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Nov 27 2009 Vol 49 No 24
Spaceport News q*
John F. Kennedy Space Center America's gateway to the universe
www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnewstoc.html
Stott returns on final
station, shuttle rotation
By Cheryl Mansfield
Spaceport News
When the wheels
of space shuttle
Atlantis touch
down to end the STS-129
mission, astronaut Nicole
Stott will complete a first
and a last.
Kennedy Space Center
will welcome her home as
its first former employee to
live and work aboard the
International Space Station.
Stott's return also will mark
another significant event
-- the last time a station
crew member will travel
to or from the orbiting
laboratory aboard a space
shuttle. Upcoming crews
will launch from and return
to Earth aboard Russian
Soyuz spacecraft.
Stott joined the space
station's six-person crew
when she launched aboard
shuttle Discovery in August
during the STS-128 mission.
Trading places with
astronaut Timothy Kopra,
she became the Expedition
20 flight engineer as she
began her three-month stint
aboard the station.
Her launch came more
than two decades after she
began her NASA career at
Kennedy -- a career that
brought her high-level
experience with both the
shuttle and the station.
Before heading to space
this summer, the Clearwater,
Fla., native talked about her
time at Kennedy.
"After growing up
in Florida and seeing
shuttles launch while I was
at university, I got a job
at Kennedy Space Center
in shuttle operations,"
Stott said. "I mean, what
cooler place could you be
working? And every step
of the way there, I was just
thrilled with the jobs I had."
She began her 10-year
career at Kennedy in 1988,
working in the shuttle
program as an operations
engineer in an orbiter
processing facility. She
subsequently worked as
convoy commander, leading
the group of specialized
vehicles that meet and
"safe" each shuttle upon
landing. She also served as
shuttle Endeavour's flow
director, seeing that the
shuttle was processed and
ready for launch.
Stott described her
career at Kennedy with
enthusiasm.
"I'm working on a
See STOTT, Page 4
NASA/Kim Shiflett
Nicole Stott is the first former Kennedy
employee to live aboard the Interna-
tional Space Station She is the final
station crew member to fly to or from
the station aboard a space shuttle
NASA/Jim Grossmann
Center Director Bob Cabana, left, Sunpower Program Office Senior Manager Roderick Roche, and FPL Vice President and
Chief Development Officer Eric Silagy, flip the switch, marking the addition of 5 acres of solar panels to the Kennedy Solar
Energy Center
Future brighter as Kennedy
welcomes new solar facility
By Steven Siceloff
Spaceport News
Kennedy Space
Center turned a
shade greener
Nov. 19 with the addition of
5 acres of electricity-
producing solar panels to
the spaceport's power grid.
The Kennedy Solar
Energy Center is the first
of two new power facilities
being built at Kennedy that
use solar panels to convert
sunlight into electricity. The
process creates no carbon
emissions and requires no
fuel, such as oil or natural
gas, to generate power.
It is the first large-scale
power plant of its kind at
a NASA center, and part
of a small but growing
solar infrastructure under
development in Florida.
"We are taking
a leadership role in
supporting an important
national goal and that's
to increase America's
energy independence while
protecting the climate,"
said Center Director Bob
Cabana.
A ceremony
commissioning the first
of two power plants
also offered a glimpse at
future projects that could
include a permanent
renewable energy research
and development facility
proposed for Kennedy. A
plan to build solar panels
on up to 500 acres of fallow
agricultural land is under
consideration depending
on the environmental and
economic feasibility.
For now, the solar
farms under construction
help show the way for
electricity generation.
Built in the center's
Industrial Area south of
the Vertical Integration
Facility, the solar farm is
large enough to create one
megawatt of electricity,
or enough to power 110
homes. For Kennedy, the
power output equates to
about 1 percent of the
center's electricity uses.
A second, much larger,
solar energy complex is
under construction in a
former citrus grove at the
south end of the center. That
location will produce
10 megawatts of electricity
and is scheduled to be
finished in April 2010.
It will be plugged
into FPL's network and
See SOLAR, Page 6
Nov 27.,2009
Vol 49, No 24
Cabana: Safety, patience will pay off
There is no crystal ball
to predict the exact
future of Kennedy
Space Center, but during an
Employee Update on
Nov. 13, Center Director
Bob Cabana was sure about
one thing -- NASA manage-
ment is working hard to
make sure the right work is
headed to Florida's Space
Coast.
Cabana said the key to
ushering in a new spaceflight
program is to safely carry
out the remaining space
shuttle missions.
"I know that's a chal-
lenge for the team to know
that a lot of us are going
to be without jobs when
the shuttle ends," Cabana
said. "Yet, it still requires
an unbelievable amount of
attention to detail and focus
to continue to fly safely up
until that point."
