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Topic: Ed Harrison, NASA PAO (1939-2020)
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 44359 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-12-2020 05:18 PM
Edward K. "Ed" Harrison, a veteran NASA public affairs officer (PAO), died on Tuesday (May 12) of cancer, reports Jim Banke (via Facebook), citing former public affairs director Hugh Harris. He was 81.Harrison was honored by Kennedy Space Center as one of The Chroniclers. Ed Harrison had a unique talent. He could instantly recognize whether or not an object or event would make a good news picture. As a result when he called photographers and said "you need to be here" to cover a spacecraft or news event they came from all over the country and sometimes world because they trusted his judgment.His careful selection of photo opportunities was in keeping with his philosophy that having photographers and writers on site was the best way to make sure important news actually reached the largest number of people. His studies showed that perhaps 70 percent or less of NASA releases were used…but a hundred percent of photos and stories covered in person were used. Another of Harrison's talents was planning, and then modifying the plans in real-time, in order to orchestrate the movement of hundreds of news people and their escorts covering news events. His work as a photo coordinator for much of his career, meant that he had to figure out ways to allow still, motion picture and video photographers to get to the best place on, and sometimes off, the center to get the perfect pictures to tell the story of what was happening. He is particularly proud of his efforts to allow news organization to place remote cameras around the launch pads. Writers were often considered easier to deal with because most people were brought to them to talk about upcoming launches and new science. Photographers needed to be on location most of the time because it was hard to bring rockets and spacecraft to them. No one in the history of NASA's Kennedy Space Center to date has been more adept at planning for photographic coverage of major events than Harrison. He fought many battles for access to secure areas and even hazardous ones because he shared the belief that it was important for the world to be able to see and understand what NASA was doing. At the same time he was always mindful of the safety of individuals and hardware. That belief and knowledge about what was happening in every corner of the center made him very effective in other assignments as he was promoted into the ranks of management. One of the jobs he enjoyed most was being the chief of the visitor center branch. Hosting up to 3 million visitors a year, the Kennedy Visitor Center is one of the most effective ways NASA has to tell its story to people. Harrison was in charge at a pivotal period in the Visitor Center history. It was the period when the dreams of expansion by building the huge Apollo/Saturn V Center and Space Station Tour stop and exhibits were being finalized and bid packages for construction getting underway. He also played an important role in NASA involvement in finishing the Astronaut Memorial Foundation building and memorial dedication. At about this time his expertise was needed back at the press site and he was made chief of the public information office where he served until his retirement. Born in Hampton, Va., Harrison had a unique career in NASA. He went to work with the agency at the Langley Research Center right out of high school as a photo coordinator. His first job was actually in a laboratory developing the miles of 16mm film used to document wind tunnel tests. He progressed through the lab to copying, editing, designing titles and other tasks. Langley is world renown for research and problem solving in aeronautics. One effort that Harrison remembers working on involved the commercial Lockheed Electra aircraft. Langley took on the job of helping solve the problem the aircraft was having with wing failure. The result was an aircraft that went on to provide commercial service for many decades and even be rugged enough to be used as a "hurricane hunter." Langley was also at the center of human spacecraft development during the Mercury program and in December 1961, Harrison was transferred to the Launch Operations Directorate at Cape Canaveral where he worked as a photo coordinator through its metamorphous into the Manned Spacecraft Center and finally the Kennedy Space Center. The Mercury and Gemini programs proved exciting for Harrison. He underwent jungle training with the astronauts as he provided for photographic documentation of the exercises. On one occasion they all trekked from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the bottom and part of the way up. Luckily they had mules for most of the trip up. During some of the flights he was assigned to the fleet of recovery ships. Transferring to public affairs, he was one of the first people to work on the Kennedy traveling exhibit program and the new visitor center. Next he moved to the public information branch as photo coordinator and began climbing through the ranks of management. |
NeilPearson Member Posts: 159 From: UK Registered: May 2013
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posted 05-12-2020 05:35 PM
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GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2569 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 05-12-2020 05:45 PM
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David Carey Member Posts: 826 From: Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 05-12-2020 05:51 PM
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ManInSpace Member Posts: 162 From: Brooklin, ON Canada Registered: Feb 2018
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posted 05-12-2020 06:20 PM
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SpaceCadet1983 Member Posts: 270 From: Pacific NW, United States Registered: May 2012
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posted 05-12-2020 07:07 PM
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randy Member Posts: 2272 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 05-12-2020 07:31 PM
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Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 1020 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-12-2020 08:38 PM
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oly Member Posts: 1077 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 05-12-2020 11:02 PM
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Kevin T. Randall Member Posts: 1199 From: Chesham, Bucks UK Registered: Dec 2008
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posted 05-13-2020 01:22 AM
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Kite Member Posts: 885 From: Northampton UK Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 05-13-2020 05:35 AM
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Tom Member Posts: 1621 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-13-2020 06:01 AM
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LM1 Member Posts: 708 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-13-2020 06:01 AM
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Jeff Member Posts: 497 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
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capoetc Member Posts: 2205 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 05-13-2020 07:20 AM
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Cozmosis22 Member Posts: 1020 From: Texas * Earth Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 05-13-2020 08:01 AM
Remember being one of a very few people left in the Press Site building after the aborted KSC landing of STS-85. Discovery's mission was scheduled to end Monday August 18, 1997 with landing scheduled at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at about 6:14 a.m. CT but the landing attempt was waived off due to low fog in the area of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Most of the journalists had left the base and returned to their hotels, etc. The rollout of STS-86 had been planned for later that morning but hardly anyone stuck around and stayed onsite. Ed made an announcement that he would send out an escort if anyone wanted to go watch the final phase of the Atlantis rollout to Pad 39-A. "Anyone interested?" he boomed out. One other news stringer said he'd go and I joined him. So after quick run back to the car for a tripod, some lenses, and a handful of 35mm film I met up with the escort in a Land Rover style vehicle and we left the Press Site. That day was the one and only time I got to venture inside the pad perimeter fence and photograph the space shuttle stack rolling up onto the launchpad. |
Panther494 Member Posts: 444 From: London UK Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 05-13-2020 09:02 AM
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Gilbert Member Posts: 1354 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 05-13-2020 11:37 AM
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star51L Member Posts: 374 From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA Registered: Aug 2002
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dss65 Member Posts: 1192 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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mmcmurrey Member Posts: 118 From: Austin, TX, USA Registered: Jun 2012
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posted 05-14-2020 08:32 AM
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mode1charlie Member Posts: 1207 From: Honolulu, HI Registered: Sep 2010
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Mike Isbell Member Posts: 558 From: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Registered: Aug 2003
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Delta7 Member Posts: 1566 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
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Philip Member Posts: 6051 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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SPACEFACTS Member Posts: 323 From: Germany Registered: Aug 2006
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rjb1elec Member Posts: 233 From: Merseyside, England Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 05-16-2020 06:53 AM
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Fra Mauro Member Posts: 1664 From: Bethpage, N.Y. Registered: Jul 2002
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hlbjr Member Posts: 491 From: Delray Beach Florida USA Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 05-17-2020 06:44 AM
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