|
Buy Tickets for the "2012 Spring Banquet"
View the latest issue of our newsletter - CLICK HERE View a Printer Friendly Version of our latest newsletter - CLICK HERE PIONEERS & FLORIDA TECH FEATURED AT SPACE CLUB LUNCHEONNational Space Club Florida Committee March Luncheon to Host The Missile, Space & Range Pioneers Program “Space Pioneers – The Next Generation” Featuring Florida Tech Students' Rocket and Robotic Project Reports Tuesday, March 13, 2012 From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST Radisson Resort at the Port – Convention Center on A1A in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Register online at www.nscfl.org. or email: ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com RSVP by COB Wednesday, March 7, 2012 Members $17.00 / Non-Members $20 These are the Florida Tech Projects that the Pioneers Sponsored. DO WE HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSThe Missile, Space and Range Pioneers sends out a newsletter twice a year by email. It was discovered recently that some of you might not be receiving the newsletter as we may not have you email address. If you would like to receive the Pioneers' Newsletter please email us your email address at info@rocketreunion.com Student Rocket Research Society attained 8 National Association of Rocketry Certifications As you may know, last October the Pioneers donated $5,000 to student design projects at Florida Institute of Technology. The contribution went to support the University’s hybrid rocket project team and the Lunabotics project team who are preparing their projects for competition in the spring. Saturday (1/21/12), the Student Rocket Research Society attained 8 National Association of Rocketry Certifications (http://www.nar.org/hpcert/l1certreq.html ) at the Spaceport Rocketry Association Rocket Ranch in Palm Bay . These are:
Joe Bussenger Level 1 Certification Congratulations from the Pioneers. The day saw several other SRRS launches, some nominal – a few will try again including one particularly advanced 2 stage attempt. Over all SRRS flew 14 times.
Rocket Reunion Fall Banquet at Florida Tech gets Positive Response The Fall Banquet of the Pioneers featured presentations by two FIT student engineering teams funded by the Pioneers and key note address by Kevin Clinton Integration Lead for Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser. The event was held on November 18th in the Hartley Room at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida. Tech Students Dan Purday and Milen Womack explain the plans and goals for their teams hybrid rocket motor and Allison Metzger and Michelle Little highlighted the design and schedule for their Lunabotics (lunar robot) project. Both teams projects are scheduled to compete internationally in the spring and will report their results at the Pioneers Spring Gathering. Kevin Clinton wrapped up the evening by bringing everyone up to speed on Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser that is currently on a fast track for first flight on a Atlas V in 2015. Kevin also noted that both Virgin Glactic's Space Ship One, Space Ship Two and Dream Chaser are all using Hybrid Rocket Engines, in principle just like the Tech Student's Projects. Newsletter - Thirteenth Edition: October 18, 2011Click Here to View a Printer Friendly PDF Version for the newsletter MSRP President's Message
Dear MSRP Members, Earlier this year, we surveyed the membership on their vision for MSRP. Receiving a strong response, most members surveyed enjoy attending functions from time to time but would like someone else to run the club and plan and organize events. One idea put forward was to develop a closer relationship with the Florida Institute of Technology. At last year’s Fall Banquet, we had nearly twenty students from the Florida Tech Rocket Club attend to learn about SpaceX, our keynote speaker. So, we formed a committee to see how we could strengthen our relationship FIT. The result is an agreement for the club to fund two student projects and to hold our fall event at the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne. I believe a worthwhile purpose like this will give Pioneers everywhere another reason to become new members and participate in MSRP. Our renewed relationship with Florida Tech promises many opportunities for our Pioneers to engage with students and help cultivate America's future pioneers. If you like what you see I hope you will help us get the word out. I am excited about this renewed direction and purpose for the Pioneers. Please come out to our Fall Event and meet the students, learn about their projects and what is going on Florida Tech. Finally, I would like to thank our hardworking officers and board of directors. John Hesterman and Bill Bancroft are retiring from the board this year, after serving for many years. Both have worked tirelessly for the Pioneers along with the rest of the directors and all of them seldom miss a meeting. So, many thanks to John and Bill, as well as Frank, Don, Doug, Hank, Chuck and Lee for the strong support and leadership you have given the club. Jim Lewis, President Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser
The Dream Chaser, which is now under full production, is designed as a piloted or autonomous spacecraft travelling to and from low earth orbit and returning safely to the Earth without excessive deceleration or landing forces. The spacecraft design includes a built-in pusher launch escape system. Additionally, the reaction control system thrusters are designed to use ethanol as fuel. As such, the vehicle uses no hazardous materials, so it can be approached immediately after landing. The vehicle experiences less than 1.5 g on re-entry and can fly autonomously if needed to. Its thermal protection system (TPS) is a tile with an ablative coating that is being worked on with NASA’s Ames center. This approach reduces risk to deconditioned crew and delicate science experiment return samples through a low G landing on a runway. SNC plans to launch Dream Chaser on a man-rated United Launch Alliance Atlas V 402 launch vehicle. The spacecraft will use on-board propulsion utilizing SNC’s proprietary hybrid rocket motor technology.
