JANUARY 2004

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ONE NASA ROLLOUT ................. 2Guest speakers shared informationon One NASA initiative

A LOOK BACK .............................. 5Glenn highlights spectacularCentennial of Flight activities

DUAL CAREER LADDER . ........... 9Outstanding technical contributionsacknowledged through promotions

DESTINATION MARS .................. 12Glenn engineers contributeto MER mission

Glenn showcased for fosteringeconomic development

Volume 6 Issue 1 January 2004

Continued on page 2

Glenn successfully tests ion engine Fails namedAssociate Director

lenn is among seven prominent Federal laboratories highlighted in the Departmentof Commerce report, "Partners on a Mission: Federal Laboratory Practices Contributingto Economic Development." Selected lab partnerships were chosen for their outstand-ing and innovative activities in economic development and their ability to serve as anexample for other labs.

The report, published by Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP), also includescase studies of two intermediary programs that work with geographically distantFederal labs to bring resources to regions without a major laboratory.

GHeadquarters release

Glenn news relase

ASA's Project Prometheus recentlyreached an important milestone with thefirst successful test of an engine that couldlead to revolutionary propulsion capabili-ties for space exploration missionsthroughout the solar system and beyond.

R

Fails

The test involved a High Power ElectricPropulsion (HiPEP) ion engine. The eventmarked the first in a series of perfor-mance tests to demonstrate new high-velocity and high-power thrust neededfor use in nuclear electric propulsion(NEP) applications.

Continued on page 3

Photo by Christian Carpenter

Dr. John Foster (5430),right, and Dr. GeorgeWilliams (OAI) getready for the HiPEPproject's first beamextraction test. TheHiPEP ion thruster isthe largest and highestpowered microwave-driven ion thrusterever tested.

obert Fails,who served asGlenn's chieffinancial of-ficer (CFO)since 1995,has been as-signed to theposition ofAssociate Di-rector (0100). In his new position,Fails is responsible for supportingthe Center Director in the overallmanagement and direction ofthe Center.

"It's a real honor for me to havebeen asked to work with our CenterDirector Julian Earls and Deputy

Continued on page 3

One NASA panel visits

2

Glenn chosen as example for other labs

"NASA Glenn's inclusion in this report is atribute to the Center's dedication topursuing innovative approaches fortransferring its technology and technicalknow-how to enhance the level of local,regional, and national economic devel-opment," said Glenn Director Dr. JulianEarls. "We are honored indeed to beincluded among these highly accom-plished Federal laboratories."

Glenn was recognized for fostering eco-nomic development through a compre-hensive program of business incubation,technology and business assistance,education outreach, and workforcedevelopment. Highlighted Glenn eco-nomic development-related programsand initiatives include Science, Engineer-

ing, Mathematics, and AerospaceAcademy (SEMAA); Garrett MorganCommercialization Initiative GlennanMicrosystems Initiative; Pre-ApprenticeMachining Program; SBIR/STTR Assis-tance; Commercial Technology Fund;Lewis Incubator for Technology (LIFT);and Ohio Aerospace Institute.

The other Federal labs highlighted in thereport include Air Force Research Labo-ratory, OH; Communications ElectronicCommand Research, Development, andEngineering Center, NJ; Los AlamosNational Laboratory, NM; Naval Air War-fare Center Aircraft Division and the NavalAir Systems Command, MD; PacificNorthwest National Laboratory, WA; andSandia National Laboratories, NM.

"Federal laboratories are playing an in-creasingly important role in promotingregional growth," explained BruceMehlman, Commerce assistant secretaryfor Technology Policy. "This reportprovides policymakers, economic devel-opment organizations, communitygroups, and Federal labs and agencieswith examples of effective partnerships."

The report is a product of OTP's contractwith Innovation Associates, Inc., whichadministered a questionnaire, conductedonsite research, and produced case stud-ies on several exemplary Federal labprograms supporting technology-ledeconomic development. A copy of thereport can be found at http://www.technology.gov/reports. ◆

Continued from page 1

BY S. JENISE VERIS

Photo by Quentin SchwinnC-2003-2098

HThe panel of Agency leaders tookon a series of questions followingthe One NASA All Hands Meeting.

Continued on page 3

ow does the One NASA initiative differfrom past initiatives? That's the questionthat One NASA Implementation TeamLeader Johnny Stephenson and represen-tatives of Agency leadership addressed dur-ing Glenn's One NASA All Hands Meetingon December 12.

Stephenson, Deputy Administrator FredGregory, Associate Administrator of SpaceScience Dr. Ed Weiler, and Goddard SpaceFlight Center Director Al Diaz shared theirperspective on the Agency's vision for OneNASA, and then joined Glenn CenterDirector Dr. Julian Earls as panelists for theQ&A session that immediately followed.

According to Stephenson, One NASA is aneffort to reorganize the Agency's structureat the grassroots level and move toward awork culture characterized by (1) team-work and open communications, to pro-mote the optimal application of all ourskills, regardless of where they are; (2) avail-ability of the right tools, to do our best workand push the envelope to do even better;(3) standardization of funding across theAgency, to enable good decisions based

on sound financial practices; and(4) accountability, to build cred-ibility with the folks we serve andgreater opportunity for increasedfunding in the future. The successof One NASA, Stephenson con-tends, will ultimately be deter-mined by the inherent strength ofthe Agency long after the currentworkforce is gone and a newworkforce has taken its place.

Glenn Deputy Director Rich Christiansen,who relocated from Dryden to Glenn inNovember, explained why mobility acrossNASA supports the Agency. "Mobilityhelps you build a continuous set of skillsthat improve with every step of the way,"he said. "And in terms of personal growth,it helps you create a database of the bril-liant people you have worked with and cancount on to respond with a phone call."

Diaz gave an overview of the five Goddardcampuses and prospects for the futurecollaboration encouraged by One NASA.

"Although we are involved in a full range ofactivities with each of the centers, we areanxious to develop our educationalprograms and outreach. Since Glenn isrecognized as a leader in that activity, weare looking forward to more collaborationin that effort to inspire a new generationof explorers."

Weiler gave a historical presentation ofNASA's exploration of the galaxy and ex-plained how the goals of One NASA wouldhelp enable us to answer the age-oldquestion: Are we alone?

JANUARY 2004

3

"The initial test went extremely well," saidDr. John Foster, the primary investigatorof the HiPEP ion engine, On-Board Pro-pulsion Branch. "The test involved thelargest microwave ion thruster ever built.The use of microwaves for ionizationwould enable very long-life thrusters forprobing the universe," he said.

The test was conducted in a vacuum cham-ber at Glenn. The HiPEP ion engine wasoperated at power levels up to 12 kilo-watts and over, an equivalent range ofexhaust velocities from 60,000 to 80,000meters per second. The thruster is beingdesigned to provide 7-to-10-year life-times at high fuel efficiencies of morethan 6000-seconds specific impulse; ameasure of how much thrust is generatedper kilogram of fuel. This is a contrastto a standard chemical rocket, whichhas a specific impulse on the order of300 to 400 seconds.

The HiPEP thruster operates by ionizingxenon gas with microwaves. At the rear ofthe engine is a pair of rectangular metalgrids that are charged with 6000 volts ofelectric potential. The force of this elec-tric field exerts a strong electrostatic pullon the xenon ions, accelerating them andproducing the thrust that propels thespacecraft. The rectangular shape, adeparture from the cylindrical ion thrust-ers used before, was designed to allowfor an increase in engine power andperformance by means of stretchingthe engine. The use of microwaves

should provide much longer life andion-production capability compared tocurrent state-of-the-art technologies.

This new class of NEP thrusters will offersubstantial performance advantages overthe ion engine flown on Deep Space 1 in1999. Overall improvements include upto a factor of 10 or more in power; afactor of 2 to 3 in fuel efficiency; a factorof 4 to 5 in grid voltage; a factor of 5 to 8in thruster lifetime; and a 30 percent im-provement in overall thruster efficiency.Glenn engineers will continue testing anddevelopment of this particular thrustermodel, culminating in performance testsat full power levels of 25 kilowatts.

"This test represents a huge leap in dem-onstrating the potential for advanced iontechnologies, which could propelflagship space exploration missionsthroughout the solar system andbeyond," said Alan Newhouse, director,Project Prometheus. "We commendthe work of Glenn and the otherNASA centers supporting thisambitious program."

HiPEP is one of several candi-date propulsion technologiesunder study by ProjectPrometheus for possible use onthe first proposed flight mission,the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter(JIMO). Powered by a smallnuclear reactor, electric thrust-ers would propel the JIMOspacecraft as it conducts close-

range observations of Jupiter's three icymoons, Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.The three moons could contain water,and where there is water, there is thepossibility of life.

Development of the HiPEP ion engine isbeing carried out by a team of engineersfrom Glenn; Aerojet, Redmond, WA.;Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices, Tor-rance, CA; OAI, Cleveland, OH;University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,MI; Colorado State University, FortCollins, CO; and the University of Wis-consin, Madison, WI.

For more information about ProjectPrometheus on the Internet, visit http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/prometheus.htm. ◆

Continued from page 1

Project Prometheus reaches important milestone

Photo by Christian Carpenter

Director Rich Christiansen, and serve thisCenter in this new capacity," Fails said.

Fails joined the Center in 1978 as a pro-gram analyst where he had a significantrole in decentralizing the Center's bud-get management process. He served ina number of managerial positions, in-cluding his selection as chief of theCenter's Central Budget Office in 1989

and deputy comptroller in 1994. Failshas received several awards during hiscareer, including NASA's ExceptionalService Medal in 1994 for his innovativeapproach to managing the Center'sbudget formation process, and aPresidential Rank Award of MeritoriousExecutive in 2000.

Dan Walker is serving as the deputyCFO, working closely with Fails duringthis transition period. ◆

Fails to serve in new roleContinued from page 1

One NASAinitiativeContinued from page 2

In his concluding remarks Deputy Admin-istrator Gregory, affirmed Weiler's visionbut suggested NASA should already be seek-ing to define its role above and beyondthat. "How we combine our skills, strengths,capabilities, and passions to make ithappen—that's what One NASA is all about."

Left to right, James Kelly, 7270/AKAC, andTommy Brown, AKAC, assemble the ionoptics for the HiPEP engine.

4

Celebrating TGIR successes

Knowledge sharing

LifesaversThe Glenn Safety Office, in conjunction with Occupational Medicine Services,recently acquired nine new automated external defibrillators (AED) for use in casesof perceived heart attacks. A total of 13 units is now available onsite. The portableunits record vital signs and walk operators through the process of stabilizing victimsuntil emergency personnel arrive. Data is electronically recorded in the unit andsent to the hospital. Five of the new units have been placed in patrol vehicles to beused by trained security personnel, and the other 11 units are located throughoutthe Center. Plum Brook Station currently has five defibrillators. The American RedCross will be providing training in the coming months for employees interested inlearning to operate the defibrillators. Pictured, center, is Manuel Dominguez,manager of Glenn's Safety Office, providing an AED to security officers Bill Rivett,left, and Thomas Kish, to be placed in a patrol vehicle.

This year, six Glenn-led teams and their partners were recognizedwith Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR) Awards for outstandingcontributions toward achieving NASA's Aerospace TechnologyEnterprise goals, which was the best outcome for any center inthe Agency. To honor the efforts of all team members from civilservants to contractors and grantees, Glenn recently hosted aTGIR appreciation breakfast. Deputy Center Director RichChristiansen, who helped pioneer the TGIR concept, providedopening remarks. Dr. Arun Sehra, director of the AeronauticsDirectorate, and Dr. Jih-Fen Lei, deputy director of the Researchand Technology Directorate, shared their pride in and support ofthe Glenn teams as well. (For detailed information on the awards,refer to the July 2003 AeroSpace Frontiers.) Pictured, left, isChristiansen talking with TGIR winners John Jones (7700/ZINT),center, and Cameron Cunningham (7725), members of the FanNoise Reduction Team.

Photo by Doreen B. Zudell

C-2003-2096 Photo by Marvin Smith

Ray Morgan, who is president of Morgan Aircraft Company, SimiValley, CA, and a pioneer in the development of next-generationaircraft since the 1970s, recently spoke with some of Glenn's currentand emerging project managers and leaders. The event was a Knowl-edge Sharing Workshop sponsored by NASA's Academy of Programand Project Leadership and hosted by Glenn's Systems ManagementOffice. During the workshops, practitioners learn from the stories ofseasoned managers, and reflect on their own experiences to developas mature and effective project leaders. The intent is to develop abroad-based community of emerging program and project leaders tointeract on a regular basis and begin a process of knowledge sharing.For further information on Glenn's Knowledge Sharing Workshops,contact Harvey Schabes, 216–433–5309. Pictured is, left, Morgan,with Schabes.

Photo by Doreen B. Zudell

Two years ago, former Center Director Donald Campbell advocated Glenn’s participation in the centennialof the Wright Brothers’ first flight. This would be the perfect opportunity to show the public just how farNASA has come in 100 years.

Dr. Julian Earls, serving in the role of deputy director of operations at the time, contributed to this goal bychallenging a core Glenn team to offer their best. Former Liaison Officer Karen Hickman led the outreachand marketing campaign. David DeFelice, Community and Media Relations Office, led the design efforts inthe Powering Flight, Powering Dreams exhibit, NASA’s ambassador to the public during the centennial year.Carol Galica, Educational Programs Office, helped to produce the Re-Living the Wright Way Web site andsignature NASA centennial publications. And a Glenn team of 300 staffers, many contributors on campus,supportive managers, and countless other helpers tightened the nuts and anchored the bolts—and theprojects rolled into action.

“We had 10 events around the country to show our stuff…and that we did,” said Glenn’s Centennial of FlightProject manager Susan Hennie. “This tribute is thanks to every person who helped. The work was exhausting,but rewarding. We laughed and joked with astronauts. Wright nieces, nephews, and cousins mingled at Dayton;we saw nephew Melvin Wright shake John Glenn’s hand. John Glenn made the acquaintance of John Travolta!We watched Neil Armstrong discuss the strategy of space exploration.”

Hennie affirmed, “The public loves NASA. To the public, we really are the organization that works for the goodof all humankind. We cherished the privilege of telling NASA’s story. And we discovered that Americans areproud of us.”

First Flight

Centennial Celebration

December 12 to 17, 2003

From December 12 to 17, 2003, visitors tothe Wright Brothers National Memorial inKill Devil Hills, just south of Kitty Hawk,NC, honored Orville and Wilbur Wright’shistoric flight. The event served as theclimax of a year’s worth of tributes,exhibits, and events across the country.

If all had gone as planned on December 17,2003, a replica of the Wright 1903 Flyer,painstakingly built over 4 years bydedicated craftsmen, would have flown afew feet and created a great moment ofhistoric deja vu.

Instead, the fragile plane was never able to adequately lift offdue to rain and intermittent winds. Yet those who attendedthe celebration—including many employees from across NASAcenters who provided presentations and staffed exhibits—

were not disheartened. A variety of programs, events, exhibits, andshows highlighting aviation history made for an educational andentertaining experience for more than 30,000 visitors.

Special guests who actually lived the history of 20th-century flight—retired Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break thesound barrier; Mercury astronaut John Glenn, the first American toorbit the Earth; and Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the firsthuman to step on the Moon—added to the nostalgia. Other notableguests such as President George W. Bush, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe,and NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory, stopped by to share theirsupport. Actor and avid pilot John Travolta served as master of ceremonies,while thousands of aviation enthusiasts, many flying their own planes, joinedin the celebration.

The Wright Brothers would have been proud of this commemorativecelebration and the noble attempt to reenact one of the definingaccomplishments of the 20th century.

M–1336Jan 04

‘ ‘

Powering Flight

Powering Dreams . . .

Kitty Hawk photos courtesy of Katherine Barnstorff, NASA Langley

JANUARY 2004

8 5

Air Power 2003 . . . May 10–11, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OHEvery aircraft in the current Air Force inventory was displayed on the Wright-Patterson Airfield. NASA had a hangar exhibit on the history ofNASA–WPAFB collaboration. Event highlights included Air Force demonstrations, a historic flyover, and visits to Huffman Prairie Flying Field,where the Wrights perfected their Flyer.

Festival of Flight 2003 . . . May 16–26, Fayetteville, NCThe Festival of Flight saluted the Wrights with an arts festival, a 2-day military air show at Pope Air Force Base, a general aviation air show, a7-day exposition with displays and exhibits, and a spectacular Memorial Day celebration. NASA’s Powering Flight, Powering Dreams exhibitdebuted, wowing visitors.

Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003 . . . July 3–20, Dayton OHThe Wrights’ hometown festival featured “Celebration Central,” an elaborate miniature city of attractions, exhibits, entertainment venues, andcarnival rides. Activities also extended to satellite locations and citywide events, conventions, and ongoing exhibits.

Dayton 2003 Air Show and Expo 2003 . . . July 17–20, Dayton, OHThe 2003 Air Show treated more than 160,000 guests to flying exhibitions, display aircraft, and a showcase of progress in the first century of flightby era, category, and type. Demonstrations by the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, and many other flyers thrilled the crowds.

Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture . . . July 29–August 4, Oshkosh, WIEAA AirVenture Oshkosh attracted record-breaking crowds of over 700,000 people and about 12,000 airplanes. Thousands of aircraft participateeach year in this flight fantasia, including homebuilts, antiques, classics, warbirds, ultralights, and rotorcraft.

Centennial of Powered Flight Gala . . . August 29, Cleveland, OHMayor Jane Campbell and Senator John Glenn cohosted this black-tie gala at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel to kick off the Cleveland National AirShow. Guests were treated to a presentation on aviation in Cleveland and a rare first-hand account of the Apollo 13 adventure by Commander JimLovell and former NASA Mission Control Flight Director Gene Kranz.

