VOLUME 19 ISSUE 5 MAY 2017

New Science Mission Directorate 

AA Gets Up-Close View of Glenn

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Associate Administrator 

(AA) Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen visited NASA Glenn, April 11. Accompanied by SMD Deputy Associate Administrator Dennis Andrucyk, 

Zurbuchen toured several Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station test 

facilities and interacted with employees during an All Hands meeting.

At the All Hands, Zurbuchen talked about the importance of innovation. He shared several examples of current and future missions that 

address three key science themes: Safeguarding and Improving Life on 

Earth, Searching for Life Elsewhere and Expanding our Knowledge. 

“Every mission we fly should make the 

next mission more successful.”

 —Dr. Zurbuchen

Continued on page 2

GRC-2017-C-01528 Photo by Marvin Smith

Wayne Wong, right, Thermal Energy Conversion 

Branch chief, discusses the benefits of high-efficiency 

Stirling convertors for future radioisotope power 

systems while providing Andrucyk, left, and 

Dr. Zurbuchen a tour of the Stirling Research 

Laboratory.

Research Network Forms Partnerships, 

Helps Revitalize Local Economy

In 2015, the State of Ohio set aside 

$20 million to work with Ohio-based 

universities and industry to create 

jobs. Part of this effort included the 

establishment of the Ohio Federal 

Research Network (OFRN) to enable 

universities to address the technical 

needs of four federal institutions located in Ohio, while they also developed 

a strong research talent base.

The process began when NASA Glenn, 

plus three Dayton-based institutes—the 

Air Force Research Laboratory, National 

Air and Space Intelligence Center and 

Naval Medical Research Unit—shared 

technical requirements necessary to 

achieve their future missions and programs. Several Ohio-based universities 

each created competitive projects in 

partnership with at least one other 

Ohio university, one or more Ohio 

companies, and at least one Ohio-based 

federal researcher. The goal of the 

partnership is to attract outside public 

and private investments and retain and 

create new jobs in Ohio. 

Continued on page 3

In This Issue

Director’s Safety Corner ........ 2

New Look for Newsletter! ....... 2

Medical Tech Transfer ............ 3

News and Events ............... 4–5

Shadowing Day

Connections .......................... 6

Experiments on 

S.S. John Glenn .................... 8
Approaching Another Construction Season

As the weather warms, it reminds us that we are coming upon another 

busy construction season. Lewis Field will undergo several high-visibility 

projects this summer, including repairs to the steam distribution system.

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Transportation will close the 

Brookpark Road bridge for 3 months to perform repairs. While navigating 

through orange barrels and alternate routes can be inconvenient, construction is a means to improving our infrastructure and ensuring our safety. 

Please remember to slow down and identify potential hazards when 

walking and driving; it is crucial to the safety of everyone. 

Be safe! 

 —Janet

Up-Close View of Glenn

Continued from page 1

Zurbuchen and Andrucyk answered 

several questions from the audience 

and via the Conferences i/o Audience 

Response System. They noted the 

importance of Glenn’s technology in 

enabling current and future missions.

“Many technologies 

are at the gate; 

we need to push them 

over the fence.”

 —Dr. Zurbuchen

By Doreen B. Zudell

Left to right: Andrucyk, Center Director 

Dr. Janet Kavandi and Dr. Zurbuchen 

stop at the Reverberant Acoustic Test 

Facility while on tour at Plum Brook 

Station. 

GRC-2017-CN-00006 Photo by Dave Stringer

Newsletter

Enhancements

It’s been nearly a decade since 

Glenn’s official newsletter underwent a redesign. So, beginning 

in June, AeroSpace Frontiers will 

have a new look and feel that 

takes advantage of NASA’s amazing images, photos and graphics. 

Along with an issue delivered to 

your mail stop, you’ll also find 

extra copies in new publication 

stands that will be located in 

popular areas at Lewis Field and 

Plum Brook Station, including 

both main gates.

That means you can pick up 

an extra copy and share it 

with a friend!

2
MAY 2017

NASA Glenn RED Team Helps EP+R 

Sterilize Ambulances

NASA Glenn’s Regional Economic Development (RED) Team helped breathe life into 

a new product designed by Emergency Products and Research (EP+R) of Kent, Ohio, 

and potentially a new standard for public health. 

EP+R CEO Jim Doherty and Vice President Jason Thompson identified a critical need 

in the medical emergency industry to develop a product that would decontaminate 

and sterilize ambulance interiors between patients. But after conducting their own 

research, they still needed expert advice on using oxidizers to decontaminate public 

health surfaces.

During a RED technology roadshow, EP+R made a connection through the 

Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), the regional 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership that joins with others to help companies 

tackle technical issues. Laurie Stauber, a member of Glenn’s RED team, suggested 

NASA’s Sharon Miller, Environmental Effects and Coatings Branch, serve as 

their mentor. Miller has extensive experience with atomic oxygen plasma and 

sterilization using a plasma. NASA uses atomic oxygen plasmas to test the 

durability of spacecraft materials that will be used in low-Earth orbit and Mars orbit.

“They needed information on how many times they could sterilize an ambulance 

with the ionized mist, which contained a strong oxidizer, without damaging any sensitive equipment in the ambulance,” Miller explained. “I provided information on 

what would be the most oxidation-sensitive surfaces and some reaction literature. I 

also guided them in how to set up a test plan to check out the product with an old 

donated ambulance.” 

Since participating in the NASA RED activity, EP+R has implemented the AMBUstatTM 

system in public health agencies around the country. Through its pilot programs in 

key regions, the firm continues to identify best practices to achieve the effective 

decontamination of spaces while minimizing downtime and optimizing safety.

For the full story and more information about NASA’s Regional Economic 

Development Program visit https://www.nasa.gov/feature/red/nasa-glenn-red-teamhelps-epr.

GRC-2017-CN-00009 Photos by EP+R, Stephen Herron

Miller inside Glenn’s large-area atomic 

oxygen chamber.

GRC-2017-CN-00010

EP+R’s Doherty, left, and Thompson 

pose with their AMBUstatTM system.

Research Network

Continued from page 1

Since OFRN began, 18 projects have been competitively 

selected engaging 11 different Ohio universities and more 

than 50 Ohio companies and hospitals. Center Director 

Dr. Janet Kavandi is Glenn’s representative to the OFRN 

Executive Review Board.

“Some of the technical progress to date improved battery 

life, advanced flexible electronics and addressed unmanned 

area vehicle ice protection,” explained Sandy Reehorst, 

deputy director of the Office of Technology Incubation 

and Innovation. Reehorst serves as a member of the OFRN 

Technical Review Board, the team responsible for assessing 

all OFRN project proposals. “As a result, numerous successful NASA Glenn partnerships and teams have been formed 

across our state, including colleagues from other Ohio federal institutes, industry, academia and nonprofits.” 

For more information on OFRN, please contact Sandy 

Reehorst at sandra.t.reehorst@nasa.gov. 

GRC-2017-CN-00008

The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Dr. Randall Mathinson provides 

direction to a grad student on the setup of the Turbine Test 

Facility at OSU, for testing on the Turbine Cooling Project. This 

is one of the OFRN projects of specific interest to NASA Glenn.

3
News and Events

Efficient Operating 

Model: BSA Update

A panel of NASA Glenn senior managers discussed the impacts of

NASA’s approved Business Services

Assessment (BSA) decisions in the areas 

of Information Technology, Human

Capital, Procurement, Facilities and

Budget Management, April 5. NASA’s 

BSA seeks to establish a more efficient operating model that maintains 

critical capabilities and meets current 

and future mission needs. Panelists pictured, left to right: Associate Director 

Janet Watkins; Agency BSA Implementation and Change Leadership Manager, 

Leah Hollander; Deputy Chief Information Officer Louise Moroney; Director 

of Center Operations Robyn Gordon; 

Director of Human Capital Management 

Lori Pietravoia; Director of Facilities, 

Test & Manufacturing Tom Hartline; 

and Chief Financial Officer Larry Sivic. 

