America’s gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to Earth and beyond.

March 30, 2001

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Spaceport Newshttp://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/snews/snewstoc.htm

Vol. 40, No. 7

Page 6 – Athletic TrainingSeminar held.

Page 8 – Approval needed forSpace Congress papers.

Pages 3-5 – All-American Picnicsets the standard for family fun.

Page 2 – Fellowships featuredin “Recognizing Our People.”

(See MARS, Page 8)

Page 7 – Environmental &Energy Awareness Week.

Inside

Mars Odyssey set for flightThe 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is in its

final assembly and testing stages at theKennedy Space Center.

Set at press time to launch aboard a Delta7925 from Launch Pad 17-A at 11:02:22 a.m. EDTon April 7, 2001 – the Mars Odyssey will mapminerals and elements on the surface of Mars,study landforms, and evaluate the potentialhealth risks of the Martian radiation environ-ment for any future human explorers.

With the current launch date, the MarsOdyssey is set to arrive on the planet Oct. 24,2001. Odyssey’s primary science mission willtake place January 2002 through July 2004.

Scientists hope to find evidence of shallowburied ice, which would provide clues to theabundance of water on the planet, Mars’ climatehistory, and the availability of this key resourcefor any future human travellers to the red planet.

The three primary instruments carried by 2001Mars Odyssey will be• THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System),for determining the distribution of minerals,particularly those that can only form in thepresence of water;• GRS (Gamma Ray Spectrometer), for determin-ing the presence of 20 chemical elements on the

surface of Mars, including hydrogen in theshallow subsurface, which acts as a proxy fordetermining the amount and distribution ofpossible water ice on the planet; and,• MARIE (Mars Radiation EnvironmentExperiment), for studying the radiation environ-ment.

During and after its science mission, theOdyssey orbiter will also support other missionsin the Mars Exploration program.

It will provide the communications relay forU.S. and international landers, including the nextmission in NASA’s Mars Program, the MarsExploration Rovers, to be launched in 2003.

Scientists and engineers will also use Odys-sey data to identify potential landing sites forfuture Mars missions.

2001 Mars Odyssey is part of NASA’s MarsExploration Program, a long-term effort ofrobotic exploration of the red planet.

The opportunity to go to Mars comes aroundevery 26 months, when the alignment of Earthand Mars in their orbits around the sun allowsspacecraft to travel between the two planetswith the least amount of energy.

The 2001 Mars Odyssey will map minerals andelements on the surface of Mars, studylandforms and evaluate Mars’ habitability.

In the Space Station ProcessingFacility, an overhead crane lifts theMulti-Purpose Logistics ModuleRaffaello off its workstand to move itto to a scale for weight and balance.Raffaello is the second MPLM builtby the Italian Space Agency, andserves as a reusable logistics carrierand primary delivery system used toresupply and return station cargorequiring a pressurized environment.The MPLM will fly on mission STS-100, scheduled at press time tolaunch aboard Space ShuttleEndeavour from Launch Pad 39A at2:41 p.m. EDT on April 19.

Raffaello preparedfor STS-100 launch

SPACEPORT NEWS March 30, 2001Page 2

Recognizing Our People

George M. Low MemorialEngineering Fellowship

The engineering fellowship is a full-timeacademic study program for one academic yearbeginning in the fall of 2001.

Recipient: Astrid Heard

Heard will be attending the University ofCentral Florida to obtain a Ph.D. in AppliedMathematics in Statistical Analysis Applica-tions.

She is the senior statistician for NASA’sSafety, Health, and Independent AssessmentDirectorate.

Heard began her KSC career in 1974 as amember of the design team for the ShuttleLaunch Processing System. As a shuttle launchteam member, she served as a certified masterconsole test conductor for five years, coveringover 25 launches.

Throughout her career, Heard has served asKSC program manager for Advanced Software,technical assistant for technology integrationinstrumentation, and lead of the JPMO BusinessOffice. She has published extensively in theareas of Shuttle Operations and IntelligentSystems.

Head earned a bachelor of arts degree inmathematics in 1972 from the University ofSouth Florida. She holds a master’s degree inapplied mathematics from Georgia Tech and amaster’s in engineering management from the

University of Central Florida.Heard enjoys traveling, reading, gardening

and boating. She is also very interested in thepreservation of the Florida ecosystem.

James E. Webb SpaceAdministration Fellowship

The administration fellowship is a full-timeacademic study program for one academic yearbeginning in the fall of 2001.

Recipient: Patsy Leonard

Leonard will be attending Barry University/Orlando to obtain a Ph.D. in EducationalLeadership.

