posted 09-29-2014 10:39 AM               

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Hosts Dedication Ceremony In Honor of North American Aviation's Contributions to U.S. Space Program

North American Aviation will be recognized for its many contributions to the nation's space program with the dedication of a memorial granite bench located in the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

North American Aviation (NAA), which was founded in the 1920s, eventually merged with Rockwell and then became a part of Boeing. NAA's space division built the Apollo command and service modules, the Saturn S-II stage, and the six space shuttle orbiters. NAA had major involvement in every human space program, including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Spade Shuttle and the International Space Station.

The Rocket Garden at the Visitor Complex is a fitting location for the memorial bench as every one of the vehicles on display there was outfitted with NAA hardware. Similar black granite memorial benches can be found at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio and the U.S. Air Naval Museum in Pensacola, Fla.

• Lee Solid, Memorial Coordinator, North American Aviation Retirees
  
• Robert Cabana, Kennedy Space Center Director
  
• Robert Springer, former space shuttle astronaut
  
• Therrin Protze, Chief Operating Officer, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex