THIS IS SCIENCE

ANNUAL

REPORT

GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
THE GODDARD PRoJECT LIFE CYCLE

...and End

With Science

Share

Design Build

Test

Operate

Analyze

Conceive

Launch

We Start

With Science...
1

TABLE OF 

CONTENTS

One World-Class Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 

Goddard at a Glance  .

Our Legacy 

A Message From the Center Director 

Our Organization 

An Innovation Station 

Goddard Shines Bright...During Historic Solar Eclipse . 

James Webb Space Telescope . 

Our Focus Areas . 

2017 in Figures . .

Delivering Your Data From Space  .

New Visitor Center Exhibits . 

Highlights of Fiscal 2017 .

Our Primary Lines of Business  . 

Earth Science . 

Astrophysics .

Heliophysics .

Planetary Science .

Space Communications and Navigation .

Suborbital Programs and Range Services . 

Our Life @ Goddard .

Institutional Support .

IT and Communications .

Public Communication .

Education . 

Our People .

Budget . 

Economic Impact .

Environmental Impact  .

Championing Diversity, Inclusion and

Equal Opportunity . 

Connections . 

In Memoriam  .
2

EDUCATING

ENGAGING

INSPIRING

ONE WORLD-CLASS ORGANIZATION:

Six UNIQUE SITES Over 10,000 People

Plus many other locations worldwide

FAIRMONT

WEST VIRGINIA

INDEPENDENT

VERIFICATION

& VALIDATION

FACILITY

WALLOPS ISLAND

VIRGINIA

WALLOPS

FLIGHT

FACILITY

NEW YORK

NEW YORK CITY

GODDARD

INSTITUTE

FOR SPACE

STUDIES

TEXAS

Palestine

Columbia

Scientific

Balloon

Facility

620NASA.gov Articles

 Published

12,275

 IV&V Educator

 Resource Center

Students

Impacted

Boy Scouts 30,000

 Educated on 2017

 Total Solar Eclipse

11,775Visitor Center

 Tour Participants

236 Million+

 Flickr Views

144 Million+ 

 YouTube Views

 (most among all

 NASA YouTube

 accounts) 

LAS CRUCES

WHITE

SANDS

COMPLEX

NEW MEXICO

*Goddard-managed ground communications stations

^Goddard-assumed management

300 robotic missions to date. Goddard has launched more than

DID YOU KNOW?

GODDARD

Est.1959

Est.1945

Est.2000^

Est.1961

Est.1978*

Est.1961

Greenbelt Campus • Maryland

ROBERT H. GODDARD

THE FATHER OF MODERN ROCKETRY

(1882–1945) The American engineer, 

professor, physicist, and inventor credited 

with creating and building the world's first 

liquid-fueled rocket.

Global 

provider of 

scientific 

research, 

technology 

and missions 

that 

transform our 

knowledge 

of Earth and 

space

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight 

Center has been working since 

1959 to increase scientific understanding and answer humanity’s 

most pressing questions about 

our world, the solar system and 

beyond, all for the benefit of 

society and the communities we 

serve. The center’s work in science, engineering, technology 

and communications strengthens our ability to envision the 

origins of life, preserve our way 

of living and define our place in 

the universe. We identify requirements and innovations; design, 

build and launch spacecraft; and 

manage and support space missions. Our fundamental communications infrastructure enables 

NASA and others to retrieve 

knowledge from space, share it 

with diverse customers and apply 

it to society in countless ways.
3

NASA’s only owned

and operated rocket

launch range.

WALLOPS

FLIGHT

FACILITY

AT A GLANCE

LAUNCHED FROM

THE COLUMBIA

SCIENTIFIC

BALLOON FACILITY

BALLOONS

1,700+

ADVANCED

COMPOSITION

EXPLORER

ANNIVERSARY

TH

15th

ANNIVERSARY

Thermosphere-Ionosphereof the

Mesosphere Energetics 

and Dynamics Mission

FIRSTS

GODDARD’S

First Tracking and Data

Relay Satellite deploys,

providing global coverage

for space communications

networks.

TDRS (1983)

Total Ozone Mapping

Spectrometer launches

aboard Nimbus 7, later

discovering the ozone

hole and long-term damage

to the ozone layer.

TOMS (1978)

John Mather awarded

Noble Prize in physics

for work on Cosmic

Background Explorer.

COBE (2006)

10 YEARS

STRONG!

Data Published in 15,000+ Scientific Papers

1,000+

Days

MAVEN

in Orbit

Around Mars

Space Telescope

Hubble

Goddard has built and 

operated more Earth 

science research satellites 

than any other institution.

FEDLINK Large 

Library of the 

Year (2002, 

2016)

www.nasa.gov/goddard
4

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

OUR LEGACY
5

A Place for 

Science

We advance NASA’s mission by 

leading scientific research and 

building, launching and operating scientific instruments, spacecraft and information systems. 

As a science center, Goddard 

seeks to understand Earth and 

explore the universe through 

robust programs in Earth science, 

astrophysics, heliophysics and 

planetary science. As a spaceflight center, Goddard utilizes its 

core technical and programmatic 

expertise and facility capabilities 

to execute a broad range of flight 

missions and field campaigns. 

We are committed to enabling 

innovation and developing new 

technologies that expand NASA’s 

technical capabilities in support of its overarching mission. 

Goddard then applies its breakthroughs to society: stimulating 

economic growth, educating 

future generations, and inspiring 

the nation and the world.

NASA’s Vision

We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the 

benefit of humankind.

NASA’s Mission

Drive advances in science, technology, aeronautics and 

space exploration to enhance knowledge, education, 

innovation, economic vitality and stewardship of Earth.

NASA’s Strategic Goals

1. Expand the frontiers of knowledge, capability and

opportunity in space.

2. Advance understanding of Earth and develop 

technologies to improve the quality of life on our 

home planet.

3. Serve the American public and accomplish our 

mission by effectively managing our people, 

technical capabilities and infrastructure.
6

Since its establishment in 1959 

as the agency’s first spaceflight 

center, NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center has built a legacy in 

advancing humanity’s knowledge 

of the universe, from our home 

planet to the farthest galaxies 

and everything in between. We 

opened the center with borrowed offices. Today, our sprawling campus and remote sites 

boast the world’s largest concentration of scientists, engineers 

and technologists dedicated to 

the study of space. Their collective work over the decades has 

elevated our global reputation 

in the core areas of astrophysics, 

Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, and engineering 

and technology. 

In 2017, we celebrated the continuous productivity of some 

missions, said goodbye to others 

and pushed forward with some of 

NASA’s largest projects that will 

change the landscape of space 

exploration in the years to come.

Within our solar system, the 

MAVEN spacecraft completed 

1,000 days in orbit around Mars 

and discovered metal in its ionosphere, providing clues into how 

the Red Planet’s atmosphere is 

dissipating into space. The Cassini mission, for which Goddard 

contributed three instruments, 

made its “Grand Finale” as it 

dove into Saturn’s atmosphere 

following 20 years of landmark 

discoveries. As we bid farewell 

to Cassini, we moved ahead with 

Lucy, a future mission which will 

explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids 

and provide possible clues into 

the origins of the solar system.

Closer to home, our exhaustive portfolio of Earth science 

missions continued to monitor 

our planet’s changing climate, 

with data ranging from precipitation and soil moisture to ice 

sheet balance and air quality. 

Forecasters and first responders relied on our data, along 

with those of our partners, as 

several hurricanes made landfall 

in the United States and its territories. We also launched the 

next Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite, continuing a long-standing relationship 

with the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration to 

advance the nation’s weather 

forecasting capabilities. 

We worked with partners to 

move Parker Solar Probe closer 

to launch. The mission is the first 

of its kind, flying directly in the 

face of the sun to measure its 

magnetic fields. In August, when 

a total solar eclipse traversed the 

contiguous United States for the 

first time in nearly a century, Goddard was at the center of it all, 

spearheading NASA’s efforts to 

engage, educate and inspire the 

public around this rare scientific 

phenomenon.

Looking deeper into the cosmos, 

the Hubble Space Telescope remains at the peak of its scientific 

productivity 27 years after launch. 

When scientists discovered several planets with characteristics 

conducive to life in the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system, Hubble 

set out to screen those within the 

“habitable zone.” In May, after 

years of integration and testing, the science payload for the 

James Webb Space Telescope 

left Goddard for additional tests 

at NASA’s Johnson Space Center 

in Houston prior to final testing 

and integration in California. Set 

to be the most powerful space 

telescope ever built upon its 

completion and launch in 2019, 

Webb will observe the formation 

of the first stars and galaxies 

and help determine how they 

evolved over billions of years. 

Goddard will provide overall mission management for Webb after 

it is fully commissioned in space 

and perched a million miles away 

from Earth.

This report highlights our 

achievements over the past 

year in greater detail and outlines our goals for the future, all 

while celebrating the men and 

women whose tireless dedication and commitment make it 

all possible. It also underscores 

the importance of our work to 

the nation and communities we 

serve, knowing full well that the 

A Message From the Center Director

6
7

NASA’S

GODDARD

SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

HAS ADDRESSED SOME OF

HUMANITY’S GREATEST QUESTIONS

public is and always will be our 

greatest stakeholder. 

Our journeys into space are 

among the greatest ever undertaken in history, redefining 

humanity’s understanding of 

possibility and progress, but our 

work is far from over. As we approach six decades in operation, 

we stand at the threshold of new 

challenges and opportunities. 

Similar to the days of our humble 

beginnings, the possibilities of 

what we can accomplish are as 

limitless as the boundaries of the 

universe.

Chris Scolese • Center Director

7
8

OUR ORGANIZATION

Equal

Opportunity

Programs

Communications Chief Counsel

NASA Office

of Inspector

General

NASA IndependENT

Verification &

Validation FACILITY

HUMAN

CAPITAL

MANAGEMENT

CHIEF

FINANCIAL

OFFICER

MANAGEMENT

OPERATIONS EDUCATION

SAFETY AND

MISSION

ASSURANCE

APPLIED

ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY

Sciences AND

Exploration

Suborbital

AND Special

Orbital Projects

FLIGHT

PROJECTS

Information

Technology AND

Communications

DIRECTOR
9

As in the early years of space 

exploration, Goddard scientists, 

engineers and technologists 

remain committed to innovating 

solutions that advance humanity’s quest to understand the 

cosmos. Today, they are addressing everything from nanosized 

instrument components invisible 

to the naked eye to mission concepts designed to answer fundamental questions in astrophysics, 

Earth science, heliophysics and 

planetary science.

Although the center’s innovators 

advance their ideas through a 

variety of funding mechanisms, 

Goddard’s Internal Research and 

Development, or IRAD, program 

serves as the initial source of 

support for many. Managed by 

the Goddard Office of the Chief 

Technologist, this program provides seed funding to promote 

advanced technology, reduce 

technological risk and develop 

new mission concepts.

Fiscal 2017 proved to be exceptionally productive for the 

center’s scientists, engineers and 

technologists.

An Innovation Station

For example, at least 16 Goddard 

teams flew or were scheduled to 

fly advanced technologies and 

payloads on one of many different types of scientific platforms, 

including the International Space 

Station, research aircraft, scientific balloons, sounding rockets 

and CubeSats. 

Some demonstrated new capabilities, like the radiometer flown 

on the Goddard-led IceCube 

CubeSat mission launched in 

April. Others represented Small 

Explorer-class payloads, like the 

Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, mission 

launched in May to the International Space Station, where 

it is studying neutron stars and 

demonstrating next-generation 

X-ray navigation techniques.

In addition to flight opportunities, Goddard professionals also 

proved successful in winning 

three Phase A Explorer-class 

mission studies and at least five 

CubeSat mission studies. These 

missions cover the gamut, studying everything from the electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves, solar flares and 

comets to water on the moon, 

the plumes on Saturn’s moon 

Enceladus and why planets lose 

their atmospheres. 

Meanwhile, the Goddard Strategic Partnerships Office continues 

to forge innovative partnerships 

that link the center’s internal 

inventors with corporations, 

startups, universities and other 

government agencies. This fiscal 

year, the office was responsible 

for collecting 221 new technologies, resulting in 38 patent applications filed by Goddard. 

These examples cover just a 

fraction of the successes that the 

center’s technologists enjoyed in 

fiscal 2017. Because of their efforts, Goddard is well-positioned 

strategically to realize new missions and gain an even richer 

understanding of Earth and the 

universe in the future.

INNOVATION
10

GODDARD SHINES BRIGHT...

For the first time in nearly a century, a total solar eclipse swept 

across the contiguous United 

States from coast to coast on 

Aug. 21, 2017, bringing hundreds of millions of people together to watch one of nature’s 

most awe-inspiring sights. The 

path of totality traversed 14 

states, while all other states—as 

well as the rest of North America—witnessed at least a partial 

eclipse. Viewing events were held 

nationwide, including at NASA’s 

Goddard Space Flight Center, 

which organized a gathering for 

employees on its main campus as 

well as one for the public at the 

Goddard Visitor Center. 

Whether they gazed up at the 

sun with eclipse glasses, looked 

down at the sun’s projection from 

a pinhole viewer, watched a live 

stream online or simply wanted 

to learn more about the science, 

spectators around the country 

turned to Goddard every step of 

the way to make it an educational, 

safe and enjoyable experience. 

NASA Headquarters in Washington reached out to the Goddard 

Heliophysics Education Consortium in 2015 to put an agency plan 

in place for covering this once-ina-lifetime event and engaging the 

masses. For nearly two years, the 

team developed partnerships and 

participated in countless outreach 

efforts, ensuring NASA was at the 

forefront of this landmark occasion. Furthermore, the center’s 

scientists participated in more 

than 500 media interviews to 

further educate the public. Goddard’s work, resources, videos 

and photos were documented on 

NASA’s official eclipse website: 

eclipse2017.nasa.gov.

