Predicting the 

Life Span of 

Materials in Space

Pages 4–5

Bridenstine to 

Lead NASA

Page 5

BPW Celebrates 

Golden Jubilee

Page 9

VOLUME 20 • ISSUE 5 • MAY 2018

Students Assist

in Restoring

Wetlands

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: Jami Drost, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Circulation: Angela Williams, ATS, 

 216–433–8921

Students Assist in 

Restoring Wetlands 

at Abram Creek 

Major Preparation 

Underway for Orion Tests

Activities are ramping up to prepare 

for the Orion Ascent Abort and 

European Service Module tests in the 

Space Environments Complex at 

Plum Brook Station. Only 3 months 

away, the Ascent Abort test article will 

be evaluated in the Acoustic Test Stand. 

In less than a year, the service module 

will be evaluated under rigorous space 

environmental conditions for NASA’s 

first Exploration Mission. From acoustic 

test stand fabrication, cryofloor preparation, chamber and cryoshroud cleaning, chamber door refurbishment, heat 

flux system installation and transportation route assessment, our personnel are 

working cohesively with all our partners 

to assure test and mission success.

Thank you for working in a safe manner 

as we plan and execute these critical 

spaceflight tests.

A grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

is enabling NASA Glenn, the Rocky River Watershed 

Council and high school students to restore wetlands 

adjacent to a tributary of Abram Creek. 

Rocky River Watershed Council’s Jared Bartley, right, works

with students to determine bankfull channel edges.

GRC-2018-C-01723 Photos by Marvin Smith
MAY 2018

3

On the Cover: 

Glenn Environmental Scientist 

Stacey Yanetta, left, guides Fairview 

High School student Victoria 

Griffiths in measuring dissolved 

oxygen and turbidity in Guerin Ditch. 

Fellow members of Griffiths’ class 

are learning about environmental 

science through a partnership 

with NASA and the Rocky River 

Watershed Council Program.

GRC-2018-C-01736

GRC-2018-C-01732

On April 10, students from the Fairview High School 

Environmental Science class came to Lewis Field to take 

a series of samples aimed at determining the makeup and 

quality of the water. Since 2016 the students have been 

working under the direction of Rocky River Watershed 

Council Program Manager Jared Bartley, and Glenn’s 

Natural Resources Program Manager Bethany Eppig and 

Environmental Scientist Stacey Yanetta (LEI).

“This project gets students out of the classroom and into 

the field of environmental science,” Bartley said. “They’ll 

not only help monitor the physical, chemical and biological 

factors of the creek but also help us develop a restoration 

plan.”

During their recent visit, students measured water quality 

parameters such as pH levels, dissolved solids, salinity 

and phosphorous. They will compare data collected before 

the restoration of the flood plain adjacent to Guerin Ditch 

(headwater tributary to Abram Creek) and after the restoration to see if water quality has improved.

Fairview Park High School science teacher Colleen 

Sliwinski said the students are very excited to work 

with the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District 

and professionals at NASA Glenn. “This is an amazing 

opportunity for career development and to experience 

what environmental professionals in the field do 

on a daily basis,” she said.

Glenn’s Yanetta sees many benefits to all the partners 

in this project. “This partnership showcases the center’s 

commitment to environmental stewardship and educates 

students about the impacts of polluted storm water runoff 

on water quality in streams.”

Editor’s note: The grant is part of the National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation’s Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program. 

The goal is to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse 

partnerships toward improving water quality, watersheds and 

the species and habitats they support.

By Doreen B. Zudell

Fairview High School science teacher Sliwinski, 

left, and Glenn’s Eppig, green coat, guide students 

in measuring phosphorous and nitrates in a water 

sample from Guerin Ditch.
Predicting 

the Life Span 

of Materials 

in Space

Almost every product we use has a shelf life. From milk and meat to laundry detergent 

and batteries, it’s important to know when it’s safe to use a product, and when 

it’s time to replace it. But what about materials used for spacecraft?

It is vital for scientists to know exactly how long a material 

will last in outer space. So, Kim de Groh, Environmental 

Effects and Coatings Branch, is gathering data from the 

Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 

missions.

In April, de Groh sent 138 different material samples to 

the International Space Station as part of MISSE–9, which 

was launched on SpaceX CRS (cargo resupply)–14 aboard 

a Dragon spacecraft. These samples will be part of the 

first MISSE mission to use the space station’s new external materials testing platform, the MISSE Flight Facility. 

