director holds all hands - nasa · a certificate of appreciation and com-mendation letter, both...

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NOVEMBER 2005 SILVER SNOOPY AWARDS .................... 2 Employees honored with astronauts' personal tribute FLIGHT RESEARCH ................. 7 Recent work further validates its importance to NASA's mission RECYCLING EFFORTS ............. 12 Glenn to celebrate America Recycles Day Volume 7 Issue 10 November 2005 Director holds All Hands Continued on page 8 C leveland's Great Lakes Science Center proved to be an ideal backdrop for recognizing outstanding technology in the form of Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR) Awards presented there on October 25. The awards, sponsored by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, highlight technologies that will enable revolutionary capabilities in aeronautics, space transportation, and scientific explora- tion, and those who made them possible. Once again, Glenn was the Agency's top winner, garnering four of eight TGIR awards. Brief descriptions of those award-winning technologies follow: Associate Administrator's Choice Award: : : : : False Alarm Resistant Fire Detection for Remote Cargo Compartments Team. . . . . A microelectricmechanical systems sensor technology for detecting multiple types of combustion gases that normally accompany a fire's smoke was developed to help reduce false alarms and costs related to stress and safety for exercising unnecessary emergency procedures. Analyzed results led to a new commercial BY S. JENISE VERIS Glenn receives four TGIR awards O Continued on page 9 n October 6, Center Director Dr. Julian Earls held an All Hands meeting to share information on Agency initiatives and Center actions and to respond to employees' questions. Helping the Agency reshape its workforce to implement the President's Vision for Space Exploration continues to be one of the Center's top priorities. Earls noted those Centers which have an excess of work assignments are developing work packages for centers like Glenn that have uncovered full-time equivalents (FTEs). These centers also are assessing the work performed by their contract employees to determine if these assignments could be performed by civil servants without interruption to service or product delivery. These activities are part of an overall plan to address the Agency's workforce issues, along with voluntary transfers, early outs, and buyouts. Earls discussed the complexity of the reduction in force (RIF) process, noting it can take as long as 18 months to plan and implement. Earls stressed that to secure additional funding for the Center, all levels of Glenn management and staff have been working aggressively with Agency Mission Directorates to share informa- tion about the Center's capabilities in relationship to their needs. Deputy Director Christiansen and Director Earls share information on Center priorities and activities during the All Hands. Fire detection tests were conducted with this micro scale carbon monoxide sensor that uses a nanocrystalline tin oxide detector (center).

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Page 1: Director holds All Hands - NASA · a certificate of appreciation and com-mendation letter, both signed by the astronaut. A luncheon followed in the Administration Building Auditorium

NOVEMBER 2005

SILVER SNOOPYAWARDS .................... 2Employees honored withastronauts' personal tribute

FLIGHT RESEARCH ................. 7Recent work further validatesits importance to NASA's mission

RECYCLING EFFORTS ............. 12Glenn to celebrate AmericaRecycles Day

Volume 7 Issue 10 November 2005

Director holds All Hands

Continued on page 8

C leveland's Great Lakes Science Center proved to be an ideal backdrop forrecognizing outstanding technology in the form of Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR)Awards presented there on October 25. The awards, sponsored by NASA'sAeronautics Research Mission Directorate, highlight technologies that will enablerevolutionary capabilities in aeronautics, space transportation, and scientific explora-tion, and those who made them possible.

Once again, Glenn was the Agency's top winner, garnering four of eight TGIRawards. Brief descriptions of those award-winning technologies follow:

Associate Administrator's Choice Award: : : : : False AlarmResistant Fire Detection for Remote Cargo CompartmentsTeam. . . . . A microelectricmechanical systems sensortechnology for detecting multiple types of combustiongases that normally accompany a fire's smoke wasdeveloped to help reduce false alarms and costs relatedto stress and safety for exercising unnecessary emergencyprocedures. Analyzed results led to a new commercial

BY S. JENISE VERIS

Glenn receives four TGIR awards

O

Continued on page 9

n October 6, Center Director Dr. Julian Earls held an All Handsmeeting to share information on Agency initiatives and Centeractions and to respond to employees' questions.

Helping the Agency reshape its workforce to implement thePresident's Vision for Space Exploration continues to be one of theCenter's top priorities. Earls noted those Centers which have anexcess of work assignments are developing work packages forcenters like Glenn that have uncovered full-time equivalents (FTEs).These centers also are assessing the work performed by theircontract employees to determine if these assignments could beperformed by civil servants without interruption to service orproduct delivery.

These activities are part of an overall plan to address the Agency'sworkforce issues, along with voluntary transfers, early outs, and

buyouts. Earls discussed the complexityof the reduction in force (RIF) process,noting it can take as long as 18 months toplan and implement.

Earls stressed that to secure additionalfunding for the Center, all levels ofGlenn management and staff havebeen working aggressively with AgencyMission Directorates to share informa-tion about the Center's capabilities inrelationship to their needs.

Deputy Director Christiansen and Director Earls share informationon Center priorities and activities during the All Hands.

Fire detection tests were conducted with this micro scalecarbon monoxide sensor that uses a nanocrystalline tin oxidedetector (center).

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Astronauts bestow personal honors on employees ASA's Space Flight AwarenessProgram recently recognized Glenn em-ployees (civil service and support servicecontractors) for their contributions toflight safety and mission success.

On September 30, Astronauts Carl Walzand Michael Good visited Glenn topresent Silver Snoopy Awards—theastronauts' personal tribute to individualswhose single effort or long-term out-standing performance contributed toflight safety and mission success. Thehonor included a surprise visit by theastronauts to the employees' worksites. During the visit, each recipientwas presented a sterling silver Snoopylapel pin that was flown on STS–98, plusa certificate of appreciation and com-mendation letter, both signed by theastronaut. A luncheon followed in theAdministration Building Auditorium.