Total page views for the eclipse 

site and www.nasa.gov topped 

90 million on Aug. 21, breaking 

the agency’s previous web traffic 

record for one event about seven 

times over. The eclipse site was 

the most popular government 

website for weeks leading up to 

the eclipse.

Safety: Our No. 1 Priority

There was no shortage of public 

enthusiasm for the eclipse, but 

the most important task was 

teaching spectators how to stay 

safe. Whether focusing on eye 

protection or travel precautions 

in the path of totality, safety remained a key message throughout all NASA campaigns. 

A safety viewing bulletin was 

developed with input from six 

organizations—NASA, American 

Astronomical Society, American 

Academy of Ophthalmology, 

American Academy of Optometry, American Optometric Association and National Science 

Foundation—ensuring consistent 

and accurate safety messages.

In the weeks and months leading up to Aug. 21, Goddard distributed at least 40,000 pairs of 

eclipse glasses—all certified safe 

for viewing by the International

Organization for Standardization—and other educational 

materials to the public, scientific 

organizations, educational institutions, museums, libraries and 

community groups. In addition 

to explaining the proper usage 

for glasses, the website cited 

information from the Department 

of Transportation’s eclipse guide, 

outlined hiking and outdoor safety tips, and taught parents how 

to keep kids safe during viewing.

On June 21, exactly two months 

before the eclipse, NASA co-hosted an overview and safety briefing 

at the Newseum in Washington, 

D.C., allowing the public and 

press to discuss safety issues with 

experts from Goddard, NASA 

Headquarters, the National Park 

Service and other organizations.

Engaging Our Partners: From 

the National Pastime to 

National Parks

To ensure a NASA presence along 

the entire path of totality, Goddard secured partnerships with 

dozens of organizations hosting 

eclipse-related gatherings in or 

near the 70-mile-wide path. The 

Goddard team recruited subject 

matters experts from within and 

outside the agency, assigning 

them to locations across the 

country and coordinating their 

involvement in events and interviews. Among these partnerships were three Minor League 

Baseball teams in Oregon, Idaho 

and South Carolina. The teams 

delayed their games on Aug. 21
11

...DURING HISTORIC SOLAR ECLIPSE

to allow attendees to view the 

eclipse between pitches—the 

first such delays in professional 

baseball history—while NASA 

distributed glasses and educational materials. 

Several of these locations were 

featured on NASA’s broadcast 

on the day of the eclipse—“2017 

Eclipse Across America: Through 

the Eyes of NASA”—which aired 

live on NASA Television and multiple viewing platforms. The live 

stream of the broadcast became 

one of the most viewed Internet 

events in recent history, surpassing streaming figures from recent 

Super Bowls.

Twenty-one national parks lie 

within the path of totality, and 

NASA partnered with the National 

Park Service to hand out glasses, 

brochures, maps and educational 

materials, as well as solar eclipse 

patches to more than 30,000 Boy 

Scouts. Three hundred boxes containing eclipse-related materials 

and activities were also sent to Girl 

Scout councils around the country. 

Goddard held a weeklong training 

session in astronomy and eclipse 

science for 11 Girl Scout council 

teams, totaling 50 attendees, as 

a way to encourage them to start 

Girl Scout astronomy clubs.

Eleven spacecraft from NASA and 

partners—the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration 

and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency—collected 

data from the sun, moon and 

Earth during the eclipse, and 

Goddard scientists will continue 

to study the results in the years 

to come to better understand 

Earth’s interactions with our closest star. Goddard will also study 

the findings of citizen scientists 

with whom we partnered during 

the eclipse. More than 50 student 

teams used weather balloons to 

look down at Earth and observe 

the moon’s shadow. Fifty-five 

college and high school teams 

launched high-altitude balloons 

to stream live video for NASA TV 

and share data with other citizen 

scientists worldwide. The Citizen 

Continental America Telescopic 

Eclipse experiment, or Citizen 

CATE, was supported by NASA 

and the National Science Foundation and trained 62 groups deployed along the path of totality 

to observe the eclipse with nearly 

identical telescopes and imaging 

systems. The experiment created 

first-of-its-kind observations of the 

eclipse from nearly coast to coast.

Outreach Materials and 

Distribution

NASA researchers estimate that 

more than 100 million people 

watched the solar eclipse in person. Getting supplies to everyone 

was one tall order. Glasses, maps 

and other educational materials 

needed to be designed, factchecked and printed prior to distribution. This was no easy task given 

that plenty of recipients, such as 

museums, had their own branding 

requirements for the materials.

The agency also faced some 

unexpected difficulties, such as 

when Amazon.com announced 

that some of the glasses it sold 

did not meet safety standards and 

had to issue refunds. When NASA 

Headquarters and the Goddard 

team heard about the situation, 

they ordered and sent out extra 

glasses at a moment’s notice.

Goddard oversaw the production of dozens of print items. In 

addition to the glasses, these 

included a full eclipse map, individual maps of the 14 states in 

the path of totality, posters, fact 

sheets, safety fliers, 28 one-page 

science reports, bookmarks, folders, info cards, brochures, pinhole 

handheld fans and pinhole cards.

This unique map shows the path of the 

moon’s umbral shadow – in which the 

sun will be completely obscured by the 

moon – during the total solar eclipse of 

Aug. 21, 2017, as well as the fraction 

of the sun’s area covered by the moon 

outside the path of totality. The lunar 

shadow enters the United States near 

Lincoln City, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. PDT. 

Totality begins in the United States in 

Lincoln City, Oregon, at 10:16 a.m. PDT. 

The total eclipse will end in Charleston, 

South Carolina, at 2:48 p.m. EDT. The 

lunar shadow leaves the United States 

at 4:09 p.m. EDT. A partial eclipse 

will be visible throughout the 

United States.

Lunar topography data from NASA’s 

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the 

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s 

SELENE lunar orbiter were used to 

precisely calculate the location of the 

moon’s shadow. Land shading is based 

on a global mosaic of images from 

NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging 

Spectroradiometer, and elevations are 

based on data from NASA’s Shuttle 

Radar Topography Mission. Planetary positions are from NASA’s Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory Development 

Ephemeris 421.

Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

EXPERIENCE

EVERYONE IN NORTH AMERICA 

WILL BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE 

THIS ECLIPSE. THE 2017 ECLIPSE

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON AUGUST 21, 2017

ACROSS AMERICA

http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

www.nasa.gov

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

THROUGH THE EYES OF NASA
12

James Webb Space Telescope 

UnlockING the Mysteries of the Universe

In 1996, NASA set off to build a 

successor to the Hubble Space 

Telescope that would peer into the 

far reaches of the universe using 

infrared light. Engineers came up 

with a design that included an optical telescope element composed 

of 18 mirror segments, an integrated science instrument module 

containing four main science instruments, a sunshield that insulates 

the telescope’s sensitive optics and 

science instruments from the heat 

of the sun, and a spacecraft bus 

that provides support functions for 

the telescope’s operations.

The James Webb Space Telescope, renamed in 2002 after 

NASA’s second administrator, has 

been under construction for more 

than 20 years, but this past year 

marked the beginning of the end 

for Webb’s assembly and testing. 

After a series of tests at NASA’s 

Goddard Space Flight Center, the 

combined optical element and 

instrument module—known as 

OTIS—moved to NASA’s Johnson 

Space Center in Houston in May 

2017 for further testing. With that 

testing now complete, OTIS will 

travel to Northrop Grumman’s 

facilities in Redondo Beach, 

California, for final testing and 

integration with the sunshield and 

spacecraft bus. Webb is scheduled to launch from the European 

Space Agency’s spaceport in 

Kourou, French Guiana, in 2019.

From late 2015 to early 2016, 

Goddard engineers assembled 

Webb’s primary mirror segments 

onto the telescope’s backplane 

and support structure, then combined the optical telescope element and integrated science instrument module to create OTIS 

and form the top half of the entire 

observatory. The “fully bloomed” 

6.5-meter (21.3-foot) primary mirror, the “golden crown” of OTIS, 

was unveiled to the public in 

November 2016 during a media 

day with then-NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Webb 

Senior Project Scientist John 

Mather, a Nobel physics laureate 

who helped validate the big-bang 

theory with his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer mission.

A month later, OTIS was subjected to a gauntlet of tests at Goddard—most notably vibration and 

acoustic tests—ensuring it could 

survive the rigors of launch and 

the harsh space environment. 

From July to November 2017, 

cryogenic testing at Johnson’s 

Chamber A—the center’s massive 

thermal vacuum testing chamber—ensured the fully assembled 

OTIS was ready for the extremely 

cold temperatures in space. 

The entire integrated observatory will undergo final simulated 

launch environment testing at 

Northrop Grumman, followed 

by flight and deployment testing prior to launch. Goddard will 

lead the team that will shepherd 

Webb through its commissioning—the process of readying the 

telescope for science observations—which will begin as soon 

as the spacecraft separates from 

its Ariane 5 launch vehicle. At 

the start of commissioning, the 

telescope will unfold from its 

stowed position as it journeys 

for about 30 days to its orbit at 

Earth’s second Lagrange point, a 

stable orbiting location about 1.5 

million kilometers (approximately 

1 million miles) away from Earth. 

Once fully deployed, Webb will 

undergo the next steps of the 

commissioning process: aligning 

the telescope’s mirrors, calibrating the telescope and making 

sure all of its instruments are 

functioning properly. After commissioning, Goddard will provide 

overall mission management, and 

the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore will perform 

flight and science operations. 

Once in orbit and commissioned 

for observations, Webb will begin 

to fulfill its science mission: to 

observe the formation of the first 

stars and galaxies, to help discover how galaxies have assembled 

and evolved over billions of years, 

to peer into cosmic nurseries to 

witness the formation of stars and 

planetary systems, and to analyze 

the atmospheres of exoplanets 

and potentially identify the building blocks of life.
13

The James Webb Space Telescope, 

the scientific complement to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, will 

be the premier space observatory 

of the next decade. Webb is an 

international project led by NASA 

with its partners, ESA (European 

Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian 

Space Agency).

In addition to its international partners, NASA’s Webb telescope has 

benefitted from the work of several contractors across the United 

States that have been integral parts 

of the observatory’s assembly and 

testing, including Northrop Grumman, Ball Aerospace and Harris 

Corporation.

For more information about the 

James Webb Space Telescope, 

visit www.webb.nasa.gov or www.

nasa.gov/webb.

WEBB WILL BE

THE PREMIER OBSERVATORY

OF THE NEXT DECADE, SERVING

THOUSANDS OF ASTRONOMERS 

WORLDWIDE. IT WILL STUDY EVERY

PHASE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSE.
14

Observes and studies Earth’s 

system to further scientific understanding of our home planet and 

improve predictions of its evolving state due to human behavior 

and natural changes.

Researches the sun and the constantly changing magnetic system 

that surrounds it—which affects 

Earth, the planets and the space 

environment extending far out into 

the solar system.

Investigates the universe 

through astronomy, astrophysics and fundamental physics on 

issues such as dark matter and 

energy, life-harboring planets 

and black holes.

Earth SCIENCE ASTROPHYSICS HELIOPHYSICS

CROSS-CUTTING TECHNOLOGIES

OUR FOCUS AREAS

Sensor Systems and

Instrument Platforms

Goddard develops and builds 

missions and instruments, from 

subsystems (detectors and optical elements) to complete instruments and instrument suites.

Large-Scale Scientific

Information Systems,

Data Processing and

Dissemination

Goddard designs and implements custom, large-scale data 

systems and supercomputing applications for high-performance 

computing and archiving of a 

wide range of science data.

In-Space Satellite

Servicing

Goddard services enable extended mission operations, 

reconfiguration and recovery, 

including in-orbit spacecraft 

refueling and repair, and assembling large structures in orbit and 

modular designs.
15

Investigates the planets, moons 

and small objects in the solar 

system and beyond, including 

their evolution, inner structures 

and forces that alter them.

Develops systems, technologies and services in support of

science, exploration and space

operations missions that are near 

Earth and in deep space.

PLANETARY

SCIENCE

SPACE

COMMUNICATIONS

and NAVIGATION

Manages programs and services 

for sounding rockets, balloons, 

aircraft and commercial space, 

including NASA’s only launch 

facility—Wallops Launch Range.

SUBORBITAL 

PLATFORMS and 

RANGE SERVICES

OTHER ENABLING CAPABILITIES

Program and Project 

Management

Goddard conducts effective, 

tailored management and cost 

estimation, maintains schedules, 

develops technology, manages 

risk, and assures outcomes for 

missions and their supporting 

elements and services.

End-to-End Mission 

Systems Architecture

and Engineering

Goddard addresses the full life 

cycles of science missions, spacecraft, in situ and remote-sensing 

instruments, and payloads, from 

advanced concepts through 

implementation.

Safety and Mission 

Assurance

Goddard is a recognized leader 

in safety and mission assurance 

with a lengthy history of implementing effective and innovative approaches to reduce risk 

and enable mission success.
16

Eclipse

2017

40,000+

glasses distributed

500+

interviews conducted

+

+

+

+

90 million+ website page views

PUBLICATIONS350

ASTROPHYSICS

548

EARTH SCIENCE

250

HELIOPHYSICS

310

PLANETARY

SCIENCE

500INTERNS

Direct GSFC BUDGET:$3.7B

BUDGET: $5.2B

Reimbursable GSFC Budget:$1.5B

46

ONE GODDARD 

37%FEMALE

(Civil Servants)

MALE 63%(Civil Servants)

6,000+

ON-SITE CONTRACTORS

1,000s OF OTHERS

3,000+

CIVIL SERVANTS

Go

Vis

Cen

IV

MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE

(plus two U.S. territories

and one foreign country!)

