Smith to Mission Control, over
Steve Smith , MBA '87, the business school's only astronaut, will be aboard the space shuttle Endeavour scheduled for launch on August 18.
Smith is one of three mission specialists assigned to the STS-68 Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-2) mission, along with the pilot and mission commander. SRL-2 will take radar images of the earth's surface for earth system sciences studies including geology, geography, hydrology, oceanography, agronomy, and botany. "My responsibilities will include several of the shuttle systems, several medical experiments, and several payload/experiment systems. If we have to do a space walk, Jeff Wishoff, one of the other mission specialists, and I will do it."
Becoming an astronaut is the realization of a lifelong dream for Steve. His interest is rooted in the sixties and seventies, when he used to watch space programs on TV. Steve applied to the astronaut program five times -- every two years -- before being accepted in 1992. He is the first member of the astronaut class of '92 to receive a flight assignment.
NASA offers approximately 2,000 complimentary car passes to view each launch. Passes are available through NASA Visitor Services, Mail Code: PA Pass/ H&A, Kennedy Space Center , FL 32899. Past experience indicates that launches don't always happen on the day they're planned, so another option is to buy a ticket through Spaceport USA for a bus that transports visitors to a viewing site. Reservations are available one week before launch by calling (407) 452-2121, ext. 260.
CarolAnn Shindelar , MBA '87
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