« Back to NewsNASA 360 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY
November 01, 2011Hampton, Va. -- The latest NASA 360 episode, which explores the unique facilities and capabilities of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va. was released on October 18.
In this episode, hosts Johnny Alonso and Jennifer Pulley visit with Test Directors Sarah Daugherty and John Dickerson to learn how the Range Control Center (Mission Control) plans and executes different rocket launches. Brian Hall, the Sounding Rockets Technology Manager, shows NASA 360 viewers how NASA Wallops personnel plan, build, and test sounding rockets. Aircraft Office Chief Shane Dover provides insight into the facility’s unique flight programs - specifically, the Ice Bridge Study in Greenland - and Debbie Fairbrother, Chief Technologist of the Balloon Program Office, wraps up the show by highlighting the impressive scientific balloon programs managed out of the Wallops Flight Facility which launch worldwide.
“Wallops is a national treasure for science and technology research” said Michael Finneran, ‘NASA 360’ executive producer. “It’s also a very cool place, with lots of things going on that most people don’t know about, and this NASA 360 show will go behind those scenes.”
Joyce Winterton, Senior Advisor for Education and Leadership at Wallops, added, “The variety of research conducted at Wallops is very exciting. We hope in viewing the NASA 360 segment that the public, especially students, will feel the same excitement we do on a daily basis in being able to advance science and technology.”
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, located on Virginia's Eastern Shore, was established in 1945 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, as a center for aeronautic research. The facility conducts suborbital research programs using sounding rockets, scientific balloons and aircraft. Wallops operates a test range that includes tracking facilities, a research airport and a rocket launch range for suborbital and orbital vehicles. The test range supports activities for government agencies, academia and the aerospace industry.
"NASA 360" is based at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. and is produced by the National Institute of Aerospace. The program airs on NASA TV, select airlines and 450 public broadcasting, cable and commercial stations across the country. It has been downloaded by more than five million online viewers. It is one of the most popular podcasts/vodcasts produced at NASA. The show can also be seen on Hulu, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and through iTunes.
To learn more about NASA 360 or to download the show, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/nasa360/index.html
More about NASA Wallops Flight Facility can be found at:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/index.html
Find out more about the National Institute of Aerospace at: