VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 3 • MARCH 2020

State of 

NASA Events

Page 4

Love Your

Library

Page 5

Unmanned Aircraft 

Communications

Page 6 Chief Technologist

Champions Innovation

Pages 2–3
2

AeroSpace Frontiers

is an official publication of Glenn Research 

Center, National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration. It is published the second 

Friday of each month by the Office of 

Communications & External Relations 

in the interest of the Glenn workforce, 

retirees, government officials, business 

leaders and the general public. 

Submit short articles and calendar items 

to the editor at doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov. 

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS, 

 216–433–5317

Assistant Editor: S. Jenise Veris, ATS

Design: Rhys Sampson, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Circulation: Angela Williams, ATS, 

 216–433–8921

Your Opinion

Matters

Key to our success as a center is a strong 

safety culture that fosters an atmosphere of 

open communication, mutual trust, shared 

safety values and confidence to balance 

challenges and risks for mission success. 

It is important to continually assess our 

safety culture to know how we are doing 

and where we can improve. I encourage 

you to take a few minutes to participate in 

this year’s safety culture survey, which is 

currently open through March 20. Check 

the Upcoming Events calendar on WING 

for a link to the Safety Culture Survey. Your 

feedback from last year’s survey was highly 

valuable and used to establish our Safety 

Culture Action Plan.

Your opinion matters in assessing and 

strengthening our safety culture for 

mission success.

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER NASA

Chief Technologist 

Champions Innovation 

Ecosystem

On Jan. 22, NASA Chief Technologist Dr. Douglas Terrier 

conducted a town hall meeting with Glenn employees at 

Lewis Field. The visit included an innovation workshop 

in the MIC Auditorium. Terrier, accompanied by Ken 

Wright, Agency Innovation Lead, discussed preserving and 

expanding NASA’s innovation leadership. 

Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis introduced Terrier, 

who summarized his responsibilities and discussed 

components of the workshop. He is principal advisor to the 

Administrator on technology policy and investments for the 

portfolios across all four mission directorates. He advocates 

for technology strategic partnerships; oversees NASA’s 

digital transformation; and champions grassroot efforts for 

NASA’s Innovation Ecosystem.

Terrier and Wright have traveled across the agency with 

the goal of gathering input from center chief technologists, 

stakeholders and others. Their mission is to create a 

network (ecosystem) of actionable initiatives with potential 

for building a future state of successes based on NASA’s 

current innovation. 

On the Cover: NASA Chief Technologist Dr. 

Douglas Terrier, right, and Ken Wright, NASA 

Innovation lead, at the Zero-Gravity Research 

Facility at Lewis Field. Discussions centered 

on planned modifications to the facility to 

enable rapid-turnaround testing of devices 

in lunar gravity. They visited several other 

Artemis-related testing facilities to build their 

GRC-2020-C-00529 awareness of Glenn capabilities.
3

MARCH 2020

Left to right: Wright discusses workshop content with Glenn’s Deputy 

Chief Technologist Kurt Sacksteder and Office of Technology Incubation 

and Innovation Deputy Director Mary Lobo.

GRC-2020-C-00455 Photo by Jef Janis

GRC-2020-C-00498 Photo by Marvin Smith

Left to right: Wright and Dr. Terrier discuss environmental testing of lunar excavation technology with aerospace engineer Erin Rezich in Vacuum Facility 13.

Terrier said there could not be a more important time 

to emphasize this effort because we have so many 

challenges in front of us. 

“For the past 60 years, NASA leadership has been 

underpinned by the fact that we have innovation in 

our DNA,” he said. “That’s what has enabled us to be 

successful and will keep us successful with all the big 

deadlines, including Artemis and the huge science and 

aeronautics projects coming up in the next 5 years.”

Wright talked about the work done to establish NASA’s 

Innovation Framework and the Innovation Portal that 

incorporates local and regional resources to stimulate 

innovation to benefit the agency. The framework 

introduces technology challenges that inspire creative 

thinking; rewards failure as part of sharing lessons 

learned; opens barriers; and nurtures leadership, 

through co-competitions that expand innovation. 

Pérez-Davis affirmed support for these efforts. “I look 

forward to capitalizing on the knowledge gained at 

the workshop—some of which I cited as pillars in my 

commitment to the center—and integrating them into 

the direction we will be taking the center.”