She is a university program specialist in theEducation Programs and University ResearchDivision of External Relations and BusinessDevelopment. She is responsible for planning,developing, coordinating and managing Centerand agency-wide College and Universityprograms.

She began her KSC career as a co-op studentin 1989. Upon graduation, she was hired as abudget/program analyst for the Chief FinancialOfficers’ organization. She transferred to theEducation Programs and University ResearchDivision in May of 2000.

Leonard received a bachelor of arts degree inbusiness administration from Bethune-Cookman

College in 1990 and a master’s degree inbusiness administration from Florida Institute ofTechnology in 1996. Leonard enjoys mentoringhigh school and college students and commu-nity service activities. She is an 8-year sponsorof the Children’s Christian Fund.

University of Michigan Manage-ment Development Program

The management development program is atwo-week program with emphasis on leadershipand management development.

Recipient: Larry Manfredi

Manfredi began his KSC career as a co-opstudent in 1971. Upon graduation, he wasassigned to the Engineering DevelopmentDirectorate where he worked as a mechanicalsystems engineer. He was the lead designengineer for several Shuttle facilities and wasfield engineer for Shuttle facilities activation.

Manfredi served as project engineer forvarious Shuttle, Payloads, and Space Stationground systems projects. He currently works inthe Engineering Division of the ISS and Pay-loads Processing Directorate.

Manfredi received a bachelor of sciencedegree in engineering from the University ofCentral Florida in 1974. He enjoys flying, hiking.canoeing and traveling.

NASA Fellowships awardedThree KSC employees were recently selected to participate in the Agency-wide NASA Fellowships Program. The

applicants were interviewed and selected by the Executive Development Education Panel at NASA Headquarters.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3March 30, 2001

All-American picnic ‘sets standard’

See more All-American Picnicphotographs on pages 4 and 5.

Kennedy Space Center workersand their family and friendscongregated at KARS I on March17 for the annual All-AmericanPicnic, a cornucopia of food andfestivities.

Good weather and the annualpicnic’s reputation for deliveringfamily fun drew a steady stream ofKSC team members and theirguests throughout the day. About5,000 attended.

Organizers were pleased with theturnout and considered the event asuccess.

“The weather could not havebeen much better,” said Bill Holden,co-chairman of the picnic commit-tee. “We did well with presales, butthe weather drew many additionalattendees. I can’t remember abigger turnout.”

Holden and his committeearranged for the return of a wide-range of ever-popular picnicactivities from the children’s animalpetting area to a car show. Theyalso revived the chili cookoffcompetition, which proved to be apopular draw at the picnic.

About 400 NASA and contractorvolunteers, Joint Base OperationsSupport Contract staff and theKARS I crew joined forces withcommunity partners to bring theevent, which is funded by theNASA Exchange, to life.

Lackmann Culinary Services Inc.catered the picnic and provided amuch more varied menu than inpast picnics.

“Each year the picnic committeetries to refine the event to helpmake it bigger and better thanever,” Holden said.

KSC team members and theirfriends and families appeared tothoroughly enjoy the event basedon their smiles and comments.

Tim Hodge, an engineeringdesigner with Dynacs Inc., said he,his wife, Chris, and two daughters,Hannah, 1, and Haley, 3, had a

wonderful time checking out themultitude of activities at the picnic.

“They do a great job with thispicnic,” Hodge said. “It’s a goodfamily day.”

United Space Alliance machinistRochelle Sandridge attended theevent with his wife, Shari, anddaughters, Karly, 6, and Kayla, 9.The girls were psyched up beforethe picnic wanting to try out rockclimbing again, Sandridge said.

“KSC sets the standard for familyevents with this picnic,” Sandridgesaid. “We really appreciate theorganizers creating an event likethis for employees.”

Appreciation like that is whatmakes all the long hours thevolunteers and organizers put inworth it, said Holden.

“When you see the smiles on thefaces of the children – that’s thepayoff. You know you did a goodjob,” Holden said.

Above, Kennedy Space Center employees, their family and friends enjoysome of the many offering of the All-American Picnic. Groups settled downat picnic tables at KARS I, checked out vehicles on display and enjoyedthe petting zoo and pony rides.

Page 4 SPACEPORT NEWS March 30, 2001

Scenes from the A

Page 5SPACEPORT NEWSMarch 30, 2001

ll-American picnic

All-American Picnic story and morephotographs on page 3.

March 30, 2001 SPACEPORT NEWS Page 6

Athletic training might seemmore applicable to the astronautsthan Kennedy Space Centeremployees, but that was notevident at the symposium heldMarch 16 in the KSC TrainingAuditorium.

