National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Logistics Management Newsletter

FROM THE LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DIVISION

FY20 | ISSUE 3 AUGUST 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

1 Authorization to Remove 

Office Property for Telework 3 Equipment Management Program 7 Artifact Identification and Disposition

8 Realignment of the Agency 

Libraries 9 Library Program Management 11 Supply and Materials Management Program

12 Suspension of Physical 

Inventory: Stages 4 and 3 12 NASA Renames 

Headquarters 15 Newcomers

Welcome. This newsletter 

is brought to you by the 

Logistics Management 

Division (LMD). Its purpose 

is to keep you abreast 

of the latest business 

practices and to share 

information about ongoing 

logistics management 

initiatives and events. It also 

introduces interim policy 

letters, which shall be 

incorporated in forthcoming 

updates of NASA 

Procedural Directives and 

Procedural Requirements.

AUTHORIZATION TO REMOVE OFFICE PROPERTY 

FOR TELEWORK

Dr. Olivette Hooks, Director, 

Logistics Management Division

Given the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, 

a recently released message from 

the Office of Safety and Mission 

Assurance authorized the ergonomics community to retrieve ergonomic 

chairs from their workspace to 

support their home telework activities. The released message resulted 

in employees at NASA Centers and 

Facilities removing office property 

without following policy procedures and without their managers’ knowledge or any supporting 

logistics activity.

Since the publication of the 

Teleworking Safety and Health 

Ergonomic Chair message, LMD 

has been contacted by Center logistics officials, stakeholders, and other 

managers expressing their concern 

and seeking guidance 

on reactive procedures 

to establish control 

and accountability of 

personal property that 

has been 

taken home 

by employees to 

support the 

extended 

telework 

periods. The link 

provided lists 

literature and 

information for 
2 logistics management news

ergonomics practices, as well as references to equipment that can be taken from the office.

Center managers are reminded that they should follow 

policy requirements to ensure control and accountability of personal property. Property passes approved 

by supervisors are required for all office equipment 

taken offsite. LMD’s process, outlined in NPD and NPR 

4200.1 (Equipment Management), is clear and, when 

followed correctly, ensures the continued control and 

accountability of personal property. 

LMD’s process, outlined in NPD and 

NPR 4200.1 (Equipment Management) 

is clear and, when followed correctly, 

ensures the continued control and 

accountability of personal property. 

We request compliance with the policy outlined in 

NPR 4200.1, but considering that the majority of NASA 

Centers and Facilities are at Stage 4 or Stage 3, we 

are mindful that expecting normal logistics operations 

is overreaching. Therefore, we will provide the flexibility 

to Center managers to implement an e-mail procedure 

until the workforce returns to Stage 2 or onsite work.

An e-mail procedure could allow employees to request 

office property to support their telework activities. Items 

approved are office chairs; NASA-owned monitors; 

other ergonomic property, except for the attachable 

ergonomic standing desk; NASA-owned small office 

printers; and office supplies only. The requester must 

initiate an e-mail to his or her manager requesting 

approval to take the desired equipment; the manager 

may or may not approve everything on the list. 

Center managers may approve property release in 

an e-mail titled “Property Pass Approval.” Managers 

respond to the requester and cc their Center logistics 

personnel. The logistics personnel will 

use the e-mail to prepare the NF 892, 

Equipment 

Property Pass, 

for the requester 

to sign and 

accept responsibility for 

Government 

property. 

A PDF of 

the NF 892 with the 

requested information will be sent to 

the requester for their 

acknowledgment and signature. 

Not all our Centers have online NF 892 automated 

capabilities. Centers with online automated NF 892 

accountable control procedures for property are to 

continue with the standardized processes implemented 

by their logistics staff. This automated NF 892 is filled 

out by the requester, forwarded to the manager for 

approval, and sent to the Center logistics staff to be 

processed before assets are retrieved. 

Accountability of the property removed from the control 

of the Center logistics staff is the responsibility of the 

manager who approved the release and the requester. 

If you have any questions regarding Supply and 

Materials, contact Peral Hill via e-mail at peral.r.hill@

nasa.gov; for questions regarding Equipment 

Management, contact Miguel Rodriguez via e-mail at 

miguel.a.rodriguez-1@nasa.gov.
logistics management newsl 

EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Miguel A. Rodriguez, Program Manager

Removal of Ergonomic Chairs from NASA Centers

LMD was recently made aware of a message to the 

NASA ergonomic community (released by the Senior 

Environmental Health Officer on June 25). The referenced message indicates that NASA Centers can 

approve employees’ requests to remove “NASA provided office chairs for ergonomic benefit” and in support of telework agreements. After some inquiry, we 

were able to determine that the referenced message/

guidance was not coordinated with anyone in logistics. 

