"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ...
: Bea and I would like to extend to all our many friends throughout the world
: our best wishes through the holiday season and through the new year.
: All the very best from our family to you and yours.
: Dudley Henriques
: International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
:
:
Back at 'cha Dudley...
and now for a word from our sponsors:
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To KSC News Center 12/21/2006 02:46
Subject NASA's KSC Providing Assistance to Santa on Christmas Eve
12.21.06
George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
RELEASE: 74-06
NASA'S KSC PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE
The Debris Imaging Radar System, used during the night launch of
NASA's space shuttle mission STS-116, is a new system at Kennedy
Space Center in Florida that will now be made available to Santa
Claus on Christmas Eve.
Based on its success in identifying even the smallest amount of debris
coming off the orbiter or the external tank, NASA has strong
confidence the system will provide assistance in observing Santa's
sleigh. Since the elves have the packages piled high, NASA can
determine with great accuracy if any gifts planned for delivery fall
off the sleigh. The radar system is capable of high-definition radar
imagery, so the approximate shape, size and weight of the packages
can be determined.
This could greatly help Santa recover the packages so that no child is
disappointed by not receiving the presents the jolly fellow promised
while he made the rounds in shopping malls before Christmas. The
radar has an auto-track mode so that it can be left unattended on
Christmas Eve and still perform its intended function. The system
will be automatically activated once NASA's air traffic control radar
located on north KSC has made radar contact with Santa's sleigh.
Also of assistance to Santa this year is the new Differential Global
Positioning Satellite System ground station at the Shuttle Landing
Facility. These new GPS antennas located near the control tower can
help if there is an emergency. Since the sleigh is now GPS equipped,
it can guide Santa to a landing within 10 feet of the runway's
centerline, regardless of which end of the runway he needs to use.
Though Shuttle Landing Facility personnel will be on holiday leave,
officials at the NASA Tower have agreed to provide the customary
support by turning the landing lights on before they depart for
Christmas, as well as turning on the TACAN radio homing beacon and
the visual alternating green and white lighted rotating beacon.
NASA will use the orbiter Discovery to mimic Santa's sleigh during the
STS-116 landing currently planned for Friday, in order to test the
ability to operate these two new systems in auto-track mode. If the
orbiter is waved off to land on the West Coast, the Shuttle Training
Aircraft will be used to simulate Santa's sleigh.
If Santa needs help, one of the primary radio frequencies normally
used for communication in restricted airspace will still be monitored
by the Air Force Eastern Range and also NASA security.
For more information about KSC's assistance to Santa, contact the KSC
News Center at 321-867-2468.
-end-
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