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Author: Britain Meithe

Dr. Kimberly Robinson Takes the Helm of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

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From developing NASA’s space-faring ships to training the agency’s astronauts and addressing every manner of strategy and communications, Dr. Kimberly Robinson brings an impressive 31-year NASA career to help launch the “What if?” dreams and can-do spirit of thousands of youngsters who visit the Rocket Center each year. Robinson came onboard as the Rocket Center’s executive director and CEO in mid- February.

“I can point to the exact moment that inspired me to work as an engineer and led me to NASA,” said Robinson. “This Center is in the business of creating those moments of inspiration.” She added that joining the team is her way of paying it forward and positively influencing the next generation of space explorers and pioneers.

Dr. Robinson steps into the role at a time when leadership and teamwork are particularly important to mission success. “You’ve probably heard the expression, ‘build back better’ and I suspect that’s a goal for all of us after surviving the pandemic.” Robinson added that just as training comes before any NASA mission, her initial goals are to get to know the people and business of the Center while also proactively reaching out to external partners. Those steps will guide subsequent strategic planning for a rebuilding year and future growth.

Joe Newberry, chairman of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, the Rocket Center’s governing board, noted that along with vast NASA experience, Dr. Robinson brings an innovative spirit and the leadership skills needed to guide future plans for the Center. “Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious and brought her to the top of a rigorous and exhaustive search for our new executive director and CEO.”

“I’m particularly excited how the Rocket Center will emerge stronger just as Marshall Space Flight Center and Huntsville prepare to celebrate a major milestone in space exploration,” said Robinson. “This is called the Rocket City and in the next year we’re going to launch the first, giant rocket since the space shuttle. Artemis I is going to be a huge event and I’m excited to share that experience and to celebrate it at the Center!”

Robinson is the recipient of numerous NASA performance awards including an Exceptional Achievement Medal and a Silver Snoopy. She completed her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in engineering management and systems engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center Opens “Dare to Explore: Milestones to Mars”

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This exhibit takes visitors on a six-decade journey of space exploration, innovations and discoveries that have prepared humans to eventually land on Mars.

Presented by Lockheed Martin and developed by the Rocket Center’s exhibits team, Dare to Explore highlights historic artifacts from the Center’s collection, as well as exciting new technologies. Lockheed Martin’s proposed lunar ascent stage for the Artemis mission’s return to the moon is showcased. Dare to Explore appeals to a broad audience with displays and activities that examine the past and demonstrate how we will live and work in space as we continue our exploration beyond Earth’s orbit.

“Lockheed Martin’s sponsorship is an expression of the importance of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s role inspiring future explorers, and our appreciation and decades-long commitment to Huntsville, NASA, the U.S. Army, and Missile Defense Agency,” said Robert Lightfoot, vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin Space. “From our work on NASA’s Orion human exploration spacecraft, to the lunar Human Landing System, to supporting every NASA mission to Mars, we are pleased to share our deep understanding of space exploration with the community through this exhibit.”

Highlights from the official opening featuring Kirk Shireman, vice president of lunar exploration campaign, Lockheed Martin Space; Jody Singer, director of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; and Dr. Kimberly Robinson, executive director and CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is open
Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Go to rocketcenter.com for tickets, memberships and additional information

The Enduring Value of Space Camp

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As Alabama’s Commerce Secretary, I know how critically important it is for us to prepare our school children for the careers of the future, including rewarding ones in STEM fields. It’s no secret that occupations in science, technology, engineering and math pay big rewards in terms of higher-than-average pay and upward mobility. That’s why it is vital that pathways to STEM careers are available to young people across Alabama. One of the most successful and durable is the Space Camp program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. Launched in 1982, Space Camp instantly became a pioneering effort to encourage youngsters to explore careers in STEM fields — long before the commonly used acronym had even been coined. From the start, Space Camp’s mission has been to create excitement, introduce possibilities and stimulate imagination in the minds of young people. In so doing, Space Camp became one of the first workforce development pipeline programs in Alabama to support STEM fields.

