Lehigh University Students Visit the Tech Center

By Ginger Cairnes

Thousands of recent college graduates are now challenged by the “real world.” Although most graduates have a career choice in mind they are still exploring their options regarding employment.

Such is true of Professor Terry Hart’s (see Terry Hart's biography below) engineering and aeronautical juniors and seniors at Lehigh University. A former NASA astronaut, Hart contacted the Technical Center recently to arrange a visit for some of his “top seniors” who were anxious to talk on a “highly technical level” with some of our engineers and also experience applications in the aviation world. The group was already familiar with complex engineering, aerodynamics and the world of air traffic.

After they visited the 177 th Air National Guard, Technical Center Managing Director for Integrated Engineering Services, John Wiley, welcomed them with an overview of the research and development work that is taking place at the Tech Center. He also discussed options for engineering students. During this time, Mike Magrogan and Huy Dao presented applications of data collection, navigation, and math modeling.

Allan Abramowitz presented examples of structural applications in aircraft crashworthiness, including research being conducted on the impact to the human body, and the construction of seats in an aircraft. They also visited the “crashworthiness yard” to see the results of some of our previous drop tests.

Harry Webster gave the students a tour of the Airflow Induction (wind tunnel) Building (Building 204). The building contains a 5.5-foot-diameter subsonic wind tunnel and a low-turbulence, low-speed wind tunnel. The 5.5-foot wind tunnel has been used for a variety of research applications. For example, it has been used to test airport runway signs to determine the design requirements needed to withstand turbine engine jet blasts and simulated in-flight testing of handheld fire extinguishers used in general aviation aircraft. The low-turbulence, low-speed wind tunnel has been used to accurately calibrate airflow and velocity devices, and is now configured to conduct model testing.

Webster also showed them the Environmental Test Chamber. The environmental test chamber is designed to simulate preset temperature, humidity, and air pressure (altitude) conditions. Chamber controllers can be programmed to simulate an entire flight from takeoff to climb-out, cruise, approach, and landing. The test chamber measures 72 x 71 x 93 inches. The environmental chamber has been used to study the behavior of in-flight fires at altitude, to evaluate the performance of wing ice detectors and to calibrate various environmental sensors. Currently, a 17-foot 3-inch fuel tank resides inside of the chamber for use in a variety of fuel flammability and fuel tank inerting experiments.

Cameras were flashing as the students approached the world’s first full-scale airport pavement test machine, the National Airport Pavement Test Machine, which was built in the late 1990s by the FAA and the Boeing Corporation. They were in awe, not only at the size of the machine, but also how it was composed. Murphy Flynn explained how the pavement test machine provides high quality, accelerated test data to engineers who design runways that are capable of handling super-jumbo jets.

The day concluded at the hangar ramp where Bill Cavage, Jr. spoke to Hart and the students about fuel tank safety and stress load testing. He took them into the B747 so they could observe how testing is accomplished.

In a letter, Hart later commended the presenters from the FAA for the excellent job they did in enlightening his students to the opportunities that lie ahead. He said he is looking forward to a future visit here with another class.

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Biography - Terry J. Hart
NASA Astronaut (Former)

PERSONAL DATA: Born October 27, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Married to Mary Jane McKeever of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have a one-year old son, and Terry has two adult daughters. Recreational interests include golf and woodworking.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1964; received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University in 1968, a master of science in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969, a master of science in electrical engineering from Rutgers University in 1978, and an honorary doctorate of engineering from Lehigh University in 1988.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Delta Upsilon.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the National Defense Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal and named Outstanding Officer of Undergraduate Pilot Training Class in 1970, Rutgers Distinguished Alumnus Award, Pride of Pennsylvania Award, and the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Hart entered on active duty with the Air Force reserve in June 1969. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, in December 1970, and from then until 1973, flew F-106 interceptors for the Air Defense Command at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, at Loring Air Force Base, Maine, and at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. In 1973, he joined the New Jersey Air National Guard and continued flying with the Guard until 1985, retiring in 1990. He has logged 3,000 hours flying time -- 2,400 hours in jets. From 1968 to 1978, Hart was employed as a member of the Technical Staff of Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he received 2 patents. Subsequently, Hart held a number of engineering management positions at AT&T and retired in 2004 as president of Loral Skynet, the Telstar satellite network. Professor Hart is currently teaching aerospace engineering at his alma mater, Lehigh University.

NASA EXPERIENCE: NASA selected Mr. Hart as an astronaut candidate in January 1978. In August 1979, he completed a 1-year training and evaluation period, making him eligible for flight assignment on future Space Shuttle crews. Mr. Hart was a member of the support crews for STS-1, STS-2, STS-3, and STS-7. He was Ascent and Orbit CAPCOM with the Mission Control Team for those flights. Mr. Hart flew as a mission specialist on STS-41C (April 6-13, 1984) and has logged a total of 168 hours in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS 41-C Challenger launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 6, 1984. The crew included Captain Robert L. Crippen (spacecraft commander), Mr. F. R. (Dick) Scobee (pilot), and fellow mission specialist, Dr. G. D. (Pinky) Nelson and Dr. Jr. D. A. (Ox) van Hoften. During this mission the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it on board Challenger, and replaced it in orbit using the robot arm called the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The mission also included flight-testing of Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU's) in two extravehicular activities (EVA's); operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX Camera Systems, as well as a Bee Hive Honeycomb Structures student experiment. Mission duration was 7-days before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 13, 1984.