Consequently, we share with you the guidance that 

we have provided to a couple of Centers to ensure 

accountability and control of NASA personal property. 

Extracts of the referenced message from the Office of 

Ergonomics are highlighted below:

Ergonomic Working Group and other Center EH 

Managers, 

On behalf of Angel Plaza, NASA Sr. EH Officer, the 

note below is being passed along regarding office 

chairs, please review and incorporate appropriately 

at your Center. If you have questions regarding this 

communication please reach out to Angel, Dave 

King (Ergonomic WG Lead), or I. 

NASA Ergonomics Community,

NASA Centers can approve employees to take their 

NASA provided office chair to their home for ergonomic benefit with the appropriate approvals.

As stated above, it appears that Center officials within 

the ergonomic community have been given the goahead to approve requests to take home office chairs.

The phrase “with the appropriate approvals” provides Center management officials with the latitude to 

approve or disapprove the requests. 

We recognize each center has their specific processes and employees will need to follow those 

processes. This may include supervisory approval, a 

property pass and a safe method to move and transport the chair so no one is injured.

This is an instance when the Centers’ internal procedures for control and accountability of administratively 

controlled equipment (established and implemented by 

the Center Supply and Equipment Management Officer 

[SEMO]) is put to the test. As you know, an office 

chair is a commodity that does not require control in 

the SAP/Property, Plant, and Equipment (PP&E) system unless otherwise decided by the SEMO for his or 

her Center.

The message implies that the requestor needs to complete a property pass (or NASA Form 892) with supervisory approval. This is when the Property Custodian 

(PC) (representing the Division Director/Branch Chief) 

processes the property pass in coordination with the 

SEMO and in accordance with NPR 4200.1. The use of 

NF 892 extends to commodities/equipment that meet 

the “administratively-controlled equipment” definition. 

A property pass is a procedure that 

NASA established not only to support the control and accountability 

of controlled equipment items, but 

also all other personal property 

that is taken outside the NASA 

installation and is expected to be 

returned to the installation.

As stated above, a chair is 

a commodity that does 

not meet the definition 

for control; therefore, tracking these 

items at the Property 

Custodian level should 

be sufficient for tracking 

purposes (follow the SEMO’s 

established procedures for 
4 logistics management news

administratively controlled equipment). The Property 

Custodian should keep a copy of NF 892.

Ergonomic evaluations should not impede the use 

of NASA office or ergonomic office chairs at home. 

Ergonomic evaluations can be offered as usual for 

each Center. This is especially the case during these 

uncertain COVID19 times while much of the NASA 

Center workforce continues to be in tele-work mode, 

and the safety and health of our employees is paramount, whether at the Center or at home. 

Center’s property personnel may need to track the 

property, while also making sure any furniture move 

can be accomplished safely.

According to the above excerpt, “property personnel 

may need to track the property.” To clarify, SEMOs or 

designees have the responsibility to concur and process a property pass, but the tracking remains a joint 

responsibility between the SEMO and the corresponding Property Custodian or supervisor/Division Director/

Branch Chief or head of the organization who approved 

the request. The organization will probably be the first 

to know when the item is returned to the premises.

To clarify, SEMOs or designees have the 

responsibility to concur and process a 

property pass, but the tracking remains 

a joint responsibility between the 

SEMO and the corresponding Property 

Custodian or supervisor/Division 

Director/Branch Chief or head of the 

organization who approved the request. 

In accordance with Section 3.5, NPR 4200.1H, Division 

Directors and Branch Chiefs (or representatives, e.g., 

Property Custodians) must validate equipment returned 

to the organization and notify the equipment manager. 

In this particular instance, once the PC, or SEMO/

Equipment Manager, is notified that the chair has been 

returned to the originating organization, there is no 

database to update. The PC can destroy the NF 892 

upon the return of the chair.

NASA will not provide the moving resources. Centers 

will also have to decide how they might manage 

any necessary request for a non-mission essential employee access to the Center to facilitate 

such move. 

Environmental Heath staff should not be responsible 

to support these moving tasks, but may facilitate the 

correct manner of chair use at home. As ergonomics/

health professionals we have been doing that over 

the past 3–4 months and the expectation is for this 

to continue. 

Bart 

The two statements above are for consideration of the 

supervisor/Division Director/approving officials before 

granting approval to the employee’s request.

Equally important are the time limitations of property 

passes. Centers’ stakeholders have approached LMD 

inquiring about a waiver to the time restrictions governing property passes. In that regard: Sections 3.5.2 (a) 

and (b), NPR 4200.1, outline policy governing the time 

limitations for property passes to civil service and onsite 

contractor employees (180 and 30 calendar days, 

respectively). Section 3.5.3 (f) provides SEMOs with the 

latitude to extend such time limitations under unusual 

circumstances. SEMOs shall coordinate with the corresponding Contracting Officer(s) to authorize any extensions to property passes to onsite contractors.

In essence, there is no need for a waiver request. 

SEMOs shall coordinate with the corresponding upper 

management to establish a proper timeline for property 

passes that would best meet your Center requirements 

given current circumstances.
logistics management newsl 

Inventory Guidelines upon Return to Onsite Work

The Logistics Management Division (LMD) continues to 

monitor the developments and Center statuses as they 

relate to suspended activities due to the pandemic. 

One of those suspended activities is the execution of 

the annual (fiscal year [FY] 20) equipment inventory. 

There is uncertainty regarding when and to what extent 

Centers will return to normal activity, which has resulted 

in questions that LMD will try to answer in this article.

Not all NASA Centers will return to onsite work simultaneously; some will return earlier than others. Upon 

access to the Center (with Center Management 

approval), inventory teams will probably engage in activities prior to reinitiating the inventory, such as coordination with supported Center organizations, access to 

the diverse Center areas, scheduled training, review of 

inventory schedules, etc.

Figure 1 depicts the Agency’s framework for NASA 

Centers to return to onsite work; you may notice 

that it is a process with increased access to onsite 

work as Centers transition from Stage 4 to Stage 1. 

We have taken that template and migrated it to the 

equipment inventory validation once inventory teams 

are granted access to the Center to reinitiate their 

suspended activities.

Figure 2 was developed keeping in mind the safety 

and security of all those involved in the execution of the 

inventory—the safety of NASA employees remains the 

highest priority as we navigate the spread of the novel 

coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on our work and 

personal lives.

Travel

Meetings & Events

Health & Safety

Center Access

- All travel suspended

- Conduct virtual meetings and 

participate remotely only in 

events

- All facilities closed

- Mandatory telework

- Facility is closed, except to 

mission-essential3 personnel

- Mission-critical2 travel only

- Conduct virtual meetings with 

remote participation only

- On-center food service open for take-out only

- Daycare centers may reopen 

- Fitness centers remain closed

- Clinics open to support missionessential and mission-critical personnel only.

- Mandatory telework 

- On-site work is limited to 

mission-essential3 and 

approved mission-critical2

work.

- Mission-critical2 travel only

- Conduct virtual meetings and 

participate remotely.

- Cancel or postpone large inperson meetings and 

gatherings.

- Daycare centers open.

- Fitness centers closed

- Clinics defer physicals.

- Practice social distancing.

- Wash hands and use hand sanitizer liberally.

- Employees who can 

accomplish work remotely are 

encouraged to telework. 

- Cancel/postpone visits.

- Mission-critical2 visitors only 

and with approval.

- Minimize travel that is not 

mission-critical2.

- Conduct virtual meetings and 

participate remotely, when 

possible.

- Reduce in-person meetings 

and large gatherings.

- Practice social distancing.

- Wash hands and use hand 

sanitizer liberally.

- Full access

- Be telework ready.

Stage 4 Stage 2 Stage 1

NASA Framework for Return to On-Site Work (as of 11 June 2020)

* This guidance applies to NASA civil servants. Contractor 

employees should reach out to their management.

1. All travel to or from centers at Stage 3 or higher, or to countries at Level 3 or higher, 

requires an approved Request for Travel Exception form. The Request for Travel Exception 

form is available on the NASA People website. For the latest CDC international travel 

information, go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html. 

2. Mission critical: work that must be performed to minimize the impact on mission/project operations and/or schedules and cannot be 

performed remotely or virtually. 

3. Mission essential functions: As described in the COOP, during an emergency, NASA’s Primary and Mission Essential Functions 

(P/MEFs) must be continued with minimum interruption and are focused on protecting life and property as well as insuring agency 

leadership and control of the agency.

Stage 3

↓ trajectory of COVID-like 

syndromic cases AND influenzalike illnesses reported in a 14-

day period.

↓ trajectory of documented 

cases in a 14-day period OR ↓ 

trajectory of positive tests (as % 

of total tests) in 14-day period

Robust testing in place for healthcare workers, 

including antibody testing, AND local hospitals able 

treat patients without crisis care and capacity not 

exceeded AND adequate PPE available to execute 

missions safely where social distancing is impractical.