By S. Jenise Veris
4

Administrator Bridenstine

Presents “State of NASA”

Glenn Hosts 

Media Roundtable, 

Facebook Live

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine presented his annual 

“State of NASA” address on Feb. 10, broadcast live from 

Stennis Space Center. Bridenstine highlighted the agency’s 

progress over the past year and the work ahead on the 

Artemis program. 

The address featured President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 

2021 Budget request of 2.5 billion for NASA. The request fully 

funds the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. 

“The budget proposed represents a 12% increase and 

makes this one of the strongest budgets in NASA history,” 

Bridenstine said. “The reinforced support from the President 

comes at a critical time as we lay the foundations for landing 

the first woman and the next man on the south pole of the 

moon by 2024. This budget keeps us firmly on that path.”

Glenn hosted a media roundtable to discuss the state of 

NASA and the center’s role in developing the next generation 

of aircraft and sending the first woman and next man 

to the moon by 2024. Media attending the event viewed 

Bridenstine’s address via NASA Television. 

After the address, Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis 

hosted a media roundtable with Associate Administrator of 

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate James Reuter 

and Glenn Chief Financial Officer Vicki Hagerman. 

Reuter updated media on the development of transformative 

space technologies, such as solar electric propulsion and 

fission surface power. Pérez-Davis and Hagerman discussed 

the state of Glenn and its proposed fiscal year 2021 budget of 

$802.4 million.

“We are in a very good position to support the national mission 

and the local economy,” Pérez-Davis said.

Meanwhile, social media followers visited Glenn’s Facebook 

page for a Facebook Live event that aired from the Space 

Environments Complex at Plum Brook Station. Robin Pertz, 

Library, History and Records supervisor, led a discussion with 

Nicole Smith, project manager for testing. Smith answered 

questions from Glenn’s followers about testing the Orion 

spacecraft at Plum Brook, and the agency’s preparations for 

the Artemis I mission.

For details on NASA’s budget, strategic plans and 

performance reports, visit www.nasa.gov/budget.

By Doreen B. Zudell

Hagerman, left, talks one-on-one with Taylor Haggerty of 

WCPN’s ideastream.

Dr. Pérez-Davis, left, and Reuter answer questions from media.

Photo by Marvin Smith

GRC-2020-C-00624 

Photo by Marvin Smith

GRC-2020-C-00629

Smith, left, and Pertz following the Facebook Live event that 

highlighted Orion spacecraft testing at Plum Brook Station.

Photo by Nikki Welch

GRC-2020-CN-0004 
Love Your Library

Open House Showcases Resources

Lewis Field celebrated National Library Lovers’ Month on Feb. 

12 with an open house at Glenn’s Science and Engineering 

Library. The event highlighted an array of library services and 

introduced a new, more comprehensive online research tool. 

Science Librarian Jillien Zudell demonstrated how to use the 

new electronic-based resource tool located on the Library 

website. This user-friendly tool enables users to pull from every 

electronic journal and database accessible to the Library.

The event also showcased the Learning Center’s growing 

collection of materials available in a variety of formats that can 

be borrowed to view in the office, home or the comfortable 

library setting. Resource Coordinator Dawn Sedor explained 

how the self-study training area offers a collection of 

topics such as safety, NASA history and organizational and 

professional development. Additional materials in the areas of 

languages and health and wellness have been added to help 

employees develop skills in areas of importance and interest. 

Records Manager Anne Mills shared information about records 

identification and retention. She answered questions and 

offered assistance regarding electronic storage. A federal 

mandate requires that all NASA records must be electronically 

stored by 2023.

Library, History and Records Supervisor Robin Pertz 

encourages employees to stop by the Library on the first floor 

of building 142 for help with your next research and project 

pursuits. “The comfortable, informal setting is ideal for time 

away from the office as well as for collaborative meetings.”

Librarians are also available to attend meetings to explain and 

demonstrate Library services or meet with teams to discuss 

information needs. Do not forget the Mobile Librarians who set 

up their outreach work stations in or near your office building 

throughout the year. 

At Your Service

Library, History and Records Supervisor, Robin Pertz, 3–5576

Science Librarian, Jillien Zudell, 3–8058

Internal Library Loan, Marcia Stegenga, 3–8305

Documents and Standards, Janis Dick, 3–5781

Learning Center, Kathy Hamilton, 3–2998

Resource Coordinator, Dawn Sedor, 3–2495

By Doreen B. Zudell

MARCH 2020

5

Pertz, center, standing, talks with patrons Dawn Parker, left, and 

Ken O’Connor, about library services.

