42: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
In January 1958, Explorer I, America’s first
satellite, proved to the world that the
country was ready for the Space Age.
Four years later, when Kennedy Space
Center opened, Keuper would find a large
supply of engineers eager to advance
their careers by enrolling at the new institution of
higher learning.
Back on Earth just miles away from where Explorer
I launched, missileman and nuclear physicist Jerry
Keuper was busy launching another out-of-thisworld
endeavor, Brevard Engineering College, now
known as Florida Institute of Technology.
In his article for Florida Historical Quarterly,
Florida Tech’s Gordon Patterson quotes Keuper
and his excitement about the school.
“This college is unique,” Keuper said.
“Everyone has a full-time job, most have family
responsibilities and this college work is over and
above other duties. I think it is the only institute
Caption
PHOTOS BY
>>
Students assemble a CubeSat, a type
of miniaturized satellite for space
research, at a Florida Tech lab.
The launch of an Atlas V
rocket lights up the night
sky over Florida Tech, an
educational institution
intrinsically connected
with the Space Program.
FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PHOTOS
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