VOLUME 21 • ISSUE 3 • APRIL 2019

Glenn Keeps 

X–57 Cool

Page 4

Senior Leaders 

Move On 

Page 5

Your Records 

Count

Page 9

Sharing #MoontoMars 

Pages 2–3
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

Valuable Contributions to 

Crew Dragon Demo-1 

Mission Success

On March 8, the SpaceX Crew Dragon 

Demo-1 completed its 5-day mission to 

the International Space Station (ISS), 

the first orbital test of this spacecraft. 

This spacecraft has been years in the 

making and Glenn touched on many 

aspects of its success. The docking to 

the ISS was safely accomplished in part 

by the Glenn Seals team who developed 

the unique seals for the main interface 

to prevent cabin air leakage. The Plum 

Brook Station team provided test verification in complex space environments. 

I appreciate all our contributions to this 

mission, a mission that will lead to the 

United States’ first crew transport to 

the ISS since the space shuttle.

 Thank you for working with our 

commercial partners to assure safety 

and mission success!

NASA Glenn joined centers throughout the agency 

in welcoming members of the media and social media 

for a Moon to Mars event on March 11.

Moon to Mars Event 

Draws Media, 

Social Influencers

At right: Media and social media guests view Bridenstine’s live address.

To view more photos, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasaglenn/albums.

On the Cover: 

Burgundie Miceli, a guest at the 

Moon to Mars event, snaps a photo 

of an authentic moon rock at Glenn 

to share through social media.

GRC-2019-C-00560

Photo by Bridget Caswell

Space Flight Systems Director Bryan Smith, left, and Chief Financial Officer 

Larry Sivic, right, answer questions about the Orion spacecraft from local media. 

GRC-2019-C-00582

Photo by Bridget Caswell
Waters, left, and Jacobson took viewers live to the 

EPPL during Bridenstine’s address.

The day featured a behind-the-scenes look at each center’s work 

to return astronauts to the moon for long-term exploration. It also 

included the viewing of Administrator Jim Bridenstine’s live address 

on the President’s fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) proposed budget and 

how it supports NASA’s mission. 

Glenn’s Digital Communications team, Office of Communications 

and External Relations, hosted the NASA Social at Lewis Field, 

which welcomed 13 social media influencers. A space technology 

showcase in the Briefing Center, staffed by Glenn subject matter 

experts, offered attendees a variety of exhibits, demonstrations 

and virtual reality technologies centering on moon exploration.

Representatives from six media outlets then joined social media 

influencers in the Briefing Center for a welcome and center 

overview from Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi. 

“NASA Glenn is honored to be providing the very first component 

of a platform that will be put into lunar orbit, called Gateway,” 

she said. “The power and propulsion element (PPE) is similar to 

the service module for Orion, and provides the propulsion, power 

and communications systems for the spacecraft that will orbit 

the moon.”

Space Flight Systems Director Bryan Smith shared a snapshot 

of decades of NASA accomplishments, from Apollo to the space 

shuttle, that have led to the Moon to Mars initiative. He answered 

questions and expanded on the importance of Gateway to 

establishing a sustainable presence on the moon and beyond.

“With the PPE and Gateway, we are creating a presence in the 

lunar area which others can then be part of, including international 

partners, commercial partners and the overall space economy.”

Administrator Bridenstine then took center stage live from NASA 

Kennedy via NASA Television. He outlined NASA’s new Moon to 

Mars approach for human space exploration and discussed the 

President’s FY 2020 NASA budget proposal of $20.019 billion, 

including $882 million for Glenn. 

“NASA’s budget request is very good, and we have bipartisan 

support,” Bridenstine said. “We’re going to be able to accomplish 

more than we have ever been able to accomplish before.” 

Bridenstine discussed the agency’s plans to lead a sustainable 

return to the moon and then onto Mars. He laid out why and what 

technologies are being developed to achieve this goal. To illustrate 

these technologies, Bridenstine broke from his address to speak live 

to NASA Johnson and with staff in Glenn’s Electric Propulsion and 

Power Laboratory (EPPL). 

Glenn’s Deb Waters, Space Simulation Facility manager, and Dave 

Jacobson, chief of the Electric Propulsion Systems Branch, took 

viewers inside the laboratory, including the Vacuum Facility 6 

chamber. They highlighted the importance of solar electric propulsion for deep space exploration missions with application to Gateway. 

After the briefing, media and social media guests toured the 

Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory, new Excavation Laboratory, 

EPPL and Stirling Research Laboratory.

By Doreen B. Zudell

GRC-2019-C-00601

Photo by Bridget Caswell

APRIL 2019

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GRC-2019-C-00627 

Photo by Rami Daud
NASA is preparing to explore electric-powered flight with the X–57 Maxwell. This is the first 

all-electric X-plane that will be flown to validate and demonstrate the benefits of distributed 

electric propulsion for the future of aviation.

The goal of the X–57 is to demonstrate a 500-percent increase in high-speed cruise efficiency, zero 

in-flight carbon emissions and flight that is much quieter for the community on the ground. The X–57 

will undergo three configurations, with the final configuration to feature 14 electric motors and propellers 

(12 high-lift motors along the leading edge of the wing and two large wingtip cruise motors). 

A Glenn team, led by David Avanesian, Diagnostics and Electromagnetics Branch, was tasked with 

designing, building and environmentally testing one of the 12 high-lift motor inverters. The major 

technical challenge was to build a highly compact 11-kW power system that can only use passive air 

cooling in order to maintain a 1-kg weight limit. 

“The biggest challenge when designing high-power systems is how to eliminate heat that is produced 

during operation. Our team was also constrained in terms of weight and volume,” said Avanesian.

To solve heat problems while maintaining weight and volume limits, the team designed, built and tested 

a 98.2-percent-efficient power system with custom-designed aluminum skin that fits directly into the 

wing nacelle of the X–57 plane. The custom design is within a 1-kg weight limit and did not alter the 

outer mold line of the plane, providing a plug-and-play solution for the X–57 project.

In order to verify the thermal solution, the team conducted extensive environmental tests. This included 

40 hours of thermal cycles in the Fuel Cell Testing Laboratory and wind tunnel tests (both thermal and 

altitude flight conditions) in the Engine Research Building’s CE–22 test cell.

“All tests showed great performance of the power system,” Avanesian said. “The experimental hardware 

and all associated design files were sent to NASA Armstrong (X–57 project lead) for them to continue 

working towards using Glenn’s design for the X–57 first flight.”

Glenn Team Keeps X–57 Cool

Team members with the X–57 fully built hardware, from left to right, Mike Garrett, Andrew Smith, 

Susanah Kowalewski, Matt Granger, David Avanesian, John Maroli, Sean McCormick and Wes Miller.

4

GRC-2018-C-11082

Photo by Bridget Caswell
Three Glenn leadership changes became effective in March:

Associate Center Director Janet Watkins has been selected to serve as the Mission Support Future 

Architecture Program (MAP) Project Manager for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at 

Headquarters (HQ). She leads the CIO MAP effort for the agency.

Tom Hartline, previously the Director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing, is now Director of the Exploration 

Systems Development (ESD), Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) at HQ. He oversees SMA integration across 

the Orion, Space Launch System and Exploration Ground Systems programs, as well as manages ESD SMA 

resources, product development, requirement development, quality management and SMA risks. Hartline also 

manages major milestone and flight certification reporting of SMA product readiness.

Joel Kearns is Glenn’s new Director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing. Kearns previously served as 

Glenn’s Deputy Director of Space Flight Systems. He now leads the efforts for all facility infrastructure 

and maintenance, and major test facilities at Lewis Field. Kearns also oversees the flight research aircraft, 

manufacturing facilities and the environmental management program. 

Senior Staff Changes at Glenn

Dr. Mary Ann Meador, Materials Chemistry and Physics Branch, has been selected a 

fellow by the Division of Polymer Chemistry of the American Chemistry Society (ACS). 

Meador is recognized for contributions to advances in the field of polymer science 

through her scientific accomplishments and service to the profession.

Dr. Meador

Dr. Meador: ACS Polymer Chemistry Fellow

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Intelligent Systems 

Technical Committee has presented Kevin J. Melcher with an AIAA Certificate of Merit 

for Distinguished Service during the SciTech Forum, held Jan. 7 to 11. Melcher, who is 

Glenn’s Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch chief, was recognized for his work and 

leadership as the conference planning committee chair and the 2018 SciTech technical 

forum chair for the AIAA Information Systems Group. Melcher

AIAA Honors Melcher for Distinguished Service

Watkins Hartline Kearns

APRIL 2019

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NEWS AND EVENTS

Could the wood frog’s ability to metabolically create its own “antifreeze” to survive cold temperatures 

of northern America be relevant to human exploration of distant worlds or help us find life under the 

frozen surface of Europa? 

NASA Glenn scientist Bryan Palaszewski, standing, and Clara do Amaral, assistant professor of 

biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, seated, far right, offered food for thought during 

the presentation “Baby It’s Cold Outside—How Organisms and Nature Manage the Winter.” 

Held at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) on Feb. 27, the program was the first of 

a five-part series called Solution Evolution. The series encourages the understanding of how we 

might apply research of natural organism functions to real-world problems. 

The CMNH, in partnership with Great Lakes Biomimicry and Glenn, is sponsoring the monthly series. 

Vikram Shyam, principal investigator for a Glenn team that collaborates to explore applications of 

biomimicry, moderated the discussion that followed. 

By S. Jenise Veris 

Exploring Applications of Biomimicry

GRC-2019-CN-00004

Photo by Debbie Lockhart
APRIL 2019

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Workshop Connects Women, 

Ignites Enthusiasm 

Glenn’s annual Women IGNITE workshop, held March 6 at Lewis Field, centered on the theme 

“IGNITE Your Destiny” and provided a forum to motivate, connect and celebrate women.

GRC-2019-C-00338

A panel discussion on Becoming the Authentic Leader 

You Envision, includes, left to right, Carol Miller, American 

Greetings; Harmony Myers, NASA Safety Center; and 

Dr. Mildred Edwards, ME Executive Consulting, LLC.

Ashley Cantor, left, and Lauren Crawford, right, Office of 

Diversity and Equal Opportunity, share their views during 

a tabletop discussion. They were among approximately 

170 attendees who participated in the event.

GRC-2019-C-00361

Photos by Bridget Caswell

Pictured, left to right: Glenn Deputy Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis; NASA Chief Information Officer Renee Wynn; Federal 

Women’s Program Manager Nola Bland; and Diana C. Starks, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Bland led the event while 

the three panelists participated in a discussion on Empowering Women and Building Your Professional Coalition of Allies.

The capacity-filled workshop addressed the needs of women—at any level of leadership—to help build new 

skills, open their minds to different perspectives and make lasting connections. The event, hosted by Glenn’s 

Human Capital Development Division, included interactive table and panel discussions moderated by professionals in and outside NASA. Carrie Sechel, keynote speaker, also facilitated a workshop that provided 

participants with tools and exercises to get unstuck in order to maximize their value at work, home and in 

the community. A variety of vendors offered professional and personal resources.

GRC-2019-C-00362
Reserved parking spaces, designated with signage, are strategically 

located throughout Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station. While 

reserved parking may seem inconvenient for some, these spaces 

are critical for people needing special accommodations. 

In addition to familiar signs allocating space for government vehicles and people with disabilities, Glenn provides several types of 

reserved parking to assist staff and visitors in performing their jobs 

safely and effectively. 

Reserved parking spaces identified with a permit number are available to individuals with severe disabilities and temporary medical 

conditions. Individuals must contact the Office of Diversity and 

Equal Opportunity (ODEO) to begin the reasonable accommodation 

request process. The duration of these spaces is decided on a 

case-by-case basis, but will not exceed a 3-year period. Individuals 

with a continued need must contact ODEO to reapply. 

Glenn also offers specialized reserved parking spaces using 

color-coded signage. These apply to personnel in the areas of 

emergency and security, maintenance and operations, construction, 

mission, information technology, center logistics and senior leadership. Personnel using these spaces are often required to display 

coordinating placards on their rearview mirrors. The GRC75P 

(Space Management Reserved Parking Request) form is submitted 

to apply for these spaces.

“As with all parking laws and regulations at the center, employees 

and visitors are required to comply with reserved parking restrictions,” said Tim Monk, Facilities Infrastructure Division. “Please be 

respectful to those who need these spaces to perform their jobs.”

By Doreen B. Zudell

Observe Reserved 

Parking Signs

From October 2018 through December 2022, 

NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 

Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the 

moon between July 1969 and December 1972.

Here’s a snapshot of the Apollo missions that 

flew during the month of April:

Apollo Program 

Reflections

Apollo 16

DATE: April 16 to 27, 1972

MISSION: Landed on the moon

CREW: Young, Duke, Mattingly

Apollo 13

DATE: April 11 to 17, 1970

MISSION: Intended to land on the moon

On the way there, the spacecraft had a problem 

and flew around the moon before turning 

home to land safely on Earth.

CREW: Lovell, Swigert, Haise

To learn more about the Apollo program, visit 

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/

apollo/index.html

8
April Is Records Management Month

Your Work Matters, Your Records Count

Records from when the 10x10 SWT was built helped the Wind 

Tunnel Repair team verify their approach in making repairs and 

helped them better understand the how and why of different 

components. 

April is Records Management Month—a great time to review 

your papers and electronic files to determine their potential value 

for years to come. First, visit the Records Management website,

https://ltid.grc.nasa.gov/MediaServices/RecordsManagement, 

and then contact Glenn’s Records Management Office at 3–8715 

for assistance to ensure NASA information assets are accessible 

and your contributions to NASA’s history are preserved. 

By Doreen B. Zudell

What is a record?

Records are defined as recorded information, regardless 

of physical form or characteristics, made or received 

by an agency of the U.S. government and needed 

to document agency activities or actions.

Are you drowning under piles of paper on your desk, facing 

an overflow of documents and photos in filing cabinets and 

on your hard drive? Worried what will happen to your files 

when you retire? 

If reviewing years (and years) of files to determine what to 

keep and what to throw out overwhelms you, NASA Glenn’s 

Records Management Program can help. Staff members can 

answer any records management question you may have—

from records appraisal to file plan development and everything 

in between. 

Every person who works for NASA Glenn, whether a civil 

servant or contractor, is responsible for preserving agency 

records. Your responsibilities include creating and managing 

the records necessary to document your official activities. 

“Records management is important because it keeps the Glenn 

legacy alive and prevents others from having to re-create 

research (assessments, drawings, etc.),” said Glenn’s Records 

Manager and History Officer Anne Mills. “These records are a 

valuable resource that help us gain understanding and insights 

into what was done and why.”

You may think your records have no value once you are gone, 

but the Records Management Program can attest to countless 

requests made for information on work performed decades ago. 

A timely example of the value of the Records Management 

Program is a recent request for material relating to the 10- 

by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (10x10 SWT). Records 

Management thoroughly indexes materials and carefully stores 

them for efficient access, including old construction records. 

Glenn’s Strategic Action Plan Now Available 

The 2018 NASA Glenn Strategic Action Plan, which serves as a guide for the work we do 

today and tomorrow, is now available in an electronic format. The 2018 plan is the foundation 

on which our center will establish our direction, guide our activities, align our priorities and 

resources and measure our success. 

The PDF file is available internally on the Director’s Corner website—under Center Activities

tab, and externally on our Glenn public portal—About Us tab, Learn About Glenn box.

APRIL 2019

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10

Michael W. Capelety, Quality Engineering 

and Assurance Branch, Program and Project 

Assurance Division, retired March 1, 2019, 

with 40 years of federal service, including 36 

with NASA.

Brad Lerch, High Temperature and Smart 

Alloys Branch, Materials and Structures 

Division, retired March 30, 2019, with 31 

years of NASA service.

Dan Vento, Space Science Project Office, 

Space Flight Systems Directorate, retired 

March 3, 2019, with 39 years of NASA 

service.

RETIREMENTS

Dear Glenn colleagues and friends,

Thank you all for a great 35+ years at NASA. 

My retirement events were amazing, 

including the kind words about my impact on 

NASA projects AND people. A special thanks 

to Stacy Alcorso, Susan Motil and others 

for great planning and execution. Also, your 

notes in my retirement book and the Paulie 

story were fantastic. 

Please help me stay in touch.

—Ann Over

IN APPRECIATION

Capelety Lerch

Thomas Tolbert

Two Employees Are 2019 

BEYA Winners 

Fransua Thomas and Carol Tolbert were recognized during the 2019 Black 

Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Global Competitiveness Conference. 

BEYA categories recognize exceptional careers in government and industry, 

and actions that have energized both corporations and communities alike.

Thomas, a materials research engineer in the Mechanisms and Tribology 

Branch, received the Community Service in Government Award at the BEYA 

Gala. Earlier during the Technology Recognition Luncheon, Tolbert, an aerospace technologist/engineering project manager in the Space Science Project 

Office, received a Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award.

The event is hosted by the U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology 

magazine, the Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges 

and Universities and Lockheed Martin Corporation.

