VOLUME 24 • ISSUE 7 • JULY 2022

Equipping for Large-Scale

Emergencies

Page 4

Employee Services 

Open in RSB

Page 7

Seven Earn Wings

of Excellence

Page 9

Ambassadors

Spread the Word

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 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

It’s been my privilege to serve as 

your center director for the past 21⁄2

years. This has been an unbelievable 

journey! From conducting research 

with very knowledgeable and talented 

individuals supporting space power 

technologies, to learning about 

project management from the best 

in the aeronautics team and serving 

as a supervisor leading teams and 

organizations in support of NASA 

missions. 

This is a great agency, and you are an 

amazing team that, despite challenges 

and uncertainties, continues to excel 

in developing innovative technologies 

for space exploration and aeronautics. 

I wish you all the best and continued 

success in achieving the significant 

milestones ahead of us, including 

the Artemis I launch, and progress 

toward all others from our 2022 Glenn 

Research Center Top Priorities in 

space, aeronautics, the institution, and 

external partnerships. Together we

can achieve HEROICS accomplishments 

for the benefit of all!

DIRECTOR’S

FAREWELL

Center Welcomes 

New NextGen 

Ambassadors Class

NextGen Ambassador Ahmed views a model of NASA’s Space Communications and

Navigation (SCaN) Testbed in Glenn’s Visitor Center. 

GRC-2022-C-01942 Photo by Jeff Janis

Two years ago, 16 early career professionals gathered at the Guerin House to 

learn how they could spread the word about the NASA mission. They became 

members of Glenn’s first Next Generation (NextGen) Ambassadors program. Since 

then, and despite the pandemic, participants embraced opportunities to support 

official events, activities, and initiatives in various capacities.

During the virtual 2022 NextGen Ambassadors Program Kickoff earlier this year, 

participants (cohort I) reflected on their experiences and helped welcome a new 

class of NextGen Ambassadors (cohort II). Former Center Director Dr. Marla 

Pérez-Davis, executive sponsor, and Director of Center Operations Robyn Gordon, 

program founder, shared their support during the event. Marlena Hudson, Human 

Resources Office, serves as the program lead, with Debbie Lockhart, Office of 

Communications, and Lesley Parker-Bryant, Human Resources Office, as co-advisors.

The goal of the program is to provide professional development opportunities 

for early-career professionals at Glenn. Media training, public speaking, critical 

thinking, problem solving, and mentoring sessions are some of the development 

opportunities offered to participants. The group connects with students, the 

public, and partners to positively represent Glenn and its mission.

“Cohort I provided us with positive feedback and suggestions on how to improve 

the program this time around,” said Lockhart. “Using the first cohort’s feedback, 

we’ve been able to incorporate training sessions, mentoring events, and public 

engagement opportunities that will help our ambassadors become better public 

speakers and champions of the NASA story.”

On April 26, the new ambassadors participated in an in-person event at the 

Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC), home of Glenn’s Visitor Center. Office of 

Communications staff members, Jan Wittry, news chief, and Chris Hartenstine, 

Public Engagement lead, provided media and outreach training. JonDarr Bradshaw, 

GLSC, gave an overview of the science center including Glenn’s Visitor Center.

by Adam Schabel
JULY 2022

On the Cover: 

Next Generation Ambassadors enjoy a 

visit to the Great Lakes Science Center. 

Pictured, left to right, standing: Darcy 

DeAngelis, Bilal Ahmed, Brooke Weborg, 

Jeresha Nixon; kneeling: Meghan Bush, 

Emily Clapper, and Jen Pierce. 

Photo by Jef Janis

GRC-2022-C-01945

NextGen Ambassadors (cohort II), left to right, front row: Jen Pierce, Lilia Miller, Emily Clapper, Jeresha Nixon, Meghan Bush, and Tina Wozniak; back row: Rebecca 

Buehrle, Marlena Hudson (lead), Bilal Ahmed, Brooke Weborg, Kerrigan Cain, Zane Meyers, Ryan Grotenrath, Debbie Lockhart (advisor), and Darcy DeAngelis. Not 

Pictured: Emily Armbrust, Christopher Morris, Lucas Shearer, Paul Von Hardenberg, and Lesley Parker-Bryant (advisor).