Many employees stopped by theauditorium to hear about athletictraining as well as injuries andtreatment for the knee, achillestendinitis, back and neck pain andother presentations by physicians,surgeons and certified athletictrainers (ATC).

It was part of the first annualAthletic Training Symposium heldby KSC RehabWorks, in honor ofNational Athletic Training Month.The focus of the symposium wasthe value and benefits gained by allemployees in having certifiedathletic trainers at the workplace.

Anyone who watches sportsevents recognizes the suddenappearance of an ATC when anathlete incurs an injury. The ATCmight massage a cramped muscle,bandage a blister or a cut, or wrap asprained ankle.

The benefits of such rapidtreatment need not be restricted toprofessional athletes, however. Infact, certified athletic trainers cannow be found on high school andcollege campuses, hospitals andclinics, and the corporate/industrialworkplace.

RehabWorks is a free on-sitemusculoskeletal rehabilitationservice for employees sufferingfrom a work, non-work or sports-related injury.

Any badged KSC or CapeCanaveral Air Force Stationemployee may take advantage ofRehabWorks.

According to Mary Kirkland,supervisor of KSC RehabWorks,since the facility’s inception in1997, it has “treated 2,140 employ-ees and logged 7,818 patient visitsfor such problems as strains andsprains, low-back pain, carpaltunnel, post-operative knee andshoulder injuries, and more.”

If injuries occur while at work,employees (called industrialathletes by staff) can have rapidevaluation by a certified athletictrainer and/or physician, possibly

forestalling complications or moreserious damage than if treatmentwere delayed.

“When we get a rapid referral bythe clinic or Occupational HealthFacility,” said Kirkland, “we can doimmediate treatment such as ice orelectrical stimulation, give informa-tion on home treatment and basicexercises, and plan future rehabili-tation onsite. For some acuteinjuries, like a severe ankle sprain,we might want to bring the personin every day.”

Kirkland emphasized also thatbeing able to provide rehabilitationtherapy for employees with injuriesor after surgeries enables them toreturn to work with less lost work-time for therapy elsewhere.

If the injury is non-work related,employees can go to the Occupa-

tional Health Facility to obtain aFitness Center Medical ClearanceForm, then call RehabWorks to setup an appointment. RehabWorks islocated in the O&C, Room 1103.

It is open Monday – Friday, from7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (the last appoint-ment is 4 p.m.).

The current staff under MaryKirkland at RehabWorks includesthe assistant athletic trainer ErikNason, interns Nina Hsieh, from CalState-Fullerton, Calif., and SaraStewart from Florida SouthernCollege, and medical records clerkAmy Rembert. Nason and Hsiehare both certified athletic trainers.

Dr. Art Arnold, with TheBionetics Corp., is the supervisingphysician. He is manager of medicaloperations for KSC’s Life SciencesSupport Contract.

Vendors and exhibitors at thesymposium were Micro Bio-Medics, Inc., School Health,Extreme Sports, Bob’s BicycleShop, The Athletic TrainersAssociation of Florida (ATAF),CHS/Occupational Health, KSCFitness Centers, Parrish SportsMedicine and Rehabilitation,Parrish Hospital, GNC, MassageTherapy Associates of Brevard andTotal Gym.

Sponsors for the event wereBionetics, ATAF, Micro Bio-Medics, Inc., School Health andTotal Gym.

For more information aboutRehabWorks, visit the Web sitehttp://rehabworks.ksc.nasa.gov/rehab or for information aboutcertified athletic training, go tohttp://www.nata.org/main.htm .

Right athletic training helps heal injuries

RehabWorks is a free on-site musculoskeletalrehabilitation service for employees sufferingfrom a work, non-work or sports-related injury.Any badged Kennedy Space Center or CapeCanaveral Air Force Station employee maytake advantage of RehabWorks.

KSC Rehab Works staff greet employees and answer questions at therecent Athletic Training Symposium.

What is a certifiedathletic trainer?

To be certified, candi-dates must have com-pleted a four-year degreeincluding courses inanatomy, physiology,nutrition, pharmacology,psychology and rehabilita-tion methods, plus pass aboard-certified exam.

They work under thedirection of a licensedphysician and in coopera-tion with other healthcareprofessionals.

SPACEPORT NEWSMarch 30, 2001 Page 7

Most of us spend very little time thinkingabout how much energy is used here atKennedy Space Center, what the costs are, andwho pays for it. But KSC Energy ManagerWayne Thalasinos would like to see all employ-ees take note of their habits and surroundings,in an effort to trim excess energy usage.

