VOLUME 24 • ISSUE 5 • MAY 2022

Budget Request

Announced

Page 2

Final Flames

Ignite

Page 3

Get Your

Issues Here!

Page 10

NASA’s Highest Honors

Pages 4–9
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

Staying Engaged

At the Stage 1 Safety Stand Down 

last month, we discussed important 

information and reminders to prepare 

for returning to on-site work. Entering 

Stage 1 allows us to increase on-site 

capacity and further reduce other 

COVID–19 restrictions across the center. 

As we transition out of the pandemic 

and into the next phase of the Future 

of Work, there will be some employees 

continuing to work remotely while others 

work on-site. It is critical to ensure all 

employees stay engaged during this time 

of change by conducting meetings and 

working sessions in hybrid environments 

to ensure mission success. I encourage 

you to maintain good communication 

with your supervisor and co-workers, 

regardless of your work location. We 

need everyone to be mindful and 

inclusive as we move forward together, 

safely and with technical excellence.

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER Budget Request Invests in 

Innovation and Leadership

On the Cover: 

Robert Cataldo, right, is recognized for an Exceptional Service Medal 

and 55 years of NASA service during the 2021 Honor and Center Awards 

Ceremony. Cataldo is pictured with Associate Director Larry Sivic, who 

presented the awards. 

Photo by Jef Janis

GRC-2022-C-00944

NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson presented his 2022 State of 

NASA address to the workforce from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 

on March 28. He announced the Biden administration’s $26 billion 

fiscal year 2023 budget request for NASA, which is a significant 

increase over last year’s budget. It marks the largest funding request 

for science in the agency’s history. 

The proposed $26 billion for NASA includes $830 million in spending 

at NASA Glenn. This will help Glenn continue to advance aviation, 

technology, and humanity’s future in space during fiscal year 2023.

The budget would allow NASA to sustain America’s global innovation 

leadership and keep NASA at the forefront of exploration and 

discovery by returning to the Moon with the Artemis program, among 

other efforts. It would enable NASA to address climate change; 

drive economic growth; and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and 

accessibility.

“This budget reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s confidence in 

the extraordinary workforce that makes NASA the best place to work 

in the federal government,” Nelson said. “It’s an investment in the 

businesses and universities that partner with NASA in all 50 states 

and the good-paying jobs they are creating. It’s a signal of support 

for our missions in a new era of exploration and discovery.”

For more information regarding NASA’s budget, visit https://www. NASA nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html.

Vision Exploring the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of Mission humanity, and inspires the world through discovery.

’s 2022 Strategic Plan

4

Theme Discover Explore Innovate Advance

4. Enhance capabilities 

and operations to 

catalyze current and 

future mission 

success 

1. Expand human 2. Extend human presence to 3. Catalyze economic 

growth and drive 

innovation to address 

national challenges

Strategic 

Goals

knowledge through 

new scientific 

discoveries

the Moon and on towards 

Mars for sustainable longterm exploration, 

development, and utilization

This framework strongly supports NASA’s priorities of maintaining America’s global standing, driving economic growth, and addressing climate 

change

Above are NASA’s vision, mission, and strategic goals, as outlined in the NASA 2022 Strategic Plan.
Flames were not just relevant to life in antiquity but 

are integral to our modern lives. They heat our homes 

and water, cook our food, produce our electricity, 

propel our vehicles, and more. Yet, given their great 

complexity, there is still much we do not understand 

about the details of flame behavior. 

To gain a deeper understanding of the combustion 

phenomena, teams of investigators from academia, 

NASA, and other organizations recently completed a 

series of studies on the International Space Station. 

The in-orbit testing for the Advanced Combustion via 

Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project began in 

2017 and included six successful investigations of nonpremixed flames of gaseous fuel. 

The highly successful project has yielded valuable data 

that is being made available to the public.

“A microgravity environment enables researchers to 

explore flame behavior without the influence of gravity, 

so they can investigate the underlying physics behind 

flame structure and behavior,” said Glenn’s ACME 

Project Scientist Dennis Stocker. “That knowledge can 

help designers and engineers develop furnaces, power 

plants, boilers, and other combustion systems that are 

more efficient and less polluting.”