Thanks to Space Camp and other educational programs, the Space & Rocket Center has been a remarkable asset for the state and its young people. The Rocket Center’s doors opened in 1970, meaning its 50th anniversary went largely unnoticed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Because the Rocket Center did not qualify for government assistance, the pandemic delivered a painful financial blow; thankfully, generous donors stepped in to help.) After Space Camp, the Rocket Center launched the Aviation Challenge and Robotics Camp, programs that also capture the curiosity of young people and act as a STEM career pathway. The Rocket Center is currently involved in the planning of a new building to support U.S. Cyber Camp, a program based on the Space Camp model that raises awareness of degrees and careers in cybersecurity. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey backed this effort with a $10 million grant, underscoring the significance of this occupational field.

Over the years, thousands of Alabama school children have joined other youngsters from around the U.S. and the world for the stimulating activities at Space Camp. For these kids, the program has been loads of fun, but it has also served a deeper, more long-lasting function. Throughout its history, Space Camp has inspired dreams and encouraged the next generation of thinkers to pursue goals that might have gone unimagined, to explore opportunities that might have gone undetected. I believe that is the enduring value of the Space Camp program, and I look forward to seeing it continue to launch countless voyages of discovery.

Pathfinder – A Special Inspiration

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Since 1988, the Pathfinder shuttle stack has been part of Huntsville’s “spaceline.” The shuttle stack was the first major addition to the Center’s outdoor exhibition since the museum opened in 1970. Pathfinder was a big, visible commitment to the Center’s mission: To showcase the contributions of NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and to give the public a chance to see not only the history of the space program, but the current and future technology of America’s civilian space agency. Pathfinder was also a great reflection of what Space Camp trainees were learning during their time in the program.

As iconic as Pathfinder is to the Center and to Huntsville, many often overlook or misunderstand its importance to NASA’s Space Shuttle program. In my 19 years at the Center, I overheard guests describe it as everything from, “It’s just a model,” to “It’s the first shuttle ever flown.” Pathfinder was not meant to fly in space. But each of the stack’s major elements played an important role in the success of NASA’s Space Shuttle program.

The large orange External Tank is the grandfather of them all. It was the first ever made and was instrumental in qualifying the tanks for flight. It fueled the tests at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, proving the Space Shuttle Main Engines were flight capable. Most External Tanks were filled with oxygen and hydrogen a handful of times or less. This tank was filled and drained hundreds of times.

The white Solid Rocket Boosters are a pair of experimental, fiber-wound composite boosters designed for launching shuttles from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Extremely lightweight compared to the original design, they would allow shuttles to gain a much-needed performance boost to fly into a polar orbit. Those missions were never flown, as that booster program was cancelled after the 1986 Challenger tragedy. This booster design, however, contributed to flight safety. The segment joint design was adapted for use in the improved return-to-flight booster design. Finally, parts of the top end of the boosters were taken from the stack by NASA for flight use in 1999 and were replaced with fiberglass replicas.

Next are the three RS-25 engines on the back of the Orbiter. Known as Space Shuttle Main Engines, or SSMEs, these examples are only nozzles and not full engines with turbopumps, computers, etc. But they do pose an interesting mystery! Two of the engine nozzles lack identifying marks. The third, in the bottom right corner of the three-engine triangle, has marks identifying it as “SN-2006.” If our research pans out, this means the nozzle flew on the first five Space Shuttle missions. As for the two unidentified nozzles, we hope to conduct a more in-depth inspection in the near future to help identify them.

Finally, the most iconic part of the stack: The Orbiter. It was built as a facilities checkout mock-up and was not assigned a name at the time. It also looked a little different than it does now. Built out of wood, steel and iron, it was simpler, faceted and looked like something from an early 1980s video game. Of all the components in Shuttle Park, it may have had the most interesting life. The Orbiter was designed to be the same length, width, height, and weight as the flight-capable vehicles. It even had an adjustable center of gravity that could mimic that of the real Orbiters during various stages of flight. It was built at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, and as part of its duties was loaded into the Apollo-era Dynamic Test Stand. It also travelled to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it was put into the lifting equipment in the Vehicle Assembly Building, and tested in the specialized crane that loaded the Orbiters onto and off the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It was even used in training the crews that emptied leftover maneuvering fuel from the Orbiters after landing. Once it had proved that the flight Orbiters could be handled by all the necessary equipment, passed through all the necessary doors, and travel down all the required roads without damage, the mockup was retired from program use.