(including off-site contractors,

emeritus employees and interns)

Japan Aerospace

Exploration Agency

7AGENCIES

Joint Agency Satellites

(FROM OTHER GOVERNMENT AND NONGOVERNMENT ENTITIES)

MILLION

SOCIAL MEDIA

FOLLOWERS

1.1

articles posted 620 to NASA.gov

videos uploaded 168to YouTube

2.1 MILLION

413,000

397,000

Best PLACES

TO WORK IN THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT

#1 NASA RANKED OUT OF 18 LARGE

AGENCIES (SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR)

#2 GODDARD RANKED OUT OF 150 AGENCY

SUBCOMPONENT ORGANIZATIONS

Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol 

STATES

2017 IN FIGURES
17

TECHNOLOGICAL

INNOVATIONS

SICS

ENCE

ICS

Y

MMS

Magnetospheric Multiscale mission

3 Phase A Explorer Class

221 New Technology Reports

Mission Studies Won....

5 CubeSat

38 Patent Applications Filed

RNS

300+ ROBOTIC MISSIONS LAUNCHED TO DATE

3,000+ 

ACTIVE PROCUREMENT

INSTRUMENTS

4

NEW

EXHIBITS

45,602

TOTAL

VISITORS

4

Please visit

SCIENCE 5 INSTRUMENTS

LAYER

SUNSHIELD 18 NUMBER OF

PRIMARY

MIRROR

SEGMENTS

JAMES WEBB

SPACE TELESCOPE 

WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY

8 BALLOON

MISSIONS 1,567 AIRCRAFT

FLIGHT 20 HOURS

AIRBORNE

SCIENCE

PROJECTS 17 SOUNDING

ROCKET

LAUNCHES

Goddard

Visitor

Center

NASA MISSIONS 15 SUPPORTED

SEVERITY ONE 22ISSUES IDENTIFIED

IV&V FACILITY

tes

Figures are for fiscal 2017 unless noted otherwise.

AR)

ENCY

1,700+ Balloons

Launched

to Date for:

35 Universities

23 Research Agencies

33 Foreign Groups

COLUMBIA

SCIENTIFIC

BALLOON

FACILITY

CASSINI GRAND FINALE

294 orbits around Saturn

635 GBs of science data collected

453,048 images taken

3,948 science papers published

3

instruments 

developed 

by Goddard 20 YEARS

LATER...

data has

contributed to

papers led by

scientists around

the world, and its

new orbit, above

and beyond its

previous circuit,

opens the doors

to countless new

discoveries. OVER

http://jwst.nasa.gov/recentaccomplish.html#2017
18

Since 1959, Goddard’s communications networks have served NASA, the nation and the 

world as the backbone for products and services derived from satellite data.

MANY ASPECTS OF

SOCIETY ARE IMPROVED

BY SATELLITE DATA

The SN ground segment at the White Sands Complex features 

ground terminals that provide the hardware and software necessary to guarantee a constant communication link among the customer spacecraft, TDRS and the NASCOM interface to the customer control center. 

WHITE SANDS COMPLEX (WSC)

One of the NASA-

vide high-quality, l

Global Monitor a

passes allowing fo

other sites, includ

at Kennedy Space 

ties to the Space L

WALLOPS FLIGH

HUBBLE

Space Science

TDRS

Captures and

sends data to

WSC ground

stations

Captures and

sends data

to TDRS

p

and 

Grou

pr

and 

Captures and

sends data to polar

ground station

AQUA

Earth Science

ISS

Human

Spaceflight

SN 

NEN 

SCIENTIFIC

DISCOVERY

Weather

Forecastin

HEALTH

AND MEDICAL 

Transportation EDUCATION FINANCIAL 

JUST THREE

 EXAMPLES OF

THE MANY WAYS

WE ARE BRINGING

SCIENCE HOME!

HOW WE DO IT

KEY FACILITIES

Hubble Space 

Telescope observes the 

most distant stars and 

galaxies in the universe 

as well as the planets in 

our solar system. The 

International Space 

Station (ISS) collects 

data on global climate, 

environmental change 

and natural hazards 

using crew-operated 

and automated Earth 

observation payloads. 

Aqua is a multi-national 

Earth-observing 

research satellite 

studying the 

precipitation, 

evaporation and

cycling of water.

Space Network (SN)

A constellation of nine Earth-orbiting Tracking Data Relay 

Satellites (TDRS) and four ground terminal locations that provide a continuous global link between satellites and the ground.

Near Earth Network (NEN)

A series of fifteen globally-located NASA-owned and contracted commercial ground terminals that provide comprehensive 

communications services to satellites in near-Earth orbit.

NASA Communications Network (NASCOM)

The central nervous system connected to all of NASA’s communications circuits, NASCOM transports and delivers the data to 

control centers or data centers which process and disseminate 

for the science community, other agencies and the public.

Deep Space Network (DSN)

NASCOM also provides connectivity to the ground stations of 

NASA’s third communications network, DSN, which is managed 

by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 98% of all NASA data comes through Goddard 

via SN and NEN.

• SN and NEN collectively transmit 29.5 TB of 

data per day. 

• NEN supports about 40 NASA and other 

agency satellites.

NEN

SN

DSN

DELIVERING YOUR DATA FROM SPACE
19

-owned tracking stations, WFF hosts five NEN antennas that pro

ow-cost communications services to supported flight missions. Its 

nd Control Center (GMaCC) provides continual monitoring of 

or remotely-controlled, locally unattended station operations at 

ing the nearly completed Launch Communications Stations (LCS) 

e Center. LCS will provide critical launch communications capabili

Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

HT FACILITY (WFF)

In addition to overall management of SN and NEN, Greenbelt manages the 

NASCOM which handles all data from SN, NEN and DSN. Its global system of communications transmission, switching, and terminal facilities provides Internet Protocol 

(IP) routed data, high-rate data and video services. Other capabilities include mission 

voice communications services and high volume data transfer among NASA supercomputers including the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at Goddard.

GODDARD GREENBELT CAMPUS (GC)

WSC

rocesses

d transmits

und station

rocesses

 transmits

GC

GC

NASCOM

(Data transport)

DATA

CENTERS

END

USERS

• NASA

• Government

• Commercial/

 Industry

• International

 Partners

• Academia

CUSTOMERS

• GSFC

 Homepage

• Astronomy

 Picture of the Day

• Earth Observatory

• Ozone Hole

• Direct Readout

PRODUCTS

LONG-TERM IMPACT

g

Climate

Monitoring Agriculture

WATER

TV AND

TECHNOLOGY CELLULAR

Search and

Rescue

Defense

FIRES GPS Communications

NASCOM

(Data transport)
20

NEW VISITOR CENTER EXHIBITS

PUTTING SCIENCE ON DISPLAY

One of the largest exhibits in 

the main gallery, “Neighborhood 

Earth” explains how Earth is one 

connected neighborhood from 

NASA’s viewpoint in space. Visitors explore our home planet 

like a NASA scientist, discovering 

how satellite technology provides 

clues about the life, air and water 

around us. The exhibit is highly 

interactive, with several digital and 

hands-on activities focusing on ice 

cores, freshwater availability, active sensing, agriculture and more. 

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 

multisensory touch experience that 

lets visitors discover how air, water 

and life intersect across the world 

through NASA visualizations. “Exploration Station,” an 80-inch touch 

screen, presents the latest in media 

visualizations and data sets from all 

four of the sciences in a minitheater.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, “The James Webb Space 

Telescope: Art + Science 2017” 

showcased artist interpretations 

of the next-generation space telescope across a wide range of art 

forms, from painting and sculpture 

to music and poetry. The temporary 

exhibit, which was on display from 

March to July 2017, was the product of an artist session in front of 

the telescope in November 2016.

The Goddard Visitor Center has 

played a central role in sharing 

Goddard’s scientific achievements 

and missions with the public, having hosted more than 1 million 

guests since its opening in May 

1976. This year, the visitor center 

underwent a major transformation 

following a redesign of the gallery 

space and the addition of three new 

permanent exhibits: “Welcome 

to Goddard,” “GLOBE Hall” and 

“Neighborhood Earth.”

“Welcome to Goddard” introduces 

guests to Goddard’s core science 

competencies—astrophysics, Earth 

science, heliophysics and planetary 

science—and explains the various 

stages in a mission’s life cycle. It 

also outlines Goddard’s history and 

the influence of the center’s technologies on our daily lives.

“GLOBE Hall” introduces visitors 

to its namesake Global Learning 

and Observations to benefit the 

Environment Program, encouraging them to download the GLOBE 

app and become citizen scientists. 

It focuses on field observations that 

visitors can upload to help NASA 

expand what we know about Earth 

and its systems.
21

UNIVERSE

hubble

eclipse

antares launch SUN

HIGHLIGHTS

OF

TECHNOLOGY

GOES-R

spinoff

WFIRST

PACE

parker

solar

probe

TDRS

MMS

mission success

Webb

EARTH

Solar System

education CASSINIplanetary

Suborbital

MAVEN

NICER

innovation

FISCAL

2017

WEBB

ECLIPSE 2017

ANTARES LAUNCH

GOES-R

OSIRIS-REX

PARKER SOLAR PROBE

TDRS-M

HURRICANE MONITORING

CASSINI

HUBBLE 

RAVEN

LUCY

PACE

MMS

WFIRST

NICER

MAVEN

RESTORE-L

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18
22

Final Testing Completed

at Goddard

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the most powerful 

space telescope ever built upon 

its completion and launch in 

2019. The optical element and 

instrument module were constructed and tested at Goddard. 

They were sent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in 

May 2017 for additional cryogenic testing, and they will link 

up with the telescope’s sunshield 

and spacecraft bus at Northrop 

Grumman’s facilities in Redondo 

Beach, California, for final testing 

and integration prior to launching 

from the European Space Agency’s spaceport in French Guiana.

UNIVERSE

HIGHLIGHTS OF FISCAL 2017

SUN

Goddard Shines Bright as

Day Turns to Night

A total solar eclipse traversed 

the contiguous United States 

from coast to coast on Aug. 21, 

2017, for the first time in nearly 

a century. For years leading up 

to the event, Goddard engaged 

in an extensive effort to educate 

the public, coordinate outreach 

events, develop partnerships, 

and distribute safety glasses and 

other materials. Goddard hosted 

a public viewing event, drawing 

more than 1,800 attendees, while 

the center also supported recordbreaking communications efforts for NASA across numerous 

outlets—websites, social media

accounts and NASA Television. 

SPACE STATION

After Two Years, Launches

Back on Track at Wallops

Orbital ATK’s sixth contracted 

cargo resupply mission with 

NASA to the International Space 

Station launched aboard an Antares rocket on Oct. 17, 2016, 

from Wallops Flight Facility, delivering 5,100 pounds of science 

equipment, crew supplies and 

vehicle hardware inside a Cygnus 

spacecraft. It was the first such 

launch in two years from Wallops 

following an Antares explosion 

from the same pad in October 

2014. Orbital ATK launched another resupply mission on April 

18, 2017, from Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station in Florida.

WEBB 1 ANTARES

LAUNCH 3 ECLIPSE

2017 2
23

EARTH SOLAR SYSTEM

Boosting Weather

Observation Capabilities

NASA launched the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R 

(GOES-R) on Nov. 19, 2016. The 

satellite, renamed GOES-16 once 

it reached its designated orbit, 

represents the next generation of 

the GOES system, which began 

operations in 1974. GOES-16 is 

designed to enhance the nation’s 

weather observation capabilities, 

leading to more accurate and 

timely forecasts, watches and 

warnings. Goddard oversaw the 

acquisition of the GOES-R spacecraft and instruments. The next 

satellite in the series, GOES-S, is 

scheduled for launch in 2018.

Asteroid Sample Return Mission 

Slingshots Past Earth

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and 

Security-Regolith Explorer—or 

OSIRIS-REx—launched in 2016 

to return a sample from the nearEarth asteroid Bennu by 2023. 

The spacecraft used Earth’s gravitational force on Sept. 22, 2017, 

to adjust its orbital plane and 

propel itself toward the asteroid 

for a scheduled rendezvous in 

2018. The sample will help scientists investigate how planets 

formed and life began, as well as 

improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.

GOES-R 4 OSIRIS-REX 5

SUN

A Mission to

Touch the Sun

Parker Solar Probe, managed 

by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 

(APL), will explore the sun’s outer 

atmosphere and make critical observations on the physics of stars. 

The spacecraft’s heat shield, 

which will provide protection as 

it flies directly into the sun’s atmosphere, was installed on Sept. 

21, 2017. Previously known as 

Solar Probe Plus, it was renamed 

in May after renowned solar 

astrophysicist Eugene N. Parker. 

Goddard is working with APL on 

environmental testing prior to 

Parker Solar Probe’s scheduled 

launch in July 2018.

PARKER

SOLAR PROBE 6
24

SOLAR SYSTEM

Cassini Plunges Into Saturn

for Grand Finale

Twenty years after setting off 

to explore the gas giant and its 

moons, the Cassini spacecraft 

plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017, to end 

its mission. One of the most ambitious undertakings in planetary 

science exploration, Cassini completed about 300 orbits around 

Saturn, discovered six named 

moons and produced more 

than 450,000 images. Goddard 

designed and constructed three 

critical instruments: the Composite Infrared Spectrometer, the Ion 

and Neutral Mass Spectrometer, 

and the Gas Chromatograph 

Mass Spectrometer.

CASSINI 9

SPACE COMMS

Expanding the

Space Network

The newest in NASA’s fleet of 

space communications satellites, 

Tracking and Data Relay SatelliteM (TDRS-M) launched on Aug. 

