12.21.05 Bruce Buckingham Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Phone: (321) 867-2468 RELEASE: 104-05 NASA'S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER GIVES RUNWAY ACCESS TO SANTA NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has come to an agreement with the North Pole to permit Santa Claus and his reindeer exclusive use of the Shuttle Landing Facility on Christmas Eve. The jolly fellow plans to use the runway as a rest stop on his global gift-delivery run. Since Kennedy employees have never seen Santa during his past visits, they'll closely watch the runway in hopes of catching a glimpse of him this year. This is not the first time the agency has opened one of its most recognizable facilities for outside use. Kennedy recently agreed to allow two civilian businesses to use the shuttle's runway and its facilities, as part of a pilot program to expand runway access for non-NASA activities. During Santa's brief stop at Kennedy on Christmas Eve, he hopes to take an up-close look at the facilities that will help return humans back to the moon and eventually on to Mars. "Santa has often said he envies NASA's beyond-Earth-orbit journeys," said Ima Elf, lead engineer in Santa's workshop. "He prefers traveling with his reindeer, but Santa has great interest in NASA's space vehicles. He can't wait for humans to be stationed on the moon so he can make his first legitimate visit there. He has his own Vision for Space Exploration and hopes to have an annex shop on the lunar North Pole in the future." For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/home -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