On October 20, Glenn's Associate Di-rector Robert Fails bestowed the honoron employees who were unable to at-tend the September event. A total of 15individual Silver Snoopy awards werepresented on both days.

The Silver Snoopy recipients include:

Continued on next page

Photo by Marvin Smith

Silver Snoopy individual award recipients pictured prior to theluncheon on September 30, left to right, back row, O'Malley,Astronaut Walz, Tenteris-Noebe, Hojnicki, Holt, Thesken; middlerow, Neff, Murthy, Astronaut Good; front row, Padula, MacKay,Reinke, Gati, and Vannuyen.

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(1) Associate Director Bob Fails, left, andActing Deputy Director, Programs andProjects Sandy Reehorst, right, presented aSilver Snoopy to Imburgia on October 20.(2) On the same day, Fails presented aSilver Snoopy to Lerch. (3) AstronautGood, left, presented a Silver Snoopy toSullivan on September 30.

Sharon (Ambro) Reinke,HEI/Exploration SystemsDivision, served in the dualroles of systems engineerand operations engineerfor the Fluids and Com-bustion Facility (FCF).

Frank Gati, ExplorationSystems Division, as theproject manager, pro-vided technical leader-ship in the successfulcompletion of the FluidsIntegration Rack (FIR),overseeing the develop-ment of FIR and commonhardware for the FCF.

Jeffrey Hojnicki, Powerand Communication Sys-tems Analysis Office, conceived and ledthe development of the InternationalSpace Station (ISS) Electrical Power Sys-tem (EPS) analysis capabilities at NASA.

Warren Holt, HEI/Exploration SystemsDivision, was crucial in the developmentof the designs for both the CombustionIntegrated Rack (CIR) and the FIR crewtraining units (CTUs), working as a de-sign and fabrication technician as well asan integration technician.

James Imburgia, HEI/Exploration SystemsDivision, participated in the design andassembly of the CIR and the FIR CTUsdelivered to Johnson Space Center. Thesewill be used to prepare ISS flight crews inthe on-orbit operations and maintenanceof the corresponding FCF flight units.

Dr. Bradley Lerch, Life Prediction Branch,developed and coordinated investigationson the characterization of ice, which ledto the development of predictive modelsfor describing debris impacts on the shuttleexternal tank and orbiter wing leadingedge thermal protections systems.

Dr. Rebecca MacKay, Materials and Struc-tures Division, served as lead materialsconsultant for the NASA Engineering andSafety Center (NESC) on the crackingissue in the niobium Reaction ControlSystem thrusters that are used to performattitude and translation maneuvers inspace for the space shuttle orbiter.

Dr. Pappu Murthy, Life Prediction Branch,served as lead for the structures teamperforming safety assessment of Com-posite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels(COPVs) on board the space shuttle. Thisactivity was sponsored by the NESC.

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(2)

(3)

Photos by Quentin Schwinn

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Continued from page 2

Two Glenn teams were recognizedwith Space Flight Awareness (SFA)awards on September 30 for theirReturn to Flight contributions. TheSFA Team Award is presented to agroup of employees who have demon-strated exemplary teamwork whileaccomplishing a significant taskor goal in support of NASA'sspace flight programs.

Impact Testing Imaging and Non-Destructive Evaluation TeamJames Bodis, Laura Cosgriff,and Richard Martin, CSU/Optical Instrumentation andNDE Branch; Michelle Murphy,Quentin Schwinn, Peter Tate,and Vincent Reich, RSIS/Logistics and TechnicalInformation Division

As part of NASA's Return toFlight effort, this team providedcritical imaging support to theGlenn Ballistic Lab impact testprogram on panels of reinforcedcarbon-carbon orbiter wingleading edge material to assesspotential impact damage from debris suchas ice and various thermal protectionfoams that might shed from the externaltank during the space shuttle's ascent.

Impact Testing Quality Assurance TeamChris Berg (now at NASA Kennedy),Mike Capelety, Tim Gaydos and BruceJackson (SAIC), Risk Management Office;Anita Tenteris-Noebe, SAIC/QualityManagement Office

In support of NASA's Return to Flighteffort, this team was recognized for theircontributions in providing exceptionalquality oversight. Due to the critical natureof the testing on reinforced carbon-carbon and external tank panels

Silver Snoopy, Space FlightAwareness honorees

Impact Testing Quality Assurance Team memberspictured with Astronauts Good, left, and Walz, right,are pictured left to right, Capelety, Gaydos, andTenteris-Noebe. Not pictured: Berg and Jackson.

Photo by Marvin SmithC-2005-1410

Impact Testing Imaging and Non-Destructive Evaluation Team members,

pictured with Astronauts Good and Walz, are Bodis,Cosgriff, Martin, Murphy, and Tate. Not pictured: Reich.Insert photo: Associate Director Bob Fails presented theSFA award to Schwinn on October 20.

Photo by Marvin SmithC-2005-1404

Terence O'Malley, Exploration SystemsDivision, oversaw all aspects of thedevelopment of the CIR for the FCF,including requirements formulation, flighthard-ware design, manufacture, integra-tion, testing, and verifications.

Tracy Neff, HEI/Explorations SystemsDivision, served as lead engineer for theFCF CTU development team, ensuringthat all CTU mechanical interface andoperational elements designed wereflightlike and of the highest fidelity forsuperior training support.

