VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 8 | AUGUST 2023 National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

Focus on Science
First Face to Face Since Pandemic

Glenn Hosts Agency Science

Council With Chief Scientist

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

As promised, we have implemented an 

action plan to address your feedback 

from the recent Safety Culture Survey. 

We are taking key actions, which 

include: improving hazard and safety 

reporting awareness during town 

halls and on safety SharePoint sites; 

increasing transparency of safety 

reporting through communications 

at supervisors meetings and our 

annual Safety and Health Awareness 

Event; increasing safety and health 

reporting awareness for new employees 

by offering improved training; and 

doing a better job of recognizing those 

who support key center safety hazard 

assessment processes, like our area 

safety committees. 

Thank you for embracing a strong safety 

culture at Glenn for mission success.

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER

Safety Culture

Action Plan

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Left to right: Dr. Nagaraja, Dr. Tibor Kremic, and Dr. Calvin observe Dr. Stephanie Vivod making aerogels.

On July 11 and 12, Glenn welcomed leaders from each of NASA’s centers to Lewis 

Field when it hosted the first in-person Agency Science Council meeting since the 

beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. NASA Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor 

Dr. Kate Calvin headlined the visit that included technical briefings, meetings, and 

facility tours, providing numerous opportunities for interaction with Glenn’s workforce. 

One of these collaboration activities involved Calvin joining several of Glenn’s 

summer interns and early career employees for lunch. They engaged in an open 

dialogue with Calvin, shared details about their research projects, and inquired 

about her role as chief scientist. 

“I enjoyed being able to ask her [Calvin] questions in a one-on-one setting,” Callie 

Koenig, an International Space Station (ISS) and Human Health intern said. “She 

cared about what each of us is working on. I loved how she highlighted the 

importance of making science more accessible.”

Calvin assumed her role as NASA chief scientist in 2022. Her background includes 

a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science as well as a doctorate 

in management, science, and engineering from Stanford University. Calvin was 

intentional in offering advice to the next generation of NASA workers.

“One of the things that I recognize in my career is everyone is different, and we all 

have different backgrounds,” Calvin said. “We have different ways of accessing 

information and doing things; we all have different ways of working. Listening and 

understanding what people need is important to me.” 

Later that evening, Calvin traveled to the Cleveland Metroparks Watershed 

Stewardship Center, where she spoke on topics related primarily to climate. An 

enthusiastic audience packed the room to hear what Calvin had to say. Her 

presentation touched on current NASA missions, ways for citizens to engage with 

NASA, preparation for the upcoming solar eclipse in April 2024, and more. The 

evening concluded with a Q&A session. 

Photo by Jef Janis
AUGUST 2023

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Dr. Calvin, right, and Dr. David Urban discuss applications of 

ISS research from the NASA Combustion Integrated Rack.

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Dr. Calvin, far left, takes a question from summer intern Justin 

Wheeler during a lunch gathering with interns and early careerists.

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Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon addresses the Agency Science 

Council with a welcome and an overview of Glenn activities.

The morning of July 12 offered an opportunity 

for Glenn employees to get to know Calvin and 

her staff during an informational meet and greet. 

Deputy Chief Scientist David Draper, Associate 

Chief Scientist Dr. Mamta Patel Nagaraja, and 

Associate Chief Scientist Louis Barbier joined 

Calvin for the discussion. NASA employees, 

including interns, from a multitude of disciplines 

attended. They asked questions about topics 

relating to climate change, future missions, and 

ways the public can become more involved with 

NASA’s climate initiatives.

Calvin and the council wrapped up their visit to 

Glenn with technical talks and additional tours. 

“Everything we [NASA] do we think about how 

to share,” Calvin said. “We want to open up 

science and make it easier to use, bring more 

people into it, ensure that it’s inclusive and 

reproducible so people have access to the 

information they need, and they understand what 

it is, where it came from, and how to use it. This 

is an effort across NASA.”

By Lauren Low

On the cover:

While on a tour at Lewis Field, members of the Agency Science Council 

stop to take a photo at the top of the Zero Gravity Drop Tower. 

GRC-2023-C-05796 Photo by Jef Janis

Photo by Bridget Caswell

Photo by Jef Janis

Photo by Jef Janis

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Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon joined Deputy Center Director Dawn Schaible, Associate Director Larry Sivic, and others at the 

Center Town Hall meeting on June 29 to provide updates on Glenn’s progress in meeting our mission and priorities.

Similar to the last town hall, Kenyon began the meeting recognizing recent accomplishments of employees within the Glenn 

workforce and provided updates on the 2023 priorities that were introduced at the last town hall. He also highlighted recent 

aeronautics and space milestones at Glenn.