Left: NextGen Ambassador Weborg gets an up-close look at a 

Moon rock encased in a display at Glenn’s Visitor Center. 

GRC-2022-C-01903 Photo by Jeff Janis

GLSC’s Bradshaw, right, takes NextGen Ambassadors on 

a tour through Glenn’s Visitor Center.

GRC-2022-CN-00027 Photo by Debbie Lockhart

GRC-2022-C-1936 Photo by Jeff Janis

3
4

Facility Upgrades Meet

Large-Scale Emergency Needs

Glenn’s Protective Services Office Emergency 

Operations Center (EOC) ensures effective resource 

management and communications during large-scale 

on-center emergencies and mass casualty events. 

In 2020, the Protective Services Office noted that 

a majority of the EOC’s audiovisual and information 

technologies had become obsolete, in need of repair, 

or unserviceable. 

Recognizing the criticality of the EOC, center 

management funded a project to implement modern 

and innovative audio, video, and communication 

technologies into the EOC in building 14. 

To effectively coordinate and deploy resources during an 

emergency, EOC personnel must be able to efficiently 

correlate and distribute information. Participants 

could include personnel in areas of law enforcement, 

firefighting, hazardous materials, search and 

rescue, and public health. Additionally, public affairs, 

cybersecurity, mass care, transportation, public works, 

and logistics organizations may also be involved. 

In addition to traditional telephone and radio 

communications, emergency coordination requires 

reliable data communications to include remote 

video surveillance, incident management dashboards, 

Geographical Information Systems (GISs), news and 

weather feeds, and the use of social media. 

Depending on the type of the emergency, the EOC 

requires a flexible space configuration so that 

participants—large groups or small resource teams—

can view video displays.

The upgraded EOC will support an in-person team or 

a hybrid model to include virtual participants. This 

capability greatly enhances the versatility of emergency 

resource management in the current culture of hybrid 

teleworking. Video collaboration and video-enabled tools 

allow emergency resource managers to share computer 

content, engage in desktop-quality video chat, and 

perform online conferencing.

“As a result of these upgrades, the center now has a 

state-of-the-art EOC, which serves as a high-functioning 

workspace and coordination hub to support emergency 

management and incident command activities for the 

center,” said Protective Services Office Chief 

Christi Tomaro.

GRC-2022-C-02397 Photo by Jef Janis

The updated EOC serves as a high-functioning workspace and coordination hub to support emergency management and incident command activities.

4
JULY 2022

5

Conference Showcases Space 

Nuclear Power Systems 

Bryan Smith, director of Facilities, Test, and 

Manufacturing at Glenn, chaired the American 

Nuclear Society’s Nuclear and Emerging 

Technologies for Space (NETS) 2022 Conference, 

May 8–12, in Cleveland. This is the premiere 

event for the space nuclear power and propulsion 

technical communities.

The NETS conference brings attention to the latest 

advancements in space nuclear systems and 

provides a forum for researchers, engineers, and 

managers to discuss progress on current activities. 

This year’s conference highlighted topics related 

to past missions and programs, new systems 

under development, external influences such as 

terrestrial nuclear energy, and mission pull related 

to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Plenary speakers from NASA included Associate 

Administrator Bob Cabana; Associate Administrator 

for Technology, Policy, and Strategy Dr. Bhavya 

Lal; Associate Administrator for the Space 

Technology Mission Directorate James Reuter, 

Deputy of NASA’s Planetary Science Division Eric 

Ianson; former Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez 

Davis; and Smith. Several Glenn employees led 

technical presentations.

Sen. Sherrod Brown and Col. Joseph Zeis Jr. 

from the Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine 

participated as plenary speakers. Ohio

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted provided a virtual message. 

Exhibit booths, staffed by Glenn and NASA’s 

Marshall Space Flight Center employees, 

highlighted the agency’s space nuclear power and 

propulsion programs, projects, and technologies. 

Those featured included the Radioisotope Power 

Systems Program; Fission Surface Power—

Technology Development; Nuclear Electric and 

Thermal Propulsion—Technology Development; 

and Lattice Confinement Fusion. 