Dr. Santo Padula, II, Advanced MetallicsBranch, was responsible for several ex-tensive impact test programs on the spaceshuttle external tank and orbiter wingleading edge thermal protection systemsto assess potential impact damage fromlaunch debris.

Dr. Roy Sullivan, Life Prediction Branch,was instrumental in the resolution offlight safety issues related to the ply liftphenomena in the space shuttle's solidrocket motor (SRM) nozzle insulation.His analysis of the shuttle's SRMexit cone helped to solidify flight safetyrationale for STS–114 and subsequentShuttle flights.

Dr. Anita Tenteris-Noebe, SAIC/QualityManagement Office, was responsible foran extensive impact test program on rein-forced carbon-carbon panels to assessthe damage to orbiter wing leading edgesfrom the space shuttle external protec-tion foam and ice and to validate impactanalysis models under development.

Dr. John Thesken, OAI/Life PredictionBranch, worked as a member of the NESCon the COPVs, deriving an analyticalformula to simulate the fundamentalmechanical response of COPVs.

Thomas Vannuyen, Mechanical and Ro-tating Systems Branch, worked on threecritical tasks—shuttle cable tray test, wind

tunnel test bellows, and rudderspeed brake gear scuffing Test—related to the STS–114 Return toFlight mission.

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conducted in the Glenn Ballistic ImpactLaboratory, stringent quality assurancecontrols were essential for all aspectsinvolving testing, documentation, anddata collection.

SFA awards, sponsored by the Office ofSpace Flight and the NASA-Industry-SFAPanel, are the highest and most prestigiousawards available to employees. The SFAprogram is integral in promoting andrecognizing those across the Agencywho advance and support the Visionfor Space Exploration. Additional infor-mation about the program can beobtained through Monica Palivoda andLynne Wiersma, Glenn's SFA programcoordinators at 216–433–2782. ◆

NOVEMBER 2005

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Photo by Doreen Zudell

NASA night a hit

RTF thank you

Safety awareness and dialogue

Photo by Ahmed Abumeri

Astronaut Carl Walz, a Cleveland native, threwout a ceremonial first pitch during NASA Glennnight at the Cleveland Indians game againstthe Tampa Bay Devil Rays on September 29.Hundreds of Glenn employees looked on whileWalz presented Indians Manager Eric Wedgewith a Cleveland Indians shirt Walz wore whileonboard the International Space Station.During the game, EVA, the larger-than-life in-flatable astronaut, joined Slider in entertainingthe fans. Photos by Quentin SchwinnC-2005-1373

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Glenn's Safety Branch held a Safety Awareness Day and Dialogue event onOctober 11. Deputy Director for Safety and Mission Assurance Rafael Sanabriakicked off the event, followed by presentations on safety culture, fire protec-tion, a fire safety video, fire safety in the home, and Incident Reporting andInformation System (IRIS). Pictured are David Forth, program manager, andMichael Dyke, safety engineer, SAIC/Safety Branch, who provided informationon the American Society of Safety Engineers, a professional society dedicatedto the advancement of safety and health in the workplace.

Glenn's Community and Media Relations Office (CMRO) hosted a celebra-tion luncheon on October 12 for employees who contributed to the STS–114Return to Flight outreach activities. About 30 civil service and support servicecontract employees were recognized for their efforts in engaging the localcommunity and the media in the essential work that NASA Glenn researchersperformed in returning the space shuttle to flight. Pictured is Angel Otero,Space Operations Division, receiving a certificate of appreciation, with, leftto right, Katherine Martin, CMRO; Sandy Reehorst, acting deputy director,Programs and Projects; and Linda Dukes-Campbell, chief, CMRO.

Employees are discovering simple ways to deal with stress and anxietythrough guided relaxation, stretching, and meditation techniques duringthe "Managing Stress Using Relaxation Techniques" seminars held onThursdays from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. in the Small Dining Room. The ses-sions are being offered free and on a first-come, first-serve basis throughDecember 22. Point of contact: Tom Spicer, 3–2762. Pictured is certi-fied yoga instructor Tammy Lyons leading participants in a stretchingexercise.

Managing stress

Photo by Doreen Zudell

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NOVEMBER 2005

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LESA MEETING: LESA/IFPTE, Local 28,will hold its next monthly membershipmeeting on Wednesday, November 9, atnoon in the Employee Center, room 101.

VETERANS AWARENESS EVENT:Glenn's Veterans Awareness Committee(VAC) is sponsoring a presentation byNews Channel 5 anchor Leon Bibb onNovember 10, at 1 to 2 p.m. in the DEBAuditorium. Bibb will address the topicof Vietnam—35 years later. While theVAC is committed to honoring all veter-ans, focus on the Vietnam conflict willcommemorate the 35th anniversary ofthe end of American involvement.

NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE EVENT:The 2005 Glenn Native AmericanIndian Observation will be held onThursday, November 17, from 9:30 to

Center Director's Message

Dr. Earls

Working through the threat of a RIF

11:30 a.m. in theDEB Auditorium.Ronald His Horse IsThunder, an activemember of theHunkpapa-LakotaOyake (people) andpast president ofthe Sitting Bull Col-lege, will be the key-note speaker. The theme is "Pathways toa Stronger Community." Point of contact:George Harpster, 3–3796.

WOMEN RETIREE LUNCHEON: Thenext luncheon for Glenn/Lewis femaleretirees will be Thursday, November 17,noon, at Mapleside Farms Restaurant,294 Pearl Road, Brunswick. For furtherinformation, please contact Kathy Webb,440–845–5286.

