VOLUME 16 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2014

Focus on Cybersecurity Awareness

Education is the First Line of Defense

NASA has an allure to people across the world because of what we do. NASA also 

has one of the largest web presence in the nation, which makes the agency a target 

for persistent cyber attacks. 

Staff from Glenn’s Office of Chief Information Officer and NASA’s Information 

Technology Security Awareness and Training Center (ITSATC), managed by Dr. 

Brenda Ellis, collaborated to present Glenn’s 2014 National Cyber Security Expo, 

Oct. 23. During the event, employees received training on emerging IT threats 

and how to avoid them. Local vendors also exhibited the latest tools of deterrence.

Continued on page 8

SEMAA Critical to 

America's Future

Not everyone wants to be an astronaut. 

Yet there are many science, technology, 

engineering and mathematics (STEM)-

related careers that offer exciting 

challenges for the next generation of 

explorers. NASA’s national Science, 

Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace 

Academy (SEMAA) Project, managed by 

Darlene Walker, NASA Glenn, Office 

of Education, has exposed more than 

800,000 participants to careers in STEM. 

Designed to increase participation and 

retention of historically underserved 

and underrepresented K–12 youth 

in STEM, SEMAA began in 1993, 

with a partnership between NASA 

and Cuyahoga Community College 

(CCC). Through the years, SEMAA 

has expanded its scope to include 

sites located at Historically Black 

Continued on page 2

Pictured above: SEMAA students at 

Cuyahoga Community College.

Art and Technology Merge at Centaur Challenge

Art by the Rust Belt Monster Collective

This painting commemorates Centaur's 50th anniversary. See page 3 for details. 

In This Issue

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

Advancing Technology..................3

PBS Raises Funds For CFC..........4

Steps Earn Golden Shoes ............5 

Cafe to Sprout..............................5 

Space Flight Awards..................6
Reducing the Risks

The Orbital’s Antares rocket and Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo mishaps are 

painful reminders of the inherent risk in space flight. As many await details on 

the causes of these mishaps, this center continues to work diligently to reduce 

our risks and deliver on successful missions. Recent audits show we’re on the 

mark—affirming great progress in software engineering and in some of the 

key processes for flight development as well as uncovering areas that need 

improvement. This progress can be directly attributed to you. Thank you for 

your commitment to continuous improvement in all areas of safety.

Wishing you and your family a safe holiday season! —Jim

NASA is With You When You Fly

Traveling by air this holiday season? 

NASA works every day to make 

flying more efficient and safe. The 

aviation industry is infused with NASAdeveloped technology or research—

whether inside the cockpits, cabins 

and jet engines; atop traffic control 

towers; or from the departure gate to 

arrival terminals. Spread the word!

www.nasa.gov/aero

SEMAA Exposes Students to STEM

Continued from page 1

Colleges and Universities; Hispanic 

Serving Institutions; Tribal Colleges 

and Universities; and science centers/

museums in urban and rural cities 

across the country.

SEMAA’s core components include 

hands-on, inquiry based K–12 STEM 

curricula encompassing the research 

and technology of NASA’s four mission 

directorates. Through a portfolio of 

NASA-unique experiential learning 

opportunities and challenges, SEMAA 

encourages innovation and critical thinking while developing problem-solving 

skills, which are characteristics required of 

our nation’s future STEM workforce. 

In FY 14, NASA provided $1.9 million in 

funding for SEMAA. Through a diverse 

portfolio of partnerships, SEMAA 

sites were able to obtain an additional 

$1.3 million to sustain operations and 

give students access to real life STEM 

experiences.

In addition, SEMAA sites nationwide 

offer numerous extended learning 

opportunities outside of normal SEMAA 

sessions. The University of Texas 

at El Paso hosted a SEMAA summer 

camp for elementary and middle 

school girls; Hartnell College, Salinas, 

Calif., partnered with the Monterey 

County Airshow to send 300 SEMAA 

students to this spectacular STEM 

event; and the Oglala Lakota College 

SEMAA site, Kyle, S.D., collaborated 

on the Journey Museum’s film featuring 

Native Americans from the Pine Ridge 

Reservation discussing indigenous 

astronomy.

In September 2014, Morgan State 

University, Baltimore, Md., held a 

SEMAA STEM Extravaganza. More 

than 500 participants were exposed 

to careers and various hands-on STEM 

activities. Numerous federal, academic 

and corporate sponsors participated. 