De Groh wants to know how long these materials will last 

in outer space and will learn this by analyzing the affects 

atomic oxygen and radiation have on exposed polymers, 

composites and coatings. The flight data is needed to 

predict spacecraft performance and durability. 

On Earth, the oxygen we breathe is made of two atoms 

of oxygen (O2), but in space the sun’s rays break down 

O2 into single oxygen atoms, creating atomic oxygen.

When spacecraft, such as the space station and resupply 

vehicles, travel in low-Earth orbit, atomic oxygen can react 

with its surfaces, causing materials, such as polymers, to 

erode. In addition, radiation can cause spacecraft materials to become brittle and crack.

De Groh has been involved with the MISSE missions since 

they began in 2001, and through this research, de Groh 

and her colleague Bruce Banks, have developed a model 

to predict the erosion of materials in space. De Groh’s 

MISSE data has already impacted spacecraft design 

choices for numerous Earth observing satellites.

MISSE–9 will expose materials in different flight orientations on the space station. This includes forward facing 

Photos by NASA

GRC-2018-CN-00008

Kim de Groh with the 

MISSE–9 samples.

4 At right: MISSE–2 atomic oxygen erosion figure.

GRC-2018-CN-00009
MAY 2018

5

On April 19, the United States 

Senate confirmed Jim Bridenstine 

as the next NASA Administrator. 

Vice President Mike Pence 

performed the swearing in 

ceremony at NASA Headquarters 

on April 23. Bridenstine served in 

the U.S. House of Representatives 

for the state of Oklahoma, where 

he held positions on the House 

Armed Services Committee and 

the Committee on Science, Space 

and Technology. Bridenstine also is 

a pilot in the U.S. Navy Reserve 

and the former executive director 

of the Tulsa Air and Space 

Museum & Planetarium.

Bridenstine 

Confirmed 

as NASA 

Administrator

Bridenstine

known as ram, rear facing known as wake, space facing known as 

zenith, and Earth facing known as nadir. Flying samples in each orientation will show how the varying atomic oxygen and solar exposures in each 

position affect material.

The researchers expect the highest exposure to atomic oxygen for the 

ram samples and the least exposure to atomic oxygen for the wake samples. The highest solar exposure is likely for the zenith samples and the 

lowest solar exposure for the nadir samples. Monthly photos will be taken 

of the samples while in space showing color changes or sample cracking.

After a year in space, the MISSE–9 samples will be returned to Earth 

for post-flight analyses. The data obtained from this mission will enable 

de Groh to make more accurate predictions of materials and component 

lifetimes in space, allowing engineers to build longer-lasting vehicles 

for spaceflight.

By Debbie Lockhart

“We will fly some of the same 

materials in different orientations, 

as the same material can react 

differently in each flight direction.”

—Kim de Groh
6

NEWS AND EVENTS

Glenn Pumps Up the Power 

to Buckeye Regional 

More than 1,400 high school students from Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kentucky, West Virginia, 

New Jersey, Iowa, Tennessee and South Carolina competed in the 17th annual Buckeye Regional FIRST 

(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. The 3-day tournament 

themed “FIRST POWER UP” was held in Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, March 29 to 31. 

This year, Glenn’s Stephanie Brown-Houston, the Buckeye Regional project manager and a long-standing 

game referee, was awarded the regional Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. The FIRST Program considers 

its volunteers’ willingness to share their time and talents, at the heart of the program’s success.

Annually, NASA Glenn’s Office of Education is the largest sponsor of the Buckeye Regional in terms of 

volunteers and grants, and this year was no exception. Glenn awarded grants totaling $23,000 that 

enabled 11 teams to compete, including Team 4121 Viking Robotics, North Canton, Ohio. The team 

enjoyed a great tournament outing, winning the Entrepreneurship Award, sponsored by Kleiner, Perkins, 

Caufield and Byers; the Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation; and an invitation 

to the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, as a regional finalist.

FIRST is an international organization that inspires students to study science, technology, engineering 

and math by engaging them in robotics. All FIRST contestants are eligible to apply for a share of nearly 

$50 million in scholarships.

By S. Jenise Veris

Brown-Houston on the game floor 

following the award presentation.

GRC-2018-CN-00010

North Canton’s Viking Robotics, Team 4121, 

in the pits during a break in action.

