Teaching the

Next Generation

Pages 2–3

Venus Chamber 

Breaks Record

Page 8

Logistics and 

Maintenance 

Building Gains 

New Residents 

Page 6

Plum Brook Tests 

Part of Orion

Launch Abort

System 

Page 7

VOLUME 19 • ISSUE 8 • AUGUST 2017
2

Courtney Prebul, Ohio State 

University senior, interns in 

the Environmental Effects 

and Coatings Branch.

Photo by Bridget Caswell

GRC-2017-C-03914

Safely Viewing

the Solar Eclipse 

On Monday, Aug. 21, a total solar 

eclipse will cross the country for the 

first time since 1918. In Northeast 

Ohio, we will be able to view a partial 

eclipse—at about 80 percent. When 

viewing the eclipse, be sure to use a 

special-purpose solar filter, such as 

a handheld solar viewer or eclipse 

glasses. Inspect solar filters before 

you use them, make sure solar glasses 

meet all safety requirements, and 

please supervise children to ensure 

they use solar filters properly. An 

alternative method for safe viewing of 

the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole 

projection. Visit https://eclipse2017.

nasa.gov/safety for more information.

By following a few simple steps, 

we can safely enjoy one of nature’s 

greatest marvels.

AeroSpace Frontiers

is an official publication of Glenn Research 

Center, National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration. It is published the second 

Friday of each month by the Office of 

Communications & External Relations 

in the interest of the Glenn workforce, 

retirees, government officials, business 

leaders and the general public. 

Submit short articles and calendar items 

to the editor at doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov. 

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS, 

 216–433–5317

Assistant Editor: S. Jenise Veris, ATS

Design: Jami Drost, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Circulation: Angela Williams, ATS, 

 216–433–8921

Meaningful Work With 

Skilled Mentors 

Glenn Internships:

On the Cover: Glenn’s Kathryn Oriti, Science and Space Technology Systems Branch, left, oversees 

Pathways intern Naia Butler-Craig as she builds hardware for the Advanced Electric Bus CubeSat. 

GRC-2017-C-03888 Photo by Bridget Caswell
AUGUST 2017

3

For more information on summer internships, visit https://intern.nasa.gov/

For more information on Pathways Internships, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/

Heather O’Dell, Florida International University senior, interns in the 

Office of Communications and External Relations. She is assisting 

the Community Relations team in the Girls in STEM event. 

Ken Owens, North Carolina A&T University graduate, 

interns in the Mechanisms and Tribology Branch.

GRC-2017-C-03697

GRC-2017-C-03874

Photo by Bridget Caswell

Photo by Rami Daud

“There are so many 

projects I can work on.”

“I’m applying my 

knowledge of engineering.”

“Everyone in the office is 

hands-on with me and cares 

about what I’m learning.”

What makes a great internship? Just ask our interns!

This summer, 240 student and faculty interns are working with Glenn mentors in a variety of disciplines under the NASA 

Internship Project and Faculty Fellowship Program. Through these internships, participants leverage NASA’s unique mission 

activities and mentorship to increase their professional capabilities and clarify their long-term career goals.

Another great program for students is the NASA Pathways Intern Employment Program. This program is for college 

sophomores through Ph.D. students who have at least one calendar year left in their schooling prior to graduation. 

Pathways interns work under the guidance of Glenn personnel performing duties directly related to the field for which 

they are being trained. A minimum number of hours, completion of their degree and satisfactory work performance 

allows for the opportunity to be converted noncompetitively.

What makes a great internship?

NASA internships offer educational hands-on opportunities for high 

school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as educators.

These internships pair participants and career professionals in 

scientific or engineering research, development and operations 

activities. Nontechnical internships offer professional activities that 

support NASA business and administrative processes.

By Doreen B. Zudell
4

NEWS AND EVENTS

Glenn interns and faculty gathered in the MIC 

Auditorium to participate in a Summer Intern/Faculty 

Conference, June 29. Michael J. Foreman, former 

NASA astronaut, pictured, kicked off the event with 

compelling stories about his career and life as an 

astronaut. He answered questions from students 

interested in learning more about what it takes to 

become an astronaut. Participants then divided into 

groups to attend information sessions according to 

their interests. Presentations supported the Glenn 

Core Competencies and highlighted additional NASA 

opportunities. Glenn’s Office of Education and the 

Higher Education team sponsored the event. 

