ASTRONAUTS VISIT AREA PLANT; WORKER SPIRITS GET LIFT.Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer In space, there is no room for error, astronaut astronaut, crew member on a U.S. manned spaceflight mission; the Soviet term is cosmonaut. Candidates for manned spaceflight are carefully screened to meet the highest physical and mental standards, and they undergo rigorous training. The early astronauts had all previously been test pilots, but later astronauts have included scientists and physicians, journalists, and politicians. Robert D. Cabana told several hundred Rocketdyne engineers working on the International Space Station space station or space platform, artificial earth satellite, usually manned, that is placed in a fixed orbit and can serve as a base for astronomical observations; zero-gravity materials processing; satellite assembly, refueling, and repair; or, possibly, as weapons platforms. The first space station was the Soviet Salyut 1, launched in Apr., 1971. program Monday. The station's many components, including an electrical system designed and built at the Boeing-owned company's Chatsworth site, won't be pieced together until they're floating far above the Earth. So they had better work right, said Cabana. ``The space station is going to be a steppingstone back to the moon and on to Mars and beyond,'' said Cabana, whose mission is charged with connecting the first American pieces with the first Russian pieces. ``The first time it's going to be assembled is in orbit, so it's got to be right when it gets there. And you guys are doing an excellent job.'' Cabana and four members of his space shuttle crew spent the morning touring the Rocketdyne facility, where the station's electrical system was designed and built. Part informational visit, part pep rally, the event was supposed to give engineers a chance to meet the astronauts who would actually use their equipment. Rocketdyne has long supplied the engines that have blasted Americans into space. But for the International Space Station, the company will contribute a system of immense solar panels and batteries to generate and store power. The first station components, designed by the Russian space program, will be carried aloft in June. Cabana and his crew will arrive a month later. Speaking in a courtyard within the complex, the blue-jump-suit-clad astronauts told the engineers that their work was vital to the future of space exploration. Astronaut John Young, who is not part of Cabana's mission but flew to the moon twice on Rocketdyne engines, told the employees that their work would help humans finally live outside Earth's protective embrace. ``In the 21st century, the greatest achievement of this species will be when we work and live in other places in the solar system,'' Young said. ``Y'all can be mighty proud to have led the way.'' Astronaut Jerry L. Ross said the engineers are leaving a legacy. ``You'll be able to sit out there on your back porch at twilight, with your grandkids, point to the space station overhead and say this is something you helped build.'' For systems engineer Lisa Cravotta, the speeches were nothing short of inspirational. Especially Young's. ``He's a great man,'' she said. ``I wanted to shake his hand, but they whisked him away too fast.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Astronauts pay a visit to Rocketdyne's plant working on a space station program Monday. (2) Robert D. Cabana speaks to Connie Dilena at the aerospace company's facility in Chatsworth. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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