VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 JULY 2016

NASA Names Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis 

as Glenn’s New Deputy Director

Photo by Bridget Caswell

Left to right: Dr. Pérez-Davis, Dr. Kavandi, 

center, and Associate Director Janet Watkins 

lead the NASA Glenn management team. 

GRC-2016-C-04086

Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi appointed Dr. Marla E. Pérez-Davis as 

NASA Glenn’s deputy director, June 6. 

A 33-year NASA veteran, Pérez-Davis 

most recently served as Glenn’s Deputy 

Director of Research and Engineering. 

She succeeds Kavandi, who was named 

center director in March.

“Marla’s demonstrated leadership in

managing all phases of Glenn’s research 

and engineering activities, combined 

with her experience in the areas of 

aeronautics, business management and 

safety assurance, makes her ideally suited 

to meet the demands required of the 

deputy director,” said Kavandi.

Pérez-Davis assumed duties as deputy 

director immediately. She will share 

with the center director responsibility 

for planning, organizing and managing 

the agency-level programs and projects 

assigned to the center.

Glenn Ignites Largest 

Fire Experiment

Photo courtesy of ESA/NASA

The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft is 

released from the ISS, June 14. 

Engineers at Glenn and Orbital ATK in 

Dulles, Virginia, successfully conducted 

the first remote Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or Saffire I, carried inside an Orbital 

ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle that departed 

the International Space Station, June 14. 

Continued on page 2

Glenn Open Houses Attract Thousands 

GRC-2016-C-03377 Photo by Rami Daud

Visitors line up at Cleveland’s I–X

Center (pictured) to board buses

bound for Lewis Field’s Open House.

Likewise, visitors converged on Kalahari Convention Center to board buses 

for Plum Brook Station’s Open House. 

The two open houses drew thousands 

of visitors. See pictorial highlights on 

pages 4–5. 

In This Issue

Director’s Safety Corner ........... 2

Clinching FIRST! ........................ 2

Center Picnic Set ...................... 2

Reliving the 90’s ........................ 3

Silver Snoopy Awards ............... 6

COMPASS Turns 10 .................. 8
There’s No Summer Break From Safety

Summer means vacations, outdoor activities and sun! The warm months and 

long days are perfect for ball games, barbecues, time at the pool and road 

trips. But don’t let the sunny days and warm nights distract you from being 

safe. Summer can hold significant health and safety hazards. Remember to use 

sunscreen and bug spray, stay hydrated, and remain alert to road hazards. As 

you take your leave this summer, make the downtime enjoyable by putting 

safety at the top of your itinerary.

Take precautions to make sure your summer is as safe as it is fun.

 —Janet

Saffire

Continued from page 1

The experiment’s purpose is to learn 

how a fire might behave in a spacecraft after leaving Earth’s atmosphere. 

Understanding how fire spreads in a 

microgravity environment is critical to 

the safety of astronauts who live and 

work in space as NASA prepares for 

long-duration missions on the journey 

to Mars. For more details, visit http://

go.nasa.gov/28Zjgfz.

Connect With Glenn

Glenn-Mentored Team Takes Robotics Championship!

Team 120/Cleveland’s Youth Technology Academy (YTA) Dragons “fired up” 

the offense to become the first Ohio team 

to win the national FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and 

Technology) Robotics Championship, 

held in St. Louis, Missouri, April 27–30. 

The Glenn-sponsored Team 120 was 

part of a 3-team alliance comprised of 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s 

Beach-Bots and Tremont Illinois’ Roboteers. Together they clinched the competition, which included nearly 20,000 

youth participants from 39 countries. 

Team 120—comprised of more than 

24 students attending the YTA from 7 

Cleveland high schools (MC2 STEM, 

East Tech, John Adams, John Marshall, 

Design Lab Early College, New Tech 

West and John Hay)—is Glenn’s house 

team. The team has been funded and 

mentored by a group of NASA professionals since its inception in 1994. Glenn 

engineer Larry Oberle, Diagnostics and 

Electromagnetics Branch, has been with 

the team for 19 years, including 18 years 

as the lead mentor. 

“I'm in awe of how far these kids have 

come in their understanding of physics and engineering,” Oberle said. “Just 

as important, they’ve learned to work 

with their peers from all over the country to produce a winning alliance.”

Following the January kickoff, Oberle 

and George Bilokonsky, YTA executive 

director at Cuyahoga Community College, spent the next six weeks working 

with the students. They oversaw design 

and build of the remote-controlled robot to compete in the game’s medieval 

castle theme, FIRST STRONGHOLDSM. 

