"Astronaut's Hall of Fame"
One of three surviving Saturn 5's. On display at the Kennedy Space Center..in pristine condition.
Jim Slade: It is my honor to serve on a committee of journalists, astronauts and others who each year choose astronauts for induction to the Space Hall of Fame. Those chosen have to be retired from NASA at least five years and it has to have been twenty years since the flight for which they're being noted.
This year, we named three: Joseph P. Allen, Bruce McCandless and Gordon Fullerton, all of whom did remarkable things over and above the astounding fact that they did them aboard space shuttles. Skylab, Apollo, Gemini and Mercury astronauts were chosen in previous years.
So we all went to Florida, had a banquet in the hall that houses that magnificent rocket up there, and installed these guys where they belong. Next year, we'll do it for three or four more because these are true American heroes and all of us should remember them. They have contributed richly to science, engineering and to our culture.
The following is an all-too-brief report of what these fellows did and what took place at the ceremonies:
These are the honorees..pictures taken when they were still "suiting up" to go fly.
 Joseph P. Allen has a Ph.D in Physics, earned at MIT..and look where it took him! As an astronaut, he flew on two shuttles, Discovery and Columbia; missions dealing with the delivery and, believe it or not, recovery of satellites. It was that last bit that put Joe in the history books. It took place in November of 1984; Allen flew a manned mauevering unit away from the shuttle's safe haven to capture a damaged satellite and bring it back to the cargo bay. With his feet in restraints attached to the door sill of the bay, Joe held the 1200 pound payload still while his partner, Dale Gardner, attached a locking mechanism to hold it in place during the return to Earth. Two days later, they did it again. Joe says he didn't really do much..just steadied the critter; Gardner, he says, had to demonstrate tremendous strength to put the machinery in place. Whatever, the satellites were refurbished to be sent back to orbit.
Joe, doing his "Atlas Act." Dale Gardner in Cargo Bay below.
Bruce McCandless became the first "Human Satellite."
He was the first person to fly free in space without a lifeline attached to the mother ship..in a device he helped to develop. McCandless flew in the Manned Maneuvering Unit 320 feet away from the shuttle Challenger, controlling himself by firing small jets of nitrogen gas from the pack on his back.
McCandless returned to space later with a five-person crew that released the Hubble Space Telescope, opening a new and illuminating window on the universe.
Bruce McCandless.
Gordon Fullerton, all-round pilot.
Gordon Fullerton was in command of shuttle Challenger on July 29th, 1985 when one of its three main engines shut down with three minutes still to go in the climb to orbit. Mission Control quickly determined that by burning the two remaining engines 86 seconds longer than the planned 8 minutes and 31 seconds, he could "Abort to Orbit." Fullerton punched in the numbers got them there, where they went on with a week of scientific experiments.
Earlier, Fullerton and Jack Lousma flew Columbia on its third test flight, March 22nd 1982. That's the one where heavy rains shut down Edwards Air Force Base, California..Kennedy Space Center's runway wasn't ready..so they made the one and only-ever shuttle landing at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Alkalai dust blowing into every shuttle nook and cranny and the fact that there were few support facilities at White Sands made the experience..memorable.
Lately, Fullerton has been flying the NASA 747 and other very heavy aircraft.
It was a great day.
Some of space's most famous names were on the stage to honor the three inductees. Left to right in this one shot: Vance Brand, Bob Crippen, Jim Lovell, Dan Brandenstein, Robert "Hoot" Gibson.
And you couldn't beat the surroundings.
A real Apollo Command Module.
Big Power. The 5 giant engines of the Saturn's first stage are the first thing you see when you walk into the hall. 7 and a half million pounds of thrust.
A Lunar Lander.
These pristine artifacts are leftovers; President Nixon cancelled Apollo three flights early. So we can see them up close and real. OK, I guess..but every one in that hall still believes we ought to go back out to the Moon and continue..
Wow.
Jim Slade
May, 2005.
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