NASA and the Space Program Change Florida

Letter from Don Heintzelman, April 4, 1963

Canaveral Post
The Society of American Military Engineers
Dedicated to the national defense
Box 4911
Patrick Air Force Base
Florida

427 Charles Drive
Eau Gallie, Florida

4 April 1963

Mr. Stanmore Cawthon
News Bureau
New State Office Building
Tallahassee, Florida

Dear Stan:
Since 1960, the CANAVERAL POST has been concerned about the steady national decline in the number of students who are selecting science and engineering for their careers. Because of this concern, we initiated the STUDENTS MERCURY TRACKING STATION PROJECT in 1961 as a means of generating country-wide teenage interest in space sciences and engineering technology.

After tracking John Glenn's flight, the students regrouped to expand the scope of their project to junior high schools and to acquire ne instrumentation systems. The results of many months of hard work are about to be realized. The modern, dynamic fully operational BREVARD COUNTY STUDENTS MERCURY TRACKING STATION is approaching the time for its dry-run test and check-out. This test will be conducted under the same discipline, and using the same test operations directive as is employed at Cape Canaveral.

Since the scope of this space educational project was too big for a single school to accomplish, the CANAVERAL POST organized the project into small tasks with more than a hundred students from Titusville, Cocoa, Satellite, Melbourne and Central Catholic High Schools, and Clearlake, Edgewood, Eau Gallie and Southwest Junior High Schools participating. IN addition, we arranged for students at Vero Beach and Tampa to perform functions as Down Range Stations. (Three sites are linked via licensed ham radio.)

PIONEERING IN MISSLES AND SPACE

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The STUDENTS MERCURY TRACKING STATION has fully operational radar, telemetry, tracking optics, communications, closed loop TV, Mercury Control and Orbital Tracking Board and WWV central timing. Real-time count-down and data is acquired and recorded on tape. Dynamic instrumentation displays on the console panels keep track and indicate Mercury test status and launch events exactly as at Central Control at the Cape.

The University Club (missile contractor executives) is providing the space and facilities (in a Florida Palm Patio) required for setting up the station at the Cape Colony Inn, Cocoa Beach. This is also press headquarters for the next Mercury MA-9 mission.

Stan, "You can realize the importance of this project by thinking about its national teenager space educational aspects." This tracking station is, in fact, the free world's first space tracking station to be built and operated by students in secondary schools (the youngest boy is in the 7th grade; the oldest is eighteen and a senior.....five very pretty girls operate instrumentation and help to stress the broad scope of teenager interest). Florida teenagers are really providing nationwide leadership in response to President Kennedy's stated Youth Technical Education Program.

This project has had the cooperation of PAA/RCA, Radiation, ICF, General Dynamics and other engineers. Karel Bossert, father of the Atlas Missile System and Technical Director of General Dynamics Space Division has personally endorsed and assisted in the project.

In substance, this is a fine example of Floridians working together in support of a common objective. Engineers, executives, teachers, labor unions, mechanics and retired Floridians have responded to teenage needs as has the Air Force, NASA and other governmental agencies. There is no similar project, space oriented, which so forcefully demonstrates the national space leadership Florida is providing.

We respectfully request the presence of His Honor, Governor Bryant at the dry run at which time you can obtain news coverage as you may require. Further, we request that His Honor use his good office to obtain the attendance of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare as the personal representative of President Kennedy. Governor Bryant can specify the date of the test and

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checkout at his convenience (between 22 April and 4 May, inclusive). The next Mercury mission (according to NASA) currently scheduled for approximately 7 May.

Be assured that the station configuration, its students and activities, its consoles, tracking guns, tracking telescopes and radar dishes, all in a Florida setting warrants the considerable effort you must plan to achieve nationwide coverage: however, the opportunity to show educational accomplishment under the present administration is without precedent.

Sincerely,
Don Heintzelman
YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR
CANAVERAL POST
AMERICAN MILITARY ENGINEERS

DH:jm

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