Now in its 25th year, FIRST® introduces 

high school students to careers in science, technology and engineering. In 

recognition of NASA’s long-standing 

support of the FIRST® program, NASA 

Administrator Charles Bolden accepted 

the 2016 Founders Award. This prestigious award recognizes exceptional 

efforts to engage students in STEM fields.

“This completes one of the most successful seasons in Team 120 history, 

along with winning the Chairman’s 

Award in 1999 and induction into the 

FIRST® Hall of Fame in 2003. And we 

were able to celebrate the win with our 

Administrator!” Oberle proudly added.

By S. Jenise Veris

Photo by YTA

Administrator Bolden joined personnel 

from Glenn, and other NASA centers, who 

provided mechanical and technical

support to the FIRST teams.

Center Picnic: Save The Date!

Please join us, Wednesday, Aug. 10, for the 2016 Center Picnic as we celebrate our employees and retirees, and reconnect 

with co-workers. The festivities, including lunch, will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lewis Field Picnic Grounds. In order 

to receive a lunch, you must register at http://events.grc.nasa.gov/CenterPicnic, beginning on Monday, July 18. 

Further details to follow on Today@Glenn. POC is Betsy Lavelle, 216–433–3198.

2
JULY 2016

Celebrating a 75-Year Legacy

This is the sixth in a monthly series of historical highlights commemorating Glenn’s 75th anniversary 

and extraordinary technical accomplishments that reach across seven decades.

Looking Back: 1990s

During the 1990s, NASA Lewis became 

the undisputed leader of U.S. microgravity research. Researchers from around 

the world came to the center to utilize 

its 2.2 Second Drop Tower and Zero 

Gravity Facility, a new Space Experiments Laboratory and a DC–9 aircraft 

to expand in-flight microgravity testing. 

Lewis initiated its microgravity efforts 

in the early 1960s to investigate the 

behavior of liquid hydrogen in space 

conditions. The program broadened in 

the late 1960s and 1970s to include an 

array of fluids and combustion research 

for both space and terrestrial applications. With the start of space shuttle 

flights in the 1980s, microgravity researchers began conducting studies over 

extended periods of time. The center 

acquired a Learjet to conduct low-gravity 

flights to assess experiments for future 

space shuttle missions. 

In the 1990s, Lewis became NASA’s 

lead center for microgravity research 

in fluids and combustion and formed 

the National Center for Microgravity 

Research in partnership with Case 

Western Reserve University and Universities Space Research Association. 

The Lewis Space Experiments Division 

began contributing a steady stream of 

experiments that flew during the space 

shuttle era, culminating in over 200 investigations. The program attracted a 

large contingent of internationally recognized scientists who made important 

discoveries regarding crystal growth, 

flame propagation and fluid behavior 

with much of the research applicable 

for use on Earth.

With the advent of the International 

Space Station (ISS) as a research platform 

beginning in 2001, Glenn has continued to play a major role in microgravity

research by attracting researchers of 

great renown and providing world-class 

space flight and ground based facilities. 

The Telescience Support Center allows 

researchers on Earth to command 

experiments aboard the ISS in the 

Glenn-developed Fluids and Combustion Facility by exchanging realtime 

experimental data. More information 

about Glenn microgravity facilities is 

available at https://issresearchproject.

grc.nasa.gov/. 

Courtesy of NASA Glenn History Office

Engineers working on the Combustion 

Module 1 (CM–1) racks inside the integration and test high bay area of the Telescience Support Center. 

News and Events

Remembering Their Sacrifice

Facilities, Test and Manufacturing Director Tom Hartline shared memories 

about his great-uncle’s bravery in the 

Pacific during World War II, with center 

employees during this year’s Memorial 

Day Observance Ceremony, May 26. 

Hartline reminded employees that this 

holiday is about remembering those 

who made the ultimate sacrifice on 

behalf of their country. The Veterans 

Awareness Committee coordinated the 

event that included the traditional presentation of the memorial wreath at the 

flagpole and color guard of Glenn veterans, including Les Carmean, Mission 

Support Office, pictured, bearing the 

U.S. Coast Guard flag. 

GRC-2016-C-03810 Photo by Rami Daud

Tech Day Highlights Achievements in Technology

More than 200 aerospace and technology representatives, local business leaders, 

state and local government officials and members of academia attended Technology 

Day at NASA Glenn, May 24. The event featured facility tours, technology exhibits 

and speed networking with NASA staff. Breakout sessions on the cutting-edge tech 

topics included biomimicry, materials for extreme environments, water technologies and the next generation of additive manufacturing at Glenn. Pictured, left to 

right: Glenn Space Flight Systems Director Bryan Smith, astronaut Sunita Williams 

and Associate Administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, Steve Jurczyk 

share a light moment during the discussion on NASA’s Journey to Mars. GRC-2016-03260 Photo by Marvin Smith

3
NASA Glenn Opens Its Doors

As part of its 75th Anniversary, NASA Glenn Research Center hosted two public open houses. Lewis Field opened its doors, 

May 21 and 22, to approximately 25,000 visitors. Plum Brook Station put out the welcome mat, June 10 and 11, to approximately 

15,500 guests. Visitors talked with engineers, researchers, scientists and supporting staff; walked through several test facilities; and 

enjoyed hands-on activities, science demonstrations and exhibits. Astronauts Carl Walz, Doug Wheelock and Sunita Williams made 

4

special guest appearances. Hundreds of employees, retirees and affiliates made it all possible by staffing the events. 

Lewis Field
JULY 2016

5

Plum Brook Station

On behalf of the Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station Open House Planning Teams,we thank you

for your support, hard work and tireless efforts in making these 75th Anniversary events a great 

success!

—David DeFelice, Laura Evans, Dave Taylor

Graphic design by Lisa Liuzzo Photos by Bridget Caswell, Rami Daud and Marvin Smith
NASA Glenn Workers Merit Silver Snoopy Awards for Space Work 

Eight members of Glenn’s workforce 

recently received NASA’s prestigious 

Silver Snoopy award for outstanding performance and professional dedication 

to human spaceflight safety or mission 

success. Glenn Center Director Dr. Janet 

Kavandi joined fellow astronaut Douglas 

Wheelock in presenting the awards 

during a ceremony at the center, held 

May 16.

NASA's Astronaut Office awards the Silver 

Snoopy pin annually to less than one 

percent of NASA’s eligible workforce 

members. Glenn’s 2016 Silver Snoopy 

recipients:

Christopher A. Gallo, who works in the 

Mechanical Systems Design and Integration Branch, for developing biomechanical simulation models to advance the 

understanding and application of exercise countermeasures for space flight. 

Leon P. Gefert, who works in the Mission 

Architecture and Analysis Branch, for 

leadership and dedication as Orbit 

Mode Team scrum master to ensure 

successful development of the Orion 

Guidance, Navigation, and Control software models and overall success of the 

Orion human space flight mission. 

Elizabeth L. Gray, an employee of 

Vantage Partners, LLC, supporting the 

Science and Space Technology Systems 

Branch, for constant innovation and 

sustained integration efforts as the Saffire International Space Station (ISS) 

Integration Lead on the Spacecraft Fire 

Safety (SFS) Demonstration Project and 

its three payloads. 

Sam W. Hussey, who works in the ISS 

and Human Health Office, for leadership as Glenn’s Exploration Medical 

Capability project manager providing 

overall system engineering oversight in 

developing the Medical Consumables 

Tracking (MCT) hardware for an ISS 

technology demonstration. 

Melissa L. McGuire, who works in 

the Mission Architecture and Analysis 

Branch, for dedication and efficiency 

providing data enabling human mission 

designs beyond Low-Earth Orbit, both 

with the Asteroid Redirect Mission and 

the human Mars architecture. 

Ross A. Miller, an employee of Vantage 

Partners, LLC, supporting the Science 

and Space Technology Systems Branch, 

for continued and sustained integration 

efforts as the Saffire External Integrations Lead on the Spacecraft Fire Safety 

(SFS) Demonstration Project and its 

three payloads with Orbital ATK and 

the Cygnus vehicle. 

Robert Paulin, who works in the Space 

Combustion and Materials Branch, for 

vast experience as a flight-certified electronics technician supporting a myriad 

of tests being flown on the shuttle, 

sounding rockets, parabolic zero-gravity 

flights and the ISS.

Nang T. Pham, while working in the ISS 

and Human Health Office, for leadership 

and attention to details, as the Packed 

Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) project manager, developing flight hardware 

and software for operations on the ISS to 

gain essential information on reactors behavior in microgravity. Pham is presently 

assigned to the Space Communications & 

Spectrum Management Office. 

Pictured, left to right: Dr. Kavandi, Paulin, Hussey, Gallo, Gray, McGuire, Gefert, Miller, 

Pham and Wheelock.

