat

encountered during reentry into the atmosphere.

Some debris studies were beneficial to developing damagedetection equipment such as the Orbiter Boom Sensor System

to perform on-orbit integrity assessments of the Thermal

Protection System during future Space Shuttle flights. Several

of the Orbiter Maneuvering System thrusters are being used in

Non-Destructive Evaluation research at the White Sands Test

Facility in New Mexico.

18

A KSC employee uses a clean-air shower before entering a clean

room. Streams of pressurized air directed at the occupant from

nozzles in the chamber’s ceiling and walls are designed to

dislodge particulate matter from hair, clothing and shoes. An

adhesive mat on the floor captures soil from shoe soles.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Workers prepare to install the giant-sized sprocket (left side) and gear (right side) on

the Crawler-Transporter (CT) behind it. The drive sprocket turns the belt on the CT.

The sprocket is mated to the gear that attaches to the drive motor.

(Inset photo) Mission STS-114 pilot James Kelly (left) and mission specialist Andrew

Thomas (center) look closely at the shoes of a Crawler-Transporter track. Each 10-

foot-high track on a crawler contains 278 “shoes,” weighing 2,200 pounds each.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 19
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Technicians in

the Space Station Processing

Facility set up a lifting device to help open

the 270-pound starboard hatch on the Node 2 module.

Node 2 is the second of three International Space

Station connecting modules. It will attach to the

end of the U.S. lab and provide attach locations for

several other elements. Node 2 is scheduled to

launch on mission STS-120.

20 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

International Space Station and

Payload Processing

The International Space Station (ISS)/Payload Processing

activities centered around preparing for Return to Flight and

supporting the Vision for Space Exploration.

STS-114/LF-1 (Logistics Flight)

Several activities readied designated payloads for the first

Return to Flight mission. Work included mission-specific

buildup of the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support

Structure Carrier, removal and replacement of the MultiPurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) hatch and a complete

modification of all Resupply Stowage Platform racks. The

racks carry equipment, supplies and other items for transfer

to the ISS.

STS-121/ULF-1.1 (Utilization Flight)

To support the research payloads on the future STS-121

mission, Space Station U.S. Lab interfaces for the Minus Eight

Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI), European Modular

Cultivation System (EMCS) and Space Dynamically Responding

Ultrasonic Matrix System (SpaceDRUMS) were tested in the

Payload Test and Checkout System. External shields and

blankets were removed and a new thermostat modification

was implemented on the MPLM. Hatches were removed,

force-balanced off site and reinstalled on the MPLM.

STS-115/12A (P3-P4 Truss Assembly)

STS-117/13A (S3/S4 Truss Assembly)

The truss team completed numerous maintenance activities.

Discrepant Solar Array Wing structural fasteners were

reworked. This effort included developing a special tool at KSC

to overcome obstructed access to enable repairs. These

repairs eliminated the need to intricately remove the wing from

the truss element, avoiding added handling risk to the flight

hardware. A preload reduction on the flight wing blanket

boxes was completed, relaxing the wings from their flightconfigured compressive loads. The team also successfully

offloaded the flight-loaded ammonia from the S4 Truss to

prepare the cargo element for the installation of an added

Photovoltaic Radiator in 2005.

STS-116/12A.1 (P5 Truss Assembly)

STS-118/13A.1 (S5 Truss Assembly)

In work relating to the extended ground stay, the truss

assembly continued to remain ready for the Space Shuttle

integration mode and workers utilized the extended ground

time to make necessary repairs and modifications as needed.

STS-120/10A (Node 2)

Node 2 processing continued with the completion of the OnOrbit Constraints Test, designed to verify all connections

between the node and its on-orbit connected elements. The

team also completed the Common Berthing Mechanism

acceptance testing and the Traveled Work Systems Test. Both

tests check out components not previously verified at the

manufacturing site. Several modifications were completed to

the audio fiber-optic system and the Quick Disconnect on the

fluid systems to correct design deficiencies discovered after

delivery of the module to KSC.

STS-119/15A (S6 Truss Assembly)

The truss team completed extensive truss assembly and

checkout, along with numerous maintenance activities, and

resolved problems. The S6 truss was assembled and verified

without the upper deck solar array wing. An integrated,

powered checkout with liquid anhydrous ammonia will be

performed. To protect the wings for an extended ground stay,

flight wing preload reductions relaxed the wings from their

flight-configured compressive load.

STS-126/1J (Japanese Experiment Module)

The JEM remains in long-term dwell. KSC continues to provide

support services on a periodic basis to JAXA (The Japanese

Space Agency).

Active MPLM

The majority of planned Active MPLM (A-MPLM) Minus Eighty

Lab Freezer for ISS (MELFI) Risk Mitigation testing was completed successfully. The tests included activation of water

servicing ground-support equipment; verification of A-MPLM

cooling subsystems, MELFI to A-MPLM interfaces, and new AMPLM to orbiter interfaces; as well as demonstration of control

of the payload from the Mission Control Center at Johnson

Space Center in Houston and the Marshall Space Flight Center

Payload Operations Integration Center in Huntsville, Ala. The

successful completion of testing and resolution of problems

will reduce risks to critically-conditioned science samples

during launch, on-orbit and landing phases, and launch

processing schedules

Engineering Activities

Avionics engineers headed up a team to develop alternative

and safer methods for inspecting fiber-optic contacts on ISS

components. They also developed an adapter tool to allow

existing inspection tools to more safely interface with the fiberoptic contacts.

Avionics engineers developed and implemented an automated battery health-check capability for Utilization Experiment Pre-launch Batteries. The automated system reduced

personnel needs to approximately 20 percent of the level

required with the manual process, while improving the

accuracy of the data recorded.

21
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Fluid Systems

To improve ammonia processing, the Checkout Assembly

and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) developed a test

conductor training class to enhance the number of qualified

Ammonia Task Conductors. In addition, CAPPS dedicated

specific people to ammonia activities and implemented a

biweekly ammonia team meeting to review the progress of

activities leading up to ammonia servicing and support

operations.

Payload Transporter/Canister Modifications

When moving a bus-sized payload from one facility to

another, the payload is lowered into a payload canister

through canister doors that open up like Space Shuttle bay

doors. Because a payload can weigh up to 20 tons, if the

canister and transporter it sits on are not perfectly level, the

22

payload might be damaged when mounted inside the

canister, and the canister doors might not close properly

due to canister flexing under the heavy payload weight.

The original analog transporter leveling system proved to

be inadequate and was replaced with a laser-based, microleveling system. The new system can adjust the canister

longeron beams to within 0.063 inches of zero planar

condition. This represents an improvement in accuracy of

almost twice the capability of the old system and resolves

the previous payload insertion challenges.

Payload Rack Checkout Unit

Multiple mission and payload maintenance tests were

completed in the Payload Rack Checkout Unit for the MELFI

for ISS, MELFI Flight Unit 2 and the Human Research Facility 2.

The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module

(MPLM) Donatello is slowly lowered

toward a work stand inside the Space Station

Processing Facility highbay on Feb. 13, 2004. This

is the first time all three MPLMs (Donatello, Raffaello

and Leonardo) are in the SSPF at the same time.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Launch Services Program

NASA’s Launch Services Program at KSC was busy with three

successful Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) launches and

other projects supporting the Vision for Space Exploration. A

highly skilled team worked to provide safe, reliable, costeffective and on-schedule processing, mission analysis, and

spacecraft integration and launch services for NASA and

NASA-sponsored payloads on ELV missions.