On May 12, many of the participants visited 

Lewis Field and toured facilities related to the 

conference.

by Doreen B. Zudell

GRC-2022-C-00584

GRC-2022-C-00591

Photos by Marvin Smith

NASA engineer Lee Mason explains the advancements in fission surface power 

during the NETS tour of building 301.

NASA engineer Scott Wilson, center, explains the inner workings of the Multi-Mission 

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) to NETS participants during a tour at 

Lewis Field.
NEWS AND EVENTS

Former Center Director Dr. Marla PérezDavis took to the mound to throw out the 

first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians game 

at Progressive Field on May 17. NASA 

Glenn was invited as part of the Hometown 

Heroes celebration honoring members of the 

military, veterans, and federal employees. 

First Pitch!

6

Employees 

Showcase

NASA at

Science Festival

NASA continued its partnership with the 

Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to 

reach underserved and underrepresented 

audiences during the COSI Science Festival 

(CSF), May 4–7, in Columbus. As the largest 

STEM event in Ohio, and one of the largest 

in the nation, the CSF is an annual four-day 

festival that engages thousands with hands-on 

experiences, inspiring the pursuit of careers 

in STEM. Glenn and NASA Langley employees 

staffed several space and aeronautics-based 

exhibits during the Big Science Celebrations 

on May 7, the culminating event of the inperson festival. An estimated 20,000-plus 

attended the event.

GRC-2022-C-02598 Photo by Jordan Salkin

GRC-2022-CN-00029 Photo by Robb McCormick Photography

Glenn’s Carlos Gomez provides information that promotes human spaceflight 

during the COSI Science Festival. 

Dr. Pérez-Davis throws out the first pitch at Progressive Field.
JULY 2022

7

Employee Services Available On-Site

Most Pre-Pandemic 

Services Available

to Retirees

Glenn’s credit union and gift store are now 

open in the Research Support Building, 164, 

at Lewis Field.

Century Federal Credit Union’s NASA 

branch conveniently offers services to meet 

all your banking needs. Hours are Monday 

through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 

room 115.

The Exchange Gift Store offers a variety 

of NASA-themed apparel and accessories. 

Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10 

a.m. to 2 p.m., room 113.

Additionally, next door in the Mission 

Integration Center (MIC), 162, Subway 

offers grab-and-go lunch in the MIC 

LaGrange Café, located in the lobby. Hours 

are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 

1 p.m. or until the sandwiches are gone. 

Glenn employees are now able to access the center to do 

their day-to-day work. Retirees also are welcome to come 

on-site and access the Century Federal Credit Union and 

Exchange Store in the new Research Support Building. 

Please check in at the Main Gate Guard House first for 

a day pass. To use the Fitness Center, please contact a 

Fitness Center staff member at 216–433–6313, who will 

call in a guest pass for you. We also hope to see you at 

the Summer Fest in August! (See page 11 for details.)

GRC-2022-CN-00028 Photo by Lori Manthey

The Exchange Store offers a variety of NASA-themed gifts.

AeroSpace Frontiers 

Back Issues

Now Available!

Glenn’s Office of Communications is making hard copies 

of the AeroSpace Frontiers newsletters that were printed 

during the pandemic available to employees. Employees are 

welcome to stop by building 3, room 5 (ground level) to pick 

up issues from April 2020 through February 2022.

Contact Doreen Zudell, editor, doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov, 

with any questions. 

VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 7 • JULY 2021

 Probing Questions 

of Flight

Page 6

Administrator

Presents State

of NASA 

Page 4

Navigating the

Pandemic 

Page 7

Continuing John 

Glenn’s Legacy Pages 2–3

VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 11 • NOVEMBER 2021

 Be Safe Where 

You Are

Page 7

Positioning for

the Future

Page 5

Two From Glenn

Earn STEM Honor

Page 4

Honoring Our 

Veterans

Pages 2–3

VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 8 • AUGUST 2020

 SpaceX Delivers

Students’ Lockers

Page 12

Glenn Names

Deputy Director

Page 5

Glenn-UH

Collaborate on PPE

Pages 2–3

Learning Through 

Virtual Internships Pages 6–7
8

NASA Uses Cleveland Landmark for 

Microgravity Research in the 1960s

Glenn History Highlights

Rocket Lab Provided Nearly 75 Years of 

Propulsion Testing

In May 1964, weekend visitors peaking 

around a work screen in a first-floor 

corridor of Cleveland’s iconic Terminal 

Tower building were surprised to see that 

NASA technicians had commandeered 

one of the main elevators. The men were 

using the 52-story structure, the nation’s 

tallest building outside of New York City, 

to conduct experiments to facilitate the 

design of its new Zero Gravity Facility. 