For more information on the BSA, visit 

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/glennbsa. 

GRC-2017-CN-00007 Photo by Steve Crimaldi

Dr. Kavandi Joins Panel at Space Symposium 

Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi was one of five NASA center directors who participated on the panel, “Center Directors in a Time of Transition,” during the 33rd annual 

Space Symposium, April 3–6. Among the topics was the President’s reinstatement 

of a National Space Council. Pictured, left to right: Ellen Ochoa, Johnson Space 

Center director; Kavandi; Michael Watkins, Jet Propulsion Laboratory director; 

and Dr. David Livingston, panel moderator and founder-host of “The Space Show.” 

(Not pictured: Robert Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, and Todd May, 

Marshall Space Flight Center director.) Glenn’s Outreach and Space Flight Mission 

Directorate team members coordinated and staffed a display that included NASA’s 

Solar Electric Propulsion spacecraft and engine models. 

GRC-2017-CN-00013 Photo by Space Foundation/Tom Kimmel Photography

Patrons Get “GVIS” 

Experience During 

National Library Week

Graphics and Visualization (GVIS) Lab 

intern Alejandro Diaz helps an employee 

adjust a head-mounted visual reality display that simulates visiting the space 

station without leaving the library. The 

demonstration was part of Glenn’s

National Library Week activities offering 

employees an opportunity to learn about 

tools that aid engineers early in a design. 

Earlier, Glenn’s Science & Engineering 

Library staff hosted Customer Appreciation Day, as part of the week’s activities, 

to introduce the new programs available 

through the Learning Center. GRC-2017-CN-00011 Photo by S. Jenise Veris

4
MAY 2017

News and Events

Glenn Trailblazers Share Positive Influences

Employees gathered for a Brown Bag Networking Luncheon to celebrate Women’s

History Month, March 22. Attendees participated in a panel discussion with Glenn 

Trailblazers—Associate Director Janet Watkins; Office of Human Capital Management 

Director Lori Pietravoia; Diversity and Equal Opportunity Director Aretha Carr; and 

European Service Module Integration Manager Susan Motil. Panelists shared personal

and professional experiences that influenced their lives and careers. Patricia Ryan, 

a Wright-Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory employee detailed to Glenn’s 

Office of the Director, shared examples of trailblazing women who made 

an enormous impact on her life. Networking with panelists and co-workers followed.

GRC-2017-C-01553 Photo by Rami Daud

Glenn Participates in Community Day 

STREAM Conference 

NASA Glenn supported “Community 

Day” activities, March 18, one of 

three action-packed days during the 

Northeast Ohio Science, Technology, 

Recreation, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (NEO STREAM) Conference. 

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, in collaboration with Cuyahoga Community 

College (Tri-C), sponsored the event to 

increase awareness, education and opportunities in STREAM fields in Ohio. 

Dovie Lacy and Zachary Lucas, Office of Communications and External 

Relations, oversaw NASA exhibits and an 

educational presentation related to the 

movie “Hidden Figures.” 

ODOT Director 

Visits Plum Brook

The Ohio Department of Transportation 

(ODOT) Director Jerry Wray and Plum 

Brook Station Director Dave Stringer 

stop in front of the Integrated Cryogenic 

Propulsion Test Article during a tour of 

the In-Space Propulsion Facility, April 4.

NASA Glenn is working with ODOT on a 

multiyear project that will help facilitate 

the future movement of articles to and 

from Plum Brook. This could include 

components of Orion, the nation’s next 

human-rated spacecraft designed to take 

astronauts farther into space than they 

have ever gone before. 

GRC-2017-C-01500 Photo by Marvin Smith

Connect With Glenn

Emergency and Inclement 

Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

5
News and Events

Shadowing Day Connects Students With NASA Glenn

Twenty-one local high school and home-schooled juniors and seniors learned more 

about NASA and STEM-related careers during High School Shadowing Day at Lewis 

Field, April 12. Hosted by Glenn’s Office of Education, the event included one-onone time with mentors, a panel discussion and tours of the Icing Research Tunnel 

(IRT) and the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER). Students received information about educational opportunities at Glenn and how to stay connected with NASA. 

GRC-2017-C-01780 Photo by Rami Daud

Shannon Eichorn, top center, and Kyle Phillips, top left, provide an overview of the 

GEER to students.

GRC-2017-C-01764 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Mentor Gabriel Benavides, far right, 

takes students into a space environment 

simulation chamber in the Electric 

Propulsion Laboratory.

Awards

Pathway Intern Honored 

Aviation Week Network, in collaboration with the American 

Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, selected NASA 

Glenn Pathway intern Geoffrey Andrews as one of 

“Tomorrow’s Engineering Leaders: The 20 Twenties.” 

A Purdue University student interning in the Propulsion 

Division, Andrews is one of 20 students from around the 

world honored for significant contributions to their fields 

of study. Andrews

Dr. Myers Named ACS Oklahoma 

Chemist of the Year 

The American Chemical Society (ACS) awarded its 2017 

Oklahoma Chemist Award to Dr. Dwight L. Myers, a NASA 

Summer Faculty Fellow in Glenn’s Materials and Structures 

Division for 10 years. Myers, a professor and co-chair 

of East Central University’s Chemistry Department, 

pursues research in thermodynamics and materials chemistry, particularly high-temperature chemistry, leading to

numerous technical papers and lasting contributions 

to the center. Dr. Myers

SAVE THE DATE!

Glenn Safety and 

Health Awareness Day

Tuesday, June 13

MIC Auditorium

6
MAY 2017

Retirements

Liou Robinson Stewart

Dr. David J. Chato, Fluid and Cryogenic Systems Branch, Propulsion Division, 

retired March 31, 2017, with 32 years of service. 

Larry Liou, Space Science Project Office, Space Flight Systems Directorate, retired 

March 31, 2017, with 28 years of service. 

Frank Robinson Jr., associate director, Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, 

retired April 3, 2017, with 33 years of service.

Syreeta J. Stewart, Exploration Systems Branch, Procurement Division, retired 

March 31, 2017, with 28 years of service. 

More Than a Memory

Moeckel

Yager

Dr. Katsanis

Dr. Theodore Katsanis, 91, a 1985 retiree with 22 years 

of service, died March 23. Katsanis began his NASA career 

in 1963 and earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Case 

Western Reserve University (1967). He wrote over 60 technical reports/briefs on computer programs for analyzing flow 

through turbomachinery. Katsanis earned the Society of 

Automotive Engineers’ Charles M. Manly Memorial Medal 

(1974) for co-authoring MERIDL, a FORTRAN-IV computer 

program developed to obtain a subsonic or shock-free 

transonic flow solution on the hub-shroud of a turbomachine. 

Wolfgang “Wolf” E. Moeckel, 95, a 1978 retiree with over 

30 years of NACA/NASA service, died April 6. Moeckel retired 

as NASA Lewis’ Chief Scientist. Early in his career, Moeckel 

was a pioneer of supersonic aerodynamics, and wrote groundbreaking papers on theoretical design of engine inlet shapes. 

Later, as Chief of Electromagnetic Propulsion Division, his research focused on using unconventional propulsion systems 

for Earth satellites and interplanetary travel. Moeckel won 

NASA’s Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (1969) 

for his pioneering research and subsequent contributions to 

electric propulsion. His nephew, Steven Mainger, works in 

Glenn’s Avionics Branch. 