But that’s not the end of the story! In 1983, the Orbiter was modified to make it look more like a flight vehicle by adding plywood and fiberglass elements on top of the original mockup. This was also when it was given the name Pathfinder, in honor of its role in the program. Sponsored by the America-Japan Society, it was on public view in Tokyo, Japan in 1983 and 1984. In addition to being modified to look like the real Orbiters, it was also changed to accommodate disassembly, packing, and shipping. After retiring from its overseas tour, plans began for incorporating it into a display it at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. It was destined to become part of the world’s only launch configuration (full stack) shuttle display. In May of 1988 Pathfinder was placed on top of the External Tank in Shuttle Park.

For over 30 years, Pathfinder has endured winds, rain, and sun while helping teach the public about the Space Shuttle program. Unfortunately, the elements have taken their toll on the plywood and fiberglass shells on the Orbiter. It wasn’t really built for long-term outdoor display. As a result, the Center has made the difficult decision to begin in-depth inspections and repair of Pathfinder. As the project moves forward, old and failing materials will be removed and more of the original test article will be visible again for the first time in at least 32 years. As the project moves forward it may look messy, but it’s all part of necessary steps to make sure that Pathfinder will continue to inspire generations to come!

Camp Catch-Up!

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As the U.S. Space & Rocket Center faced economic disaster because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our loyal supporters and camp alumni around the world turned out in force for the Save Space Camp campaign. Thankfully, we live to fight another day. While our fundraising campaign continues, the center did not have to close its doors permanently this fall, and we were able to operate Space Camp for a short period this summer.

So how did we did we manage camp in the middle of a pandemic?

Once the Alabama Public Health Department determined camp programs could reopen, our leadership team spent hours reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Camps Association to adjust our program to meet the health department’s strict guidelines. We were worried we could not offer the same impactful and immersive experience or conduct missions with masks and social distancing.

However, our team agreed we could find a way to make Space Camp work and found creative ways to face every challenge. With a plan in place, we brought in some dedicated Space Camp alumni to test new missions and give feedback before our first trainees, a small group of Alabama educators, arrived. The result was positive. It worked!

After shutting down for three months, Space Camp reopened on June 28 at about 25 percent capacity. Over nine weeks, we hosted around 1,200 trainees, providing the only taste of “normal” many had all summer. They were able to be children without the constant chatter of doom and gloom news, and they were able get away from the family they had been quarantined with for months. We had fun and learned a lot in the process.

Everyone, staff included, was happy to be at Space Camp, and we had few problems with compliance to wearing masks or social distancing. We met the requirements of the health department, and maintained the essence of Space Camp, the “magic sauce” of teambuilding, collaboration, communication and critical-thinking skills that make up our immersive experience. Even with a pandemic, our Space Camp trainees had a week that was part fun and part serious science and history.

So, what’s new for 2021? COVID hasn’t gone away, so we are making plans to return in 2021 at only 50 percent capacity. Once again, we are reviewing all Alabama Public Health orders and CDC guidance on how to safely accommodate that many children. We are reviewing our established COVID protocols and looking for opportunities to make every camp experience, even in a COVID world, the best experience we can offer.

We had to make some difficult decisions in 2020, which included not running Space Camp Robotics or Aviation Challenge to operate as safely and efficiently as possible. We wanted our lean leadership team to be able to focus solely on our core space program.

While Space Camp Robotics will remain on hold for 2021, we are bringing back Aviation Challenge and will celebrate 30 years of the program this summer. We are thrilled to introduce the first phase of upgrades to our flight simulation bays, including new Mach II simulation software donated by Lockheed Martin. We are also reviewing other needed updates to the Aviation Challenge program facilities.

We are also expanding our U.S. Cyber Camp program to include a middle school camp, and we have new partnerships with the FBI and Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering going into 2021. These important partnerships will help us continue to grow a program that will help meet a critical need for cyber security in all business sectors and most specifically in the space and aviation realm.

We are grateful to the almost 9,000 individuals and corporations who donated to save our beloved camp programs. Their support for what we have always believed is staggering. Our work here is important. Space Camp is educational and fun, and it is truly work force development. Since 1982, Space Camp has been a place where our campers feel a part of something bigger than themselves. No matter what our graduates go on to do in their life’s journey, we know their time at Space Camp will serve them well.

