 initiated. All commands and responses carrying asterisks of the counts are called out by the operator responsible for the functions is NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi on the Gulf Coast near New Orleans. An installation responsible for testing the most powerful engines in the world. Back in the 60s, Stennis Space Center tested the booster stages for the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo program. In fact, there was an old saying around South Mississippi at that time, to get to the moon, you've got to go through Hancock County, Mississippi. In 1969, Stennis Space Center employees were proud as they watched the first American astronauts walk on the moon. Since 1975, Stennis's primary mission has been to provide the support needed to develop and flight certify the space shuttle main engines. These engines help power the shuttle during the first eight and one half minutes of flight. New modes of transportation will be needed to meet President Bush's challenge to establish a manned lunar outpost with subsequent human expeditions to Mars by the year 2019. Because of its three decades of testing experience, Stennis Space Center has been designated as NASA's Center for Excellence for Large Propulsion Systems Testing. This responsibility includes testing the propulsion system for the nation's next generation of space vehicles, the new launch system. This unmanned family of vehicles will allow America to place heavier payloads into orbit while reducing cost. Construction is proceeding on a new component test facility to advance turbo machinery technology for the new launch system and future space vehicles. In 1994, Stennis plans to test the advanced solid rocket motor, which will play an important role in deploying space station freedom. In the years ahead, Stennis Space Center may play a major role in testing components and propulsion systems for the national aerospace plant. Today, nearly 4,300 men and women make up the Stennis workforce with an annual payroll of approximately $257 million. This includes NASA, 18 other federal and state agencies, universities, and the private sector. With Stennis's expanded roles in test technology, NASA's Science and Technology Laboratory focuses its work on using non-intrusive test and evaluation techniques and supports the center's environmental management program. The lab also directs commercial applications and technology utilization programs. The U.S. Navy is Stennis Space Center's largest resident agency. The commander Naval Oceanography Command provides oceanographic meteorological mapping, charting, and geodetic support services to fleet forces worldwide. The Naval Oceanographic Office is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and distributing oceanographic information to support naval operations and assist maritime commerce. The Naval Research Laboratory is the principal Navy Corporate Laboratory performing oceanographic and atmospheric environmental research. The National Data Buoy Center, an element of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tests the performance of unmanned weather buoys that collect data used for weather forecasting, public advisories, warnings, and research. Another element of NOAA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, develops instruments for monitoring underwater performance of nets and associated fish behavior. It also uses satellite technology to track endangered species and map environmental conditions. The Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey provides federal agencies and foreign governments with hydrologic instrumentation. Another USGS entity is the National Mapping Division, which gives technical assistance and the use of remote sensing to solve environmental problems. Located with the National Mapping Division is USGS's Earth Science Information Center, where the public has access to aerial and satellite photographs, maps, and earth science publications. The Environmental Protection Agency has two divisions located at Stennis, the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory which assists in monitoring and regulating pesticide use in the environment, and the Gulf of Mexico Program, an intergovernmental effort to develop a management plan for future protection of the Gulf environment. Also located at Stennis are the deactivated Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant, and the US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command, to which Stennis provides technical support services. Another integral part of the Stennis community is the Center for Higher Learning. Degree programs are offered at Stennis by Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of New Orleans, and Pearl River Community College. In addition, NASA offers a wide range of educational services to teachers, students, and the general public through Stennis's Visitor and Education programs. The Teacher Resource Center offers educators free extensive services and materials, teacher workshops, and student assembly programs are given both at Stennis and in schools throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana. NASA's Tri-State Education Initiative encompasses an area within a 50-mile radius of Ayuca, Mississippi, and is designed to promote and support the efforts of the communities in developing a quality education system. The states of Mississippi and Louisiana have technology transfer offices located at Stennis, which work toward improving the economic biability of state industries and enhancing state government capabilities. 250 years ago, the first settlers to conquer this South Mississippi Swampland saw a promise for the future. And in the middle of this century, present day pioneers recaptured that vision for a new frontier and embarked on a quest that would take this and future generations for the first time since the beginning of time beyond the reaches of our planet Earth, to the moon and the unlimited frontiers of the universe.