Gating Criteria

Established by White 

House, OPM and OMB to 

increase on-site work.

Figure 1. NASA framework for the return to onsite work.
6 logistics management news

Figure 2. Equipment inventory guideline upon return to onsite work

Once the Center is accessible and 

coordination to reinitiate inventory 

activities is complete, then the focus 

is to inventory or to re-inventory 

small arms. Equally important is 

to complete the capital equipment 

inventory. I have been in communication with CLA financial auditors 

and the Office of the Chief Financial 

Officer (OCFO)/Property Branch to 

discuss the completion of capital 

equipment inventory. Most NASA 

Centers are at either Stage 4 or 

Stage 3; therefore, LMD’s response 

to CLA was that it is probably 

unlikely that all capital equipment 

will be inventoried by the end of 

FY20 (September 30). A tentative 

approach is to complete the inventory of capital equipment not later 

than 2 months after the inventory 

teams regain access to the Center 

(including the reconciliation of 

discrepancies resulting from the 

inventory between the SEMO and 

the Center Property Accountant).

Equally important, the inventory of 

controlled equipment other than 

capital is also unlikely to be completed by the end of FY20. The 

execution of inventory of equipment 

items other than capital is tentatively 

to be completed, including reconciliation of discrepancies, 5 months 

from the date inventory teams 

regain access to the Center.

The above guidelines and timelines 

are tentative and subject to change 

as we learn more about the direction the Agency is taking and the 

status of each Center.

Credit for FY21 inventory is a pending topic of discussion subject to 

the date(s) when all Centers return 

to normal activities.

As always, thank you for your 

continued support. Please do not 

hesitate to call or e-mail with any 

questions/suggestions. Be safe!
logistics management newsl 

ARTIFACT IDENTIFICATION AND DISPOSITION

Jerome Phillips, 

LMI Contract Support

The Artifact Module has been in 

operation for 11 years, providing an 

opportunity for eligible organizations to receive donations of excess 

NASA items of historical or educational significance. The following 

bullets and illustrations highlight the 

performance to date:

¡ 53 screening periods were 

posted in the 11 years of the 

module’s operation, each a 

42-day opportunity for internal 

organization review followed by 

external organization review.

• Internal individuals and organizations include NASA 

exhibit managers, NASA 

visitor centers, and the 

Smithsonian National Air and 

Space Museum.

• External organizations include 

other Federal agencies, museums, schools, universities, 

libraries, and planetariums.

¡ 38,576 items were offered as 

potential artifacts; 8,012 were 

allocated.

¡ An average of 25 percent of 

offered items were allocated. 

¡ 6,035 Special Items (SI) were allocated, including food packages, 

tiles, blankets, turbine blades, 

meteor test plates, and glove 

liners. SIs offer an abbreviated 

request process and less expensive shipping cost to the recipient.

¡ 13,862 total artifacts and SIs 

allocated. 

¡ Artifacts were allocated to 4,237 

organizations: 3,680 schools; 430 

universities; 104 museums; 12 

other Federal agencies; and 11 

NASA programs, exhibit managers, and visitor centers. 

¡ Artifacts and SIs were distributed 

to all states; Puerto Rico; and St. 

John, VI. 

NASA Program, 

EM, & VC, 11

Other Federal 

Museums Agency, 12

104

Universities

430

Schools

3680

103

164

1218

31

87

250

30

27

43

454

38

1369

357

41

15

55

147

158

560 31 307

135

228

365

498

743

21

268

100

30

44 38 12

153

38

44

66

417 88 480

1183

55

141

350 46

148

59

297

75

101

DC

MA

PR 3

VI 3

111

Map showing the distribution of artifacts and SIs.

The Last Orbiter Legacy, Crew 

Compartment Trainer II (CCT II), 

To Be Moved to the Tulsa Air and 

Space Museum

The NASA Artifact Working Group 

allocated the Crew Compartment 

Trainer (CCT) to the Tulsa Air and 

Space Museum. The CCT will be 

transferred from Johnson Space 

Center pending the completion of a 

Reimbursable Space Act Agreement. 

The CCT is the last of the large legacy 

items of the Space Shuttle Program 

to be shared with the public. 

The CCT was the newest of the 

two trainers used at JSC for crew 

training, engineering evaluations, 

instructor certifications, astronaut 

candidate training, and support for 

public affairs events. It was delivered to the Center in 1994, and 
8 logistics management news

Center personnel outfitted it for 

unrestricted use in 1997.

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum 

plans to transport the CCT overland and by barge. The museum 

has been newly remodeled and will 

ready to display the trainer when 

it arrives.

Figure 1. Horizontal configuration of the CCT II Figure 2. Vertical (launch) configuration of the 

CCT II

Figure 3. CCT II flight deck

Figure 4. CCT II mid-level deck

REALIGNMENT OF THE AGENCY LIBRARIES TO OSI/LOGISTICS

Dr. Olivette Hooks, Director, 

Logistics Management Division

Dr. Olivette Hooks, 

Director of the Logistics 

Management Division

NASA Libraries have been 

realigned under Logistics. 

Effective immediately, NASA’s 10 

libraries are under the management responsibility of the Office 

of Strategic Infrastructure (OSI). 

There have been two decision 

reviews on the realignment 

of libraries. The first Mission 

Support Program Management 

Council (MSPMC) decision 

was on April 9, 2018, and the 

decision was revisited using the MAP Tiger Team 

comprising OSI and Office of the Chief Information 

Officer (OCIO) MAP leads with input from interested 

parties on June 9, 2020. Library organizational alignment considerations were visited. 

Assessment performed using the MAP process 

resulted in the MSPMC reaching the same conclusion. Library operations are to be a core function 

under Headquarters LMD. Neither OCIO nor the 

Office of Communications (OCOMM) saw the library 

as a core function in their program responsibilities. 

It was decided that library users are best served 

by realigning all libraries under OSI/LMD Center 

Logistics Activities. At present, 5 of the 10 libraries 

have already been realigned under Headquarters 

Logistics. Robert “Bob” Sherouse is the LMD 

Program Manager assigned to work with the Center 

on realigning the remaining libraries to form a consolidated library program with the ability to reach out 

to OCIO and OCOMM for support.
logistics management newsl 

LIBRARY PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Robert Sherouse, 

Program Manager

Your Library—Update #2 

NASA librarians, archivists, and 

other staff members continue to 

provide pivotal and key research 

support to NASA employees. Since 

the last library update in July 2019, 

your library has made progress to 

improve access to reference collections, establish enterprise-wide 

policy standards, bring down subscription seat costs, and address 

current and future funding. 

...your library staff is 

working diligently to 

fix electronic content 

access issues that 

relate to the massive 

workforce migration to 

Virtual Private Network 

(VPN) remote access.

More recently, in COVID-19 crisis 

mode, your library staff is working 

diligently to fix electronic content access issues that relate to 

the massive workforce migration 

to Virtual Private Network (VPN) 

remote access. Initially, this required 

issuing mobile equipment and 

computers to library staff members who were never envisioned to 

work from home. During the first 

few weeks of the NASA workforce 

shift to work-from-home status, 

the technology that made working 

from home so successful during 

the COVID-19 crisis has created 

ongoing headaches for librarians 

and electronic reference collection 

users. Without getting too far into 

the techno-weeds, when users sign 

in via VPN remote access, each 

user is issued a new temporary 

Internet Protocol (IP) address—

good for 24 hours. To support the 

massive shift to remote VPN login 

access, OCIO activated thousands 

of IPs that were not recognized by 

our subscription service providers. 

Historically, active NASA IPs were 

registered and traceable to specific 

Center locations and were used 

as the basis for library subscription 

content providers to authenticate 

legal user access authentication to 

content. Unfortunately, based on 

security and network traffic solutions, IP addresses are no longer 

managed in a manner that relates to 

specific Center locations.

So what’s the impact? One day 

you may get authenticated access 

to reference collection content you 

need, but the next day you may get 

authenticated content access to 

content you are not authorized to 

access (an unintentional contract 

violation), or you may simply be 

denied content access because 

your assigned IP address is not recognized. All this is frustrating to both 

users and library staff who seek 

consistent and uninterrupted access 

to research materials.

What’s the solution? We must 

move from IP authentication to 

a federated user authentication 

method. Under a federated user 

authentication process, a trusted 

third party, recognized by both 

NASA and the subscription service 

provider, authenticates a user’s credentials. This is done via the trusted 

third party interfacing with NASA’s 

Launchpad and then confirming the 

authentication with the subscription 

service provider. A federated user 

authentication pilot is being initiated by the Goddard Space Flight 

Center (GSFC) library to facilitate 

developing a NASA enterprise-wide 

solution. We are optimistic that the 

pilot will succeed and will be used 
10 logistics management news

as the basis to implement federated 

user authentication for all 60 NASA 

reference collection subscriptions. 

A smooth plan should result in a 

transition that is transparent to the 

user. This will result in improved 

user experiences and accessibility 

to vital reference collections.

What’s next? We will continue 

working to consolidate subscription contracts at the NASA Shared 

Services Center (NSSC). This is 

viewed as a three-phased process. 

Phase I started with nine subscriptions. Four subscriptions have 

been consolidated and expanded 

for enterprise-wide access. This 

was done at a savings of nearly 

$200,000. Unfortunately, because 

of historically fragmented Centercentric funding controls, we were 

unable to apply the “savings” to 

offset additional costs that relate 

to the remaining five subscriptions. 

So the remaining five subscriptions 

need about $400,000 in additional 

funding to complete implementation 

enterprise-wide. This additional cost 

includes funding for Marshall Space 

Flight Center (MSFC) subscriptions 

that were formerly procured under a 

fully funded agreement with the U.S. 

Army Redstone Arsenal library.

Phase II will include about 20 subscriptions and should be a bit easier 

to implement. We have gained 

invaluable experience learning how 

to consolidate subscriptions, and 

much of the funding will be on an 

as-budgeted basis. 

Phase III will include about 30 

remaining subscriptions. The 

remaining subscriptions are more 

specialized and less broadly 

accessed. These should be the 

easiest to consolidate.

We will continue defining, developing, and funding a single NASAwide library web page. This effort 

is intended to ultimately replace 10 

separate Center library web pages 

with a better and more robust 

access portal to library and other 

reference collections. The NASAwide library web page will provide 

a common discovery tool (think in 

terms of a Google search on steroids). Discovery tools are incredibly 

powerful. They provide seamless 

access to free and subscribed reference materials with single mouse 

clicks. Combined with the advantages of federated user authentication, this saves incredible research 

time and puts vast amounts of 

vital information in the hands of 

researchers without requiring a 

researcher to separately log into 

and out of each subscription service 

provider’s system.

The NASA-wide library 

web page will provide 

a common discovery 

tool. Discovery tools are 

incredibly powerful. They 

provide seamless access 

to free and subscribed 

reference materials with 

single mouse clicks.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center library

And...organizationally, yet a second 

review in two years recently concluded that Headquarters OSI and 

Logistics Management are the best 

fits for libraries and library management. The MAP Teams are working 

to support libraries organized in a 

Logistics Management Structure.
logistics management newsl e

SUPPLY AND MATERIALS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Peral Hill, Program Manager

The Logistics and Procurement Community of Practice 

(CoP) joined forces to tackle the acquisition, procurement, and distribution of personal protective equipment 

(PPE) to support the Agency’s return-to-work plans 

during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CoP procures PPE 

from Federal and commercial partners. Responding 

to the Agency’s needs, we have learned a few things 

along the way that should be shared across the 

Logistics CoP. 

It is crucial that we understand the requirements for 

acquiring PPE before the customer generates a PPE 

need. Per NPR 8715.3, NASA General Safety Program 

Requirements, before Center Directors authorize the 

purchase of PPE, the request must have been reviewed 

by safety and health professionals to determine proper 

specifications and adequacy of abatement. The purchasing organization must flow down the quality 

requirements to ensure that the procured PPE meets 

Federal regulations, industrial standards, or NASA 

special testing requirements. The purchasing agent or 

buyer must verify that any substitute PPE meets the 

same specifications and standards as the originally 

requested product prior to executing a purchase. 

The Center Receiving Operations must perform a thorough product receiving inspection as outlined in NPR 

4100.1, Supply Support and Material Management, on 

all materials received. Center receiving personnel have 

learned much and want to share their experiences:

¡ Inspect material to ensure that property is free from 

visible damage. Check the part number, National 

Stock Number (NSN), and quantity received to 

ensure that they match the accompanying package 

slip, invoice, requisition, or purchase order. 

¡ Reject and segregate discrepant or damaged material. Work with the Contracting Officer to resolve 

supply discrepancies for products not governed by 

the material specification (MS).

¡ Designate products that fall under the NASA MS 

(including customer-supplied products) but that do 

not meet the purchase order, shipping documentation, or contract specifications as nonconforming; 

they should be considered for rejection for possible 

counterfeit or fraud. Comply with the contracting 

officer’s instruction.

¡ Pull the document, tag, segregate, and obtain disposition instructions for nonconforming products 

according to Center procedures.

¡ Report all cases involving counterfeit parts or other 

potential fraud to the NASA Office of Inspector 

General and the NASA Director, Acquisition Integrity 

Program. Include the Headquarters Logistics, Supply 

and Material Program Manager in the information 

notification. 