James E. Yager, 87, a 1997 retiree with 35 years of service, 

died March 11. Yager was an electrical engineer who served 

primarily in the Engineering Design Directorate. He was honored with a NASA Group Achievement Award for “the detailed 

design for hardware and mechanical/electrical support systems for the Wave Rotor Project, an important development 

in aircraft propulsion research to improve jet engine performance.” He also supported the Lewis High-Speed Research 

Program. Yager’s son, James C. Yager, HX5 Sierra, supports 

Glenn’s Wind Tunnel and Propulsion Test Branch.

Calendar

JUNE OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING:

The Emergency Management Office

staff will conduct an audible siren test

focusing on the “HAZMAT” tone on

Saturday, June 3, at Lewis Field. An

outdoor “voice” test will be conducted 

at Buildings 100 and 301 on Wednesday, 

June 7. POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING:

LESA will hold its next membership

meeting, Wednesday, June 14, noon,

in the Glenn Employee Center’s Small

Dining Room.

Trending With 

Tech Transfer

Silicon-Carbide Fabrication

Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Ozark

Integrated Circuits signed a technology licensing agreement to 

evaluate the use of Glenn’s 

silicon-carbide fabrication technologies for creating integrated circuits to help monitor and control 

systems at temperatures near 500 

degrees Celsius. The circuits are 

able to operate in extreme environments like the surface of Venus or 

inside a jet engine.

GRC-2015-C-00598

Photo by Marvin Smith

Acoustic Liner Technology

San Jose, California-based Tellus

Aerospace signed a startup licensing agreement to commercialize

NASA Glenn’s compact, lightweight acoustic liner technology. 

Tellus is also a winner in the 2016 

SPACE RACE startup challenge, a 

competition to launch startups and 

encourage the adoption of NASA 

technologies. 

GRC-2017-CN-00018

Photo by Carol Harrison, 

NASA Langley

7
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 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 via 

e-mail to the editor: doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov or 216–433–5317. 

June 2017 Calendar section deadline: May 19, noon

News and feature stories require additional time

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS

Assistant Editor: S. Jenise Veris, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

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

S.S. John Glenn Carried Two NASA Glenn Experiments 

NASA Glenn sent two experiments, the Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiment and 

the Spacecraft Fire Experiment-III (Saffire-III), to the International Space Station 

(ISS), April 18. The Glenn-developed experiments flew aboard the S.S. John Glenn, 

Orbital ATK’s seventh commercial supply service ship.

Zero Boil-Off Tank Experiment

Rocket fuel and other liquids used in 

space are stored at cryogenic temperatures of –423 to –243 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As these liquid cryogens are warmed by 

the environment, they evaporate, which 

increases pressures inside storage tanks.

Results from the ZBOT experiment 

will help improve tank design for longterm cryogenic liquid storage and GRC-2017-CN-00016 Photo by NASA

pressure control, reducing the risk The ZBOT experiment will study ways and cost of future deep space explora- to relieve pressure inside liquid storage 

tion missions. tanks without loss of fluid.

Saffire-III

Saffire-III is the third in a series of experiments to ignite a large-scale fire in 

microgravity. The experiments were designed to improve understanding of fire 

growth in microgravity and safeguard future space missions. The investigation 

begins when the trash-filled Cygnus resupply vehicle departs the ISS with Saffire 

aboard.

For more information about these experiments, contact William Sheredy, 

ZBOT project manager, william.a.sheredy@nasa.gov; and Dr. David Urban, Saffire 

principal investigator, david.urban@nasa.gov.

Honoring the Legacy

Orbital ATK has named each of 

its Cygnus spacecraft in tribute to 

influential astronauts. The commercial cargo ship, dubbed S.S. 

John Glenn in March 2017, honors the legacy of NASA Glenn’s 

namesake.

GRC-2017-CN-00017 Photo by NASA

Orbital’s ATK Cygnus spacecraft, 

dubbed the S.S. John Glenn, in 

the high bay area at Kennedy 

Space Center.