Intern Conference Offers Information About Glenn

GRC-2017-C-03590 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Glenn launched its first 4-H Youth Development, Ohio State University Extension Cuyahoga County event at Lewis 

Field, June 16. The day focused on inspiring kindergarten to 12th grade students to become interested in STEM fields. 

Engineers John Lekki and Roger Tokars kicked off the event by highlighting research on algal bloom monitoring. Glenn 

scientists, engineers and Office of Education staff joined more than 150 youth in STEM activities that featured how to 

grow plants in microgravity, career exploration stations and facility tours.

Center Lifts Off 4-H Youth Development Day

GRC-2017-C-03408

A 4-H participant enjoys several 

STEM-focused, hands-on activities.

GRC-2017-C-03452 Photos by Bridget Caswell

Participants use nonverbal communication to construct 

a replica of NASA’s veggie plant growth system.
5

NASA Glenn collaborated with the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO) to enable local 

Girl Scouts to communicate with International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Jack Fischer via Amateur 

(Ham) Radio, June 23. Members of Glenn’s Space Communications and Spectrum Management Office 

and Amateur Radio Club, along with Best Buy’s Geek Squad, set up the contact and ISS viewing at Camp 

Timberlane in Wakeman, Ohio. The ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) contact was 

a highlight to a weeklong resident camp promoting STEM skills. More than 400 scouts and family members 

attended the event, with another 300 tuned in via a live feed. Special guests/speakers included ISS Ham 

Radio Program Manager and ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, Deputy Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis, 

Deputy Director of Space Flight Systems Joel Kearns, and GSNEO Chief Operating Officer Barbara Hill. 

Pictured are the 22 girls who asked the astronaut questions, the ARISS Glenn team and speakers.

Girl Scouts Contact Space Station 

via Amateur Radio

GRC-2017-C-03190 Photo by Marvin Smith

Environmental Barrier and Bond Coatings

“Trending With Tech Transfer”

Connecticut-based Solution Spray Technologies signed a technology license 

agreement to evaluate NASA Glenn’s cutting-edge environmental barrier 

coating (EBC) system for use in the aviation and land turbine industries. 

Glenn’s Dongming Zhu and Janet Hurst developed the novel coatings to protect 

components made of ceramic matrix composites from extreme temperatures 

and the corrosive environment inside an engine. For more information, visit 

https://technology.nasa.gov/t2media/tops/pdf/LEW-TOPS-43.pdf. A computational model of an 

airplane engine created by code. 

GRC-2017-CN-00046 Photo by NASA

AUGUST 2017
NASA Glenn showcased new residents in the Logistics and Maintenance Facility, building 351, during 

an open house, June 28. In April, Glenn’s Metrology and Calibration Lab, Janitorial Services and Supply 

Management Warehouse relocated to a 30,000-square-foot addition to the building. These services joined 

the Property Disposal Office and Warehouse, which took residency in the original 18,000-square-foot 

structure in October 2011.

The expansion of this facility is part of Glenn’s Facility Master Plan, where older buildings are demolished 

to make way for newer, more energy efficient buildings. This addition is Phase 2 of a Construction of 

Facilities three-phase plan. Phase 3 is currently in design, and is planned to house the Fleet Management 

and Fuel Management services, along with the on-site maintenance services. The Phase 3 project is 

scheduled for fiscal year 2020 construction funding, and its construction will allow for the demolition 

of buildings 104 and 107. 

Project Manager Kevin Stiles, Facilities Division, said the building has Silver certification by the 

U.S. Green Building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program. 

At right: Open house visitors stop to view a display of Skylab food. It is one of many items to be 

excessed/redirected through the Property Disposal Warehouse.

Logistics and Maintenance 

Building Gains New Residents

By Doreen B. Zudell

GRC-2017-C-03532

Production control specialist Cindy Osinski and 

Metrology Technician Dan Hughes review and 

inspect parts entering the Calibration Lab.

GRC-2017-C-03568

Metrologist Dale Smejkal demonstrates the 

equipment used to calibrate load cells from 

various labs on the center.

