{}              {HASH(0x81074f4)

{author}        National Aeronautics and Space Administration

{date}          13-Dec-2004

{description}   KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Outside the MILA Spaceflight Tracking
                and Data Network Station during a visit to Kennedy, members of
                the STS-114 crew pause for a photo with Anthony Ippolito (far
                left), current director of MILA/PDL. (MILA refers to Merritt
                Island Launch Area; PDL designates the Ponce De Leon Inlet
                site.). The crew members are (left to right) commander Eileen
                Collins, Mission Specialists Stephen Robinson, Wendy Lawrence and
                Andrew Thomas; and Pilot James Kelly. Between Lawrence and Thomas
                is Gary Morse (left), incumbent MILA/PDL station director.
                Between Thomas and Kelly is Melissa Blizzard, MILA operations
                manager. The tracking station serves as the primary voice, data
                and telemetry communications link between the Shuttle and the
                ground from launch until 7-1/2 minutes into the flight. Millions
                of clues about the performance of the Space Shuttles main engines
                and other components are communicated to launch managers,
                technicians and engineers on the ground, who must keep their
                fingers on the pulse of the Space Shuttle during the critical
                ascent period. In a typical year, MILA provides through KSC more
                than 10,000 hours of data between spacecraft and data users. MILA
                is also used during a Space Shuttle landing at KSC and provides
                communications beginning about 13 minutes before touchdown. Also,
                MILA can be called upon to provide data transfer support for
                NASAs Expendable Launch Vehicle missions and orbiting scientific
                satellites.

{highres}       3008 x 2000

{highsize}      1104650

{hightype}      JPEG

{keywords}      NASA,KSC,Kennedy Space Center

{lowres}        320 x 212

{lowsize}       77727

{lowtype}       GIF

{mediumres}     1024 x 680

{mediumsize}    189290

{mediumtype}    JPEG

{number}        KSC-04PD-2581

{slideres}      120 x 108

{slidesize}     15500

{slidetype}     GIF

{tinyres}       100 x 66

{tinysize}      8288

{tinytype}      GIF

{title}         KSC-04PD-2581

{type}          Image

{end}