#savespacecamp

Opportunities to Do More

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Just like most cultural institutions around the world, 2020 has been a difficult year for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Attendance numbers were much lower than usual, and Space Camp isn’t operating right now, While it’s been tough, the crew at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center used this quieter time to develop new programs that could be offered to small groups in a safe and socially distanced environment. Taking advantage of areas not usually open to the public, the Rocket Center has been able to provide science-based lessons and experiences to our museum visitors. These new offerings include:

I.D.E.A.S. Lab

The I.D.E.A.S. Lab includes a fun acronym for the Invention, Design, Engineering, Astronomy and Space Lab. Each month, we tackle a new topic centered around these five core concepts. Past topics have included building Martian landers, designing and launching rockets, and mixing chemicals to determine the best combination for rocket fuel. Our education team leads children and adults on a journey of discovery and hands-on learning. That’s what really sets this experience apart – guests can get their hands dirty and put concepts they may have learned in school or read about in a book to the test!

Space Shuttle Experiences

Have you ever thought “You know, I would have made a pretty amazing astronaut,” or “It would be cool to go to outer space minus the danger”? Get the door, because opportunity is knocking! These new experiences take place on the Space Camp training floor, an area generally reserved for Space Camp. Guests may choose between the four-person Discovery Shuttle Experience or the two-person Enterprise Shuttle Experience.

In the Discovery Shuttle Experience, guests get a taste what it takes to pilot the shuttle to space and back. As the commander and pilot of the shuttle, they learn the sequence of controls needed to solve any anomalies (a fun vocabulary word for a problem) that occur by flipping the correct switches and pressing the right buttons that cover the flight consoles surrounding them. They also get a chance to land the shuttle on the runway to bring a successful flight to an end.

The Enterprise Experience takes simulated space travel to a entirely new level! Guests, acting as commander and pilot, make their way into lower Earth orbit (call it L.E.O., if you want to impress your friends) aboard the Enterprise shuttle. That’s where the fun really starts! Following a complex set of commands, commander and pilot must get ready to embark on a spacewalk to repair a broken satellite! Everyone gets strapped into a harness (you don’t want to float away in space) and works to complete a series of tasks to repair and deploy the satellite. One guest even gets to ride on the famous Canadarm that lifts the rider 15 feet into the air to allow for a close inspection of the broken satellite. After the mission is complete, commander and pilot return to the cockpit and make their journey back to Earth.

Aviation Challenge Flight Simulators

This simulator is usually reserved for Aviation Challenge campers, but this is your opportunity to take to the (simulated) skies and fly an F-18 Super Hornet. Guests sit in a cockpit surrounded by knobs, buttons, joy sticks and switches that may make them think they are in the real thing! An instructor guides the new pilot through the controls and off they go! Try a barrel roll or get really clever and attempt a Cuban Eight!
This suite of new programming joins our INTUITIVE® Planetarium shows, traditional documentary movies and virtual reality experiences to make a visit to the museum more memorable than ever before. So, if you have ever wanted to fly a fighter jet, be an astronaut, or just want to get your hands dirty in the name of science, head to rocketcenter.com and book an experience that will put your crew over the moon.

Exploring and Sharing

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Any way you approach it, 2020 is a milestone year at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The countdown clock to the Center’s 50th birthday celebration, slated to begin March 17, was already looking doubtful given the emerging COVID-19 outbreaks. Then, just the day before, on March 16, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced recommendations concerning public gatherings, food establishments and other retail venues and businesses, including no gatherings of more than 50 people. The rest, as they say, is history.

In June, the Center’s CEO, Louie Ramirez, reported, “The USSRC has been directly impacted by the pandemic and is projected to lose $28 million in revenue this fiscal year and will operate at just 40 percent capacity in FY2021. To stay solvent, the USSRC needs help.” Unfortunately, CARES Act funding was not realized for the Center so the Foundation launched an online funding campaign in late July. The result? More than 9,000 individuals, foundations and corporations from around the world provided support.

Therefore, the pandemic has also brought new and renewed appreciation for our community. While the Center remains in a line of credit, the online campaign means the Foundation may leverage and address the projects that make the Rocket Center so special to our community and world. It also means that the Center, representing those who strive to ensure that dreaming and doing never stop, will continue to be a place where potential is stirred ignited, and launched.