For more information, visit https://go.nasa.

gov/3l6Z4K6. 

With little fanfare, in June 1945 fuels 

researchers began testing small, 

experimental rocket engines in simple 

cinder block test cells at the far end of what 

is today NASA Glenn. Over the years, the 

facility, which was known as the Rocket 

Laboratory, expanded both its physical 

size and the types of engines tested. For 

nearly 75 years, the Rocket Lab provided 

researchers with an adaptable resource 

for testing an array of propulsion systems 

and propellants. To learn more, visit https://

go.nasa.gov/3MF7u6O.

GRC-1946-C-14478 Photo by NASA

GRC-1964-C-69610 Photo by NASA

Right: NASA technicians set up the drop package test rig 

inside an elevator at the Terminal Tower building. The 

4-inch-diameter, 28-inch-long, 43-pound model was 

lowered through an aperture in the elevator floor before 

being dropped into the decelerator below.

Initially, the Rocket Lab was used to study jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) rocket 

engines that provided a boost to military aircraft during takeoff or combat 

conditions. This photograph shows the firing of a nitric-acid- and anilinefueled JATO engine in the Rocket Lab in March 1946.
JULY 2022

9

Wings of Excellence

FEB Award Honors 

Service to Job and 

Community

Seven Glenn employees received a 2022 Cleveland Federal Executive Board (FEB) Wings of 

Excellence Award during a virtual recognition ceremony on May 27. The award recognizes 

high-performing federal employees in their local communities and highlights innovative 

efforts that advance the missions of federal agencies. Former Center Director Dr. Marla 

Pérez-Davis introduced the awardees. 

Congratulations to this year’s NASA Glenn awardees!

Karen F. Bartos, Technology Transfer Office

Andrea R. Bonesteel, Occupational Health Branch 

Lancert E. Foster, Inlets and Nozzles Branch 

Dr. Timothy P. Gabb, High Temperatures and High Alloys Branch 

John B. McQuillen, Low-Gravity Exploration Technology Branch

Kevin D. Rainbolt, Knowledge Sharing and Analysis Office

Heidi R. Schultz, Technical Excellence Office

To view the program and learn more about the individual awards, 

visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9wcyx1OqFo.

Rainbolt Schultz

Bartos Bonesteel Foster

McQuillen

JULY 2022
10

More Than a Memory

Willie George Darby, 69, a 2010 retiree with 30 years of NASA service, died May 25. Darby began 

his NASA career in 1980. He graduated from the Trades Apprentice Program as a research laboratory 

mechanic. He later worked as a mechanical engineering technician in various branches in the Test 

Installation Division. Darby’s work earned him many honors, including Space Act awards and group 

achievement awards. Most notably, he earned a 1992 Exceptional Achievement Medal. He was part of a 

team that earned a patent for “Antenna Near Field Probe Station Scanner.”

Ziemke Was a Gifted Engineer

Ziemke

Darby

Robert A. (Bob) Ziemke, 75, an electronics engineer at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility (ATF), 

formerly Plum Brook Station, died March 25. Ziemke joined NASA as a co-op in 1969 after obtaining a 

bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Cleveland State University. He was a gifted engineer who 

designed, fabricated, and commissioned special test equipment for large-scale ground test facilities.

Ziemke worked in ATF’s Space Power Facilities (SPF) Division where he supported the Apollo-Skylab 

shroud and Centaur Standard Shroud testing at SPF. Through the years, he managed ATF’s Instrument 

and Data Systems Section and worked in qualification testing of International Space Station radiators in 

SPF and testing of the Cosmic Ray Electron Synchrotron Telescope at the B–2 facility.

“Bob was one-of-a-kind,” said David Taylor, ATF deputy director. “He was quiet and unassuming, but he 

was a brilliant engineer and he made us all better. We will miss him.”

Ziemke earned several NASA awards for his work, including five patents.

Save the Date!

