STS-107 Crew Worked Directly With Goddard Team

Members of the FREESTAR team includes (l to r) Tom Dixon, Martin Taylor, Katie Barthelme, Patrick Hennessy, Eve Rothenberg, Tony Foster and Scott Appelbaun. Photo by Chris Gunn/293

"We just flew over Goddard, directly overhead, took some pictures and just wanted to take this chance to say howdee to Tom Dixon, Katie Barthelme and Tammie Brown. And thanks for all their work in putting together a great payload." Those were words spoke by Rick Husband, mission commander for STS-107 near the end of a 16-day science mission aboard space shuttle Columbia.

The payload Husband was referring to The Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science (FREESTAR) consisted of six individual experiments that were coordinated from the beginning by a Goddard team.

The team that makes up the Shuttle Small Payloads Projects Office at Goddard includes Gerry Daelemans, project chief, Tom Dixon, assistant office manager and mission manager for FREESTAR as well as a team of over 100 members.

"Also like to send thanks to Phil Murray and Alan Bird for the great training we got on SOLSE as well," said Husband. "There is probably a longer list than I can remember right now but we appreciate all the efforts from the folks there at Goddard. And also just how well the SOLSE and MEIDEX payloads have been working and integrated with the orbiter and we really appreciate it," continued Husband from space. "We appreciate the whole team working together, which I think is probably one of the most fun parts of the whole deal. So thanks a bunch and they'll be happy to know that SOLSE is still in science mode," concluded Husband.

Tammy Brown was the payload manager for The Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE) Husband referred to. SOLSE-2 demonstrated the technique of using light scattered from the earth's atmosphere to measure ozone with improved vertical resolution for routine ozone monitoring capability in the next generation weather satellites. While the Columbia crew was at Goddard during their training cycle Tammy also baked cookies for the astronauts.

Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX) was another of the six experiments that made up FREESTAR. The primary goal of the experiment was to study the spread of desert aerosols over North Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic Ocean.

According to Katie Barthelme, Mission Operations Director for FREESTAR, astronaut Dave Brown was able to capture a video recording of an Elf during MEIDEX operations. It was the first time this atmospheric phenomenon was recorded from space using a calibrated camera.

"For days afterward, jokes abounded with the crew and the ground controllers in regards to Dave catching an Elf and the Elf spreading havoc onboard," said Barthelme. Katie said Dave was thrilled when the MEIDEX team unlinked the image of the Elf to the orbiter. "For 16 days the mission was filled with innumerable successes and happiness, said Barthelme. "When the crew got ready to deorbit, they knew that their mission was a complete success." During May 2000 a small group of the Goddard FREESTAR team spent a week in Israel as guest of the MEIDEX team and astronaut Ilan Ramon.

According to Dixon the team spent over a month of familiarization and training with the Columbia crew for FREESTAR. "From the first, all of the crewmembers were always friendly and unassuming," said Barthelme. "They were quick to laugh, easy and eager to learn, and the best listeners around," remembered Barthelme.

"I want to acknowledge the team for their focused commitment and dedication to excellence that has been exhibited since this effort began four years ago," said Dixon. "I want the team to have the assurance that their efforts have not been in vain but that they have made significant contributions to the understanding of our planet, the natural world and the advancement of technology. The data we collected on the mission is a legacy the crewmembers have left to humanity," Dixon concluded.