Reflecting on the last 50 years (since we couldn’t officially do so in March!) the U.S. Space & Rocket Center was created to share the excitement of the future. What we have accomplished, yes, but more, what can we achieve? Without doubt, giving wings to U.S. Space Camp in 1982 was a tremendous boon. Ed Buckbee, the original director, was prompted to launch the program by an observation of renowned rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. If camps could be afforded for those who like sports and other such activities, thought von Braun, why not a camp to attract youngsters to space and exploration? Indeed, Space Camp represented STEM long before the acronym became part of our vernacular. The additions of Aviation Challenge, Robotics and most recently, U.S. Cyber Camp has since established the Rocket Center as a respected participant in supporting the nation’s workforce pipeline.

Despite shutdowns and social distancing, the Rocket Center has continued to make friends and stretch forward. Among new programs and activities are the DIVR + and SeaTREK aquatics offerings to the general public; Science Never Stops online education modules; establishing a new, mutually beneficial relationship with the FBI toward supporting the cyber security workforce pipeline; the ongoing creation of a middle-school age U.S. Cyber Camp experience for 2021; and the continuing refurbishment of iconic rockets that remind us we stand on the shoulders of giants as we survey all there is to be explored and all there is to be shared.

A 50th birthday is a milestone that can be celebrated next year: A salute to what has been and come and a door to what is next. Simply, it’s a great reason to have a party! But as for me, the center is a place of celebration every day. Nurturing “What if?” dreams and can-do spirit among those who will take us to worlds beyond us, as well as those who will explore the worlds within us, has taken on a renewed sense of importance. Mankind will face challenges. Encouraging the next generation to question, experiment and push themselves to new levels of understanding and go where no one has yet gone will help meet those challenges. Instilling a sense of wonder and gratitude for the world around us is equally important to our collective well-being. Space Camp and the Center’s other educational programs exercise teamwork, leadership and observation skills that make today better because if our efforts are just right, we also develop friendships along the way.

With that in mind, this blog carries the important message of saying thank you for reading. Thank you for your time and interest. Would you like to learn more about the foundation and center? I’m here to help you celebrate every day discoveries, as well as the, “What if?” that takes us into the future.

You may contact [email protected] or call 256.721.5425

The UAT is for You and Me!

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The U.S. Space & Rocket Center was deeply affected by the pandemic this year, and for the first time in years, Space Camp hosted no groups after August. As we looked to our future, we renewed our efforts to provide a great experience for our museum guests; one that is as safe as it is unique. New opportunities were brainstormed and two such experiences emerged somewhat unexpectedly: aquatics. DIVR+ and SeaTREK are the newest experiences at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and are offered in the heated Underwater Astronaut Trainer.

The UAT has historically provided a scuba experience to our Space Camp Advanced Academy students, but is now also an experience open to the public. After doing some research, we discovered a terrific way to get a guest into the UAT and allow them to experience what it might feel like to walk on the moon, Mars, or fly through space. DIVR+ and SeaTrek allow a guest walking through our museum a chance to get in the water and very quickly experience something new and exciting. We found that those with no experience in the underwater world can also quickly feel safe and confident enough to fly through space in our DIVR+ virtual reality, or descend to the bottom of our 24 ft. tank with a SeaTREK helmet.

DIVR+ is an immersive VR experience allowing a guest to stay on the surface and still get a feeling for what it might be like to fly through space. A guest wears a flotation belt that helps them stay on the surface and then uses a mask and snorkel in order to be fully immersed in whatever activity they have chosen. Prior swimming or snorkeling experience is not required as staff members instill confidence by teaching and assisting guests in the water. The activities take place on a four-ft. platform that allows guests to easily stand and to truly feel safe.

There are three different experiences including a space journey, a deep-sea dive, and flying through time with dragons. Once the chosen activity starts, guests are in for a treat! The space journey allows a glimpse of the International Space Station before zooming to Mars and beyond. If enthusiasts prefer a deep-sea dive with turtles and sharks, the coral reef experience is right up their ally. As guests finish looking at all the colors of the reef, they must watch out for the humpback whales they see swimming all around them. More of a fantasy aficionado? Look for the dragon experience where participants fly amongst cliff faces and stare down a dragon. All experiences are out-of-this-world memories just waiting to be made.