Cabana talked about the
recommendations made by
NASA/Kim Shiflett
Center Director Bob Cabana discusses the future of Kennedy Space Center at an
Employee Update on Nov 13 in the Training Auditorium
the Review of U.S. Human
Space Flight Plans Com-
mittee, better known as the
Augustine Commission,
regarding NASA's future
budget, exploring beyond
low Earth orbit, supporting
commercial spaceflights
and extending the life of the
International Space Station.
Perhaps the most excit-
ing new endeavor for the
center would be the develop-
ment of an Exploration Park
that would work in tandem
with the space station.
"If we can get our Ex-
ploration Park going and that
becomes a research facility
and an engineering develop-
ment facility, we can have
payloads processed or de-
veloped out there," Cabana
said. "We're working with
the state of Florida to help
make that happen."
He also discussed mov-
ing the center's perimeter
gate after the shuttle retires,
so that the Space Life Sci-
ences Lab is more accessible
to researchers from indus-
tries and universities across
the country and around the
world.
While it appears the
Orion spacecraft is the cap-
sule of choice for NASA's
future exploration and Ken-
nedy is the prime launch site,
the vehicle that will be pro-
cessed and lift off from the
center is under discussion.
Those vehicles include Ares
rockets, a shuttle-derived
vehicle and even commercial
vehicles.
"Although we don't
know a lot, I think what we
do know is good and we're
preparing for it," Cabana
said. "I want you to know
that the team here at KSC
is doing an outstanding job.
You can see it in all that
we've accomplished this last
year, and all the progress that
we've made in the last year
preparing for the future."
Editor's note
The research and de-
velopment facility proposed
for Exploration Park, an-
nounced at the Nov. 19
solar power event (see
Page 1) could result in at
least 50 high-salary science
and engineering positions
permanently established at
Kennedy by SunPower and
other Florida Power & Light
partners.
It also has the potential
to bring with it, a nearby
solar panel manufacturing
facility, and as many as
1,000 new construction
jobs.
FPL and Kennedy have
initiated environmental
studies and a plan to
support the project, which
could be initiated before the
end of 2010.
No Boundaries winning team tours Spaceport
Sometimes when high school
seniors team up to do a proj-
ect, one person does all the
work while the others sit back and
enjoy the easy grade. That's not the
case with the winning team of the
2009 No Boundaries competition.
In fact, team members Julie
luliano, Jean Xin, Tatiana Barry and
Kaitlyn Doubek consider each other
best of friends and did their individu-
al best to not let their team down.
"The way it all came together
was really nice," Barry said. "We all
took care of our own little part and it
came together really well."
NASA collaborated with USA
TODAY on the education initiative
to encourage students to explore
careers in science, technology,
engineering and math, while learning
about NASA.
The group from Prairie School
in Racine, Wis., topped a field of
151 entries representing more than
500 students. Their winning research
project on astrobiology included the
creation of a Web site, http://web.
prairieschool.net/
astrobiology/.
Xin came up with the idea of a
Web site and knew from the begin-
ning that it needed to be relevant to
teenagers.
"We based it on a DNA theme,"
Xin said. "Our topic just seemed so
promising and interesting."
The top award carried with it a
$2,000 prize. Their ultimate reward
came in the form of a VIP tour
Nov. 10-12 of Kennedy Space Cen-
ter facilities, including Launch Pad
39A where space shuttle Atlantis was
awaiting liftoff and the Space Station
Processing Facility where station
components are prepared for launch.
The team and its sponsoring
teacher, Dr. Jean Weaver, also had an
opportunity to present their award-
winning project to NASA staff.
Doubek, who composed all the
music for the Web site, didn't make
the trek down to Kennedy. Instead,
she used her share of the prize
money to buy some music composi-
tion software.
The team members who did
make it told Spaceport News they
hope to get into a college soon. Xin
wants to get into MIT or the Univer-
sity of Chicago; luliano has applied
for enrollment at the University of
Dayton and St. Louis University;
and Barry hopes to get into Vander-
bilt University or the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
NASA/Jack Pfaller
The winners of the 2009 No Boundaries competition, from left, are Dr Jean Weaver, Julie luliano, Jean
Xin, Tatiana Barry, and not pictured, Kaitlyn Doubek
SPACEPORT NEWS
Nov 27 2009
Page 2
Teamwork key to Tranquility transfer
By Cheryl Mansfield
Spaceport News
The last major component set
to be added to the Interna-
tional Space Station, the
Node 3 module known as Tranquili-
ty, was officially transferred from the
European Space Agency to NASA
during a ceremony Nov. 20.
Inside the cavernous Space
Station Processing Facility, of-
ficials from the two cooperating
space agencies took the opportunity
to reflect on the nearly completed
station and its role in future space
exploration.
