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| The Jerry Ross File . provided by Barbara Gerlach Hudson, '61 Age: 54 Hometown: Crown Point Family: Married, two children Education: Graduate, Crown Point High School, 1966 bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, Purdue University, 1970 master of science in mechanical engineering, Purdue University, 1972 Military: Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired) By the numbers Space flights: 6 Hours in space: 1,133 Spacewalks: 7 Hours on spacewalks: 44 Orbits around Earth: 743 BY CHRISTINE HARVEY Times Staff Writer (Photo provided by NASA) Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 Ross to make history on next launch; seven space flights sets NASA record Jerry Ross was 11 years old when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration introduced the seven men who would become America's space pioneers. The names of those men -- Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard and Slayton -- would be forever etched in the memories of an adoring public. The astronauts of Project Mercury met presidents, rode in ticker-tape parades and gave television interviews. They were superstars, bona-fide heroes, each and every one. Now more than 40 years have passed. Space travel, in the eyes of many, has become almost commonplace. But not to Jerry Ross. Not hardly. "It will never become routine," said Ross, a Crown Point native who Thursday is set to become the first astronaut to fly into space seven times. "Each flight is different and unique. That's what makes it so exciting and challenging -- each time doing something that's never been done before." Ross and six fellow crew members will take flight aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis for the history-making, 11-day mission, which aims to begin construction on the third and final phase of the International Space Station. The crew is bringing a payload that includes the 14-ton, 43-foot long S0 (S-zero) truss, a sort of railroad line that will stretch 100 yards along the structural backbone of the station to serve as a mobile base from which a robotic arm can assemble and maintain the complex, according to NASA. In addition, the truss will help allow for future expansion and research. Ross, who will extend the records he already holds for the most spacewalks (7) and number of hours outside a spacecraft (44), is particularly excited about this trip because it is the culmination of one of his goals in the space program. When he went up on his first flight in 1985, Ross was conducting experiments to see if NASA could build a large structure in space. Now, such a structure, the International Space Station, is nearing completion. But also coming to a close is his career in space. Though Ross said it is too soon to say whether he will get the chance to break his own record for spaceflights, his family said this mission will be his last. NASA has plans to limit astronauts to four flights each, Phyllis Ross said, meaning her son's days in zero gravity likely are numbered. The limits would be enacted to give younger astronauts more chances to fly, she said. It's just as well, really. The rookies are starting to call the 54-year-old astronaut "Gramps," said Ross' childhood friend Curt Graves, who has attended some of Ross' launches. Ross is entertaining several job offers, including positions with NASA in Washington, D.C., and at Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he now lives, his mother said. She suspects, though, that he will stick closer to his home in the long run, because of his disinterest in the political games so abundant in the nation's capital. In the meantime, despite the thawing enthusiasm for space travel and the lack of name recognition among the current group of astronauts, Ross' hero status hasn't diminished one iota, particularly in the eyes of his loved ones. As Ross prepares for possibly his last mission, his friends and family say the man who has spent the greater part of his career at NASA has risen to the challenge and exceeded the goals he set for himself as a child. Regardless, they say he doesn't need more than the program gives him and what he takes from it. "I've never known Jerry to seek notoriety or esteem," said Dr. Jim Gentlemen, Ross' best friend for nearly 50 years. "I don't know if that matters much." Gentleman spoke of the quiet inner peace his friend has attained through the years. And the fervor and passion with which Ross speaks of the space program is proof-positive of the contentment his job brings -- even without the attention that his earliest predecessors received, Gentleman said. Ross' sister Janet Rattazzi said her big brother has never been a braggart, but she wishes the space program, and his accomplishments, would get the recognition they deserve. As for the man himself, Ross said he realizes his place in the world and its history is still fairly insignificant despite his records, medals and multiple mission patches. All he has to do is look outside the shuttle window. "It gives you an impression that the Earth is a very, very precious planet, and that God gave us a very special place to live in, and we need to take care of it," Ross said. "You really wish you could wrap up the leadership of the world and say, 'Look at this. We need to protect this and protect each other.' " RETURN |
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