Served As Commander For NASA's Last Shuttle Mission
Astronaut Chris Ferguson, the last commander of a space shuttle
mission, has announced his plans to retire from NASA on Dec. 9. He
will leave for a new job in the private sector. Ferguson, a retired
U.S. Navy captain, served as the commander for STS-135, the final
flight of space shuttle Atlantis and the 135th and final mission of
America's 30-year Space Shuttle Program.
After being formed five years ago by bringing together two
experienced launch teams and two highly reliable launch systems,
Atlas and Delta, United Launch Alliance has compiled a
record of 56 successful launches in just 60 months.
Generally speaking, it's against the law to make supersonic
flights over populated areas, where the resulting sonic booms annoy
residents and, in severe cases, can break windows. But NASA and the
aviation industry are studying technology that will reduce the
impact of sonic booms, which could one day clear the way for
supersonic coast-to-coast airline flights.
Project Leader Calls Finding A 'Slam Dunk' Proving A Once-Wet
Martian Environment
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found bright veins
of a mineral, apparently gypsum, deposited by water. Analysis of
the vein will help improve understanding of the history of wet
environments on Mars. "This tells a slam-dunk story that water
flowed through underground fractures in the rock," said Steve
Squyres of Cornell University, principal investigator for
Opportunity.
But Finds That Loving An Idea Sometimes Just Isn't Enough
Nearly two years ago, Jen Scheer, former Space Shuttle Program
technician, toured the launch complexes at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, adjacent to Kennedy Space Center (KSC). She visited a
number of sites, but one in particular stuck in her mind. The site
was Launch Complex 14, best known as the place where John Glenn
lifted off in his Mercury capsule, Friendship 7, to become the
first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.
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