WEBVTT

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Intro music.

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Hi. My name's Mike Leinbach, I'm the Shuttle launch director at the Kennedy Space Center for NASA.

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Music.

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Well, in my role as the launch director, the most visible portion, of course, is on launch day, when I'm in the control room with my launch team.

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I essentially have the final "go/no-go" for launch of the Space Shuttle. So that's the most visible part of it.

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But leading up to launch day, I'm essentially the, the chief of operations for all of NASA here at Kennedy Space Center,

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making sure that the orbiters and the ground-support system and the Solid Rocket Boosters and the External Tank are being prepared properly, safely,

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and meeting their major milestones to, to protect the next launch date. I also serve as sort of a safety conscience for the work force.

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I get out, walk around, talk to folks, make sure that we're not overworking the workers, and in my role as the launch director and Return to Flight,

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it's really making sure that when we get to launch day for Return to Flight, that that vehicle is the best it can possibly be.

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I really enjoy working at the Kennedy Space Center for a couple of reasons. There's a family atmosphere out here,

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it's a really a small city out here on the national wildlife refuge. We put men into orbit.

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It's the gateway to the universe for manned space flight and for Expendable Launch Vehicles

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and some of the probes that are going to the outer planets and elsewhere in the universe.

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But the family atmosphere, I think, is what I like the best. It's, it's 16,000 people or so who pull together every day to make sure

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that what we do is safe and the best that we can do for the nation.

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I trace that back to May 5, 1961, when my family, we were on a, on a trip up to Gettysburg National Park, and my dad pulled off the side of the road and said,

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"OK, kids, we're about the hear history made here." May 5, 1961 was Alan Shepard's first flight. It was the first flight of an American into space.

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And so we pulled the Mercury off the side of the road and dad turned on the radio and we all listened to that

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15-minute mission together on the side of the road somewhere in Pennsylvania.

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We hadn't even made it to the park yet. And I think it was from that point on that I just got hooked on space and space travel.

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I'd have to say one of the key inspirational figures was President Carter. I got to meet President Carter about three years ago.

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In fact, I got to tour him around the Kennedy Space Center. But I'd been admiring President Carter since, obviously, since he took office.

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Because he's such a natural person and he came from such humble upbringings,

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and is a true American, and the highest integrity and honesty from that man.

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Just a wonderful person, and for me to have the opportunity to meet him was just, just a dream come true for me.

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Never thought I'd even get the chance to meet him, but, no, I've been a fan of President Carter's since he first took office.

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The advice I would give to any student who would like to work for NASA is, is this:

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the most visible part of NASA are the astronauts and the Expendable Launch Vehicles.

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There's a lot in NASA that, that most people don't see. NASA is an organization of 23,000

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people nationwide who, who really, we look forward to the future, we look to the past,

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and we look at the present to try to improve life on Earth. And so there are many, many disciplines within NASA that, that most people don't see.

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We have accountants, we have lawyers, we have engineers and technicians, obviously.

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We have scientists, we have people that are trained in infra-red technology and ultra-violet technology.

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It runs the gamut. It, it, it's a large, large organization, and so for folks growing up,

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don't think you have to be an engineer, don't think you have to be an astronaut to get into NASA.

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They may be the most visible and, to the outside, the most fun-looking jobs, but there are a lot of jobs within NASA which, that are really, really rewarding.

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Music.

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