ACME includes the following investigations:

• Burning Rate Emulator 

• Coflow Laminar Diffusion Flame

• Cool Flames Investigation With Gases 

• Electric-Field Effects on Laminar 

Diffusion Flames

• Flame Design

• Structure and Response of Spherical 

Diffusion Flames

The ACME experiments were conducted with a 

single modular set of hardware in the space station’s 

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). The tests were 

remotely commanded from the Glenn ISS Payload 

Operations Center. 

“Over 1,500 flames were ignited, more than three times 

the number originally planned,” said Stocker. “Several 

‘firsts’ were also achieved, perhaps most notably in the 

areas of cool and spherical flames.”

Stocker said about 50 personnel from NASA Glenn, 

academia, and ZIN Technologies Inc. supported ACME 

during four and a half years of in-orbit operations. 

Meanwhile, more than 30 crew members from six 

countries played an essential role in setting up the 

hardware for each investigation and replacing gas 

bottles, igniter tips, etc., as needed.

ACME’s hardware has been removed from the CIR to 

make room for the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction 

(SoFIE) hardware that launched in February 2022. 

It will return to Earth in the coming months but 

may launch again to the space station with future 

experiments.

By Doreen B. Zudell

MAY 2022

Right: Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Kate Rubins reconfigures 

hardware for the next ACME experiment.

Iss064e029405.jpg

Photo by NASA

Final Flames Ignited in Quest

for Combustion’s Secrets

3
4

AGENCY HONOR 

AWARDS

Outstanding Leadership 

Medal

Stephen J. Barsi*

Joyce A. Dever

Sue A. Gaudreau

Paul G. Molnar

Angela D. Windau

June F. Zakrajsek

Outstanding Public 

Leadership Medal

Robin N. Pertz

Exceptional Service Medal

Gregory C. Blank

Frances M. Borato

Robert L. Cataldo

John R. Gatto*

Natalie L. Henrich

John E. Hild

Thomas J. Kacpura

Timothy L. Krantz*

Susan M. Motil*

John R. Oldenburg*

Peter M. Pachlhofer

4

Henrich Hild KacpuraCataldo

Blank BoratoZakrajsek Pertz

WindauDever Gaudreau Molnar

Thanks to the efforts of Krasynthia Murphy, Human Resources 

Office, and a dedicated team of employees across the center, NASA 

Glenn held its 2021 Agency Honor and Center Awards Ceremony—

in person—in the MIC Auditorium on April 11. This was especially 

notable because it was one of the first large-scale in-person 

events for the center since the pandemic. Associate Director 

Larry Sivic awarded the medals and certificates, and NASA’s Chief 

Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor Dr. Katherine Calvin gave the 

keynote presentation.