GRC-2018-CN-00011 Photos by Tim Dedula
MAY 2018

7

Computer Science Day 

Helps Youth Explore 

STEM Careers

Middle school students learned basic computer 

science principles while taking part in aerospacethemed activities and interacting with Glenn 

researchers and scientists during Computer 

Science Day at Lewis Field, April 6. Deputy Chief 

Information Officer Louise Moroney and Rochelle 

May from the Flow Boiling and Condensation 

Experiment described how they use computing 

in their work at Glenn. Representatives of the 

Graphics & Visualization, Simulated Lunar 

Operations and Hyperspectral Imaging labs shared 

hands-on versions of computing projects they 

work with daily. Pictured are students using 

hand-built rovers to navigate the planetary terrain.

Women’s History Month Observance Kicks Off Series

GRC-2018-C-01683 Photo by Rami Daud

During the National Women’s History Month 

Observance, April 3, Employee Assistance 

Program Counselor Ellen Hartson, pictured, 

addressed the topic, “Impact of Drive and 

Persistence on Health and Career.” 

Her presentation kicked off the first of 

a series designed to bring awareness to a 

broad range of issues and challenges women 

face in the workplace. The Office of Diversity 

and Equal Opportunity and the Women’s 

Advisory Group, which hosted this event, 

will offer activities throughout the year that 

address the 2018 Women’s History theme, 

“Nevertheless She Persisted.”

GRC-2018-C-01675

Photo by Rami Daud
8

Oleson, Landis Among 

Phase 2 NIAC Award Winners

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program has chosen 

Glenn’s Steve Oleson, COMPASS Conceptual Spacecraft Design team lead, 

and Dr. Geoffrey Landis, Photovoltaic and Electrochemical Systems Branch, 

to advance a proposal for Phase 2 of NIAC’s portfolio of leading-edge concepts. Also supporting the proposal were Glenn’s Anthony Colozza, Jason 

Hartwig and Steven McCarty, as well as Noam Izenberg of Johns Hopkins 

University Applied Physics Laboratory.

The 2018 NIAC winners include nine Phase 2 proposals, including Oleson’s ice-fueled hopper to explore an icy Neptune 

moon called Triton: Exploring Neptune’s Captured Kuiper Belt Object. Oleson’s Titan Submarine concept earned the 

same honor in 2015. Awards under Phase 2 of the NIAC program can be worth as much as $500,000 for 2-year studies 

and allow proposers to further develop Phase 1 concepts that successfully demonstrated initial feasibility and benefit. 

For more information on Phase 2 goals of the Triton concept and a list of the other 2018 NIAC award-winning concepts, 

visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invests-in-shapeshifters-biobots-other-visionary-technology.

MAP: A Key Initiative in NASA’s Operating Model

What’s all this talk about MAP? Why is it important?

The Mission Support Future Architecture Program, or MAP, is NASA’s next major optimization initiative following the 

Business Service Assessment (BSA). MAP will transform Mission Support Services from their current state to an 

enterprise operating model while maintaining mission focus, improving efficiency, ensuring local authority and valuing 

the workforce.

Mission Support Services provide the backbone capabilities that enable NASA’s programs and projects. These services 

include the following: financial management, human capital, information technology, legislative affairs, strategic 

infrastructure, communications, education, procurement, protective services, small business, general counsel and 

diversity and equal opportunity.

MAP is focused on providing support to the missions with greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness and establishing 

more agile operations, while enhancing employee development opportunities. MAP is also committed to engaging the 

agency, centers and mission directorates throughout the process to ensure a transparent and collaborative transformation. Toward that goal, an All Hands meeting with NASA Headquarters’ Mission Support Directorate staff on the topic of 

the MAP is scheduled for June 5. Stay tuned to Today@Glenn for information on the event.

Meanwhile, please check out the MAP website, which further explains the program, includes answers to frequently 

asked questions and provides the most current status on MAP projects. https://inside.nasa.gov/msd/map.

Illustration of the Triton Hopper 

exploring Neptune.

GRC-2018-CN-00012

Photo by Steve Oleson
9

MAY 2018

Still at the Wheel of Change

Glenn Chapter of BPW Celebrates 50 Years 

NASA Glenn’s Chapter of the Business and Professional 

Women’s (BPW) club commemorated its 50th anniversary 

jubilee with a capacity crowd at the Ohio Aerospace Institute, 

March 28.