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His Horse is Thunder

ART EVENTS AT GLENN: On Saturday,November 19, Glenn’s Visitor Center(VC) will present "NASA Art." The VCauditorium will be transformed into anart gallery featuring original works.Invite your friends and family to come tolearn how artists are conveying the his-tory and future of exploration. Featuredpresentations include former Glennartist Les Bossinas' discussion of creationof past works; DancEvert's performanceof "Confluence," a collaborative dancewith NASA demonstrating the aeronau-tic states of balance and turbulence; anddemonstrations of art and design byGlenn's graphic artists. Bossinas willspeak at 11 a.m. and the dance perfor-mance will take place at 1:30 p.m. Em-ployees can attend a performance of"Confluence" on Friday, November 18,at 11 a.m. in the Administration Build-ing Auditorium. Point of contact:Mike Blair, 3–9652.

ince May, when Glenn's leadership team announced the Centerneeded to begin planning for the possibility of a Reduction InForce (RIF), employees have expressed a number of concerns andasked a number of questions related to the process.

As I've stated several times, a RIF continues to be a last resort in helping to achieve theAgency's workforce transition efforts. Since the President's budget request was re-leased in February, numerous activities have been taking place to lessen the severityof a workforce reduction. During the All Hands meeting in October, Deputy DirectorRich Christiansen and I reviewed how the Center is actively pursuing additional fundingand work, as well as what roles Glenn has secured thus far. This year's planning processis challenging as detailed formulation of Exploration mission projects has only beenunderway since late August and Aeronautics re-planning is still underway. As of thiswriting, nearly 80 percent of our work for these missions lack detailed plans. Manypeople are working very hard to ensure that this Center remains healthy and vibrant.

Because the RIF process is so complex, we have enlisted the help of the Office ofPersonnel Management (OPM) to advise us. With their assistance, we have alreadyheld several employee information sessions aimed at providing a general overview ofthe RIF process. OPM also has supplied an Employee Guide to RIF to help answer asmany questions as possible.

All employees should understand that if a RIF occurs, this action does not in any wayreflect on the employee personally. Once positions that will be required in a post-RIForganization have been identified, RIF regulations determine individual employeeplacements. It's only natural that the number one question employees are asking is"Will I get RIF’ed?" Unfortunately, this is a question that cannot be answered at least

until sometime in 2006. In addition,employees who currently charge timeto unfunded tasks are wondering, "Am Imore vulnerable?" The answer to thisquestion is not necessarily. The task num-ber that employees charge their time todoes not impact their ranking in a RIF.There is a separate process that theCenter will use to identify positions thatwill not be required for the future.

It is important to understand that a RIFprocess is one of constant change. I amconcerned about our employees' stressand anxiety due to our uncertain future. Iencourage all employees to take advan-tage of the onsite employee servicesavailable (fitness center, medical services,counseling services, and the Career Tran-sition Assistance Program). In addition,we are planning other activities to assistemployees, such as weekly stress man-agement seminars sponsored by the Of-fice of Human Resources and WorkplacePlanning that are currently underway.

In closing, I am very proud of Glenn'sstrong work ethic despite these challeng-ing times. Our employees will continueto be our best asset as we forge ahead.

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Pursuing theirdreamsBY S. JENISE VERIS

he musical artistry of guitarist NoelCaraballo and dance performed byGrupo Isla del Encanto set the tone forthe high-spirited keynote address byLorraine Vega, senior vice president ofCorporate Diversity at KeyCorp, Cleve-land, during Glenn's Hispanic HeritageMonth Observance celebration.

Reflecting on the lyrics of Caraballo's songof migration, Vega reminded the audi-ence that the Hispanic heritage is reflect-ed in 21 countries with roots in Africa,Spain, Central America, South America,and the Caribbean, in addition to thediverse influence of Italian, Russian, Ger-man, British, and Chinese settlers in thoseareas. While each of these countries adddifferent dimensions in defining the His-panic profile, Vega believes the unifyingcharacteristics of those who have putdown their roots in America are a strongwork ethic, honor, and respect.

Vega weaved together personal obser-vations, military statistics, diversity

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Cut fuel costs through alternative commuting s the cost of your commute to and fromwork becoming a financial burden? Asfuel costs continue to rise, employeesmay want to consider alternative modesof transportation, such as rail, bus, or bike.

"Currently, approximately 95 percent ofGlenn employees drive alone in their carto work, and there are some householdswhere two or more employees drive towork separately," said Mark Kilkenny,business analyst in the Office of StrategicManagement. "But they may be inter-ested in learning about money-savingalternatives to 'driving-single' to work."

The Rapid Transit Authority (RTA) Bus 78is a viable option for employees living inWest Cleveland. Employees living inLakewood and Berea can easily transferto Bus 78 from Bus 86. Employees living

in Lakewood, West Cleveland, BrookPark, and Middleburg Heights can trans-fer to Bus 78 from Bus 70. Employeesriding the RTA Rapid Red Line can getto the Center by riding the train tothe Puritas Station, and then transfer toBus 78. For more information on RTAbus or train services, contact Kilkennyat 3–8567 or visit the RTA Web site athttp://www.gcrta.org/.

While riding the bus usually takestwice the time as driving, the price isright. Civil servant employees are eligiblefor FREE RTA bus/rail fare cards. Civilservants should contact Timothy Debth,Logistics and Technical Information Divi-sion, at 3–5004 to obtain free fair cards.

People who live more than half an houraway from the Center may want to con-

sider car orvanpools. TheNortheast Ohio Areawide CoordinatingAgency sponsors a countywide ridesharenetwork that operates a carpool/vanpoolmatch list and funds a Guaranteed RideHome Program. Call 1–800–825–RIDEfor details.

