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Show Page ; HILL TOP TIMES 10 -- ;v ; August 17. 1979 - . . . .'"' '" ipSSsf - - , - s- sia?7 - , L ll ill. nju.afeB,jmn.f,w.J, at between NASA's Space Shuttle took off from Hill AFB Wednesday morning following an overnight stay at the air base. awe-inspiri- ng The white spacecraft Orbiter, riding piggyback atop the silver Boeing 747, lifted off at 9:04 a.m. Wednesday, overflew Salt Lake Qty and departed for Edwards AFB, Calif. The return "home" followed a sojourn at Cape Kennedy, Fla., and stopovers at Atlanta, St Louis, Tulsa, Okla., Denver and Hill AFB. ' The shuttle arrived at the base Tuesday at a.m. Initially, the shuttle and chase plane overflew the base on a low pass and went north to the Thiokol Corp. location near Promontory Point. Thiokol builds and is testing the rocket boosters to be used in launching the spacecraft into orbit 9:30 Media awaited arrival After saluting Thiokol, the shuttle landed at at precisely the location where news armed with a variety of media photographic and television equipment had Hill been positioned ahead of time. The touchdown initiated an unusual weekday for Hill AFB, estimated during which a crowd of visitors Police the at Division 50,000 to by Security came on base to view the shuttle 75,000 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Distinguished visitors invited from throughout the Wasatch Front area responded to the invitation to view the shuttlecraft in static display, with their visit beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday. A special briefing and welcome were provided prior to their trip to the flightline . to see the Enterprise. " The Orbiter built by Rockwell "" '.. "i""'"'- 'i ...ri- - WAS A '"rci"!--liS.- v ' Hill AFD Tuesday. (U.S. Air Force Photos) SHiiittle well Space Betty Jones r ; .' m'''''""''l'""''1""''''"! NASA's Space Shuffle was viewed by thousands of Ufahns By -- , was referred to by NASA spokesman Jim Kukowsky as a "space truck" which will be capable of transporting all manner of cargo into space when the or passengers vehicle becomes operational in the mid 1980s. Orbiter gains weight Weighing about 150,000 pounds, the Orbiter launch. can be "popped off" the 747 in mid-ai- r When affixed with twin Thiokol booster rockets it can be launched from Cape Kennedy in the classic space launch mode. When the latter method is used, the Orbiter in launch configuration weighs 4,000,000 pounds. "Deke" Slayton, flight test program manager, flew the 8 chase plane to HilL Slayton is better known as an Apollo astronaut, one of the first seven people selected for astronaut training and duty by T-3- NASA. received Hiere "I'm not allowed to fly the shuttle while in my present job, but I hope to get into the cockpit when the system goes operational," he said Tuesday. Informality the rule '0 Informality characterized the press conference held in the forward compartment jet following the landing Tuesday. Slayton, wearing cowboy boots ". . . because they're comfortable. . ." obviously felt it of the 747 comfortable in an interview situation, responding easily to all queries. He and other contractor and NASA representatives spoke of space cargo ferry and passenger service, in much the same casual manner used to speak of the postal service and routine air travel. Slayton pointed out that anyone who would fly on conventional air transports could be an Orbiter passenger, explaining, ' 1 "You experience 3 Gs on launch and lxk Gs on Deke Sayfon Flight test program manager ... entry." He acknowledged that only the average millionaire could afford the ticket price currently estimated by him at about $50,000. "But, that isn't so bad if you figure the cost of a seven-da- y trip," he smiled. "A passenger' would be paying about a dollar a mile." pilots Ken Haugen and flew the shuttlecraft to Fulton Jr. Fitzhugh Hill and on to California. The prototype craft now being flown and tested will be followed in production by four other orbiters. NASA civilian Crewmen reach out to little boy with big dream By Teresa Weaver WIN Journalism Trainee true Tuesday Shuttle the Space Enterprise's visit to during Hill AFB. "My grandson is nine years old and is going blind," a woman said. "This will be the last chance he may get to see something like this. Is there any way he would be able to see the inside of the plane? It would be something he would remember for the rest of his life." A little boy's dream came Up the long stairway the child and his escort mounted the long stairs to the plane. The NASA astronaut greeted him with a handshake and introduced him to other crew members. After the boy took a short pause to adjust his eyes to the dimmer light, crew members guided him through the large craft and led him to the winding staircase which climbed to the cockpit. Hand-in-han- d Fltx Fulton (I) and Kon Haugen . . . NASA shuttle pilots the same manner until the boy's confidence grew. Conversation was no longer strained. Then he began exploring on his own and asking questions about the things he could "see" through his fingers. "That is a dial to adjust the lights in the instrument panel so we can read them better," the pilot pointed out Feeling his way up the steep and narrow steps, a frightened little boy emerged through the upper deck of the Boeing 747. A pilot reached for the boy's hand and placed him in the seat. "This is where the pilot sits," he said as he seated the child. The boy turned a questioning face to his escort. "Go ahead," she reassured. "He wants to show you how it feels to fly an airplane." The pilot began to explain some of the workings of the controls. The boy leaned closer to the instrument panel to see what the pilot was talking about. "This is the throttle," the pilot said, taking the boy's hand and placing it on the lever between the seats. in Face beamed overcame fears. As the NASA men smiled farewell, the little boy returned proudly to his grandmother, his dimming eyes bursting with The child's face began to beam as his fingers moved over the controls. Each new object was explained and touched 'Let me show you. "Let me show you our radio," he said, and placed a set of, headphones on the boy's head. Again, a face was turned to the escort, but this time with an excited glow. The dark stairway descent back to the passenger level of the aircraft was again a little frightening, but bright-eye- d excitement only a child can really show. excitement nine-year-o- ld |