In June 2011, Sierra Nevada announced completion of two significant milestones as part of the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) Program. Under the CCDev2 program, SNC will conduct multiple spacecraft hardware milestones and other development activities over the next year, culminating in a systemlevel Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and preparation for atmospheric flight test of the Dream Chaser. The first milestone completed under the CCDev2 program was a Systems Requirement Review (SRR) that validated requirements based on NASA’s draft Commercial Crew Program Requirements. All the requirements were approved and are being used to guide the design of the Dream Chaser to ensure it meets the pending NASA certification requirements. The second milestone was completed two weeks after Milestone 1. This milestone was a review of the selection of the improved airfoil fin shape to be used on the Dream Chaser. This new fin will improve the handling qualities of the spacecraft as it flies in the atmosphere on return from space to a gentle runway landing. Wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics analyses were used to complete the fin selection milestone work.”
NETWORKING EVENT – DECEMBER 7, 2011On December 7th at 4 p.m., the Missile Space and Range Pioneers are co-sponsoring an afternoon social at Fish Lips at Port Canaveral with the National Space Club of Florida. Come join us for this networking event that will bring the next generation of Space Leaders together. The cost is $5 and you get food, drinks and surprises! See you there! Supporting Future Rocket and Engineering Pioneers
Those of you who attended the Missile, Space and Range Pioneers (MSRP) 2010 Fall Rocket Reunion may remember that our attendance was increased by some 18 or so FIT students who attended this banquet event. They were there for two reasons – first, they were interested in rocketry like all our Pioneers’ members, and second, they were there to hear our featured speaker Scott Henderson’s presentation on Space X’s activities at the Cape and for potential job opportunities with this company. Their presence was important since the Pioneers event attendance has declined over the past three years. The FIT students’ presence at this event caused your Pioneers Board members to consider some type of interaction with FIT. A special committee of Board members initially met with the FIT’s Dr. Dan Kirk, the head of FIT’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to investigate how MSRP might best support the FIT engineering students. In the last three Pioneers Board Meetings, discussions with FIT representatives refined our support initiative. MSRP will support two student aerospace engineering projects with total funding of $5000 for the current student year. First, the Pioneers will provide $4000 to the FIT student engineering team Lunabotics Project. This team is entering NASA’s Lunabotics mining competition whose purpose is to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous lunabot. The lunabot or lunar robot must be capable of collecting a minimum of 10 kilograms of lunar stimulant and depositing it in a raised bin within a 15 min. time limit while navigating around obstacles including craters, rocks and small hills.
The student teams will give a brief status report on their projects at our 2011 Fall Rocket Reunion which will be held on the FIT campus. So come and hear how the future Pioneers in rocketry and aerospace research are doing. Both the student teams and the MSRP need your support. General News
MSRP President's MessageNEWS: At the Wednesday 28 September Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers Board Meeting the Missileers agreed to fund two FIT Florida Tech Student Aerospace / Engineering Projects.NEWS ARCHIVESRocket Reunion Fall Banquet Honoring SpaceX And Falcon 9 was a great successThe Fall Banquet of the Pioneers honoring SpaceX Falcon 9 team at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) was held on November 12th at the Hilton in Cocoa Beach, Florida. After dinner made an informative and fun presentation on SpaceX and the Falcon 9. Scott Henderson is the Director of Mission Assurance for SpaceX. Many remembered Scott from his time as Commander with the 45th Launch Group at CCAFS.
