Armstrong In-Flight

Chase Photography

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

IT Talk

Jul - Sep 2023 Volume 13 • Issue 3
IT Talk

Jul - Sep 2023 Volume 13 • Issue 3

Office of the CIO

NASA Headquarters

Mary W. Jackson Building

300 E Street SW

Washington, D.C. 20546

Chief Information Officer

Jeff Seaton

Editor & Publication Manager

Eldora Valentine

Graphic & Web Designer

Michael Porterfield

Copy Editor

Meredith Isaacs

Mia Roundtree

IT Talk is an official publication of the 

Office of the Chief Information Officer 

of the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration, Headquarters, 

Washington, D.C. It is published 

by the OCIO office for all NASA 

employees and external audiences.

For distribution questions or to 

suggest a story idea, email:

eldora.valentine-1@nasa.gov

To read IT Talk online visit:

www.nasa.gov/offices/ocio/ittalk

For more info on the OCIO:

v www.nasa.gov/offices/ocio

v nasa.sharepoint.com/sites/cio/

 (Internal NASA network only)

v www.nasa.gov/open/

www.facebook.com/NASAcio

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Message From 

the NASA CIO

Armstrong In-Flight

Chase Photography

The View Through 

Johnson’s Lens

Deeper Learning: 

Generative AI Evolution

Meet the Network and 

Telecom Services Mission 

Imagery Office

In this Issue
NASA IT provides the agency with secure and easy access to the information we 

need to fulfill our mission. In this issue, we highlight some of the great photography 

and videography work the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and its 

field centers are doing to support the missions.

We’ll also explore NASA’s path to improving both cybersecurity and usability 

through Zero Trust! The NASA OCIO is working to improve the agency’s cybersecurity posture, simplify security for our IT users, and deliver a solid Zero Trust Architecture. This effort is helping us protect NASA’s vital information and resources.

The Applications and Platform Services Extended Reality (XR) team is using their 

expertise to develop solutions across a wide range of applications, including 

simulations in Virtual/Augmented Reality and Mobile 3D Apps for Apple iOS and 

Android devices. XR is an exciting and immersive experience that can help showcase high-tech concepts and aid in mission visualizations in new ways. We’ll dive 

into how Virtual/Augmented Reality is changing the way some NASA employees 

collaborate remotely.

Also, there has been a lot of talk in the news regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence technology. OCIO recognizes that 

NASA has a creative, curious, and scientific workforce and that many are interested in popular AI technologies like ChatGPT. Today, OCIO is working with a community of potential early adopters across NASA to investigate the use of certain 

AI technologies, via an authorized cloud environment. In the future, we look forward to bringing these capabilities into our 

secure operations to further support NASA missions.

As always, we have many intriguing and timely stories to share with you. I hope you find them interesting and enjoy learning about how NASA IT is changing to support your mission needs.

Sincerely, Jeff Seaton

NASA Chief Information Officer

NASA OCIO IT Talk Jul - Sep 2023 3

Message from the NASA CIO

JPL Welcomes New Chief Data and Information Officer

By Whitney Haggins, IT Communication Strategist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Matthew “Matt” Decker has joined JPL as the 

laboratory’s Chief Data and Information Officer 

(CDIO). The CDIO is a new position, reporting to 

the JPL Deputy Director, and is responsible for 

strategic oversight of all IT, data, and software 

functions across the lab. 

Decker comes to JPL from Pennsylvania State 

University’s Applied Research Lab, a UniversityAffiliated Research Center (UARC) where he 

was CIO. During his leadership at Penn State, 

Decker set the vision, strategy, and direction for 

information technology services and cybersecurity for the university’s naval research center 

and, as interim CIO and Vice Provost for the 

university, led the transformation strategy and 

efforts to standardize IT operations across all of 

Penn State’s campuses and prepare for leadership transition. 

Prior to his recent CIO position, Decker held 

several IT positions of increasing responsibility 

at Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T), a contractor to the National Nuclear 

Security Administration within the Department of 

Energy. As CIO, he was responsible for strategic 

planning and integration of IT strategy within the 

broader FM&T business strategy. In his career, 

Decker has worked in multiple industries, 

including telecommunications, healthcare, environmental regulatory compliance, technology 

consulting, national defense (nuclear weapons, 

intelligence), and higher education.

Decker holds a master of business administration degree and a master of arts degree in 

management and leadership from Webster University, as well as a bachelor of science degree 

in telecommunications from DeVry Institute of 

Technology, both located in Kansas City, MO.
Deeper Learning: Generative AI Evolution

By Mia Roundtree, Junior Technical Writer/Editor, NASA Headquarters OCIO Communications

Generative artificial intelligence is a 

developing branch of AI machine learning (AI/ML) techniques that relies on 

generative models to assist machine 

learning. For example, companies 

such as OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) 

are using large language models to 

develop neural networks that encourage self-discovery and internalization 

of data by deployable AI tools now 

accessible commercially. The goal is 

to more efficiently empower these AI 

machines to gain an understanding of 

reality with minimal human interaction 

or manual training. Generative AI is 

now allowing massive leaps in AI/ML, 

which innovators hope will lead to the 

first successful “Artificial General Intelligence” (AGI) comparable to human intelligence and behaviors. Generative AI 

will allow AIs to interact with humans; 

provide existing data and education on 

a topic; and generate its own conclusions, imagery, and other educational 

frameworks to support a query. 

Generative AI has entered several 

markets in 2023, spurring innovation 

in gaming engines (capable of both 

entertainment and immersive imaging 

capabilities), chemical biology and the 

exploration of chemical space, 2D-to3D conversion and photo enhancement 

(including Google’s “3D telepresence” 

technology), advanced mathematics, 

flood prediction technology, and more. 

Humans must now judge the outputs 

of generative AI learning to reduce 

commonly faced “hallucinations” that 

provide queries with made-up information to allow commercial applications 

of this technology to be more reliable. 

These emerging technologies will 

require us to evolve alongside our tools 

to develop AI data and performance 

regulations, ethics, and human education on how to coexist with emerging 

artificial intelligence tools. 

NASA already utilizes AI for training 

rover technologies, discovering new 

planets, performing virtual analysis, 

and more. Learn more from January’s 

IT Talk article “AI at NASA.” With recent 

evolutions in generative AI technologies spurred by AI research and/or deployment companies, the opportunities 

for us to leverage AI and ML further will 

expand exponentially. 

Most people think of AI and recall 

science fiction scenes of doom, but 

those who interact most with information technology think of the feats that 

AI makes possible for human innovation. AI can calculate faster, more 

reliably, and with wider vision than 

the human mind, which is vital for an 

agency attempting to support missions 

in space that continue to successfully protect human life and billions 

invested in space exploration. NASA 

recently celebrated the successful 

use of AI and ML to identify possible 

cracks in astronaut gloves, to train 

rovers remotely, and to calculate the 

trajectory of objects in space to avoid 

collisions. A calculation that takes AI 

less than 45 seconds would once have 

taken days to complete (DT: AI/ML on 

the ISS). Data analysis tools capable 

of this calculation rate allow humanity 

to compute at capacities never before 

possible. Generative AI will allow us 

to train and communicate with the AIs 

capable of these feats more efficiently. 

Planetary discovery, space exploration 

and analysis, and even communications across light-years may all become more possible because of sending AI to explore space where humans 

cannot safely reach in a lifetime. 

As NASA explores AI capabilities and 

applications to mission support, generative AI has the potential to play a large 

part in virtual analysis environments, 

space exploration, and general data 

analytics in support of our information 

technology objectives. Its various forms 

also pose risks to NASA security as 

they are developing today: some are 

cloud-based internationally; some are 

not compliant with agency data security regulations and have inconsistent 

data safeguards; and AI use involves 

data and intellectual property ambiguity. NASA has not yet authorized the 

operation of generative AI for agency 

use and will not be exposing sensitive 

agency data to commercial generative 

AIs at this time. However, AI technologies will mature in capability and security approaches, and NASA is beginning 

to experiment with and test generative 

AI for potential future secure onboarding. NASA has already announced

(link internal to NASA) the next stage in 

developing integration strategies for AI 

in our missions and mission support, 

coordinating with early adopters across 

NASA to enable the future use of generative AI broadly across the agency.

4 www.nasa.gov
Langley Research Center Historical Photo Archives 

By Zehna Windle, Customer Relationship Manager, Langley Research Center

The Photo Archives team at NASA’s 

Langley Research Center is working 

towards digitizing Langley’s physical 

photo archive, which contains over 

550,000 negatives, and dates back to 

1921. 

Following guidance set forth in the 

Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines 

Initiative and using cutting edge equipment and software, the team averages 5,575 scans per month and is 

estimated to finish by December 2025. 

As these photos are digitized, they are 

uploaded onto the Central Langley 

Image Collection (CLIC) server which 

is housed in the Katherine Johnson 

Computational Research Facility Data 

Center at Langley Research Center. 

This server hosts a web-based application that allows internal NASA users to 

search through Langley’s unclassified 

and declassified photo archive collection. After successful digitization and 

upload to the CLIC server, negatives 

considered to be permanent records 

are sent to the National Archives and 

Records Administration in accordance 

with Federal and agency policy and 

directives. 

In addition to ensuring NASA Langley’s rich history is forever preserved 

through their digitization efforts, 

Langley’s Photo Archives team also 

supports customers and other teams 

across the center with a variety of 

services pertaining to Langley’s image 

collection.