Riding a bicycle may be a moneysaving(and healthy) alternative to driving. How-ever, cyclists need to consider a few vari-ables besides their cycling ability and thecondition of their bicycles, namelyweather, daylight, visibility, and traffic.For information on bicycle routes toGlenn, contact Kilkenny or Fred Oswald,Mechanical Components Branch, at3–3957 or visit the GO-BIKE Web at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/AdvisoryGroups/GO-BIKE/BikeRoute.html.

Hispanic Heritage Awareness Month

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surveys, and census reports to relatethe characteristics, contributions, andleadership potential of "Hispanic Ameri-cans: Strong and Colorful Threads inthe American Fabric."

"I grew up listening to many stories ofloyalty, courage, and honor, where Latinosmade what appeared to be a limitingsituation for some into an opportunity forleadership," Vega said. "With the chang-ing face of America (brought on by in-creases in minority populations andglobal business), there can and will bemore Hispanic leaders."

Vega thanked NASA for its contributionsto creating an environment for success

in the Hispanic community, citingGlenn's support to Esperanza and re-cruiting efforts as "innovation at its best."She encouraged the Center's continuedfocus on education and efforts to com-municate the work being done for in-formed advocacy.

Glenn's Hispanic Advisory Council(HAC), with the support of the Office ofEqual Opportunity Programs, presentedthis year's program. ◆

Pictured, left, HAC cochairs DanielRodriguez and Carlos Gomez presenta plaque of appreciation to Vega.Pictured, above, Jessica Sanabria,daughter of Raphael Sanabria andOlga Gonzalez-Sanabria, along withRamon Lebron and Hector Dominguez,center, enjoy HAC's popular Fiestaearlier this year.

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NOVEMBER 2005

BY S. JENISE VERIS

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hile Glenn's Aircraft OperationsOffice past accomplishments support-ing icing and solar cell research iswidely recognized, more recent workvalidates its continuing importance as aresource for NASA missions and otherGovernment agencies.

The flight team recently collaboratedwith the Air Force Research Laboratory(AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base(WPAFB) on the in-flight evaluation ofthe phasorBIRD™ head tracker system,part of a synthetic vision device for ad-vanced fighter aircraft being developedby Ascention Technology Corporationof Burlington, VT. The goal was to assessand improve the system's vulnerabilityto environmental conditions such asambient light and vibrations experiencedat different altitudes and light anglesduring maneuvering flight.

"We chose Glenn because they wereclose, inexpensive, and accommodat-ing," said Mike Sedillo, AFRL's principalinvestigator for the optical head-trackersystem program. "It's a one-stop-shopoperation with in-house design, modifi-cation, and flight safety analysis capabili-ties as well as the availability of qualifiedresearch pilots, ground support, anda variety of aircraft."

Working to the specifications of AFRL'sHelmet Mounted Systems Technologyteam, Glenn's engineering effort was ledby Mike Ernst, who designed a replace-ment for the rear cargo door on theNASA Twin Otter. The opening was fit-ted with a clear acrylic panel to replicatethe optical characteristics of a fightercockpit. The lead project pilot, JimDemers, with maintenance chief, BudSchutte, and crew chiefs, Mike Krinovand Phil Beck, directly supported thiseffort both at Glenn and WPAFB.

Glenn enjoys a long-term relationshipwith the AFRL dating back to work ondeveloping voice recognition in aircraftand 3–D audio. AFRL has committed tofuture projects utilizing the S–3 Viking,a recent addition to Glenn's Hangar.

Flight research: Taking stock of a valuable resource

The S–3 is a former Navy fighter jet,which houses a variety of equipment thatcould be used for test platforms.

Word of Glenn's flight research capabili-ties is spreading and is responsible forwhat the team has determined was athreefold increase in their requests forsupport over the past year.

Ongoing support to Glenn's Solar CellCalibration Program, Engine Noise Re-duction Program, and various projectsfunded by NASA's Aviation Safety andSecurity Program such as WeatherInformation Communications, make upthe bulk of the work requiring researchflight operations.

In addition, Glenn is currently in the sec-ond phase of collaboration with Amesand Dryden on another project calledNASA Aircraft Infrared MeasurementSystem (NAIMS).

"We were required to modify our Lear 25within 120 days based on the geo-metry of a Lear 24," explained WilliamRieke, Glenn's Aircraft Operations chief.

"It was all done in-house, saving time andmoney, and we helped them meet theirmilestone."

Rieke said that Glenn might never havepursued several of these projects withoutErnst. His expertise was also requestedfor a team Ames assembled to review andmake recommendations on a majorairframe modification to their 747 sup-porting NASA's new SOFIA telescope.Ernst earned an Ames Safety Award forthese efforts.

According to Director of Engineering andTechnical Services Olga Gonzalez-Sanabria, "The Glenn aircraft operationsteam has proven time after time thatthey are a customer-focused organiza-tion, which is cost effective, safe, andefficient, and that their expertisecontributes to the research testingcapability they support."

For more information on aircraft avail-able for testing and Glenn's AircraftOperations Office capabilities, visit http:/www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ETSD/7040/◆

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Above: Dan Gorman, far right,and Steve Hayes, not pictured,lead the "operation" modifyingthe Lear 25 in support of theNAIMS Program. Two 10-inchportholes were cut out of thefuselage and fortified with 1700rivots fabricated and installed in-house by, left to right, SteveHughell, Ken Ulicny, and JerryAnschuetz.

Below: Mike Ernst,left, and Garry Hubertest qualifymodifications andequipment on theOtter before deliveryto AFRL.

Photos by Ed Emery

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product called, Multi-Parameter, Micro-Sensor-Based Low False Alarm fireDetection System.

