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

October 23, 1998

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 37, No. 21

Spaceport News

STS-95: John Glenn rides again

Looking back onthe years sincehis history-making launch,John Glennreflects fondlyon the earlydays, whilekeeping a keeneye on thefuture. “We’ve gonefrom back inthose days,where we werejust trying to findout if we can doit,” he noted, “tonow, wherethese flights areliterally on thecutting edge ofscience, doingthings thatbenefit directlyor have thepotential ofbeing ofenormousbenefit to every-body right hereon Earth. Andthat’s what thespace programis all about.”

(See STS-95, Page 4)

Time and space and Life: John Glennmade the cover of Life magazine inFebruary 1962 for his historic journeyaboard Friendship 7, in which Glennwas the first American to orbit theEarth.

During his World War IIservice, he flew 59 combatmissions. In July 1957, he set atranscontinental speed record fromLos Angelesto New York,spanning thecountry in threehours and 23minutes. Thiswas the firsttranscontinentalflight to averagesupersonicspeed. And when helaunches aboardthe ShuttleDiscovery onOct. 29 at2 p.m., JohnGlenn Jr. will besetting a newrecord yet again.During STS-95,at age 77, Glennwill become theoldest person tohave flown inspace. Back on Feb.20, 1962, whenGlenn flew in

his Friendship 7 Mercury capsule,the largest mystery facing theyoung NASA space program waswhether humans could even survive

and me, and the rest of the seven,the doctors predicted some direthings back then. “Would your eyeballs changeshape, for instance? In myspacecraft, Friendship 7, that’s inthe Smithsonian, if you look up atthe upper part of the instrumentpanel, the little eye chart is still upthere ... with the different sizedletters, and I was to read that thingevery 20 minutes during flight andsee if my eyes were changingshape,” Glenn remarked. “Some

in the hostile environment ofspace. “Things have changed somuch since the early days,”recalled Glenn in a recentinterview, looking back on hisfirst flight into space. “Backwhen I went up to begin with,and when Al Shepard wasgetting ready to go, and Gus

“I started having my troubleswith the automatic controlsystem late in the first orbit.The capsule started to swingover to one side along the yawaxis and then correct itselfwith a large expenditure ofhydrogen peroxide fuel. Thenit would do the same thingagain. Later on, it startedyawing in the other direction.Something was obviouslywrong with the system and itbecame necessary for me tocontrol the capsule’s move-ments by hand. For most ofthe rest of the trip I controlledthe capsule myself.” Astronaut John Glennpenned these words reportedin Life magazine in itsMarch 9, 1962 issue. “This did cut down on otheractivities we’d planned. Itmeant that I had to cancel outseveral of the experiments andobservations I wanted to makeon the second and third orbits.I had a number of instrumentson board, including one whichwas designed to make a seriesof tests of the Sun’s corona,the brightness of clouds, theability of a pilot in space toadapt himself to darkness andwithstand the effects ofweightlessness. “I felt completely relaxed atzero G but I did conduct oneexperiment to see if the longperiod of weightlessness washaving any ill effects. First Istarted moving my head upand down very slowly, then Imoved it from side to side. ... Istill had no feeling of nauseaor disorientation, so I speededup until I was shaking myhead and rolling it andnodding it as fast I could, withno more sensation than onewould expect doing this on theground. ... Weightlessness, atleast for a period of a fewhours, is no problem at all inspace flight. This, actually,was one of the major findingsof the mission.”

SPACEPORT NEWS October 23, 1998Page 2

If getting enough fiber was of great interest inthe ‘90s, it will be paramount in the newmillennium. Fiber optic technology has beenaround for quite awhile, but while its use inground-based systems and airplanes has beenwidespread, demonstrating its effectiveness inspace has been much more limited. Weight reduction and higher data transmissionrates are only two of the benefits offered by thistechnology that made KSC’s Shuttle PayloadUpgrades team take a hard look at its potential. “We look at projects based primarily on theirability to reduce payload processing time andincrease customer friendliness,” said MelodiePorta, KSC Shuttle Payload Upgrades projectmanager. “One technology demonstration that becamereadily apparent for high recommendation byour team is the Fiber Optic Flight Experiment[FOFE], which will be flying on STS-95,” shecontinued. The technology’s ease of installation andtesting, durability and on-orbit performance areall being investigated. The long-term objectiveof this experiment is to use fiber optics tostandardize payload interfaces in the payloadbay, thus reducing processing time in the OrbiterProcessing Facility. Teaming up with Goddard Space FlightCenter’s Hubble Space Telescope OrbitalSystems Test (HOST) payload team, the FOFEgroup hopes to confirm that optical fiber is aviable option both in ground processing and inthe Space Shuttle environment. HOST will provide data to the experimenttransmitted through fiber cables running along

Will getting a little bit of fiber help the Shuttle system overall?

A fiber optic system is similar to mostcopper wire systems that fiber optics arereplacing for phone use and datatransmission across networks. The majordifference is that fiber optics use light

pulses to transmit information down fiberlines instead of using electronic pulses to

transmit information down copper lines.

Goddard Space Flight Center employees Ray Lundquist, Rus Burgess and Roger Chiei, left to right, review fiber opticinformation on a payload and general support computer, like one that will fly during STS-95 to collect information on fiberoptic technology performance on board the orbiter Discovery. Burgess has been instrumental in the pre-launch testing andprocedures at Kennedy Space Center for the Fiber Optic Flight Experiment that will run as part of HOST.

the payload bay into the aft flight deck, where apayload and general support computer willrecord it. HOST also will transmit the same data viastandard telemetry routes so that both datastreams can be compared after the mission. Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) servedas a consultant to the Shuttle Payload Upgradesteam for FOFE. The experiment is a partnershipbetween Kennedy Space Center, Johnson SpaceCenter and the Goddard SpaceFlight Center. “Goddard partneredwith us to put a fiberoptic interface in theHOST controller sothat we could havetheir data to comparewith the data that theytransmit down thesecond telemetryroute,” noted Porta.“HOST essentially isproviding us with a ‘ride,’ asit were, on their mission, andGoddard also has provided mission managementsupport. Since fiber optic expertise resides atGoddard, it’s been a really good fit and partner-ship.” Cheryl Malloy, another KSC team member,noted that John Kolasinski of Goddard SpaceFlight Center’s team received the NASAExceptional Engineering Medal for his work infiber optics this year. “Goddard has allowed us to use this expertiseand provided some of their hardware to help

.

keep costs down for the experiment,” she added. GSFC plans to use KSC’s Multi-OperationSupport Building as the Payload OperationsControl Center for HOST, allowing Goddard toreduce the number of personnel required forlaunch site and mission support. The Hubble Space Telescope OrbitingSystems Test platform is carrying experiments tovalidate components planned for installationduring the third Hubble Space Telescope (HST)servicing mission and to evaluate new technolo-

gies in an Earth-orbiting environment. There are seven experiments on the HOSTplatform that are being tested to demonstratethat the actual electronic and thermodynamicequipment scheduled for installation into thetelescope will perform acceptably in theradiation and zero gravity environment of space.The third Hubble Space Telescope servicingmission currently is scheduled for a mid-2000launch. Following the HST second servicing missionin February 1997, HST operators noticed

anomalies involving electronic systemsin the Solid State Recorder, the SpaceTelescope Imaging Spectrograph and theNear Infrared Camera and Multi-ObjectSpectrometer (NICMOS). These anomalies appear to be causedby space radiation interacting with theextremely sensitive electronics. TheHOST mission on STS-95, which willfly in an orbit similar to that of theHubble Space Telescope’s orbit, willhelp identify radiation-induced anoma-lies in equipment before it is installedon the HST. Engineers can then implementcorrective redesign to prevent theseanomalies from occuring when thenew hardware is placed on thetelescope. Engineers will continuouslymonitor the effects of ionizing radiationon the HST 486 computer and the solidstate recorder during the HOST mission. They also will monitor the radiation

effects on new technology, including the HOST controller, electronics service module, pulse height analyzer and the Fiber Optic Flight Experiment.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 3October 23, 1998