"Station is truly a phenomenal
engineering accomplishment, but as
important as all that hardware is on
orbit, what it really is, it's the unity
of all of us as partners," said Bob
Cabana, Kennedy's director and a
former astronaut who commanded
the first space station construction
mission. "All those different cul-
tures coming together and working
together as one for the betterment of
not just our own countries, but our
world, and preparing us to go beyond
low Earth orbit to explore in space."
The pressurized node will
provide additional room for crew
members and many of the space
station's life support and environ-
mental control systems already on
board. These systems include air
revitalization, oxygen generation and
water recycling.
A waste and hygiene compart-
See NODE 3, Page 6
NASA/Kim Shiflett
Bernardo Patti, head of the European Space Agency's space station program, left, and Michael Suf-
fredini, NASA's program manager for the International Space Station, shake hands after signing the
Node 3 Transfer of Ownership on Nov 20
Inventors' new astronaut glove designs garner applause
By Anna Heiney
Spaceport News
wo independent
inventors answered
NASA's call for in-
novative new designs for the
next generation of astronaut
gloves. Today's spacewalk-
ers have to contend with
bulky gloves that stiffen
when pressurized, making it
tough to grip and flex while
completing tasks in the
vacuum of space.
Peter Homer and Ted
Southern put their prototypes
to the test during NASA's
2009 Astronaut Glove Chal-
lenge, held Nov. 19 at the
Astronaut Hall of Fame in
Titusville, Fla., near Ken-
nedy Space Center.
Homer, an engineer
from Southwest Harbor,
Maine, was awarded
$250,000 after placing first.
Southern, a sculpture major
at New York's Pratt Institute,
earned second place and
$100,000.
The ultimate goal of the
Astronaut Glove Challenge
NASA/Kim Shiflett
This newly designed glove is one of the entries in the 2009 Astronaut Glove Chal-
lenge, part of NASA's Centennial Challenges Program, at the Astronaut Hall of
Fame near Kennedy
is to improve the current de-
sign, resulting in a stronger
and more flexible glove that
will reduce the hand fatigue
experienced by astronauts
working in space.
For the first Astronaut
Glove Challenge held in
2007, competitors supplied
only the inner pressure-re-
straining layer. The outer lay-
er, which provides protection
against extreme temperatures
and micrometeoroids, was an
added requirement this year.
Representatives from NASA
and the agency's spacesuit
contractor, ILC Dover, ob-
served and noted the gloves'
performances in a series of
three tests.
The competitor inserted
his gloved arm and hand into
a depressurized glove box
for the dexterity and flexibil-
ity test, completing cycles of
movements and tasks, such
as gripping a handle, using
tools, flexing the hand and
wrist, and touching the tip of
the thumb to the tip of each
finger.
In the joint force test,
test operators from ILC
Dover sealed and pressurized
each glove to 4.3 pounds per
square inch of internal pres-
sure, then tugged it through
its full range of motion
while measuring the amount
of force each movement
required.
Finally, the gloves'
strength capabilities were
measured in the burst test.
Test operators sealed the
glove and filled it with water,
slowly increasing the pres-
sure. Competitors, judges
and other spectators leaned
forward, watching the glove
for signs of weakness or
rupture.
The event was spon-
sored by Secor Strategies
LLC of Titusville, Fla., and
non-profit Volanz Aerospace
of Owings, Md., managed
the event for NASA.
"Both of you did better
than the (current) Phase
VI glove, and you both get
applause for that," said Alan
Hayes, Volanz Aerospace
chairman. "The test results
were incredibly close."
Both Homer and
Southern began working on
the project in spring 2006
and competed in the first
Astronaut Glove Challenge.
Homer took home $200,000
after winning that event.
After the 2007 challenge,
Southern teamed up with
former competitor Nikolay
Moiseev.
Prior to the challenge,
competitors were in the dark
about who else would par-
ticipate or what their designs
might be.
"You're sort of develop-
ing in the vacuum of your
own little world," Homer
said. "You're hoping that
you're going far enough with
your design. And then there's
the aspect of, 'Who am I go-
ing to be going up against?'
I didn't know Ted was
competing until we walked
in and saw each other."
The Astronaut Glove
Challenge is one of six
Centennial Challenges prize
competitions managed by
NASA's Innovative Partner-
ships Program.
Nov 27 2009
SPACEPORT NEWS
Page 3
SPACEPORT NEWS
Nov 27, 2009
First-time shuttle launch spectators all atwitter
It's probably a vivid
memory etched in your
brain... your first space
shuttle launch as a Kennedy
Space Center employee. The
ground rumbles, car alarms
screech, and for a few mo-
ments everyone around you
is silent until clapping and
whistling erupts in unison.