NASA AGENCY HONOR 2021 AND CENTER AWARDS

*Not pictured
5

MAY 2022

Exceptional Public 

Service Medal

Deborah L. Demaline

Christopher J. Detardo

Paul V. Ferkul

Paul W. Giel

Robert L. Norman

Phillip A. Oberhaus

Marvin G. Smith

Exceptional 

Achievement Medal

Nicole R. Barcellos

Maxwell H. Briggs*

Carlos A. Flores

Rochelle L. Gallagher

Michael J. Garrett

Robyn N. Gordon

Nancy R. Hall*

Stephen J. Hayes

James B. Jackson

Frank J. Kaufhold

Julie E. Kleinhenz

Craig I. Mehl

Marie T. Piasecki

Kurt A. Shalkhauser*

Rickey J. Shyne

Exceptional Public 

Achievement Medal

Sandra M. Bennett

Bridget R. Caswell

Julie M. Glynn

Sandra C. Mason

Pachlhofer Demaline FerkulDetardo

Norman Oberhaus SmithGiel

Flores GallagherBarcellos Garrett

GlynnBennettPiasecki Caswell MasonShyne

Kaufhold KleinhenzHayesGordon MehlJackson
6

Wakefield Brandl Held McVetta Sadhukhan Emerson

Kratz Lefebvre Peery Scheidler Turnbull Veneziano

deFiebre Dye Eppig Falkenbach Hammett Johnson

Ernst Sheets Thompson Almansour Boomer Chan

Wong Padula Pesich Smith Schoenholz Eck
MAY 2022

7

MAY 2022

Exceptional Engineering 

Achievement Medal

Calogero Dirienzo*

Hani Kamhawi*

Edmond Wong

Exceptional Scientific 

Achievement Medal

Santo A. Padula

Justin M. Pesich

Timothy M. Smith

Exceptional Technology 

Achievement Medal

Matthew C. Deans*

Sameer Kulkarni*

Bryan L. Schoenholz

Exceptional Administrative 

Achievement Medal

Kara L. Eck

Maria F. Ernst

Christina Hyder*

Donna J. Sheets

Deborah M. Thompson 

Early Career Achievement Medal

Amjad S. Almansour 

Kristen T. Boomer

Yousef K. Chahine*

Diana Chan

Jesse H. deFiebre

Laurel A. Dye

Bethany M. Eppig

Daniel J. Falkenbach

Donald W. Hammett

Aaron M. Johnson

Jonathan L. Kratz

Mark A. Lefebvre

Brandon W. Peery

Justin J. Scheidler

Elizabeth R. Turnbull

Jonathan J. Veneziano

Piper E. Wakefield

Silver Achievement Medal

Douglas T. Astler*

Donald E. Brandl

Brian A. Held

Michael S. McVetta

Debashis Sadhukhan

Edward J. Zampino*

Senior Executive Service Appointment

Robert E. Conway*

Steven J. Dykeman*

Carlos Garcia-Galan*

Scientific and Professional 

Appointment

Ronald D. Noebe*

Mark G. Turner*

Adabelle Narvaez-Legeza*

Presidential Rank Award

Dawn C. Emerson 

GROUP ACHIEVEMENT 

AWARDS

Advanced Full Range Engine Team

Agency-Wide Virtual VHDL

Training Team

Analysis of Alternatives Study for 

Acoustics, Icing, and Combustion

Collaboration Modernization Team

Creative Management Technologies 

Janitorial Staff

Flow Boiling and Condensation 

Experiment Team

GRC COVID–19 Team

GRC SolarWinds Cybersecurity 

Response Team

GRC Space Launch System Mission 

and Fault Management Team

High Voltage Emergency Response 

and Restoration Team

HLS Small Multipurpose Research 

Facility (SMiRF) Test Team

KSC Institutional, Facility, Operational 

Safety Audit (IFOSA) Team

N95 Mask Ozone Sterilization 

System Team

PPE KDP–0 Cost Estimating and 

Scheduling Team

Research Support Building Team

Saffire–IV and –V Development and 

Operations Team Swept Wing Icing 

Research Team

Unmanned Aircraft System/National 

Airspace System Team

W7 Small-Core High-Pressure 

Compressor Team

SILVER GROUP 

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

80th Anniversary Planning Team

Broadcast Services Team

Compact Additively Manufactured 

Innovative Electric Motor (CAMIEM) 