NASA at Kennedy Space Center andSpaceport Florida Authority (SFA) have agreedto begin plans to construct a $15 million,100,000-square-foot facility on KSC property tofunction as a research laboratory. Officials expect the facility to supportdomestic and international experiments that willfly aboard the International Space Station, SpaceShuttle and future proposed reusable launchvehicles, such as VentureStar. KSC’s current life sciences facilities arecramped and decentralized. A new facility willhelp managers consolidate the majority ofKSC’s life sciences research activities in onelocation and replace the old Hangar L facility. Hangar L, located across the Banana Riverfrom KSC, was modified in the early 1980s intoa laboratory facility and has become too small tosupport the processing needs of current lifesciences Shuttle missions. The old facility is also becoming expensive tooperate and maintain. “This will be another stepping stone onKennedy’s path to the future,” said KSCDirector Roy Bridges. “Day by day we arefocusing more on research and developmentendeavors at KSC and a new Life Sciences

Kennedy Space Center and Spaceport Florida Authority plan new life sciences facilityResearch Facility is the kind of resource weneed to get our job done. It also promises newopportunities for the private sector.” The facility concept features a variety ofbiological specimen holding areas andlaboratories. Equipped to support ecological,developmental, physiological, andmolecular experiments, thelaboratories will serveresearchers from a broadrange of life sciencesdisciplines. Ongoing KSC effortsto develop a bio-regenerative life supportsystem for long durationspace travel andecological investigationsaimed at understanding theMerritt Island coastal eco-system are two research effortsthat could prosper with upgradedresources. SFA will finance and construct the KSC-designed facility on the west side of KSC’sindustrial area. NASA will lease a major portionof this facility from SFA and make the facilities

available to KSC’s Life Sciences SupportContractor, Dynamac Corporation, whoprocesses NASA’s life sciences experiments andconducts much of the laboratory research andtechnology development activities.

Officials expect other governmental,academic, commercial and

international research programsto take advantage of the new

facility. Construction begins inmid 1999 and completionis expected by 2001. This facility is the firstphase in the developmentof a research industrialcampus capable of serving

a host of organizationsinvolved in space-related

research. Spaceport Florida Authority was

established by Florida’s governor andlegislature to serve the growth needs of theState’s space industry, including thedevelopment and conversion of infrastructurefor space transportation, manufacturing,education, and research and development.

When you hear the word “Nix,” you mayimmediately think it has a negative connotation.Guess again. NIX actually stands for NASA ImageeXchange, and this database links Agencyresources both inside and outside NASA centers.NIX is an online collection of NASA digitalimages and animation that allows searches ofNASA’s multiple photographic databases at theAgency’s 10 centers, including Kennedy SpaceCenter. As one of the most visible centers throughoutthe country for its wide range of activities, notleast of which are Shuttle launches and landings,KSC established an Internet Publishers PhotoCorner a few years ago. “The media, and even home-based computerusers, are relying on advanced technology more

than ever before,” saidKen Thornsley, KSC’sNASA photo editor,

When your image is important, remember KSC’s Photo Corner and NIX’s pics“so we need to be able to meet, and even exceed,their needs. The quality of high-resolutionimages we can provide today far exceeds whatwe were doing even a few years back, and thetechnology keeps getting better. We’re capturingimages today with both digital and traditional35mm cameras.” KSC’s Publisher’s Photo Corner can be foundat http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/hotpics.htm At this site, you’ll find themost recent images taken at America’s spaceport— from launches and landings throughprocessing payloads and planetary craft. Majorevents that occur at KSC are also covered onthis Web site. The Agency’s NIX database was madepossible last year through a voluntaryassociation consisting of personnel from PublicAffairs offices, the World Wide Web,photographic services, graphic services andlibraries from all 10 NASA centers. NIXprovides an umbrella over existing digital imagedatabases at the centers, searching more than450,000 NASA images. Upon accessing the NIX home page athttp://nix.nasa.gov, users may choose to browsethe image databases; enter specific searchcriteria; write their own comments; or reviewsystem options, copyright information andfrequently asked questions. Users may select a thumbnail image to viewa larger version or may follow direct links tothe NASA center photo galleries that providedeach image.

NIX users conducting more specific searchescan enter key words, and the system will thenfind related images. System options allow the user to designatewhich centers’ databases NIX should search andto limit the number of hits per centers, imagesdisplayed per page, and number of pages to bedisplayed. Users may also determine anallowable response time, thereby including orexcluding slower-to-load images in the search,or they may choose to view the text only. Under the frequently asked questions (FAQ)heading on the NIX homepage, users can find acomplete listing of NASA centers and their areasof specialization. This information furtherallows for accurate and efficient searches. TheFAQ screen also lists contacts for each center, soquestions or problems with their respectiveimages may be addressed directly to them.

Access NASA’s Image eXchange at http://nix.nasa.govKSC’s Publishers Photo Corner can be located at http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/hotpics.htm

SPACEPORT NEWS October 23, 1998Page 4

STS-95 ...(Continued from Page 1)

That was Glenn. This is now.

“I was quite taken aback when I saw the Mercury spacecraft for the firsttime,” recalls Bob Buckley, then an aerospace technologist for ProjectMercury. “In my mind, I was thinking that this was a large vehicle, and itwas only 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide at the base, and looking into the hatchwhere John Glenn was going to ride, it looked like a telephone booth withall of the equipment packed behind him.”

doctors predicted your eyes might change shapeenough that you wouldn’t have enough vision toread the instrument panel properly. “It was a time when we were just starting outwith the building blocks, that have gone onthrough the years — flight by flight — to thetremendous capability that we have now.” In the 121 crewed space missions sinceGlenn’s flight during the Mercury, Gemini,

Occupation: Full-time NASA astronautAge at flight: 40Personal status: Wife Annie, two childrenExercise: RunningMission purpose: To send and observe firstAmerican in Earth's orbit

Occupation: U.S. senator from OhioAge at flight: 77

Personal status: Wife Annie (married 55 years),two children, two grandchildren

Exercise: SpeedwalkingMission purpose: To conduct a range of

scientific experiments, including those to studyeffects of space flight on an older person

Glenn’s next flight will be nothing like thefirst. This time he will fly for nearly nine days,not just several hours. This time he’ll follow apath blazed by hundreds of astronauts duringdecades of missions. This time he’ll be part of acrew, one of seven people workingtogether to make the trip a success. In 1962, the only crew memberhe could rely on was himself; hewas flying solo. This time, he won’t be incharge. Instead, he’ll be part of theteam, and the focus of experimentson how people age. His first flight, which circled theglobe three times, developedseveral problems. One wasespecially dire. A meter indicated that a clampholding the capsule’s heat shieldmay have prematurely released. IfGlenn tried to re-enter theatmosphere without the shield, hewould be incinerated. As it turned out, the heat shieldhad not come loose, and Glennparachuted safely into the Atlantic,700 miles from where he began thetrip five hours earlier in CapeCanaveral. Recently Glenn asked NASAif he could fly again to conductspace-based research on aging, butonly if he met the Agency’s rigidphysical and mental requirements. NASA Administrator DanielGoldin responded in January bytelling the public that “not onlyis John Glenn a Marine test pilot,an astronaut, and the first American

Much has changed in society, technology and the world in the 36 years between John Glenn's historic orbit in1962 and today. Here are but a few of the many changes since his Feb. 20 launch three and a half decades ago.

to orbit the Earth, he brings a unique blend ofexperience to NASA. He has flight, operationaland policy experience. He is part of the NASAfamily, an American hero, and he has the rightstuff for this mission.”

“You know, people always say, ‘We hadkey people in the program.’ What wehad — we had a chain. And each linkwas important. Because if it breaks, itwouldn’t go. You need the whole chainto make it happen.”

— Guenter Wendt,pad leader, McDonnellAircraft Corporation(Project Mercury)

Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs, more than200 Americans have flown in space. Glenn, whoinspired many current astronauts to pursuespaceflight as a career, continues to inspirepeople of all generations as he prepares for areturn to space. The wealth of scientific data accumulatedduring these space flights validate apparentsimilarities between the effects of spaceflightand aging. Glenn will be a test subject for specificinvestigations that mimic the effect of aging,including loss of muscle mass and bone density,disrupted sleep patterns, a depressed immunesystem and loss of balance.

SPACEPORT NEWSOctober 23, 1998 Page 5

In their flight seats aboard Space Shuttle Discovery are (front to back) STS-95 Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai andJohn Glenn Jr. and Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson. The entire STS-95 crew were at KSC Oct. 6 through 9 toparticipate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), which includes launch familiarization activities,emergency egress training and a simulated main engine cutoff.