It's a once-and-a-lifetime
experience that 101 T\\.cc.i-
ers" shared with the world
of social-networking dur-
ing space shuttle Atlantis'
launch on its STS-129 mis-
sion Nov. 16.
The T cci up" event
allowed NASA to share
the excitement of a shuttle
launch with a whole new
audience -- Tweeters came
from 21 states and four
countries -- with an estimat-
ed 150,000 followers.
Catherine Qualtrough
from North Carolina, who
goes by @CatherineQ on
Twitter, typed, "FEELING
the launch was amazing.
Sound wave strong and you
feel it in your chest."
Louis Suarato from New
York, also known as
@LouisS, typed, "The most
amazing experience of my
NASA/Jim Grossmann
Astronaut Scott Kelly addresses the participants of Kennedy's first Tweet up, which was held to share the excitement of a
space shuttle launch with a new audience Kelly, slated to command the International Space Station next year, has a Twitter
account (@StationCDRKelly) and is sharing his perspective with the Twitter community as he trains around the world
life! The vibration goes
through your body, engulfs
you & you feel like part of
the shuttle."
After the adrenaline of
launch slowed down, some
Tweeters took the time to
respond to questions from
their loyal followers.
"Yes, it was LOUD. The
shockwaves shook my body
for 8-10 seconds or more
from 500 feet to about 5,000
feet," typed Chris Floyd,
@cmfloyd, from California.
Others even described
the emotional aspect of the
event.
"Saw more than a few
teary eyes after the launch
before it got too blurry to
see," typed Chris Bridges,
@cabridges, from Orange
City, Fla.
NASA opened registra-
tion for the event Oct. 16 on
the Web and had an over-
whelming response. The
100 slots available, plus an
additional 50 backup slots,
were scooped up in less than
20 minutes. From there, a
team of about 30 people
from Kennedy and NASA
Headquarters began plan-
ning for the Tweeps arrival.
"I'm really proud of
the team who has been
working on the Tweet up,"
said NASA Headquarters
Public Affairs Officer John
Yembrick, who moderated
the event. "We didn't hire
anyone new for this; every-
one who has contributed has
done so in addition to their
already busy schedules.
We've had support from IT,
NASA TV, NASA photo,
security and more."
The dedicated team
provided the launch enthusi-
asts with wireless Internet, a
cozy tent outside the NASA
News Center, a tour of Ken-
nedy facilities, and a chance
to talk with shuttle techni-
cians, engineers, astronauts
and managers, as well as
plenty of goodies to take
home.
"Souvenirs galore to
bring home. NASA gave
us a press kit with lots of
stuff. Videos, emblems, pins
etc. Most honored 2 get
the STS129 patch," typed
Floyd.
From STOTT, Page 1
space shuttle. I'm on the
runway for landing ... I'm
in the control center where
we're launching the shuttle.
I mean, it didn't seem like
it could get any cooler
than that," Stott said. "And
fortunately, I had people
that I considered to be
mentors that I worked with
there."
It was during her final
two years at Kennedy that
she joined the Space Station
Hardware Integration
Office.
That position took
her to Huntington Beach,
Calif., where she worked as
the NASA project lead for
space station truss elements
under construction at a
Boeing facility.
Having experience
with both shuttle and station
hardware preparation,
NASA selected Stott as an
astronaut in July 2000.
Nine years later,
she reflected on her own
launch aboard a shuttle
and residency on the space
station.
"Up until the point of
starting work at Kennedy
Space Center with NASA,
it never crossed my mind
that being an astronaut was
a possibility. And once I
started working there and
meeting the people that
worked there, and seeing
astronauts come through and
seeing what they did when
they were there -- working
with the hardware or getting
their colleagues ready to fly
-- it became more real to
me," Stott said. "And then
having people encourage me
was, I think, the big step to
actually getting here."
While other employees
from Kennedy have gone
on to become astronauts
too, Stott's time living and
working aboard the station,
coupled with her shuttle
and station processing
work, makes her experience
unique.
As the STS-129 mission
ends and the landing convoy
she once commanded
surrounds Atlantis on the
runway, Stott's journey will
have come full circle, from
Kennedy to space, and back
home again.
Nicole Stott's Space Station Blog
Launch: "2 words:
Woo Hoo!! These words
were exclaimed by me
(maybe multiple times)
through the ginormous
smile on my face as we
left the pad. And oh by
the way, you don't just
leave the pad. You get
kicked off the pad! The
engines light and you feel
the rumble, 6 seconds
later the solid rocket
boosters light and you
are literally kicked off the
pad and you have no
doubt that you are going
someplace fast! "
Spacewalking: "I
still can't believe I had
the opportunity to step
outside and spend 6
hours working outside of
the comfortable protection
of our space station."