GRC-2016-03260 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Awards

Hinckley, Ohio, trustees presented James Withrow with the 2016 Hinckley Citizen 

of the Year award on May 16. He was subsequently the guest of honor at the community’s Memorial Day Parade. Withrow, a project manager in the Space Science 

Project Office, was recognized for countless hours of planning, coordinating and 

assembling a phone system and communication network for interconnectivity 

between the community’s town hall and its police, fire and service departments. 

He was also cited for the numerous hours of support as a firefighter emergency 

medical technician and a booster for the Highland High Marching Band. 

The Girl Scouts of North East Ohio presented a Women of Distinction award to 

Nancy Hall, ISS and Human Health Office, during a luncheon on May 20. The award 

honors women who go above and beyond to make our communities better places to 

live, work and raise a family. The women honored are selected for their achievements 

as business, community, and civic leaders dedicated to supporting opportunities for 

women and girls.

Withrow 

Named Citizen 

of the Year

Withrow

Hall Earns 

Distinction

Hall

6
JULY 2016

7

GLENN

RESEARCH CENTER

HALL OF FAME

Seeks Nominations 

for Inductees

As we continue to celebrate Glenn’s

75th anniversary, a second class of

honorees will be inducted into the

Hall of Fame on Sept. 14, 2016. The

Hall of Fame was established in 2015

to honor and recognize those who

have contributed to our center’s success. The Glenn History Office must

receive nominations by July 15. See

Today@Glenn for nomination guidelines and criteria.

Retirees are welcome to attend the

event and although only current

employees may submit nominations, 

retirees are welcome to work with

employees to create proposals. Retirees can learn more details through

upcoming AeroSpace Frontiers issues 

or call the Glenn 75th Anniversary line 

at 216–433–5555 or email Anne Mills

in the History Office at anne.mills@

nasa.gov with suggestions.

More Than a Memory

Henry “Warren” Plohr, 94, a 1979 retiree with 30 years of 

federal service, died March 29. A decorated B–24 Liberator 

pilot and U.S. Army Air Force veteran, Plohr joined the NACA 

Cleveland facility after graduating from college to begin a 

career in turbine aerodynamics. He was a member of the Space 

Task Group, working on the design of “Big Joe” Project Mercury capsule for the first U.S. manned space program. From 

1966 to 1970 he managed the Agena rocket program. Plohr 

retired as chief of Spacecraft Technology. He received NASA’s 

Exceptional Service Medal.

Herbert W. Scibbe, 87, a 1984 retiree, who served NASA over 

32 years, died April 15. Scibbe was a mechanical engineer who 

joined the NASA Lewis workforce after graduating from 

Cleveland State’s Fenn College and Case Institute of Technology. Scibbe was the former head of NASA’s Rolling Bearing 

Dynamics Section. His pioneering bearing research was lauded 

for Apollo and space shuttle missions. He received a 1973 

NASA Honor Award for his work on Skylab.

Gerald L. Snyder, 77, a 1993 retiree and National Guard veteran with 33 years of 

federal service, died March 29. Snyder joined NASA as a price analyst. He served 

as chief of the Cost Analysis Office and retired as chief of the Space Flight Project 

Analysis Office, Office of the Comptroller. He received a 1990 NASA Honor Award 

for outstanding management, superior technical expertise and exemplary NASA 

teamwork in the design, development and operation of the Atlas/Centaur launch 

vehicle (AC–68).

Forrest D. Wolf, 95, a 1973 NASA retiree and U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, 

with more than 30 years of federal service, died March 23. Wolf joined NASA Lewis 

in 1944 after 2 1/2 years as a civilian with the Army Air Corps. He was primarily 

involved in instrument work. He was an active member and officer of the Llama 

Club, a public speaking group. Wolf retired as head of the Instrument Utilization 

Office in the Equipment & Supply Division.

Plohr

Scibbe

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

Calendar

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING: LESA 

will hold its next membership meeting, 

Wednesday, July 13, noon, in the Glenn 

Employee Center’s Small Dining Room.

JULY GRC CONNECTIONS: Mark your 

calendar for July 14 when Glenn’s 

Vikram Shyam will give an update to 

employees on biomimicry research. The 

event takes place in the Ad Building 

Auditorium from 10 to 10:45 a.m. See 

Today@Glenn for more details. 

GRC CENTERWIDE GOLF OUTING: 

The 7th Annual GRC Open Golf Outing 

takes place at Mallard Creek on Friday, 

July 22. Format will be a four-person 

scramble. NASA employees, contractors, retirees, friends and family are 

all invited to attend. The deadline for 

registration is July 15. Please register 

online at http://ndgrcfo1.ndc.nasa.gov/

golf16/. POC: John Leone, 3–5722.

