When the University of Central Florida football team rockets onto the field at Bounce House Stadium tonight, they will do so with a nod to NASA’s space program. The players will be sporting their alternate space-themed uniforms honoring the 40th anniversary of the shuttle program as they take on the Memphis Tigers. Game time is 7 p.m.
While the space-themed uniforms will be front and center for the matchup, here are some other interesting facts about UCF’s long relationship with NASA and space exploration.
Reach for the Stars
The creation of the University of Central Florida in Orlando was largely because of its close proximity to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. The school was originally called Florida Technological University and was unofficially known as “Space University.” It was founded as an incubator to support the growth of the space industry, the country’s pursuit to the moon and future space exploration.
The school officially welcomed its first class of students Oct. 7, 1968, the same year the Apollo 8 mission sent astronauts to orbit the moon.
An article published in the Orlando Sentinel on Oct. 8, 1968 after the first day of classes proclaimed, “Write it down. Remember it as the day that changed Orlando and Central Florida forever.”
Apparently, the students and faculty made a good impression, as the article went on to note that students were “well-scrubbed and attractive, as they stood alongside a handsome line of faculty members in their academic robes,” at the university’s opening day dedication.
The university received its first grant for $12,500 from NASA the same year it opened, and in 1969, famed Orlando astronaut John Young gave the first commencement speech.
Field of Dreams
Bounce House Stadium has quickly become hallowed ground for fans after some history-making games from UCF’s football team. This week, keeping with tradition, the Knights will don their space-themed uniforms. However, their special attire is not the only nod to the cosmos on game day — one could say the stadium is literally built around the school’s connection to space exploration.
“The 50-yard line at the UCF football stadium lines to the exact longitude of the historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center,” says Melissa Procko, a research librarian at the Orange County Regional History Center.
Launch Pad 39A was the starting point for many of NASA’s greatest accomplishments, including the Apollo 11 mission that sent Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins to the moon. Eighty-two space shuttle launches took off from the pad and, most recently, the launch pad was modified to accommodate the headline-making SpaceX missions that returned astronauts to space from U.S. soil.
Space or citrus… why not both?
The school’s first unofficial mascot, The Citronaut, has gained quite a fan base these days. However, when the character first showed up on the cover of the 1968-69 student handbook, it was not exactly a favorite. The space-themed citrus character, which some thought came across as if someone could not decide what was more important to the region — space or citrus — was designed by Norman Van Meter, who was the brother-in-law of the president of the university at that time, Charles N. Millican. The Citronaut’s reign as the school mascot was short-lived and it was placed on hiatus after one year. Students petitioned to change the school mascot to the Knights of the Pegasus in 1970 and won.
Free-falling
Some school alumni have flown to space while others helped explore it from the ground, however, one alumni holds a record for falling from the edge of it. Alan Eustace, who graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree in computer science, currently holds the world record for the longest free-fall jump ever. On Oct. 24, 2014, Eustace leaped from a high altitude balloon above Roswell, New Mexico, and plunged 135,890 feet from the stratosphere — hitting 822 mph — and broke the sound barrier. His free-fall lasted 4 minutes and 27 seconds before his parachute deployed at 10,000 feet above Earth and he safely glided back to land.
Want to reach out? Email me at rpope@orlandosentinel.com.