During the event, Morgan State’s SEMAA 

Site Director, Dr. Jonathan Wilson, 

received a citation from Maryland 

Governor Martin O’Malley, applauding 

the SEMAA site’s efforts. 

“SEMAA is the agency’s only K–12 

project that establishes a pipeline as 

well as a mechanism for learners to 

be inspired, engaged and educated 

while progressively being challenged,” 

Walker said. “Through SEMAA, NASA 

is investing in the next generation of 

STEM leaders who not only have the 

ability to meet future mission priorities 

but also the ability to potentially change 

the world.” —By Doreen B. Zudell

Above: left to right, Dr. Wilson, Walker and Cafe Coordinator Carmen Holes, with Gov. 

Martin O'Malley's citation to Morgan State University's SEMAA site. Above, right: students 

at the Hartnell College SEMAA site. 

2
DECEMBER 2014

Art and Technology Merge For Centaur 50th Anniversary

NASA Glenn teamed with Cleveland’s 

Ingenuity Festival and the Great Lakes 

Science Center (GLSC) to conduct an 

educationally inspired art competition 

commemorating the 50th Anniversary of 

the Centaur rocket. Dubbed “America’s 

Workhorse in Space,” the Centaur upper 

stage rocket was developed by NASA’s 

Lewis (Glenn) Research Center and 

continues to be the principal upper 

stage used to launch the nation’s most 

demanding space missions.

The competition added a new and 

creative perspective to IngenuityFest’s 

goals of collaboration between art and 

technology, while conveying some of 

the key engineering accomplishments 

of the Centaur Program to the artistic 

community and general public. 

Craig Williams, Ascent and Thermal 

Propulsion Branch, worked with 

IngenuityFest Cleveland’s James Krause 

to promote the competition and share 

Glenn’s history of managing NASA’s 

launch vehicles and developing Centaur. 

GLSC displayed the seven Centaur art 

entries in the Promenade throughout 

the Ingenuity Festival weekend, Sept. 

26–28. A talk and demonstration by 

Les Bossinas, a retired NASA artist, 

was an additional attraction to festival 

attendees who ventured into the NASA 

Glenn Visitor Center at the GLSC. The 

competition resulted in a tie for first 

place and sharing the prize to tour 

various NASA Glenn test sites associated with developing Centaur, including the Spacecraft Propulsion Research 

Facility at Plum Brook Station.

—By S. Jenise Veris

Photo by David DeFelice

Above, left: Bossinas demonstrates his craft while illustrating NASA mission concepts. 

Above, right: This 9- by 20-foot graphic by David Mikolajczyk, tied for first place with the 

8- by 8-foot painting (on the front page) produced by the collective of James Giar, Erin 

Schechtman, Benjamin Hale, Randolph Crider, Timothy Switalski and Craig Worrell for 

the Centaur Challenge. Both pieces were displayed at the GLSC during IngenuityFest 2014. 

Photos of the art are courtesy Of Teresa DeChant, DeChant Art Consulting, LLC.

Advancing Technology

Shape Memory Alloy Rock Splitters Meet Rocks

NASA Glenn researchers are working on a nonconventional way of fracturing 

planetary rocklike materials and 

minerals. The concept consists of 

Glenn-developed smart materials known 

as Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) that 

expand in response to a heat signal. SMAs 

are used in lieu of explosives or hydraulic 

methods to break rocks in a static and 

more controllable manner without any 

demolition damage to the surrounding 

environment. The concept is targeted for 

use in space applications for sampling 

geological deposits in extraterrestrial 

environments, including planetary 

bodies such as the moon, Mars and 

near-Earth asteroids. Pictured: researcher

Dr. Othmane Benafan, left, and test engineer Timothy Halsmer in the Simulated 

Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Laboratory. 

C-2014-6969 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Centerwide 

Holiday Gathering

Monday, Dec. 15

1 to 3:30 p.m.

MIC Auditorium

Come hear 

Center Director Free 

discuss agency highlights 

and DSM members 

provide a forwardthinking glimpse of their 

plans for 2015!

POC: Brunie DeJesus 

216–433–2789

3
News and Events

Photo by Sarah Egan-Reeves

Teaching the Teachers 

Glenn’s Office of Education conducted an educator workshop, Oct. 20, to acquaint 

30-plus math and science teachers/educators with the center’s new Engineering 

Design Challenge, “Gaining Traction on Mars.” The challenge centers on student 

teams designing and building model wheel configurations for effective traction on 

a simulated Martian surface when installed on a battery-operated rover. Participants 

received teaching aids and guidance on facilitating the design challenge, built rovers 

and tested their wheels in a miniature testbed. The challenge is part of NASA’s efforts 

to prepare students to meet science and math standards. Pictured: Tracey Canale, 

Glenn Office of Education/PATL (right) explains model configurations to a participant.