AWARDS

Harold “Hal” Weaver has been selected Plum 

Brook Station Propulsion Test Complex (PTC) 

manager. Weaver has extensive experience working 

in the PTC over the past 10 years: first as the test 

chamber’s engineering lead and more recently 

as the test program manager.

PROMOTIONS

Weaver

Weaver New PTC Manager

Glenn’s mixed golf league is looking for men and women of all skill levels to join the league, 

which golfs on Tuesday evenings at the Creekwood Golf Course in Columbia Station. Civil 

servants, support service contractors, retirees, spouses, family and friends are welcome.

POC: Richard Manco, 3–6054

Attention Golfers
APRIL 2019

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 April 17, noon. News and feature stories require additional time.

Staff from Fleet Feet Shoes will be 

at Glenn’s Fitness Center on Tuesday, 

April 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A 

variety of brands and styles will be 

available for purchase. All employees 

receive 15 percent off shoes, insoles 

and socks.

POC: Fitness Center, 3–6313

ATHLETIC SHOE FITTING

The Emergency Management Office 

staff will conduct a mass notification 

“voice” test at building 87 on 

Wednesday, May 1 at Lewis Field. 

An audible siren test will be conducted 

using the “shelter and aid stations” 

tone on Saturday, May 4. 

POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826 

OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING

The Glenn Science and Engineering 

Library (GSEL) Mobile Librarian will 

be visiting building 23 from April 23 to 

May 2 and building 49 from May 7 to 

16 from 1 to 3 p.m. A Glenn reference 

librarian will be ready to assist 

employees with subject searches, 

finding specific books and articles and 

other information needs on the spot.

POC: Robin Pertz, 3–5776

GSEL MOBILE LIBRARIAN

LESA will hold its next membership 

meeting, Wednesday, May 8, noon, in 

the Glenn Employee Center’s Small 

Dining Room.

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING

The NASA Glenn Prayer Group invites 

all members of the Glenn community 

to join them for a Christian observance 

on Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 a.m. and 

during the lunch hour. This year’s theme 

is “Love One Another.” For locations 

and details see Today@Glenn or type 

“Prayer” in the WING Transporter. 

POC: Dale Mortensen, 3–6823

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

Let’s beat last year’s donations of 1,810 

pounds of food!

Lewis Field drop-off boxes are located 

throughout the center and in the cafeteria. 

Plum Brook Station drop-off boxes are in the 

Engineering Building, In-Space Propulsion 

Facility and Space Environments Complex.

Food collected will be donated to the 

Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Victory 

Kitchen in Sandusky.

POC: Christina Koleno, 3–6874, Lewis Field, 

and Geneva Biglin, 4–3344, Plum Brook Station

Now through 

May 10

NASA

Glenn 

Campaign

This year marks 50 years from when the Cuyahoga River caught 

on fire and helped spark a national environmental movement. 

Come hear about a number of exciting events taking place in and 

around Cleveland this spring and summer in celebration of 

50 years of environmental stewardship.

Guest speaker, Mary Grodek, West Creek Conservancy, will give 

a brief history of Earth Day and the Cuyahoga River. She will highlight 

the events coming up this year, including lectures, art and photo 

displays, live music and walking tours. Hope to see you there! 

POC: David Smith, 3–5109

Thursday, April 18

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. • Briefing Center (Building 8)

Earth Day Kickoff

Cuyahoga River fire on June 22, 1969.

GRC-2019-CN-00006
ACME Update: BRE Experiment Fired Up

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

The ACME hardware resides inside the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and 

is remotely controlled from Glenn’s ISS Payload Operations Center. The experiment focuses on understanding the conditions 

under which materials are flammable in spacecraft by matching key parameters of flames from gaseous fuel with those of 

flammable materials such as plastics. BRE seeks to understand flame extinction and the conditions under which the flames 

become unsteady and extinguish. 

“Later this month, we should be setting up for the fourth experiment, Flame Design,” said Dennis Stocker, ACME Project 

scientist, “Although, we won’t be done with BRE yet, we will alternate between experiments so that the investigators have 

a chance to study early results and use that knowledge to optimize their second round of testing.”

By S. Jenise Veris

The Burning Rate Emulator (BRE) experiment, one of six experiments of the Advanced Combustion 

via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project, became operational on Feb. 8.

GRC-2019-CN-00005

Photo by ISS/JSC

Canadian astronaut 

David Saint-Jacques 

preparing the ACME 

chamber insert for 

the BRE experiment.