Each October is Energy Awareness Month,and Environmental & Energy Awareness Week,highlighted by Earth Day, is just around thecorner. But ideally, employees should be awareof energy conservation year-round, especially inlight of the increasing costs of electricity,natural gas, fuel oil and gasoline.

Above and beyond rate increases alreadyimplemented last year by the utility companiesthat serve KSC, rates have soared even furtherupward this year and will again rise even furtherthan originally anticipated.

“Florida Power & Light (FPL), KSC’s largestenergy provider, recently announced a new rateincrease effective April 2001,” explainedThalasinos. “This unexpected increase is aresult of continued high fuel costs, and becauseutilities pass fuel costs on to those who buypower from them, our energy cost will increase.”

Because NASA-KSC has finite monetaryresources, paying for energy waste takes awayfunding from other programs and projects.

The budget concern surrounding the Interna-tional Space Station (ISS) is a case in point.

While the construction of ISS is a dauntingand expensive task, it is a major investment inthe future of humankind. Any small effort toprotect it not only helps to protect the liveli-hood of those working on the project, it also willresult in a final product that will better benefitthe world.

Just like all of us, KSC pays for the energy itconsumes, and as taxpayers, we all contribute tothe payment. The box lists a few painless stepsemployees can take to reduce our energy bill.

Also, managers and supervisors can look attheir operations and consider reevaluating any

Good Energy Habits

• Turn off equipment (monitors,printers, lighting, TVs, radios, fans,etc.) when away for meetings or lunch.Cute screen savers don’t save energy– if the monitor doesn’t automaticallysleep, turn it off manually.

• Turn off above items at the end of thework shift, along with the entirecomputer, printers, copy/faxmachines, coffeepots, decorativelighting, etc.

• When automatic lights or equipmentthat appear to be wasting power arenoted, or if the temperature controls inthe work area don’t seem to beworking properly, please place atrouble call to SGS, USA or Boeing.

April has been designated as “Litter Awareness Month” atthe Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

Litter costs taxpayer dollars to clean up and wastes re-sources that can be used to support the Spaceport’s coremissions. KSC team members need to work together toprevent litter because randomly discarded trash, even items assmall as cigarette butts, endangers safety, the environment,wildlife and possibly even operations.

The Florida Statute prohibits littering and allows for finesup to $50. Members of the military and Dept. of Defensecivilians can be reprimanded for litter violations.

Our Spaceport attracts visitors who come to appreciate thegrandeur of our launches and technology. They should alsobe able to enjoy the natural beauty of our environment.

Please join us in celebration of Environmental & Energy Awareness WeekApril 17-20 at KSC, CCAFS, and PAFB. More than 70 environmental andenergy awareness booths and a number of presentations will be featured.Some of the vendors will be conducting drawings and giving away doorprizes. Check out the alternative fueled vehicles and the Osram Sylvania 48-foot LightMobile. Brevard Zoo, Audubon Birds of Prey, Gatorland, Friends ofthe Enchanted Forest, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, National ParksService, and Save the Manatees will also make a presence this year.

To see the latest list of vendors/presentations, schedule, drawings, andmore, see http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/eeaw01/index.htm. For moreinformation contact Barbara Naylor, 867-8453, or Wayne Neville, 494-9268.

lighting or temperature requirements, and make ahabit to note and take action on energy wastespotted during periodic safety walkdowns.

Thalasinos is also quick to point out that aneffort to conserve energy doesn’t mean cuttingcorners on safety or comfort: “We’re not askinganyone to work in a hot office all day, or walkthrough a dark parking lot because we don’twant to turn on the lights. We just want to cutdown on the amount of energy being wasted,such as for lights and equipment left onunnecessarily, and air conditioner and heatinginefficiencies.”

The challenges of energy conservation arenothing new to the KSC Energy Working Group,formed in 1991. The group meets at least once amonth to monitor the center’s energy usage,

create consumption forecasts and budgets, anddevise plans and take actions to reduce excessusage and cost.

In the years since its inception, the group hasworked hard to identify lighting and temperaturecontrol problems, retrofit the most troublesomesystems, and stock more efficient supplies forfuture use. The group has also worked todecrease costs from energy suppliers such asFPL and City Gas.

But, points out Thalasinos, the group cannotshoulder the entire burden of reducing costs.

“Becoming more energy conscious is just amatter of personal habit,” says Thalasinos. “Ifeveryone would pay just a little more attentionto their actions, and be more aware of howenergy is being used in their work area, wecould make great progress together towardseliminating waste and reducing costs.”

If you have suggestions for the EnergyWorking Group, please contact WayneThalasinos at 867-8415.

