Stars inAlabamBoeing has a rich history in Huntsville that has grown beyond rockets and space By Eric Fetters-Walp Btown hotel. They were working on NASA’s Apollo program, stars. The site also is home to the Ground-based MidcourseWith a rich history tied to the U.S. space program over thepast half-century, Boeing Huntsville still is looking toward theoeing’s presence in Huntsville, Ala., started with a smallgroup of engineers who set up makeshift offices in a down- figuring out how to send astronauts on the Saturn rocket to the moon. Defense (GMD) program and provides engineering prowess Fifty years later, sitting in his west Huntsville office, Grant to a variety of Boeing products, including the 787 Dreamliner. Wang is one of hundreds of Boeing employees working on an “The way I describe it to people is there really are three legs even grander goal: sending humans well beyond the moon. to the stool in Huntsville,” said Greg Hyslop, vice president and “It’s going to be a modernized Saturn-class rocket, with general manager of Strategic Missile and Defense Systems. “One more capability and safety,” said Wang, a Technical Fellow is Space Exploration, the second is GMD and the related missile and avionics and software chief engineer for the heavy-duty defense programs—including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Space Launch System (SLS). Seeker—and the other is our Huntsville Design Center and inter- Wang volunteered to lend his talents to the program. company work. That really gives us a stable base here.” “This type of opportunity happens only once every 20 or Boeing employs approximately 2,600 people at the Huntsville site, 30 years,” he explained. making it the largest aerospace firm in Alabama. The company has 22 BOEING FRONTIERS / SEPTEMBER 2012
Frontiers September 2012 Issue
To see the actual publication please follow the link above