18, 2017, from Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station in Florida. Since 

the 1970s, TDRS satellites have 

comprised the space segment 

of the Goddard-managed Space 

Network, which provides data 

communications and accurate 

navigation to NASA missions. 

TDRS-M will extend these services 

to the International Space Station, 

Hubble Space Telescope and 

other missions. Following successful in-orbit testing, the spacecraft 

will officially join the TDRS fleet in 

early 2018 and become TDRS-13.

TDRS-M 7

EARTH

NASA Provides Valuable

Storm Data 

In an active hurricane season, 

storms made landfall in Texas, 

Florida and several U.S. territories. 

Forecasters and first responders 

relied on data from select NASA’s 

satellites, such as the Global 

Precipitation Measurement mission—and those of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—to track, measure and 

respond to the storms. Using the 

unique vantage point from space, 

the satellites—many of which are 

managed and operated by Goddard—measured everything from 

rainfall to ocean temperatures. All 

storms were continuously tracked 

on NASA’s hurricane web page 

and social media accounts. 

HURRICANE 

MONITORING 8
25

UNIVERSE

Legendary Space Telescope

Still Going Strong

For 27 years, the Hubble Space 

Telescope has changed the 

course of astronomy through 

countless discoveries in our own 

solar system, the farthest galaxies and everything in between. 

Among the most notable this 

past year is the evidence of 

plumes erupting from Jupiter’s 

moon Europa, providing clues 

into possible life beyond Earth. 

In February 2017, the Spitzer 

Space Telescope discovered 

seven Earth-size planets around 

a single star in the TRAPPIST-1 

exoplanet system. Hubble set out 

to screen four of the planets, including three inside the so-called 

“habitable zone.” 

HUBBLE 10

TECHNOLOGY

Making Autonomous

Rendezvous a Reality 

Developed by the Goddard Satellite Servicing Projects Division, the 

Raven module is testing foundational technologies that will bring 

NASA one step closer toward 

realizing autonomous rendezvous 

capabilities in space between 

satellites, removing the need for 

human involvement—even from 

the ground. Launched aboard 

a SpaceX commercial resupply 

services mission on Feb. 19, 2017, 

and appended to the International 

Space Station, Raven is setting the 

stage for other NASA projects, 

including Restore-L, which is developing technologies to refuel 

a satellite that was not originally 

designed to be serviced.

RAVEN 11

SOLAR SYSTEM

The First Mission to

Jupiter’s Trojans

NASA selected Lucy as one of 

its new Discovery-class missions. 

Scheduled for launch in October 

2021, Lucy will perform the first 

reconnaissance of the Trojans, a 

population of primitive asteroids 

orbiting in tandem with Jupiter, 

to help scientists understand the 

origins of our solar system. It will 

fly by its targets between 2025 

and 2033. Goddard will provide 

overall mission management, 

systems engineering, and safety 

and mission assurance. The center will also develop Lucy’s colorimaging and infrared-mapping 

spectrometer.

LUCY 12
26

UNIVERSE

Exploring the Universe

Through a Wider Field 

Selected as the top priority by 

the National Academy of Sciences 2010 Decadal Survey for 

Astronomy and Astrophysics, the 

Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is scheduled to 

launch in the mid-2020s to study 

the evolution of the universe, 

dark energy and exoplanets. This 

past year, NASA convened an independent review panel to assess 

the mission’s scope, requirements 

and scientific promise. WFIRST 

will carry a wide-field instrument 

for surveys and a coronagraph 

technology demonstration to 

mask the glare of individual stars 

and reveal the faint light of planets orbiting around them.

WFIRST 15

EARTH

Future Mission to Monitor

the Health of Our Ocean

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, 

ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission 

will reveal interactions between 

the ocean and atmosphere, 

including how they exchange 

carbon dioxide and how 

atmospheric aerosols may 

fuel phytoplankton growth in 

the surface ocean. PACE has 

completed its concept and 

technology development phase, 

and in July 2017, it entered 

the preliminary design and 

technology completion phase, 

moving the mission along toward 

an expected launch in 2022. 

Goddard manages the mission 

and will build its Ocean Color 

Instrument.

SUN

Understanding Magnetic

Reconnection Around Earth

The Magnetospheric Multiscale 

mission (MMS) comprises a quartet of identical spacecraft designed to study our planet’s magnetosphere and provide insight 

into the phenomenon of magnetic 

reconnection. Traveling in a highly 

elliptical orbit, MMS switched to 

its second-phase orbit in February 

2017, allowing it to fly twice as far 

away from Earth than before so 

it can explore the long tail of our 

planet’s magnetic fields. The new 

orbit allows MMS to continue to 

map out the fundamental characteristics of space around Earth, 

helping us better understand the 

region through which satellites 

and astronauts travel.

PACE 13 MMS 14
27

UNIVERSE

First Mission to Study

Neutron Stars

The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) launched 

to the International Space Station on June 3, 2017, aboard 

a SpaceX commercial resupply 

services mission. NICER is the 

first NASA mission dedicated to 

studying neutron stars—objects 

containing dense matter at the 

threshold of collapse into black 

holes. The mission is coupled 

with the Station Explorer for 

X-ray Timing and Navigation

Technology, or SEXTANT, an

experiment using NICER’s timing 

data from pulsars—or rotating

neutron stars which emit beams

of electromagnetic radiation—as 

navigation beacons.

NICER 16

SOLAR SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY

MAVEN Finds Metal in

Martian Atmosphere

Results from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, 

or MAVEN, mission in April 

2017 revealed the permanent 

presence of metal ions in the 

ionosphere of the Red Planet, 

the first such detection on a 

planet other than Earth. Metal 

atoms in a vapor trail left behind 

by high-speed meteoroids are 

stripped of some of their electrons by other charged atoms 

and molecules in the ionosphere, 

transforming them into electrically charged ions. The discovery 

is providing further insight into 

how the Martian atmosphere is 

being lost to space.

Demonstrating Robotic

Satellite Servicing

Managed by the Goddard Satellite Servicing Projects Division, 

Restore-L will demonstrate how 

a robotic spacecraft can refuel 

a satellite in orbit. Twelve of its 

technology elements will be further developed by demonstrations aboard the Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3). Launching 

in 2018, RRM3 will test methods 

to replenish cryogenic fluids and 

xenon for in-orbit satellites. The 

robotic vehicle of the Asteroid 

Redirect Mission—designed to 

capture a boulder from a nearEarth asteroid and move it into 

orbit around the moon for exploration—had also leveraged several of Restore-L’s technologies.

MAVEN 17 RESTORE-L 18
28

Our PRIMARY Lines of Bus

THIS IS WHAT WE DO
29

A Place for 

SUCCESS

We launch science. We help an-

swer crucial science questions 

through complex missions that 

depend on dedicated and in-

novative teams to develop pio-

neering technologies. Goddard 

is one of the few organizations 

worldwide that manages a mis-

sion from the concept phase 

through operations, utilizing 

internal, partner and industry 

expertise and resources along 

the way. The depth and exper-

tise of our scientists, engineers, 

technologists, project manag-

ers and support personnel form 

the foundation of our unique 

strength. With our leadership 

in scientific research and in-

strument and spacecraft de-

velopment, the center has a 

renowned capability of conceiv-

ing and managing advanced sci-

ence, technology and space sys-

tems through the entire mission 

life cycle.

siness
30

During a busier-than-usual hurricane season in the United States 

and its territories, Goddard scientists worked with NASA’s disaster 

response team to supply first 

responders with important data, 

including information on flooding 

and power outages. Goddard and 

other NASA scientists are using 

not only data from NASA’s Earthobserving missions, but also their 

expertise in other missions to advance the role of remote sensing in 

response to natural disasters.

In January 2017, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies released its 

annual analysis of global temperatures, concluding that 2016 was 

the hottest year on record. Along 

with accompanying data from the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), the study 

was cited as an authoritative source 

on Earth’s changing climate.

The Goddard-led Operation IceBridge continued its critical survey 

of flights over Greenland and 

Antarctica with one of its busiest 

years. News organizations relied on 

mission footage to document the 

calving of a massive iceberg from 

the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica. 

Continuing a long-standing partnership with NOAA, NASA in November 2016 launched the Geostationary Operational Environmental 

Satellite-R, the latest in a series of 

weather forecasting satellites. Goddard also moved forward with the 

Joint Polar Satellite System-1—or 

JPSS-1—a polar-orbiting environmental satellite; and the Plankton, 

Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem—

or PACE—mission, which will reveal 

interactions between the ocean 

and atmosphere.

PORTFOLIO

ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION

HYDROSPHERIC PROCESSES

CARBON CYCLE AND ECOSYSTEMS

CLIMATE AND WEATHER

EARTH SURFACE AND INTERIOR

Combined Budget

Combined GSFC Budget Percentage 46%

$2.4B

Nonreimbursable

Reimbursable 27%

19%

54% Remaining GSFC

• Geostationary Operational Environmental 

Satellite-S (GOES-S)*

• Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI)

• Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 

(ICESat-2)

• Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)*

• Landsat 9*

• Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem 

(PACE)

• Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES)

• Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 (TIRS-2) for Landsat 9

• Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor 

(TSIS-1)

• Aqua

• Aura

• Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS)

• Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)*

• Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)*

• GOES-13*, GOES-14*, GOES-15*, GOES-16*

• Landsat 7*, Landsat 8*

• Operation IceBridge

• Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)

• Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment 

(SORCE)

• Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership 

(Suomi-NPP)*

• Terra

*Joint Agency Satellite

Greenbelt

Wallops GISS

3

GSFC

FACILITIES

13 LABORATORIES/

OFFICES

MISSIONS AND INSTRUMENTS

IN DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

1,200+ STAFF

Civil Service,

Contract,

Other

NASA Strategic Objective 2.2: Advance knowledge of Earth as a 

system to meet the challenges of environmental change and to 

improve life on our planet.

EARTH SCIENCE
31

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

This NASA Scientist Won 

Leonardo DiCaprio’s 

Climate Change Doc

— Nov. 1, 2016, Inverse.com

A Warm Winter Cyclone 

Thinned the Arctic Sea Ice, 

NASA Reveals

— Nov. 16, 2016, Science World Report

NASA Launches Advanced 

Geostationary Weather 

Satellite for NOAA

— Nov. 21, 2016, Space Daily

New NASA Imagery 

Shows How Fast Glaciers 

Are Melting

— Dec. 12, 2016, CNN

NASA Helps Allocate Rocky 

Mountains’ Massive Water 

Runoff

— Jan. 24, 2017, American Council on

 Science and Health

How NASA’s Satellite Data 

Could Help Protect Chimps

— Jan. 30, 2017, CBS News

Our Planet’s Eye in the Sky 

Finally Closes: An Elegy for 

Earth Observing-1

— April 6, 2017, The Atlantic

UNDERSTANDING 

OUR DYNAMIC 

PLANET

• Refereed (total):

 548

• First Author:

 149

PUBLICATIONS

(peer reviewed)

• Total – 202

• Principal Investigator – 75

• Co-investigator – 127

• Win Rate – 25.9%

PROPOSALS

(Research

Opportunities in

Space and

Earth Science)

• 7 NASA Honor Awards

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and 

Engineers

• William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science

• General James E. Hill Lifetime Space 

Achievement Award

• 2 New American Geophysical Union Fellows

AWARDS
32

MISSIONS IN

DEVELOPMENT

Budget

GSFC Budget

Percentage 18%

$975.2M

Astrophysics 18%

82%

374 STAFF

Remaining GSFC

• High Resolution Mid-InfrarEd Spectrometer 

(HIRMES) for the Stratospheric Observatory 

for Infrared Astronomy

• James Webb Space Telescope

• Micro-X

• Transient Astrophysics Observer on the 

International Space Station (ISS-TAO) 

• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

• Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope 

(WFIRST)

• X-ray Advanced Concepts Testbed (XACT)

• Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for 

Infrared Interferometry (BETTI)

• Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET)

• Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

• High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive 

Research Center (HEASARC)

• Hubble Space Telescope

• International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics 

Laboratory (INTEGRAL)

• International Space Station Cosmic Ray 

Energetics and Mass (ISS-CREAM)

• Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer 

(NICER)

• Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array 

(NuSTAR)

• Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer 

(PIPER)

• Swift 

• X-ray Multi-Mirror (XXM-Newton)

• X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC)

• 85 civil servant scientists and engineers

• 94 contractors (administrative and 

engineers)

• 100 cooperative agreement scientists

• 42 postdoctoral fellows

• 18 graduate students

Greenbelt Wallops

2

GSFC

FACILITIES

5

LABORATORIES/

OFFICES

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission payload was successfully launched and 

positioned aboard the International 

Space Station. NICER is expected 

to provide high-precision measurements of neutron stars—objects 

containing ultra-dense matter at the 

threshold of collapse into black holes.

The Primordial Inflation Polarization 

Explorer (PIPER) balloon payload 

had its first launch in a series of test 

flights. PIPER will investigate whether 

our universe expanded significantly 

immediately following the big bang.

The Transient Astrophysics Observer 

on the ISS, or ISS-TAO, was selected 

for a Phase A study. Its goal is to 

detect X-ray counterparts to gravitational waves produced by neutron 

stars merging with black holes and 

other neutron stars. 

Looking ahead, final preparations 

are being made for the launch of 

the Transiting Exoplanet Survey 

Satellite, or TESS. This mission will 

search the sky for planets outside 

the solar system. The James Webb 

Space Telescope left Goddard for 

final cryogenic testing. Progress 

continues on the development work 

for the Wide Field Infrared Survey 

Telescope (WFIRST). WFIRST was 

recommended in 2010 by the U.S. 

National Research Council Decadal 

Survey committee as the top priority 

for the next decade of astronomy. 