The Gravity Probe B (GP-B) spacecraft launched on a Delta II

rocket on April 20, 2004, from Vandenberg Air Force Base

(VAFB), Calif. GP-B is designed to observe and measure two

extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory

of relativity: the warping of space-time due to the presence

of a nearby massive body, such as the Earth or Sun, and

the twisting (dragging) of space-time near a rotating

massive body.

The AURA satellite launched on a Delta II on July 15, 2004,

from VAFB. The NASA mission studies the Earth’s ozone, air

quality and climate. This mission is designed exclusively to

conduct research on the composition, chemistry and dynamics of the Earth’s upper and lower atmosphere. Aura is the

third in a series of major Earth-observing satellites to study the

environment and climate change and is part of NASA’s Earth

Science Enterprise.

Gaining knowledge about Mercury and the forces that shaped

this enigmatic world is fundamental to understanding the

other terrestrial planets (Venus, Earth and Mars) and the

evolution of the inner Solar System. The MErcury Surface,

Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER)

spacecraft launched on a Delta II Heavy vehicle on Aug. 3,

2004, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER will

travel to Mercury, flying past the planet three times — twice in

2008 and once in 2009. The spacecraft’s cameras and

sensors will provide the first images of the entire planet and is

the first scientific investigation of the planet from orbit.

MESSENGER’s data will ultimately help explain how the

terrestrial planets were formed.

While overseeing missions such as those of the past fiscal

year, the LSP team managed 40 future ELV missions. The team

works with other NASA Centers, including the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Marshall Space Flight Center in

Huntsville, Ala., and Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,

Md., to plan and process NASA’s scientific, research and

communications spacecraft for launch.

Future scientific missions include CALIPSO/CloudSat, key parts

of the Earth Observing System, and NOAA-N, a satellite

developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration. The Geostationary Operational Environmental

Satellite (GOES-O) completes the upcoming Earth-observing

missions and will launch aboard NASA’s first flight on a Boeing

Delta IV launch vehicle.

Future planetary missions include the Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiter to analyze the surface of Mars, and the Demonstration

of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) mission that

will utilize an advanced video-guidance sensor to demonstrate the capability for two spacecraft to autonomously

rendezvous in space.

The program also supported planning and processing for

NASA’s Deep Impact mission, which launched on Jan. 12,

2005, on a Delta II from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Deep Impact will rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 on

July 4, 2005.

23

After rollback of the mobile service tower at Launch Complex

17-B, the Boeing Delta II rocket with the MESSENGER

spacecraft aboard is ready for launch on a seven-year journey

to the planet Mercury.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

(Background) This photo

of Hurricane Frances was

taken by astronaut Mike Fincke

aboard the International Space

Station as he flew 230 statute

miles above the storm at about

9 a.m. CDT Aug. 27, 2004.

(Top inset) Panels from the exterior

walls of the Vehicle Assembly Building

are recovered during clean-up activities

following Hurricane Francis.

Members of the hurricane assessment team

from Johnson Space Center and Marshall

Space Flight Center observe the damage

to the roof of the Thermal Protection System

Facility at KSC after Hurricane Frances

hit the east coast of Central Florida and

Kennedy Space Center.

The storm surge and high winds of category 3

 Hurricane Jeanne replaced the rolling sand

 dunes on the KSC shoreline east of the

 launch pads with cliffs of sand. Jeanne

 barreled through Central Florida

 Sept. 25-26, 2004, becoming the fourth

 hurricane in six weeks to batter the state.

 The Damage Assessment Recovery

Team, including Center Director

 James Kennedy (left), meets at

 the NASA KSC News Center

 following Hurricane Jeanne.

24 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Hurricane Damage and Recovery

Florida’s East Coast was plagued with extreme weather

challenges during the 2004 hurricane season. KSC suffered

significant damage from the collective forces of Hurricanes

Charley, Frances and Jeanne, although the most notable

damage occurred during Frances. It was also the most active

hurricane season in KSC’s history.

KSC received $125.5 million in supplemental funds to repair

hurricane damage and enhance emergency preparedness

for future hurricanes. All repairs necessary for Return to Flight

and the start of the next hurricane season will be completed

prior to these events. No flight hardware was damaged

during the storms.

After Frances and Jeanne, the Damage Assessment and

Recovery Team (DART) surveyed all KSC areas to report

damage. Workers were allowed back to the Center only

when it was determined that all areas were safe.

During Hurricane Frances, the Vehicle Assembly Building

sustained damage to the roof and lost nearly an acre of

exterior panels. Repairs were completed in time to support

Solid Rocket Booster stacking operations for STS-114.

During Hurricane Frances, a large portion of the Thermal

Protection System Facility roof peeled back, exposing critical

tools and other unique equipment required to manufacture

orbiter thermal tiles and blankets. The DART quickly secured

the items and relocated them to a vacant hangar. The

equipment was thoroughly cleaned, inspected and recertified for use at the new location, greatly minimizing the

impact to RTF processing.

The Process Control Center (PCC) also experienced damage

compromising the roofs integrity, allowing water to penetrate

all three floors. The PCC houses a tremendous amount of

computer equipment and consoles used to develop and

debug system software. Critical electronic equipment was not

damaged due to the precautions personnel took prior to the

hurricane. The building was dried out quickly and reoccupied

with minimal impact.

Other facilities that sustained damage include the Headquarters Building, Launch Control Center, Operations and Support

Building I, fifth floor of the Operations and Checkout Building,

Multi-Payload Processing Facility and Landing Aids Control

Building at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Repairs included

drywall mold remediation, roof work and equipment replacement. The Hangar AF turn basin, where the SRB retrieval ships

come in, will be dredged to remove hurricane-driven sand.

25

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) sits next to KSC

Director of Spaceport Services Scott Kerr in a helicopter as

they observe overall damage at the Center from Hurricane

Frances. The Labor Day storm caused significant damage to

the Vehicle Assembly Building, Thermal Protection System

Facility and Processing Control Center.

The KSC Visitor Complex sustained damage to the Apollo

Saturn V facilities, Rocket Garden and roof of the IMAX

theaters. Rockets at Pass and ID Gates 2 and 3 were also

damaged. KSC was closed for normal business for nine-anda-half days.

Additionally, much of KSC’s pristine shoreline, dunes and

sensitive plant life were damaged due to beach erosion from

the major storms.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Environmental Leadership

It seems little can slow KSC’s environmental progress. NASA

Headquarters comprehensively audited the Center’s Environmental and Energy Programs and greenlighted all program

areas. No other NASA center has achieved positive “green”

ratings in all 13 environmental and energy program areas.

Every three years, NASA Headquarters evaluates each center’s

environmental and energy programs through an intensive

Environmental Functional Review, which analyzes regulatory

and policy compliance, and environmental, energy and water

program management.

The reviews gauge the “health” of the program areas and

metaphorically rate quality. Some of KSC’s recognized

strengths include a solid energy program aligned with Center

operations and programs, being the only NASA center with

director-approved energy management and water conservation plans in place, and excellent contractor support.

The Environment Program also promptly responded to the

unexpected discovery of 23 aging Booster Separation Motors.