SeaTREK is another new UAT experience. Don a helmet and travel the 24 ft. distance to the bottom of the tank and feel the sensation for what it might be like to walk on the moon. Wear glasses? Not a problem! The helmet covers your entire head and sits on your shoulders, pumping three times the amount of air required to provide plenty of oxygen and keep the glass from fogging. Once the helmet is in place and you are ready to travel down the ladder, all you do is make sure to equalize your ears as you descend. At the bottom, a guide will take you through the activities such as shooting baskets with bowling balls, launching rockets and much more.

All these experiences help usher in a new and exciting time for the Rocket Center as we look at fresh ways to enhance the museum and guest experience. Each opportunity is unique and offers something for all ages. Prebook on our website and come give them a try!

At Your Service: The White Coats Are Here

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I have enjoyed being a docent at USSRC for about five years. It leads to some very rewarding experiences particularly when we get visitors who are curious about the technology of our early space programs or the history behind Huntsville’s involvement. I believe the most rewarding response I get is when I see someone’s face light up, be it an adult or a Space Camper, as they have just understood some aspect of the program for the first time. This can be some rather obscure technical point or some major programmatic decision that drives an entire program. Interactions with the public can run the full gamut from people who are just curious about what’s in the big white building to professors of engineering who may be seeking to verify some tiny point about something as obscure as the “start sequence of an F-1 engine”. I love all these kinds of people. Many times, their questions receive an “I don’t know” answer from me. But one of the joys of that answer is that it drives me to do some homework so that no one will stump we with that particular question again.

Of course, there is a hazard in speaking about the Saturn V here in Huntsville, because you never know if one of the older folks in a group may have been the chief design engineer on that particular element when the rocket was being initially designed and built. It does keep you on your toes!

You never know when a person or a small group of people will be very rewarding to speak to. I particularly remember a group of three plumbers who, as you might expect, were very interested in fluid flow through pipes. We just so happen to have an F-1 rocket engine which has quite a few pipes which direct the flow of some challenging fluids at interesting pressures and temperatures. We must have spent an hour tracing fluid lines and talking about the mechanics of the fluid flows through them.

It was really a thrill when I ran across an 8-year-old who might as well have been a professor of engineering. I asked him if he could think of four things an astronaut needed to stay alive in the space suit for a short time of working in space. He proceeded to reel off all four requirements. I thought he might well have been one of my suit instructors at JSC. It just makes my whole day when I see such a child who is interested enough in space technology to study it in-depth on his own.

But while we are there to assist the public, there are those days when people prefer to walk around and read the placard information throughout the museum. When that happens, we docents usually can find some aspect of the hardware that we do not understand. We will begin to trace wires or fluid flows trying to more thoroughly understand the machines. Occasionally, we will hit a dead end, which means more homework, until we find the missing bit of information. Many times, it is a piece of equipment that didn’t make it onto our exhibit. The RL-10 engine has caused me more than one sleepless night, as has the history of the von Braun rocket team in Germany and in the U.S. But I find it very rewarding just to spend time with my fellow docents when we can learn from each other. We have some pretty interesting folks wearing white lab coats; some may even be legends!

Some very rewarding moments can come from watching parents react with their kids. It is wonderful to see parents beaming with pride as one of their children talks about their adventures at Space Camp. Sometimes getting the “Right Stuff Award” can be as important as getting a Nobel Prize!

The Underwater Astronaut Trainer: A Memory

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The story of the Underwater Astronaut Trainer located at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, began in 1986, the same year the Challenger accident happened. At the time, I was a NASA Marshall Space Flight Center astronaut training manager assigned to train the first Japanese astronauts for the Spacelab-J (SL-J) mission. With that mission put off indefinitely by the grounding of the shuttles, I was ordered home from Japan and given a number of short-term assignments until SL-J got a launch date. When I read in the Huntsville Times that the USSRC was going to build a swimming pool to teach Space Camp and Space Academy students the principles of operating in weightless conditions, I was intrigued. Since I was a scuba instructor and a diver in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at Marshall Space Flight Center, I thought a similar tank could be built at the USSRC.