Sedor, standing, assists patron Laura Kudrna in the Learning Center. 

Zudell, center, demonstrates the new online research tool to Jim 

Robinson (left), and Sedor.

GRC-2020-CN-00007

Photos by Doreen B. Zudell

GRC-2020-CN-00006

GRC-2020-CN-00008
6

On the underbelly of a Twin Otter research aircraft, 

a laser communication device stares out into the 

open skies over Cleveland. It is not a camera taking 

images, but rather has eyes only for particular optical 

communication frequencies forming the foundation to a 

quantum key distribution (QKD) system being tested at 

NASA Glenn for use on unmanned aircraft (UA).

The number of UA in the national airspace is growing 

and their ability to communicate with ground operators 

and each other is critical to a safe environment. 

But the increase in traffic is leading to an increase 

in communications disruptions because too many 

vehicles are trying to use the same limited number of 

frequencies.

QKD uses specialized laser and photon detector 

technology to enable UA to exchange encryption keys 

to communicate on extremely secure radio-frequency 

channels. In addition, an optical channel provides a 

high-data-rate communication link for high-bandwidth 

applications. 

The QTech (Quantum Technologies) project, a 

partnership of Glenn and NASA’s Ames, along with New 

NASA Twin Otter research aircraft with QKD device attached to its underbelly. GRC-2019-C-09878 Photos by Jef Janis

Close-up of the QKD device

GRC-2019-C-09848 

York’s Air Force Research Laboratory and IJK Controls 

LLC, is attempting to harness the power of quantum 

technologies to ensure communication availability and 

address potential cybersecurity challenges.

The laser communication hardware attached to the 

aircraft has performed successfully in aircraft flight 

tests, and researchers hope to continue advancing 

state-of-the-art QKD technology focusing on simulated 

UA flight applications in a variety of environments.

By Nancy Smith Kilkenny

Quantum Technologies Change the Face

of Unmanned Aircraft Communications
MARCH 2020

7

Glenn will start using the new agency solution, Scientific, Technical and Research Information discoVEry 

System (STRIVES), for all scientific and technical information (STI) reviews/approvals on March 16. STRIVES 

will replace the current Electronic Document Availability Authorization (EDAA) system. 

IMPORTANT DATES: 

• March 16—All NF1676 forms are required to be submitted in STRIVES.

• April 1—Approvers last day to approve forms in the EDAA/NF1676 system. 

• April 1—All corrected final documents must be received by the Glenn STI Office for final processing. 

ACTIONS:

• Submitters—Ensure all STI submitted via the EDAA system is completed by April 1. STI submissions that

 have not received final review and final processing by the Glenn STI Office by April 1 will need to be 

 re-created and re-submitted in STRIVES for full review.

• Approvers—Monitor your EDAA queue to complete appropriate reviews and final actions.

• Submitters and Approvers—Access EDAA at https://stidaa.nasa.gov for remaining forms in your queue

 that need attention to move the form(s) to the next stage in the approval routing.

• Submitters and Approvers—Access STRIVES to submit STI beginning March 16. Check the Glenn STI 

 website for STRIVES link.

Updates will be posted on the Glenn STI Program website: https://ltidportal.grc.nasa.gov/STINews.aspx.

If you have additional questions, please contact Kim Schuetz, Glenn DAA Representative, at 3–5803.

Mike Barrett, left, highlights Glenn’s solar electric propulsion technology during a tour for members of the 

Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee, Northeast Ohio legislators and industry on Jan. 16. 

They met with center management for a general discussion of challenges and opportunities and toured 

several facilities. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted provided remarks emphasizing the state’s strong support for the 

aerospace industry and applauded the research and testing conducted at Glenn. In the afternoon, guests 

attended a public meeting at the Ohio Aerospace Institute. 

State Officials, Industry Advocates Visit 

Coming Soon: New 

Agency STI System

Photo by Jef Janis

GRC-2020-C-00187
8

The agency rolled out two new networks across all NASA centers to improve the consistent experience, enhance 

capabilities and better manage the devices accessing NASA’s environment. 

• The network “nasa-connect” replaces “nasaguest” as the single wireless option for guests, partners, employees 

and contractors with personal devices to connect. Personal devices can be connected by visiting id.nasa.gov and 

selecting “Register My Non-NASA Device” under the “Popular Actions” menu. Sponsors can help their guests 

and visitors connect to the network by visiting idmax.nasa.gov and submitting a NAMS request for a Guest User 

Account under the “Identities” tab. The legacy “nasaguest” network will be decommissioned in April. 

• Authorized NASA-provided equipment with NASA certificates or mobile device management (MDM) software 

installed will be transitioned from nasa to nasa-device. Enterprise-managed Windows devices should already have 

transitioned to the new network; Mac and Linux users will be emailed specific instructions later this year. 

If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Enterprise Service Desk at 877–677–2123 (Option 2).

Glenn’s Office of the Chief Information Officer is 

offering programmers a no-cost web-based DevOps 

life cycle tool called GitLab. This single-complete 

application helps teams accelerate software delivery 

from weeks to minutes, reduces development costs 

and decreases the risk of application vulnerabilities 

while increasing developer productivity. For more 

information, visit https://www.grc.nasa.gov/ocio/

services/applications/infrastructure/code/gitlab/.

Free Code Depository

NEWS AND EVENTS

Ensure Your Wireless Connectivity 
9

MARCH 2020

Dr. Reddy

The American Institute of Aeronautics and 

Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Dr. Dhanireddy 

R. Reddy and Christopher J. Pestak into 

its Class of 2020 AIAA Fellows and Honorary 

Fellows. AIAA confers the distinction of “Fellow” 

to recognize individuals for notable and valuable 

contributions to the arts, sciences or technology 

of aeronautics and astronautics. 

Reddy is deputy chief of NASA Glenn’s 

Propulsion Division, Research and Engineering 

Directorate. Pestak is director of the onsite 

Universities Space Research Association (USRA), 

supporting Glenn’s Research and Engineering 

and Space Flight Systems Directorates. Pestak

Employees Named AIAA 2020 Fellows 

9

Michael Ciannilli, pictured, NASA’s manager of the Apollo, Challenger, Columbia Lessons 

Learned Program, served as guest speaker for Glenn’s Day of Remembrance observance, held 

Jan. 30 in the Briefing Center. Ciannilli talked about the importance of gathering, preserving 

and loaning artifacts of these tragedies for lessons learned research and academic purposes. 

He stressed that the goals of the program 

are to remember the men and women who 

have paid the ultimate sacrifice and to 

minimize chances of tragedy ever happening 

again. 

On Jan. 28, astronaut Douglas Wheelock, 

Safety and Mission Assurance lead at Plum 

Brook Station, visited Akron’s Judith Resnik 

Elementary School. That day marked the 

34th anniversary of the death of the school’s 

namesake, astronaut Judy Resnik, who died 

in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. 

Wheelock recognized Resnik’s contributions 

and shared some of his own experiences 

in space. He encouraged students to value 

their teachers and work with them to 

achieve great things.

CN-2020-C-00009

Wheelock used a basketball and a tennis ball to 

illustrate how classroom cooperation aids teachers 

in helping students to achieve greater heights. 

Photo by Mike Cardew, Akron Beacon Journal

Remembering the Heroes of Space Exploration

GRC-2020-C-00588 Photo by Jef Janis
10

RETIREMENTS

Roland C. Gregg, Space Environments Test 

Branch, Testing Division, retired Feb. 29, 2020, 

with 31 years of service.

Retiring soon?

Share your retirement in AeroSpace Frontiers. 

Fill out the GRC431 form and send it to 

Doreen.B.Zudell@nasa.gov.

MORE THAN A MEMORY

Karen L. Arcuri, a 2002 retiree 

with 40 years of federal service, 

died Jan. 18. Arcuri worked at the 

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs 

in Michigan before she transferred 

to the NASA workforce in 1990. 

During her tenure at Glenn, Arcuri 

earned several performance and 

service awards as a supervisory 

human resources specialist in the 

Human Resources Division.

John E. Eckert, 80, a 1999 retiree 

with 38 years of NASA service, 

died Jan. 13. Eckert was a 

veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. 

He served at NASA Lewis (Glenn) 

as a research laboratory mechanic 

leader in the Aero Space Flight 

Area, Test Installations Division. 

His son, John F. is an electronic 

lead technician supporting the 

Wind Tunnel Test Branch. Arcuri Eckert

Shouting out to all who shared their goodbyes before I retired!

I was blown away by the number of people who sent emails, 

stopped by to reminisce and called giving thanks for my years 

of service. Words cannot express the gratitude I felt for all 

the attention, time, gifts and the work my manager and coworkers contributed to make me feel appreciated and loved. 

I sincerely thank you all.