Earlier this year, Photo Specialist & 

Archivist, Terry Hornbuckle had the 

pleasure of supporting Langley’s Office of Communications in their work 

with the family of NASA’s first Senior 

Photographer William “Bill” Taub, who 

wished to donate his personal images to the archives. Hired to work for 

NACA in 1942, Mr. Taub is responsible 

for many of the Agency’s most famous 

photographs, to include those taken 

during Project Mercury, and both the 

Gemini and Apollo programs.

The team is also called to support 

Langley’s Office of Communication 

(OCOMM) activities, such as a request 

earlier this year for twelve images 

delivered in high resolution for the 

“Apollo: When We Went to the Moon”

exhibit at the Virginia History and 

Culture Museum in Richmond, Virginia. 

The exhibit opened in mid-March of 

2023 and runs through December 31, 

2023.

The work performed by Langley’s 

Photo Archives team is recognized inside and outside the agency. In 2022, 

the NASA Imagery Experts Program 

awarded team member, Terry Hornbuckle, with the Ray Banks Award for 

her passion, creativity, and endless 

energy in support of NASA imagery.

Through their dedication to preserving 

decades of NASA Langley’s rich history 

and achievements, Langley’s Photo 

Archives team is doing excellent work 

for the agency.

NASA OCIO IT Talk Jul - Sep 2023 5
Armstrong In-Flight Chase Photography:

Focus on Aeronautical Research

By Debbie Phillips, CyPrESS Cybersecurity Specialist, and Tai Leathers, Business Transformation Analyst, Armstrong Flight 

Research Center

Imagine being in a chase vehicle 

photographing a Formula One racecar 

in action—but the racecar is a Government-sponsored research vehicle flying 

at 50,000 feet at Mach 2. Welcome to 

the world of in-flight chase photography, where world-class aeronautics 

photographers at NASA’s Armstrong 

Flight Research Center (AFRC) at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, are redefining the craft by merging advanced photographic techniques, science, and IT.

Pioneering Photographers

The idea of in-flight chase photography 

summons images of Air Force One, 

Apollo capsules descending to choppy 

seas, and Space Shuttles landing on 

scorched desert runways; but modern 

in-flight chase photography extends 

far beyond the safety and recording 

purposes it provided in days gone by. 

Today, in-flight chase photographers 

are integral to NASA’s aeronautics 

research.

Carla Thomas and Jim Ross are 

award-winning aeronautics photographers at AFRC who, combined, have 

60+ years of photography experience 

for NASA.

In-flight chase photography differs 

from ground-level aviation photography 

in that it requires the photographer to 

work from an airplane that is chasing 

the subject research airplane. If that 

sounds extremely dangerous, it is. Jim 

reflects, “While flight safety is always 

a priority, when multiple aircraft are 

involved, the risk of air-to-air collision 

adds to the already heightened danger.” To mitigate the increased danger, 

detailed crew briefings and aircraft 

maintenance inspections are strictly 

enforced. As Carla and Jim can attest, 

NASA photographers are required to 

undergo much of the same rigorous 

safety and preflight training as the 

research pilots and support crews.

No Do-Overs

Unlike staged photography on the 

ground, in-flight chase photography 

does not allow for mistakes; chase 

photographers must get it right the first 

time. While the pilots of the subject 

plane and chase plane are commanding their respective aircraft, the chase 

photographers are responsible for 

recording air-to-air events in real time 

after extensive preflight planning.

Albert Einstein’s adage “failure is 

success in progress” aptly applies to 

aeronautics research, and Carla and 

Jim have captured images of both 

successes and failures. While NASA’s 

aeronautics research successes are 

well-publicized, one spectacular failure 

witnessed and photographed by Jim 

was that of the unpiloted hypersonic X43A aircraft in 2001, when the air vehicle 

was purposefully destroyed in flight 

as a safety precaution after it deviated 

from its intended course after a rocket 

booster failure. Carla also witnessed 

and photographed a catastrophic event 

while shooting the final flight of the 

remotely piloted X-56B in 2021, which 

resulted in the total loss of the aircraft. 

Not only did Jim witness and photograph an SR-71 narrowly averting a 

fuel leak disaster while performing a 

flyby at the 1997 Oshkosh Airshow, but 

he and the flight crew convinced naysayers that the leak was visibly more 

substantial than what was considered 

normal for the aircraft.

More Than What Meets the Eye

The images resulting from in-flight 

chase photography are considered 

research data because they contain 

information to be used for reference 

or analysis. These visible data are not 

the only form of data produced by the 

NASA photographers. Through the use 

of schlieren imaging, invisible data can 

also be captured.

(Continued on page 7)

6 www.nasa.gov
Schlieren imaging was developed in the 

late 1890s as an optical technology that 

allows changes in air density to be imaged, including shock waves in supersonic flight and vortices in supersonic 

and subsonic flight. (Shock waves rarely 

are visible to the unaided eye unless 

numerous conditions align perfectly.)

As Carla explains, “The schlieren 

camera is unlike any standard aerial 

camera. Schlieren allows us to map 

the shock wave structure right up to 

the aircraft. These images will be most 

useful if there are differences between 

the predicted and measured loudness 

of the aircraft to understand where the 

predictions fall short. Schlieren imagery 

will be an important piece of NASA’s 

sonic boom research.”

Photography & the Sound Barrier

NASA’s X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator Program is researching the 

possibility of reducing the thunderous volume of sonic booms to a mere 

thump. Diminishing the intensity of 

sonic booms also could benefit commercial supersonic flight over land, 

thereby greatly reducing flight times.

The X-59 program is supported by 

multiple NASA Centers, including 

Armstrong. The X-59 aircraft, known 

as QueSST (short for Quiet SuperSonic 

Technology), is being built at Lockheed 

Martin’s Skunk Works in Palmdale, CA, 

not far from Armstrong’s main campus. 

The first X-59 QueSST test flight is 

scheduled for 2024, but Armstrong has 

been supporting the X-59 program for 

several years by developing an innovative airborne schlieren camera system 

capable of imaging shock waves with 

high resolution. Armstrong’s X-59 support project is known as SchAMROQ 

(short for Schlieren, Airborne Measurements, and Range Operations for 

QueSST).

Based on Carla’s self-taught schlieren imaging expertise, Armstrong’s 

SchAMROQ team approached her in 

2019 for guidance on camera configuration; however, it became apparent 

that human-factors issues and integration of the airborne schlieren camera 

equipment into the aft cockpit of an 

F/A-18B would be challenging. Carla 

devised a unique configuration for the 

camera to provide enhanced stability 

while using an external monitor to view 

the images taken. Armstrong’s SchAMROQ team gratefully acknowledged 

Carla’s vital contributions to helping 

their instrumentation-development 

team support the X-59 program.

IT as a Constant

Both Carla and Jim had extensive photography experience when they joined 

NASA, when film cameras and chemical 

processing were the norm. They experimented with digital cameras in the late 

1980s and have used digital cameras 

exclusively since 2007. Recently, Jim 

photographed Armstrong’s Global Hawk 

aircraft and produced 1,000 digital images in under an hour; only 54 of those 

images met his high standards.

Today, IT is an essential element of 

the photographic life cycle, from the 

memory cards in digital cameras, to 

specialized postflight image-processing software, to the state-of-the-art 

archiving facilities that protect their 

photographic records for future aeronautics researchers. 

Also, Armstrong’s five-person 

photography department is a selfsupporting office that utilizes IT 

for many less-impressive—but 

important—duties, such as scheduling 

public affairs imagery, employee 

portraits, and passport photos.

No stranger to incorporating current IT 

into his work, Jim used his iPhone to 

capture a selfie while in an F-18 chase 

plane. The photo won an award for 

2022 NASA Photographer of the Year—

third place in the “People” category.

Next-Generation Aeronautics 

Photography

Carla and Jim acknowledge the everexpanding technologies available to 

NASA photographers, and they are 

working to share that knowledge with 

the rest of their team. For future in-flight 

chase photographers, advanced technologies, science, and IT will always 

be critical components of the job...but 

experience can be found only in the air.

(Continued from page 6)

AFRC’s Award-Winning 

Photographers

Jim Ross

• 2001: NASA Public Service Medal

• 2001: Silver Snoopy Award (for 

providing the NASA Astronaut 

Office with outstanding support)

• 2001: Aviation Week & Space 

Technology photo contest: “Best 

of the Best” Award (top award)

• 2009: NASA Manned Space Flight 

Awareness Award (for providing 

the Space Shuttle Program 

with outstanding support)

• 2014: NASA Exceptional Public 

Achievement Medal 

• 2022: NASA Photographer of the 

Year: third place in the “People” 

category in Agency contest

Carla Thomas

• 1994: Silver Snoopy Award

• 2001: OAO Corporation 

Employee of the Year

• 2003: NASA Public Service Medal

• 2008: Manned Space Flight 

Awareness for STS-126

• 2009: National Geographic 

magazine, June edition: Space 

Shuttle image, two-page spread

• 2011: Pride in NASA

• 2012: Mission Support Peer Award

• 2015: Women in Aerospace 

Lifetime Achievement Award

• 2017: Arcata Buck W. Wong 

Employee of the Year

NASA OCIO IT Talk Jul - Sep 2023 7
The View Through Johnson’s Lens

By Katherine Herrick, Communications Lead, Johnson Space Center

Like many places onsite at Johnson 

Space Center, the videography and 

photography laboratory in Building 

Eight is a mishmash of things old and 

new: in one area, video techs collect 

real-time moving imagery and apply 

metadata to live footage from the 

International Space Station (ISS), while 

just down the hall is a room of mobile 

shelves filled with physical tapes 

from past missions. In another space 

is the setup for controlling NASA TV 

broadcasts, but it sits in a room filled 

with odd steps up and down in places 

where platforms were retroactively 

built to cover troves of server wires 

spread across the floor (these were 

added to support growing coverage 

needs for ISS missions). On another 

floor, there are massive printers to 

create signage, stickers, and life-size 

cardboard cutouts of astronauts; just 

up the stairs sits the bench where Neil 

Armstrong used to wait for eye exams 

and teeth cleanings before the building 

supported multimedia. 