Centennial

Snapshots

Cleveland National Air Show . . . August 30–September 1, Cleveland, OHOne of Northern Ohio’s largest regional events celebrated not only Cleveland’s role as “Host to theGolden Age of Aviation” during the National Air Races from 1929 to 1949, but also Ohio’s role asthe “Birthplace of Aviation”: more astronauts (21 at last count) have come from Ohio thanany other state.

International Symposium on Air Breathing Engines . . . August 31–September 5, Cleveland, OHThe International Symposium on Air Breathing Engines (ISABE) is only held in the United Statesevery 6 years. The XVI ISABE, held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, offered an outstandingopportunity for technical interchange and professional networking.

L.A. County Fair . . . September 12–28, Pomona, CAExhibits like High Flying Fun! and the Flower and Garden Paviliondrew thousands of vistors for 17 spectacular days. Centennial eventsand the traditional entertainment of the L.A. County Fair werewrapped up into one package with more to see and do than anyother venue.

Realizing the Dream of Flight: A Symposium Honoringthe Centennial of the Wright Brothers’ First FlightNovember 5, Cleveland, OHDuring this 1-day Centennial of Flight conference at the GreatLakes Science Center, prominent national authors and aerospacehistorians presented biographical profiles of pioneers from thehistory of aeronautics and space exploration.

Photos courtesy of NASA Dryden, Glenn, and LangleyDesign by Jim Lucic

JANUARY 2004

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Two years ago, former Center Director Donald Campbell advocated Glenn’s participation in the centennialof the Wright Brothers’ first flight. This would be the perfect opportunity to show the public just how farNASA has come in 100 years.

Dr. Julian Earls, serving in the role of deputy director of operations at the time, contributed to this goal bychallenging a core Glenn team to offer their best. Former Liaison Officer Karen Hickman led the outreachand marketing campaign. David DeFelice, Community and Media Relations Office, led the design efforts inthe Powering Flight, Powering Dreams exhibit, NASA’s ambassador to the public during the centennial year.Carol Galica, Educational Programs Office, helped to produce the Re-Living the Wright Way Web site andsignature NASA centennial publications. And a Glenn team of 300 staffers, many contributors on campus,supportive managers, and countless other helpers tightened the nuts and anchored the bolts—and theprojects rolled into action.

“We had 10 events around the country to show our stuff…and that we did,” said Glenn’s Centennial of FlightProject manager Susan Hennie. “This tribute is thanks to every person who helped. The work was exhausting,but rewarding. We laughed and joked with astronauts. Wright nieces, nephews, and cousins mingled at Dayton;we saw nephew Melvin Wright shake John Glenn’s hand. John Glenn made the acquaintance of John Travolta!We watched Neil Armstrong discuss the strategy of space exploration.”

Hennie affirmed, “The public loves NASA. To the public, we really are the organization that works for the goodof all humankind. We cherished the privilege of telling NASA’s story. And we discovered that Americans areproud of us.”

First Flight

Centennial Celebration

December 12 to 17, 2003

From December 12 to 17, 2003, visitors tothe Wright Brothers National Memorial inKill Devil Hills, just south of Kitty Hawk,NC, honored Orville and Wilbur Wright’shistoric flight. The event served as theclimax of a year’s worth of tributes,exhibits, and events across the country.

If all had gone as planned on December 17,2003, a replica of the Wright 1903 Flyer,painstakingly built over 4 years bydedicated craftsmen, would have flown afew feet and created a great moment ofhistoric deja vu.

Instead, the fragile plane was never able to adequately lift offdue to rain and intermittent winds. Yet those who attendedthe celebration—including many employees from across NASAcenters who provided presentations and staffed exhibits—

were not disheartened. A variety of programs, events, exhibits, andshows highlighting aviation history made for an educational andentertaining experience for more than 30,000 visitors.

Special guests who actually lived the history of 20th-century flight—retired Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break thesound barrier; Mercury astronaut John Glenn, the first American toorbit the Earth; and Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the firsthuman to step on the Moon—added to the nostalgia. Other notableguests such as President George W. Bush, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe,and NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory, stopped by to share theirsupport. Actor and avid pilot John Travolta served as master of ceremonies,while thousands of aviation enthusiasts, many flying their own planes, joinedin the celebration.

The Wright Brothers would have been proud of this commemorativecelebration and the noble attempt to reenact one of the definingaccomplishments of the 20th century.

M–1336Jan 04

‘ ‘

Powering Flight

Powering Dreams . . .