Team

GRC Virtual Tours Team

Influenza and COVID Vaccination 

Events Team

Orion Mechanism Fracture Control 

Implementation Team

SMA Technical Excellence Program 

(STEP) 2020

Space Communications and 

Navigation (SCaN) Wideband Team

*Not pictured
88

2021 Distinguished

Publication Award

Experimental Investigation of an Ultra-High 

Bypass Ratio Embedded Boundary Layer 

Ingesting Propulsor for Subsonic Cruise Aircraft

David J. Arend, John D. Wolter, Stefanie M. Hirt, 

and John A. Gazzinga, NASA Glenn Research 

Center; and William T. Cousins, Larry W. Hardin, 

Dmytro M. Voytovych, and Om P. Sharma, United 

Technologies Research Center

Diversity Leadership Award

Charles A. Doxley

Diversity Leadership Group Award

GRC Gender-Neutral Restrooms Project Team

Team Safety Award

HVAC Assessment and Design Team

Supervisor Award

Jeffrey C. Brown

James R. Demers

Gary S. Williamson

Support Assistant/Clerical Award

Anabel Falcon

Alcyon Technical Services Exceptional 

Administrative/Clerical Performance 

Award

Carole A. Bruck

Shawanda M. George

Patty A. Gross

Wendy Lapsevich*

Federal Acquisition Certification for 

Program and Project Managers

Nicole Smith*

CENTER AWARD

GrossFalcon GeorgeBruck

Brown Demers WilliamsonDoxley

*Not pictured
MAY 2022

9

MAY 2022

Miller SalemDelventhal Kovach

Woodling AcquavivaWalkerSpanos

CataldoZonaCressman Makovec

Text provided by the 2021 NASA Honor Awards Program.

Photos provided by the Imaging Technology Center.

40 Years of Service

Deborah J. Bizon*

Helen M. Ceh*

Rex A. Delventhal

Steven L. Fedor*

Randall B. Furnas*

Steven M. Geng*

Daniel S. Gorman*

Christopher E. Hughes*

Dereck F. Johnson*

Daniel J. Kovach

Robert R. Kowalski*

Maria A. Kuczmarski*

Jerry Lang*

Sharon K. Miller

Jonathan A. Salem 

Patrick Spanos

George L. Stefko*

Boyd M. Vance*

Darlene S. Walker

Mark A. Woodling

45 Years of Service

Cynthia S. Acquaviva

James A. Blankschaen*

Thomas O. Cressman

Robert J. Makovec

Kathleen A. Zona

50 Years of Service

Donald Swedinovich*

55 Years of Service

Robert L. Cataldo

CAREER SERVICE AWARDS
10

Poole

More Than a Memory

Johnnie L. Poole, 73, a 2008 retiree with 40 years of NASA service, died March 16. Poole began his 

NASA career in the Machine Shop, Fabrication Division, in 1967, and graduated from the Apprentice 

Program as an experimental metal maker in 1971. He soon moved to the Test Installations Division, 

where he served in several branches, and earned a distinction as a skilled machinist and fabricator. 

Poole retired in the Research Testing Division’s Space Power and Technology Branch. He received 

several incentive and group achievement awards.

Get Your Issues Here!

Changes to AeroSpace Frontiers 

Distribution 

Hunt Enthusiastically Shared NASA Research

Hunt

Dwayne Hunt, 55, an Alcyon Technical Services (ATS) employee who served as exhibits outreach 

supervisor in Glenn’s Office of Communications (OCOMM), died unexpectedly on March 29. He was a 

U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Hunt supported NASA Glenn since 1999 as an exhibit specialist and traveled 

throughout the country setting up and supporting traveling exhibits that educated and excited the public 

about NASA’s research. 

“Dwayne had a positive approach to life and work, a good sense of humor, and a wonderful tendency to 

focus not on a problem but how to solve it,” said ATS TIALS 2 Program Manager Ann Heyward. “He had 

a deep and genuine passion for NASA and making NASA’s amazing work and achievements accessible 

to everyone.”

“Dwayne was a part of our office ‘family’ throughout his NASA career,” said Acting Chief of OCOMM 

David DeFelice. “He will be terribly missed by all of us.”

As employees transition to a hybrid work environment, the center’s newsletter is doing so as well. 

Glenn’s Office of Communications will continue to produce AF and send notifications about its 

availability on the second Friday of each month. In response to higher online readership, changes in 

on-site staff levels, and a desire to be more environmentally sustainable, the hard copy issues will no 

longer be distributed via mail stops. However, a limited number of hard copies will be available at our 

publication stands located throughout Lewis Field and the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. 

Hard copy publication stands are available in the following locations:

Lewis Field: Main Gate, Administration Building, Research Support Building, Mission Integration 

Center, and Fitness Center. Neil Armstrong Test Facility Test Facility: Main Gate and Engineering 

Building (more locations to come). 

Additional copies are available in the AeroSpace Frontiers Office in the Administration Building, 

room 5. Please contact Editor Doreen Zudell via Teams if you have any questions.