The STS-95 crew pose on Launch Pad 39B during TerminalCountdown Demonstration Test activities. Standing before the

Shuttle Discovery are, left to right, Mission SpecialistsScott Parazynski and Stephen Robinson, Payload Specialists

John Glenn Jr. and Chiaki Mukai, Mission CommanderCurtis Brown, Pilot Steven

Lindsey and MissionSpecialist Pedro

Duque.

Scientific endeavors on the STS-95 missionare not limited to furthering an understanding ofthe human body, but also will expand ourunderstanding of the closest star to our planet,the Sun, and how it affects life on Earth. The Spartan-201 spacecraft will be releasedby the crew on the fourth day of the mission andwill spend two days flying free, studying heatingof the solar corona and how that phenomenonaffects activities both in Earth orbit and on theground. The Sun drives our weather, and energeticeruptions on the Sun are capable of disruptingsatellites, communication and power systems.

The Sun also establishes the space environmentin which our communications, weather, defenseand human spaceflight resources operate. Upon completion of two days of solarobservations, Discovery’s crew will haul thespacecraft back into the Shuttle’s cargo bay andreturn it to Earth. Four astronomical instruments and a smallsatellite for storage and transmittal of digitalcommunications are among the components ofthe International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker,which will be carried in Discovery’s payloadbay. The diverse astronomical instruments support

a range of experiments, including studies ofstars, remnants of supernovae and starformation. Also tucked in the payload bay is a variety ofmaterials and equipment destined for use duringthe third Hubble Space Telescope servicingmission, currently scheduled for a mid-2000launch. Referred to as HOST, the Hubble SpaceTelescope Optical Systems Test platform willdemonstrate that actual electronic andthermodynamic equipment scheduled forinstallation into the telescope performsacceptably in the radiation and zero gravityenvironment of space. Discovery also will carry a SPACEHABmodule to orbit. Inside SPACEHAB,almost 30 smaller experiments rangingfrom materials science to plant growth todeveloping new techniques for deliveringvital anti-tumor medications will be conductedby the astronauts. The STS-95 mission is scheduled to lastapproximately eight days and 22 hours. An on-time launch on Oct. 29 and nominalmission duration would have Discovery landingback at Kennedy Space Center at the end of amore than three million mile journey on Nov. 7at noon EST. STS-95 will be the 25th flight of Discoveryand the 92nd mission flown since the start of theSpace Shuttle program in April 1981.

“This is about as good a bunch of people asyou could ever get together. These are justvery brilliant people ... and I’m honored tobe a part of [the crew].”

— STS-95 PayloadSpecialist John Glenn

Name of craft: Discovery(six other astronauts)

Flight duration:Approx. 8 days, 22 hours

Orbits: Approx. 144Highest altitude above

Earth, in miles: 325Distance flown, in miles: Approx. 3.6 million

Windows: 10

Name of craft: Friendship 7(solo)Flight duration: 4 hours,55 minutes on Feb. 20, 1962Orbits: 3Highest altitude aboveEarth, in miles: 162.2Distance flown, in miles:75,679Windows: 1

SPACEPORT NEWSPage 6 October 23, 1998

New child developmentcenter administrator named

Billie Abner

Silver Snoopiesp r e s e n t e d

Astronaut Joe Tanner presentedthe prestigious Silver SnoopyAward to the following employeeson Sept. 22:• Tommy Ford, EG&G• Angela Smibert, DynacsEngineering Co., Inc.• Nancy Tuttle, DynacsEngineering Co., Inc.

Deep Space 1is ready to go

Billie Abner was recently namedthe new KSC Child DevelopmentCenter administrator. The center,located at A Avenue and 5th Street,offers child care and developmentservices to children of KSC andCape Canaveral Air Stationemployees. Her responsibilities includeplanning, coordinating andmanaging the center’s day-to-daycurriculum and activities forchildren. In this role, Abnerparticipates with the KSCExchange Council and its generalmanager in the development oflong-range plans and goals of theChild Development Center. Abner received a bachelor ofscience degree in elementaryeducation and early childhood fromLock Haven University in LockHaven, Pa. For more informationabout the center, call 867-KIDS.