The festivities will take 

place along Taylor Road 

at Lewis Field.

Employee registration: see

Inside Glenn for details

Retiree registration:

Kathy Clark, 216–433–8354

POC: betsy.e.lavelle@nasa.gov

Rain date: Thursday, Aug. 25
JULY 2022

11

For more information on upcoming events,

visit https://nasa.sharepoint.com/sites/grc/SitePages/calendar.aspx

Deadline for the next calendar

section is Wednesday, July 20,

noon. News and feature stories 

require additional time.

The new Information Café will focus 

on Demystifying Application Program 

Interfaces. Join the Library staff on 

Wednesday, July 20 from 11–11:45 a.m.,

in bldg. 142, room 188, or on Teams. 

Check Inside Glenn for the link. 

POC: robin.n.pertz@nasa.gov

INFORMATION CAFÉ

GLENN

HAPPENINGS

Emergency Management Office staff 

will conduct a mass notification voice 

test at building 6 on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 

at Lewis Field. An audible siren test will 

be conducted on the “Lock-Down” tone 

on Saturday, Aug. 6. 

POC: allen.r.turner@nasa.gov

OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING

Join Shaping Professionals and 

Relating Knowledge (SPARK), the 

formal mentoring program for Glenn. 

Applications are due July 15, 2022. 

Orientation is being held on Aug. 2, 

1 p.m. to 4:30. Contact Kathy Clark at 

3–8354 with any questions.

SPARK MENTORING

The Protective Services Office is 

responsible for processing visitor 

requests and managing visitor access to 

NASA Glenn. For official visitor requests, 

please use the following link, https://

www.grc.nasa.gov/security/services/

visitor-processing/. 

VISITOR ACCESS

Correction

Glenn Aeronautics Director Timothy McCartney’s name was misspelled in the 

“Town Hall Rolls Out Action Plan” article on page 5 in June AeroSpace Frontiers.

Glenn’s Logistics and Technical Information Division needs your help 

identifying people, places, and research from archived images. If you 

recognize a photo placed here, email GRC-ITC@mail.nasa.gov.

To ensure your email reaches the right individuals, please enter “DYKTP” 

into the subject line. Although we cannot respond to individual emails, 

please know your participation is appreciated!

Do You Know This Person?

GRC-1988-C-00318

GRC–1990–C–08558

Attention Employees and Retirees
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

Keeping the Center Moving Forward

While many employees transitioned to telework due to the pandemic, others remained on-site to ensure a safe 

and secure environment at the center. This column highlights these services. 

Left to right: MTI’s Andy Breschini, Joe Chiaramonte, and Dave Robbins in the Central Air Equipment Building control room.

GRC-2022-C-03358 Photo by Bridget Caswell

never been in place before. When on-site, MTI safely arranged technicians 

into two to three shifts with fewer personnel to meet social distancing and 

limited access restrictions. Monitoring health to evaluate symptoms and 

adhering to stay-at-home orders, when necessary, was a cultural change for 

these dedicated employees as well.

As the number of mission-critical projects increased, the need for MTI staff 

increased as well. MTI is grateful for the assistance and guidance provided 

by Facilities Division management to determine the types of services needed 

for the approved on-site projects. The company’s existing policies to crosstrain workers enabled them to efficiently utilize their staff. 

While there were many challenges for MTI staff during the pandemic, they 

affectively adjusted their policies, schedules, and mindset to meet the 

center’s mission needs.

When researchers need water, air, or cryogenics delivered to tunnels and 

test cells, and personnel to operate the equipment, they call on Mainthia 

Technologies Inc. (MTI). When Glenn entered mandatory telework in March 

2020 and progressed through the stages of NASA’s Framework for Return to 

On-site Work, MTI was there every step of the way. 

Operated under Glenn’s Facilities Management Branch, MTI is responsible 

for Central-Process Recertification, Operations, and Maintenance (CROM) 

at Lewis Field. This includes maintenance, operation, and pressure systems 

engineering services to support research facilities as well as all major 

research and development systems and subsystems. 

Ensuring all CROM functions during the pandemic was far from business 

as usual for MTI staff. With COVID–19 protocols in place and limitations to 

on-site access, MTI management developed policies for working under new 

restrictions. One of these included developing a telework plan, which had