The event acknowledged the importance of the 30 women 

who proudly took up the National BPW banner to establish 

the Lewis Chapter of BPW, as advocates for women’s rights. 

Annie Easley, one of NASA’s celebrated Hidden Figures, was 

a founding member. The club promoted career development 

programs, pay equity, work/life balance, workplace flexibility, 

health issues and more.

“We celebrate the accomplishments of these pioneering women 

and the club that continues to persevere and inspire young 

women, such as those gathered today from local universities 

and middle schools,” said Amanda vonDeak, current Glenn 

BPW president. 

Four of the founding members—Glenn retirees Sue ButtonWinsa, Teri Horvath, Ellen Nachman and June Szucs—were 

among the guests. They championed Glenn’s club and BPW’s 

historical mission as a vehicle to drive change and empower 

women. That sentiment was echoed throughout the day’s programming, which centered on the theme “Revving the Engine 

to Advance Women in Science and Leadership.”

Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi provided a keynote address 

during the luncheon for the golden jubilee. Programming 

also included a “Power Panel” of local women representing 

leadership in science, business and education. Several small 

business breakout sessions focused on topics ranging from 

workplace empowerment to establishing excellence.

The Glenn chapter has expanded its efforts to better the lives 

of women beyond the center’s gate into the Greater Cleveland 

area. They have donated to food banks and supported local 

causes such as rape crisis centers and transitional housing for 

mothers in need. 

Nearly 20 years ago, the chapter began awarding an annual 

Career Advancement scholarship. Over $15,000 has been 

awarded to eligible women and men. Many of the past recipients have gone on to make technological accomplishments 

and hold leadership positions within the agency. Applications 

for the 2018–2019 academic year must be submitted on 

or before Friday, May 18, 2018. See Today@Glenn or call 

Jill Noble, 216–433–3711.

“Thanks to the support of BPW, women engaged in leadership 

and the pursuit of STEM careers at NASA have come a long 

way over the past 50 years,” vonDeak said. “We are excited 

for the future!”

By S. Jenise Veris

Center Director Dr. Kavandi, center, and members of the NASA Glenn Chapter of the BPW proudly assemble at the 50th anniversary celebration.

GRC-2018-CN-00013

Photo by Karen Edwards

Founding BPW officers Szucs, left, and Horvath demonstrate 

Safe Drivers Car Care, one of many workshops BPW co-sponsored 

early in its drive to empower working women.

GRC-1971-C-01322 Photo by NASA
10

Sotos

MORE THAN A MEMORY

John L. Pollack, 94, a 1979 retiree with 30 

years of service, died Oct. 17, 2017. He was a U.S. 

Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. Pollack 

headed the Optical Measurements Section of the 

Instrument and Computing Division. Pollack developed a solar light source to simulate the radiated 

light of the sun. This radiation helped simulate the 

space environment for testing power generation 

systems in the vacuum chamber of the Space 

Power Facility at Plum Brook. His brother, Frank, 

a NASA retiree, died in March 2018.

Maroli Solves 

NASA@Work Challenge

John M. Maroli, Flight Software Branch, received a 

NASA@Work “Recognition of Excellence” for his solution 

to one of two problems posted in the challenge: “How 

Do We Predict the Future.” Maroli formulated a machine 

learning problem for predicting the probability/risk of 

future safety incidents using various safety-related 

metrics, which include the number of safety permits held, 

employee density, employee service years, facility age, 

facility type and other seasonal/time metrics.

PROMOTIONS AWARDS

Timothy Ferlin has been selected Chief Safety and Mission 

Assurance officer for the Power Propulsion Element (PPE) 

Project in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. 

Ferlin previously served as the Software Assurance 

Discipline Lead for a team tasked with meeting agency 

software assurance requirements across the center.

Tiffany Morgan has been selected deputy project manager 

for the Solar Electric Propulsion Project in the Space 

Technology Project Office of Glenn’s Space Flight Systems 

Directorate. Morgan previously served as chief of the 

Engineering and Program Integration Division for 

the Air Force Space Command.

RETIREMENTS

Correction from the April issue 

of AeroSpace Frontiers:

Rowena M. Rice, Occupational 

Health Branch, Safety and Health 

Division, retired March 30, 2018, 

with 20 years of service. 