GRC-2017-C-03558

Frank Lavalle welcomes 

Associate Director Janet Watkins to the 

Supply Management Warehouse.
AUGUST 2017

7

Plum Brook 

Tests Part of Orion 

Launch Abort System 

Engineers are currently testing a critical 

component of NASA’s Orion spacecraft 

at the Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility 

at NASA Glenn’s Plum Brook Station. The 

ogive panels protect the crew module during 

ascent as well as from the harsh acoustic 

and vibration environments experienced 

during launch. They are part of the spacecraft’s launch abort system, which is 

designed to protect astronauts if an emergency arises during launch or ascent by 

pulling the crew module away from the 

rocket. Plum Brook Station facilities are 

uniquely equipped to replicate, at full scale, 

the acoustics and vibrations Orion will 

experience during its missions in space.

GRC-2017-C-03804 Photo by Jordan Salkin

GRC-2017-C-3556

GRC-2017-C-03525 Photos by Bridget Caswell

Jennifer Lademann, facing visitors, 

highlights features the new building offers 

for the janitorial staff. 
Venus Chamber Breaks Record 

With Completion of 80-Day Test

After an 80-day test at Venus surface conditions and a 2-week cooling period, 

samples were removed from the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) at NASA Glenn, 

July 13, nearly doubling the facility’s previous duration record of 42 days.

This new record puts researchers one step closer to 

understanding the effect a long-duration exposure to Venus’ 

atmosphere has on materials. With this knowledge, they can 

begin to develop technology to allow for future missions to our 

sister planet.

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) 

and GEER’s engineers worked together to expose 13 minerals, 

11 rocks and nine samples of glass to Venus’ blazing 

temperature, high pressure and atmospheric makeup. 

The goal is to catalog what reactions take place, further 

understand how the materials react and which may be viable 

for future Venus missions.

According to Dr. Ralph Harvey, CWRU Planetary Materials 

professor, “We’re not going to solve all of Venus’ problems, but 

we’re going to create a new starting point that may let us and 

others get there in the future.”

GEER, a world-class, ground-based test rig, underwent 

improvements last spring to enhance the capabilities 

of the chamber.

“The GEER process system was redesigned to provide a more 

robust system with even higher accuracy,” said Leah Nakley, 

GEER’s lead test engineer. “The 80-day test confirmed the new 

process system can easily accommodate long-duration tests.” 

GEER’s improvements included adding real-time gas analysis, 

which allows engineers to monitor changes in gas chemistry 

and inject gases individually, including water, to adjust the 

composition at any point during a test.

These modifications enable researchers to make informed 

decisions regarding the atmospheric requirements for their 

particular test, ensuring the most accurate results.

“Every test that comes through is unique and the results add 

one more piece to the puzzle,” said Nakley. “We are confident 

that GEER will help scientists and researchers in future 

missions to Venus.”

By Debbie Lockhart

GRC-2017-C-03841 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Leah Nakley looks on as Kyle Phillips 

removes samples from the GEER chamber.

GRC-2017-C-03860 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Mineral, rock and glass samples are inspected

after spending 80 days at Venus surface conditions.

8
9

Five NASA Glenn employees graduated from the Cleveland 

Federal Community Leadership Institute (CFCLI) class 

of 2017 program, June 27. Glenn’s Associate Director 

Janet Watkins attended the graduation ceremony and 

provided welcoming remarks.

The 9-month intergovernmental leadership and mentoring 

program focused on teambuilding, learning communication 

styles, identifying leadership traits, community outreach, 

and civic engagement to strengthen community 

partnerships in the Greater Cleveland area. Completing 

a community service project, in one of five targeted areas, 

was a condition of graduation. Glenn graduates and their 

projects include: 

Dr. John Betterson served on the At-Risk Youth Team 

that designed a comprehensive training module for 

high school students to improve their marketability for 

future employment. Stephanie Brown-Houston served 

on the Senior Citizen Team that assembled a list of critical 

service providers to ensure seniors have adequate access 

to transportation at all times. Darrell Williams served on 

the Veterans Team that supported measures to enhance 

customer service and updates on the latest technological 

aides to veterans. 

Lizalyn Smith and Dr. Eric Hendricks were members 

of the STEM Education project. They helped developed 

a workshop and creative badging system based on a 

“Physics of Flight” course that engaged home-schooled 

and Cleveland Metropolitan School District middle-schoolaged students in STEM education.

By S. Jenise Veris

Congratulations to the CFCLI Class of 2017!

Associate Director Watkins with Glenn graduates. 

Left to right, Williams, Dr. Betterson, Smith, Watkins, 

Dr. Hendricks and Brown-Houston.

GRC-2017-CN-00045 Photo by Thomas Claflin, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center

Members of Glenn’s Web and Social Media 

team and Imaging Technology Center received 

an APEX Award of Excellence for their “Meet 

the Makers” series. ATS employees Nancy 

Kilkenny, Bridget Caswell and Rami Daud were 

recognized for their work in the web-based 

series that showcases Glenn employees who 

have developed tools to optimize work processes 

and move NASA’s research forward. 

APEX awards are based on excellence in 

graphic design, editorial content and the ability 

to achieve overall communications excellence in 

electronic media and print. 

Web-Based Series Receives 

Award of Excellence

AUGUST 2017
10

David A. Petrarca, Mechanical System Design and Integration Branch, Materials 

and Structures Division, retired July 7, 2017, with 34 years of service.

Joseph P. Veres, Turbomachinery and Turboelectric Propulsion Branch, Propulsion 

Division, retired June 30, 2017, with 27 years of service. 

Frederick J. Wolff, Power Management and Distribution Branch, Power Division, 

retired Aug. 2, 2017, with 32 years of service.

Veres Wolff Attention Retirees! To electronically subscribe to AeroSpace Frontiers, 

email grc-aerospacefrontiers-subscribe@lists.nasa.gov.

Dr. Marvin Warshay, 83, a 1998 retiree with 36 years of service, died July 11. Warshay retired as chief 

of the Electrochemical Technology Branch. He authored/co-authored over 40 technical reports on topics 

related to advanced energy production and conversion. He received NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal 

for his technical and managerial excellence in the development of multi-megawatt terrestrial phosphoric 

acid fuel cell power plants. Warshay also co-chaired a committee to establish the Lewis Engineers and 

Scientists Association (LESA).

MORE THAN A MEMORY

RETIREMENTS

Dr. Warshay 

NETS Team Merits 2017 NASA Blue Marble Award

The team that developed and maintains 

the NASA Environmental Tracking System 

(NETS) received the 2017 NASA Blue 

Marble Award in the category of “NASA 

Environmental Director’s Environment and 

Energy.” NETS is a web-based application 

developed and hosted at NASA Glenn for 

the past 20 years. 

NETS is the central repository for internal 

and external recurring data calls across all 

areas of environmental reporting. The system 

is easily customized to meet the everchanging reporting requirements of NASA’s 

environmental communities of practice. 

NASA’s Blue Marble Awards recognize 

groups and individuals demonstrating 

exceptional environmental leadership, often 

behind the scenes, to support NASA goals 

and mission success. 

GRC-2017-CN-00043 Photo by Kimberly Gabele

NETS team, seated, left to right: Kyli Paul, Joseph Homan and Bella Fallner. 

Standing, left to right: Ronald Coulter, Robert DiBacco, Tariqul Islam, 

Robert Purgason and Michael Taich. Not pictured: Mark Schoppet, NASA HQ. 

The Blue Marble award, a glass replica of the Earth, sits on the table.
11 NASA Glenn Employees: For more calendar information, visit https://wing.grc.nasa.gov/event-calendar/.

Upcoming Center Events

Deadline for next calendar section is Aug. 18, noon. News and feature stories require additional time.

Solar Eclipse

Monday, Aug. 21

Cleveland Metroparks—Edgewater Park

6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland

Aug. 21: Solar Eclipse Viewing, 1 to 4 p.m.

Watch the moon’s shadow darken the sun during the solar eclipse. 

A limited number of solar glasses will be provided. 

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com

Geauga County/Park District—Nassau Observatory

10610 Clay Street, Montville Township

Aug. 19: Nassau Observation Station Grand Opening, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Aug. 21: Astronomy, Nature’s Not to be Missed (Eclipse Viewing), 

Noon to 4 p.m.

Try out several methods of viewing the sun safely, model the eclipse 

and try hands-on activities. Maximum eclipse around 2:30 p.m.

https://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/parks/observatorypark.shtml

Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC), NASA Visitor Center

601 Erieside Ave, Cleveland 

Solar Eclipse Weekend: Aug. 19 through Aug. 21 (hours vary)

Aug. 21: 1 to 4 p.m.; peak viewing 2:30 p.m.