These motors belonged to a discontinued program, so the

Environment Program found and implemented a safe and

environmentally acceptable disposal method. After Florida’s

Department of Environmental Protection approved emergency

disposal of these motors, KSC safely disposed of the various

ordnance devices through detonation at the Center landfill.

NASA and contractor environmental professionals at KSC

developed a pocket guide detailing common environmental

requirements and contact information to reduce environmental

compliance problems.

The removal of environmental contaminants restores polluted

sites for useful industrial purposes or returns them to a natural

state. The KSC Environmental Remediation Program continued

its aggressive cleanup of contamination that occurred during

the spaceport’s historical era, when the potential for damage

was unrecognized.

During 2004, the Remediation Program used numerous

innovative cleanup technologies such as “low-temperature

thermal desorption,” an on-site, cost-effective process that

releases contaminants from soil by thermal means. Other

remediation technologies include “soil-vapor extraction,”

which forces air through the soil, and “air sparging,” which

injects air through contaminated groundwater. All of these

technologies effectively strip the contaminants from the soil.

Using these and other remediation methods, the KSC

Remediation Program removed contaminants from 22,000

tons of soil at affected KSC sites.

The new desk-side recycling containers are evidence of KSC’s

new recycling contract. Since 1991, KSC recycled more than 54

million pounds of paper and cardboard, which is roughly

equal to preserving more than 450,000 trees. While the

Environment Program continuously explores recycling

opportunities, the new contract encourages recycling “mixed”

paper instead of just white paper. Colored manila file folders,

Post-it notes, business cards, construction paper, paper

envelopes and other materials are now acceptable. Furthermore, the monetary return to KSC is now 61 percent of the

recycling profits, surpassing the previous contract’s 24 percent.

26 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 27

Herons, a roseate spoonbill and other species of water birds gather in a

canal near KSC, which shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National

Wildlife Refuge. Just beneath the surface of the water below is one of nearly

5,000 alligators that call KSC home.

(Left) KSC employees visit a display table about energy set up in a tent near

the Operations and Checkout Building for the annual Environmental

and Energy Awareness Week, held April 20-22, 2004.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Spaceport and Range Technologies

28

KSC’s message traveled far across the world, including to the

Ukraine when Fundamental Space Biology Outreach Program

Manager Thomas Dreschel met with Ukrainian educators,

scientists and education leaders this fiscal year.

In addition to gaining international attention for projects, KSC

saved NASA $110,000 by relying on in-house technology and

workers to recover a Space Shuttle training aircraft thrust

reverser from the Banana River. Also, the Image Analysis

facility worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to

study kidnapping surveillance video for a case in Sarasota, Fla.

Some other highlights include developing a fire-suppression

agent which is more powerful and environmentally suitable

than other models, award-winning insulation methods for

cryogenic systems, tastier crops for long-duration space

missions, an aid for those with sight disabilities, and methods

to maximize water usage in space.

The Technology Commercialization Office received 120 New

Technology Reports for KSC-developed innovations, which

may result in patent and copyright licenses and partnerships.

A frequent leader of the Space Act Awards program, KSC

received $108,000 from the program for the fiscal year, which

is divided among award areas. More than 100 awardees

were present at the fifth-annual awards ceremony. The Space

Act Awards program stimulates and encourages creating and

reporting similar contributions in the future.

Approximately 100 three-dimensional External Tank models

were built to enhance the safety of Space Shuttle processing

operations. This tool simulates situations and scenarios

common during orbiter and External Tank mating.

To evaluate the performance of a wireless instrumentation

system, the Radio Frequency Health Node launched from

White Sands, New Mexico, in September 2004. The system

dramatically reduces the amount of wiring needed, eliminates

safety concerns associated with aging wires, provides rapid

response to vehicle instrumentation needs, and offers

building blocks for use in Integrated Systems Health Management technologies.

Hazardous Maintenance Facility personnel required a suitable

solution for improving access to service the Orbiter Maneuvering System (OMS) pods. Using a virtual-reality laboratory, the

facility’s OMS Pod Access Platforms were developed to

remedy the problem. The new labor-saving platform elimiKimberly Beck, a Spaceflight and Life Sciences

controlled biological systems trainee, helps with

growth studies supporting the WONDER (Water

Offset Nutrient Delivery Experiment) flight payload.

The experiment investigates hydroponic plant crop

production in microgravity.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 29

nates the need for scaffolds, reducing risks to flight hardware

and personnel.

Previously, heat lamps boiled water out of wet Space Shuttle

tiles. KSC developed a new vacuum system that waterproofs

tile holes and is capable of drying 25 tiles simultaneously.

Four complete systems are ready for use.

To manage the Space Station Processing Facility and Operations and Checkout Building’s floor and work space, workers

developed the Aurora Scheduling Tool. Once fully incorporated, the artificial-intelligence-based software will allow for

more efficient ISS and Space Shuttle payload processing.

The Human Factors Process Failure Modes and Effects

Analysis Tool identifies potential human errors, ways to

reduce or eliminate the likelihood they occur, and consequences if the errors do happen. A combination of humanerror analysis and risk-assessment software technology, the

tool also reduces human factors analysis time by up to 50

percent, trains novice analysts and reduces high-risk situations for improved safety.

KSC identified cable-free range communication technologies

that decrease life-cycle cost and increase operational

flexibility. Ultra Wideband, Wireless Ethernet and Free Space

Optics are cable-free technologies investigated during 2004.

The Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and KSC developed the

Autonomous Flight Safety System to increase range capabilities for ELV launch locations that don’t have or can’t afford

extensive ground-based range safety assets. The system

decreases range costs and reaction time for special situations. The project is in its third phase of development and

requires future ground and flight testing.

The Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP)

prepares pools of potential Space Program workers to replace

retiring personnel. Since its 1984 inception, 703 undergraduates, 50 counselors (graduate students and academics), and

more than 50 teachers have conducted hands-on research

with NASA. Educators with the Florida Summer Industrial

Fellowship for Teachers (SIFT) developed ecology and spacescience modules for use at their respective schools, as well.

More than half of the SLSTP participants are women and more

than 30 percent are minorities. One indication of the

program’s excellence is its recent selection as an Exemplary

NASA Partnership in NASA’s Fiscal Year 2003 Annual Performance Report to the White House Initiative Office on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

SLSTP alumni, including space industry scientists, engineers

and administrators, recently formed a non-profit organization

and Web site for former SLSTP members and SIFT teachers to

communicate.

The multi-center Space-based Telemetry And Range Safety

(STARS) project demonstrates the capability to use existing

space-based platforms, such as the Tracking and Data Relay

Satellite System and Global Positioning System, to provide

reliable communication, telemetry and tracking.

Reusable launch vehicles, expendable launch vehicles and

unmanned aerial vehicles can use STARS, potentially reducing

cost and infrastructure of the current ground-based communications system.

Modified STARS Range Safety hardware provided video data,

encoded audio, still images and archived footage from the

cockpit during a solo, non-stop circumnavigation flight known

as GlobalFlyer that took off Feb. 28, 2005.

The team is currently preparing for a 2005 rocket flight at

White Sands. A unit including a range safety processor, lowpower transceiver and GPS receiver will be onboard.

NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Office of Secretary of Defense,

Federal Aviation Administration and other stakeholders are

This STARS’hardware provides a cutting edge system for

maintaining tracking and communication with space launch

vehicles.
30 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

addressing the space launch infrastructure needs of low-cost,

routine and safe access to space. The proposed project, the

Future Interagency Range and Spaceport Technology Program

(FIRST), will develop technologies necessary to achieve

interoperable spaceports and ranges around the country and

eventually around the globe.

Technology Successes

KSC’s Technology Transfer Office thrusts developed technologies to industries for commercial use as spinoffs, and

leverages industry partnerships to create “spin-ins.” Spinoffs

typically are license agreements with companies, while spinins are performed primarily through Space Act Agreements.

The Technology Transfer Office identifies partners for these

projects and facilitates agreement negotiations with industry

partners. Occasionally, a company licenses a NASA technology for commercial use and partners with NASA to advance

that technology to better meet KSC’s needs through a Space

Act Agreement. During the fiscal year, KSC made several

agreements which are described below.

An agreement with Laura Lee Desrosiers Curts LLC in Virginia

and Nivis LLC in Atlanta prompted the use of the “Wireless

Instrumentation System and Power Management Scheme

Therefore.” The patent-pending, high-performance system

meets stringent requirements for reliability, data integrity and

power consumption. KSC now uses the system to acquire and

process data remotely.

Zeus Technologies Inc. in Orlando and Intergraph Solutions

Group in Alabama partnered with KSC to commercialize two

imaging software technologies: Fuzzy Reasoning Edge

Detection (“FRED”) and Fuzzy Reasoning Adaptive

Thresholding (“FRAT”). Fuzzy reasoning is based on “degrees

of truth,” instead of typical “true-or-false” methods. FRED is

ideal for detecting unfamiliar objects in footage. FRAT can

transform a poorly faded signature, weathered document or

surveillance tape into a clearer readable image.

NASA used the systems to identify and track foreign object

debris in STS-107 launch footage, and during analysis of the

Columbia disaster. The companies plan to develop and

market medical imaging devices incorporating the software

to evaluate and classify body masses in real time.

The KSC Technology Transfer Office successfully negotiated

and signed an agreement with GeoSyntec Consultant in

Florida and Huff & Huff Inc. in Illinois for the use and sale of

NASA’s Emulsified Zero Valent Iron (EZVI). EZVI was first

tested at Launch Complex-34, where groundwater was

polluted during the Space Program’s early history. EZVI, an oilin-water emulsion, clears up this historical groundwater

problem by degrading the site’s contaminants of concern.

Demonstrating NASA’s environmental commitment, Phoenix

Systems International in New Jersey uses its agreement to

develop a Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions reducer for

fossil-fuel-burning power plants. This technology, which is a

continuation of previous KSC developments, reduces costs

and eliminates hazardous waste streams. With NASA’s

assistance, Phoenix recently overcame hurtles and is now

polishing the final phase of the NOx scrubbing to improve

efficiency.

The agreement of Schaffer Test Products Inc. in Florida

commercializes the Current Signature Sensor technology.

The system remotely monitors the health of KSC’s widely-used

valves. This sensor lowers operational costs and increases

reliability by predicting valve failures before they occur.

Additionally, the Center’s Small Business Innovation Research

(SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program

enhanced KSC’s technology base through industry partnerships. Managed by the KSC Technology Transfer Office, SBIR/

STTR funds early-stage research and technology development

designed to address future mission needs.

The office managed 61 SBIR/STTR contracts valued at a total of

$19.7 million. Three SBIR/STTR-funded projects were launched.

Based on another of its plant growth concepts, Orbital

Technologies Corp. in Wisconsin developed a concept for plant

growth in space known as Biomass Production System for

Education. The system supports Space Shuttle and Station

plant-growth research, and is an educational tool for middleschool through college classrooms.

NASA is a primary user of hydrazine-based rocket fuel, and

gas scrubbers dissolve this fuel and oxidants into water. To

offer an innovative destruction method that is cost effective

and environmentally safe, Lynntech Inc. in Texas developed

the GEN II Waste Hydrazine Processing Unit. This model isn’t

as labor intensive and is more effective than previous

versions.

Following risk assessment, Optimal Engineering Solutions Inc.

in Florida developed PI-eXpert, software that allows users to

visualize and analyze data for process improvement. PIeXpert visualizes the safety, supportability, mission success,

schedule and cost data associated with process and industrial

engineering technologies. Ultimately, PI-eXpert can predict risk

assessments for future projects when root cause results are

available.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Partnerships

31

Building on its history of partnerships with space-related

organizations and other organizations in Florida, KSC

continued to combine strengths with its partners to accomplish goals more efficiently and effectively.

The U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing (45SW) is a key KSC

partner and plays a vital role in supporting the Center’s Space

Shuttle launches and numerous Expendable Launch Vehicle

missions. Via the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Management

Office, the 45SW and the Center managed joint base operations at KSC and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The

office improves effectiveness of the two organizations. This

partnership resolved key Return to Flight recommendations

and embraced the Vision for Space Exploration.

The state of Florida continues to be another important KSC

partner. Several branches of Florida’s government helped KSC

achieve its goals and objectives. For example, a partnership

with the Florida Space Authority (FSA) helped KSC allow the

Columbia Accident Investigation Board to investigate debris in

the Shuttle Landing Facility Reusable Launch Vehicle Hanger.

The partnership with the state also launched joint education

projects with the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI) and

several financial projects with the Florida Aerospace Finance

Corporation. Other state partners included Enterprise Florida

Inc., Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance, Florida universities

and institutes, and the Center for Aerospace Technical

Education.

Partnerships with Brevard County and civic organizations

greatly benefited KSC’s mission and provided a healthy

community for employees. In one example, the Brevard

Emergency Management Office helped the Center respond to

three hurricanes. The local Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge helps

KSC manage its 140,000-acre buffer zone.

Other local partners included the Astronauts Memorial

Foundation and the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies.

The National Space Club local chapter was instrumental in

starting the annual Brevard Student Space Week at KSC’s

Visitor Complex.

Our partnerships with the local Brevard County charitable

organizations, principally United Way of Brevard, served as a

vehicle for employees to contribute to our healthy and growing

community. KSC employees contributed a record-breaking

$389,000 in donations through the 2004 Combined Federal

Campaign.

Continuing its long-established and valued partnership with

the state of Florida, KSC collaborated with the FSA to complete

an environmental impact analysis of the International Space

Research Park. Completing the environmental review enables

KSC and FSA to finalize the long-term lease agreement and

develop the first 90-acre phase of this important new project.

Other key activities with the state included economic development initiatives led by Enterprise Florida Inc. in association with

regional economic developers such as the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. For one project,

the broad community and state partnered to offer a potential

Orlando-site for the planned NASA Shared Services Center.

KSC also launched joint education projects with the FSRI.

An artist’s rendering of the International Space Research Park, a partnership

between the Florida Space Authority and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 31
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Education Programs

Kennedy’s Education Programs and University Research

Division determinedly supports NASA’s mission to “inspire the

next generation of explorers...as only NASA can.” The Center’s

unique facilities and specialized work force encourages

students to pursue science, technology, engineering and

mathematics careers, and engages the public in NASA’s

pursuit of exploration and discovery.

The Aerospace Education Services Program supported the

KSC region of Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin

Islands. Programs were provided for 27,000 educators,

students and family groups, along with support for KSC’s

10 NASA Explorer Schools.

The Educator Resource Center (ERC) and Exploration Station

(ES) reached nearly 32,000 teachers and students this year. In

addition, nearly 13,000 family groups participated in the ES

program for a combined total of 45,000 groups.

The NASA Explorer Schools (NES) program, which focuses on

fourth- through ninth-grade educators and students, added

five new NES teams from Florida and Georgia to KSC’s preexisting five teams. Educator workshops included ways to

integrate NASA’s science roots into curriculum, how to use

real-world issues to better understand topics, and an

interactive session with International Space Station residents.

Oscar Patterson Elementary School in Panama City, Fla., a

KSC NES team, applied and was accepted to fly student

experiments via NASA’s Reduced Gravity Program.

Nineteen teachers still pursuing their degrees attended the

Center’s first Pre-Service Teacher Institute for two weeks.

Langley Research Center in Virginia developed the program

so pre-service educators can enhance their ability to teach

elementary and middle school mathematics and science

using technology. Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona

Beach, Fla., and KSC recruited pre-service teachers from

schools in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Florida.

Participants learned how to use a problem-based learning

method for their students and then developed and taught a

lesson to local children.

Three candidates were selected in 2004 for NASA’s Educator

Astronaut Program. One of them was Joe Acaba, a seventhand eighth-grade teacher from Dunnellon Middle School

in Florida who will serve as a mission specialist. Among the

160 Educator Astronaut finalists, 23 were from KSC’s educational region.

Students at Carol City Elementary School, a NASA Explorer School in Miami, prepare to greet Center Director Jim Kennedy on

his visit to the school to share America’s new Vision for Space Exploration with the next generation of explorers.

32 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

NASA Education, ERC, Delaware North Park Services and

Brevard County schools completed the second-annual

Brevard Space Week by hosting 6,000 sixth-grade students

at KSC’s Visitor Complex. The partnership also implemented

a new pilot program called “Brevard Blast” for seventhgrade students.

KSC’s University Programs Team joins education program

investments with the Center’s high-priority technology

development and research initiatives. Two students and 24

faculty members participated in the NASA Faculty Fellow

Program. KSC’s Spaceport Engineering and Technology, Space

Shuttle and Equal Opportunity directorates and Puerto Rico’s

and Mississippi’s Space Grant Consortia contributed funding.

The Center’s Education Office worked closely with KSC

researchers to add two funded slots for National Research

Council Research Associates. Now there are six KSC postdoctoral research associates.

The Center’s Education, Human Resources and Equal

Opportunity directorates identified the best candidates for

competency gaps. Education coordinated with Human

Resources to provide a complete picture of KSC at four NASA

corporate recruiting events. The teamwork ensures students

understand NASA’s pipelining programs, from academic

support and internships to hiring programs.

In February, KSC hosted 20 university research centers, which

are minority universities that perform scientific and/or

engineering research with NASA funding. The meeting

enabled groups to identify mutually beneficial and collaborative opportunities.

For the second year, KSC and the University of Central Florida

hosted Florida’s For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science

and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition. FIRST inspires

high school students, their schools and communities to

appreciate science and technology. Forty-two teams competed in the three-day event, with more than 2,000 enthusiastic attendees filled with “gracious professionalism,” a key

word for the students and their mentors. KSC’s team Roccobots competed in the finals.

KSC and the other human space flight centers submitted to

NASA Headquarters a NASA Explorer Institute (NEI) proposal

based on Return to Flight and Vision for Space Exploration

activities. NEIs are informal education entities, such as

museums, that NASA utilizes to communicate its story and

educate the public. KSC received more than $177,000 for the

proposal. An extensive four-day workshop for informal

educators occurred in November 2004.

During the 2004 school year, 197 KSC employees judged 29

elementary, four regional and two state science fairs (in

Florida and Georgia) reaching more than 14,000 students.

KSC awarded 10 recognition awards in Florida and five in

Georgia. Florida’s award winners were offered a summer

internship.

KSC’s Educational Technology group continues to develop the

Learning Technologies Project (LTP) Virtual Lab. KSC manages

the grant to enhance the instrumentation.

A local researcher selected KSC’s LTP Virtual Lab to use in

several classrooms to gauge student interest. This independent assessment will provide valuable information on its

effectiveness and on methods for producing learning tools

and resources that significantly impact student learning.

KSC created an engaging Enter the Firing Room Web site

(http://enterfiringroom.ksc.nasa.gov), which receives hits from

around the world.

33

Center Director Jim Kennedy (center) poses for a photo amid members of the KSC-sponsored “Pink” team and the FIRST LEGO

League at the 2004 Florida Regional FIRST competition, held at the University of Central Florida in March 2004.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Outreach to the World

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

The KSC Visitor Complex again helped in spreading NASA’s

message to more than 1.4 million guests from all over the

world. The number is expected to grow steadily over the next

10 years through the continuous addition of new attractions,

exhibits and improved guest conveniences.

The NASA and concessionaire team worked diligently in 2004

to develop a thematic master plan that will greatly enhance

the visitor experience, bringing this premier visitor center to a

new level. Extensive progress was made in designing a new

exhibit called the “Shuttle Launch Experience” that is planned

to open in 2006. The opening of a second retail store in the

Orlando International Airport occurred after the first store,

which opened in 2003, proved to be a successful venture. The

Astronaut Hall of Fame continues complimenting the existing

exhibits and attractions, enhancing the educational value to

the visitors and expanding student programs.

A new immersive program called the “Astronaut Training

Experience” was piloted during 2004 and proved to be a

success. The one-day program is offered to small groups of

people ages 14 and older and includes a special tour of KSC, a

meeting with an astronaut, participation in astronaut training

via a simulated Shuttle mission and classroom exercises. The

program was expanded to include a student version.

The Visitor Complex hosted 6,000 sixth-grade students from

Brevard County in a partnership with the School Board to

promote math and science. Several high-visibility special

events were hosted there, including a ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the Columbia tragedy and

the induction of the second class of Shuttle astronauts into the

Astronaut Hall of Fame. The Visitor Complex also hosted the

unveiling of the official Florida quarter, with attendance by the

NASA administrator, deputy secretary of the U.S. Treasury, U.S.

Mint director, and governor of Florida.

NASA Portal and NASA Direct!

The KSC Web Operations team’s primary focus shifted this

year to providing mission-related coverage through the NASA

Portal. KSC took on new responsibilities in developing all of the

34 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

At the KSC Visitor Complex, five Space Program heroes are inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 1, 2004.

Accepting inductions, from left, are Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; June Scobee, on

behalf of her late husband Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan,

the first American woman to walk in space; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a

space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator; and Richard O. Covey,

commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

official NASA Portal mission sites featuring the launch,

spacecraft and science of every new NASA mission. The team

co-manages all site content through launch.

The Web team produced eight live Web broadcasts in support

of five Expendable Launch Vehicle missions that included

informative presentations and public question-and-answer

segments relating to spacecraft technology, mission science

and launch processing. Included in this programming were

the first live Web broadcasts from Vandenberg Air Force Base,

Calif. An average of three to five feature stories and a similar

number of video features were produced for each mission on

a wide variety of technology and science topics.