Kenyon announced that Robyn Gordon (former Center Operations director) has been appointed director of strategy in the 

Office of the Director. Gordon will lead the development and implementation of an integrated strategy to meet short- and 

long-term demands that will ensure the center’s mission success. This work will lay the foundation for Glenn’s strategic 

engagement approach and plan. 

In addition to Glenn being a research center, the center has been recognized as a space flight center. Our expertise in power and 

propulsion, cryogenic fluid management, and space communications is necessary to complete the Moon to Mars objectives. 

“This puts us at the table for conversations that determine the best place to put projects,” Kenyon said. 

NASA 2040

Kenyon said the agency must change its strategies to meet future goals, most notably its Moon to Mars objectives. He 

introduced NASA 2040, the agency initiative that will help define a workforce strategy to transform NASA. 

“We can’t wait,” Kenyon said. “We need to define and develop strategies now. NASA 2040 will give us the data to build the case 

for what we need.” He cited the first three workstream areas of focus under NASA 2040:

Mission Strategy: Define NASA’s future role, a value agenda, and what we will (and won’t) do as an agency.

Budget: Reimagine the financial model for the agency that considers the entire institution to be more

 strategic and transparent.

Structure: Clarify and pressure test roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and behaviors to matrix

 (centers, Mission Directorates, and Mission Support Enterprise Organizations).

An integration team called “the Engine” will be set up to drive progress and results. Workstreams will be supported by 

conducting analysis, bringing test practices, and building capabilities. 

DEIA Implementation

Ashley Cantor, equal opportunity specialist in the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, shared two areas of progress within 

the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) implementation plan. 

A Reflection and Contemplation Room (R&CR) has been created in the Research Analysis Center, building 142, room 

186–1. The space provides a calm and private area for meditation, reflection, and prayer, regardless of faith or belief. 

Additionally, nursing rooms have been updated in all eight locations across Lewis Field. Reservations can be made for 

the R&CR and nursing rooms using the online Book-A-Space Reservation Tool. Information on using the tool is available 

by accessing this link, https://go.nasa.gov/3XVqXrk. 

New Employee Resource Group

The Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) has been designated an official employee resource group. Samantha Yousef, 

chair, said VERG was established to create awareness across the center and build an inclusive and accepting environment 

through education, outreach, development, collaboration, and observances of military service and sacrifice. Dates are set for the 

next prisoner of war/missing in action observance (Sept. 14) and Veterans Day observance (Nov. 15). 

Schaible and Sivic joined Kenyon for a Q&A with employees after the presentations.

By Doreen B. Zudell

Town Hall Addresses Agency

Transformation and More

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Engineers from NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne are conducting qualification testing on the cutting-edge 

solar electric propulsion (SEP) thrusters that will change the in-space propulsion game. The culmination 

of this work will see these innovative thrusters fly on Gateway beginning in 2025, making it the most 

powerful SEP spacecraft ever flown. Gateway is a lunar space station that will serve as an important part 

of NASA’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. 

Led by NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program, the Advanced Electric Propulsion System 

(AEPS), built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, provides 12 kilowatts of propulsive power—over two times more 

powerful than current state-of-the-art in-space electric propulsion systems. These innovative systems 

tout extremely high fuel economy at lower thrust, providing mission flexibility and capabilities not 

achievable using traditional chemical propulsion systems. Three AEPS thrusters will be used on the 

Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) to maneuver Gateway during its planned minimum 15-year mission. 

“AEPS is truly a next-generation technology,” said Clayton Kachele, the AEPS project manager at Glenn. 

“Current electric propulsion systems use around four and a half kilowatts of power, whereas we’re 

significantly increasing power in a single thruster. That capability opens a world of opportunity for future 

space exploration, and AEPS will get us there farther and faster.”

To read the entire article, visit https://go.nasa.gov/3NOHEQp. 

Left to right: Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Hoang Dao and Glenn’s Matt Baird and Jon Mackey prepare the AEPS Qualification Model 1 thruster 

for acceptance testing inside a vacuum facility in Glenn’s Electric Propulsion and Power Laboratory.

Photo by Jef Janis

Putting Gateway Thruster

System to the Test

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AUGUST 2023

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AUGUST 2023
Spreading NASA

Awareness in Paris

Aeronautics Director Tim McCartney and Public Affairs 

Specialist Brian Newbacher (back row, second and third from 

the left) represented Glenn and NASA’s Aeronautics Research 

Mission Directorate (ARMD) at the Paris Air Show, June 19 to 

23. They networked and strengthened relationships with other 

organizations internationally and in Ohio, and educated show 

attendees, including college students, about ARMD missions and 

projects. Retired astronaut Charlie Duke (center front) stopped 

by to learn about the latest research and pose for a photo with 

McCartney and Newbacher, along with representatives from Ohio 

organizations, industry, and universities.

