Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-11


bourne, Fla. But its labora-
tories are Cape Canaveral and
Patrick Air Force Base, head
quarters Of the Atlantic missile
range.
The faculty includes some of
the Nations top scientific tai
ent-the men who build rock
cts, fire them, and track them
through uncharted space. The
student body is a host of eager
techicians and graduate en-
gineers engaged in missile
work. The average age of the
students last year was 33, but
one advanced algebra class had
an age average of so.
And the curriculum is
straight out Of science fiction
Celestial mechanics. space
medicine, human behavior in
space, weightlesSness, space
communications - even time
dilatation" which is outlined in
Einstein's theory of relatively,
and which holds that a man
travelling % years through
outer space would find the
world 1000 years older when
he returned.
Real High Learning
These courses, among others,
lead toward a new college de-
gree symbolic Of the space age
the country'S first Master of
Science in Space Technology.
All this is Brevard Engineer
ing College, a small but fast
growing institution of really
higher learning in Brevard
County on the edge of Florida
missile area.
Brevard began its operations,
all in nighttime classes, last
year with a faculty of rs and
a student body of 200. That's
all that could be accommodated
in the limited quarters. rented
in a Junior high school at
nearby Eau Gallie.
The 1959-60 school year
opened September % with a
faculty of 48 for 247 under
graduate and 149 graduate STU
dents.
Brevard has no football team,
no senior hop, no fraternity
row. But it does have one
outside distraction-it some
times has to gear its schedule
to the courtdowns Of various
missile launchings.
1.-THE average student misses
about four classes a semester
because he is involved in sched-
uled flrings," says DR.. Harold
L. Dibble, one of the schools
co-founders. 1--WE have planned
the course with this in view,
so he can make UP lost time
at home.
Work on Range
Likewise we impress on the
faculty members-all of whom
are employed on the range
that their regular jobs come
first. We will find substitutes
or make other arrangements il
countdowns or other develop
mentS demand their presence.
DR.. Dibble and DR.. jerome
P. Keuper, both former univer-
sity professors with Pho. de-
grees, got countdown college un-
der way last year. They are
scientists employed by the Ra-
dio Corp. of America on its
test missile project, and they
became alarmed at the num-
Der of technicians leaving their
Jobs because there was no ready
access to college courses in the
area.
The problem was not RCA's
alone, but shared by the Ali
Force, and the numerous con-
tractors working at Canavera'
Pan American, Boeing, Lock-
heed. Douglas, Rocketdyne
Convair, Northrop, Martin ano
many others.
In setting up Countdown Col
lege. DR.. Dibble and DR.. Keupel
had one primary goal: To salts
fly the hunger of missile work
ers for more advanced knowl-
edge Of electronics and related
fields, and to take advantage
of the activity at Canaveral
to prepare engineers and scien-
lists for new ventures into
space.
None Like It
DR.. Keuper is now president
of the college, DR.. Dibble is the
dean. They had to devise theil
own curriculum, for there ISM
one in the country that could
be copied.
Besides an MS. degree in
space technology, Brevard has
courses leading to an associate
(junior college, degree in en-
OinooTinn aud a kooInIa,. ~