KSC’s launch-day Web coverage mirrored NASA TV coverage

and commentary and featured up-to-the-minute coverage of

prelaunch, launch and post-launch events. This coverage,

along with an average of 10 to 12 NASA TV video downloads,

not only kept viewers informed as events occurred, but also

provided them with an online highlights archive. Another

accomplishment this year was the conceptualization,

development and publication of an interactive flash animation

called “Drive the Mars Rovers.” This feature allowed visitors to

steer the Opportunity and Spirit rovers around the Gusev

Crater and Meridiani Planum to view photos and learn about

the mission. “Drive the Mars Rovers” was published in March

2004 and highlighted on NASA’s M2K4 site. During its first

month, the animation attracted more than one million page

views, and in December 2004 was still being highlighted by

the print and Web media.

Government Relations

The KSC Government Relations office supported the Vision for

Space Exploration through extensive legislative outreach

efforts with local, state and federal elected officials. The office

arranged and conducted briefings given by the Center

Director to the Brevard County Commission, the Florida

Legislature, the Florida Governors Office and the Florida

Congressional Delegation focusing on the Vision for Space

Exploration and other NASA KSC Initiatives.

KSC also participated in the annual Florida Space Day in

Tallahassee, hosted a visit to the Center by more than 600

members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and their

35

Congressman Tom Feeney (left) and Deputy Director Woodrow Whitlow Jr. enjoy

an air boat tour around KSC on March 1, 2004. During January and

February, Feeney traveled the entire coastline of Florida’s 24th

District, concluding his journeys March 1 in Brevard

County at the KSC Visitor Complex main entrance.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

families, hosted a two-day retreat for the NASA Office of

Legislative Affairs and NASA Center Government Relations

Office Personnel and participated in planning and implementing the governor’s rollout of the Florida quarter at KSC. Center

officials also visited NASA Explorer Schools in support of the

Vision for Space Exploration.

Many local, state and federal elected officials and groups

visited KSC, including Sens. Bill Nelson, Wayne Allard, John

Kerry, and Bob Graham, and Reps. Dave Weldon, Tom Feeney,

Mark Souder, Nancy Johnson and Todd Platts. Center visitors

also included Florida Sec. of State Glenda Hood; State Sen.

Mike Haridopolos, State Rep. Bob Allen, and several Brevard

County Commissioners, among many others.

Exhibits

The KSC Display Management Team and Kennedy Integrated

Display Staff delivered the NASA message to more than

312,000 people participating in 35 events throughout the

nation and even in other countries. The exhibits team provided

informational materials containing Web sites and up-to-date

activities to people in a variety of venues. Events included the

Sally Ride Science Festival, air shows, educational venues and

Hispanic, African-American and Asian-Pacific festivals.

Exhibits included graphic displays of NASA’s programs and

showcased the Vision for Space Exploration, NASA’s mission

and vision statements and the benefits of space. They also

highlighted the Space Shuttle and Launch Services programs,

and the International Space Station.

The KSC exhibits team partnered with Florida’s state and local

entities, as well as academic groups, to ensure proper

distribution of the NASA message.

Speakers Bureau

As the Agency seeks to increase public understanding of

NASA’s missions and the contributions of the U.S. Space

Program, communication with external audiences plays a vital

role. Throughout the year, KSC’s Speakers Bureau reached

more than 200,000 people with messages about the U.S.

Vision for Space Exploration, the International Space Station,

science and research, and the Mars missions, to name a few.

KSC provided speakers to more than 300 educational,

industry and government groups, civic and professional

associations and clubs, and 50 national events and 16

international events.

A group of 21 astronauts and others in the space industry

brought the NASA message to a broad base of diverse events

and organizations. These included the Women in Law

Enforcement Conference, the American College of Dentists,

Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots,

University of Miami Space Forum and Indian River County

Medical Society.

KSC’s speakers also presented the NASA message to the 21st

Century Space Exploration Conference, the University of

Central Florida’s Student Union Lecture Series, Astronomy

Clubs, Rotary Clubs, university-sponsored Girls in Science

programs and the Florida Department of Transportation

Conference.

Speakers delivered their programs to aviation associations,

aerospace clubs, Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups, Florida

Library programs, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in

Tampa, Hispanic Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., American

Society of Engineers meetings, Youth Leadership Program for

Hispanic Students at Volusia College, Society of Women

Engineers, American Society for Mechanical Engineers

Tallahassee town hall meeting and the Florida Governor’s

Council on Indian Affairs.

Media Services

The Media Services division at the KSC News Center helped to

increase public awareness and support of Space Programs

and KSC activities by producing and distributing various

multimedia products to the world’s media organizations.

Among these products were fact sheets, press releases, video

news releases, live and radio phone-in interviews, still

photographs, video footage of activities, tapes and CDs.

The News Center coordinated events and programs spotlighting KSC-related milestones and activities, including the 35th

anniversary of Apollo 11, a “Discovery Day” media workshop,

STS-114 Orbiter Boom Sensor System modifications, the

Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, MESSENGER

spacecraft processing and launch events, and hurricane

preparations and damage assessments.

Other special media events planned and implemented by

Media Services included media witnessing a sound-suppression test at Launch Complex 39A, a tour of the Orbiter

Processing Facility with Discovery in processing, the Space Life

Sciences Lab ribbon cutting and tour, and the media events

surrounding launches from both Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Many

other news conferences were hosted by KSC.

It is estimated that nearly 530 million people throughout the

world were reached through the efforts of KSC’s media

projects.

36
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

During the year, Media Services provided more than 15,000

products to the media in the U.S. and various countries

including Germany, Argentina, England, Zimbabwe,

Cameroon, Israel, Finland, India, Denmark, Turkey and

Romania. Other requestors included media from Switzerland,

Norway, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Australia, South Korea,

France and Belgium.

KSC’s News Center also received requests from local, national

and international media for assistance in nearly 160 media

projects. These included requests for tours, on-site filming for

documentaries and films, photography and other events at

KSC. Requests were received from television, radio, print,

Internet and wire service representatives.

Also, the News Center assisted with Agencywide outreach

efforts to inform the world of NASA’s vision to return a human

presence to the Moon and ultimately the planet Mars.

Messages supporting the Vision for Exploration are ever

present in the products produced and disseminated to the

world’s media.

Special media projects supported by the KSC News Center

included a 10-part series on “Massive Engines” produced by

Oxford Scientific Films; media coverage of Columbia debris

preservation in the Vehicle Assembly Building; a Return to

Flight documentary for The Discovery Channel; filming for an

episode of “Court TV” about extreme evidence; and a History

Channel crew filming an Apollo 11 documentary for its

“Modern Marvels” program. Also, a WKMG Channel 6 news

piece (serving Central Florida) on the Crawler Transporter

vehicles and an orientation tour for the U.S. production crew of

the Indian movie “Swades” were coordinated by the Media

Services team.

37

Participants visit the One-NASA exhibit featuring NASA’s initiatives to strengthen space exploration, information technology

and an interactive “space man,” at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference at the Orange

County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

2004 KSC Business Report

Chief Financial Office’s Letter

Much like the previous year, FY 2004 marked a time of

significant change for the financial operation of the KSC.

NASA became the first federal agency to operate under fullcost principles, as the Office of the Chief Financial Office

successfully directed the implementation of full cost accounting, budgeting and management at the Kennedy Space

Center. In simplest terms, full cost ties direct and indirect costs

to major programs, projects and institutional activities. In

contrast to past business practices, institutional and infrastructure costs, such as civil service salaries and the use of facilities

and support services, are linked to programs and projects.

Thus, the work performed at KSC, whether it be an Agency

program or external work on a cost reimbursement basis, will

include the full range of expenses required to perform the

activity. This accomplishment significantly contributed to the

agency going “Green” on The President’s Management

Agenda criteria for “Integrating Budget and Performance.”

KSC also successfully transitioned the KSC Payroll system to

the new Department of Interior (DOI) system, meeting the “go

live” date of Aug. 8, 2004. KSC and the other Centers have

transitioned their entire payroll function to the DOI. This

accomplishment was a significant contribution to the Agency’s

E-Payroll Initiative in The President’s Management Agenda

item, “Improving Financial Performance.”

The budget brought good news to KSC in FY 2004. The Center

increased its spending allowance over FY 2003 by nearly $300

million to a total of $2 billion, with the inclusion of Shuttle

Program funding managed by the Johnson Space Center, but

spent locally. Although not finalized at this point, the Center’s

expectations for FY 2005 project an increase of an additional

$200-300 million. Increases spell good news for the local and

state economies, as well as confidence in the work performed

by the employees of KSC.

FY 2004 also brought significant hurricane damage around the

Center. Quick action by Center management, NASA Headquarters and the U.S. Congress produced hurricane recovery

funding for KSC in the amount of $126 million, which the CFO

Office coordinated, distributed and managed the funds to

expedite facility repairs, enabling the critical “Return to Flight”

operations to resume. The hurricanes occurred during critical

end-of-fiscal-year activities when the Center (and the federal

government) closes out its books. In response, the CFO office

deployed a group of employees to the Marshall Space Flight

Center in Huntsville, Ala., to maintain the Agency closing

schedule during Hurricane Jeanne-mandated evacuations.

The CFO successfully setup and maintained a communications

link to the KSC accounting personnel that allowed all Agencymandated month-end and year-end activities to be completed

accurately and on time.

Internally, the Chief Financial Office reorganized to provide a

business services group with specific emphasis on process

improvements, training and center metrics, as well as created

an institutional resources office to improve focus on the

growing needs of the KSC infrastructure and alignment with

the strategies and changing ways of doing business associated with full cost implementation. In addition, the office has

successfully directed major business process improvements

using the Six Sigma methodology, initially focusing on contractor cost reporting and analysis, labor utilization, and improvements to the procurement process.

Finally, Chief Financial Officer Napoleon Carroll served as

Brevard County Chairperson of the Combined Federal

Campaign this year. Under his direction, both donations and

employee participation rose to record highs, totaling nearly

$400,000 in charitable giving by 82 percent of KSC employees.

38 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 39

$2,323

$2,051

$1,760

2,500

2,000

1,500

500

0

1,000

FY2005

$1,129

$1,194

FY2004

$1,017

$1,034

FY2003

$867

$893

SFOC

KSC

($ Millions)

United Space Alliance (USA) is the contractor for the Space Flight Operations Contract at

Kennedy Space Center. The Space Shuttle processing work is managed by Johnson Space

Center and performed at KSC. The FY 2003 and FY 2004 numbers are actuals and FY 2005

is the projected budget.

NASA/KSC BUDGET AUTHORITY SUMMARY

FY 2003 THRU FY 2005

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Economic Impact

Just as the sights and sounds of a rocket launch brings

excitement to the lives of many Central Florida people, the

enormous operation that is required to make the launches

possible releases a powerful blast of economic activity that

flows through the businesses and households of Brevard

County, the Central Florida region and other areas of the state.

While the excitement of the launch is relatively short-lived, the

economic effects of NASA operations in Florida are continuous

and sustained. In FY 2004, of the $15 billion NASA budget, it is

estimated that KSC and other NASA Centers injected nearly

$1.5 billion into the local and state economies of Florida. This

spending set off a cycle of economic transactions that flowed

throughout many sectors of these economies and created a

multiplied level of total economic activity that far exceeded

NASA’s initial injection. Preliminary estimates of this multiplied

“NASA effect” is a total economic impact of $3.2 billion in the

state of Florida.

To explore space, NASA requires an extraordinary range of

commodities, including liquid and gaseous propellants, rocket

engines, computers and photographic equipment. The range

of services purchased is just as wide, including communications, laboratory testing, Space Shuttle processing, payload

integration and testing, expendable launch services, university

research, etc. In meeting NASA’s demand for these goods and

services, 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 regional firms for

materials and services. Each round of such spending recirculates NASA’s initial demand among Florida’s businesses and

households, multiplying the direct impact on the economy.

In addition to the economic activity brought about by NASA’s

spending on launch and space flight operations, there are a

number of other activities directly associated with NASA that

also add to the total economic impact in Florida. These

include the local travel expenditures of out-of-state business

and government personnel that travel to KSC to conduct

business, KSC Visitor Center’s sales to out-of-state visitors,

and the federal, state and local taxes these sales generate.

KSC annually conducts an Economic Impact Analysis to

measure NASA’s effect on the economy at the local, regional

and state levels. Since 2002, the report has been conducted

by the Transportation Economics Research Institute of Mount

Dora, Fla.

40 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 41

 

TOTAL INJECTIONS INTO FLORIDA ECONOMIES BY KSC/NASA ACTIVITIES SPENDING, LOCAL

TRAVEL EXPENDITURES OF KSC BUSINESS VISITORS AND KSC VISITOR CENTER

PURCHASES BY OUT-OF-STATE VISITORS FY 2004

In FY 2004 all KSC/NASA activities injected $1.52 billion of outside money into Florida’s

economy. This total consisted of $890 million in direct earnings payments to households and

$629 million in direct commodity purchases from contractors. Ninety-five percent of the total

injection went to Central Florida businesses and households.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

THE TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ALL NASA ACTIVITIES AT KSC IN FLORIDA

BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA FY 2004

Output: The total generated economic impact resulting from direct expenditure of earnings and

commodity purchases by NASA, multiplied by the subsequent effects that this economic

injection has on downstream activities.

Income: That portion of the economic output generating employee salaries and related.

Employment: Number of jobs created by the initial and subsequent economic output.

42 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

In FY 2004, the total economic impact of NASA in Florida was $3.3 billion in output, $1.6 billion in household income

and 33,000 jobs. This activity also generated $166 million of federal taxes and $76 million of state and local taxes.
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 43

Work Force Diversity

ON DUTY FULL TIME SERVANTS 1,796

ON DUTY OTHER-THAN-FULL TIME SERVANTS 163

TOTAL CIVIL SERVANTS 1,959

CIVIL SERVANT SKILL MIX

SCIENTIFIC & ENGINEERING 60%

ADMINISTRATIVE 25%

TECHNICAL 8%

CLERICAL 7%

ON-SITE CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES 10,061

OFF-SITE CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES 949

TOTAL CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES 11,010

TOTAL CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES 573

TOTAL TENANTS 1,332

TOTAL KSC POPULATION 14,874
44 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Industry Partners at a Glance

The companies listed below were KSC’s top support contractors or Launch Services contractors in terms of dollars obligated in FY 2004. Following is a brief description of their work

for the Agency:

United Space Alliance (USA)

Under a Johnson Space Center contract, USA is the prime

contractor for the Space Flight Operations Contract. USA’s

primary purpose is to ensure mission success for the Space

Shuttle Program. KSC is the primary point of responsibility for

launching and landing the Space Shuttle. USA supports

Ground Operations and Orbiter Logistics elements of the

Space Shuttle Program at KSC.