KSC hosted first Partners in Education and Research Conference “Since its inception 40 yearsago, NASA has maintained a strongrelationship with university facultyand students by sharing informationregarding its mission, utilizing theskills of faculty and students toachieve its mission and providingopportunities for faculty andstudents during their academiccareers.” These were the words of KSCDirector Roy Bridges when heopened the first Partners inEducation and ResearchConference hosted by KSC, whichwas held Oct. 6-8 at the CocoaBeach Hilton. The goals of the conference wereto enhance dialogue amongrepresentatives of academia,government and industry aboutongoing research and educationefforts; to discuss the futuredirection of KSC and NASA; andto present opportunities for facultyand students to become involved inspace-related activities. Approximately 200 participants

attended the conference. Programsessions consisted of panel dis-cussions and paper presentationsinvolving university faculty, KSCstaff and industry representatives.Topics focused on technical areasthat KSC is currently working on

Conferenceattendees were

treated to a tour ofLaunch Pad 39B.

and is interested in for the future.Topics included space life sciences,environmental and bioregenerativesystems, integrated intelligentsystems, exploration technologydevelopment and reusable spacetransportation technologies.

On Launch Pad 17A at Cape CanaveralAir Station, workers begin encap-sulating Deep Space 1 with the fairing(right side). Targeted for launch aboard a BoeingDelta II rocket as early as Oct. 24,Deep Space 1 is the first flight inNASA’s New Millennium Program andis designed to validate 12 newtechnologies for scientific spacemissions of the next century, includingthe engine. Propelled by the gas xenon, theengine is being flight-tested for futuredeep space and Earth-orbitingmissions. Deceptively powerful, theion drive emits only an eerie blue glowas ionized atoms of xenon are pushedout of the engine. While slow to pick up speed, overthe long haul it can deliver 10 times asmuch thrust per pound of fuel as liquidor solid fuel rockets. Other onboardexperiments include software thattracks celestial bodies so the spacecraftcan make its own navigation decisionswithout the intervention of groundcontrollers.

SPACEPORT NEWS Page 7October 23, 1998

KSC Open House opens doors to about 33,600 peopleKennedy Space Center’s annual Open House was held on Saturday, Oct. 10 and drew acrowd of more than 33,600 employees, families and friends to America’s spaceport.Visitors were able to drive by the Space Shuttle Discovery poised for launch on pad 39B,view International Space Station hardware in the Space Station Processing Facility, meetastronauts, tour the Orbiter Processing Facility, discover the different laboratories aroundKSC and Cape Canaveral Air Station and much more. Here are a few photo highlights ofthe day.

Cars lined up to get a view of the Space Shuttle Discovery poised onLaunch Pad 39B. Discovery is set to launch on Oct. 29 for STS-95.

The Dalmation Dog(a.k.a. KSC Fire ServicesCaptain Steve Kelly) wasa big hit with the littleguests to this year’sOpen House.

A family enjoys the International Space Station Center tourist stop,above, while Amanda Hankins, below, tries her hand at the hose inlearning about how to extinguish fires.

Astronaut Mark Polansky signs autographs for crowds gathered aroundOrbiter Processing Facility 3, where Columbia was on display.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan Maurer

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

USGPO: 733-112/80017

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, AB-F1. E-mail submissions can besent to Susan.Maurer-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWS October 23, 1998Page 8

In KSC’s Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2, the Mars Polar Lander issecured on a workstand for testing, which includes a functional test of the scienceinstruments and the basic spacecraft subsystems. The Mars Polar Lander is targetedfor launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Delta II rocket on Jan. 3, 1999.The solar-powered spacecraft is designed to touch down on the Martian surface nearthe northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there.

Deep Space 1 is lifted from its work platform in KSC’s Payload Hazardous ServicingFacility, giving a closer view of the experimental solar-powered ion propulsion engine.The engine is the first non-chemical propulsion to be used as the primary means ofpropelling a spacecraft. Above the engine is one of the two solar wings, folded forlaunch, that will provide its power. Fully extended, the wings measure 38.6 feet tip totip. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed tovalidate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Anotheronboard experiment includes software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraftcan make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers.

Processing payloads, propulsion engines and planetary craft at KSCInside the Payload Changeout Room in the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at LaunchPad 39B, technicians in clean suits and tethers prepare to move the payloads for missionSTS-95 through the open doors of the payload bay (right) of Space Shuttle Discovery.At the top of the RSS is the SPACEHAB module; below it are the Spartan solar-observingdeployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform,and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker.