Music.
I'm master of the Freedom Star, it's a solid rocket booster recovery ship, 176 foot in length.
It's based at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and we support the recovery of the solid rocket boosters.
The reason I like my job, matter of fact, I love my job, is because I'm not only involved as far as the space program,
but I'm also w orking in the ocean environment. I'm working on a ship, conducting different types of marine operations.
And I've got a fine crew under my command and I'm working hand in hand with retrieval experts, and it's just very interesting work.
It really is, working on the open ocean and marine environment. And you know, no mission is ever the same as any other mission.
They're all different and it's very challenging work.
The best thing about my job is the seagoing operations, specifically putting out to sea with the crew for whatever our specific mission might be.
You see the solid rocket boosters separate, and the sheer momentum of those boosters, even after they've expended their fuel,
carries them on to about an altitude of 40 miles before they start their tumble down to Earth. And we've got front-row seats.
And it's just an awesome sight when you see those things flash down into the water,
and you see the boosters settle, and then we start our 8- to 12-mile run in to the boosters to do our recovery.
Well, I've always been interested in transportation -- marine transportation, aeronautics, ground transportation.
And I guess I had to make a decision, and back in high school, I decided I want to go to sea. After four years,
I had a Bachelor of Science degree in marine transportation. Well, some friends of mine were following the progress of the
construction of two solid rocket booster recovery ships that were being built to support the space program. Six months later,
out of the blue, I got a call. It seemed I fit what they were looking for as a junior officer on one of the ships.
And within a very short time, six months, there was a vacancy for first officer on the Freedom, and I joined the Freedom in October of 1982.
The people that inspired, inspired me the most would be my parents. They kind of gave me the values,
made me the person that I am today. And I think of anybody, of anybody out there, probably my, my dad and mom.
The advice that I would give to students who want to work for NASA would be, number one, stay in school.
Get a good education and figure out what it is you enjoy doing, because here at the space center -- and it's not just rocket
scientists, it's not just technicians -- there's a wide range of positions out here that could fit almost anybody's skills.
And I think the number-one thing you want in life is to enjoy what you do, to be able to get up in the morning and look forward to going to work.
And Kennedy Space Center and the space program definitely offer that. There's a wide range of positions for a wide range of interests.
My name is Dave Fraine, and I'm captain of the solid rocket booster recovery vessel Freedom Star.