C-2014-8047 Photo by Marvin Smith

Forum Provides Veteran Resources

Glenn’s Veterans Awareness Committee held a Veterans Information Forum at 

Lewis Field, Nov. 4. Glenn’s Veterans Program Coordinator Doris Tirone and 

representatives from the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits 

Administration and Cuyahoga County Veterans Services Administration provided 

veterans useful benefits-related information and answered questions during a 

1-hour panel session. Additionally, 17 veteran-related organizations staffed resource 

booths and distributed information. Approximately 85 veterans participated 

in the forum.

PBS Holds CFC Festival

Plum Brook Station held a Combined 

Federal Campaign Festival, Nov. 5, 

raising $745 for local charities. Hal 

Weaver and Geneva Biglin worked 

with CFC chair Dawn Pottinger and 

Co-chair Andrea Bonesteel to host the 

event. Pictured, top photo: Chili CookOff winner Wes Sallee with Weaver. 

Middle photo: Euchre champs Nick 

Connelly and Michelle Conley. Bottom: 

Glenn’s Loaned Executive Leon Dozier, 

Keyworker Paul Raitano and Bonesteel 

serve chili choices to Jan VonKamp. 

Photos by Doreen Zudell

4
DECEMBER 2014

News and Events

Photo by Geneva Biglin C-2014-6378 Photo by Marvin Smith

Healthy Steps Earn Golden Shoe Awards

Glenn’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate took first place with 51 

percent participation in the 2014 Golden Shoe Competition held on Safety and 

Health Assurance Day, Sept. 17. The Office of the Director, Office of Diversity and 

Equal Opportunity, and the Office of the Chief Counsel, tied for second place with 

49 percent participation. The Office of the Chief Information Officer took third with 

43 percent participation. Meanwhile, the Engineering Building staff earned Plum 

Brook Station’s (PBS’s) inaugural Golden Shoe award for the highest participation 

among the PBS facilities. Pictured, top left: Safety representatives Bill Brutsche 

and Dave Tabayoyon present PBS Golden Shoe award to Engineering Building 

representative Sandy Todd as (back row) Tom Mears and PBS Deputy Director 

Dave Taylor look on. Pictured, top right: Center Director Jim Free presents SMA 

Director Anita Liang with the Golden Shoe award for her directorate at Lewis Field.

Observance Events Provide Cultural Insight

NASA Glenn’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, in collaboration with 

Glenn’s Native American and Hispanic American advisory groups, co-sponsored 

two observance events in November. 

During the National Native American Heritage Observance, Nov. 6, Bruce Kafer 

of the Lakota Sioux Nation, who serves as a nurse at the Louis Stokes VA Medical 

Center in Cleveland, talked about the spiritual resiliency of Native Americans and 

efforts to maintain their traditions. Marian Saastamoinen, a Taos Pueblo Indian, 

supported Kafer’s talk and demonstrated her craft of pottery (pictured, far right). 

At the Hispanic American Heritage Observance, Nov. 12, Michael Ferrer, director of 

Programs for the Lorain County Urban 

League, discussed the importance of 

the United States’ growing Hispanic/

Latino population. He cited examples 

of how Hispanics are entwined in 

America’s past and future success. 

Authentic Latin cuisine from Campus 

Grille was available following the event. 

Ferrer, pictured right, receives a plaque 

and certificate of appreciation from, 

left, Associate Director Janet Watkins, 

and Dr. Azlin Biaggi-Labiosa, Hispanic 

Advisory Group chairperson.

C-2014-8229 Photo by Bridget Caswell C-2014-8237 Photo by Marvin Smith

New Cafe to Sprout at

Lewis Field in 2015

Lewis Field food services 

will be transitioning to 

Marigold Catering in the 

New Year. After more than 

a year operating under the 

Glenn Café Food Services 

Pilot Program, and based 

on an opportunity identified by the Food 

Services Team, the center is transitioning to a single indoor food services 

vendor under an Exchange contract. 

Marigold Catering of Cleveland will be 

offering a NASA-specific menu for the 

Lewis Field workforce during “Sprout 

Café” breakfast and lunch service, 

starting in January 2015. To transition 

as quickly as possible, current indoor 

food services will be suspended at the 

conclusion of lunch on Friday, Dec. 12. 