The director of the USSRC at the time was Ed Buckbee. I didn’t know Ed and he didn’t know me but I soon discovered we had something important in common. We were both from West Virginia. That was a good introduction, I figured, and I was right. Ed invited me over to his office at the museum for a talk about my idea. I worked up a proposal, and asked my girlfriend, a graphics designer, to help me put together a pitch. A few days later, I delivered my proposals and convinced Ed that a water tank could be built to train his students and also might be used by professional aerospace companies. To move things along toward approval, I told him I would also build a realistic underwater space suit for the students to wear during simulations.

Ed was a bit dubious. For one thing, the concrete pad was already poured for a swimming pool so anything different would have to go on that footprint. Also, the height of the roof where the pool was to go was already set so there was a limitation there. He also said his budget was small and told me how small. “Can you do it for that amount?”

“You bet I can!” I promised, even though I had no idea if I could or not. To fit the foundational footprint and height limitations, I sketched out a 30-foot diameter, 24-foot deep steel cylinder with portholes at various levels. Essentially, it was a mini-NBS. When an architectural firm put my sketch out to potential contractors, it was Chicago Bridge and Iron, the same company that built the NBS, that delivered the low bid. It was low enough that I had money left to purchase scuba gear. Ed asked me to come up with a name for the new tank and I suggested that it be called the Underwater Space Simulator (USS). He gave that some thought and said, “We’ll call it the Underwater Astronaut Trainer,” and so it is the UAT to this day.

Chicago Bridge and Iron soon arrived with their equipment and crews and, in about two weeks, built the UAT using the same techniques and some of the same people who’d built the NBS. Often coming over to observe the progress, I loved the smell of the arc welders as each level went up because it meant progress.

Soon, however, I realized we had forgotten something. With head bowed, I went to Ed and confessed we needed a platform around the top of the tank to train the students. After scowling for a while, he gave me $3000 and said that’s all he had. I found a small local vendor who was willing to do the work for that amount. Together, we designed the platform plus steps into the water, all made from stainless steel.

In parallel to the design and construction of the UAT and its platforms, I purchased scuba equipment at a big discount from several manufacturers that liked being associated with Space Camp. To fill the scuba tanks, I also got a discount on a rebuilt air compressor from the McWhorter company in Birmingham. As promised, I designed a space suit simulator which included an underwater space-like helmet manufactured by the Lama company in France. We purchased two of them. I later used one of them to train David Letterman, the television late night host, for a proposed underwater show. Although the show never happened, that training was shown by Letterman when I was on the air with him to publicize my book Rocket Boys and the movie October Sky.

After the tank was filled with water and tested for leaks, the facility was ready but now we needed to figure out how to train the students and the supporting UAT staff. Assigned as the UAT’s first manager was a young woman named Lori Cash Kegley, a recent graduate of East Tennessee State University. She wasn’t scuba certified but was eager to learn and I was happy to have her as my counterpart at the center.

Up until that point, all my labor was donated but when Ed asked me to also train the students, I knew I would need permission from Marshall Space Flight Center to work part-time at the UAT. After that permission was granted, I formed a company called Deep Space and staffed it with local divemasters and scuba instructors I trusted. After working up a training methodology that would take students to the bottom of the UAT on scuba within a half hour after they entered the water, we asked for some young volunteers to make sure it was safe and viable. While we were testing our instruction techniques, we also installed some scrounged mockups from the NBS in the UAT, mostly discarded Hubble Space Telescope or Skylab training hardware, and created additional lesson plans to teach the science and human factors requirements of micro-gravity in space. Once everything was in place, we trained our first students, those on the engineer track of Space Academy.

Deep Space would train students in the UAT for nearly three years until NASA ordered me to go back to Japan to prepare the astronauts for Spacelab-J. During that time, we trained hundreds of Space Academy students and also trained astronauts including Payload Specialists Ron Parise, Sam Durrance, and Byron Lichtenberg. Astronaut Owen Garriott sometimes joined us and gave advice. After Deep Space was disbanded, UAT manager Lori Kegley, now fully scuba-certified, hired in-house instructors to follow the lesson plans we had pioneered.

The UAT is still in use to this day. All of us involved during the design, construction, and initial training of students there are proud to have been part of the history of this astonishing facility which is now expanding to add more public programs. With the addition of new underwater helmets that require no scuba training, we expect to see many more people underwater in the UAT having fun while learning something of what it’s like to live and work in space.

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