VOLUME 17 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2015

Orion Spacecraft Completes First Spaceflight Test!

Glenn's Contributions

Instrumental to Flight

NASA marked a major milestone, Dec. 5, 

on its journey to Mars as the Orion 

spacecraft completed its first voyage 

to space! This uncrewed Orion flight, 

Exploration Flight Test-1, tested systems 

critical to crew safety. It traveled farther 

into space than any spacecraft built 

for humans has traveled in more than 

40 years. 

As NASA prepared to take the next 

step in deep space exploration, the 

Glenn team of engineers and scientists 

that worked on Orion for more than a 

decade closely monitored the mission 

from NASA Kennedy and back home 

at Glenn. 

Continued on page 3

The Orion spacecraft splashed down shortly after 11:30 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean, 6,000 

miles southwest of San Diego. 

Photo courtesy of NASA

Game Changing 

Oxygen Recovery

Future long-duration space and planetary surface exploration will require 

updated sustainable life support systems that provide a comfortable work 

and living environment. 

Presently, International Space Station 

tenants rely on an environmental 

life-support subsystem that recovers 

only 50 percent oxygen. For long-term 

missions that leave low Earth orbit, 

the oxygen recovery will need to be 

increased. NASA has solicited proposals for systems that will increase 

the recovery rate to greater than

75 percent. Continued on page 2

Lightfoot and Roe Stress Operating Model Synergy

Center Director Jim Free, NASA Associate Director Robert Lightfoot and 

Deputy Associate Director Lesa Roe update Glenn employees on the agency 

operating model. See page 2. 

In This Issue

Director's Safety Corner..............2 

Followers "Like" Orion...................2 

Focus on Diversity.........................5

Breakthrough Technologies .........5 

Resolve To Be Creative.................6 

Holiday Gathering Highlights.....8

C-2014-8878 Photo by Marvin Smith
Mission Success!

The smooth launch and recovery of the Orion spacecraft in December may 

have made spaceflight look easy to viewers across the world. But NASA and our 

industry partners know the complexities involved in this test flight. It is the 

product of years of hard work and testament to the importance of engineering, 

safety and mission assurance, and operational reviews in ensuring success.

Watching those fairings separate and parachutes deploy was an emotional 

experience for many of us at Glenn! I want to thank those who contributed to 

this historic flight. Your expertise and dedication helped NASA achieve a major 

milestone on our journey to Mars.

Happy New Year to you and your family! —Jim

Social Media Followers “Like” Orion

Glenn joined centers throughout the agency to host a NASA Social, Dec. 3, for 

NASA’s social media followers to learn and share information about Orion’s EFT–1 

mission. The Social guests toured facilities and interacted with researchers who 

have been working on design and hardware for future space exploration, and shared 

their experiences through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram postings. Pictured is

Dr. Dan Raible briefing social followers on iROC satellite communications hardware.

C-2014-8423 Photo by Marvin Smith

Lightfoot and Roe Discuss Agency Operating Model

Constructing a new agency operating 

model is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. 

Several pieces must fit together to 

achieve a balance between NASA’s 

mission and capabilities. 

During a visit to Lewis Field, Dec. 11, 

NASA Associate Administrator Robert 

Lightfoot Jr., and Deputy Associate 

Administrator Lesa Roe, held an All 

Hands meeting to discuss the agency’s 

efforts to ensure the pieces fit together.

They provided an update on the first 

piece of the agency puzzle, the Technical 

Capability Assessment, and encouraged 

employees to visit https://tcat.hq.nasa.gov/

(internal only) for details on TCAT 

developments. Lightfoot and Roe also 

touched on the other puzzle pieces—

Competitive Model, Program/Project 

Planning, Mission Integration and 

Business Services Assessment—that 

must fit together synergistically to 

achieve an effective operating model.

The Headquarters visitors then toured 

several facilities, met with supervisors 

and shared lunch with some of Glenn’s 

early career employees. 

—By Doreen B. Zudell

Oxygen Proposals

Continued from page 1

Two Glenn proposals are among four 

selected by NASA’s Game Changing 

Development (GCD) Program to receive 

$750,000 each for 15 months through 

Phase I to develop engineering test units 

that address recovery issues. If the ideas 

prove promising, NASA would provide 

another $2 million over 2 years for

Phase II to develop a prototype. 

Kenneth Burke, Photovoltaic and

Electrochemical Systems Branch,

proposed a two-step process that uses

a carbon dioxide electrolyzer and a

catalytic bed reactor estimated to

provide 100 percent oxygen capture. 

Robert Green, Fluid Physics and

Transport Processes Branch, in

collaboration with pH Matter, LLC,

Columbus, submitted the other

proposal. It uses a solid oxide

co-electrolyzer (SOCE) with a carbon 

formation reactor to produce synthetic 

gas and pure dry oxygen for a recovery 

rate greater than 80 percent. 

For more information on NASA’s GCD 

Program, visit http://gameon.nasa.gov.

—By S. Jenise Veris

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JANUARY 2015

Orion Test Flight

Continued from page 1

Glenn staff gathered in the MIC 

Auditorium at Lewis Field and the 

Engineering Building Assembly Area at 

Plum Brook Station to view the launch, 

originally scheduled for Dec. 4. When 

NASA rescheduled the launch due to 

an issue related to fill and drain valves 

on the Delta IV Heavy rocket, many 

employees re-assembled the following 

day. The Great Lakes Science Center 

(GLSC) in downtown Cleveland opened 

its doors at 6:30 a.m. both days to provide 

public viewing on large screens. Glenn 

staff provided exhibits and speakers in 

the Visitor Center galleries in the GLSC.

Glenn’s Deputy Chief for the Exploration 

Systems Project Office and Orion’s Crew 

and Service Module Deputy, Kathy 

Schubert, said Glenn has been an integral 

part of the Orion team from day one. 

“We have performed leadership roles 

in project management, contractor 

oversight, and systems engineering 

for the design and development of the 

crew and service module, and for the 

management of the integrated vehicle 

requirements and interfaces,” Schubert 

explained. 

Glenn’s project management and 

engineering expertise has been 

instrumental in the following areas as 

well: 

• Engineering oversight and in-line

contributions to the design and development of Orion’s crew and service 

module systems, including structures, 

mechanisms, pyrotechnics, propulsion, 

thermal protection, materials, power 

and avionics. 

• Support for the development of the

vehicle’s guidance navigation and control capability. 

• Conducted wind tunnel testing to

validate the aerodynamics of the spacecraft’s launch abort system in Orion’s 

early development. 

• Direct contributions to the design

of Orion’s electrical power system and 

power distribution capability; the crew 

module and service module structure; 

the crew module thermal protection 

system; and many of the spacecraft 

mechanisms including those used 

for fairing separation, the umbilical 

ground connections, and the crew and 

service module retention and release. 

Schubert said the Glenn team will continue its tradition of providing major 

contributions to the Orion Program as 

they proceed with the development 

and test of the first Exploration Mission 

vehicle. The date for the Exploration 

Mission will be announced later this 

year. Orion will include a European 

Space Agency provided service module 

and will launch on NASA’s new Space 

Launch System. 

“Later this year we’ll be testing the 

European Service Module structure, 

along with Orion test support equipment and hardware, in the Space 

Power Facility (SPF) at Plum Brook 

Station,” Schubert said. “This test will 

allow us to exercise the full test capabilities of the upgraded SPF.”

—By Doreen B. Zudell

Pictured top: Glenn's I'm On Board! banner displayed on a fence at NASA Kennedy. Pictured 

left: Guests at the GLSC cheer as they watch the launch. Right: Glenn employees fill the MIC 

Auditorium awaiting the launch. 

C-2014-8525 Photo by Bridget Caswell Photo by Betsy Smith

Glenn's Yuko Supported 

EFT–1 Mission 

Jim Yuko, Thermal Systems Branch, 

supported the EFT–1 launch as part of 

the Thermal Team in the Engineering 

Support Room in the Neil Armstrong 

Operations and Checkout building, 

NASA Kennedy. Yuko, left, is pictured with fellow team members who 

monitored the thermal telemetry 

and heater control from the vehicle 

during all phases of its mission.

3
News and Events

Photo courtesy of LLF

Naughty or Nice?

Peter, son of Glenn’s William Varis, shared his wish list with Santa (Tom Hinshaw) 

during holiday festivities at Lewis Little Folks (LLF). The child development center’s 

multipurpose room was lit up with colorful decorations and camera flashes,

Dec. 5, as NASA employees dressed as cartoon and popular holiday characters—

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Ernie, Bert, Elmo, Tigger, Frosty the Snowman, Santa’s 

elves, and more—as they mingled and took pictures with the children. 