Protect the Environment: Ultra-EfficientEngine Technology Project ComponentDemonstrations Team. . . . . Glenn, in partner-ship with industry, developed, matured,and demonstrated many critical pro-pulsion technologies that will enable afleet of environmentally friendly aircraftfor the future. These technologies havebeen successfully incorporated intoengine components, realizing 70percent NOx reduction and 10 percentCO2 reduction.

Partnerships for National Security: VirtualMission Operations Center Demonstra-tion Team. . . . . Glenn identified areas in whichNASA's development of mobile networktechnologies might be transferred andintegrated into a communication systemof mutual benefit to the Department ofDefense (DOD). DOD found it can meetsecurity and survivability requirementsnecessary for battlefield environment,while the same system supports NASA'sNext Generation Air Transportation Systemby enabling secure access to aviationinformation.

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Continued from page1

NASA Awards recognize outstanding technology

Inspire Students, Engage Public: TheMobile Aerospace Education Laboratory(MAEL) Team. Glenn managed 24 sitevisits of the 53-foot MAEL trailer thathouses 10 unique workstations, completewith NASA technologies and hands-on

activities. The MAEL is designed toengage the interest of underserved stu-dents, teachers, parents, and the commu-nity in science, technology, engineering,and mathematics. ◆

wo veteran crewmembers make up theExpedition 12 (Exp 12) crew aboardthe International Space Station (ISS).Their mission marks the fifth anniversaryof uninterrupted human presence onthe orbiting laboratory since November2000.

NASA Astronaut William McArthur, aretired Army colonel, serves asCommander and Russian CosmonautValery Tokarev, a Russian Air Forcecolonel, serves as Exp 12 flight engineerand Soyuz commander.

During their 6-month mission, McArthurand Tokarev expect to perform at least

two spacewalks. The first is planned earlythis month to move their Soyuz spacecraftfrom the Russian Pirs docking port, so itcan be used for the spacewalks. OnDecember 23, the crew expects tooversee the arrival of a new unpilotedsupply ship, the 20th Progress vehicle,bearing fuel, equipment, supplies, water,oxygen, and air, just in time for Christmas.

While station maintenance will occupyconsiderable time, science-orientededucation activities, Earth observation,and scientific experiments, both with andwithout crew involvement, will continue.Due to surprising results during Exp 10,activity on Glenn's Binary Colloidal

Alloy Test–3 (BCAT–3) experiment hasbeen extended. McArthur will pick upwhere Exp 10's Leroy Chiao left off.McArthur will photograph colloids, tinynanoscale spheres of particles suspendedin a variety of fluids, to document theirbehavior—crystal formation or phaseseparation—in the absence of gravity,where effects of sedimentation andconvection are removed.

A more detailed article on BCAT–3 canbe viewed on Glenn's Web portal. Visithttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html. ◆

Expedition12 crew new residents on ISS;Glenn experiment extendedT

(1) Critical propulsiontechnologies developed,matured, and demonstratedby the UEET team will enablea fleet of environmentallyfriendly aircraft. (2) Mobilenetwork technologies can betransferred and integratedinto various communicationsystems. (3) MAEL instructorCraig Frohman, PATL/Educational Programs Office,assists a student at the FlightSimulator Workstation.

(1)

(2)

(3)

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NOVEMBER 2005

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All Hands provides updates on Glenn activities, actions

Deputy Director Rich Christiansen pro-vided an update to employees on possi-bilities of future Glenn work based on theExploration Systems Architecture Studyand other studies determining theAgency's roadmap for transition.

"We have the lead for LOX/Methanepropulsion system to launch us to Mars.This is a critical element in the overallarchitecture," Christiansen said. "We alsohave a part of the work on the launchvehicle proposal. Our service moduleproposal is still being reviewed."

Christiansen identified six initiativesthat are the foundation of an initial strat-egy to market Glenn's core competen-cies: Supersonics, Nuclear Power andPropulsion, Space Systems, In-SpaceChemical Propulsion and Planetary Sur-face Systems, Hypersonics, and Break-through Energy Generation and Storage.He also added that the absence ofother technologies was not an indicationthat they had fallen off Glenn's radarscreen; rather, our Center needs toprioritize its focus on what resourceswill be required over the long term.

Earls continued the meeting by citing howthe Center's Leadership Observationand Feedback Team (LOFT) is a proveninvestment in time and energy, based onGlenn's improved position among the"Best Government Places to Work" sur-vey conducted by the U.S. Office ofPersonnel Management. He said thecommitment of management and em-ployees to the LOFT process are vitalto the future of the Center.

He also acknowledged the efforts ofemployees who responded to a requestfor ideas as to how the Center mightreduce overhead. Chief Financial OfficerBruce Ward added that a number of em-ployee suggestions have accounted formore than $500,000 in potential savings.

During his remaining months at Glenn,Earls promised to continue to aggressivelyseek to establish an agenda that ensuresthe Center's future.

he Agencywide participants of the NASA Aerospace Flight Battery SystemsProgram Team were formally recognized as Glenn's "Center Best in 2005 OneNASA Peer Awards," during a recent visit to the Center for a Battery ProgramReview Meeting.

The team received a One NASA Team award earlier this year for ensuring thequality, safety, reliability,affordability, and perfor-mance of flight batterysystems for NASA mis-sions, while establishingthe foundation that en-ables the infusion of vali-dated technology intofuture missions. (For moredetails on the award, seethe May 2005 AeroSpaceFrontiers.)