Kitty Hawk photos courtesy of Katherine Barnstorff, NASA Langley

JANUARY 2004

8 5

JANUARY 2004

9

Promotions reward technical excellenceG

Dr. Anderson Dr. Dahl Dr. Fleming

Motil Dr. VanDresar

lenn employees were recently selected for promotion to the GS–14 and GS–15levels through a unique program that enables outstanding technical contributions toattain the same prestige and compensation as individuals on a managerial career track.

The Personal Impact Dual Career Ladder Program is based on the concept that whilesupervision is one ladder to high-level responsiblity in scientific work there is anotherladder—the ladder of personal creativity and scientific contribution. This makes itpossible for the contributions of a highly creative, nonsupervisory scientist or engineerto merit the same grade as an individual at the supervisory level.

Promotions to the GS–14 level: Dr. Lynne Anderson, Aeronautics Directorate; Dr. MiloDahl, Dr. Paula Dempsey, Dr. Barbara Kenny, Dr. Robert Okojie, Thomas Ratvasky,

Dr. Ansari

o streamline the grant process for thetechnical community, the new Grants-online system has been created.Grantsonline is a Web-based applicationwith two modules: an online technicalevaluation module and a grant modulethat manages logging and tracking ofGlenn proposals. The online technicalevaluation module allows the Glenn com-munity to (a) reject a proposal; (b)accept a proposal, create a technicalevaluation online, and submit the evalu-ation to the Grant Office electronically;

T

Glenn introduces new online process for grants

Dr. Dempsey

Dr. Kenny

Dr. Hunter

Personal Impact Dual Career Ladder

or (c) recommend additional years fora multiple-year grant or cooperativeagreement. The Grantsonline systemdata automatically feeds into the GrantOffice's Grants Database Program, adocument generation system. Use ofthe system will be mandatory Centerwidein February 2004.

Grantsonline will reduce the grantprocessing time in technical and pro-curement organizations by validatinginput and eliminating duplicate data

entry. It will also save the Governmentmoney by reducing the labor to logand track a proposal or process an evalu-ation or award. Grantsonline will alsobe able to process an award to non-profit organizations.

All personnel involved in the grant awardprocess should go to the test (http://grantsonline-tt.grc.nasa.gov) and produc-tion (http://grantsonline.grc.nasa.gov)Web sites and request a password forGrantsonline as soon as possible. ◆

Check it out!

Dr. Okojie Ratvasky Dr. Schneider

Marc Siebert, and Dr. Neil Van Dresar,Research and Technology Directorate;Dr. Rafat Ansari and Brian Motil, SpaceDirectorate; Richard Oeftering, Engineer-ing and Technical Services Directorate.

Promotions to the GS–15 level: Dr. DavidFleming, Dr. Gary Hunter, Sharon Miller,Dr. Steven Schneider, and IgnacyTelesman, Research and TechnologyDirectorate. ◆

10

AeroSpace Frontiers is an official publicationof Glenn Research Center, NationalAeronautics and Space Administration. It ispublished the first Friday of each month bythe Community and Media Relations Officein the interest of the Glenn workforce,retirees, government officials, businessleaders, and the general public. Its circulationis approximately 6700.

Editor..................................Doreen B. Zudell InDyne, Inc.

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

Managing Editor......................Lori J. Rachul

DEADLINES: News items and briefannouncements for publication in theFebruary issue must be received by noon,January 16. The deadline for the Marchissue is noon, February 13. Submit con-tributions to the editor via e-mail,

doreen.zudell@grc.nasa.gov,fax 216–433–8143, phone216–433–5317 or 216–433–2888, or MS 3–11.Ideas for news stories arewelcome but will bepublished as space allows.View us online athttp://AeroSpaceFrontiers.grc.nasa.gov.

Douglas Bewley, 46, passed away sud-denly November 30. Bewley worked for

10 years atGlenn as acivil servantproviding en-gineering sup-port to theRocket En-gine Test Fa-cility (RETF) inthe South 40,and had beenworking withQSS Groupsince 2001

on the relocation of the South 40 facili-ties as part of the Airport ExpansionProject. He was recently ordained as adeacon at the Assumption of Mary

Catholic Church in Brook Park. Bewleyleaves behind his wife, Kathy, and 8children, as well as many friends hereat Glenn. A fund has been set up forthe family under the "Douglas P.Bewley Family Fund." Donations canbe made at any Key Bank branch office.

Joseph Kloscak, 85, recently died..... Heretired in 1975 after 30 years of NASAservice. Kloscak served as a warehouseleader. He is survived by his wife,Gladys Kloscak, who also worked atthe Center until 1974.

Eugene McIrvin, 67, recently died.McIrvin retired in 1990 with 33 1/2years of NASA service. He served as anelectronics technician.