Ray G. Sotos, 81, a 1994 retiree with 32 years of service, 

died March 24. Sotos was the first facility manager for the 

Zero Gravity Research Facility, which came online in 1966 

for test support of numerous spaceflight experiments and 

ground-based science investigations. His expertise was 

critical in conducting a series of combustion experiments 

to determine the causes of the Apollo 13 fire. Sotos played 

a major role in designing the first low-gravity experiments 

conducted on the Learjet 25. His wife, Carol, is a NASA 

retiree. His daughter and son-in-law, Renee and Terrance 

Palyo, work at Glenn. 

Rice

Ferlin Morgan

Deputy Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis presents the 

NASA@Work Award to Maroli with his managers, 

Research and Engineering director Dr. Rickey Shyne, 

left, and Division Chief Derrick Cheston.

GRC-2018-C-01381 Photo by Rami Daud
MAY 2018

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

Upcoming Center Events

Deadline for next calendar section 

is May 16, noon. News and feature 

stories require additional time.

GSEL MOBILE LIBRARIAN

The Glenn Science and Engineering 

Library (GSEL) Mobile Librarian will be 

visiting building 110 through May 17 

and building 162 from June 5 to 14. 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

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING

LESA will hold its next membership 

meeting, Wednesday, June 13, noon, 

in the Glenn Employee Center’s Small 

Dining Room.

The Emergency Management Office 

staff will conduct an audible siren 

test on the “HAZMAT” tone at Lewis 

Field on Saturday, June 2. An outdoor 

mass notification “voice” test will be 

conducted at buildings 100 and 302 

on Wednesday, June 6. 

POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826 

JUNE OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING

RETIRED WOMEN’S LUNCHEON

The next NASA Retired Women’s 

Luncheon will be held Thursday, 

May 17, at 1 p.m. at Olesia’s Place, 

11204 Royalton Road, North Royalton. 

Please notify Gerry Ziemba 

at 330–273–4850 or 

gto64gerry@yahoo.com.

ACTS alumni (anyone who worked on the project in any way) and one guest per 

attendee are invited. For more information, and to get on the email list, contact 

Alan.W.Hewston@nasa.gov, 216–433–3556; or Kathleen.A.Kelley@nasa.gov, 

216–433–5180. Look for the RSVP deadline in the June AeroSpace Frontiers. 

Safety and Health 

Awareness Event 

June 26 to 28, 2018

ACTS 25th Anniversary Banquet

West Side Irish-American Club

8559 Jennings Road, Olmsted Township

$40 per person, cash bar

Friday, Sept. 14

5 to 10 p.m.

June 26 Lewis Field Program and Mishap Panel

9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

June 27 Plum Brook Station Program and Health Walk

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

June 28 Lewis Field Health Walk

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Spread the Word—Retirees Are Welcome!

POC: Betsy Lavelle, 3–3198

Watch Today@Glenn for details.

Thursday, Aug. 23

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lewis Field Picnic Grounds

2018 Center Picnic

Stay tuned to 

Today@Glenn for details.

POC: Andrea Bonesteel, 3–2059
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

Water Summit Focused on Technical Solutions 

NASA Glenn’s Regional Economic Development (RED) team 

and several partners connected companies with NASA experts 

for innovative technical solutions during the Midwest Water 

Initiative Summit at the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), March 

21. During the event, NASA researchers and physicists met 

with representatives from companies based in Ohio, Michigan, 

Texas and Wisconsin to help them solve problems relating to 

water. Glenn’s Chief Technologist Dr. John Sankovic and OAI 

President Jeff Rolf provided welcoming remarks. The event 

also included tours of Glenn research facilities, and a GRC 

Connections that featured a panel discussion on water as an 

economic asset. Laurie Stauber, RED Level 2 program manager 

(acting), led the summit.

At left: Glenn subject matter experts and the Manufacturing 

Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) facilitators pose for 

a photo with LimnoTech’s Cutrell during the water summit.

Stauber, at podium, moderated “Water, Water Everywhere—

A Regional Perspective” Panel for GRC Connections with 

representation from a variety of organizations. 

GRC-2018-C-01624

Photos by Bridget Caswell

Left to right: Glenn’s Ray Wade and Tom Doehne; NASA 

Armstrong’s Shaun Smith; LimnoTech’s Greg Cutrell; and 

MAGNET’s Joe Vinciquerra, with LimnoTech’s buoy. 

GRC-2018-C-01609