Center Director Dr. JulianEarls recognized the indi-vidual efforts of the teammembers and presentedthe Center Best certificatesto Glenn's Michelle Manzo

(lead), Thomas Miller, Barbara McKissock, Concha Reid, and Jacquelyn Selee.Other NASA team members include Eric Darcy, Johnson Space Center; RatnakumarBugga, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Gopal Rao, Goddard Space Flight Center;Jeffrey Brewer, Marshall Space Flight Center; David Olsen, Kennedy SpaceCenter; and Guillermo Gonzalez, Langley Research Center. ◆

One NASA battery team

Pictured, left to right, Olsen, Gonzalez, Darcy, Manzo,Reid, Bugga, Rao, Miller, and McKissock. Not pictured:Brewer and Selee.

Photo by Michelle Murphy

"The arrival of Dr. Woodrow Whitlow willbe a plus-plus for the Center," Earlssaid. "Woodrow has unquestionabletechnical competence in aeronautics, and

now in space flight, based on his interac-tion and contacts at Kennedy—all assetsthat should spell success during his ten-ure at Glenn." ◆

Continued from page1

T

Glenn's customers have their say ASA Glenn's external customers are satisfied with its research products andservices, according to a recent survey taken by Opinionation, a Cleveland-basedpolling organization.

Opinionation conducted the third biennial telephone survey of Glenn's customers thissummer to identify performance trends and to obtain specific feedback on howthe Center can improve. Two hundred twelve officials in organizations that receiveGlenn's research, products, or services participated in the survey. One quarter of

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Continued on page 10

C-2005-1377

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AeroSpace Frontiers is an official publication ofGlenn Research Center, National Aeronauticsand Space Administration. It is published the firstFriday of each month by the Community andMedia Relations Office in the interest of theGlenn workforce, retirees, Government officials,business leaders, and the general public. Itscirculation is approximately 6700.

Editor.....................................Doreen B. Zudell SGT, Inc.

Assistant Editor..........................S. Jenise Veris SGT, Inc.

Managing Editor...............Kelly R. DiFrancesco

DEADLINES: News items and briefannouncements for publication in theDecember issue is noon, November 10. Thedeadline for the January issue is noon,December 9. Submit contributions to theeditor via e-mail, [email protected],fax, 216–433–8143, phone 216–433–5317 or216–433–2888, or MS 3–11.Ideas for news stories arewelcome but will be publishedas space allows. View us onlineat http://AeroSpaceFrontiers.grc. nasa.gov.

Promotion

Dominguez

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the respondents were in non-aerospacesectors—most notably battery, fuel cell,and energy storage manufacturers, aswell as media and/or broadcastingcompanies. The other three quartersof the respondents were in aerospace—most notably aircraft and/or rotorcraftengine manufacturers, spacecraft andspacecraft engine manufacturers, andNASA program offices.

Ratings and comments were receivedfor 12 questions, with one open-endedquestion. The key average rating, OverallSatisfaction, was 7.9 on a scale from1 to 10. This compares favorably tothe 2003 and 2001 survey ratings forthat same question of 7.8 and 7.4,respectively. One key finding wasthat customers generally like whatGlenn does, especially Glenn's NASAcustomers. Areas the Center's customerssay need improvement are: capabilityinformation and marketing, market-sensitive pricing, and handling ofcustomer complaints.

A copy of the survey report can beaccessed at http://www-internal.grc.nasa.gov/ WWW/0170/local/customersurvey/index.html. ◆

Continued from page 9

Satisfied customers

Manuel Dominguez has been named chief, Safety, Health, andEnvironmental Division, of the Safety and Mission AssuranceDirectorate. Dominguez previously served as the division's deputychief where he coordinated the reorganization of the GlennSafety Office and the Environmental Management Office into thecurrent division-level organization. Since joining NASA as a safetyengineer in October 1990, Dominguez has gained extensiveexperience in safety engineering, fire protection, risk manage-ment, environmental management, occupational health programmanagement, and supervision.....

Adrian Accurso, a NASA Undergraduate Researchers Program(USRP) intern from Dartmouth College, was invited to present aposter at the International Astronautical Conference in Fukuoka,Japan, compliments of the USRP Program and NASA Headquar-ters. Accurso, who interned in Glenn's Polymers Branch, pre-sented a poster on his summer research on the development offluorescent molecular sensors used for the detection of chemicaland biochemical contaminants. The work is supported under theAlternative Fuel Foundation Technologies Subproject of the LowEmissions Alternative Power Project.

Honor

Accurso

NASA STARS job application process changes

n October, NASA STARS began usingnew electronic tools for the Jobapplication process. This change is beingdone under a federally mandatede-Government initiative called Re-cruitment One-Stop, which directs allFederal agencies to make the changesNASA is now implementing.

The USAJOBS resume became the basicapplication document, and USAJOBSprovides job search and other applicanttools. These tools may be assessed directlythrough the USAJOBS site at http://

I www.usajobs.opm.gov or through linkson NASAJOBS at http://nasajobs.nasa.gov. Applicants must use the"Job Search" link on NASAJOBS to seevacancies open only to NASA employees.In addition, the NASAJOBS site willcontinue to provide general employ-ment information of interest to theNASA community.

