National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Welcomes

NASA Leadership

VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 2 | FEBRUARY 2023
NASA Leadership 

Shares Moon to

Mars Objectives

AeroSpace Frontiers

is an official publication of NASA’s Glenn 

Research Center. It is published the 

second Friday of each month by the Office 

of Communications 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

Design: Rhys Sampson, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

This year marks the 20th 

anniversary of the loss of 

the shuttle orbiter Columbia 

and its crew (STS–107). As a 

part of Day of Remembrance 

activities, all civil servants are 

to complete the Columbia Case 

Study in SATERN by April 

1. As we reflect, I ask all of 

you to remember the lessons 

learned from this unfortunate 

event: resist normalization of 

deviance; recognize cognitive 

biases; avoid organizational 

silence; and nurture a positive 

safety culture. Let us honor 

the legacy of those we lost 

by practicing these lessons 

learned in all that we do, 

each day. Thank you for your 

commitment to safety and 

mission excellence. 

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER

Columbia

Lessons Learned

NASA Glenn welcomed Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam 

Melroy, and several key leaders from NASA Headquarters to Lewis Field on 

Jan. 10. The visit provided opportunities for NASA leadership to share the 

Moon to Mars (M2M) framework with employees and Glenn’s role in these 

exploration efforts.

That morning, a standing-room-only audience of employees greeted 

the administrator and guests in the MIC Auditorium, with more than 

1,300 viewers online, for a Center Town Hall Meeting. Nelson stressed 

the value of Glenn’s contributions to the agency and highlighted 

agency accomplishments in 2022. He called this a “golden era of

space exploration.”

Dr. Kurt Vogel, director of Space Architectures; Walt Engelund, deputy 

associate administrator for programs in the Space Technology Mission 

Directorate; and Jim Free, associate administrator for Exploration Systems 

Development joined Nelson and Melroy in presenting M2M Objectives.

“As the experts get into the M2M Objectives for you, I want you to reflect on 

where you fit in,” Nelson said. 

The M2M framework centers on an objectives-based approach to human 

deep space exploration efforts. This approach, in contrast to a capabilities 

approach, focuses on the big picture, the “what” and “why” of what NASA 

should be doing in terms of deep space exploration before prescribing the 

“how” (e.g., a specific launch vehicle, technology, or acquisition method). 

GRC-2023-C-00148 Photo by Marvin Smith

Nelson and panelists address employees’ questions during the Center Town Hall.
FEBRUARY 2023

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GRC-2023-C- 00145 

GRC-2023-C-00273 

GRC-2023-C-00370 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Photo by Jef Janis

Nelson talks with employees after the Town Hall. 

Nelson enjoys lunch and conversation with early- and mid-career employees.

Erin Rezich briefs Nelson on tires being tested for the Moon in the SLOPE Lab. 

On the cover:

Glenn Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, right, welcomes NASA 

Administrator Bill Nelson to Lewis Field. 

Photo by Marvin Smith GRC-2022-C-10862

Photo by Marvin Smith

After the presentation, the panelists took questions from 

employees and participated in an informal meet-and-greet 

with many in attendance at the conclusion of the meeting. 

The full day of events also included a presentation on 

strengthening acquisition and program management within 

the agency and a casual lunch between Nelson and early- and 

mid-career employees. After lunch, an Executive Roundtable 

Discussion welcomed senior leaders, elected officials, and 

economic/community partners to discuss the importance of 

the work being done at Glenn to Northeast Ohio.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown joined Nelson, Melroy, and Center 

Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon for a briefing with representatives 

from the media. The leaders discussed some of the work 

being done at Glenn in support of M2M. A tour in the 

Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Lab highlighted tires 

being tested for the Moon and advances in shape memory 

alloys. 

Brown expressed his support for Glenn’s research and 

economic impact on Northeast Ohio. “People are beginning 

to see what this [Glenn] means to Cleveland,” he said. 

“3,500 jobs are here and we know those jobs lead to all 

kinds of other jobs.”

The tour concluded with a demonstration of Astro, the 

robotic dog, who is helping with noise-reduction efforts 

for employees. 

To learn more about the M2M Objectives, visit https://go.nasa.

gov/3BUkHGL.

By Doreen B. Zudell
Glenn Develops Advanced

Space Communications Protocol

4

Communicating in space can be difficult due to extreme 

distances that cause signal delays not present on Earth. As 

humanity prepares to journey back to the Moon with Artemis, 

NASA will need advanced networking concepts to stay 

connected. 

To overcome signal disruption, NASA developed a 

communications networking protocol called Delay Tolerant 

Networking (DTN). DTN uses an automatic store-and-forward 

process to ensure the delivery of information. The store-andforward mechanism allows systems to either forward data 

on as it is received or store it for future transmission if the 

signal becomes disrupted—a feature that enables internet-like 

capabilities in space. 

Glenn researchers recently established the High-Rate Delay 

Tolerant Networking (HDTN) project, an advanced DTN protocol 

that provides data transfer speeds four times faster than the 

current DTN architecture.