—Cynthia Phillips

PROMOTIONS

Michael McVetta has been selected Space Simulation Facility manager 

in the Management Integration Division, Facilities, Test and Manufacturing 

Directorate. McVetta most recently worked in the Test Facility Management 

Branch as a facility management engineer in the space simulation area.

McVetta

Deborah L. Waters has been selected chief of the Test Facility 

Management Branch in the Management Integration Division, Facilities Test 

and Manufacturing Directorate. Waters has served in an acting capacity for 

this position over the past 7 months. 

Waters

IN APPRECIATION
11

MARCH 2020

GSEL MOBILE LIBRARIAN

The Glenn Science and Engineering 

Library (GSEL) Mobile Librarian will 

be visiting bldg. 86 on March 17 and 

19; bldg. 110 on March 24, 26, 31 

and April 2; and bldg. 162 on April 7 

and 9. The hours are from 1 to 3 p.m. 

A Glenn reference librarian will be 

ready to assist employees with subject 

searches, finding specific books and 

articles and other information needs on 

the spot.

POC: Robin Pertz, 3–5776

NASA Glenn Employees: For more calendar information, visit https://wing.grc.nasa.gov/event-calendar/.

Deadline for next calendar section 

is March 18, noon. News and feature stories require additional time.

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING

LESA will hold its next membership 

meeting, Wednesday, April 8, noon, 

in the Glenn Employee Center’s Small 

Dining Room. 

The Emergency Management Office 

staff will conduct a mass notification 

“voice” test at bldg. 39 on Wednesday, 

April 1 at Lewis Field. An audible 

siren test will be conducted on the 

“emergency condition” tone on 

Saturday, April 4. 

POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826

OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING

NASA is accepting applications 

through March 31 for a new 

class of Artemis Generation 

astronauts! For educational and 

professional requirements, apply to 

#BeAnAstronaut at www.usajobs.gov. 

ASTRONAUT RECRUITMENT

Learn more about NASA’s new missions and how the agency 

is making life better on Earth through science, technology, 

engineering and mathematics (STEM)! 

Scheduled Events:

March 14, 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Leah Nakley, Erin Rezich and Dr. Tiffany Williams

Women in Science Day Career Conversations

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

March 25, 8 a.m. to Noon

Robyn Gordon

Women in Leadership Symposium

National Diversity Counsel

Case Western Reserve University

April 21, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Joel Kearns

Learn From Leaders Series

Lakeland Community College

Coming Soon:

May 14

Global Aerospace Summit

Ohio Aerospace Institute 

June

International Space Station

20 Years of Living in Space

Cuyahoga County Public Library

Visit NASA.gov/GlennSpeakerSeries for more details.

Additional events will be added throughout the year.
National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center 

Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Plum Brook Station

3597 E. Scheid Road

Sandusky, Ohio 44870

www.nasa.gov

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/AF/index.html.

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

Connect With Glenn

When deep space exploration missions launch, like NASA’s future Artemis missions to the moon, they carry 

liquids with them for fuel and life support systems. These liquids are stored at cryogenic temperatures, ranging 

from –243 to –423 degrees Fahrenheit. They need to remain cold and in a liquid state to be usable. But as the 

extreme environment of space warms a spacecraft, the fuels begin to evaporate or “boiloff.”

To combat boiloff, an eCryo project team at Glenn is evaluating a series of technologies aimed at reducing 

the boiloff losses for human exploration missions. To test some of these new technologies at a relevant scale, 

the team built a 13-foot-in-diameter cryogenic propellant tank called SHIIVER, or Structural Heat Intercept, 

Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig.

“SHIIVER is the largest research tank NASA has ever built to test cryogenic technologies, and demonstrating 

the scalability is a critical aspect of infusion to in-space cryogenic propellant applications,” said Hans Hansen, 

eCryo project manager at Glenn.

Glenn engineers just completed a series of thermal vacuum tests on SHIIVER inside the In-Space Propulsion 

Facility at Plum Brook Station. The tests assessed some interesting benefits of vapor-cooling and multilayer 

insulation performance for in-space conditions.

To learn more about the promising results from SHIIVER, link to the full story by Jimi Russell on Glenn’s website 

at https://go.nasa.gov/31sgA0E.

Photo by Bridget Caswell

GRC-2019-C-08026

SHIIVER: Changing the Way NASA Keeps It Cool

SHIIVER, a 13-foot in diameter test tank, sits inside the In-Space Propulsion Facility’s vacuum chamber at Plum Brook Station.