Orbiting Earth for more than 27 

years, the Hubble Space Telescope 

continues to explore farther into the 

universe. The Swift satellite remains 

the only satellite capable of precisely 

locating the universe’s most powerful explosions and monitoring them 

before they fade from view. 

PORTFOLIO

PHYSICS OF THE COSMOS

COSMIC ORIGINS

EXOPLANET EXPLORATION

NASA Strategic

Objective 1.6: Discover how 

the universe works, explore 

how it began and evolved 

and search for life on planets 

around other stars.

How does the universe work? Probe the origin and 

destiny of our universe, including the nature of 

black holes, dark energy, dark matter and gravity.

Are we alone? Discover and study planets around 

other stars and explore whether they could 

harbor life.

How did we get here? Explore the origin and 

evolution of the galaxies, stars and planets that 

make up our universe.

ASTROPHYSICS
33

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

Two Trillion Galaxies, at

the Very Least

— Oct. 17, 2016, The New York Times

Fermi Finds Farthest 

Gamma-Ray Blazar Yet

— Jan. 30, 2017, United Press

 International

NASA Wants You to Help 

Find a New Planet

— Feb. 16, 2017, CNN

NASA’s Swift Mission Maps 

a Star’s ‘Death Spiral’ Into

a Black Hole

— March 21, 2017, Science Newslines

The Shipping and Handling 

of a Gigantic Space 

Telescope

— May 2, 2017, The Atlantic

New NASA Mission to 

Study Mysterious Neutron 

Stars, Aid in Deep Space 

Navigation

— May 26, 2017, Science Springs

New Mission Going to a 

Space Station to Explore 

Mysteries of ‘Cosmic Rain’

— Aug. 13, 2017, Global News Connect

SEEING THE 

COSMOS IN A 

NEW LIGHT

• 350+ refereed 

scientific papers

• 24 press 

releases

PUBLICATIONS

• 57 proposals

• 6 selected, 45 pending 

selection decisions

• 50% win rate

• 2017 Dan David Prize and 2017 Rossi Prize

• 3 New American Physical Society Fellows

• NASA Distinguished Service Medal

• NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal

• NASA Early Career Public Achievement Medal

• 2 NASA Exceptional Scientific 

Achievement Medals

AWARDS

PROPOSALS

(Research

Opportunities in

Space and

Earth Science)
34

In 2017, the Goddard heliophysics 

team saw results—and new starts 

—that extended our knowledge 

of space. 

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 

was a key event highlighting how 

we study our sun. Education, communications and public engagement 

planning around the eclipse was one 

of the largest outreach programs 

ever taken on by NASA. Goddard 

was at the heart of this effort, executing plans that had been years in 

the making and spending Aug. 21 

supporting NASA events nationwide. 

After two years of studying the 

sun-facing side of Earth’s magnetic 

field, the Goddard-built Magnetospheric Multiscale mission is now 

observing the back side, or magnetotail. MMS data are helping us 

better understand how particles 

from the sun interact with Earth’s 

magnetic field—key information for 

protecting astronauts and satellites. 

In early 2017, several sounding 

rockets launched from Poker Flat 

Research Range in Alaska to study 

the aurora and other near-Earth 

processes. The Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, and 

the Global-scale Observations of 

the Limb and Disk, or GOLD, missions are both on track for launch 

in 2018 to observe the ionosphere, 

a dynamic region that can interfere 

with satellites and communications.

Parker Solar Probe, humanity’s 

first mission to touch a star, is also 

slated for a 2018 launch. After 

a year of spacecraft integration, 

communication efforts and science 

preparation, the spacecraft came to 

Goddard this year for its final tests 

before setting off into space. 

PORTFOLIO

SOLAR PHYSICS

HELIOSPHERIC PHYSICS

GEOSPACE PHYSICS

SPACE WEATHER 

Greenbelt

Wallops GISS

Budget

GSFC Budget

Percentage 4%

$221.9M

3

GSFC

FACILITIES

4

LABORATORIES/

OFFICES

MISSIONS IN

DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

• Global Observations of the Limb and Disk 

(GOLD)

• Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON)

• Parker Solar Probe (managed by the Johns 

Hopkins University Applied Physics 

Laboratory)

• Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)

• Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)

• Deep Space Climate Observatory 

(DSCOVR)*

• Geotail*

• Hinode*

• Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph 

(IRIS)

• Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)

• Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS)

• Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar 

Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)

• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory 

(SOHO)*

• Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

• Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory 

(STEREO)

• Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere 

Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)

• Time History of Events and Macroscale 

Interactions during Substorms 

(THEMIS/ARTEMIS)

• Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom 

Spectrometers (TWINS)

• Van Allen Probes

• Wind

*Joint Agency Satellite

300+ STAFF

Civil Service,

Contract,

Other

Heliophysics 4%

Remaining

96% GSFC

NASA Strategic Objective 1.4: Understand the sun and its interactions with Earth and the solar system, including space weather.

HELIOPHYSICS
35

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

High-Flying NASA Mission 

Sets New GPS World 

Record

— Nov. 7, 2016, Space.com

Could You Go Surfing on 

the Sun?

— Dec. 4, 2016, Forbes

Solar Flares May Lead 

Whales to Peril

— Feb. 8, 2017, Discover Magazine

Our VLF Radio Waves Are 

Changing Space

— May 17, 2017, Popular Mechanics

A Physicist Explains the 

Shimmering Science Behind 

Auroras

— May 12, 2017, Science Friday

NASA Probe to Explore the 

Sun’s Atmosphere for the 

First Time 

— May 31, 2017, The Wall Street

 Journal

The Solar Eclipse: 

Highlights From Its Path 

Across the United States

— Aug. 21, 2017, The New York Times

OBSERVING AND 

LIVING WITH OUR 

CLOSEST STAR

• ~250 publications in 

scientific journals

• More than 100 primary 

news articles and interviews

PUBLICATIONS

• Coordinated national, agencywide research, 

communications and outreach efforts for 

2017 total solar eclipse

• Magnetospheric Multiscale mission reached 

full mission success

• Dellingr CubeSat delivered to International 

Space Station

SUCCESSES

• 7 NASA Honor Awards

• American Geophysical Union Basu Early Career 

Award

• John C. Lindsay Memorial Award

• Committee on Space Research Zeldovich Medal

• International Union of Radio Science Karl Rawer 

Gold Medal

AWARDS
36

Budget

GSFC Budget

Percentage 6%

$327.6M

6

LABORATORIES/

OFFICES OPERATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

• Lucy

• Magnetometers for Parker Solar Probe

• Mass Spectrometer for MOMA (Mars 

Organic Molecule Analyzer) on ExoMars

• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

• Mars Evolution and Volatile Evolution 

(MAVEN) 

• Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource 

Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer 

(OSIRIS-REx)

• Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) 

for New Horizons’ Ralph Camera

• Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) for LRO 

• Magnetometer for the Deep Space Climate 

Observatory (DSCOVR*)

• Magnetometers for Juno, MAVEN, Van Allen 

Probes and Voyager 

• Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer

(NGIMS) for MAVEN

• OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer 

(OVIRS)

• Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument 

Suite for Mars Curiosity Rover

• Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) for Landsat 8

*Joint Agency Satellite

321 STAFF

Civil Service,

Contract, Other

Planetary

Science 6%

Remaining

94% GSFC

Greenbelt

1

GSFC

FACILITY

MISSIONS AND INSTRUMENTS

IN DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s first asteroid 

sample return mission, flew past 

Earth on Sept. 22, 2017, during its 

outward journey to study the asteroid Bennu. MAVEN data revealed 

that Mars has metal high in its atmosphere. The Sample Analysis at 

Mars instrument suite scooped and 

drilled samples of organic matter 

from the Martian surface, and the 

Juno magnetometer measured 

magnetic fields around Jupiter.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 

continues to revolutionize our understanding of the moon, finding 

new evidence of frost on the lunar 

surface and discovering that solar 

storms could spark soils at the 

poles. At Saturn, NASA bid farewell 

to the Cassini mission—for which 

Goddard provided the Composite 

Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS). During its time in orbit aboard Cassini, 

CIRS made some stunning discoveries, including a heat signature 

reminiscent of the 1980s video 

game icon Pac-Man on Saturn’s 

moons Mimas and Tethys. The 

instrument also helped decipher 

the mystery of the plumes near the 

south pole of the moon Enceladus 

by mapping the intensity of heat 

along the cracks, known as “tiger 

stripes.”

A new mission, Lucy, was selected 

by the agency as one of two future 

New Frontiers missions. Lucy will 

perform the first reconnaissance of 

Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, objects 

which may hold vital clues to the 

history of the solar system. Work 

continues on the mass spectrometer for the Mars Organic Molecule 

Analyzer aboard the ExoMars mission and magnetometers for Parker 

Solar Probe.

PORTFOLIO

MAGNETOMETRY

The Influence of Planets

INFRARED SPECTROMETRY

Remote Sensing 

MASS SPECTROMETRY

Sampling on the Spot

LASER AND LIDAR

Precision Measurements

ASTROBIOLOGY

Origins of Life

SPACE GEODESY

Next-Generation Mapping

PLANETARY SCIENCE

NASA Strategic

Objective 1.5:

Ascertain the content, origin 

and evolution of the solar 

system and the potential for 

life elsewhere.
37

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

 *A node of the NASA Astrobiology Institute

**Part of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

Earth’s Moon Hit by 

Surprising Number of 

Meteoroids

— Oct. 13, 2016, Nature

NASA Selects Mission 

to Study Jupiter’s Trojan 

Asteroids

— Jan. 4, 2017, Sky & Telescope

Mars Volcano, Earth’s 

Dinosaurs Went Extinct 

About the Same Time

— March 20, 2017, Space.com

NASA Study Finds 

Unexpectedly Primitive 

Atmosphere Around

‘Warm Neptune’

— May 11, 2017, Scientific American

NASA Finds Moon of 

Saturn Has Chemical That 

Could Form ‘Membranes’

— July 28, 2017, Popular Mechanics

New Gravity Map Suggests 

Mars Has a Porous Crust

— Sept. 13, 2017, Gizmodo

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx 

Spacecraft Slingshots

Past Earth

— Sept. 22, 2017, The New York Times

EXPLORING 

OTHER

WORLDS

Our scientists hold leadership roles in the following: 

• Goddard Center for Astrobiology* 

• DREAM2 Center for Space Environments** 

• Nexus for Exoplanet Systems Science (NExSS)

• Remote In Situ and Synchrotron Studies for Science and 

Exploration** 

• Solar System Exploration Data Services Office 

In addition, we published 310 papers and won 33

research grants in fiscal 2017.

LEADERSHIP

FAST

FACTS

DID YOU 

KNOW?

• On June 17, 2017, the MAVEN mission 

celebrated 1,000 Earth days in orbit around 

the Red Planet and determined that most of 

the gas that has ever been held in the Martian 

atmosphere has been lost to space.

• Elevation data of the moon provided by LRO, 

coupled with detailed NASA topography data 

of Earth, produced the most accurate maps of 

the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.

• LRO is the longest operating 

mission around the moon.

• MAVEN made the first 

detection of a permanent 

presence of metal ions in the 

upper atmosphere of Mars.
38

Budget

GSFC Budget

Percentage 6%

$295.7M

Space Communications

and Navigation

94%

6%

Remaining GSFC

• Laser Communications Relay 

Demonstration (LCRD)

• Laser-Enhanced Mission 

Communications Navigation and 

Operational Services (LEMNOS)

• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-C-M 

(TDRS-C-M)

Greenbelt

Wallops White Sands

3

GSFC

FACILITIES

3

LABORATORIES/

OFFICES

MISSIONS IN

DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

NASA’s newest space communications satellite—Tracking and Data 

Relay Satellite-M—launched on 

Aug. 18, 2017. The spacecraft 

supports NASA’s Space Network, 

which provides high-data rate communications and accurate navigation to missions. Network upgrades 

allowed for the first ultra-highdefinition live stream from the International Space Station in April. The 

Near Earth Network, which offers 

orbital communications support 

for near-Earth-orbiting customer 

platforms via ground stations, had 

one of three antennas replaced at 

the Alaska Satellite Facility at the 

University of Alaska Fairbanks. Its 

uplink station at NASA’s Kennedy 

Space Center in Cape Canaveral, 

Florida, was completed and began 

auto-tracking operations. 

The Laser Communications Relay 

Demonstration—which proposes 

to revolutionize how we send and 

receive data, video and other information—released its “Introduction 

for Experimenters” document to 

request optical communicationsrelated experiment proposals. 

The Goddard Exploration and 

Space Communications Projects 

Division completed a study on the 

possible embedding of optical 

communications aboard Orion Exploration Mission-2, resulting in the 

Laser-Enhanced Mission Navigation 

and Operational Services project. 

Distress beacon technology, developed by NASA’s Search and Rescue 

Office, helped first responders save 

lives during hurricane season. Second-generation beacon technology 

underwent significant testing.

PORTFOLIO

SATELLITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LASER COMMUNICATIONS

SATELLITE LASER RANGING

SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT

NAVIGATION

SEARCH AND RESCUE

NASA Strategic Objective 1.1: Expand human presence into

the solar system and to the surface of Mars to advance exploration, 

science, innovation, benefits to humanity and international collaboration.

NASA Strategic Objective 1.2: Conduct research on the International 

Space Station (ISS) to enable future space exploration, facilitate a 

commercial space economy and advance the fundamental biological 

and physical sciences for the benefit of humanity.

NASA Strategic Objective 3.2: Ensure the availability and continued

advancement of strategic, technical and programmatic capabilities to 

sustain NASA’s mission.

Space Network: Four ground terminals to support nine 

TDRS spacecraft. Near Earth Network: fifteen ground 

terminal locations with 50 percent of services by 

commercial providers.

Engineering lead and operations coordinator for 

three optical stations.

Architecture and engineering support for 93 

international GEO/LEO/MEO local user terminals.

SLR: Operations and maintenance for eight stations 

worldwide. ILRS: Global network of 40+ ground 

stations.

Identification of mission parameters and frequencies 

within radio spectrum allocations for communications 

or data transfer.

Life cycle trajectory designs, orbit, estimation and 

associated space/ground system development. 

SPACE COMMUNICATIONS AND NAVIGATION
39

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

TDRS Launch Marks End

of an Era

— Aug. 18, 2017, SpaceNews

Small Satellite Promises

Big Discoveries at NASA

— Sept. 22, 2017, Space Daily

NASA Completes Critical 

Space Communications 

Network With Spectacular 

Launch of Final TDRS Relay 

Satellite

— Aug. 18, 2017, Universe Today 

Lasers to Boost 

Communication Across 

Space

— Feb. 28, 2017, SpaceFlight Insider

Dial-Up Space 

Communications System 

Gets ‘High-Speed’ Upgrade

— March 28, 2017, Space.com

BRINGING 

KNOWLEDGE 

BACK TO Earth

• TDRS-M launch

• Near Earth Network’s Kennedy Uplink Station 

was completed and began auto tracking

• Goddard Exploration and Space 

Communications Projects Division 

completed study on optical communications 

aboard Orion EM-2, resulting in LEMNOS 

development project

HIGHLIGHTS

• Search and Rescue Mission Office’s distress beacon 

technology helped first responders save lives during 

September 2017 hurricanes

• Laser Communications Relay Demonstration requested 

optical communications-related experiment proposals

• Space Network’s upgrades allowed for the first 4K, 

ultra-high-definition live stream from the International 

Space Station in April 2017

HIGHLIGHTS

OUR

INTERNS

• 72 interns from 35 universities 

concentrated on increasing network 

capabilities, implementing process 

efficiencies and infusing technologies 

into network systems. They have filed

 6 invention disclosures to date.
40

In fiscal 2017, Wallops Flight Facility’s suborbital flight platforms 

powered 45 missions from pole to 

pole: 20 airborne science missions, 

eight scientific balloon flights and 

17 sounding rockets. Additionally, 

the beginning of the fiscal year 

saw the return-to-flight mission of 

the Orbital ATK Antares rocket, 

which carried about 5,100 pounds 

of experiments and supplies to the 

International Space Station.

Special projects at Wallops saw a 

huge boost in the fiscal year. Notably, the Cosmic Ray Energetics and 

Mass—or CREAM—experiment, 

which got its start as a scientific 

balloon experiment, launched to 

the space station and began operations. Additionally, the 10-pound, 

breadloaf-size IceCube—the first 

small satellite project managed by 

Wallops—launched to and was deployed from the space station. The 

facility’s controlled airspace was 

expanded as a means to improve 

safety and the operational capabilities at the Wallops airfield. The new 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport 

Unmanned Aerial Systems runway 

on the northern end of Wallops 

Island opened for business with the 

capability to support drone work 

not just in the air, but also on land 

and in the sea. 

Finally, much needed facility upgrades came to fruition throughout 

the year. Upgrades to the range 

control center, the opening of a 

new fire station and the construction of a new mission operations 

control center were key modernization initiatives. Furthermore, 

ongoing runway revitalization work 

ensures Wallops’ ability to support 

NASA and the flight activities of 

partner organizations for decades 

to come.

PORTFOLIO

SOUNDING ROCKETS

RESEARCH AIRCRAFT

SCIENTIFIC BALLOONS

LAUNCH RANGE/MISSION

MANAGEMENT

NEAR EARTH NETWORK

SMALL SATELLITES

EARTH SCIENCE FIELD

SUPPORT OFFICE

CSBF

White Sands

Note: Columbia

Scientific Balloon

Facility is now part

of Goddard.

Budget

GSFC Budget

Percentage 2%

$131.8M

Suborbital Programs

and Range Services

98%

2%

1,100+

STAFF

Civil Service,

Contract, Other

Remaining GSFC

6

NASA

AIRCRAFT

Wallops

3

GSFC

FACILITIES

MISSIONS IN

DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONAL

MISSIONS

• Dual-Polarization, Dual-frequency, Doppler 

in PyeongChang, South Korea, to support 

the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics 

• HaloSat and TROPICS small satellite 

missions

• Orbital ATK missions for Antares and 

Minotaur (4)

• Scientific balloon missions (18)

• Sounding rocket missions (28)

• Airborne Carbon and Transport – 

America (ACT-America)

• Cloud and Aerosol Monsoonal Processes 

– Philippines Experiment (CAMPEX)

• International Space Station Commercial 

Resupply Services

• North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine 

Ecosystems Study (NAAMES)

• Observation of Aerosols above Clouds 

and their intEractionS (ORACLES)

• Operation IceBridge

• The Grand Challenge

NASA Strategic Objective 1.1: Expand human presence into the solar system 

and to the surface of Mars to advance exploration, science, innovation, benefits 

to humanity and international collaboration. 

NASA Strategic Objective 1.7: Transform NASA missions and advance the nation’s 

capabilities by maturing cross-cutting and innovative space technologies.

NASA Strategic Objective 2.1: Enable a revolutionary transformation for safe and

sustainable U.S. and global aviation by advancing aeronautics research.

NASA Strategic Objective 3.4: Ensure effective management of NASA 

programs and operations to complete the mission safely and successfully.

SUBORBITAL PROGRAMS AND RANGE SERVICES
41

MAKING HEADLINES

HIGHLIGHTS

Orbital ATK’s Antares 

Rocket Returns to Flight 

With Successful Launch

to the Space Station

— Oct. 17, 2016, The Verge

Hypnotic NASA Timelapse 

Shows a Flight Over 

Greenland’s Southern 

Glaciers 

— May 10, 2017, Daily Mail

NASA Sends Super Pressure 

Balloon From New Zealand 

to the Edge of Space 

— April 25, 2017, ABC News

NASA Collects Data From 

the Skies for Truth About 

Greenhouse Gases 

— May 11, 2017, The Virginian-Pilot

Drone Runway Opening

at Wallops Island 

— May 18, 2017, U.S. News & World

 Report

Gov. McAuliffe Flies Aboard 

Drone at NASA’s Wallops 

Island 

— May 18, 2017, The Virginian-Pilot

NASA Experiment to Color 

the Skies Over the U.S. 

East Coast 

— June 11, 2017, Reuters

ENABLING 

SCIENCE AND 

EXPLORATION

• Sounding rocket, 

scientific balloon and 

aircraft student payload 

flight services

• 45 missions from pole 

to pole

• Unmanned aerial systems

SUBORBITAL 

MISSIONS

• 8 balloon missions

• 1,567 aircraft flight hours

• Dellingr and IceCube small satellites launched to the

International Space Station

• Near Earth Network supported: 50,228 passes collecting 

38,383 hours of data

• 60 flights supported by the Airborne Topographic Mapper 

team took measurements for Operation IceBridge 

• 17 sounding rocket launches

• 20 airborne science projects FAST

FACTS

• Established a special projects office 

for small satellite development 

• Ribbon-cutting ceremony for 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport 

Unmanned Aerial Systems runway

• Upgraded range control center and 

completed new mission operations 

command center

PROGRESS
42

THIS IS WHY IT MATTERS

Our Life @ Goddard
43

A Place for 

SERVICE

Our talented people, driven 

by a common and worthwhile 

purpose, have made countless 

contributions toward enhancing 

our collective knowledge and 

way of life. We safeguard the 

long-term public trust by cultivating our workforce, ensuring a 

safe and sustainable workplace, 

effectively meeting our mission 

commitments, and applying our 

scientific breakthroughs to stimulate economic growth, foster 

education, inspire the nation and 

impact the world. We achieve 

this through a broad spectrum 

of institutional support efforts, 

including: 

• Legal

• Procurement

• Information technology

• Financial management

• Human capital management

• Equal opportunity programs

• Diversity and inclusion

• Conflict management (alternative dispute resolution, 

anti-harassment)

• Protective services

• Environmental and medical 

management

• Facilities management and 

transportation

• Logistics

• Knowledge and information 

management

• Government and community 

relations

• Proposal development

• Education and public outreach

• Public communication

It is difficult to say what is 

impossible, for the dream of 

yesterday is the hope of today 

and the reality of tomorrow.

– Robert H. Goddard
44

1

Paving the road to mission success

Goddard is committed to providing comprehensive center support services for its workforce and 

current missions, as well as to 

transforming and preparing the 

center for the missions of tomorrow. Overall institutional support 

includes procurement operations, 

facilities management, protective 

services, medical and environmental management, and information 

and logistics management. 

NASA Strategic Objective 

3.1 Attract and advance a 

highly skilled, competent 

and diverse workforce, 

cultivate an innovative 

work environment and 

provide the facilities, 

tools and services 

needed to conduct 

NASA’s missions.

2017 HIGHLIGHTS OF CENTER SUPPORT FOR GODDARD’S MISSION:

With more than 3,000 active procurement instruments, Goddard continues to maintain one of the agency’s largest and 

most diverse acquisition portfolios and leads the agency in 

the number of procurement transactions. To ensure that the 

center meets its mission needs and agency commitments, 

Goddard completed 12 major contract awards.

3 Consistent with the center’s focus on Earth science, Goddard’s Energy Conservation Performance Plan outlines how 

Goddard will reduce its energy consumption by 25 percent 

from 2015 through 2025. Goddard also leads the agency 

in coastal resilience initiatives, including a plan to continue 

replenishing the shoreline at Wallops Flight Facility.

5 The Goddard Information and Collaboration Center, which 

integrates the center’s library collections and reading room 

space with collaboration hubs and meeting areas, received 

recognition as the 2016 Federal Large Library of the Year 

from the Library of Congress’ Federal Library and Information Network.

4 Electrical, electronic and electromechanical parts acquisitions for Goddard missions exceeded $32 million. Goddard 

also planned and provided mission-critical spacecraft shipping operations for the James Webb Space Telescope; the 

Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System aboard the 

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2; and the Ocean 

Color Instrument of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean 

Ecosystem mission.

2 Goddard managed more than $115 million in construction 

to meet the current demands of its facilities. Major projects 

included a new instrument development facility, fire station and mission operations control center, as well as the 

rehabilitation of the integration and testing complex. Utility 

system upgrades have helped enhance facility readiness 

and reliability.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
45

The past year featured information technology accomplishments 

that furthered Goddard’s ability to 

achieve its science and technology 

mission. Goddard successfully migrated more than 400 of its public 

websites to Internet Protocol Version Six, improving the security 

posture of Goddard’s corporate 

network. Goddard TV televised the 

solar eclipse on Aug. 21 for media 

conglomerates and about 34 stations in the top 15 markets across 

the country. With the award of 

the Next Generation Land Mobile 

Radio contract last year, the IT and 

communications directorate provided new two-way radios to first 

responders at the Greenbelt campus, Independent Verification & 

Validation Facility in West Virginia, 

Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and Wallops Flight 

Facility in Virginia. Goddard prototyped a private cloud solution for 

use by the sciences and exploration 

directorate, and the IT and communications directorate worked 

closely with Goddard customers 

to develop enhanced applications 

that automate processes and save 

customers time and money. Miles 

of unused cabling from the center’s 

ductwork were removed, allowing 

the placement for cutting-edge 

network infrastructures to better 

support critical missions and their 

growing communications requirements. Finally, Goddard upgraded 

its remote login capability—virtual 

private network—to a more secure 

connection, a large-scale accomplishment with minimal impact to 

center employees.

 Modernizing, Innovating and Securing IT

FOR GODDARD’S MISSIONS

ONGOING PROJECTS:

Mission Network: Goddard continues leading the deployment 

of the next generation of NASA 

mission networks through effective 

project management of mission 

network security enhancement 

projects. Goddard improved and 

expanded capabilities to support 

spaceflight and its mission customers, as well as those at NASA’s 

Johnson Space Center in Houston 

and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight 

Center in Huntsville, Alabama, all 

while improving security, accelerating service delivery and reducing 

recurring backbone circuit costs. 

Over the year, Goddard’s mission 

operations successfully supported 

24 spaceflight activities.

Web Services: Goddard reached 

100 percent compliance for all of 

its 1,150 external-facing websites 

with the federal mandate to secure 

our external connections. 

PORTFOLIO

Cybersecurity: Goddard made 

tremendous strides in protecting 

its IT systems against cyberthreats. 

Goddard continued to improve the 

center’s security posture and better align with the agency’s security 

protocols by achieving 75 percent 

compliance with both the personal 

identity verification mandate and 

the first element of Phase 1 of the 

Continuous Diagnostic and Mitigation Program. 

Modernization of Wallops Flight 

Facility: New Wallops facilities like 

the Island Fire House and northend Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 

runway were outfitted with cable 

plant, voice, video and network 

services. Cabling for the Wallops 

Mission Operations Control Center 

began. Specialized video support 

was also provided to the Wallops 

Range Control Center’s video wall 

to transform mission operations. 

NASA Strategic Objective 3.3: Provide secure, effective and 

affordable information technology and services that enable 

NASA’s mission.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

INFORMATION SECURITY

COMMUNICATIONS

END USER SERVICES

APPLICATIONS

DATA CENTER

IT AND COMMUNICATIONS
46

Goddard’s scientific discoveries 

and technological advancements 

have benefitted society in countless ways. The center’s commitment 

to outreach and communications 

ensures that the public—our most 

important stakeholder—is constantly informed and engaged in 

our missions and projects.

www.nasa.gov/goddard

@NASAGoddard

NASA Goddard

NASA Goddard

@nasagoddard

GSFC

NASA Snapchat

BRINGING 

NASA TO 

THE WORLD

The Stories We Tell

Multimedia and Television Production

Visitor Center and Tours

Media Resources

Social Media

the Gateway to Goddard

Outreach Events

Goddard posted 620 articles to www.nasa.gov in fiscal 2017. The majority span the center’s core focus areas of astrophysics, Earth science, 

heliophysics, planetary science, and engineering and technology.