These contrasts illustrate the evolution 

that the building and its technology 

have been through, showing how 

these teams have regularly and rapidly 

adapted to change to support NASA 

missions.

Rolling with technological 

advancements is only a snapshot of 

what the multimedia teams handle 

day to day. Other challenges include 

strengthening IT security, keeping 

up with cataloging, and thinking 

about storage requirements the team 

will need in coming years. Almost a 

petabyte’s worth of workable storage 

is already locally housed at the Video 

Control Center—and that is only the 

digital files. 

“When video went digital, it made 

life a lot easier,” says Daniel Gates, 

the multimedia engineer and project 

manager in Building Eight. Gates 

says the digital files are much easier 

to store and manipulate compared to 

the 50,000–60,000 Space Shuttle–era 

tapes that need to be digitized (a 

project estimated to take roughly eight 

years to complete). 

The teams also juggle projects for 

multiple programs at once: “We’re 

supporting multimedia for station, but 

now we have Orion coming in; we have 

Axiom, Boeing, Artemis,” says Gates. 

“We’re always preparing the next thing 

while we’re still working on the current 

project.” 

Amid the chaos, Gates is always sure 

to pause and appreciate the incredible 

images his team produces. “When I 

find myself keeping my head down in 

the work, I make sure to watch the live 

footage of the sunrise and sunset on 

station,” he says. “It’s the only place I 

can see nine sunsets and sunrises in 

a day. I have to make sure to stop and 

appreciate it.”

Employees gather real-time metadata to apply to 

live footage from the International Space Station.

Photo Credit: JSC / Bill Stafford

The video repository for physical copies of film 

in Building 8 at Johnson Space Center.

Photo Credit: JSC / Bill Stafford

8 www.nasa.gov
Making History and Inspiring the Future 

through NASA Stennis Video Services

By Karl Wilcox and Jennifer Melton, Stennis Space Center, OCIO Video Services

With a proud history of supporting 

NASA missions such as testing rocket 

stages and engines, from the Apollo 

Program, the Space Shuttle Program, 

and now the agency’s Artemis missions, NASA’s Stennis Space Center 

is the nation’s largest rocket engine 

testing facility. Sharing test events 

with NASA partners and the public is 

an important aspect of NASA Stennis’ communications and outreach. 

As technologies advance, the NASA 

Stennis Video Services team continues to innovate providing high-quality 

services. Technologies have evolved 

from the early days of Apollo using 

movie file, magnetic tape, and analog 

video, to the current digital 4K video 

capabilities delivered to live broadcast 

TV, as well as streaming social media 

content to Facebook and YouTube. In 

cooperation with the Stennis Aviation 

Operations group, aerial drone video is 

incorporated into most engine testing 

coverage. This new capability provides 

a unique perspective into rocket testing achieved through successful implementation of modern technologies.

Currently, NASA Stennis is testing 

engines for the new Space Launch 

System (SLS) rockets used to launch 

the Artemis mission series. The Video 

Services team positioned resources on 

the ground and stood around the clock 

as the core stage was installed on the 

B-2 Test Stand. The team worked with 

other NASA centers and NASA TV to 

simulcast the SLS Core Stage Green 

Run test, the first multi-engine test 

conducted by NASA in over 40 years. 

Three members of the NASA Stennis 

team received a special invitation to 

assist with video services at NASA’s 

Kennedy Space Center during the 

rollout of the Artemis I rocket from the 

Vehicle Assembly Building and the 

subsequent Artemis I launch. Since 

January 2021, at NASA Stennis, the 

Video Services team has supported 

25 tests covering the RS-25 engines 

that are integral to powering the SLS 

rocket. Video coverage included rocket 

component testing (Thrust Vector 

Control Gimballing Test), infrastructure 

maintenance and upgrades (Locks 

Renovations) and monitoring/software 

verification (Phased Array Microphone 

System Project). The team also continues to capture lift and installation of 

RS-25 engines on the Fred Haise Test 

Stand for single-engine testing.

The Video Services team supports 

center programs to educate the public 

on what is being accomplished at 

NASA Stennis. The team also extends 

support to the Federal City community 

by covering special meetings and developing instructional videos or promotional materials. Video communications 

will continue to inspire future generations of space enthusiasts and further 

advance NASA Stennis’ development 

of technologies for rocket testing.