● From Monday through Friday, January 12 to 16, the Exchange Store willhold an after-the-holidays 20-percent-off sale. A happy and healthy new yearto you from the Exchange staff!

● Watch for details on the Chinese New Year lunch special on Thursday,January 22.

Exchange Corner

Bewley

Award

Dr. Zeller

The ClevelandSection of theAmerican Chemi-cal Society pre-sented Dr. MaryZeller, chief, In-strumentation andControls Division,with the Salute toExcellence awardfor her outreachefforts to make science fun as well aseducational. Zeller was lauded for herleadership in Glenn's support of NationalChemistry Week (NCW) programs,which included sponsoring the Cleve-land Section NCW Chemistry and PosterContests; presenting NCW hands-ondemonstration programs in the VisitorCenter and in numerous local libraries;and printing of the NCW demonstrationscripts, which has allowed NCW volun-teers from around the Cleveland area toreach thousands of children, their par-ents, and their teachers with exciting andinformative messages about chemistry.

Francis Montegani, Office of UniversityPrograms, retired on June 30, 2003, with34 years of NASA service.

Robert Zakrajsek, Communications Tech-nology Division, retired on October 30,2003, with 40 years of NASA service.

Laszlo Zala, Facilities and Test Engineer-ing Division, retired on November 30,2003, with 17 years of NASA service.

At the close of the fiscal year, NASAHeadquarters announced that Glennwas in the lead for all centers (notincluding the Jet Propulsion Lab) forSpace Act awards. This tally includesawards paid for patent applications,software releases, actions reviewedby the Inventions and ContributionsBoard, and for published Tech Briefarticles. This success is due to theinnovative work performed byGlenn researchers and the diligentefforts the Center's TechnologyTransfer and Partnership Office staffto promote it. Innovators interestedin submitting a nomination for aSpace Act should contact LaurieStauber, 216–433–2820.

Glenn shines inSpace Act awards

ZalaZakrajsek

11

a closer look at our colleagues

Patricia Foltz

Photo by Christine Bodi

LESA MEETING: LESA/IFPTE, Local 28,will hold its next monthly membershipmeeting on Wednesday, January 14, atnoon in the Employee Center, room 101.

AFGE MEETING: AFGE Local 2182 willhold its next monthly membershipmeeting on Wednesday, February 4,2004, at 5 p.m. at Denny's Restaurant,25912 Lorain Road, North Olmsted.All members are encouraged to attend.

ESSENTIAL CONNECTION ANNIVER-SARY: The Essential Connection QualityCircle's 19th year reunion luncheon willtake place on February 20, 2004. If youwere a member of this quality circle dur-ing the 10 years it was active, you areinvited to the reunion luncheon. ContactMary Tharp, 216–433–3501, SoniaSchriver 216–433–2811, Debbie Cotleur216–433–3904, Sandra Foust 216–977–7477, or Marcia Bellamy, 216–977–7452to learn more about our reunion lun-cheon. If you have any memorabilia thatyou can share with us, please contactCotleur or Shriver for the memory walland scrapbook.

WOMEN RETIREE LUNCHEON: Thenext luncheon for Glenn (Lewis) femaleretirees is Thursday, February 12, noon,at Donauschwaben's German AmericanCultural Center, 7370 Columbia Road,Olmsted Township. For further informa-tion, contact Ann Lester, 440–777–3073.

DISTINGUISHED PUBLICATION: Nomi-nations for the 2003 Glenn DistinguishedPublication Award, instituted to encour-age and reward outstanding research andtechnology contributions by Glenn staffmembers, must be submitted to divisionchiefs by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February2. The paper must be a publication orpresentation dated between July 1, 2002,and June 30, 2003. Division chiefs mustsubmit their final selections to their direc-torate offices by 4:30 p.m. on Friday,March 19. Each directorate office willsend one package to the chief scientist'soffice by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26.Employees will find a Today@Glennbulletin outlining the selection process,which will also be sent via email to eachdirectorate. For further information, con-tact Anthony.J. Strazisar@nasa.gov.

Job assignment: I work for RS InformationSystems (PACE) supporting the video-conferencing room in the AdministrativeBuilding. I schedule, operate, and providecommunication services to our users for con-ferences. The facility is generally known toGlenn employees as the "ViTS Room" and islocated one floor beneath the CenterDirector's office. When asked about my job,I like to joke with others and tell them I workdirectly below the Center Director.

Time at NASA: I've had the privilege of work-ing at NASA for 3 years.

Describe your family: I have been married tothe world's greatest husband for 23 years.