For more information, visit "NASA STARSis Changing" at http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/NASAStars/transition.htm. ◆

4 CSPAN 15 CSPAN 26 Cable News Network (CNN)7 Future8 Future

9 NASA Education Services10 NASA Media Services11 NASA Mission Operations12 Glenn Video Bulletin Board13 Glenn Internal Programming

Please note that the LINK/Glenn TV program guide has changed. Below is a list ofthe updated Glenn TV channel listing:

New programming guide for GTV

Channel Programming

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NOVEMBER 2005

Friends and Colleagues,I would like to extend my gratitude of thanks for the cards, gifts, phone calls, visits,and donation of leave during my recovery. Without your continued supportmy recovery time could have been much more difficult. It is a blessing to have somany coworkers and friends who care. Thank you again. —Donald Szmania

Glenn gets fuel to facilities hit by Katrina n the wake of Hurricane Katrina, NASA Glenn sprang into action by arrangingfor fuel to be transported to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi andMichoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

"We received a call from Headquarters requesting that Glenn help provide thefacilities with fuel that was urgently needed for their generators and vehicles,"explained Logistics Manager Jeanine Hanzel, SGT/Logistics and TechnicalInformation Division. "We determined that it was faster and more cost effectiveto locate and procure fuel and carriers from a location closer to the facilitiesthan NASA Glenn."

Glenn's Logistics personnel expediently arranged for seven tankers of dieselfuel and two tankers of nonleaded fuel to be delivered to Stennis, and twotankers of diesel fuel to Michoud.

"It took a lot of work and effort to address this request," Hanzel said, "but wewere glad to be able to provide assistance to members of our NASA familyin need." ◆

I

Dean Bitler, Technology Transfer andPartnership Office, retired on September30, 2005, with 45 years of Federal service,including 43 with NASA.

Mary Dietz, Facilities Division, retired onSeptember 30, 2005, with 37 years of Federalservice, including 35 1/2 years with NASA.

Gary Halford, Research and TechnologyDirectorate, retired on September 3, 2005, with 40 1/2 years ofNASA service.

Carol Mehallick, Office of Human Resources and Workforce Planning, retired onSeptember 30, 2005, with 28 1/2 years of Federal service, including 21 1/2 with NASA.

Barbara Truffin, Facilities Division, retired on September 30, 2005, with 20 years ofNASA service.

Jeffery Wagner, Environmental Management Office, retired on September 2, 2005,with 31 1/2 years of Federal service, including 27 1/2 years with NASA.

Bitler Dietz

Myron "Mike" Clifford, 75, who retired in1992, recently died. While at Glenn, heworked as a research laboratory mechanicin the materials area.

Leroy Plank, 79, who retired in 1981with 35 1/2 years of Federal service,recently died. He worked as a wind tunnelmechanic foreman.

Isidore Warshawsky, 94, who retiredin 1990 with nearly60 years of NACA—NASA service, re-cently died. Theformer chief of Lewis'Instrument ResearchBranch began hiscareer at Langleybefore transferringto Cleveland to helpestablish NACA'snew Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory.Warshawsky's expertise in measurementand (aircraft) instrumentation researchwas later utilized in an ad hoc committee,directed by the Lewis Research PlanningCouncil, to help plan and expand theCenter's capabilities for space flightlaunch vehicles. He was extremely de-dicated to his work and the goals ofthe Agency—a fact that enabled him tobe the first NASA employee to reach50 years of Government service. Uponretirement, he became a member of anelite group of eight retirees initiallyawarded Distinguished Research Associ-ate (DRA) status to continue theirresearch without pay while using Centerfacilities and services. DRA membershipis only offered to retirees who are nation-ally or internationally recognized fortheir distinguished contributions toscientific or technical research.

Wilbert Metzger's military service wasincorrectly reported and published inthe October AeroSpace Frontiers InMemory section. Metzger served in theU.S. Air Force. ◆

Warshawsky

Remember ourveterans onNovember 11

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Volume 7 Issue 10 November 2005

AeroSpace Frontiersis recyclable!

National Aeronautics and Space Administrationwww.nasa.gov

John H. Glenn Research CenterLewis Field21000 Brookpark RoadCleveland, Ohio 44135

T

Glenn's recycling efforts going strong

elephone books. Batteries. Fluorescentlight bulbs. Compact disks. Wood. Glennhas come a long way since 1993 when itbegan recycling white office paper.Today, the Center collects 15 differentitems for recycling.

"Glenn has worked hard to reduce wasteby instituting a recycling program thatis rewarding both environmentally andfinancially," explained Michelle Kenzig,Recycle Program lead in the Logisticsand Technical Information Division.

While Glenn's Recycling/Pollution Pre-vention Program encourages employees

to recycle every day, the Center willcelebrate the nationwide America Re-cycles Day on December 1.

"Throughout the day, we'll be offeringour most current recycling programinformation, providing training opportu-nities, and distributing educationalmaterial," Kenzig said. "In addition, avariety of recycling-oriented vendorswill be featured in the AdministrationBuilding Auditorium, sharing the latestrecycling information and products.There will be fun activities, useful give-aways, and refreshments too."

One of the areas that will bestressed during America Re-cycles Day is the importance ofemployees placing recyclablesin their proper containers. Toassist with this request, theRecycling/Pollution PreventionProgram team has placed sort-ing stations for items such asnewspaper, plastic, aluminum,

and glass atconven ien tl o c a t i o n sth roughoutthe Center.There are also office paper bins and spe-cialty bins for such items as scrap medal.Cardboard recycling bins, the latest addi-tion to the array of recyclable items, arenow located throughout the Lab as well.

Kenzig explained that recyclable itemssuch as office paper and plastic contain-ers are discovered daily in solid waste(trash) containers. "One of the goals ofrecycling is to reduce the amount of solidwaste at the Center, which is costly tohaul away," she said. "Transferring itemsinto our recycling program is a win-winsituation because we spend less on solidwaste removal."

Through the support of employees whodo take the time to recycle, Glenn hasgenerated the funds to purchase itemssuch as picnic tables, bike racks, andinformational materials for specialevents like the America Recycles Day. ◆

BY DOREEN ZUDELL

Cardboard (flatboard) recyclingbins are now located throughoutthe Center.