Single rocket engine test at the Fred 

Haise Test Stand. This stand has been 

in operation since the Apollo program.

A view from inside the B-2 Test Stand 

showing the 4 RS-25 engines firing 

during the Green Run Core Stage test.

NASA OCIO IT Talk Jul - Sep 2023 9
Meet the Network and Telecommunications Services 

Mission Imagery Office By Sylvester Placid, Communications Team Lead, Marshall Space Flight Center

The Mission Imagery Office within Network 

and Telecommunications Services (NaTS) 

provides a full spectrum of photography and 

video services for NASA missions.

The NaTS Imagery Office enables photographs 

and video for every kind of NASA mission, 

including the flutter of wind tunnel models; 

aircraft in the sky; astronauts living in space; 

the progression of experiments; and launch, 

docking, parachute deployment, and splashdown of spacecraft. Critical decisions are made 

with imagery of spacecraft umbilical disconnects, near misses, and heat shields before and 

after atmospheric reentry. Photos and video for 

these purposes are essential because telemetry 

data may not tell the whole story, and scientific 

knowledge is developed through imagery. The 

NaTS Imagery Office records, distributes, and archives this valuable resource for the agency and 

manages access control for sensitive content.

The office is split into multimedia and imagery 

services. Multimedia services include still and 

motion imagery; Mission Control Center backend imagery console support; Center of Record 

for human space flight; mission multimedia 

system design, build, and maintenance; downlinked imagery capture, processing, recording, cataloging, and archiving; photographic 

printing and production; and video operations 

production and distribution.

Imagery services include still and motion, 

security, high-speed, and operational imagery; 

KSC Imagery Repository; video production; 

photojournalism; telescopic optics; and Radio 

Frequency (RF) and Internet Protocol (IP) television, encompassing the satellite, terrestrial, 

and digital backend for all three NASA TV 

channels—public, media, and ultra-highdefinition (UHD) feeds—and the Enterprise 

Video Content Delivery Network (EVCDN) that 

powers and distributes video to NASA TV, NASA 

YouTube and social channels, IPTV channels at 

Centers, and https://video.nasa.gov.

The NASA Imagery Experts Group (NIEG) is 

housed within the office. The NIEG program 

consults with missions across the agency for 

their imagery requirements, sets the direction 

for future NASA imagery requirements, and 

leverages NaTS telecommunications and networking infrastructure for public and private 

distribution of imagery products.

NaTS Imagery Office Chief William Merrill says, 

“Photos and video convey truth that other mediums miss. Mission decisions and scientific 

conclusions are made with the services we 

provide, and people around the globe explore 

space with NASA through our imagery.”

Operational Television (OTV) cameras were used before, during, and after the launch of Artemis I at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The OTV system 

provided imagery acquisition, processing, recording, and distribution from the launch area during liftoff. Heat damage from the launch can be seen 

on the OTV camera.

The Johnson Cold Vault By Katherine Herrick, Communications Lead, Johnson Space Center

Even in the Houston heat, there’s always one 

place kept at zero degrees: the cold vault at 

Johnson Space Center. The cold vault is pretty 

much exactly what it sounds like—a locked 

vault kept extremely cold—and it is used to 

store Johnson’s original Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, 

and Station mission film. The extreme temperature helps preserve and retard the aging 

process of the historic 35-millimeter, 70-millimeter, and 5-inch space flight film.

When you step inside the vault, you first enter 

a chilly (but not yet freezing) room. This room 

is like a staging area, kept at about 35 to 40 

degrees Fahrenheit. Before any film can enter 

or exit the heart of the room, where it’s coldest, 

it has to spend 24 hours acclimating to the 

temperature change. This process helps prevent 

the film from “sweating,” making sure condensation does not form and the film stays dry 

(although keeping the film stable and avoiding 

removal from the vault is best for preservation). 

All the film stored in the cold vault has been 

digitized and cataloged, but the multimedia 

team preserves the original copies due to the 

historical significance of these artifacts that 

document NASA’s remarkable history.

10 www.nasa.gov
XR Dev (3D/VR App Development) Within 

OCIO Mission Program Enabling Applications

By Thomas Sears, Jose Lagares, Ed Ramsey, Joseluis Chavez, and Heidi Christopher; OCIO Mission Enabling 

Program Applications XR Development Team, Application and Platform Services; Kennedy Space Center

When you hear someone mention 

Extended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), or Augmented Reality (AR), 

you probably think of entertainment, 

such as gaming. However, it’s being 

rapidly adopted in areas of education, 

medicine, science, human factors, and 

remote collaboration, using a blend 

of the digital and physical worlds. XR 

is an exciting and immersive experience that can help showcase high-tech 

concepts in a new way. A traditional 

custom XR project can take a large 

team of dedicated workers months or 

years to develop. This can make customers looking for a “wow factor” turn 

elsewhere due to cost or time commitment. The Application and Platform 

Services (APS) XR Team has used their 

expertise to develop solutions within 

a wide range of applications, including simulations in Virtual/Augmented 

Reality, mobile 3D apps for Apple 

iOS and Android devices (some past 

projects include Rocket Science: Call 

to Explore, Rocket Science 101), and 

Desktop 3D. Some of our most recent 

efforts have been on Virtual Reality.

