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16-THE "atA COAST ECHO, HANCOCK TODAY SF-„~IAL EDITION, JUNE 29, 1997
SSC plays vital role in spai
One of America’s most important space installations and high-tech research centers is located in Hancock County.
Stennis moved up in the ranks of the agency with its designation as NASA’s lead center for rocket propulsion testing, giving it total responsibility for conducting and/ or managing all NASA propulsion programs. This designation is part of NASA’s continuing efforts to streamline and become more efficient by giving more management control and responsibility to the individual centers. The new role in rocket engine testing designation builds on SSC’s role in engine and vehicle testing spanning 30 years. It was fitting, therefore, that SSC is playing a key role in several major space programs of the future, one of which is the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program.
The RLV program is a joint NASA-industry partnership with the goal of developing a new generation of rockets that are expected to dramatically cut the cost of putting payloads into space. SSC will be conducting all engine testing for the X-33, a half-scale prototype of a single-stage-to-orbit RLV, and some composite tank testing, resulting in about $30 million of development testing.
Another new propulsion program under way is the Low Cost Boost Technology Project. NASA engineers at SSC and at Marshall Space Flight Center are working together to use today’s technology and common manufacturing methods to design a two-stage rocket that could lift 200 and 500 pounds of payload into low-Earth orbit. The new rocket would carry payloads such as imagers for Earth observation satellites.
The Commercial Remote Sensing Program (CRSP) also received growing responsibility in America’s space program when it was named NASA’s lead center for commercial remote sensing, a potential $1 billion industry which uses data from satellites for commercial enterprises.
In addition to NASA, more than 30 other high-tech federal, state and contractor agencies are located on the almost 14,000-acre installation. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at SSC provides oceanographic and meteorological information and services for defense forces worldwide. The Naval Oceanographic Office is home to the Navy’s largest computer used for oceanographic prediction. Other programs conducted at SSC range from the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental studies to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Data Buoy Center programs.
Free Bus Tours
Throughout the day, visitors can take free bus tours to the rocket test complex where the huge test stands tower high above the South Mississippi landscape. Visitors Center tour guides conduct educational lectures during the tours.
Educational lectures and videos are presented in the Visitors Center auditorium. Two gift shops sell space-related mementos, educational books and videos. An Educator Resource Center is also located in the Visitors Center featuring lesson plans, supplementary classroom material and visual aids to assist educators in teaching space
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Workers at Stem X-33 after testii