Goddard’s numerous social media outlets provide quick and direct lines 

of communication to the center’s followers, stakeholders and broader 

online community.

The Goddard Visitor Center showcases Goddard’s innovative and 

exciting work for space explorers of all ages.

Goddard’s media resources provide external news organizations and 

others direct access to the center’s activities, subject matter experts 

and products, further allowing us to communicate our work to the 

public.

Outreach events, organized by both Goddard and the agency, are 

held year-round to engage the public with NASA’s missions, programs 

and achievements.

A total of 168 videos were posted to Goddard’s YouTube account in fiscal 2017, helping present the center’s work in engaging visual formats.

• Total atten

• A total of 

programs

• A total of 

• Public ecli

• James We

• Renovatio

• Conducted 

• Coordinate

National A

• Presented 

• Celebrated 

NASA Strategic Objective 3.1: Attract and advance a highly skilled, competent 

and diverse workforce, cultivate an innovative work environment, and provide 

the facilities, tools and services needed to conduct NASA’s missions.

Date 

9/28/16 

10/4/17 

Growth 

11 Live Sh

 • Hurrican

 • Superest 

 • SnowEx 

 • Equinox/

Top 10 Art

1 Novemb

2 Hurrican

3 Preparin

4 NASA Mo

5 New Nig

Top 14 Vid

1 How 

2 Olde

3 Light

4 Traci

5 How 

6 EPIC 

7 Follo

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
47

201 7 Public Communication Highlights

ndance for fiscal 2017 was 45,602

 17,501 attended tailored meetings, events and 

 11,775 participated in 399 group tours

ipse viewing on Aug. 21, 2017

ebb Space Telescope friends and family day

on of the main exhibit gallery

d 80 VIP facility tours throughout the year, totaling 1,605 participants

ed the 18th annual Goddard Fall Reception and Lecture, presented by The Maryland Space Business Roundtable and Goddard, at the Smithsonian 

Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4, 2017

 NASA’s missions and technology at Maryland Day 2017, organized by the University of Maryland, College Park

d the 47th Earth Day at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Goddard contributed hyperwall presentations, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

FANS/FOLLOWERS/SUBSCRIBERS TOTAL VIEWS

Facebook Instagram Twitter Twitter (photo) YouTube YouTube Flickr

6 1,076,233 1,664,636 341,333 291,731 364,355 122,197,225 202,925,674 

7 1,143,211 2,160,183 413,845 417,570 397,538 144,460,119 236,869,939 

h 6% 30% 21% 43% 9% 18% 17%

hot Campaigns Interviews

e Matthew

t of Supermoons

 Campaign Launch

/Eclipse

 • James Webb Space Telescope

 • Hubble’s New Image of Jupiter

 • Hubble Guardians

 • Two Months From the Solar Eclipse

• One Month From the Solar Eclipse

• Solar Eclipse Is Five Days Away

• OSIRIS-REx Gravity Assist

• 483 Satellite Interviews

• 110 Radio Interviews

• 21 In-person Interviews

• 16 Print Interviews

Top 10 Articles Views

6 Hurricane Matthew Updates 273,844 

7 Five Tips From NASA for Photographing the Total Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21 265,324 

8 NASA Satellites Ready When Stars and Planets Align 209,163 

9 Hurricane Harvey Updates 179,789 

10 Hubble Reveals Observable Universe Contains 10 Times More Galaxies 164,057 

ticles Views

er's Spectacular Supermoon 736,255 

e Irma Updates 654,041 

g for the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse 490,335 

oon Data Provides More Accurate 2017 Eclipse Path 352,716 

ht Light Maps Open Up Possible Real-Time Applications 291,291 

deos Plays

w to Make a Pinhole Projector to View the Solar Eclipse 3,450,375

er Arctic Sea Ice Disappearing 931,319

ts of Human Activity Shine in NASA's Image of Earth at Night 921,285

ng the 2017 Solar Eclipse 623,413

w to Safely Watch a Solar Eclipse 622,070

C Observations of Ice in Earth's Atmosphere 584,189

owing Carbon Dioxide Through the Atmosphere 375,770

Top 14 Videos of 2016 Plays

8 NASA’s SDO Watches a Sunspot Turn Toward Earth 374,366

9 Showstopper Nov. 14 Supermoon Is the Closest Moon to Earth Since 1948 340,742

10 Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse 316,581

11 Yearly Arctic Sea Ice Age: 1984-2016 307,622

12 NASA's Van Allen Probes Find Human-Made Bubble Shrouding Earth 306,579

13 Hubble Detects a Rogue Supermassive Black Hole 301,545

14 Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Another Record Low 196,220

• Temporary exhibit: “The James Webb Space Telescope: Art + Science 2017”

• New Earth science exhibits: “Neighborhood Earth” and “GLOBE Hall”

• Cassini Grand Finale celebration

• GOES-R launch viewing

• International Observe the Moon Night

• Apollo model rocket contest

• Monthly Sunday Experiments and model rocket launches
48

The Goddard Office of Education 

immerses formal and informal K-12 

and higher education students and 

educators in NASA’s education 

mission: “To advance high quality 

Science, Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics (STEM) education 

using NASA’s unique capabilities.” 

NASA’s missions, projects, engineering and information technology services are core to Goddard’s 

exemplary educational opportunities. The following represent a few 

notable highlights from 2017.

NASA Internships, Fellowships 

and Scholarships invest in NASA’s 

workforce of tomorrow.

• More than 500 summer, fall and

spring interns—from high schools 

to doctoral programs—worked 

alongside Goddard’s scientists, 

engineers and technologists at 

the Greenbelt campus, NASA’s 

Goddard Institute for Space 

Studies in New York, NASA’s 

Independent Verification & Validation Facility in West Virginia, 

and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. They represented 46 states, 

Puerto Rico the U.S. Virgin Islands 

and one foreign country. 

• Twelve Goddard undergraduate 

and graduate student interns 

were honored as 2017 Mather 

Nobel Scholars by the John and 

Jane Mather Foundation for Science and the Arts. Mather Nobel 

Scholars, first selected in 2008, 

are awarded travel grants to 

present their research at a professional conference.

• Goddard’s Dynamic Response of 

the Environments at Asteroids, 

the Moon, and moons of Mars—

or DREAM2—team hosted three 

undergraduate student interns—

two from Howard University 

in Washington, D.C., and one 

from the University of Maryland, 

College Park—culminating in 

scientific posters and oral presentations.

Educator Professional Development connects learners of all ages 

with NASA’s unique resources.

• In collaboration with the Hadley Institute for the Blind and 

Visually Impaired in Illinois, the 

office of education delivered a 

four-part, fully accessible podcast 

series featuring presentations 

on the solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 

air and water, the solar system, 

and NASA career and internship 

opportunities. The series generated more than 2,500 registered 

viewers.

• The office of education distance

learning team delivered a live 

virtual presentation on the Global 

Learning and Observations to 

benefit the Environment, or 

GLOBE, Observer app and NASA 

citizen science opportunities to 

850 middle school students in 

Pennsylvania. The program detailed how students can play a 

role in ground data validation for 

NASA missions and the GLOBE 

program.

• Wallops hosted Virginia Space 

Coast Scholars for the fifth year. In 

2017, there were 329 high school 

sophomores who completed the 

online STEM learning experience. 

One hundred and twenty students participated in one of the 

three weeklong academies conducted at Wallops. They included 

an engineering design challenge, 

model rocketry, and research and 

development of suborbital and 

special orbital missions presented 

to Wallops employees. 

• The IV&V education program provided 8,156 K-8 students across 

West Virginia an opportunity to 

participate in a rocket competition at their schools. Participating 

students and teachers learned 

how they can engage in IV&V’s 

more STEM-intense and formalized educational services, such 

as robotic competitions, STEM 

education workshops, the equipment loan program and the Team 

America Rocketry Challenge.

• The Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and 

Exploration—or RIS4E—science 

journalism program connected 

seven journalism students from 

Stony Brook University in New 

York with Goddard scientists in a 

semester-long science journalism 

course. Four students and two 

instructors then joined the scientists on an immersive 10-day field 

campaign to Potrillo volcanic field 

in New Mexico, spending time 

observing and reporting on the 

scientists as they conducted their 

research. The participants’ work is 

presented at ReportingRIS4E.com.

• Eighty-four students from academic institutions across West 

Virginia participated in IV&V’s 

Space Flight Design Challenge 

program to build scientific payloads and operate them in space.

Institutional Engagement provides unique NASA STEM content 

and hands-on learning experiences 

for in-service, preservice and informal educators. 

EDUCATION

 Inspiring, Engaging and Educating THE

 F U T U R E S T E M W O R K F O R C E
• More than 50 educators from 

Woonsocket and Hopatcong 

Borough public schools in Rhode 

Island and New Jersey, respectively, participated in a live weeklong online series coordinated 

by Goddard’s distance learning 

studio. NASA scientists and 

engineers provided content and 

presented hands-on engineering 

design challenges. 

• The Goddard Astrophysics Science Division education team 

conducted professional development workshops on two space 

science curricula tailored for 

informal educators: the NASA 

Family Science Night program 

and Afterschool Universe. The 

team introduced resources and 

activities to provide academic 

enrichment opportunities for outof-school programs.

• Fourteen science educators,

grades 6-9, participated in the 

weeklong DREAM2Explore Educator Professional Development Workshop at Goddard. 

The workshop focused on the 

moon, near-Earth asteroids and 

the moons of Mars. Participants 

engaged in hands-on activities 

that they could take back to their 

classrooms, went on a field trip 

behind the scenes of the Antarctic Meteorite Collection at the 

Smithsonian National Museum 

of Natural History in Washington, 

D.C., and engaged in conversations with Goddard scientists and 

engineers.

• The IV&V Educator Resource 

Center trained 765 formal, informal and preservice educators on 

unique NASA resources; loaned 

classroom kits to 232 classrooms, 

impacting 12,275 students; connected with 454 students through 

on-site STEM engagements; and 

conducted 20 robotics tournaments across West Virginia for 

more than 200 teams of students.

STEM Engagement builds academic and research capacity for 

increasing the participation of 

minorities and underrepresented 

groups in NASA-related STEM 

activities.

• The NASA Minority University

Research and Education Other 

Opportunities project—an educational partnership between Howard University; the University of 

Maryland, Baltimore County; and 

Goddard—exposes underrepresented STEM university students 

to cutting-edge Earth- and space 

science-focused research under 

the expert guidance of seasoned 

Goddard scientists throughout 

the academic year and summer. 

• In partnership with the Maryland

State Department of Education, 

the Eastern Shore of Maryland 

Educational Consortium of Superintendents and the nine science 

supervisors from the rural school 

districts of the Eastern Shore of 

Maryland, Goddard provided 

two years of STEM Education 

and Accountability Project Educator Professional Development 

programming. This included an 

online learning management 

system and regional consulting 

support for the continuous scaffolding of NASA-related science 

content directly related to state 

STEM education initiatives. This 

resulted in the mapping of NASA 

products and services to the Next 

Generation Science Standards 

that the state has adopted.

NASA Strategic Objective 2.4: Advance the 

nation’s STEM education and workforce pipeline 

by working collaboratively with other agencies to 

engage students, teachers and faculty in NASA’s 

missions and unique assets.

49
50

Current state of the workforce 2017

BEST PLACES 

TO WORK in 

the Federal 

Government

Rankings and Scores by Category 2017 Rank 2017 2011 2005

Overall 2 of 150 83.5 77.1 73.9

Teamwork 6 of 148 82.5 77 79.6

Innovation 2 of 148 83.4 78.3 N/A

Effective Leadership 4 of 147 76.3 69.8 64.6

Support for Diversity 2 of 148 80.7 76.4 76.5

Training and Development 8 of 149 80.1 74.7 72.5

Employee Skills-Mission Match 2 of 149 87.3 84.9 80.5

Work-Life Balance 12 of 148 74.1 66.1 67.8

Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement 1 of 147 70.5 62.5 60.9

http://bestplacestowork.org

OUR PEOPLE

Compiled by the Partnership for Public 

Service. Scores are based on an index 

measuring employee engagement. 

Rankings are in relation to other federal 

agency subcomponents.