Astronaut Jessica Meir using VECTR at an outreach event called South by Southwest (SXSW).

The Rapid Model Import Tool (RMIT) is 

a Computer Aided Design (CAD) preparation and optimization application that 

allows NASA engineers and industry 

partners to reuse 3D data for any 

visualization scenario, saving time and 

effort and maximizing visualization performance. Before RMIT, moving models 

into an XR environment was historically 

a manual process, requiring a great 

deal of time and resources or the procurement of costly conversion software. RMIT is designed to automate 

the process, making the turnaround 

from CAD model to immersive, interactive environment quicker and less laborintensive. It is a free alternative since it 

is based upon an open-source software 

foundation to eliminate the high cost of 

commercial alternatives. RMIT has the 

capability to simplify a model’s hierarchy, mesh complexity, hidden object removal, small component removal, mesh 

merging/splitting, material cleanup, file 

format conversions, model group centering/staging, and Unity Engine Integration, and it uses the Blender toolkit. 

RMIT has received the 2018 Innovation 

Without Boundaries Call and the 2019 

TD&I Labs Innovation Challenge.

The Virtual Environment Computational Training Resource (VECTR2) was 

developed as a virtual reality project 

creation framework. It allows a small 

team to create VR projects faster, more 

easily, and more cost effectively than 

starting from scratch. The main concept behind VECTR is to allow for the 

rapid turnaround of customized virtual 

reality projects for customers.

By reducing the overall time and labor 

cost, we open the VR experience to an 

increased amount of potential users. 

We can quickly create a basic project 

that traditional VR sources could not, 

using RMIT to quickly scale down massive engineering models to a format 

readily usable by XR Visualization engines. With our basic suite of modular 

tools, we have multiple movement, action, and control styles already created 

and working within the system that can 

be tuned to customer specifications. 

From the outset in the creation of VECTR, we knew that we wanted multipleuser engagement as a core feature. 

With the updated version, VECTR2, one 

person can work alone or invite other 

users to simultaneously interact within 

the system at the same time. This can 

allow whole teams to look at the same 

scene or model from anywhere. We also 

have an integrated mouse and keyboard 

option for those without VR devices, to 

be as inclusive to all users as possible.

Kennedy Space Center LC-39 Pad B with the 

Artemis I Vehicle on the Mobile Launcher (ML) 

which together are called the Space Launch 

System (SLS) as it appears in the KSC Flyover 

demonstration built in VECTR2.

RMIT, VECTR, and VECTR2 have been 

used to support outreach programs, 

simulations, and integration tools 

within the agency. Examples are Mixed 

Reality Engineering Toolkit (MRET) 

Software; Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, 

Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx); Rocket Science 101; and, most recently, an 

interactive KSC flyover.

RMIT and both versions of VECTR can 

be used individually or together as a 

solution for your XR needs, and both 

are available for NASA and their partners to use through the NASA Software 

Center (https://software.nasa.gov/) using RMIT or VECTR in the search bar. 

You may also reach out to us, and we 

can discuss how our XR Development 

team can use RMIT or VECTR to help 

create the best virtual experience customized for your team. If you would like 

to know more about VECTR or RMIT, 

contact the NASA OCIO APS XR Development team via e-mail at AGENCYDL-APS-MPEA-XRVR-Support@mail.

nasa.gov. Learn more about OCIO APS 

XR 3D Development by visiting our 

SharePoint site.

NASA OCIO IT Talk Jul - Sep 2023 11
Defining Data Stewardship

By Calvin Robinson, Lead Data Steward, Information, Data, & Analytics Services

The Federal Data Strategy and NASA Data 

Strategy both recognize data stewardship 

as being instrumental—so much so that 

Information, Data, and Analytics Services (IDAS) 

within NASA’s Office of the Chief Information 

Officer (OCIO) is tasked with shaping data 

stewardship across the agency. An important 

element of this effort is collaborating with 

data teams in mission and mission support 

organizations to reach a shared understanding 

of the discipline’s key concepts. 

At its core, data stewardship is about tailoring 

how data are managed to ensure two primary 

outcomes: soundness of data quality and 

responsible usage. One challenge is to reach 

that understanding in a relatable manner. 