Back Copies Available

This month, a limited number of undistributed 2020-22 AeroSpace Frontiers issues 

will be available for pick up in the MIC lobby. Look for details on Inside Glenn.
MAY 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, May 18,

noon. News and feature stories 

require additional time.

If you haven’t checked Inside Glenn 

for a while and are wondering what 

you have missed, you’re in luck! 

The Daily Digest Archives button in 

the Quick Links section includes all 

Center News, Director’s Corner, and 

Glenn Community announcements 

in reverse chronological order. 

Check it out!

INSIDE GLENN TIPS

Promotion

Graham

Kimberly D. Graham has been selected executive 

support assistant in the Center Operations Directorate. 

She previously served on a detail assignment in this 

position. During the past 13 years, Graham has provided 

administrative and clerical services as a support service 

contractor in the Tribology and Mechanical Components 

Branch, Office of STEM Engagement, and the Lean Six 

Sigma Office.

Celebrate Glenn’s

Historic District

May is National Preservation Month. The month 

celebrates the nation’s heritage through historic 

places. In celebration, NASA Glenn’s Cultural 

Resources Management Program has made 

“The Evolution of the Historic District” video—

produced during our 75th anniversary—available 

to employees to learn more about the history of our center. Visit https://

www.grc.nasa.gov/f/fe/programs/#CulturalResources. (Look under Links 

and click on “Evolution of Historic District Video.”)

Retirements

Haag Weiland

Thomas Haag, Electric Propulsion Systems Branch, Propulsion Division, 

Research and Engineering Directorate, retired April 9, 2022, with 37 years of 

NASA service. 

Karen J. Weiland, Science and 

Space Technology Systems 

Branch, Systems Engineering 

and Architecture Division, 

Research and Engineering 

Directorate, retired March 31, 

2022, with 31 years of NASA 

service.

GLENN

HAPPENINGS

Each month the Glenn Library hosts 

Information Café, a forum to highlight 

a library or information resource. 

Join them on the third Wednesday of 

each month from 11–11:45 a.m. The 

May 18 discussion will focus on the 

partnership between Glenn’s library 

and the Cuyahoga County Public 

Library. Check Inside Glenn for the link. 

POC: robin.n.pertz@nasa.gov

INFORMATION CAFÉ

Emergency Management Office staff 

will conduct a mass notification voice 

test at buildings 100 and 302 on 

Wednesday, June 1, at Lewis Field. An 

audible siren test on the “HAZMAT” 

tone will be conducted on Saturday, 

June 4.

POC: allen.r.turner@nasa.gov

OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING
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

From the onset of the pandemic and throughout the stages of the NASA 

Framework for Return to On-site Work (RTOW), the Protective Services 

Office has safeguarded NASA Glenn’s people and facilities.

When the center entered Stage 4 of the RTOW Framework, Protective 

Services (operated with Golden SVCS employees) worked with senior 

leadership to evaluate the office’s services. While there was a small 

reduction in staff who could telework, uniformed officers, supervisors, 

and medical first responders were needed on-site at Lewis Field and the 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility.

The immediate challenge was to provide the necessary services while 

adhering to all COVID–19 guidelines. The office initiated procedural 

changes, such as shift adjustments, to follow social distancing mandates. 

As most facilities were vacant or had limited occupancy, officers became 

the eyes of the center by conducting regular building walk-throughs to 

assess physical issues. This proved to be a valuable activity, as they 

discovered issues, such as cracks and leaks, that would have resulted in 

serious damage if left unattended. 

From the beginning, Protective Services took on the task of overseeing the 

center access list. This involved updating the on-site access list daily and 

checking employees through the gates. The office instituted a card reader 

program to assist in safely and efficiently clearing personnel through the 

gates. Officers also handled attestation forms and verified COVID–19 test 

results for approved visitors. Occupancy reports were provided to senior 

leadership to ensure on-site population levels were maintained.

Many thanks to our Protective Services staff for rising to the challenge and 

protecting Glenn’s people and facilities during the pandemic, and beyond.

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. 

Right: Security Guard McKenzie Myers checks the center access list at the Lewis 

Field Main Gate to ensure that employees have been granted access. 

GRC-2022-C-01392 Photo by Jef Janis