Kathryn Patricia "Kay" Hire is a NASA astronaut and Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve who has flown aboard two Space Shuttle missions. Hire began work at the Kennedy Space Center in May 1989,first as an Orbiter Processing Facility 3 Activation Engineer selected by NASA in December 1994.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.