Energy conservation important all year

Henry Healey of the Energy Management Officechecks the energy-saving photo-voltaic systempowering a warning sign on Phillips Parkway.

Environmental & Energy Awareness WeekApril is Litter Awareness Month

Page 8 SPACEPORT NEWS March 30, 2001

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Hagood

Editorial support provided by InDyne Inc. Writers Group.NASA at KSC is located on the Internet at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov

USGPO: 633-096/00052

Spaceport News

Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Center andis published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Office in the interest ofKSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, XAE-1. E-mail submissions can besent to Katharine.Hagood-1@ksc.nasa.gov

NASA and the National Imageryand Mapping Agency (NIMA)recently said researchers from thetwo agencies will continue a jointreview of the initial results ofNIMA’s search for the missingMars Polar Lander.

This analysis is extremely chal-lenging, and has thus far producedno definitive conclusions.

NIMA researchers used highresolution imagery from NASA’sMars Global Surveyor spacecraft,

now in orbit around the Red Planet,in their effort to locate the landerand its components, including aprotective aeroshell, heat shieldand parachute.

One of the principal challenges inlocating the missing lander usingimages from the orbiter is that theMars Polar Lander is only some-what larger – about six and a halffeet across – than the smallestobjects the orbiter’s camera cansee on the surface of Mars.

In an initial analysis, NIMAresearchers reviewed and assessedfeatures seen in several images thatthey believe could be indicative ofthe lander and its protectiveaeroshell.

An alternative view presented byNASA is that these features couldbe noise introduced by the camerasystem, so further work betweenNASA and NIMA will be con-ducted to address differences ofinterpretation.

Both agencies intend to continueworking together on the analysis ofthese images and of additionalimages of the landing site, whichwill be collected later this year.

The Mars Polar Lander was lostduring its attempted landingon Mars, Dec. 3, 1999. Within twoweeks, NASA began obtaininghigh resolution images of theintended landing site using thecamera onboard the orbiting MarsGlobal Surveyor.

MARS ...(Continued from Page 1)

The Florida Space ResearchInstitute (FSRI) and NASA KennedySpace Center (KSC), under a coopera-tive agreement signed recently, willcollaborate on FSRI’s AdvancedLearning Environment (ALE) initiative.

ALE incorporates cutting-edgeNASA and military web-basededucation and simulation technologiesinto a revolutionary new learningenvironment designed to preparespace industry scientists, engineersand technicians for tomorrow’stechnology challenges.

“I see great synergy betweenFlorida’s simulation and spaceindustries, both of which have beenamong the top high-tech enterprises inour state,” said Florida Lt. GovernorFrank Brogan. “This program canleverage the strengths of eachindustry to solve training problemsfacing our state’s most important high-tech economic sectors.”

Under the agreement, FSRI and

NASA and NIMA look at Mars images

NASA will develop, test and evaluatea prototype web-based “advanceddistributed learning” environment forcryogenics engineering at KSC. Theproject will involve the developmentof a consortium of public and privateuniversities designed to supportKSC’s research, and will allowFlorida’s colleges and universities toincorporate these technologies toenhance their science and engineeringeducation programs.

“NASA is very excited about thepotential outcome of this partnershipwith FSRI,” said KSC Director RoyBridges. “We need a highly skilledworkforce to accomplish our goals forspace exploration and commerce, andthis project will help us take a big stepforward in learning technologies.”

The NASA agreement with FSRIprovides a $500,000 matching contri-bution to the second phase of FSRI’s$1.4 million ALE contract withWorkforce Florida Inc.

FSRI collaborates with KSC

Since the first close-up picture ofMars in 1965, spacecraft voyagesto the red planet have revealed aworld strangely familiar, yetdifferent enough to challenge ourscientific perceptions of whatmakes a planet work.

Over the past three decades,spacecraft have shown us thatMars is rocky, cold and sterilebeneath its hazy, pink sky. We’vediscovered that today’s Martianwasteland hints at a formerlyvolatile world where volcanoes

once raged, meteors plowed deepcraters, and flash floods rushedover the land.

The name “2001 Mars Odyssey”was selected as a tribute to thevision and spirit of space explora-tion as embodied in the works ofrenowned science fiction authorArthur C. Clarke.

Evocative of one of his mostcelebrated works, the name speaksto humankind’s hopes for thefuture and of the fundamentalhuman desire to explore theunknown despite great dangers,the risk of failure and the daunting,enormous depths of space.

Special Edition comingThe next edition of Spaceport News will be published onApril 12, the 20-year anniversary of the first SpaceShuttle launch. The 8-page commemorative editionhighlighting the launch will be printed in color.