[Launch Alert] JPL Open House

Wed May 12 22:05:35 EDT 2004

                            LAUNCH ALERT

			           Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                     E-mail: kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

                                     2004 May 11 (Wednesday) 18:57 PDT
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                           JPL Open House
               Jet Propulsion Laboratory News Release

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will hold an
open house on Sat. and Sun., May 15 and 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
taking visitors on a virtual ride through the solar system with this
year's theme, "The Spirit of Exploration."

This fun-filled, family event has a little of everything for space
enthusiasts and non-space buffs. You can explore the planets as you
walk through a model of the solar system, build your own spacecraft,
and have your picture taken in infrared light. Visitors will have the
opportunity to meet with scientists and engineers, who will staff
booths to answer questions about current and future missions.

Structured around the themes of technology, Earth, Mars, our solar
system and the universe, visitors will see and learn more about how
missions come together. Watch student-built robots compete and see
your friends fly in space. Learn about the devices scientists use to
explore our planet, from the ground below to the outer reaches of
Earth's atmosphere. Or follow the water to Mars through a tour of the
laboratory designed for test-driving robotic vehicles destined for
Mars. Kids will get the chance to be rolled over by a rover. Learn how
we communicate with the spacecraft currently exploring the solar
system. See the world's lightest solid. Watch "Ring World," a
multimedia presentation on the Cassini mission to Saturn, shown in
planetariums around the globe.

Admission is free. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the
exception of small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and
personal belongings are subject to inspection. JPL is located at 4800
Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the
Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is available near the
Oak Grove main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible
from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway.
Air-conditioned buses will run non-stop between all lots and JPL's
main gate. Buses and tour guides will move people between different
locations around the facility. Walking is required to some locations.

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  X-15 Pilot, Astronaut Honored with Desert Memorial near Randsburg
                           By Paul Maddox
            The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, California

Major Mike Adams, U.S. Air Force, deserves special recognition in the
annals of modern aerospace and astronautics for an historic event few
ever knew about. Adams was, in fact, the first U.S. astronaut lost
during a space mission.

He met his end in an area just south of Ridgecrest and east of Highway
395, near Randsburg - far from Cape Canaveral, Fla, and the highly
visible part of the U.S. space program. On Saturday Major Adams
received the recognition he deserves, with the dedication of a memorial
monument to his sacrifice, in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, near
Randsburg.

History

On the morning of Nov. 15, 1967, Major Michael J. Adams slipped the
bonds of the earth for the "wild blue yonder," on what was to become
an historic flight, piloting the number three X-15 on the 191st flight
of the program. This would be the first sub-orbital mission for Adams,
having completed six previous atmospheric flights in the X-15.

According to information provided by Jim Spellman of the National
Space Society - Western Spaceport Chapter, during the ascent portion
of the flight, the first of a series of technical problems began to
arise. Later, during the "zero g" and early reentry phases, more
problems occurred. Adams found himself in history's first hypersonic
spin. Due to the natural stability of the X-15 and excellent piloting
skills, Adams recovered from the spin, but the high G forces
encountered during the spin overloaded the ships' computer assisted
aerodynamic and reaction flight control systems. When Adams applied
control pressure to the stick and rudder, the commands were improperly
translated, and his X-15 entered another spin. At this point, the
dynamic forces were more than the X-15 could handle.

Adams and X-15 #3 met their end during reentry over the Mojave Desert
in the southeastern corner of Kern County, near Hwy 395.

Interestingly, not much mention was made of this tragedy as the recent
loss of the Apollo 1 crew - Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee -
in January of 1967 was still fresh, and NASA was preparing for the
upcoming Apollo 7 flight. As such, Major Adams and the 10th space
flight of the X-15 program faded into obscurity.

Adams did receive minor recognition in 1991, when the Astronaut
Memorial was dedicated at Kennedy Space Center. In a lonely corner of
the stone, Adams' name can be found. Sadly, no mention of who he was
or how he met his fate appears on the monument.

The monument was erected thanks in large part to the efforts of a Boy
Scout performing work for his Eagle Scout project.

Dedication

Shortly before noon, in an area about three miles east of Randsburg, a
monument was dedicated at the site where Adams and his X-15 crashed,
honoring Major Adams and his contributions to the U.S. space program.
The ceremony was attended by close to 100 people, which including
members of Major Adams' family, and some of the people who actually
worked on the X-15 program, including Bill Dana, the last man to fly
an X-15 aircraft. It is interesting to note that the late state
senator, Pete Knight, was also an X-15 pilot.

Spearheading the project was Eagle Scout candidate John Bodylski, a
member of Boy Scout Troop 323 in Tustin, and Air Force Maj. Greg
Frazier, an aerospace historian. Together with the help of dozens of
volunteers, the stylish monument, weighing nearly two tons, was
erected in the desert near the crash site. The engraved plaque is made
from a metal called Inconel X - the material the X-15 was made of. The
plaque bears Major Adams' picture, and the story of the event is
engraved upon the plate.

More Info

The location of the monument is very remote: Those interested in
visiting the site should take this into consideration, and get exact
directions to the site from the BLM's Ridgcrest office. Get a map and
ask for directions.

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Copyright © 2004 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
reprinted elsewhere without permission if the source is clearly
identified as follows:

  Reprinted from Launch Alert (www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm)