VOLUME 16 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2014

NASA Administrators Visit, Address Employees 

Bolden Forecasts Bright Future

During NASA Administrator Charles 

Bolden’s visit to Glenn, Jan. 17, his 

message was clear: the nation recognizes 

NASA employees’ hard work and has 

confidence in the agency’s plans for 

the future. 

“You are what is most important to this 

agency,” Bolden said to employees at 

his All Hands Meeting. Following the 

employee meeting, his full day also 

included tours and a media briefing at 

Lewis Field. He stressed that NASA is 

an organization where people are the 

most valuable resource and driving 

force behind the technology. 

Continued on page 2

C-2014-273

Bolden (at podium) addresses media in front of the Electric Power Laboratory's space environment simulation chamber while, left to right, Rep. Kaptur, Sen. Brown and Free look on. 

In This Issue

Glenn Power Heats Homes .........3

PBS Relocates Test Chamber ...4

SMEs Say: "Ask Me Anything" ....4

Experiment Arrives on Station ....5

MADI Takes a Dive ......................8

C-2014-287 Photo by Marvin Smith

Ensuring NASA has 

the "Right Stuff " 

NASA Associate Administrator Robert 

Lightfoot, right, and Deputy Associate 

Administrator Lesa Roe recently visited 

Lewis Field to address employees and 

discuss the agency's processes and initiatives. They lead a team that is assessing 

the agency's technical capabilities and 

working to establish a more efficient operating model that will meet current and 

future mission needs. 

Photo by Bridget Caswell

NASA Achieves 10 Years of Roving on Mars

Ten years ago, January 2004, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity, captured the world’s imagination when they landed on Mars. The twin 

robots immediately went to work exploring and sending back data to a team of 

scientists and engineers, which plots activities for each day of the mission. While 

MER’s mission was only expected to last 90 days, it has continued as Opportunity 

keeps going, and going and going. 

Continued on page 3
2

NASA Administra

Continued from page 1

Bolden proudly cited NASA’s ranking 

as “The Best Place to Work” among 

(large) federal agencies for the second 

year in a row. He said the employee 

survey showed NASA employees like 

their jobs and value their contributions 

to the nation.

The $17.646 billion funding bill, passed 

Jan. 14, he said, recognizes the agency’s 

technological contributions as well 

as its efforts to reduce costs and 

streamline activities. 

“People believe in us on the Hill,” Bolden 

stated. He said the bill reaffirms support 

for the bipartisan space exploration plan 

agreed to by the President and Congress, 

and will allow NASA to execute research 

for new aviation and space technologies. 

During his presentation and the Q & A 

period with employees, Bolden stressed 

the need for energetic and innovative 

technology. 

“This is not a time to rest on our laurels,” 

he said. “We need something that is 

game-changing.” 

After the All Hands, Center Director 

Jim Free escorted Bolden on facility 

tours highlighting Glenn research and 

development in Cryogenic Propellant 

Storage and Transfer, Integrated Radio 

and Optical Communications, High Ice 

Water Content Flight Campaign and 

Solar Electric Propulsion. Between stops 

Bolden joined early career hires for an 

informal lunch and discussion. 

Ohio’s U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and 

House Rep. Marcia Kaptur (9th District) 

joined Bolden and Free on the last two 

tours. Soon after, they joined local 

media who gathered at the Electric 

Power Laboratory (Tank 5) space 

environment simulation chamber for a 

briefing and Q & A session. The chamber 

is being enhanced for future testing of 

solar electric propulsion technologies, 

including those supporting NASA’s 

proposed asteroid mission.

“NASA’s path to capturing and exploring 

an asteroid runs through Glenn Research 

Center,” Bolden said. “The work going 

on here at Glenn is an essential part of 

NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission, and 

by investing in this technology, NASA 

is addressing risks that the nation’s 

aerospace industry cannot. This is a 

great example of a win-win for both NASA 

and the nation’s technical capability.” 

Sen. Brown and Rep. Kaptur mirrored 

Bolden’s enthusiasm about NASA, and 

specifically Glenn, as they addressed 

the media. 

“Glenn Research Center is an important 

reason why NASA is a global leader 

in advanced technology,” Brown said. 

“Ohio has a proud history of innovation 

and NASA Glenn’s asteroid and de-icing 

work continue that tradition. Not only 

does this research and technology 

make the world safer, it advances what 

mankind is capable of achieving.”

Kaptur affirmed: “If you want to see the 

new world, come to Cleveland, come to 

Brook Park, come to this NASA facility.”

—By Doreen B. Zudell

tor Visits

Pictured clockwise: Andy Broeren, 

Aeropropulsion Division, holds a 

polyurethane casting of an ice shape 

generated in the Icing Research Tunnel. 

• Free joins Bolden on stage for the All 

Hands Meeting. • Dr. Daniel Raible, 

Communications, Instrumentation and 

Controls Division, presents the Integrated 

Radio and Optical Communications 

prototype Teletenna. • Bolden joins early 

career hires for lunch. 

C-2014-293 C-2014-231 Photos by Bridget Caswell

C-2014-239

C-2014-246
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FEBRUARY 2014

Glenn Technology May Soon 

Power American Households

NASA licensed technology for use in a 

new energy device called the Thermo 

Acoustic Power Stick, or TAPS, may 

soon provide homeowners a cheaper, 

cleaner and more efficient alternative 

to generating power and in heat in 

their homes. 

TAPS was recently unveiled by a local 

energy startup company, Nirvana 

Energy Systems, Inc., headquartered in 

Portola Valley, Calif. TAPS is designed to 

convert a home’s natural gas supply into 

electricity, providing the home with its 

own miniature power plant, or microgrid. Excess heat can be utilized for hot 

water or augmenting home heating. 

The device was initially developed 

with PARC, a Xerox company in Palo 

Alto, Calif.

At the heart of TAPS is Glenn’s acousticbased Stirling technology adapted 

from Stirling power technology being 

developed for spaceflight missions. 

The acoustic waves 

eliminate moving 

parts with the hope 

of reducing cost 

and improving the 

reliability of the 

thermal-to-electric 

conversion process. 

The concept was 

conceived while 

studying a combined power and 

cooling system called 

Stirling duplex, for a 

robotic Venus lander mission.

Dr. Rodger Dyson and Geoff 

Bruder, from the Thermal Energy 

Conversion Branch, invented the 

acoustics-based technology. They, 

along with Frank Ritzert from the 

Materials Division, are assisting 

Nirvana to integrate the technology 

into TAPS.

According to Nirvana, TAPS produces 

between 1 to 4 kilowatts of electrical 

power and 15 to 30 kilowatts of thermal 

power with heating efficiency in excess 

of 90 percent. The goal is to make TAPS 

a very compact system that can easily be 

retrofitted into residential systems. 

For more information on licensing Glenn’s 

technologies, visit https://technology.grc.

nasa.gov/index.shtm.

—By Frank Jennings Jr. 

Mars Rover Anniversary 

Continued from page 1

NASA Glenn commemorated the MER 

anniversary, Jan. 11, during “Space 

Saturday” at Glenn’s Visitor Center in 

the Great Lakes Science Center. More 

than 1,000 guests viewed the MER 

model display and participated in the 

Illustration of TAP technology adaptation.

Courtesy of Nirvana

festivities. The featured speaker was 

Glenn physicist Dr. Geoffrey Landis, a 

member of NASA’s MER science team.

Landis helped analyze the performance 

of the rover’s solar panels in the dusty 

Martian environment, and continues 

to monitor Martian dust and its effect 

on Opportunity’s power-generating 

solar cells. He was part of a team of 

researchers at NASA Glenn (Lewis), who 

designed and built three experiments 

for Sojourner, the first Mars rover from 

the Mars Pathfinder mission (1997), 

which paved the way for future robotic 

surface exploration systems. When Spirit 

and Opportunity launched in 2003, they 

used the same airbag landing system that 

the Mars Pathfinder demonstrated in 1997. 

Both were tested in Plum Brook Station’s 

Space Power Facility (SPF). A set of the 

airbags is on display at the Visitor Center.

Opportunity’s twin, Spirit, which worked 

for 6 years, and their successor, Curiosity, have provided valuable information 

about the diverse watery environments of 

ancient Mars, from hot springs to flowing 

streams. In the meantime, the 

Opportunity team continues to 

move towards new discoveries 

that lie ahead, and a better understanding of Mars that will help 

advance plans for human missions to the planet in the 2030s. 

—Edited by S. Jenise Veris

Pictured, far left: Airbag testing 

at Plum Brook inside the SPF. Center: 

Dr. Landis discusses the MER missions 

at the GLSC.

C-2014-662 Photo by Christopher Lynch Photo by Dante Centuori
4

News and Events

NASA Relocates Test Chamber

The Cryogenic Propellant Tank Facility’s 

(K-Site) 30-foot-diameter space environment 

test chamber—weighing over 100,000 

pounds—was recently removed from K-Site 

(set for demolition in 2014) and relocated 

over 2.5 miles away at its new location 

near the Spacecraft Propulsion Research 

Facility (B–2), Dec. 23. The project included 

the removal and transportation of the test 

chamber along with designing and building 

a new foundation for the pressure vessel. 

The first planned use of the chamber is to 

support fuel cell testing, later this year. 

Glenn Launches Instagram Account 

NASA Glenn is now on Instagram, an online 

photo and video sharing social media platform. With over 150 million active users, 

Glenn now shares images and information 

about the center’s research, missions,

history and current events with the public.

http://instagram.com/nasaglenn

Glenn Experts Say "Ask Me Anything" 

Glenn conducted its first Reddit “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) chat, Jan. 13, inviting 

people from around the world to interact with Glenn electrical propulsion 

experts. Dan Herman (background) with, left to right, Dave Manzella, Rohit 

Shastry and Scott Benson responded to queries about Glenn’s work in ion 

propulsion and how it provides fuel-efficient propulsion through space. Reddit 

is a popular social media platform where registered users ask whatever they 

want or simply view the questions, and vote them up or down to ensure 

the most popular questions get answered. Glenn’s Web Content Creator 

Nancy Kilkenny, SGT/Community and Media Relations Office (foreground), 

moderated the session. The Glenn experts fielded more than 2000 questions 

and comments in a 2-hour session.

Photo by S. Jenise Veris

Lunch Briefings Begin at Statehouse

NASA Glenn held its first Lunch and Learn Briefing at the Statehouse in 

Columbus, Jan. 8, to inform members of the Ohio General Assembly about 

Glenn’s role in the agency and the center’s value to Ohio and the nation at 

large. Center Director Jim Free (pictured) delivered opening remarks to 55 

attendees, including members of the General Assembly, legislative aides and 

representatives from the Ohio-based aerospace industry. He emphasized the 

NASA's importance to the state and the nation, before introducing David 

Manzella, Space Propulsion Branch, who discussed Glenn’s solar electric 

propulsion development.

Photo by Kim A. Veris

 
5

News and Events

Comings and Goings

NASA Glenn welcomes and bids farewell to those who joined and left the Directo

Strategic Management Team over the past few months:

Joel Kearns was named Deputy Director of the Space Flight Systems Directora

Dec. 30, 2013. Kearns previously worked at NASA Headquarters as well as NAS

Marshall and Ames centers. His most recent position was Vice President and Direc

of Solar Wafer Research and Development at SunEdison (formerly MEMC Electro

Materials), St. Peters, Mo. 

William R. “Randy” Humphries Jr., who served as Chief Information Officer, reti

Nov. 30, 2013, with 26 years of federal service. Dr. Jih-Fen Lei, who served as Direc

of Research and Technology, left the agency, Jan. 11, 2014, with 18-1/2 years of NA

service. Renee Batts, who served as Director of Diversity and Equal Opportun

retired Jan. 3, 2014, with 35 years of NASA service. 

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C-2014-422 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Astronaut Wilson Inspires

Local Students

Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, detailed

to NASA Glenn, inspired more than

1100 Greater Cleveland students to

“dream big” during visits to the Joseph 

M. Gallagher, Cleveland, (pictured)

and Shaker Heights middle schools

and Bedford High School, Jan. 22

and 23. Wilson, a veteran of three

spaceflights to the International Space

Station, shared video highlights of the

missions. Following each presentation, 

Wilson answered a variety of questions 

about her mission responsibilities,

educational background and NASA

career opportunities. She also distributed 

her autographed NASA biographical

lithographs. 

Glenn Experiment Arrives at Space Station

When the Orbital-1 cargo resupply 

mission arrived at the International 

Space Station, Jan. 12, an experiment 

designed by NASA’s Glenn was among 

the cargo onboard.

The experiment entitled “Burning 

and Suppression of Solids-II (BASS‒II)” 

will investigate the combustion of a 

variety of solid materials. Samples to be 

burned include assorted plastic items 

and fabric sheets. These experiments 

will provide novel science data and 

help guide more comprehensive flight 

experiments under development.

“We’re looking to see how long it 

takes to reach a steady-state flame 

and how long it takes to extinguish 

it,” said Sandra Olson, spacecraft fire 

safety researcher and BASS‒II principal 

investigator at Glenn. “A primary goal 

of BASS‒II is improved spacecraft fire 

safety, improved understanding of 

combustion in space and how to avoid 

it. If you’re on a mission far from Earth, 

a fire can be catastrophic. We want to 

select the safest materials.”

Orbital-1 is NASA’s first contracted 

resupply mission to the space station by 

U.S. company Orbital Sciences Corp. of 

Dulles, Va. Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft 

launched atop the company’s Antares 

rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight 

Facility in Virginia, Jan. 9.

Orbital developed its Antares and 

Cygnus with NASA support and 

successfully completed a test mission to 

the space station in September, enabling 

the first of eight planned contract 

resupply flights by the company. 

Student Experiments 

Catch a Ride Too

Four schools in Glenn’s six-state 

educational outreach region designed 

experiments that were among the 

cargo that arrived to the International 

Space Station on the Orbital–1 cargo 

resupply mission.

The following schools’ experiments 

traveled on the Orbital–1:

Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Junior 

High School, Huron County, Mich.: 

“The Effect of Microgravity on Calcium 

Absorption by Bones” • Macomb 

Mathematics Science Technology 

Center, Warren, Mich.: “The Formation 

of Silver Crystals in Microgravity” 

• Traverse City West Senior High

School, Traverse Cit y, Mich.: 

“Antibiotic Efficiency in a Microgravity 

Environment” • Avicenna Academy, 

Crown Point, Ind.: “The Effect of 

Microgravity on the Development of 

the Spotted Salamander.”
6

Awards, Honors & Promotions

Employee Update

Sammy Hensley, a personnel security specialist assigned to the Protective Services 

Office, is the newest addition to the NASA Glenn family. Hensley was sworn in Jan. 27.

Konstantinos “Gus” Martzaklis has been named Chief, Program and Project Assurance Division in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate (SMA). Martzaklis 

has amassed extensive management and organizational experience having served 

previously as SMA Associate Director, last year, and as Acting SMA Deputy Director 

Hensley Martzaklis for 9 months in 2012.

Glenn's First Product Engineering Track Class Graduates

Twelve Glenn employees recently graduated 

NASA Glenn's first Product Engineering Track 

(PET) program, a subcomponent of the Space 

Mission Excellence Program (SMEP). Building 

on the success of the inaugural SMEP class in 

2010, Marton Forkosh,SMEP program manager, 

designed the PET to fill a shortage of product 

engineers. They are responsible for the technical management and team leadership of a system 

or subsystem end item deliverable. Participants 

were identified by their supervisors as highly 

motivated individuals with leadership potential. To achieve certification, all participated in 

an intensive 18-month program that included 

course work, developmental assignments and 

details, presentations from outside experts, 

technical coaching, mentoring and knowledge 

sharing workgroups.

Pictured are the PET graduates and advocates following the graduation ceremony, 

Jan. 14, at the Guerin Management Center. Front row, left to right: Alan Kane, Daniel Catalano, Monica Guzik, Vicente Suarez, Robert Tornabene, Dragos Dinca and 

Human Resource specialist Rochelle Gallagher (SGT). Back row, left to right: Chief of 

the Mechanical and Fluid Systems Division Derrick Cheston, Clint Ensworth, Frank 

Quinn, Tony Nerone, Thomas Krivanek, Martin Bradish, Marton Forkosh and Director 

of Engineering Tom Hartline. Tyler Hickman is not pictured.

C-2014-163 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Center Earns FLC Award For Technology Transfer

NASA Glenn’s commitment to provide companies with technical assistance with 

the Adopt-A-City program has not only had an economic impact on Northeast 

Ohio, but has also garnered a national award. NASA Glenn was chosen the recipient of the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer’s 2014 

State and Local Economic Development Award. This award, one of the FLC’s highest honors, recognizes successful initiatives that involve partnership between 

state or local economic development groups and federal laboratories for economic 

benefit. Glenn’s Adopt-A-City Program Manager Carol Tolbert and Technology Integration Manager Dr. Paul Bartolotta will accept the award on behalf of Glenn at 

the 2014 FLC awards program in April.

Dr. Bartolotta Tolbert

AIAA Associate Fellows Selected

Five Glenn engineers are among those selected to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellows class of 2014. AIAA President 

and former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin recognized the new Associate Fellows 

during an awards dinner at the AIAA SciTech Forum in Maryland, Jan. 13. Glenn honorees included, seated, left to right, Dr. Amy Fagan, Optical Instrumentation and NDE 

Branch; Dr. Daniel Herman, Space Propulsion Branch; and Dr. Brenda Henderson, 

Flight Vehicle Acoustics Branch. Standing, left to right, is Dr. George Schmidt, Research 

and Technology Directorate, and Dr. Ruben Del Rosario, Aeronautics Research Office. 

Nomination to the rank of Associate Fellow requires being an AIAA Senior Member for 

at least 1 year prior to nomination, 12 years of professional experience with notable 

achievement, and a minimum of 3 recommendations from current Associate Fellows.

Photo by S. Jenise Veris
7

More Than a Memory

Veleba: A Pleasant Addition to Any Team

Laurel A. Veleba, 49, a program support assistant in the 

Center Operations Support Branch, Mission Support and 

Integration Division (MSID), died Jan. 16. 

Veleba joined the NASA workforce 29 years ago from the 

Navy Finance Center. She provided administrative support 

to several organizations, but many recall her smiling face 

while supporting the Training Office team for 8 years under 

supervisor Tom Spicer, now deputy chief, Office of Human

Capital Management. 

More recently, Veleba served as a member of the MSID Travel Team. “Laurie was a 

pleasure to have on the team,” said MSID Chief Robert Piccus. “Her dedication and 

camaraderie will be truly missed.” 

Veleba’s father, Don Veleba, a NASA retiree who served as a construction manager, 

preceded her in death, July 2012. 

Veleba

Wheeler Gave Expert Service With a Smile

Wheeler

Peter M. Wheeler, 59, an information technology specialist

in the Risk Management and IT Security Office, died Jan. 17.

Commonly known as a “computer guru,” Wheeler generously

gave of his time and expertise, and always with a smile. 

Wheeler, a U.S. Navy veteran who began his NASA career in 

1980 working in the Facilities Operations Division, supported 

a variety of research programs before moving to the Computer 

Science Division (CSD) in 1996. His tenure in the CSD allowed 

him to demonstrate his ingenuity and flourish in an area that 

he truly enjoyed. He earned a Suggestion Award in 2007, which led to the critical 

development of automated computer disk defragmentation on desktop computers. 

“Recently, Pete led the implementation of Glenn Smart Cards, a high visibility effort 

that required a tight deadline. Pete tackled it with time to spare and that confident 

smile on his face,” said Gib Winter, chief of the Risk Management and IT Security 

Office. “Pete was not only a valuable member of our team, but also a great person 

to be around. He will be truly missed.”

Earl C. Boitel Jr., 79, who retired in 1993 with 25 years of NASA 

service, died Jan. 5. Boitel began his NASA career in 1962 working in the Plum Brook Station Reactor Facility until it shut down 

in 1973. He was featured in the “Ashes and Atoms” documentary 

about the reactor. He worked in industry before returning to 

NASA in 1980 and later retired as chief of construction, Facilities and Engineering Division. Boitel performed with a group of 

colleagues in a band called the Mach 4’s. He was a 33-year Army 

reservist who earned the rank of colonel. Boitel

Walter M. Krawczonek, 86, who retired in 1990 with 34 years 

of federal service, died Oct. 27, 2013. Krawczonek, a U.S. Navy 

veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict, served NASA 

as a research engineer in the area of power and propulsion. He 

and three other Krawczonek brothers—Eugene, Edward and 

John— worked at NASA Lewis in the 1960s. He retired from 

the Space Systems Technology Office and Power Technology 

Division and later returned as a support service contractor on 

the Autonomous Power System Team for several years. Krawczonek

Calendar

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING:

LESA will host its next membership 

meeting on Wednesday, March 12, noon, 

Employee Center’s Small Dining Room.

ASTRONAUT TALK AND BOOKSIGNING: Astronaut Donald Thomas, 

talk and booksigning for his new book, 

“Orbit of Discovery—The All-Ohio Space 

Shuttle Mission,” will be Thursday, 

Feb. 20, at 1 p.m. in the Ad Building 

Auditorium. The book is now on sale 

in the Exchange Store. Thomas will 

also appear at the NASA Glenn Visitor 

Center at the Great Lakes Science Center, 

Saturday, Feb. 22. Admission that day 

is free.

On Feb. 20, 1962 

John Glenn 

became the first 

American to 

orbit Earth. 

GIRLS TAKE FLIGHT EVENT: Volunteers

are needed to staff hands-on STEM 

activity stations and assist Girl Scouts in 

grades 2 to 5 for this year’s “Girls Take 

Flight” event, to be held Saturday, March 

29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Adelbert 

Gym at Case Western Reserve University. 

For more information, contact, Dennis 

Stocker at 3-2166 or dennis.p.stocker@

nasa.gov.

Emergency and Inclement 

Weather Lines

Lewis Field: 216-433-9328 (WEAT)

Plum Brook Station: 419-621-3333

Retirements

Kall

Philip M. Kall, 

Facilities Division, 

retired Jan. 3, 2014, 

with 36 1⁄2 years of 

federal service.

Calvin Ramos, 

deputy chief,

Communications, 

Instrumentation 

and Controls

Division, retired Jan. 11, 2014, with 

35 years of federal service. 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

www.nasa.gov

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 Community and Media Relations Office in 

the interest of the Glenn workforce, retirees, government 

officials, business leaders and the general public. Submit 

short articles and calendar items via e-mail to the editor: 

doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov or 216–433–5317. 

March 2014 issue copy deadline: Feb. 21, noon

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, SGT, Inc.

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

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at http://aerospacefrontiers.nasa.gov

Robot Designed for Missions

on Earth and in Space

MARS Team’s MADI Meets Mission Demands

Diving in unfamiliar bodies of water 

is always dangerous and many first 

responder divers get injured every year 

providing emergency assistance for 

boating accidents, flood devastation or 

crime scene searches for evidence.

Working under an existing Space Act 

Agreement with the City of Cleveland, 

NASA Glenn’s Mobile and Remote 

Sensing (MARS) Laboratory team has 

been designing robots that can reduce 

the risks for these underwater Cleveland 

police missions, as well as potential 

planetary applications in methane lakes.

The MARS team, including team lead 

Mike Krasowski, Larry Greer and 

Danny Spina, is currently working on 

the instrumentation of MADI (Mars 

Lab Aquatic Descent Instrument), an 

underwater robotic device fitted with 

interfaces for sensors and instruments. 

The robot is designed for applications 

in law enforcement and underwater 

science in fresh and salt water. 

At the heart of MADI is a complex 

operating system. Greer developed the 

“brains” of the robot, which allows it to 

operate and send critical data to remote 

computers for analysis. 

“The beauty of MADI is that 

it can be tailored to meet 

the needs of any underwater 

mission,” Krasowski said. “If 

first responders want to use 

it, we can fit the robot with 

metal detectors and sonar 

imaging equipment to locate 

underwater evidence in the 

murky depths of Lake Erie.”

Beyond Earth, MADI could be 

a test platform for candidate 

instruments to study celestial 

bodies such as Titan. One of 

the moons orbiting Saturn, C-2014-149

Titan, has many lakes of Senior resea

liquid methane. The study MADI with 

on the missi of astrobiology is always 

looking for biomarkers or biosignatures on other planets that point 

to signs of life. Krasowski believes 

scientists developing submersible 

instruments for Titan lake science 

missions in space could use MADI to 

perform underwater tests to prove the 

instruments on Earth. 

The MARS team is working with the 

Cleveland Police and NASA researchers 

through 2014 to test and demonstrate 

MADI’s multiple capabilities.

—By Nancy Smith Kilkenny

Photo by Michelle M. Murphy

rch engineers Greer, left, and Krasowski equip 

sensors and imaging equipment depending 

on. 

Read more about MADI and

how Glenn's MARS team 

supported the City of Cleveland 

by reviving a legendary robot 

used to aid the police in their 

fight against crime during the 

1970s. Log onto http://www.nasa.

gov/content/from-crime-fighting-tomethane-lakes-designing-robots-forearth-and-space/

8