It is essential to keep the customer and Procurement 

and Logistics Officers informed, and following these 

guidelines will minimize the risk of receiving defective, 

nonconforming, damaged, or counterfeit PPE.
12 logistics management news

SUSPENSION OF PHYSICAL INVENTORY FOR SUPPLY AND MATERIALS AND 

DISPOSAL: STAGES 4 AND 3

Peral Hill, Supply and Material 

Program Management

Sharrief Wilson, Disposal Program 

Management

NPR 4100.1, chapter 5, paragraph 

5.2.1, requires the Supply Officer to 

ensure that 5 percent of the total 

line items on hand are inventoried 

quarterly each fiscal year using the 

complete inventory method until all 

assets have been inventoried at the 

end of 5 years. NPR 4300.1C, chapter 3, paragraph 3.5.2, requires the 

Property Disposal Officer to conduct unannounced, random physical inventories at least once every 

quarter to verify inventory accuracy.

As we continue to manage through 

the unprecedented challenges 

of the COVID-19 pandemic, 

Headquarters OSI/LMD has determined that the requirements for 

conducting physical inventories 

will not be feasible until Stage 2, at 

which time normal Logistics operations should resume. Centers’ 

Logistics teams are not required to 

report Supply and Materials and 

Disposal Operations inventories’ 

accuracy metrics to the Office 

of Management and Budget but 

are expected to conform to U.S. 

General Service Administration 

policies and conform to internal 

procedures to measure program 

performance.

As we continue to 

manage through 

the unprecedented 

challenges of the 

COVID-19 pandemic, 

HQ OSI/LMD has 

determined that the 

requirements for 

conducting physical 

inventories will not 

be feasible until 

Stage 2, at which time 

Logistics operations 

should resume.

Supply and Materials and Disposal 

Operations physical inventories are 

suspended until Stage 2, at which 

time Headquarters Logistics will 

revisit this physical inventory suspension memorandum.

Please direct all questions regarding Supply and Materials to Peral 

Hill; for Disposal Operations, please 

contact Sharrief Wilson at NASA 

Headquarters Logistics.

NASA NAMES HEADQUARTERS AFTER “HIDDEN FIGURE” MARY W. JACKSON

Per the NASA Administrator’s Agency-wide message 

published on June 24, 2020

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced 

on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, that the Agency’s 

Headquarters building in Washington, DC, will be 

named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African 

American female engineer at NASA.

Jackson started her NASA career in the segregated 

West Area Computing Unit of the Agency’s Langley 

Research Center in Hampton, VA. Jackson, a mathematician and aerospace engineer, went on to lead 

programs influencing the hiring and promotion of 

women in NASA’s science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics careers. In 2019, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

“Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting 

American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted 

the status quo; she helped break barriers and open 

opportunities for African Americans and women in the 

field of engineering and technology,” said Bridenstine. 

“Today, we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson 
logistics management newsl e

NASA Headquarters building. It appropriately sits on 

‘Hidden Figures Way,’ a reminder that Mary is one of 

many incredible and talented professionals in NASA’s 

history who contributed to this agency’s success. 

Hidden no more, we will continue to recognize the 

contributions of women, African Americans, and people 

of all backgrounds who have helped construct NASA’s 

successful history to explore.”

The work of the West Area Computing Unit caught 

widespread national attention in Margot Lee Shetterly’s 

2016 book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and 

the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians 

Who Helped Win the Space Race. The book was made 

into a popular movie that same year, and Jackson’s 

character was played by award-winning actress 

Janelle Monáe.

In 2019, after a bipartisan bill by Senators Ted Cruz, 

Ed Markey, John Thune, and Bill Nelson made its 

way through Congress, the portion of E Street SW in 

front of NASA Headquarters was renamed Hidden 

Figures Way.

“We are honored that NASA 

continues to celebrate the legacy 

of our mother and grandmother 

Mary W. Jackson,” said Carolyn 

Lewis, Mary’s daughter. “She was 

a scientist, humanitarian, wife, 

mother, and trailblazer who paved 

the way for thousands of others 

to succeed, not only at NASA, but 

throughout this nation.”

Jackson was born and raised in 

Hampton, VA. After graduating 

from high school, she graduated 

from Hampton Institute in 1942 

with a dual degree in math and 

physical sciences, and she initially 

accepted a job as a math teacher 

in Calvert County, MD. She would 

work as a bookkeeper, marry Levi 

Jackson, start a family, and work a job as a U.S. Army 

secretary before her aerospace career would take off.

In 1951, Jackson was recruited by the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, which in 1958 was succeeded by NASA. She started as a research mathematician who became known as one of the human 

computers at Langley. She worked under fellow 

“Hidden Figure” Dorothy Vaughan in the segregated 

West Area Computing Unit.

