Gov. Rick Scott, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, CFO Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam took a bus to the Kennedy Space Centers Operations and Checkout Building. Missing was Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had attended the earlier Cabinet meeting at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
The Operations and Checkout Building is where Apollo-era vehicles were processed. Its 70,000-square-foot bay will serve as the final-assembly location for the Orion crew exploration vehicles. Florida contributed $35 million to the $55 million cost of renovating the facility. The first test flight for Orion in Florida is set for 2013.
They were greeted at the building by Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana.
Cabana escorted them into the 70,000-square-foot bay, which had gleaming white floors and high ceilings. In past years, visitors had to don white jumpsuits to enter, but since no hardware is being worked on at the moment, no bunny-suits were distributed.
Cabana first showed the Florida officials drawings, propped up on easels, of four areas at the space center that are undergoing development. They included an office park to lure space businesses, the launch pad complex, private businesses developing commercial crew vehicles and the visitor complex. Cabana informed the governor that the space center had earned $625,000 from selling copper wire stripped from the launch pad as scrap during renovation of the launch pad complex.
Cabana told the governor that the space center is encouraging as many tourists to come and see unmanned launches as manned launches now that the shuttle program is over.
Scott asked if there were educational opportunities to engage students about space. Cabana said the space center works closely with the community and has educational training at the nearby Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Scott Wilson, NASAs Orion production manager, took over the tour to tell the governor and Cabinet members about Orion.
He showed them a tiny model of the Orion capsule and explained that a lot of new technology was being used to develop Orion.
He said that Orions parts were built all over the country but would be assembled in Florida, and that the Orion project was employing workers laid off after the shuttle program ended.
Wilson and the Cabinet members then walked over to a circular platform that had scaffolding in the shape of a crew capsule on top of it. On the platform were two men in black bodysuits and black headcaps. The bodysuits were attached to dozens of white sensors that captured the mens motions on two nearby computers. The sensors projected the mens movements as simulated figures moving through a virtual crew capsule on two computer screens. Computer science engineer Brad Lawrence explained that the simulation was helping engineers with the design of the crew capsules interior and allowing them to understand what problems astronauts will face in the capsule in space.
Its brilliant, Scott said.
The Cabinet members then walked past a life-sized mock-up of an Orion capsule.
Shortly before leaving, Scott asked, Why did Branson go to New Mexico? British billionaire Richard Branson has picked New Mexico as the home of his commercial space tourism venture.
Cabana answered that its because he was just going up, and going down. Bransons venture will take tourists to suborbital space.
Were talking to them and were open to partnering with them, Cabana said.
As a parting gift, Cabana presented Scott with a plaque commemorating the last shuttle flight and he gave Carroll, Putnam and Atwater commemorative coins of the Kennedy Space Center.
After the tour, Scott told reporters it was exciting to see the Orion plans.
This is the future, Scott said. We have to look at all of these changes and say, Look, we have a great opportunity.
He said Florida would compete with other states vying for space business because of the states already existing space work force.
If you look at the quality of the individuals who work here and their dedication, their training, theyve done it, Scott said. Its much simpler to do it here. What we need to do is continue to let everybody know that.
