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The A-Team: NASA SCA team manages historic flights of Atlantis, Columbia to KSC
X-Press Assistant Editor The mission was to orchestrate two simultaneous Space Shuttle ferry flights from separate locations in California's Mojave Desert to a single destination on the coast of Florida within the short time frame of 16 days. The catalyst for the mission was the unexpected landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) at Edwards Air Force Base Feb. 20. The challenges to such a mission would include inclement weather; bringing together the nation's only two modified NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA); assembling two SCA support crews from the typical five-person crew; and simultaneously transporting two of the nation's greatest assets in the space program – each with vastly different requirements – to the Kennedy Space Center's X-68 Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) before the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery March 8. Although a mission of this magnitude had never before been required, Pete Seidl – Johnson Space Center's 747 SCA Team Leader (Dyncorp) – knew his team was up to the challenge. After all, together they had over 72 years of experience and nearly 200 flawless ferry flights to their credit. Seidl and his team quickly assessed the situation. In anticipation of Space Shuttle Columbia's (OV-102) debut from an 18-month long modification, Seidl and his crew had pre-positioned SCA 905 at Boeing's shuttle facility in nearby Palmdale, Calif. The mating process with Columbia would begin in two days, following Columbia's Feb. 22 debut, and the ferry flight to the Kennedy Space Center would follow a few days later. In the meantime, Atlantis was now undergoing de-servicing operations and post-mission inspections in Dryden's Mate/Demate Device. Seidl knew it would take the crew of nearly 60 visiting United Space Alliance (USA) technicians at least seven days to prepare Atlantis for its departure. Action had to be swift and precise if the Dryden-based SCA team was to meet the March 8 deadline. SCA 911 would have to be retrieved from the Evergreen Air Center in Marana, Ariz. where it was undergoing routine maintenance following its Nov. 2 ferry flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103). The SCA crew, comprised of one supervisor (Seidl), three mechanics (John Goleno, Arvid Knutson and Todd Weston) and one avionics technician (Jim Bedard), would need to be augmented with an additional avionics technician. "In order to support the two ferry flights, we had to borrow Willie Ruelas from the Dyncorp Forward Operations Location in El Paso and split the group into two crews of three," explained Seidl. "The crew for the Columbia ferry flight was comprised of Bedard, Weston and me on SCA 905. The crew for the Atlantis ferry flight was Goleno, Knutson and Ruelas on SCA 911." Arrival of SCA 911 was anticipated to take place Feb. 22 – time enough for Seidl's crew to start preparations for a March 1 ferry flight. Among myriad other tasks, ballast would have to be added for balance to the 195,862-pound orbiter still loaded with fuels and equipment from its recent 13-day mission, and a flight readiness review would have to take place. Meanwhile, rain and low temperatures in Palmdale required that the mated SCA 905 and Space Shuttle Columbia be protected since the newly upgraded and empty (160,649 pounds) orbiter's lower temperature limit was 35 degrees Fahrenheit. "SR-Technics allowed us to place the mated vehicles in their hangar for the three days it rained before the ferry flight," noted Seidl gratefully. "They supported us every way they could. They even had to work in the cold because their hangar door was open the entire time [since the 747 could not fit completely within the hangar]." With flight crew in place and clearer skies overhead, the two ferry flights were readied for take off March 1. The Space Shuttle Columbia finally departed Air Force Plant 42 at 11 a.m. (PST) with flight crew Ace Beall, Frank Marlow, Henry Marshall and Henry Taylor at the controls of SCA 905. Also onboard were Bedard, Weston and Seidl. Thirty-seven minutes later, SCA 911 rolled down Edwards' main runway with the Space Shuttle Atlantis securely fastened above. At the time of 911's take off, the SCA crew comprised of Goleno, Knutson and Ruelas was already airborne aboard an Air Force C-141 Starlifter. (The SCA crew could not join flight crew Gordon Fullerton, Dave Finney, Dave Mummie, Larry LaRose and John Breitenbach onboard the SCA due to the fuels still present from Atlantis' recent mission to the International Space Station.) The Starlifter, popularly dubbed the "Pathfinder" when flying this type of mission, had taken off prior to the ferry flight in order to ensure that no turbulence or visible moisture were present along the planned route of the SCA. Although both ferry flights were airborne, there was still much to be done before the mission was completed. "We typically make the ferry flights in two legs and two days in order to arrive at Kennedy Space Center's SLF, but bad weather conditions plagued 905 and 911's progress across the United States," recalled Seidl. "Our progress was a problem because we knew we could not have both SCAs and orbiters at Kennedy Space Center at the same time and we were running out of time. We had to get going and clear the area so they could prepare for their launch of Space Shuttle Discovery March 8." SCA 905 landed at Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene, Texas, the first leg of its approximately 2,240 mile journey, at 4:40 p.m. (CST) March 1. Unfortunately, bad weather delayed its departure from Dyess until March 5. "We finally arrived at the skid strip in Cape Canaveral March 5 and moved 905 and Columbia to Kennedy's SLF March 6," explained Seidl. "When we moved over to the SLF it took the folks from USA the usual 8-12 hours to demate the orbiter. We stayed with the aircraft and the orbiter during that process and then returned to Edwards March 8." Atlantis' ferry flight encountered significantly worse weather conditions on its route across the country. The orbiter and SCA 911 arrived at Altus Air Force Base, Okla. at 4:55 p.m. (CST) March 1 for what turned out to be a three-day layover. "They were able to depart for Florida March 4, but had to stop at Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, La. for refueling and landed at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Fla later that day," said Seidl. "They finally arrived at the SLF March 5 and demated Atlantis as soon as they could. SCA 911 then returned to Evergreen Air Center March 8 to resume its heavy maintenance by way of Cape Canaveral and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Ariz." Despite the delays due to bad weather, the team's handling of the mission was clearly a success. "I have to say that all along the way we had great support, actually outstanding support, from all of the air bases," commented Seidl. "Whenever the SCAs and the orbiters land along the route to KSC safety and fuel sniff checks have to be conducted to ensure the safety of the ferry flight. Also, we have to have a perimeter measuring 1,500 feet cleared all around the aircraft. And, in the case of an orbiter that has just returned from space – such as Atlantis – the crew has to do a purge of fuels and stay with the aircraft all night, monitoring systems and keeping the aircraft and the orbiter warm if temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. We have to do that because it's critical that the orbiter be kept warm in order to avoid any leakage of fuels." Together, Seidl and his team demonstrated that they have not only honed their processes to perfection, but they can handle just about anything. "Compliments have been pouring in," noted Seidl, "especially because this was the first time anyone has ever done [two simultaneous ferry flights]." "This is a good feather in our cap," added Seidl, complimenting his team. "The time frame required to turn around SCA 911 from heavy maintenance at Evergreen Air Center and get it in flying condition – with the manpower we had at the time – required a lot of hours. Nevertheless, both ferry flights were flawless." Others agree with Seidl's assessment. " The congratulatory messages that have been received from numerous NASA managers are tributes to your contribution to the successful simultaneous ferry mission of Columbia and Atlantis," wrote Jim McCaulley, Manager, Dyncorp-Johnson Support Division, in an e-mail to Seidl. "I'm not surprised, but always appreciative of the manner the SCA team conducts business. Thanks to you, Pete [Seidl], John [Goleno], Arvid [Knutson], Todd [Weston], James [Bedard] and Willie [Ruelas] for a superb effort." |
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Responsible NASA Official: John Childress For questions, contact: Dryden Web Group Page Curator:WD-Team Modified: March 26, 2001 |
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