“We’ve been developing DTN implementations, which will 

revolutionize space communications by extending internet-like 

capabilities found on Earth into space,” said Dr. Daniel Raible, 

HDTN project principal investigator. “High-Rate DTN is designed 

with speed and efficiency in mind to keep up with the data rates 

of newer laser and radio frequency communication systems.” 

After multiple rounds of successful in-lab testing at NASA’s 

Johnson Space Center and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, 

HDTN is ready for liftoff. 

“Glenn’s HDTN project has been collaborating with the 

International Space Station team to demonstrate a 

Illustration of the HDTN protocol being used on the 

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to 

transfer radio and optical communications between 

Earth and space.

HDTN team members, left to right: John Nowakowski, 

Dr. Dudukovich, Nadia Kortas, Blake LaFuente, and 

Brian Tomko.

GRC-2022-C-08659

GRC-2022-CN-000066 

Illustration by NASA

Photo by Bridget Caswell

high-rate DTN gateway onboard. The HDTN gateway will 

provide science payloads on the space station with storeand-forward capabilities over the existing radio frequency and 

future laser downlink paths,” said Dr. Rachel Dudukovich, Glenn 

HDTN software development lead. “HDTN has successfully 

demonstrated gigabit-per-second rates in highly realistic test 

environments similar to the network on the space station.”

HDTN is also preparing for integration on the Laser 

Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), NASA’s 

optical communications terminal. LCRD 

launched in 2021 to test in-space optical, or 

laser, communication capabilities. Currently, 

most space missions use radio frequency 

communications to send and receive data, as 

radio waves have a proven track record of 

success. However, optical communications allow 

for larger data returns, a significant benefit for 

future exploration. 

The Space Communications and Navigation 

technology initiative will be integrated on the 

International Space Station and LCRD this spring.

By Molly Kearns

4
Retirements

Gomez

Morrison

Schneider

Hickman

Palisin

Wiedenmannott

Kocka

Raitano

Zuzek

Jeff Berton, Propulsion Systems Analysis Branch, retired 

Dec. 31, 2022, with 35 years of NASA service. 

Carlos R. Gomez, Office of Communications, retired Dec. 

31, 2022, with 36 years of federal service, including 32 

with NASA. 

J. Mark Hickman, Space Science Project Office, retired 

Dec. 31, 2022, with 35 years of NASA service.

Daniel G. Kocka, Fabrication Division, retired Dec. 31, 

2022, with 35 years of NASA service. 

Carlos R. Morrison, Rotating and Drives Systems Branch, 

retired Dec. 31, 2022, with 33 years of NASA service. 

Tom Palisin, Office of Procurement, retired Dec. 31, 2022, 

with 33 years of NASA service. 

Renee D. Palyo, Facilities Infrastructure Division chief, 

retired Dec. 31, 2022, with 33 years of NASA service. 

Paul Raitano, Thermal Energy Conversion Branch, retired 

Dec. 31, 2022, with 38 years of NASA service.

Steven J. Schneider, Chemical and Thermal Propulsion 

Systems Branch, retired Dec. 31, 2022, with 37 years of 

NASA service. 

Christopher A. Snyder, Propulsion Systems Analysis 

Branch, retired Dec. 31, 2022, with 39 years of NASA 

service.

Ulrich Wiedenmannott, Fabrication Division, retired 

Dec. 31, 2022, with 39 years of NASA service. 

John Zuzek, Space Communications and Spectrum 

Management Office, retired Dec. 31, 2022, with 39 years of 

NASA service.

Promotion

Dr. Cheryl L. Bowman has been selected chief, High Temperature and 

Smart Alloys Branch, in the Research and Engineering Directorate. She 

previously provided leadership to the branch as deputy branch chief, was a 

former technical lead for electrified propulsion, and was a material lead for 

nuclear power and propulsion.

Dr. Bowman

FEBRUARY 2023

5
More Than a Memory

Blankenship

Kelley

Blankenship Built Cybersecurity Resilience

Ryan “Jamie” Blankenship, 37, a Peerless Technologies Corp. employee working as 

a software developer in the Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO), died Dec. 18, 

2022. He was a U.S. Army veteran. 

Blankenship was a highly skilled ServiceNow software developer and member of the 

OCIO’s Cybersecurity Services. He was instrumental in leveraging enterprise tools to 

bring automation, consistency, and efficiency to many of the OCIO’s cyber delivery 

services, including supply chain risk management, incident reporting, and cyber 

engineering request management. 

“Ryan’s contributions will continue to have a lasting and meaningful effect towards 

NASA’s cybersecurity resilience,” said his supervisor, Deanna Gullett. 

Hauser

Petti

Troy Hauser, 69, a 2015 retiree with 28 years of NASA service, died Dec. 4, 2022. 

Hauser was an accomplished computer engineer who concentrated on software 

data systems research and applications in the Computer Services Division. She 

made contributions to the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) and 

a multitude of data system projects. Hauser was named co-winner of the NASA 

2001 Software of the Year Award (SOYA) and was a recipient of the 2001 Turning 

Goals Into Reality (TGIR) Award. She earned a NASA Honor Award in 2013.

