By Jim Gerard, NASA INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL
What blew out every window of Mississippi's Stennis Space Center? Was it Hurricane Katrina in 2005? No, it was when they did a full test of a Saturn V first stage with 5 F-1 engines going full blast in 1966. 56 INSPIRE community members heard this and other facts about SSC last night from DLN Coordinator Kelly Witherspoon. Dr. Witherspoon talked about the main mission of SSC - to test rocket engines - as well as some of the other agencies that reside in this 'federal city'. Located close to the Gulf of Mexico in southern Mississippi, SSC provides a stopping point between the Michoud construction plant in Louisiana and Kennedy Space center in Florida to test the rockets that take humans to space. There was an old saying around the community,"If you want to go to the moon, you first have to go through Hancock County, Miss."
Today, test stands are used to prepare for future rockets. The RS-68 engine used on the Delta IV booster are even constructed there by Pratt & Whitney. You will also find the largest concentration of oceanographers anywhere in the world at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. You can check it all out by visiting the StenniSphere, SSC's visitor center, accessible from the Welcome Station on eastbound I-10.
Next week I'll be providing a presentation on the History of the Space Shuttle. Sign-up begins Monday afternoon on the Discussion Board. See you then!
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