Congratulations to Dr. Joel Carney, who has 

been selected as the new Assistant Administrator for SETMO’s parent organization, NASA’s 

Office of Strategic Infrastructure. He is and will 

remain the chair of the SETMO Space 

Environments Testing Control Board. 

Rigorous testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory has led to a successful series of 

flights made by the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, 

aka Ginny. Ginny is a technology demonstrator, 

a proof-of-concept vehicle providing new aerial 

perspectives on red-planet geology and views 

into areas too steep or slippery for a rover to 

operate without mishap. 

One of NASA’s major testing facilities, the Arc 

Jet Complex, stepped in to help in the 

aftermath of the SpaceX Demo-2 mission in 

May 2020. Post-reentry examination of the 

Dragon heat shield revealed unexpected 

erosion of one tension tie, a key mechanism 

that anchors the shield to the capsule, 

protecting the astronauts inside from extreme 

temperatures. Arc Jet studies led to additional 

tension-ties protections, paving the way for a 

worry-free SpaceX Crew-1 flight.

Electric propulsion is coming into its own, with 

testing occurring in chambers at NASA’s Glenn 

Research Center. Advantages are enticing: 

among them, significant weight savings, more 

accommodating designs for crew and cargo, 

and increasing but smooth acceleration over 

time. Demand is driven by cost savings and 

flexible design options.

NASA’s Space Environments Complex hosted a 

series of tests on the Orion space capsule that, 

as an essential constituent of the Artemis I 

mission, is scheduled to fly uncrewed around 

the Moon. The spacecraft was subjected to 

variations in extreme temperatures and 

electromagnetic fluctuations it must eventually 

endure. The Orion studies were originally slated 

to last for three months but were completed 

three weeks ahead of schedule.

Welcome to Horizons, the first issue of

the SETMO newsletter, where we’ll be 

regularly capturing highlights of the great 

work done by our colleagues and at the 

facilities we’re proud to support and sustain. 

First and foremost, I want to commend and 

congratulate all those who continued their 

mission-critical testing work during the 

Covid-19 pandemic. Their commitment 

under very difficult circumstances is a 

tribute not just to expertise and adaptation, 

but also to dedication and determination. 

We as a nation and as a NASA organization 

have much to be grateful for because of 

those who stepped up and showed up. 

Their willingness to stay the course when 

the going was tough won’t be forgotten.

Mission success has always been tied to the 

people and places that make possible 

rigorous testing of rockets, spacecraft and 

their constituent components in a variety of 

simulated atmospheres and extreme 

temperatures. Now more than ever, testing is 

critical to the challenges that await as we 

push out into deeper space, and expand 

human and robotic exploration throughout 

the solar system. 

Whether it’s to support an already scheduled 

or yet-to-be announced mission, NASA 

investment in testing enables development 

of next-generation technology and reduces 

risk for all present and future crewed 

missions. Technological innovations that 

NASA SETMO Newsletter | SUMMER 2021

National Aeronautics

and Space Administration

result from testing allow us to bring life to 

new ideas, to make them viable and practical. 

Risk reduction enables missions to proceed 

confidently, keeping astronauts safe and their 

gear performing without a hitch each and 

every time it’s used.

Anyone who watched a video of the first 

flight of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity — aka 

Ginny — on a planetary body dozens of 

millions of miles (and kilometers) from Earth 

wasn’t just watching history being made, but 

the result of intense and sophisticated 

testing that directly led to a tough and 

resilient vehicle. We have a link in this issue 

to an article we published on Ginny’s 

development and maturation, a process that 

made her literal otherworldly trip(s) possible.

We’re likewise grateful for the talented 

Wei-yen Hu, SETMO’s Chief Engineer, whom 

we profile in this edition of Horizons. Wei has 

a long and distinguished career, and he was 

thankfully willing to share his background 

and his perspectives on his years with NASA. 

We also take a deeper dive into one of 

NASA’s most notable testing sites, the Arc Jet 

Complex, a one-of-a-kind facility at Ames 

Research Center in Mountain View, California. 

Research conducted there attests to its role 

as an invaluable national asset. 

We’re going to continue to add content to 

our website and are currently working on an 

overview video of the technical capabilities 

and the facilities we support. More issues of 

Horizons will follow. Here’s hoping you 

enjoy this one, and those ahead. Don’t 

hesitate to reach out to us with any 

comments or feedback.

NEW AND NOTABLE

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Michael Mastaler
As a child, SETMO Chief Engineer Wei-yen Hu 

fancied himself at the controls of an airplane 

as it soared through bright blue skies. As an 

adult, Wei has journeyed far beyond youthful 

daydreams into studies of demanding testing 

environments and atmospheres that, 

although simulated, are far harsher than any 

terrestrial flights real or imagined.

“SETMO is really interesting. It’s a lot like 

working on airplanes,” he says. “It’s a 

different challenge: You have to balance 

among the testing, the engineering and 

supporting a skilled workforce.”

SETMO oversees a multi-billion-dollar 

portfolio of several dozen aerospace 

facilities, supervising assets that range over 

four distinct testing capabilities at nine NASA 

centers across the country. Coordinating 

with NASA headquarters offices and centers 

managers, SETMO provides funding and 

IN PROFILE Wei-yen Hu | Chief Engineer

direction to optimize facility availability and 

performance, and also oversees infrastructure 

investments to enable state-of-the-art 

operations and maintenance, enhance 

reliability, and improve testing technologies. 

Wei was born in Taiwan to parents who, 

having survived both World War II and a 

communist uprising, emigrated from the 

Chinese mainland. Wei’s father was an 

economics professor and his mother, 

originally an agricultural products manager, 

would later become an accountant when the 

family relocated to the United States to live in 

New York City.

Part of Wei’s childhood was spent in Taipei, 

Taiwan’s capital city. It was an urban environment similar to that of New York. In America, 

the young Wei had to learn a vastly different 

language. “I slowly acclimated and adjusted,” 

he said. “And the food was different.”

A degree in aerospace engineering from the 

(then) Polytechnic Institute of New York would 

eventually follow, as did work as an intern for 

the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. That posting 

may have continued but for a hiring freeze, so 

Wei sent out about 200 resumes and one hit: 

the Facilities Engineering Division in Cleveland, 

Ohio at what is now NASA’s Glenn Research 

Center. Wei would stay at Glenn for 17 years, 

in the process earning a master’s degree in 

mechanical engineering.

This summer in the Northern Hemisphere may 

have been scorching, but it’s nothing 

compared to the literally blistering environments that NASA’s Arc Jet Complex (AJC) at 

Ames Research Center can mimic. Think a 

lightning-powered blow torch, says Don 

Nickison, SETMO deputy director, and you may 

get some idea of the extreme temperatures 

the AJC can marshal to assess the robustness 

of thermal-protection materials integral to 

rockets, spacecraft, and their components 

when exposed to severely intense heat.

“The Arc Jet Complex is unique in its capacity 

to conduct high-heat testing to simulate 

re-entry: conditions encountered by 

spacecraft coming back to Earth or landing 

on other planets,” Nickison points out. 

“That’s not easily reproduced, short of 

actually sending vehicles out to space and 

then monitoring what occurs when they 

return. The AJC is NASA’s only large-scale 

ground-based facility that simulates those 

extreme-temperature regimes.”

The Complex is one of SETMO’s major 

affiliated facilities, with SETMO-overseen 

funding targeting critical upgrades and facility 

improvements. A series of AJC modernization 

studies are underway that aim to bolster the 

Arc Jet’s capacity to support increasingly 

sophisticated 21st century testing. Earth 

reentries from future Moon and Mars flights 

beckon, as do other potential — and complex 

— missions, such as ones slated for Venus 

that will demand advanced thermal protection systems that NASA engineers are in the 

IN FOCUS Modernization Studies Heating Up at the Arc Jet Complex

When a subsequent opportunity presented, 

Wei relocated to NASA Headquarters, working 

in areas relating to operations and maintenance. Three years later, he joined the 

Strategic Capabilities Assets Program, or SCAP, 

SETMO’s immediate predecessor. 

Wei finds his work with SETMO both challenging and satisfying, especially given the 

demands of balancing test-chamber 

readiness with facility sustainment and the 

need for mission-critical updates and 

improvements. “The equipment has to be 

ready to go,” he says. “So the question really 

is how much and how long should we support 

these assets? It’s a cost-benefit analysis.”

Ultimately, Wei’s professional satisfaction 

comes from both curiosity and challenge. In 

the latter case, there is always something new 

to learn and solutions to be found. And, of 

course, there is the pleasure of working with 

like-minded colleagues who share the same 

inclinations.

“Every time I think I know something, I find out 

there’s another universe,” he says. “There are 

many worlds out there and problems to work. 