Jack Kovacs, 85, a 1995 retiree with 25 years of NASA service, died Dec. 15, 

2022. Kovacs began his career in the Computer Services Division (CSD), working 

in digital recording and engineering, engineering applications development, 

and data services. In the 1980s, he transferred to the Software Branch in the 

Space Station Freedom Directorate. In 1994, he returned to CSD, serving in the 

Mainframe Systems Branch. Kovacs earned a Sustained Superior Performance 

Award (1991) and a Group Achievement Award (1992).

Ernesto (Ernest) P. Petti, 102, a 1984 retiree with 25 years of federal service, 

including 22 with NASA, died Oct. 20, 2022. He served in the Army during World 

War II. Petti was a tradesman who worked in electronic equipment installation 

and maintenance. He served in the Facilities Operations, Computer Services, and 

Test Installations divisions, and worked on various research projects involving 

telemetry. Petti was part of a Space Flight Awareness group award for the Plasma 

Interaction Experiment II (PIX II) program (1983).

Kelley Created Risk Mitigation Strategies

Kevin Kelley, 60, a Peerless Technologies (PACE contract) employee working as a 

cybersecurity analyst in the Risk Management and Security Office, Office of Chief 

Information Officer, died Oct. 24, 2022. 

Kelley started at Glenn in 2016. He was responsible for reducing safety risks by 

creating and then implementing risk-based mitigation strategies.

“We are devasted by Kevin’s passing,” said Kevin Bradley, Kelley’s work area manager. 

“Kevin’s work ethic and attention to detail are missed. More importantly, his sense of 

humor, friendship, and kindness will be a lasting memory of Kevin for all of us.”

6
7

Information Café

Join the Library staff on Wednesday, Feb. 15, for 

a demo of the O’Reilly Learning Platform, from 

11–11:45 a.m., in building 142, room 188, or on 

Microsoft Teams. Check Inside Glenn for the link.

POC: robin.n.pertz@nasa.gov. 

NATIONAL

ENGINEERS

WEEK

Feb. 19–25

Mark your calendar for Feb. 28–March 2 for ImaginAviation 

2023. NASA’s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program 

will hold this three-day virtual event that focuses on the 

future transformation of aviation. Register at https://nari.arc.

nasa.gov/imaginAviation/.

 

POC: angela.d.surgenor@nasa.gov

Visit the New Glenn Café!

RSB Cafeteria (upper level), Bldg. 164

Monday through Friday

Breakfast: 7 to 10:30 a.m.

Lunch: 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

POC: lori.a.manthey@nasa.gov

Deadline for small items in the March issue is Wednesday, Feb. 15, noon.

News and feature stories require additional time.

FEBRUARY 2023

7

FEBRUARY IS
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center 

Lewis Field 

 

 

 

 

 

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility 

3597 E. Scheid Road 

Sandusky, Ohio 44870

www.nasa.gov

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at https://www.nasa.gov/glenn/aerospacefrontiers.

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility: 419–621–3333

Connect With Glenn

Future Generations Explore at Glenn

Robotics in Action Testing Futuristic 

More than 50 high school students jumped at the chance Hardware

to become NASA engineers and scientists for a day. Glenn 

welcomed four FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of 

Science and Technology) Robotics teams on-site to tour 

state-of-the-art facilities, explore the latest technology, and 

learn about internships and career opportunities.

Through center tours, Cleveland Metropolitan School District 

students saw how the robotics concepts they use in the 

FIRST program apply in the real world. Each year, these FIRST 

Robotics teams—sponsored by Great Lakes Science Center—

spend six weeks designing, programming, and building a 

robot that will ultimately compete in the FIRST Robotics 

Competition, a nationwide head-to-head challenge.

To learn more, visit https://go.nasa.gov/3uQIfYX.

The scene inside a NASA test facility sometimes looks a lot 

like the set of a science fiction movie. That is certainly the 

case with a 1-megawatt electric machine with an integrated 

power electronics system university students are now 

testing with NASA support.

This innovative hybrid electric technology is not fictional. It 

is reality, and could someday help single-aisle commercial 

aircraft reduce fuel consumption and produce fewer 

carbon emissions.

The machine, which can operate as a motor or generator, is 

being tested in NASA’s Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) at 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. It is the capstone deliverable 

for a project led by The Ohio State University and its 

academic partners, one of five university teams that were 

awarded in 2017 during the very first round of NASA’s 

University Leadership Initiative. 

Cleveland Metropolitan School District students interact To learn more, visit https://go.nasa.gov/3FMTdDF. 

with virtual and augmented reality in Glenn’s Graphics and 

Visualization (GVIS) Lab.

GRC-2022-10146 Photo by Jef Janis

Research assistants and a doctoral candidate conduct tests 

on aircraft hardware at NEAT.

GRC-2022-C-10244 Photo by Jef Janis