Until the Sprout Café service begins, 

the BSVI Micro Market, located on 

the mezzanine of the building 15 

large dining room, remains available 

for 24/7 food purchases. Watch for 

updates about the Marigold Sprout 

Café on Today@Glenn. 

5
Employees Recognized for Space Flight Contributions

Glenn’s Space Flight Systems Directorate 

recently recognized individuals and 

teams who received a Space Flight 

Awareness (SFA) award for outstanding 

contributions and dedication to quality 

work and flight safety. Center Director 

Jim Free joined astronaut Mark T. Vande 

Hei in congratulating awardees during 

the Snoopy award ceremony. 

Silver Snoopy

Seven employees received the coveted 

Silver Snoopy pin and certificate reserved 

for less than 1 percent of the workforce 

and determined by the astronaut corps.

Diana Centeno-Gomez for overcoming 

numerous technical and schedule 

challenges as Mission Operations lead 

for the Space Communications and 

Navigation (SCaN) Testbed experiments.

Christopher Fulton, ZINT, for

contributions to the Space Launch 

Systems Program as leader of the Core 

Stage Thrust Vector Control Systems 

Integrated Development team and 

lead developer of mission and fault 

management algorithms for safe and 

efficient operations.

Justin Funk, ZINT, for technical design 

and leadership as the contractor 

mechanical lead for the Advanced 

Exercise Concepts (AEC) project.

Eric Kelly, ZINT, for serving an integral 

role as a member of the Principal 

Investigator Microgravity Services team 

by developing and using acceleration 

analysis software.

Susan Motil (not pictured) for career 

engineering management contributions 

to microgravity research, crew module 

qualification facilities and advancement 

of materials and problem solving 

that enabled successful fabrication 

and manufacturing processes for the 

composite Cryotank Technologies and 

Demonstration Project in the Space 

Technology Mission Directorate’s Game 

Changing Development Program. 

Lauren Sharp for contributions to the 

successful operations of Investigating the 

Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates 

from Colloidal Ellipsoids-3 (InSPACE-3) 

and 3+, Capillary Flow Experiment-2 

(CFE–2) and Capillary Channel Flow (CCF) space flight experiments onboard the 

International Space Station.

Dr. James Sutter for expertise in technologies for deep space missions, enabling 

NASA Human Space Flight Program’s incredible accomplishments. 

C-2014-7941 Photos by Bridget Caswell

Pictured, left to right: Center Director Free, Kelly, Fulton, Funk, Sharp, Centeno-Gomez, 

Dr. Sutter and Vande Hei. 

SFA Trailblazer

David Chelmins received a SFA 

Trailblazer Award. The award recognizes 

innovative support to human space flight 

in an employee’s early career. He is 

recognized for leadership and technical 

accomplishments in communications 

and navigation solutions that led to the 

world’s first flight-validated in-space U.S. 

Global Positioning System—European 

Galileo Global Navigation Satellite 

System receiver. 

C-2014-7885

Chelmins poses with his wife and branch 

chief Gene Fujikawa.

SFA Teams

The following Glenn teams received 

a SFA Team Award for demonstrating 

exemplary teamwork while accomplishing a task or goal supporting the 

human space flight program.

Structural Benchmark Test Team for 

successful completion of exacting 

multiaxial testing of the Orion Launch 

Abort System–Crew Module retention 

and release mechanism over the full 

range of anticipated flight loads. 

Continued on page 7

C-2014-7906

Structural Benchmark Test Team attending, 

left to right: Frank Bremenour, Ralph 

Pawlik, David Krause and Lawrence Kren.

6
DECEMBER 2014

More Than a Memory

Richard H. Cavicchi, 91, a 2009 retiree who served a record 

65 years of federal service, died Oct. 7. Cavicchi served in the 

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers during World War II and later in 

the Army Reserves. He joined the NACA/NASA workforce as 

an aeronautical engineer in 1948. Cavicchi was among NASA 

researchers who investigated nuclear-powered aircraft and 

spacecraft to venture to Mars in the 1960s. He authored/coauthored 50-plus technical reports, contributing to turbojet 

cycle analysis, compressor and turbine design, electric power 

generation and computational fluid mechanics. He was an avid athlete and conservationist, who bicycled 11 miles daily to NASA.

Arthur E. Sprungle, 88, a 1996 retiree with 41 years of service, died Oct. 28. Sprungle was a World War II veteran and served in 

the Army Reserves and National Guard until 1986. He joined NACA/NASA in 1954. He designed and drafted parts as a detailer 

in the Engineering Design Division, which he supported for much of his career. Sprungle generously supported a variety of 

organizations including the IFPTE–LESA union, Local 28. Treasured among his many awards and honors, was selection as a 

Community Hero/Olympic Torchbearer (1996). 

Laszlo F. Zala, 80, a 2003 retiree with 17 years of service, died Oct. 8. Zala helped develop and implement the center’s 

energy conservation program. He served as the first energy manager while also serving as chief of the Facilities Electrical 

Systems Management Branch. Zala received several awards for his conservation efforts including a 1995 NASA Exceptional 

Achievement medal and a 2000 Federal Inter-Agency Energy and Water Management Award. Following tenure as a visiting 

professor at Budapest University, Zala who is a native Hungarian, advocated for the 2001 NASA–Hungarian Space Agency 

Space Cooperative Agreement.

Cavicchi Sprungle Zala

Space Flight Awareness

Continued from page 6

Crew Service Module Structures Fully Faired Orion Design Team for outstanding 

and significant contributions to the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle in development 

of the Fully Faired Orion design option.

Orion Service Module Static Load Test Team for assistance to Lockheed Martin in 

identifying high-risk areas and making recommendations to ensure a safe flight of 

Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Missions 1 and 2.

C-2014-7909

Crew Service Module (CSM) Structures Fully 

Faired Orion Design Team and managers 

attending, left to right: CSM Structures 

deputy manager Tom Cressman, Glenn's 

project manager for Orion Testing Nicole 

Smith; Structural Dynamics Branch chief 

Dr. Dexter Johnson, Robert Allen, Tom 

Goodnight, Samantha Bittinger and Elliot 

Schmidt. 

C-2014-7907

Orion Service Module Static Load Test Team 

attending, front, left to right: Louis Ghosn, 

Tom Goodnight, Jennifer Hayes, Structural 

Mechanics Branch chief Mei-Hwa Liao and 

Elliot Schmidt. Back row, left to right: Cressman, 

Smith, John Ramsey, Andrew Ring, Robert 

Allen, Nathan Wilmoth, Nelson Morales and 

Center Director Free.

Retirements

Leslie GreenbauerSeng, Materials and 

Structures Division, 

retired Dec. 1, 2014, 

with 35 1⁄2 years of 

NASA service. 

Greenbauer-Seng

Calendar

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.

Emergency and Inclement 

Weather Lines

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT)

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

Connect with Glenn

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. 

January 2015 issue copy deadline: Dec. 15, 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

Cybersecurity Awareness: First Line of Defense

Continued from page 1

Guest speakers included NASA’s Incident 

Response Service Executive Howard 

Whyte; FBI Special Agent Ganpat Wagh 

from Cleveland Cybercrimes Task Force; 

Glenn’s Chief Information Security 

Officer (CISO) Gilbert Winter; Glenn’s 

Deputy CISO David Murnan; and Lead 

Counterintelligence/Counterterrorism 

Special Agent George Crawford. They 

provided informative IT security 

presentations and case studies reinforcing the agency’s 2014 theme: “STOP, 

THINK, CONNECT: Cybersecurity Best 

Practices To Protect and Safeguard 

NASA’s Information & Assets.” 

Some areas of risk and IT security practices highlighted include: 

• Phishing (pronounced fishing) social 

engineering is an emerging threat 

to NASA. Perpetrators use emails 

directing users to a fake website 

made nearly identical to a legitimate 

site. The agency is blocking phishing 

attempts daily.

• Ransomware is malware that will 

actually hold your files or your 

entire computer “hostage” unless a 

demanded fee is paid.

• Digital signing is an extra step NASA 

hopes to expand, along with the PIV 

card for protecting employees and 

NASA information systems.

The speakers and other IT experts in 

attendance stressed that education is 

the first line of defense in identifying 

risks and avoiding attacks. Glenn 

employees are encouraged to check 

Today@Glenn for future monthly IT 

Security webinars and Lunch & Learn 

events to hear relevant tips for protecting your IT work and home environment. 

—By S. Jenise Veris

C-2014-8279 Photos by Marvin Smith

Pictured, left to right: Glenn IT Security's Kevin Bradley, Murnan, Crawford, Dr. Ellis, 

Winter and Wagh. 

C-2014-8278

Headquarters' Whyte speaks.

C-2014-8304

Vendors offer IT advice and products.

8