Earth: "I have never
been able to look at a
picture of the Earth from
space and not feel a
sense of awe. Well let me
just say that this is another
case of the picture not
doing the reality justice.
The Earth, our planet, is
indescribably beautiful
... Every time I look out
one of our windows I am
surprised by some new
and beautiful discovery."
Read more of Stott's
reflections from space at:
http://blogs.nasa.govl
cm/blog/1831
Page 4
SPACEPORT NEWS
Shuttle Landing Facility team ready for anything
By Steven Siceloff
Spaceport News
N ASA's Shuttle Landing Fa-
cility, or SLF, was built for
the space shuttle, but it also
has hosted an international assort-
ment of gigantic transport aircraft,
fighter jets, race cars and even off-
course skydivers.
Someone watching from the
control tower might in one day see
astronauts diving at the runway in
a Shuttle Training Aircraft, NASA
security helicopters sweeping the
area, or a mosquito aircraft spraying
near the launch pad perimeter.
They also can find themselves
making room on the runway for the
occasional stray private pilot.
Such is life as an air traffic
controller at one of the world's
longest runways.
"You never know what's going
to happen next," said Ron Feile, who
oversees the air traffic control and
operations at the SLF for EG&G.
Built a few miles west of the
shuttle launch pads at Kennedy
Space Center, the landing strip was
built for such a unique mission that
it may be hard to think of it as an
airport. But that's what it is, just ask
the folks who man the control tower
100 feet above the 3-mile-long,
concrete runway.
"You're always vigilant, you're
always on your toes," said Ken
Hooks, who has been working as an
air traffic controller since 1968.
The control tower at the SLF is
relatively new and offers some of the
best views around of the spaceport.
Standing inside the glass enclosure at
the top of the tower, controllers have
the same gear that other airports
use to monitor and regulate aircraft
moving around the area. The space
Helicopters with medical personnel arrive
at the Shuttle Landing Facility before
space shuttle Discovery's landing.
is split between a NASA-focused
controller and one who works for the
Air Force.
The controllers oversee
rectangles of airspace running
far north of Kennedy down to
Port Canaveral. If something is
flying inside any of the areas, the
controllers want to know what it is.
"You'll have all these small
little aircraft that are in here and have
official business, but you need to
know who they are, where they are
and what they're doing," Hooks said.
The assortment of aircraft picks
up greatly for launches and landings,
Feile said. That is when the Kennedy
helicopters patrolling the launch pads
are joined by Air Force H-60 search-
and-rescue helicopters from Patrick
Air Force Base and several NASA
aircraft. Also, astronauts not on the
flight crew for launch fly T-38s and
Gulfstream II aircraft on weather
reconnaissance missions around the
launch site.
The controllers also scan the
area for weather concerns and
monitor the shuttle servicing convoy
and security forces so they can move
around the area safely. The tower
typically goes into launch or landing
mode two days before a liftoff or the
end of a mission.
The tower controllers have a
Space shuttle Endeavour rolls past the air
traffic control tower, which is about
100 feet above the 3-mile-long runway.
wealth of procedures and resources
to call on in case someone breaks
the cardinal rules of the airspace,
particularly on launch day.
For instance, a private aircraft
flew near the space center during a
shuttle countdown in 2005 and had
to be escorted to a landing by Air
Force fighters.
When there is not a shuttle
on the pad or landing, there still is
plenty to see and do at the SLF. For
instance, a skydiver and his tandem
jumping partner were blown off
course one day by a storm. They
landed on a grass strip between the
SLF runway and the canal
-- a point 12 miles from their
intended landing zone.
There also was a pilot from the
Midwest ferrying an airplane who
mistook the 15,000-foot-long shuttle
runway for the much smaller landing
strip at Merritt Island Airport to the
south.
In such cases, the uninvited
pilots or skydivers are questioned
by Kennedy's security forces before
they are allowed to leave. The
Federal Aviation Administration also
can get involved depending on the
circumstances.
The runway is large enough
to host any airplane in the world,
so it occasionally is called on for a
The Virgin Atlantic Airways GlobalFlyer
aircraft, piloted by Steve Fossett, touches
down at the Shuttle Landing Facility.
Follow the shuttle landing blog online
As of presstime, space shuttle Atlantis was scheduled
to land Nov. 27 at 9:44 a.m. EST. As the crew of STS-129
embarks on their journey home to the Shuttle Landing
Facility, Kennedy's Web team will be blogging from the air
traffic c control tower for the first time.
Follow along with all the exciting landing milestones at:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/landing_blog.html.
The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels rehearse
before the 2008 KSC Visitor Complex
Space and Air Show.
potential emergency airliner landing,
though none have taken place.
Intruders on the runway are not
always human, either.