They’re all interesting and they’re all hard. The 

fun part of this job is working with the people: 

everyone who works to keep things going. 

They’re the unsung heroes.”

SPACE ENVIRONMENTS TESTING MANAGEMENT OFFICE

NASA SETMO Newsletter | SUMMER 2021

process of developing.

“For modernization, the challenge is to figure 

out how to appropriately invest in a facility 

that’s worth about a billion dollars,” Nickison 

says. “Think of a car: do you buy an entirely 

new one, or refurbish what you have? The 

Arc Jet is at a whole other scale, but some 

tough questions have to be answered, given 

that testing has to be more advanced for the 

next generation of space vehicles.”

In the 1960s, the Ames complex was put to 

work to test Apollo-era spacecraft. Assessments in the 1970s of space-plane concepts 

would lead directly to the design and creation 

of the NASA space shuttle. Subsequent years 

and decades would be marked by ongoing 

evaluations of the designs and structures of 

human-carrying spacecraft and robotic 

exploration vehicles. 

More recently, NASA’s Orion spacecraft was 

put through extensive AJC testing in 

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www.nasa.gov

Prepping a Next-Gen

Space Telescope

The premier orbital infrared observatory of 

the decade, NASA’s James Webb Space 

Telescope remains on schedule for launch 

no earlier than October 31. Webb — tested 

extensively at both NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center and the NASA Glenn Space 

Environments Complex — will ship to the 

launch site in French Guiana in August, 

where final processing will take two 

months. The observatory has completed all 

post-environmental testing deployments, 

and is now in its integration and folding 

stages. Stow, closeout, and pack and ship 

are imminent.

The Artemis 1 

Mission Takes Shape

Twin solid-rocket boosters for NASA’s 

Space Launch System (SLS) rocket were 

mated atop the mobile launcher at the 

Agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida 

as stacking and assembly activities for 

NASA’s Artemis I mission continued.

Crews from the spaceport’s Exploration 

Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs 

teams lifted the 188,000-pound core stage 

and secured it to the solid boosters. A 

specialized crane was used to elevate,

place, and secure the core stage on the 

mobile launcher inside the spaceport’s 

iconic Vehicle Assembly Building.

Landing Systems 

for the Moon

The Human Landing System (HLS) is the 

final mode of transportation that will take 

astronauts to the lunar surface in the 

Artemis lunar exploration program. NASA 

experts will work closely with commercial 

partners to build the landing systems, 

leveraging decades of human spaceflight 

experience and the agility of the commercial sector to achieve a Moon landing 

sometime in the 2020s. Once one or more 

companies are selected, HLS concepts 

development and testing could begin at 

NASA simulator facilities.

SPACE ENVIRONMENTS TESTING MANAGEMENT OFFICE

NASA SETMO Newsletter | SUMMER 2021

WHAT’S NEXT?

preparation for its first uncrewed, circumlunar flight — the Artemis 1 mission — that will 

occur to validate the craft’s performance 

prior to a Moon mission carrying NASA 

astronauts planned sometime in the next 

several years.

Demonstrating the value of the AJC as it 

relates to commercial space, the Complex 

stepped to the fore in the aftermath of the 

SpaceX Demo-2 flight to the International 

Space Station in May 2020. After-mission 

inspection and close examination of the 

Dragon capsule’s heat shield revealed 

unexpected erosion of one tension tie, a key 

mechanism that anchors the shield to the 

capsule, protecting the astronauts inside 

from the extreme temperatures experienced 

during reentry.

Follow-on Arc Jet tests led to improvements 

to, and additional protections of, the tension 

ties. A small area of the thermal protection 

system around the trunk attachments was 

refashioned. The modification was validated 

in conditions simulating both nominal flight 

and mission-abort scenarios, affirming the 

integrity of the Crew Dragon heat-shield 

design. 

Initial AJC reliability and transformational 

improvements continue, including upgrades 

to systems controls and monitoring of 

electrical systems. Studies are also ongoing 

on how to create and integrate a new data 

acquisition system for the entire Complex, as 

well as extensive modernization options 

across entire facility. 

“These efforts are going to play out over 

several years,” Nickison says. “It’s all about 

transforming the Arc Jet to meet the demands 

of the 21st century for the Agency by 

providing the best-value approach for 

improving and sustaining an available, and 

reliable, testing asset to meet the needs of 

NASA’s exploration and science missions. 

That’s the bottom line.”

Visit us at

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/setmo