Jay Barbree

Jay Barbree
Barbree as Master of Ceremonies at the 50th anniversary of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.
Born	Jay Barbree
Occupation(s)	News broadcaster, reporter, author
Years active	50
Spouse	Jo Barbree
Awards	1995: NASA Award - for being the only journalist to have covered all 100 manned spaceflights.

Jay Barbree is a correspondent for NBC News, focusing on space travel. Barbree is the only journalist to have covered every manned space mission in the United States, beginning with the first American in space, Alan Shepherd aboard Freedom 7 in 1961, continuing through to the most recent mission, Endeavour's STS-118 mission in August of 2007. Barbree has been present for 119 space shuttle launches, and every launch for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo eras. In total, Barbree has been witness to 150 manned space launches.

Early life

Barbree grew up on his family's farm in Early County, Georgia, and entered the United States Air Force in 1950, when he was only 16 years of age. Following the Air Force, Barbree began his broadcast journalism career at WALB in Albany, Georgia, where, in 1957, he saw Sputnik's spent booster rocket orbiting in the sky, and then wrote radio and TV reports about the Soviet Union's launch of the first artificial satellite.

Career

Reporting career

Vanguard exploded within seconds of launch on December 6, 1957.

Barbree was so interested in the space program, that he paid for his own ticket to get to Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1957, and watched the attempted Vanguard launch. The failed launch was one Barbree would never forget: "There's ignition. We can see the flames," Barbree reported. "Vanguard's engine is lit and it's burning. But wait... wait a moment, there's... there's no liftoff! It appears to be crumbling in its own fire... It's burning on the pad... Vanguard has crumbled into flames. It failed ladies and gentlemen, Vanguard has failed."

Early the next year, he returned and witnessed the successful launch of Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958, all the while calling in his reports to WALB. Eventually, Barbree was hired by radio station WEZY in Cocoa Beach, and worked as a traffic reporter, covering the space program as well.

Six months later, Barbree joined NBC as a part-time space program reporter, eventually moving up to full-time. Over the years, Barbree had been offered the opportunity to move to Washington, D.C., or New York, but he turned down every offer, preferring to stay and report on what had quickly become his passion, spaceflight.

This is a job where … you have to be, whether you like it or not, a certain member of the space family.

In 1958, while in a restroom, Barbree overheard a general and a NASA official, talking about an upcoming launch called "Project SCORE", one of the earliest American satellites. This would become one of Barbree's many "scoops", when after a bit of digging, he found that President Eisenhower would use the satellite to broadcast a pre-recorded Christmas message from outer space. When SCORE launched in 1958, Barbree broadcast the story, knowing the military would not deny it once the satellite was in space.

In the early days of the space program, astronauts and reporters would often socialize together in Cocoa Beach, and had a very different relationship than they do today. Barbree became a friend and confidant, going out to dinner with them, or socializing together when the astronauts were in town. In 1961, Alan Shephard told Barbree an "off the record" fact: He was going to be the first American astronaut in space. Barbree knew that if he were to report this, it would not only jeopardize the friendships, but possibly his career as well, so he said nothing. In 1993, Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Barbree co-wrote the best-selling book, Moon Shot. Barbree also recounts a conversation with Gus Grissom about the astronaut’s concerns regarding Apollo not long before the fatal Apollo 1 fire. Barbree's friendship with the astronauts had some unexpected bonuses as well, Neil Armstrong flew a gold coin to the moon on Apollo 11 for Barbree, and Pete Conrad flew several flags and patches on Apollo 12, which Barbree later handed out to friends.

In the early 1980s, when NASA developed the Teacher in Space program, a similar program was developed, the Journalist in Space program. Following the Challenger accident, the journalist program was discontinued. Barbree was one of forty finalists to be selected as a Journalist in Space, prior to cancellation of the program.

In 1986, following the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, Barbree placed a telephone call to a friend and retired employee of NASA, who as a favor to Barbree, went to Kennedy Space Center, looked over the accident information and analysis being done, and later reported the early findings to Barbree. Consequently, Barbree was the first journalist to report on the source of the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger: Faulty O-rings. He was also part of the NBC News Space Unit that won an Emmy award for NBC's coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, Barbree was the first reporter to break the news of an internal NASA memo expressing concerns about foam striking the orbiter's left wing during ascent.

In 1995, NASA awarded him with recognition for being the "only journalist known to have covered all 100 flights". Among those present for the ceremony were several NASA officials, Alan Shepard, and shuttle commander Robert L. Gibson.

At age seventy-three, Barbree is one of the longest-serving network correspondents to work continuously on a single subject. He started working for NBC on July 21, 1958 covering the space program, and continues in that capacity to the present. He has never missed a mission launch, despite suffering a heart attack while jogging along Cocoa Beach in 1987, and being declared clinically dead for several minutes. Following his heart attack, he had bypass surgery, and still did not miss any launches.

Barbree can be seen covering the shuttle program and space missions on the cable network MSNBC, and NBC's news reports covering missions. His contract with NBC runs at least through 2010, allowing him to complete the coverage of the entire Space Shuttle program, and he hopes to be there for the return launch to the moon.

Career as author

Barbree is the author or coauthor of seven books, including the Moon Shot, and two memoirs. His most recent book, "Live from Cape Canaveral: Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today", was released on August 28, 2007, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of spaceflight, that began with the Sputnik 1 launch on October 4, 1957. The forward is written by Tom Brokaw. Barbree's newest book illustrates how the media has changed in their coverage of the space programs, from the early enthusiasm, to the relative disinterest in the program today. Barbree says he wrote the book because as he looked back over his career, when recalling all the people he'd worked with, very few were left. Barbree says that he told himself, "You're the only one who has covered the whole program going all the way back to the beginning, and if you don't tell the story, who is going to do it?"

Over the years, Barbree has stayed away from sensationalizing the space program, or those associated with it, and commented that he would not put some items that could be considered harmful into his newest book, stating "The whole idea of the book is not to hurt somebody." Barbree illustrates this by telling of a private investigator who approached him with an audio tape which allegedly contained proof of an extramarital affair involving an astronaut. Barbree told the investigator he would speak to his superiors, but then proceeded to erase the tape.

Personal life

Barbree has been married since 1960 to the former Jo Reisinger, whom he met while covering her participation in Florida beauty pageants. They live near Kennedy Space Center at Merritt Island, and have three adult daughters and six grandchildren.

Bibliography

• Barbree, Jay (2007). "Live from Cape Canaveral: Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today ". London: Collins/Smithsonian Books. pp. 336pp. ISBN 9780061233920.
• Barbree, Jay (1997). Destination Mars. New York: Penguin Studio. ISBN 0670860204.
• Barbree, Jay (1995). A Journey through Time: Exploring the Universe with the Hubble Space Telescope. New York: Penguin Studio. ISBN 0670860182. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Shepard, Alan (1994). Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon. Atlanta: Turner Pub. ISBN 1878685546. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Barbree, Jay (1990). The Day I Died. City: New Horizon Pr. ISBN 0882820613.
• Barbree, Jay (1977). The Hydra Pit. Ashley Books. pp. 316pp. ISBN 0879490845. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Barbree, Jay (1975). Six Million Dollar Man, No. 4 : Pilot Error. City: Warner Books, Incorporated. ISBN 0446768359.

External links

• NASA's Space Shuttle Site
• MSNBC Space News
• Jay Barbree at IMDb