(Facility is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

In collaboration with NASA Glenn, GLSC will be celebrating the solar 

eclipse with a weekend of hands-on activities, special demonstrations, 

simulcast eclipse coverage from around the country on NASA TV and 

an outdoor sun salutations yoga session. Guests can watch the eclipse 

from the garage lawn.

http://greatscience.com

NASA Glenn’s Community Relations team will be 

in the community to support three events in celebrating the 

amazing solar eclipse by providing interactive activities, 

safe viewing glasses and Subject Matter Experts!

FARMERS MARKET DATES

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, 

Aug. 29; and Tuesday, Sept. 12, 

for Glenn’s 2017 Summer Farmers 

Market. A variety of vendors will offer 

fresh produce, homemade goods and 

more. Markets take place at the Picnic 

Grounds from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

POC: Gabby Albrigo, 3–6313

SEPT. OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING 

The Emergency Management Office 

staff will conduct an audible siren test 

focusing on the “tornado” tone on 

Saturday, Sept. 2, at Lewis Field. An 

outdoor “voice” test will be conducted 

at building 15 on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826

LESA will hold its next membership 

meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 13, noon, 

in the Glenn Employee Center’s 

Small Dining Room. 

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING

BSA LUNCH AND LEARN

The next Business Services 

Assessment (BSA) Lunch and Learn 

session is Aug. 31, noon to 1 p.m., in 

the Small Dining Room, building 15. 

Glenn’s Chief Information Officer Sean 

Gallagher and staff will discuss the 

IT decisions on Workstations, Data 

Centers and Governance. No RSVP is 

required—just grab your lunch and 

pull up a chair. 

POC: Aimee Berquist, 3–3909

RETIRED WOMEN’S LUNCHEON

The next luncheon is Thursday, Aug. 17, 

at 1 p.m. at Don’s Pomeroy House, 

13664 Pearl Road, Strongsville. 

Please reserve your place with Gerry 

Ziemba at goto64gerry@yahoo.com

or 330–273–4850.

AUGUST 2017
National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center 

Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Plum Brook Station

3597 E. Scheid Road

Sandusky, Ohio 44870

www.nasa.gov

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

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

Connect With Glenn

Glenn recently shut down the Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF), 

one of three acoustic test rigs supporting NASA’s quieter, fuel-efficient 

aircraft research, and transferred it to the University of Notre Dame’s 

Turbomachinery Lab (UND/TL). It has been replaced with a higher 

technology readiness level (TRL) capability that exists with a new test rig 

called the DGEN380 Aeropropulsion Research Turbofan (DART). 

The 20-foot-tall by 4-foot-diameter ANCF, with its unique rotating 

rake measurement system, operated in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion 

Laboratory (AAPL) over the past 20 years. It contributed to the 

advancement of multiple noise reduction and measurement technologies.

The UND/TL will now operate the ANCF for 5 years, under the terms of a 

Space Act Agreement. NASA experts will transfer the fundamental skills 

for ANCF operations, and UND graduate students may have an opportunity 

to return to Glenn as interns to advance NASA-focused research to a 

higher TRL. 

Succeeding the ANCF, the DGEN380 turbofan engine is the primary 

component of the DART, a complete system capability. It will be used 

to develop noise reduction and engine control technologies, and other 

technical disciplines, suitable for larger, modern turbofan engines used by 

commercial airliners. 

Unlike the ANCF, the DART is mobile, enabling testing at multiple facilities: 

AAPL, outdoor sites and wind tunnels. The NASA team installed a fuel 

supply, and modified an existing box truck, to accommodate the engine 

control bench provided by the vendor Price Induction. 

To learn more about the AAPL, visit: https://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/aapl

By S. Jenise Veris and Daniel Sutliff

ANCF Leaves to Make Room for DART

Building on the Future of 

Engine Noise Reduction

Lenny Smith, T-FOME, inside the APPL with the smaller 

DART system, at 4 feet long with a 14 inch diameter.

GRC-2017-C-02270 Photo by Bridget Caswell

The ANCF at its new location with the UND students and Glenn staff.

GRC-2017-CN-00044 Photo by Michael Bilka, UND