More Than a Memory

Provencher Jr.

Zavesky

Bergquist

Medina

Karl D. Bergquist, 79, a 2011 retiree with 23 years of NASA service, died June 9. Bergquist 

was a metallurgical engineer. He worked in the Fabrication Support Division, which later 

became the Manufacturing Division. Bergquist most notably worked on the Aries I-X rocket 

and received a NASA Group Achievement Award for that effort. He earned several other NASA 

awards for his work. His daughter, Kara Eck, works in the Office of the Director.

Heriberto M. Medina, 74, a 2018 retiree with 38 years of NASA service, died June 1. He 

began his career in the Facilities and Maintenance Division and graduated as a mechanical 

engineering technician from the Apprentice Program in 1985. In the early 1990s, he was part 

of the team that addressed the fabrication, processing, and durability issues associated with 

lightweight metal, intermetallic, and ceramic matrix composites for nozzles that can withstand 

extremely high temperatures. He retired from the Research Testing Division’s Space Power and 

Propulsion Technical Branch. He earned two NASA Honor Awards. 

Charles E. Provencher Jr., 95, a 1992 retiree with 30 years of NASA service, died

May 15, 2023. He was a World War II veteran. Provencher began his engineering career 

at NASA working on the Space Electric Rocket Test I Project in the Spacecraft Technology 

Division, then moved to the Spacecraft Engineering Branch. Later he served in the Regional 

Earth Observations Branch, Communications and Applications Division, and the Systems 

Analysis Branch for the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite Project. He retired 

from the Space Communications Division’s Communications Project Office. Provencher 

earned several awards for his work.

Ralph J. Zavesky, 92, a 1994 retiree with 31 years of NASA service, died May 26. He 

was a U.S. Army veteran. Zavesky began his career working as an aerospace engineer on the 

SERT I project in the early 1960s and helped design the thrusters for the SERT II experiment. 

He subsequently developed 30-cm ion thrusters in the 1970s. He later worked on solar electric 

propulsion and then as the project manager on the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment 

flown on the shuttle in 1990. He earned numerous awards, including two Space Act Awards.

GRC-2023-CN-00014

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Deadline for small items in the August issue is Wednesday, Aug. 16, noon.

News and feature stories require additional time.

Have you signed up for 

the NASA Aeronautics 

Virtual Flight Log?

Sustainability

Ideas Wanted

NASA invites you, your family, and even your 

friends and classmates, to sign up and add 

your name to our list of virtual passengers. 

Your name can ride with us on our X-planes, 

drones, and other flights as NASA explores 

ways to improve aviation for everyone. 

Send your name on a high-flying adventure 

with NASA Glenn’s Pilatus PC-12 as it 

conducts ATM-X research flights. Get your 

boarding pass at https://nasa.gov/flightlog/.

Do you have a great idea for promoting progress in 

sustainability at Glenn? The GRC Sustainability Working 

Group would like to know. Click on this link, https://go.nasa.

gov/44oMJpW, to share your ideas in a virtual suggestion box. 

The Glenn Sustainability Working Group will review your ideas 

and contact you for additional information as needed. 

August 26

Retirements

David DeFelice, Office of Communications, retired July 28, 

2023, with 38 years of NASA service.

Michael Doherty, Space Technology Project Office, retired 

June 17, 2023, with 43 years of NASA service.

Steven M. Geng, Thermal Energy Conversion Branch, retired 

July 29, 2023, with 42 years of NASA service.

Robert D. Green, Thermal Systems and Transport Processes 

Branch, retired June 30, 2023, with 40 years of NASA 

service. 

Matthew Melis, Structures and Materials Division, retired 

June 2, 2023, with 40 years of NASA service.

Dennis W. Rohn, Aeronautics and Ground-Based Systems 

Branch, retired July 31, 2023, with 40 years of NASA service.

AUGUST 2023

7

DeFelice Doherty Geng Green Melis Rohn
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

On June 21, some stellar students 

at NASA Glenn celebrated National 

Selfie Day! With 150 interns working 

on-site at Lewis Field and Armstrong 

Test Facility, National Selfie Day 

was a great way to showcase their 

enthusiasm. Lauren Low, Office of 

Communications intern, coordinated 

the effort and posted some of the 

selfies on Glenn’s Instagram. 

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GRC-2023-CN-00012

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International Space Station and Low-Gravity Exploration Technology interns Callie Koenig, 

Angelica Cuevas, Amanda Strebe, and Justin Wheeler.

Pathway interns Nick Canovas, Blake Beckley, and Nomar Lebron.

Power Systems Engineering intern Alan Maher.

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Space Communications and Navigation intern Jacob 

Cleveland, front, and Pathway intern Michael Moy. 

Interns

Celebrate

Selfie Day!