For the third 12 months in a row, the American House Historical past Museum and House Stroll of Fame is internet hosting ShuttleFest — a gathering of area staff and lovers who want to share tales, hold the shuttle’s legacy alive, and focus on the way forward for area exploration.
This 12 months’s theme is “Greater than Simply Astronomy Missions,” and guarantees attention-grabbing panels on the lesser recognized historical past of the House Shuttle.
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What and When is ShuttleFest?
ShuttleFest is a fundraiser for the American House Museum and the U.S. House Stroll of Fame Basis. The non-profit museum is full of artifacts from the historical past of human spaceflight, led by folks making an attempt to maintain America’s area historical past alive.
The thought for the fest was impressed by SpaceFest, an occasion which was held yearly in Arizona by artist Kim Poor to have fun astronauts and area artists. Since Poor’s passing in 2017, adopted by the uncertainty of the pandemic, SpaceFest has not been held since 2021.
The American House Historical past Museum picked up with ShuttleFest in 2022.
The purpose of ShuttleFest is to proceed celebrating the employees on America’s area program within the metropolis on the heart of area historical past.
FLORIDA TODAY spoke with the museum’s program director and neighborhood liaison, Mark Marquette. He famous that as many Apollo astronauts and staff are now not with us, it is going to quickly be as much as the shuttle staff to maintain America’s area historical past related
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That is the purpose of ShuttleFest, which the museum goals to have fun yearly across the date of the primary shuttle launch – April 12, 1981.
This 12 months, ShuttleFest will likely be held on Saturday, April 13.
The place in Titusville is ShuttleFest?
This 12 months’s ShuttleFest will likely be held at Hyatt Place in Titusville, but the museum hopes to outgrow the power within the coming years. Marquette expects greater than 100 folks to attend.
Marquette described ShuttleFest as a conference-style occasion which options shuttle staff telling recent tales about their experiences.
“We really feel that shuttle staff are nationwide treasures,” mentioned Marquette. “It grew to become logical that we might have an occasion that might finally perhaps draw the crowds that this SpaceFest did. However, as an alternative of Apollo astronauts, we’re going to focus it across the shuttle astronauts. There’s at all times fascinating tales about what staff did. You hear the headlines of what occurred, however you don’t hear the fixes alongside the way in which to make a profitable mission.
Which astronaut will likely be at ShuttleFest III?
This 12 months, the shuttle astronaut in attendance is John-David (JD) Bartoe, who flew on STS-51-F in July of 1985. He solely flew to area as soon as earlier than occurring to grow to be the director of operations and utilization within the House Station Workplace of NASA Headquarters. From 1993 till 2005, Bartoe was the ISS Analysis Supervisor, overseeing the start of analysis onboard the ISS.
He additionally served because the principal investigator on the Astro-1 and Astro-2 astronomy missions, working alongside fellow astronaut Sam Durrance within the early 90s. Durrance, a passionate astronomer, and later Florida Institute of Expertise professor, handed away on Might 5, 2023. Durrance will likely be honored at this 12 months’s ShuttleFest.
“There’s nothing like getting folks collectively annually that used to work on a spaceship,” mentioned Marquette. “Though two of them (shuttles) had been destroyed by the accidents, the three that remained stay within the hearts and souls of these folks.”
The House Shuttle was not solely crucial in constructing the Worldwide House Station, it was House Shuttle Discovery which carried the Hubble House Telescope to orbit, and the opposite shuttles carried astronauts out to service it on a number of missions.
The Hubble House Telescope nonetheless operates, but with the 2011 shuttle retirement, it may well now not be serviced.
Titusville ShuttleFest III particulars and agenda
The occasion will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 13 on the Hyatt Place in Titusville. Admission value is a $20 donation to the American House Historical past Museum.
The schedule consists of:
- At 9:30 a.m., a panel will likely be led by NASA electrical engineer, Scott Vangen, discussing the STS-35 and STS-67 missions. “How ‘Blue Swimsuit’ lint created a first-time protocol for Shuttle communications” is the subject.
There will likely be a commemoration for the belated Sam Durance, adopted by a Q & A.
- At 11 a.m., “Stunning Discoveries by House Telescopes” will likely be offered by Eric Pearlman of Florida Institute of Expertise.
- A lunch break will observe at 11:30.
- At 1 p.m. NASA electrical engineer, Mikey Haddad, will converse on the subject of STS-34 and STS-41 – two missions which proposed the shuttle payload bay deployment of nuclear powered and liquid-fueled booster rockets for interplanetary missions.
- At 2:30 p.m., world-renown area artist Chris Calle, photographer Mark Usciak, painter Ron Woods, and area mission patch designer Tim Gagnon will present perception.
- At 3:15 p.m. a “Look to the Future” panel with NASA, native aerospace firm Vaya House, and others will likely be held earlier than bringing the occasion to a detailed at 4 p.m.
Contact occasion organizer Mark Marquette at marq@americanspacemuseum.org, or telephone the museum at (321) 264-0434 for questions or extra info.
Brooke Edwards is a House Reporter for Florida In the present day. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