Photo by David DeFelice

MythBusters Star Visits Glenn

Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, stars of the Discovery Channel hit show 

MythBusters, visited Cleveland for the MythBusters—Behind the Myths tour,

Dec. 5. While in town, Hyneman visited NASA Glenn. Pictured in Glenn’s Ballistic 

Impact Laboratory is, left to right, Duane Revilock, Dr. Mike Pereira, Hyneman, 

Kelly Carney and Matt Melis. Hyneman also visited the Icing Research Tunnel, Zero 

Gravity Research Facility and the Electric Propulsion Laboratory. The Great Lakes 

Science Center will host the MythBusters traveling exhibit, beginning Feb. 7! Visit 

their website, www.greatscience.com/, for details. 

Photo courtesy of Doug Klein/Firelands Photography

Symphony With the Stars

The Firelands Symphony Orchestra 

presented NASA videos on a large screen 

as they performed their Patriotic Pops 

concert with a Tribute to NASA at the 

Sandusky State Theatre in Sandusky,

Nov. 9. Astronaut Doug Wheelock 

and Center Director Jim Free (above) 

participated in a pre-concert conductor 

conversation with the audience and 

introduced songs during the concert. 

C-2014-8627 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Employee Art Showcase

Glenn employees showcased their

artistic talents at the Combined

Federal Campaign (CFC) Art Show,

Dec. 8, at the MIC Auditorium. For a small

entrance fee, visitors viewed and voted on 

a variety of impressive pieces. Proceeds 

went to the CFC fund. Pictured: Allen 

Turner and Brian Laney admire art. 

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JANUARY 2015

News and Events

C-2014-8367 C-2014-8386 Photos by Marvin Smith

Event Raises Awareness for Diversity, Combined Federal Campaign 

Glenn held its annual Diversity Day and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) International Food Fair, Dec. 4, at Lewis Field. An 

employee panel representing Glenn’s advisory groups answered questions on diversity-related issues, while several multicultural vendors sold fair trade items. Employees purchased tickets to taste a variety of homemade dishes donated by Glenn staff. 

The food fair, pictured top left, raised more than $700 for the CFC. The Diversity Panel, pictured top right, included, left to 

right: Chrissy Stonebraker-Martinez (Fair Trade Vendor: InterReligious Task Force on Central America); Mary Lobo (Women's

Advisory Group); Vikram Shyam (Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Group); Eunice Adams-Sipp (African Heritage Advisory 

Group); Diana Santiago (Hispanic Advisory Group); and Kathy Clark (Disability Awareness Advisory Group). 

Advancing Technology

Medical Sensing Technology Breakthroughs

This month, AeroSpace Frontiers shines a spotlight on two exciting milestones, 

which were achieved by a NASA Glenn Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) project and an exclusive licensing of Glenn patent technology. 

Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS), a small microelectromechanical system 

technology company in Ypsilanti, Mich., is completing a clinical study on their 

wireless implantable hemodynamic monitor. The sensor is designed to monitor 

pressures of the left side of the heart of patients with heart failure at will, 

anywhere in the world. Dr. Jerry Myers, Fluid Physics and Transport Processes 

Branch, served as the Contract Officer Representative through Phase I and II of 

the SBIR contract, titled “Chronic Telemetric Biofluid Flow Monitoring Device.” 

He provided guidance on requirements for potential applications, including 

implantable sensors for astronauts to help track how the cardiac system operates 

during long-term missions. 

Endotronix Inc., a wireless health monitoring company in Woodridge, Ill., 

received $120,000 as a Distinguished Award Winner in this year’s Nokia Sensing 

XCHALLENGE, sponsored by the XPrize Foundation. The competition sparks 

breakthrough medical sensing technologies that will ultimately enable faster 

diagnoses and easier personal health monitoring. The Endotronix system adapts 

two exclusively licensed Glenn-patented technologies for miniature implantable 

sensors. They include: “Radio Frequency Telemetry System for Sensors and 

Actuators,” and “Hand Held Device for Wireless Powering and Interrogation of 

BioMEMS Sensors and Actuators,” both by Dr. Rainee Simons and Dr. Félix Miranda. 

For more information, visit https://www.nokiasensingxchallengevoting.org/.

The ISSYS miniature wireless implantable

 hemodynamic monitor.

Endotronix's award-winning wireless 

sensor reader.

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Make a New Year's 

"Creative Resolution"

The Creativit y 

and Innovation 

(C&I) initiative 

team encourages 

employees to make 

a different type 

of resolution for 

2015—resolve to 

be creative! This initiative emphasizes 

that creativity is a skill, rather than 

an innate ability, and can be carefully 

honed to allow individuals a greater 

capacity for generating alternative 

problem-solving methods. 

In 2014, the C&I initiative gained many 

Glenn and external partner followers 

through ideation and lateral thinking 

training sessions. Last year, the C&I 

team also increased use of its creative 

spaces—C&I Commons (building 142)

and 3–D printing iLab facility

(building 5). The C&I team looks 

forward to even more creative success 

in 2015. 

Problem-Solving with Ideation

When the Great Lakes Science Center 

(GLSC) needed innovative ways to 

increase attendance, Glenn’s C&I team 

hosted 20 GLSC staff members for two 

Ideation retreats. With the help of 

C&I facilitators, GLSC staff generated 

nearly 300 new ideas. They are already 

implementing some of those ideas, with 

plans to continue working creatively 

through C&I principles in 2015. 

iLab Saves Time, Money

Glenn engineer Jeff Polack, Rotating 

and Drive Systems Branch, sought 

to improve the design of a Nadir 

Port window frame for a window in 

a cargo pod of Glenn’s S–3 Viking 

aircraft. With the help of the iLab’s 

3–D printer and staff volunteers, 

Polack created a $70 prototype of the 

window frame. This verified the need 

for a critical design change in order to 

decrease aerodynamic drag. The final 

manufactured window frame is made 

of aluminum and costs about $9,000 

to produce. 

Your creative brain is a muscle—resolve 

to exercise it more in 2015!

Visit https://ci.grc.nasa.gov/ for more 

information.

Awards, Honors

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Chicago, honored 

Dr. Frances Hurwitz, senior materials research engineer, 

with its 2014 Achievement Award. Hurwitz received SWE’s 

highest honor for her pioneering work in the development 

of materials used in space exploration, for exceptional team 

leadership across disciplines and for her work to enable a 

more equitable work environment.

Dr. Hurwitz

Glenn's Native American Advisory Group 

advisor Avis Hudson-Burnette with Connolly.

Dr. Goldberg, left, accepts his award 

presented at the ASCE conference. 

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) presented the 

2014 AISES Technical Excellence Award to Joseph Connolly, a native of the

Haudenosaunee of the Onondaga Nation, Wolf Clan from the Six Nations Reserve of 

the Grand River. Connolly, Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch, was recognized 

for STEM contributions to model-based control of turbofan engines and developing 

technologies for commercial supersonic aircraft, and for his enthusiastic mentoring.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) presented the 2014 Associate 

Editor Award to Dr. Robert Goldberg, Ceramic and Polymer Composites Branch, 

at the ASCE Aerospace Division Earth and Space Conference, Oct. 27 to 29, 2014. 

The award recognizes Goldberg’s consistent and exemplary service as an associate 

editor of the ASCE Journal of Aerospace Engineering.

Welcome to the NASA Family

Glenn welcomed 

two new employees and one trainee, 

who reported for 

duty/orientation 

in November and 

December. They 

include Ryan

McDonough, McDonough Rice Sadey

Architectures,

Networks and System Integration Branch; Amy Rice, Audits and Assessments

Office (stationed at NASA Stennis); and James Sadey, a trainee in the Space Power & 

Propulsion, Communication and Instrumentation Branch.

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JANUARY 2015

Three Honored for Space Flight Contributions

Three Glenn employees were recognized during a Space Flight Awareness (SFA) 

award ceremony at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Dec. 3, prior to the Orion EFT–1 

launch. Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana presented the awards to the following Glenn members of the Orion team for their integral role in the safe arrival of 

the Orion EFT–1 Crew Module to Kennedy:

Terrian Nowden, Power Architecture and Analysis Branch, for performing critical 

Electrical Power System analysis enabling safe and successful design and operation 

of NASA’s premier human space flight projects for the International Space Station 

and the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Orion.

L. Nicole Smith, Exploration Systems Project Office, for contributions advancing 

the state of the art in space flight integrated vehicle testing through her personal 

efforts in completing the Mechanical Vibration Facility at the Space Environment 

Test Facility, and for efforts as a mentor, advocate and role model to young women 

interested in STEM education and careers. 

Kevin Dickens, In-Space Propulsion Systems Branch, for exceptional technical leadership in the development of the European 

Service Module’s propulsion system, resulting in multiple key system design improvements and successful completion of the 

Preliminary Design Review.

Photo by Dr. Rickey Shyne

Astronaut James M. Kelly, left, with SFA 

honorees, left to right, Nowden, Smith 

and Dickens. 

Mentors Needed for Summer Interns

It’s that time of year, when NASA Glenn looks forward to supporting and enriching the work experiences of summer interns. If you are interested in becoming a 

summer mentor again or for the first time, please take a close look at your projects 

and determine if there is challenging work that can be supported by a summer 

college or high school intern. Is there meaningful, mission-related work that a high 

school student, undergraduate or graduate student in the fields of STEM, business or 

communications could perform that would be advantageous to your organization, 

as well as broaden the student’s experience base? Do you have the time to work 

closely with the intern in a mentoring capacity, providing your expert knowledge, 

daily support and career advice? If the answer is yes to these questions, then 

consider being a mentor. 

Mentors can begin posting their opportunities now through February 6, 2015 in 

the One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) website at https://intern.nasa.gov/. Below 

are the summer internships sessions:

College Internships: June 1 to Aug. 7, 2015; June 15 to Aug. 21, 2015

High School Internships: June 15 to Aug. 7, 2015

For more information or questions, please contact Monica Boyd at 216–433–2004. 

Retirements

Susan Gott, Office of Education, Center 

Operations Directorate, retired Dec. 31, 

2014, with 35 years of NASA service. 

Alan Kane, Mechanical Systems Design 

and Integration Branch, Materials and 

Structures Division, retired Dec. 31, 

2014, with 25 years of service. 

Dr. Shantaram S. Pai, 

Multiphysics Modeling 

Branch, Materials and 

Structures Division, 

retired Dec. 26, 2014, 

with 25 years of service. 

Dr. Pai

Connect with Glenn Emergency and Inclement 

Weather Lines

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT)

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

Calendar

7

ASTRONAUT EMPLOYEE BRIEFING: 

Astronaut Dr. Steven Swanson, 

Expeditions 39 and 40 astronaut, 

returned from the International Space 

Station in September. He will share 

his experiences in space during an 

employee briefing at Lewis Field, 

Tuesday, Jan. 13, MIC Auditorium. Look 

for more details on Today@Glenn.

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING: LESA 

will hold its next membership meeting, 

Wednesday, Jan. 14, noon, in the Glenn 

Employee Center’s Small Dining Room.

RETIRED NASA WOMEN'S LUNCHEON: 

The next luncheon is Thursday, Feb. 19, 

2015 at 1 p.m. at Berea Union Depot 

Taverne (formerly Pufferbelly), 30 Depot 

Street in Berea. Reserve your place by 

calling Gerry Ziemba, 330–273–4850. 

Luncheons are held the third Thursday 

at 1 p.m. in February, May, August and 

November.

BUCKEYE REGIONAL FIRST ROBOTIC 

VOLUNTEERS: The 14th annual Buckeye 

Regional FIRST Robotics Competition 

will be held March 26 to 28 at the

Cleveland State University Wolstein 

Center. Volunteers are needed to help 

make the competition run smoothly. 

To learn more about the volunteer 

opportunities visit http://www.oai.org/

firstbuckeye/volunteers.html or contact 

Stephanie Brown-Houston, 216-433–8006. 
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. 

February 2015 issue copy deadline: Jan. 23, 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

Gathering Spreads Good Tidings and a Glimpse at 2015

Center Director Jim Free and members 

of the Director’s Strategic Management 

Team (DSMT) hosted a light-hearted 

Center Holiday Gathering in the MIC 

Auditorium, Dec. 15. The kickoff was a 

presentation of center donations to the 

Marine's Toys for Tots. Free and DSMT 

members followed with highlights of 

the center’s 2014 accomplishments and 

future activities that will leave Glenn 

well positioned to take on leading roles 

in agency programs/projects in 2015. 

The event concluded with employees 

mingling and enjoying refreshments in 

the MIC foyer. Photos by Marvin Smith

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