Space Gateway Support (SGS)

SGS, a joint venture of Northrop Grumman, Wackenhut and

Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Inc., provides base

operations support for KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station (CCAFS). SGS is responsible for roads and grounds

maintenance, facilities, custodial needs, fire, security, calibrations and propellants handling.

The Boeing Company

Boeing Space Operations Company is the prime contractor for

the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services

(CAPPS) contract. Its primary purpose is to support payload

processing for the International Space Station, Space Shuttle

and Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs). Boeing performs all

aspects of payload processing, including the planning and

receiving of payloads, maintenance of associated payload

ground systems, integration of payloads with the Space

Shuttle, launch support and Space Shuttle post-landing

payload activities.

InDyne, Inc.

InDyne, Inc. provides communication services under the

Kennedy Space Center Integrated Communications Contract

(KICS) supporting the Space Shuttle, Payload Carriers, Launch

Services and the International Space Station. InDyne provides

hardware and software integration and development for

voice, video and data communications. InDyne also supplies

motion picture, still photographic, digital and video products

and services for NASA, commercial ELV and Department of

Defense customers. InDyne handles the operation, administration and maintenance of the administrative telephone

system in support of all KSC residents.

Analex, Inc.

Analex is the prime contractor on the ELV Integrated Support

contract. The contractor is responsible for performing and

integrating the overall programmatic ELV business and

administrative functions, including program/project planning,

risk management, evaluation and information technology.

Services include the management, operation, maintenance

and “sustaining engineering” of the NASA ELV telemetry

stations located at CCAFS and Vandenberg Air Force Base

(VAFB); engineering services/studies and technical services

for various ground/flight ELV systems and payloads; and

management, operation, maintenance and “sustaining

engineering” of assigned NASA facilities, systems and

equipment at VAFB.

Procurement Report
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 45

The Arctic Slope Research Corp. (ASRC)

Aerospace

ASRC Aerospace provides research and engineering services

and technical support to the KSC Spaceport Engineering and

Technology organization and other Center operational

customers. The support ranges in scope from providing

research, engineering development and management of

complex research and development and technology projects,

to offering engineering and technical support of various KSC

laboratories and test beds. ASRC Aerospace uses a group of

affiliated universities in performing applied research and

technology development efforts. ASRC Aerospace also

provides technology outreach to foster awareness and

reliance upon KSC’s unique capabilities.

Dynamac Corp.

The Life Sciences Services Contract provides a broad range

of life sciences services to NASA. These include medical

operations for Space Shuttle and International Space Station

programs; environmental compliance and stewardship; life

sciences payload operations; support to the Agency Occupational Health Program Office; biological science; life sciences

payload development; work force protection; fitness and

musculoskeletal rehabilitation; and education outreach.

The Boeing Company

Delta Launch Services, Inc. provides the Agency with launch

services using its Delta II vehicle. Boeing is the contractor for

one of two existing NASA Launch Services multiple-award

Indefinite Delivery Quantity task order contracts. Principal

location for the Delta II vehicle assembly is in Decatur, Ala.

The Delta II is launched from CCAFS and VAFB.

Lockheed Martin Co.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, Inc. provides

the Agency with launch services using its Atlas vehicle.

Lockheed is the contractor for one of two existing NASA

Launch Services multiple-award Indefinite Delivery Quantity

task order contracts. Principal location for the Atlas vehicle

assembly is in Denver. The Atlas is launched from CCAFS

and VAFB.

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Orbital Sciences provides small ELV services for the Agency,

using the Pegasus and Taurus small ELVs launched from

CCAFS, VAFB, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and equatorial

launch ranges.
46 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

Supporting small business is a NASA priority. During the fiscal year, KSC obligated $170 million to small businesses in

all designations (small disadvantaged, woman-owned, etc.), achieving 113 percent of its total small business goal of

$150 million. This amount was a significant increase from the $127 million in small business prime contracts

awarded in FY 2003. Additionally, KSC’s large businesses obligated $168 million in sub-contracts to small businesses. Therefore, KSC obligated almost 40 percent of its business base of $851.7 million to small business through

prime contracts and sub-contracts from large businesses.

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS

$168.11

$170.00 $513.57

Small Business Prime Contractors

Small Business Sub-Contractors

Large Business
Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report 47

TOP 20 KSC BUSINESS CONTRACTORS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004

Johnson Space Center’s Space Flight Operations Contract held by United Space Alliance recorded

$802.63 million managed by the KSC Procurement Workforce in FY 2004.

Contractor Number of Dollars

Obligated Contracts (in Thousands)

Space Gateway Support

Delta Launch Services, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Boeing Company

InDyne, Inc.

Analex Corp.

ASRC Aerospace Corp.

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Dynamac Corp.

Ivey’s Construction, Inc.

OAO Corp.

Air Liquide America Corp.

Praxair Inc.

Canaveral Construction Co, Inc.

SGT Inc.

All Points Logistics, Inc.

Jones Edmunds & Associates

Redux Inc.

Cendant Mobility Services Corp.

Infinite Energy, Inc.

TOTAL

1

3

3

5

1

1

1

1

6

3

2

2

4

4

2

9

35

1

1

1

86

266,424

156,689

101,230

76,627

33,130

31,495

26,143

25,900

16,550

14,615

10,277

5,752

5,583

3,511

3,219

3,212

2,924

2,557

2,460

2,152

790,450
48 Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report Kennedy Space Center 2004 Annual Report

YOUR PROCUREMENT DOLLARS AT WORK

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION BY STATE

(FISCAL YEAR 2004 OBLIGATIONS)

During the fiscal year, the

Center obligated

approximately $879

million within the U.S. in

support of the NASA

mission. As indicated by

the chart, 42 different

states received procurement dollars from KSC.

* Includes

Intragovernmental,

Grants, Agreeements

and Bank Card Transactions.

State Total($K)

Alabama 750

Arkansas 32

Arizona 26,205

California 11,905

Colorado 1,891

Connecticut 8,483

District of Columbia 139

Delaware 26

Florida 799,401

Georgia 1,879

Hawaii 16

Iowa 116

Illinois 843

Indiana 52

Kansas 29

Kentucky 516

Louisiana 99

Massachusetts 1,398

Maryland 6,187

Maine 15

Michigan 464

Minnesota 1,142

Nevada 5

New Hampshire 307

New Jersey 442

New Mexico 6,371

New York 367

North Carolina 226

Ohio 1,811

Oklahoma 150

Oregon 167

Pennsylvania 842

South Carolina 250

South Dakota 3

Tennessee 57

Texas 2,531

Utah 161

Virginia 2,974

Washington 180

West Virginia 7

Wisconsin 1,278

Wyoming 100

Total: * 879,817
(Front Cover) Sea oats gently sway in the breeze against the

magnificent backdrop of blue sky and ocean along

the coastline of America’s spaceport.

FY 2004 Annual Report produced by InDyne Inc.,

graphic designer Lynda Brammer, and

writers Linda Herridge and Jennifer Wolfinger.

Copy-editing by Corey Schubert,

All Points Logistics