We laugh more than any couple I know and our relationship continues to growdeeper every year. We were not blessed with children but believe that God hasanother plan for our lives to use the unique gifts and talents He has given us. Mydad, mom, and mother-in-law are in their 80s and learning the many challenges ofgrowing old. I grew up with five brothers and no sisters, so I learned to throw amean football. I like to spend time watching my nieces and nephews develop theirimaginations and creative skills.

Favorite quote: I had a friend named Bob Steele who use to say, "Don't let thenegatives defeat you. Always look for a way to turn a negative into a positive."

Hobbies/interests outside of NASA: Some of my hobbies include running,reading, cooking, listening to music, and skiing, but my favorite hobby is music. Ibegan playing the flute when I was 9 and the viola when I was 13. I later earneda master's degree in music and performed professionally with two local orchestras,while teaching flute, chamber orchestra, and woodwind pedagogy at a localcollege. For the past 10 years I played flute in my church orchestra. Recently, Ipicked up the viola again to help support the string section. The greatest joyI have in playing my instruments is giving back to the Lord those gifts and talentsHe first gave me.

Food temptations: I have a huge weakness for anything rich, sweet, and full ofchocolate, including a hot fudge sundae at Malley's.

Philosophy to live by: Philippians 2: 3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vainconceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you shouldnot only look to your own interests but also to the interest of others."

Stress buster: I like to run three miles in full stride on a cool, clear, sunny day, orpractice my flute or viola for a good 90 minutes. Cooking a healthy dish relaxesme, providing the meal is prepared within 1 hour. A brisk walk around theAdministrative Building with a friend is highly recommended!

If you or someone you know is interested in being featured in this column,please contact us at 216–433–5317 or Doreen.Zudell@grc.nasa.gov.

JANUARY 2004

12

Volume 6 Issue 1 January 2004

AeroSpace Frontiersis recyclable!

National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

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

BY S. JENISE VERIS

Glenn aids MER missionprospects of success

ith excitement comparable to the GoldRush era of yesteryear, NASA and its inter-national partners eagerly await news of asafe landing of the Spirit and Opportunityrovers; next, the two robots start panhan-dling for "liquid gold" on Mars. Everything"humanly" possible has been done to mini-mize the risk and enhance the chances ofsuccess for the Mars Exploration Rover(MER) mission.

Nearly 3 years were devoted to determin-ing the ideal sites for landing, while analysisand testing of an air bag landing system wasconducted at Glenn's Space Power Facility(SPF), at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky.

"Just getting to Mars is a risk, but landing ismore so," said Dr. Ed Weiler, NASA's asso-ciate administrator for Space Science."Landing the rovers safely requires elabo-rately choreographed use of heat shields,parachutes, rockets, and air bags. A stronggust of wind, or a single sharp rock, coulddestroy either or both rovers."

According to SPF manager Jerry Carek,more than 50 drop tests of different airbagdesign configurations were conductedbetween December 2001 and December2002. In August 2003, testing was con-ducted continuously for 2 weeks.

Spirit, the first of the two golf-cart-sizedrovers (each fitted with identical scienceinstruments) is scheduled to land this monthnear the center of Gusev Crater, whichonce held a lake. Next month, Opportunityshould reach the Meridiani Planum, a broadarea of mineral deposits located halfwayaround Mars from Gusev.

In the cold, dry environment of Mars,weather tends to be smoggy becausedust hangs in the atmosphere. Glennscience team members on the missionaim to learn how that atmosphere mightimpact rover operations.

Researchers from the Glenn Photovoltaicand Space Effects Branch (PSEB) haveequipped each rover with four wire dis-charge points—two in front and two in back.The points will act as miniature lightningrods to control static charging within "safe"limits as the rovers travel across the dustysurface of Mars.

"Monitoring the amount and characteris-tics of electrical charge, will enable corre-lation between charge sign and dust grain

size to be applied to a meteorologicalanalogy of Martian atmospheric dust andterrestrial atmospheric water," explainedJoe Kolecki, PSEB.

How dusty a solar array can get before itbegins to lose power and how much en-ergy solar cells will be able to generateunder Mars sunlight are the two questionsDr. Geoffrey Landis, PSEB, seeks to answer.

"Determining the efficiency of solar cells iscritical to powering the computers thatcontrol the rovers and scientific instrumentsas well to sending and retrieving data fromEarth," Landis said. "This information willprove most important to not only this mis-sion but also in planning the duration offuture missions." ◆

WPictured is a rover folded up with air bagsdesigned to cushion landing. Dischargepoints–15,000th of an inch–(see insert)are mounted to limit static impact.

Photos courtesy of NASA JPL