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Age Group

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Disability

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Gender

29 and Under

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70 and Over

18.6%

21.0%

13.9%

600

2.2%

2.0% 5.9%

6.9%

37.4%

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Skill Mix

Clerical • 1.7% 

AST Scientists • 12.2% 

Non-AST Engineers/

Scientists • 5.5% 

Professional

Administrative • 30.2% 

AST Engineers • 50.3% 

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Ethnicity

Hawaiian Pacific Islander • 0.2% 

Hispanic • 6.1% 

Multiracial • 1.5% 

Native American • 0.3% 

Asian • 8.1% 

Nonminority • 67.9% 

African-American • 15.9% 

37% Female 63% Male

70

224

679

1,209

448

Targeted

Disability

Nontargeted

Disability

GODDARD CIVIL SERVANTS by Duty Location

100%

TOTAL

3230

0.2%

WSC

7

0.9%

GISS

29

1.5%

IV&V

47

9.1%

WFF

293

87.7%

Greenbelt

2833

64 190 Other • 21 = 0.7%

NASA ranked No. 1 in 2017 among all large federal agencies. Goddard ranked highest among all NASA 

centers in overall agency subcomponent rankings.
51

BUDGET: $5.2B

DIRECT GSFC BUDGET: $3.7B

Reimbursable GSFC Budget: $1.5B

Goddard Program Year 2017 BUDGET Categorized by Lines of Business

(as of Sept. 30, 2017)

Reimbursable (Earth Science)

$1,385.1 • 26.7%

Communications

and Navigation

$295.7 • 5.7%

Human Exploration

and Operations

$25.9 • 0.5%

Suborbital Platforms

and Range Services

$131.8 • 2.5%

Reimbursable (Other)

$137.2 • 2.6%

Management 

and Operations

$490.6 • 9.4%

Earth Science

$979.9 • 18.9%

Astrophysics

$975.2 • 18%

Cross-Cutting

Technologies 

and Capabilities

$209.1 • 4.0%

Chart is in $Ms

Heliophysics

$221.9 • 4.3%

Planetary and

Lunar Science

$327.6 • 6.3%

BUDGET
52

Goddard’s success in enabling 

NASA missions and applying these 

scientific achievements to society 

is evident. Each of Goddard’s locations supports the center’s ability to 

stimulate and strengthen economic 

activity by:

• Expending goods and services 

to perform its mission.

• Generating technology transfer 

Goddard’s Top Contractors

Annapolis

GODDARD

SPACE FLIGHT

CENTER

Greenbelt,

Maryland

WALLOPS

FLIGHT 

FACILITY

Wallops Island,

Virginia

Goddard invests over 80 cents of every

dollar it receives in American businesses,

academia and nonprofit organizations. 

1. NORTHROP GRUMMAN SPACE AND

MISSION SYSTEMS CORPORATION

$408.7 M

2. RAYTHEON COMPANY $345.1 M

3. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION $318.3 M

4. HARRIS CORPORATION $276.0 M

5. ORBITAL ATK $248.5 M

6. BALL AEROSPACE AND TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION $164.0 M

7. ASTRONOMY INCORPORATED $161.6 M

8. SGT, INC. $138.6 M

9. AS AND D, INC. $132.7 M

10. ATA AEROSPACE, LLC $116.7 M

11. KBRWYLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, LLC $85.8 M

12. GENERAL DYNAMICS MISSION SYSTEMS, INC. $83.8 M

13. SCIENCE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS, INC. $76.5 M

14. INUTEQ, LLC $73.9 M

15. LJT & ASSOCIATES, INC. $58.6 M

All numbers are based on NPDV and FPDS obligation data for fiscal 2017 as of

Oct. 23, 2017. Not based total contract value.

Obligations by Maryland County

Anne Arundel $1,605,774 

Baltimore $3,662,681

Baltimore City $161,999,674

Calvert ($3,800)

Carroll $982,773

Frederick $6,390

Harford $15,710

Howard $532,379

Montgomery $2,057,376

Prince Georges $1,340,265,736

Washington $23,118

Total $1,511,147,812

 Goddard Budget 

Direct: ..................................................................$3.7 B

Reimbursable: ......................................................$1.5 B

Total: ....................................................................$5.2 B

Budget received in fiscal 2017 against unexpired funds

FPDS-NG data excludes all interagency acquisitions and transactions

under the micro purchase threshold ($3,500) such as bankcards,

purchase orders, and outside procurement transactions.

CONGRESSIONAL

DISTRICTS

FY17

OBLIGATIONS

MARYLAND

MD-1: Harris $842,683

MD-2: Ruppersberger $453,432

MD-3: Sarbanes $875,901

MD-4: Brown $39,418,013

MD-5: Hoyer $1,301,662,731

MD-6: Delaney $11,009

MD-7: Cummings $165,664,126

MD-8: Raskin $2,219,917

VIRGINIA

VA-2: Taylor $99,269,210

ALL DISTRICTS $1,756,595,572

and spinoff activities.

• Broadening small business opportunities through its robust 

contracting program.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
53

Green Goddard

G o d d a rd i m p l e m e n t s t h e 

NASA Strategic Sustainability 

Performance Plan that addresses 

the objectives in White House 

Executive Order 13693—“Planning 

for Federal Sustainability in the 

Next Decade.”

• ObseRvations of Aerosols above 

CLouds and their intEractionS 

(ORACLES)

- This Wallops Flight Facilitybased mission investigates 

the climate impacts of African 

biomass-burning aerosols 

over five years.

• Goddard Living Laboratory for 

Coastal Resilience

- NASA’s largest shoreline 

protection program is 

preparing for its second 

beach renourishing project on 

Wallops Island to protect the 

agency’s only launch range. 

The Goddard-led Mid-Atlantic 

Coastal Resilience Institute 

will continue to study the 

impacts of storms and rising 

sea levels in the area.

LOOKING FORWARD

To reduce energy consumption in the long term and satisfy renewable 

electricity requirements, Goddard is already planning or pursuing several 

projects. These include:

• Improving heating and cooling systems in several buildings.

• Potentially adding solar panels on Wallops Island, helping meet on-site 

renewable energy goals at Wallops Flight Facility.

• Installing meters to help identify additional energy conservation 

opportunities.

A leader in Earth and atmospheric science, Goddard is committed to 

executing its mission without compromising the planet’s resources. 

Sustainability practices have been implemented across all operations and 

levels of management. The center’s four sustainability objectives, along 

with select accomplishments, are listed below:

1 Reduce energy consumption, associated air emissions and 

other environmental impacts 

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 

2008 to 2016.

• Produced 27.7 percent of energy from landfill gas and 

renewable electricity. 

2 Increase the number of sustainable buildings

• Designed Goddard’s first building capable of zero energy 

emissions. Construction will begin in 2018.

• Certified one building to meet the Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design’s gold standard, and constructed 

two buildings earning silver status.

3 Reduce potable water consumption and improve stormwater 

management

• Surpassed the federal water intensity reduction requirement by 18 percent to achieve an overall 33.8 percent 

reduction.

• Reduced vehicle traffic and untreated stormwater runoff.

4 Pollution prevention and waste reduction

• Diverted more than 300,000 pounds, or 68 percent, of 

construction debris away from landfills.

• Reused, repurposed or recycled more than 1.5 million 

pounds, or 46 percent, of solid waste in 2016.

• Added green purchasing requirements to all procurement 

contracts on center.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
54

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY DIVERSITY DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

GODDARD

GODDARD

GODDARD

DIVERSITY

INCLUSION

INCLUSIONINCLUSION

INCLUSION

INCLUSION INCLUSION

Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, and

Transgender

Advisory

Committee

African

American

Advisory

Committee

Ac

A

Co

AAAC 

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY DIVERSITY DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

GODDARD

GODDARD

GODDARD

DIVERSITY

INCLUSION

INCLUSIONINCLUSION

INCLUSION

INCLUSION INCLUSION

54

Employees are the greatest assets at NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center. Its organizational 

culture values the diversity of 

viewpoints, experiences, talents 

and ideas embodied by its personnel. In pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the 

universe, diversity, inclusion and 

equal opportunity are not merely 

organizational goals or moral 

obligations. They are business 

imperatives that drive innovation 

and creativity, both of which are 

critical to mission success.

This past year, the Hollywood 

blockbuster “Hidden Figures” 

reaffirmed the importance of a 

diverse NASA workforce, highlighting the contributions of 

three African-American women 

during the early days of human 

spaceflight. Several of Goddard’s African-American female 

engineers spoke at screenings 

in Greenbelt, Maryland. In 

February 2017, the Goddard 

African American Advisory 

Committee hosted a panel discussion in which several of the 

center’s so-called “Modern Figures”—or African-American executive leaders—spoke about 

their own personal journeys 

and challenges.

Goddard extended its efforts 

beyond the walls of the center, 

underscoring the benefits of a 

more inclusive scientific community to its mission. Leveraging 

the success of an initial forum in 

2016, Goddard partnered with 

Lockheed Martin and Northrop 

Grumman to organize a similar event in September 2017, 

bringing together thoughtleaders to discuss how men 

can play a more engaging role 

in sustaining women in STEM 

fields. Earlier in November 

2016, Goddard partnered with 

The Maryland Space Business 

Championing Diversity, Inclusion AND Equal Opportunity
55

New and

Developing

Professionals

Advisory

Committee

Veterans

Advisory

Committee

Asian Pacific

American

Advisory

Committee

Equal

cessibility

Advisory

ommittee

Hispanic

Advisory

Committee

for

Employees

Native

American

Advisory

Committee

Women’s

Advisory

Committee

EAAC NAAC WAC

55

Roundtable to host a STEMthemed sleepover on center for 

local high school girls.

Other advisory committees organized events throughout the year 

to highlight the center’s commitment to diversity, inclusion 

and equal opportunity. Several 

of their activities are as follows:

• The Goddard LGBT Advisory Committee hosted LGBT 

Pride Month social events 

in June 2017 and engaged 

center managers throughout 

the year in discussions on 

inclusive work environments.

• The Goddard Equal Accessibility Advisory Committee 

hosted a panel during National 

Disability Employment Awareness Month in October 2016, 

discussing such topics as reasonable accommodations, depression and hiring processes.

• The Goddard Veterans Advisory Committee held a 

panel discussion with two of 

the center’s female senior 

leaders, both of whom have 

also served as captains in the 

U.S. Navy.

• The Goddard Native American 

Advisory Committee participated in several career fairs 

to promote NASA internships 

and career opportunities. A 

representative attended the 

2017 Inter-Tribal Youth Climate Leadership Congress to 

encourage Native American 

youth participation in STEM. 

The committee hosted center 

events on Native American history during National 

Native American Heritage 

Month in November 2016.

• The Goddard Women’s Advisory Committee facilitated 

several “lean in” chats at 

Goddard and NASA’s Independent Verification & Validation Facility in Fairmont, West 

Virginia, encouraging women 

to make themselves heard in 

the workplace.

• The Goddard Asian Pacific 

American Advisory Committee invited several AsianAmerican speakers who had 

executive roles at the White 

House and Department of 

Homeland Security to discuss 

their career trajectories. It 

also co-sponsored the centerwide Taste of Asia and the 

Pacific Islands.

• The Goddard Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees 

hosted a Cinco de Mayo cultural celebration in May 2017 

and sponsored relief efforts 

for victims of Hurricane Maria 

in Puerto Rico and the central 

Mexico earthquake, both occurring in September 2017.
56

Social Media 

Snapshots

CONNECTIONS
As we celebrate our collective achievements, we also honor all of those 

who have contributed to Goddard and are no longer with us.

Your dedication and talent will never be forgotten.

*Active civil servants who 

passed away from October 

2016 through September 

2017 include:

WOLFGANG N. CLAYTON

CORNELIS GEHRELS

PIERS J. SELLERS

HILDA M. THIEN

CRAIG R. TOOLEY

YUN ZHENG

‡Contractors, former civil 

servants and others whose 

reported passing occurred 

from October 2016 through 

September 2017 include:

RALPH L. ADAMS

ARTHUR C. AIKEN JR.

RICHARD J. ALLENBY

LEONARD ARNOWITZ

YOUN Y. BAE

JAMES W. BAILEY

ELEANOR J. BARBER

JOHN H. BERBERT

OTTO E. BERG

EDWARD W. BISONE

NINO L. BONAVITO

CHARLES P. BOYLE

JOHN W. BRYAN

*NASA does not have access to this information for former NASA civil servants. The report authors have been informally notified of such individuals who have been added to the list under contractors and others.

‡NASA does not have access to this information for contractors and others affiliated with Goddard. An earnest attempt was made to manually 

collect this information. However, the nature of the process could result in the list being incomplete.

Please email omissions to Darrell Dela Rosa at darrell.d.delarosa@nasa.gov. The electronic version of this report will be updated accordingly.

IN MEMORIAM

ALFRED M. CATANZARITI

JAMES A. COOKRO

WILLIAM W. COOPER

DAVID A. CRISTOFALO

HARRY D. CYPHERS

PAUL B. DAVENPORT

MARTIN A. DAVIS

VIOLET M. DAWES

RUSSELL EMMONS

AI CHUN FANG

MICHAEL B. FELDMAN

ELISE R. FISHER

ROBERT J. FLICK

JOHN E. FUCHS

DAVID C. GLEASON

ARTHUR J. GOBLE

ADOLPH GOODSON

LARRY GREEN

GEORGE H. HARRIS

DAVID J. HAYKIN JR.

RICHARD HEALY

GEORGE H. HONEYCUTT

KATHRYN M. ISHAM

WILLIAM C. ISLEY

RUTH JOHNSON

FREDERICK F. KOLB

NANCY KUPPERIAN

HERBERT L. KYLE

RONALD L. LASSITER

SOLOMON LEVINE

HAN-SHOU LIU

JOHN W. LOVELACE JR.

HAROLD E. MAURER

HARRY V. MEYER JR.

CARY F. MILLINER JR.

SCOTT A. MILLS

GERALD G. MORRIS SR.

JOHN E. MOYE

JOHN D. OOSTERHOUT

ROBERT E. ORFF

ROBERT W. O’STEEN

GILBERT W. OUSLEY SR.

WALTER PAROBY

JAMES C. PERRY JR.

DAVID C. PFENNING

CARL O. ROBERTS JR.

GEORGE A. ROBINSON JR.

JAMES W. RYAN

PHILLIP A. SABELHAUS

LESLIE M. SALTER

CHARLES A. SCAFFIDI

WANDA L. SIMPSON

JOHN E. THOMSON

WALTER F. TRUSZKOWSKI

LEO J. VEILLETTE

ROBERT F. WARREN JR.

JOHN H. WOLSH JR.

SAID W. ZEWARI

57
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NP-2017-12-147-GSFC

Just remember - when you think all 

is lost, the future remains.

– Robert H. Goddard