VISITOR CENTER FREE EVENING:

As a part of the annual Space Adventure Week (July 25 to 31) at the NASA 

Glenn Visitor Center at the Great Lakes 

Science Center, free general admission 

will be provided to the public during 

special evening hours on Wednesday, 

July 27 from 5 to 9 p.m. Special exhibits 

and speakers will be on hand throughout the week and that evening. Please 

see Today@Glenn for details.

NATIONAL SECURITY DAY: The Office 

of Protective Services invites you to 

attend the First Annual NASA Glenn 

Security Day, Aug. 2. This event is open to 

employees, high school/college children 

of employees and local first responders. 

To learn more and register for this event, 

visit www.grc.nasa.gov/nasasecurity.

SATURDAY TOURS AT LEWIS FIELD: 

Glenn offers free tours of its world-class 

facilities at Lewis Field one Saturday 

each month through October. Tour 

buses depart from the Main Gate every 

hour starting at 10 a.m. One-hour tours 

begin with a multimedia presentation 

in the Briefing Center Auditorium. The 

Aug. 6 tour features Glenn’s Graphics & 

Visualization and the Glenn Reconfigurable User Interface and Virtual Exploration Laboratory. For more information 

and a complete schedule, visit http://

www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/

tours.html.

NASA RETIRED WOMEN’S LUNCHEON:

The NASA Retired Women's Luncheon 

is Thursday, Aug. 18, 1 p.m., at Nino's 

Italian Restaurant, 32652 Center Ridge 

Road, North Ridgeville. Please contact 

Gerry Ziemba at gto64gerry@yahoo.com 

or 330–273–4850 to reserve your place. 

PBS REUNION: Plum Brook Station’s 

(PBS’s) seventh reunion will be held 

on Saturday, Sept. 24. All current and 

former PBS and Lewis Field employees, 

support service contractors and surviving spouses are invited. Contact Bill 

Brown in writing, 3802 Windsor Bridge 

Circle, Huron, OH 44839 or email 

huronbill@bex.net or Jack Crooks at 

jackcrooks@aol.com.

GLENN

RESEARCH CENTER

HALL OF FAME
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

www.nasa.gov

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 via 

e-mail to the editor: doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov or 216–433–5317. 

August 2016 Calendar section deadline: July 20, noon

News and feature stories require additional time

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS

Assistant Editor: S. Jenise Veris, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

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

Multidisciplinary COMPASS 

Team Celebrates 10 Years 

GRC-2016-03850 Photos by Marvin Smith 

The COMPASS team celebrates 10 innovative years.

Melissa McGuire, front left, and Steve Oleson, 

front right, along with COMPASS team 

members, customers and Glenn leaders 

cheer for the team’s 10th anniversary.

GRC-2016-03848

Glenn managers and customers gathered on June 3 to recognize a decade of 

accomplishments by a multidisciplinary 

concurrent team of Glenn engineers 

known as COMPASS (Collaborative 

Modeling for Parametric Assessment of 

Space Systems). 

First assembled in 2006 to conduct 

a systems design study for the Lunar 

Surface Access Module, COMPASS has 

since successfully produced over 150 

systems designs for various exploration 

and space science missions.

The COMPASS team provides concurrent engineering of aerospace systems 

for NASA, government and commercial 

customers. The keys to COMPASS’s success are the live participation of the customer and the creativity and wisdom of 

its team members who are matrixed 

from various NASA organizations.

During the recognition gathering, 

Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi 

congratulated the team, noting their 

effectiveness in producing products 

under tight budgets and timeframes. 

“COMPASS is a model of ingenuity and 

innovation,” she said. “I’m glad to be 

here today to celebrate with you, thank 

you for your work and wish you the 

best in the future.” 

Steve Oleson, who leads this conceptual spacecraft design team, showcased 

what he considers COMPASS’s Top 10 

designs over the team’s history. Some of 

the highest profile projects include the 

original designs of the Asteroid Return 

Mission vehicle, the SCAN Testbed and 

the Titan Submarine. “The people on 

this team are everything,” Oleson said. 

“No code comes up with these creative 

designs. The key is creative people in a 

concurrent team environment.”

COMPASS does business across NASA, 

with industry partners and other 

government agencies. Their products 

can be tailored to support proposals, 

project reviews such as Mission Control reviews, system requirements 

reviews and implementation of technologies. For more information, contact 

steven.r.oleson@nasa.gov.

By Doreen B. Zudell