October 2010 NewsletterView Printer Friendly Version of the Newsletter SpaceX’s Scott Henderson - Featured Speaker - Message from MSRP President Rocket Reunion Fall Banquet Will Honor SpaceX And Falcon 9
April 2010 Newsletter
MSRP President's Message I am sure you are aware of what an interesting and challenging time it has been and will be for our United States Space Program. What you may not be aware of is that an interesting and challenging time is also ahead for us in the MSRP organization.
As I have mentioned, the Pioneers are facing some challenges. Most of the Board Members have served for several years. While having an experienced team is fortunate for me as President, it is a challenge for our organization. Like most organizations, we lose some active members to burnout. The feelings of "been there, done that" and that "it is time for someone new to take over" eventually causes people to step down. For the Pioneers this is even a greater concern due to the average age of our members and the loss of members due to health issues. Because of this, I am asking each of you to consider helping us meet this challenge. Come out to a Board Meeting and see what it is like. Our Board Meetings are open to all our members. By attending one or more of our meetings it will give you an opportunity to see how we operate before our fall elections. As I described earlier, these meetings are interesting and enjoyable as we strive to carry out the core purpose of MSRP which is to meet socially and renew acquaintances. I can't tell you in a short letter all the interesting things I have learned from and about the members on our board, the Pioneers they have worked with, and the Programs they have worked on, but it has been one of the best experiences of my life. So, yes there are challenges in the Space Program, but there are also challenges ahead with the Pioneers. While for the most part you can only sit and watch what is going on with the Space Program, you can make a positive difference with the Space Pioneers. The Pioneers have a long and proud heritage, and our task is to continue the preservation of that heritage for the men and women - the Pioneers of the Space Program. I look forward to seeing each of you at our Spring Gathering on Friday, 21 May 2010, at the Hilton in Cocoa Beach, and I hope to see a few new faces at our Board Meetings over the next few months. The Pioneers Board Meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at the Tides Club. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at jlewis@cciflorida.com. Thanks and best wishes. Jim Lewis - MSRP President
Planners envisioned a pressurized laboratory module, approximately the size of a small house trailer, that would enable up to four Air Force crewmembers to operate in a "shirt-sleeve" environment. The laboratory would be attached to a modified Gemini capsule and boosted into near-Earth orbit by an upgraded Titan III. Astronauts would remain in the capsule until orbit and then move into the laboratory. The astronauts would conduct a variety of scientific experiments and assess the adaptability of humans in a long-duration space environment (up to four weeks in orbit). When their mission was complete, they would return to the capsule, which would separate from the laboratory and return to Earth. Launch facilities would be located at Vandenberg AFB, CA to permit launch into polar orbit for over flight of the Soviet Union. " The summary above is a broad outline of the MOL Program as it evolved. In the years after the early 1960 studies, a formidable government and industry workforce was assembled to design, develop and operate what was to be one of the first orbiting manned space stations. The DOD MOL Team. The MOL Program included The MOL Program Office in Los Angeles CA., the MOL astronauts selected in 1965-1967, as well as the assignment of 128 Air Force officers to NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center in Houston TX. Additionally, the MOL Program was supported by the following DOD organizations:
The Contractor MOL Team. A formidable industry team was assembled to design & develop the elements of the MOL program. This list of industry partners included:
Operational Launch Complex. A new launch complex at Vandenberg AFB, CA designated Space Launch Complex (SLC) - 6 was to be the MOL Operational launch complex. Construction on the complex began on March 26, 1966. Mission Control. The USAF Satellite Control Facility in Sunnyvale, CA was to be the Mission Control Center for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory. Test Flight. In November 1966, a Gemini capsule attached to a modified Titan II propellant tank (to simulate the MOL) was launched from SLC-40 at the Eastern Test Range by a Titan IIIC. This test flight marked the only occasion that the Titan IIIC/MOL configuration was actually flown. Summary. The MOL Program was moving toward its objectives over the timeframe from 1965 to 1969. However, cost and budget issues arose, and on 10 June 1969 the Department of Defense announced cancellation of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program.
October 2009 News Letter
Tradition Continues with Pioneers Fall BanquetThe 2009 Fall Banquet will be held at the Tides on Friday, November 13 at 6:00 PM. Our speaker is none other than Brig. General Edward Bolton, Commander of the 45th Space Wing and Director of the Eastern Range. He will speak to us on a favorite subject... Space-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. We look forward to his perspective on the Nation’s Space Programs, especially as applies to Space and our national security. Please join us for this important meeting and for a good time socializing with other Pioneers. Reservation forms are provided on page 3. The cost is $35 per person. The US Space Program (both the Air Force and NASA) is the engine that feeds our local economy. . Unfortunately, we are in a time of uncertainty on the direction of the human part of the space program. With new national priorities and severe funding constraints, the original plan to replace Space Shuttle with the new Constellation system, is at risk. The President appointed a blue-ribbon panel to re-assess the original plan for sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars. Their preliminary report presents several options for a new direction but none of these options would prevent major local workforce reductions when Shuttle stops flying in late 2010. Local agencies are working overtime to mitigate this loss by bringing other Space related work to the Space Coast and we are assisting their efforts. As Pioneers, we have seen times like this before. We did recover and we will again. Back to partying, the Pioneers have two events each year for the membership and friends. These are a Spring Gathering and the Fall Banquet. Our purpose has remained the same, that is…get together with other Pioneers to renew friendships, discuss past glories of the Space Program and help “pioneer” the future. We consider the current space initiatives to still be in the Pioneering stage. Come share your stories and memories with friends and fellow pioneers.
Brig. Gen. Edward L. "Ed" Bolton Jr. is the Commander, 45th Space Wing, and Director Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. He is responsible for the processing and launching of U.S. government and commercial satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and is the final approval authority for all launches on the Eastern Range, a 15-millionsquare- mile area which supports an average of 20 launches per year aboard Delta and Atlas launch vehicles. He also manages wing launch and range infrastructure supporting the space shuttle and missile test missions.
Brigadier General Bolton is Featured Speaker at Fall BanquetGeneral Bolton began his Air Force career as an enlisted cost and management analyst. In 1980, he was selected for the Airmen Education and Commissioning Program and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1983 after completing an electrical engineering degree and Officer Training School. His staff experience includes serving a systems requirements manager at Headquarters Air Force Systems Command and Chief of the Spacelift Vehicles Requirements Branch at Headquarters Air Force Space Command. For two years he was Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. The general commanded the 30th Range Squadron and the 30th Operations Group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. His squadron won the General Kutyna Award in 1999 as the top spacelift squadron in Air Force Space Command, and he led the 30th Space Wing to its first Guardian Challenge victory. He has also commanded the Satellite and Launch Control Wing and the Launch and Range Systems Wing. The California Air Force Association selected the Launch and Range Wing as the 2005 Unit of the Year. Prior to his current position, the general served at the National Reconnaissance Office as the Deputy Director for Systems Integration and Engineering as well as the Principal Deputy to the Chief Operating Office. At the NRO, he won the NRO Leadership Award for 2008 and was awarded the NRO Gold Medal. For additional information on assignments, awards, and promotions, please visit: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=9511
Fall Banquet - 2009Featuring Brig. Gen. Edward L. “Ed” Bolton, Jr. Commander, 45th Space Wing
Reservations Required! Invite your friends!- Reservation form inside PDF Document ... click HERE- Friday, 13 November 2009, 6:00 P.M. Social 7:00 P.M. Dinner
The Tides All Ranks Club
Address questions to: fwatkins@cfl.rr.com October 2007 Newsletter
FLORIDA Spring Gathering BIG SUCCESS
The plaque was designed and produced by MSRP secretary and well known Atlas Team Member Frank Watkins for display in a suitable location for all Atlas team members to enjoy. We will post a photo of the plaque on the web site in the near future. Those present were treated to a "scoop" as Jay Barbree was present and announced that his latest tome would go on sale in September -- we plan to have more on this in our next newsletter. TJ O'Malley and several other "old timers" regaled us with "war stories" from the good old days. It was determined that Bobbie Grine was the earliest of the Atlas Pioneers in attendance having gone to work for Convair in August 1955 and husband Ken Grine took credit for naming the Atlas! Bobbie was suitably rewarded with a nice bottle of wine by MSRP president Jerry Johnson. Of the "war story" presenters, John Hilliard took home a nice bottle of wine from a special drawing. Also, several Pioneer mementoes were distributed via a door prize drawing. We were pleased to have so many Pioneers attending from out of town. Dick Dunlap (at the Cape 1964-1967) traveled all the way from Pittsburgh to attend!! Lots of Pioneers have lots of good stories -- we would like to publish a few in our running series: "Tales of the Pioneers". They need to be brief and remember that humor wins the day!! Just write 'em up and email them to your old friend at zsifter@aol.com. Pioneers President Jerry Johnson announced that the newsletter will be mailed only to those folks without email -- you emailers will get your newsletter via...EMAIL! Also, please visit the web site now and then to see the latest posting. To get there: http://www.missileers.org Plans are being made for a great program on Friday, 16 November spotlighting the 10th anniversary of the Cassini launch to Saturn. The Pioneers are targeting a couple of great speakers for the occasion! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our annual meeting on November 18th marks the completion of my two year term and I will turn over the control of the Pioneers to the new President. These two years have been challenging.
Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser Space System is designed as a low-cost, safe commercial crew and cargo transportation to and from low Earth orbit, including the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser vehicle is a reusable, composite lifting body spacecraft based on a former NASA design – the HL-20 crew vehicle. The spacecraft will launch vertically and land horizontally on a conventional runway. The system, capable of carrying seven crew and critical cargo is planned to enter operational service by 2015.
In June 2011, Sierra Nevada announced completion of two significant milestones as part of the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) Program. Under the CCDev2 program, SNC will conduct multiple spacecraft hardware milestones and other development activities over the next year, culminating in a systemlevel Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and preparation for atmospheric flight test of the Dream Chaser.
Second the Pioneers will provide $1000 to two student teams to help support their design and launch of two Hybrid Rocket and Motor Systems – one to achieve a precise altitude of 2000 feet and the other to achieve the maximum altitude with a specific hybrid motor thrust. The purpose of these two projects is to increase the interest of lower division students in rocketry and research. These teams of 13 and 15 students will compete in the FL Space Grant Consortium/NE FL Association of Rocketry Hybrid Motor High Power Rocket Competition. In the past five years, the FIT student teams have taken 1st place in at least on or both of the completion objectives.
The Spring Gathering of the Pioneers will honor men and women who worked on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Program. We are most fortunate to have former MOL Astronauts Bob Crippen and Al Crews lined up to speak to the Pioneers about their experiences on this program. Also, Hank Fisher and Frank Watkins will briefly speak on the MOL Program and its only test launch from Cape Canaveral AF Station on a Titan IIIC Launch Vehicle. So don't miss this GREAT PROGRAM and a chance to socialize with other Pioneers. This Spring Gathering will include a sit down dinner and cash bar. You may purchase your tickets with the reservation form in this newsletter or online at 
Currently, I am fortunate to have a cadre of dedicated and experienced Officers and Directors associated with our organization. These individuals work diligently for the MSRP making our Board meetings productive as well as fun. A good example of their positive efforts is the program planned for our Spring Gathering honoring the pioneers of the MOL Program. With the material prepared and the guest speakers, I am confident it will be a great evening.
It is hard to believe that it has been over 46 years since the Secretary of Defense announced the beginning of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). As noted by Steven R. Storm in an Aerospace Corporation's Crosslink magazine in 2004, " During press conference on December 10, ] 1963, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announced both the death of the Dyna-Soar space plane and the birth of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL)." MOL was a farsighted Air Force program that explored the military potential for piloted space flights. Like the Dyna-Soar, it was cancelled before reaching its goal—but not before making some important contributions in the field of space-1 flight and space-station technologies.
Orbital Elements. The on-orbit operational elements of the MOL included a modified Gemini capsule called Gemini B, a MOL adaptor (a connecting element between the Gemini and the Laboratory Module), and the Laboratory Module. These flight elements were to be launched operationally and put into orbit by a Titan HIM vehicle launched from SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB Ca. The Titan HIM vehicle was a USAF Titan III booster with two primary booster motors that were increased to seven segments rather that the five segment boosters of the TITAN IIIC.
Brig. Gen. Edward L. “Ed” Bolton Jr., U.S. Air Force
with a bunch of the musicians from Lee Caron’s Carnival Club. The memory is as vivid today as the event was then. One of the first missions I worked on was the Apollo Soyuz mission which I covered as journalist for local radio. I have covered hundreds of launches since, not just here at KSC and CCAFS, but also at Vandenberg, AFB, the Baïkonour Cosmodrome and the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