Since the SLF is inside the
Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge,
animals of all sorts routinely make
their way onto the runway and have
to be chased off. Alligators, snakes
and turtles may not seem particularly
menacing to a multimillion-dollar
aircraft, but hitting one of the
creatures during a takeoff or landing
could easily destroy the landing gear
on an astronaut's T-38 jet.
So if a controller spots an
animal on the tarmac, a van or truck
is dispatched to scare them away.
A truck approaching an alligator
from behind is normally enough
encouragement to send the creature
into the neighboring grass or a canal.
Lately, the vehicles on the
runway have taken on unusual
shapes as the space agency has
cleared the way for more commercial
uses of the facility when the shuttles
aren't using it.
Starfighters Inc., a company that
flies supersonic F-104 aircraft, has
begun using the SLF for commercial
spaceflight training and related
missions.
While cutting-edge aircraft and
spacecraft are part of the regular
scenery at the SLF, vehicles that
never leave the ground are becoming
more common at the runway.
NASCAR and Formula 1 racing
teams have been wringing out their
road rockets on the runway to tweak
designs. Tractor-trailers also are
trying new aerodynamic profiles in
search ways to save fuel and money.
As one of the SLF workers who
handles operations at the runway,
Goldy McKnight says, "We're very
diverse out here."
Nov 27 2009
Page 5
Engineer who helped send Glenn into space remembered
By Steven Siceloff
Spaceport News
Thomas O'Malley,
a legendary engi-
neer responsible for
launching the first American
into orbit, died of pneumo-
nia Nov. 6 in Cocoa Beach,
Fla., at age 94.
Working for General
Dynamics' Convair
division, O'Malley
played major roles in the
conversion
A of the Atlas
missile into
a rocket
safe enough
for the first
Thomas astronauts.
O'Malley O'Malley
is perhaps
best known as the man who
pushed the button to launch
the Atlas rocket that carried
astronaut John Glenn into
orbit on Feb. 20, 1962.
That was the first time
an American orbited the
Earth.
Later, North American
Aviation called on O'Malley
to help get the company's
Apollo command module
launch operations back
on track following the
Apollo 1 fire where
astronauts Command Pilot
Virgil "Gus" Grissom,
Senior Pilot Ed White and
Pilot Roger Chaffee lost
thier lives in 1967.
The redesigned
command module made its
first flight safely in October
1968.
O'Malley also was
instrumental in launch
operations for Skylab,
Apollo-Soyuz and the
space shuttle as a vice
president at North
American, which became
Rockwell International.
O'Malley was born
Oct. 15, 1915, in Montclair,
N.J.
He graduated from
the Newark College of
Engineering in 1936 with
a bachelor's in mechanical
engineering.
He was married for
65 years to the former Anne
Arneth and had two sons,
Thomas Jr. and James;
daughter Kathleen; three
grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
NASA/Jim Grossmann
NASA's first large-scale solar power generation facility is ready for operation at Kennedy The facility is
the first element of a major renewable energy project currently under construction
From SOLAR, Page 1
distributed to utility customers.
"The fuel for this is always
free," said Eric Silagy, FPL vice
president and chief development
officer. "Solar power is ready
to take center stage here in the
sunshine state."
SunPower Corp. designed
and built the facility by mounting
3,344 panels atop 1,183 piers. The
structures are designed to withstand
130 mph winds.
Compared with a conven-
tionally fueled power plant, the
solar energy center is relatively
simple. All the panels have to do
is let the sun hit them to produce
current. It can be monitored
remotely and its maintenance needs
are expected to be quite small, said
Roderick Roche, senior manager in
SunPower's program office.
The panels are tilted 20 degrees
facing south. Their greatest energy
producing time will be in April,
from 11 a.m. to noon. Predictably,
January conditions are the least
favorable for power generation,
but that won't stop the panels from
working even in the winter.
Jim Ball, program manager for
Center Development at Kennedy,
said it would take a tremendous
amount of new solar facilities to
fulfill all of the center's electricity
requirements, but that may become
possible as the technology improves
and new efficiencies develop.
"We're in the right place at the
right time," Ball said.
From NODE 3, Page 3
ment and the COLBERT treadmill
also will be relocated from other
areas of the station.
"ISS is the first necessary step
in human's exploration beyond low
Earth orbit," echoed Michael Suf-
fredini, NASA's program manager
for the International Space Station.
Tranquility was built for NASA
by Thales Alenia Space in Turin,
Italy, under contract to the European
Space Agency. The module was part
of ESA's barter agreement, in return
for NASA delivering the Columbus
laboratory to the station.
"The goal of tomorrow is to use
this station, this beautiful achieve-
ment, to the maximum extent," said
Bemardo Patti, head of the European
Space Agency's space station pro-
gram. No%% the ISS is becoming a
full development program and it will
be used as a platform to support an
exploration program. We have all the
ingredients to make that a success.
We have the talent, we have the ex-
perience, and we have all the passion
and the ideas."
Spanning about 22 feet in length
and 14 feet in diameter, the node
arrived at Kennedy aboard an Airbus
"Beluga" aircraft in May 2009, and
has been undergoing processing at
Kennedy ever since.
"It's been an outstanding team
collaboration between Thales Alenia
Space, NASA and ESA," said Sonia
Ferrer, ESA's Node 3-Cupola Prod-
uct Assurance and Safety manager.
Tranquility's connection point
on the station will be on the Earth-
facing side of the Unity node. The
new component will provide an
additional docking point for space
shuttles and other crew vehicles
visiting the station. Attached to
Tranquility will be Cupola, a unique
work module with six windows on
the sides and one on top.
Tranquility and Cupola are set
for delivery to the station early next
year during space shuttle Endeav-
our's STS-130 mission.
NASA/Kim Shiflett
STS-130 Mission Specialist Kathryn "Kay" Hire,
middle, and Pilot Terry Virts Jr, right, check out
Cupola, which will be attached to Tranquility,
during their Crew Equipment Interface Test on
Nov 5 in the Space Station Processing Facility
SPACEPORT NEWS
Page 6
Nov 27,2009
Remembering Our Heritage
Aerospace archaeologists 'dig' Spaceport's past
By Kay Grinter
Reference Librarian
Thomas Penders, the cultural
resource manager for the
U. S. Air Force 45th Space
Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron, is
not afraid to get his hands dirty.
The archaeologist for the
squadron, Penders is one of about
only 20 professional archaeologists
in the burgeoning field of aerospace
archaeology.
The responsibilities of the cul-
tural resource manager encompass
all the historic launch complexes,
cemeteries, and launch-related
buildings on Patrick Air Force Base,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
and their related areas, such as the
Malabar Training Annex. He shares
information with Kennedy Space
Center's Historic Preservation Of-
ficer Barbara Naylor.
Penders also is the facility
manager of the Cape Canaveral
Lighthouse and has oversight of all
World War II facilities and Cold
War buildings at Patrick.
An aerospace archaeologist's
pursuit is to find, document, recover
and preserve sites important in
aerospace history. Although primar-
ily missile crash sites, structures and
facilities used in the space program
also are included.
One such site that Penders has
been studying on Cape Canaveral
is a crater left by a Jupiter missile
accident more than 50 years ago.
Photo courtesy of U S Air Force
Thomas Penders of the Space Wing's 45th Civil
Engineer Squadron holds a piece of ancient pot-
tery uncovered at the Little Midden site
Photo courtesy of U S Air Force
From left, Dale Hawkins, Timothy Kozusko and Elaine Williams sift through dirt and stones for artifacts at the Little Midden archeological site at Cape
Canaveral earlier this year
Almost all the fragments identi-
fied are from the lower and middle
interior areas of the missile.
In a more traditional archaeo-
logical excavation, Penders and a
group of volunteers from the Indian
River Anthropological Society, a
local chapter of the Florida An-
thropological Society, have been
working a site on Cape Canaveral
called Little Midden, found in 2006.
Named after the heaps of earth and
artifacts that were left by ancient
dwellers, Little Midden is a 7,500-
square-foot patch of soil one-and-a-
half-feet deep.
Unfortunately, the site was
partially destroyed during the 1960s
when the area was used to process
meteorological rockets. Remnants
of their infrastructure are still vis-
ible among the undergrowth.
"It appears that the rocket
processing facility destroyed part
of the site," Penders said. "Some of
the midden material was removed
and used to stabilize some unpaved
roads nearby. We are left with a
small snapshot of what was once a
significantly larger site."
With much of the history al-
ready lost, the goal now is to extract
as much remaining information as
possible by painstakingly filtering
shovelfuls of dirt, shells and roots
to recover the 500 to 1,000-year-old
shards of pottery, stone tools, and
even shark's teeth and vertebrae.
"There are numerous middens
at Cape Canaveral, but not many
with the number of atypical artifacts
as we are seeing here from our
excavations to date," Penders said.
"The animal bones suggest the site
may have been used for a temporary
seasonal camp, but the artifacts
suggest there may have been a more
permanent settlement here at one
time."
All artifacts discovered at the
Little Midden site will be kept at
Cape Canaveral. Once the current
excavation is finished, a report will
be sent to the Florida State Historic
Preservation Office. The Air Force
then will be allowed to develop the
property if needed.
Another rather unique site
under evaluation is the Sarah site,
named for the woman who identi-
fied it in 2008 during the annual
scrub jay census. Sarah had attended
a presentation Penders made at the
Space Coast Birding Festival.
