The 1979 Saginaw Valley State University graduate's career as a lead flight director blasts off Saturday -- weather permitting -- when he takes command of the Discovery space shuttle's 32nd ascension into space.
The promotion makes him the mission's top authority. Ceccacci's duties include overseeing the shuttle's prime operating hours from 3 a.m. to noon from his post at Mission Control in NASA's Houston-based Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. He spent months designing plans to accomplish the seven-person flight crew's objective of testing new space equipment at the International Space Station. Other responsibilities involve speaking directly to the astronauts from Mission Control and talking them through their various tasks, included two spacewalks planned for the mission. "This is a dream for me," Ceccacci said. "All my hard work has paid off." The 48-year-old began as a shuttle propulsion system engineer at NASA in 1980, fresh from earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology from SVSU. He worked his way up through the ranks before earning a spot as one of 30 flight directors in 2000. Next month's mission -- named STS-121 -- marks his first turn as top supervisor.
source: www.mlive.com
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