NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale visited Langley Research Center on Oct. 28 to give an update on the Shuttle program and to highlight Langley's contributions to the Return to Flight (RTF) effort.

Image Right: Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale speaks in the H.J.E. Reid Conference Center at Langley Research Center on Oct. 28. Photo by Jeff Caplan.

"The contributions that have come from Langley Research Center have been vital to the Shuttle program," said Hale during his presentation in the H.J.E. Reid Conference Center. "Of the 2,200 employees here at Langley, nearly 200 have contributed to Return to Flight."

Hale, who was promoted to his current position on Sept. 20, began his presentation by going over the current Vision for Space Exploration. This vision includes: a complete assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of the decade; robotic missions to the moon no later than 2008; the development of a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) by 2008, with a first crewed mission by 2014; extended human presence on the lunar surface as early as 2015; robotic then human missions to Mars; and extended human exploration across the solar system.

Although a new CEV will replace the aging Shuttle fleet, Hale was quick to highlight the successes of the Shuttle's recent Return to Flight. According to Hale, Langley is playing a significant role in NASA's Return to Flight mission.

The highlights of Langley's contributions to RTF are as follows:

• Leadership in the development of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) plug repair, particularly demonstrated by Kevin Rivers;
• Leadership in the development of a large area repair concept and thermal protection system (TPS) repair research and development, especially through Steve Scotti's work;
• The development of Orbiter aerothermal analytical tools, through the work of Tom Horvath and Scott Berry;
• The development of an LS DYNA analytical tool for prediction of critical damage to RCC by Ed Fasanella and Karen Lyle;
• The development of an extra-vehicular activity (EVA) infra-red (IR) camera for STS-121 by Mike Gazarik;
• The extensive Orbiter tire testing at the Landing Dynamics Facility run by Tom Yager;
• The external tank foam material characteristics worked by Erik Weiser, as well as the external tank independent assessment run by Mike Nemeth;
• A Protuberance Airload (PAL) Ramp/Cable Tray aeroelasticity assessment run by John Edwards;
• The non-destructive evaluations for the external tank and Orbiter completed by Bill Winfree and Eric Madaras;
• The development of a wing leading-edge impact detection system by Bill Prosser and Eric Madaras;
• An RCC characterization compiled by James Reeder; and
• Langley's RTF project management, especially the work of Bob Barnes and Harry Belvin.

At the conclusion of his presentation, Hale briefly discussed the future of space exploration. The next Shuttle mission, STS-121, is projected to launch in May of 2006, if all goes well.

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