Located near the north bound-
ary of Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, the Sarah site is a large site
that has not been impacted by devel-
opment or previous investigations.
At first, the site was thought to be
a relatively small scatter of prehis-
toric artifacts, but recent analysis
suggests the site could be one mile
long. This midden site promises to
be an important site and identifying
its significance and boundaries is
under way.
The artifacts found so far
include check-stamped pottery, an
indication that the site dates to the
Malabar II Period, from AD 750 to
1565, as well as animal bones, shell
tools, and a ship's spike that may
date to a time of early European
contact.
A small percussion cap from
a black powder rifle also found is
direct evidence of the mid-19th
century homestead known to have
existed there.
"We have a lot more testing to
do before we can make any final
assumptions about the site," Penders
said.
In the meantime, Penders is
working on a paper on the Jupi-
ter missile site, which he will be
presenting at a conference of the
Society for Historical Archaeology
in January.
More online
For more information on the Indian
River Anthropological Society and
its projects, visit http://www.nbbd.
comlnprlarchaeology-irasl.
SPACEPORT NEWS
Nov 27,2009
Page 7
Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS Nov 27 2009
NASA/Jim Cain
Guest speaker, Rita Willcoxon, director of Launch Vehicle Processing, addresses employees during
the Senior Secretarial Team Fall Social on Nov 19 in the Operations and Checkout Building's Mission
Briefing Room The annual event is a networking, team-building activity open to all civil servant and
contractor secretaries and their supervisors
Launching Leaders, Space Club host networking event
Kennedy Space Center Launching Leaders and the National Space Club of Florida are joining for
a networking event Dec 3 from 4 to 7 p m at Fish Lips' upper deck in Port Canaveral The event
is open to the public but RSVPs must be received by Nov 30 Admission is $5 To sign up for the
networking event, e-mail ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com or call 321-383-6135 Admission
includes food, drinks and surprises For more information on the NSC, visit www.nscfl.org
Looking up and ahead ...
Planned for Nov 27
Targeted for Dec 2
Dec 9
Targeted for Feb 2
No earlier than Feb 3
Targeted for Feb 4
No earlier than Feb 25
Targeted for March 18
Targeted for May
Targeted for May 14
Targeted for May 23
Targeted for July 29
Targeted for Sept 16
No earlier than Oct 1
Targeted for Fall 2011
STS-129 landing/KSC Shuttle Landing Facility 9 44 a m EST
Launch/CCAFS Delta IV, WGS SV-3, Window 7 21 to 8 41 p m EST
LaunchNAFB WISE, Window 9 10 to 9 23 a m EST
Launch/CCAFS Falcon 9, Window 11 a m to 3 p m EST
Launch/CCAFS Atlas V, SDO, 10 53 to 11 53 a m EST
Launch/KSC Endeavour, STS-130, 5 52 a m EST
Launch/CCAFS Delta IV, GOES-P, TBD
Launch/KSC Discovery, STS-131, 1 34 p m EDT
Launch/CCAFS Delta IV, GPS IIF-1, TBD
Launch/KSC Atlantis, STS-132, 2 28 p m EDT
LaunchNAFB Delta II, Aquarius / SAC-D Satellite, TBD
Launch/KSC Endeavour, STS-134, 7 51 a m EDT
Launch/KSC Discovery, STS-133, 11 57 a m EDT
LaunchNAFB Taurus, Glory, TBD
Launch/CCAFS Atlas V, Mars Science Laboratory, TBD
WORD STREET
Where do you see America's
space program in five years?
S"It depends what the folks in Washington do.
I'd like NASA to get back to the moon."
Gavin Oglesby,
with BAE Systems
"It depends on what the president tells us based on
his decision... pending the Augustine report."
Grady McCoy,
with NASA
"Hopefully we'll be up and going with space
exploration and a new space vehicle."
Tom Nguyen,
with NASA
"Hopefully it still will be progressing and
Constellation will be doing well."
Alexandra Gavakis,
with KSC Credit Union
' It depends a lot on our relationship with China
hopefully we can have a working relationship.
Michael Farrell.
with BAE Systems
John F Kennedy Space Center
Spaceport News
Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center and
is published on alternate Fridays by External Relations in the interest of KSC civil
service and contractor employees.
Contributions are welcome and should be submitted threeweeks before publication
to the Media Services Branch, IMCS-440. E-mail submissions can be sent to
KSC-Spaceport-News@mail.nasa.gov
Managing editor . . . ....... ..................... Candrea Thomas
Editor . . . . ...... ......................... Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
Copy editor . . . . ...... ......................... Rebecca Sprague
Editorial support provided by Abacus Technology Corp Writers Group
NASA at KSC is on the Internet at www nasa gov/kennedy
USGPO 733-049/600142
SPACEPORT NEWS
Page 8
Nov 27,2009
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