There can be a lot of new concepts and jargon 

associated with data stewardship, which can 

be off-putting to data teams. To help overcome 

this challenge, IDAS is engaging data teams 

from NASA and other Federal agencies within 

a data-stewardship-focused community of 

practice to discuss what data stewardship 

looks like for them.

IDAS uses this collaboration space to initiate 

conversations that are relatable and centered 

on the data teams’ needs, providing a channel 

to talk about the kind of data that teams are 

working with and the policies or standards 

teams currently follow. These conversations 

also encourage teams to showcase the 

amazing data efforts they are supporting, 

enable deeper connections with peers across 

different teams, and create opportunities 

for teams to contribute toward a common 

understanding of data stewardship.

As IDAS leads engagement within the 

community of practice, it will equip members 

with tools like data catalogs and data 

platforms, which will help them share details 

about their data more easily. IDAS is also 

helping to bridge discussions between data 

teams and analysts, the people who are 

tasked with drawing insights from data that 

can inform decision making. A near-term goal 

is to incorporate new topics about making 

data “analysis-ready” for community-ofpractice conversations. Outcomes of these 

conversations will help analysts focus on 

finding insights by ensuring that they are 

spending less time doing data preparation and 

cleaning. 

Continuous collaboration with the data 

community is key to supporting data 

stewardship goals. To get involved in the data 

stewardship community of practice, NASA data 

teams can join the Microsoft365 team or reach 

out to Calvin Robinson.

12 www.nasa.gov

Introduction to the Cybersecurity Improvement Portfolio

By Rachel Campbell, CIP Communications Lead, NASA Headquarters

The Federal Government, including NASA, is a 

lucrative target for cyber-criminals, hacktivists, 

and nation-state actors. In response, on May 12, 

2021, President Joe Biden signed the sweeping Executive Order (EO) 14028, Improving the 

Nation’s Cybersecurity, to implement several 

cybersecurity requirements to protect the 

Government’s vital information and resources 

by building information technology (IT) architectures that are resilient to sophisticated cyberattacks. This EO directs a fundamental shift in 

Federal priority and strategy for cybersecurity 

and will require multiyear improvements in the 

way NASA conducts its missions in cyberspace.

As a result, NASA OCIO is working to improve 

the agency’s cybersecurity posture, simplify 

security for our IT users, and deliver a Zero 

Trust Architecture. 

The Problem

The transition to a Zero Trust Architecture 

must be carefully orchestrated and requires an 

“all-of-agency” approach. Moreover, emerging technologies that enable zero trust are 

often proprietary, thus requiring a concerted, 

deliberate, and holistic Zero Trust Architecture 

strategy and implementation. 

So How Do We Make It Happen?

In August 2022, the OCIO established the Cybersecurity Improvement Portfolio (CIP) to manage the scope, cost, schedule, performance, 

and risks for projects and initiatives that will 

deliver compliance with Federal mandates and 

the NASA SolarWinds Risk Mitigations.

The CIP is working hand-in-glove with its partner OCIO organizations (service lines, agencylevel offices, and center OCIOs) to strike a 

balance between OCIO operations and project 

implementation. The goal is to implement 

cybersecurity improvements that secure NASA 

data, achieve compliance with Federal mandates, and deliver a Zero Trust Architecture.

Managing projects and initiatives as a portfolio realizes greater benefits, efficiencies, and 

points of integration than working on each 

effort individually. The CIP does not engage in 

service offerings but partners with the service 

lines and other organizations to achieve compliance with Federal mandates and deliver a 

Zero Trust Architecture. The CIP will

• serve as the primary point of contact 

for mandates under its purview;

• serve as the authority on how NASA will 

transition to a Zero Trust Architecture;

• manage the scope, cost, schedule, 

performance, and risk of projects and 

initiatives that achieve Federal mandates;

• integrate across OCIO organizations, 

and the greater NASA, to comply 

with Federal mandates; and

• collaborate with the service lines 

to design, plan, and implement the 

projects and initiatives that deliver 

the cybersecurity improvement 

requirements under its purview.

Check back in the next issue of IT Talk for a 

more in-depth description of NASA’s Path to 

Zero Trust!
Workplace and Collaboration Services (WCS) News and Updates

Check out the latest news from WCS (all links are internal to NASA):

• Follow Me Print to Provide Secure 

and Flexible Printing Options

• Tips for Traveling Internationally 

with a Mobile Device

• Lunch and Learn Replay: Conference 

Room Equipment

• Microsoft Defender Quarantine Tips and Updates

• Exchanging Encrypted Emails 

with Non-NASA Personnel

• Discounts on Microsoft 365 Subscriptions

• Loaner Devices Will Be Permanently 

Assigned After 90 Days

• New Teams Features include Custom File 

Download Location, Sign Language View, @

Mention Everyone in Chat, and More

• See What's New with ICAM

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Mary W. Jackson Headquarters

300 E Street SW

Washington, DC 20546

www.nasa.gov

IT Talk