After two years in the computing pool, Jackson 

received an offer to work in the 4- by 4-foot Supersonic 

Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000-horsepower wind tunnel 

capable of blasting models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound. There, she received 

hands-on experience conducting experiments. Her 

supervisor eventually suggested that she enter a training program that would allow Jackson to earn a promotion from mathematician to engineer. Because the 

classes were held at then-segregated Hampton High 

School, Jackson needed special permission to join her 

white peers in the classroom.

NASA Headquarters building on Hidden Figures Way
14 logistics management news

Jackson completed the courses, earned the promotion, and in 1958 became NASA’s first Black female 

engineer. For nearly two decades during her engineering career, she authored or coauthored research 

numerous reports, most focused on the behavior of 

the boundary layer of air around airplanes. In 1979, she 

joined Langley’s Federal Women’s Program, where she 

worked hard to address the hiring and promotion of the 

next generation of female mathematicians, engineers, 

and scientists. Mary retired from Langley in 1985.

In 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed the 

Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act that 

posthumously awarded the honor to Jackson, who 

passed away in 2005, and her “Hidden Figures” colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and 

Christine Darden.

In 2017, then-99-year-old Katherine Johnson was there 

to personally dedicate a new state-of-the-art computer research facility the bears her name at Langley. 

Johnson, another original member of the West Area 

Computing Unit, also was honored as a trailblazer 

and given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. 

In addition, Johnson was part of the group honored 

with the Congressional Gold Medal, and NASA’s 

Independent Verification and Validation facility in 

Fairmont, WV, also bears Johnson’s name.

“NASA facilities across the country are named after 

people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers 

of the aerospace industry. The nation is beginning to 

awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity 

of people who helped pioneer our great nation. Over 

the years NASA has worked to honor the work of these 

Hidden Figures in various ways, including naming 

facilities, renaming streets and celebrating their legacy,” 

added Bridenstine. “We know there are many other 

people of color and diverse backgrounds who have 

contributed to our success, which is why we’re continuing the conversations started about a year ago with 

the agency’s Unity Campaign. NASA is dedicated to 

advancing diversity, and we will continue to take steps 

to do so.”

NASA facilities across the country are 

named after people who dedicated 

their lives to push the frontiers of the 

aerospace industry. The nation is 

beginning to awaken to the greater 

need to honor the full diversity of people 

who helped pioneer our great nation. 

Mary W. Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer

For additional information on Mary W. Jackson, the 

“Hidden Figures,” and today’s Modern Figures, visit

https://www.nasa.gov/modernfigures
logistics management newsl e

NEWCOMERS

Anne Cuyler, Industrial Property 

Program Manager

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 

Welcomes Willie Gainey as 

Its New Industrial Property 

Officer (IPO)

Mr. Gainey’s message follows:

I am excited about the opportunity 

to serve as the Industrial Property 

Officer at Kennedy Space Center 

and delighted to make my contributions to the NASA mission. I look 

forward to new challenges and 

developing quality professional relationships while on this journey. 

Willie Gainey, Kennedy Space Center’s new 

Industrial Property Officer

 I am excited about the opportunity to serve as 

the Industrial Property Officer at the Kennedy 

Space Center and delighted to make my 

contributions to the NASA Mission. I look forward 

to new challenges and developing quality 

professional relationships while on this journey. 

I am a married father of two wonderful young women, of whom I am 

proud and whom I love dearly. Our 

family core values are centered on 

civic engagement and service to 

our community. As a family, we love 

fishing, boating, and participating in 

our church activities. We generally 

enjoy the variety of available activities and events that the state of 

Florida has to offer. 

I was born in Orlando and spent all 

of my childhood in the Geneva and 

Oviedo areas, where I received my 

primary and secondary education 

through the Seminole County Public 

School System. Later, I would graduate from the University of Central 

Florida (BSBA in accounting). After 

serving in the U.S. Army as a part of 

the Quartermaster Corps, I returned 

to Orlando to pursue my passion 

for delivering services to the most 

underserved and vulnerable people 

within our community. I served as 

the Director of Operation for both 

the Coalition for the Homeless of 

Central Florida and the Healthcare 

Center for the Homeless (Orange 

Blossom Family Health Center), 

where we made tremendous strides 

in bringing attention to the neediest 

populations within the tri-county 

area. After 17 years of community service, I joined the team at 

Astronics Corporation, where I 

served as the Government Property 

Administrator and Quality Control 

Analyst for 10 years, implementing 

process changes and evaluations to 

ensure sustainable improvement in 

the Quality Management Systems. 

As a National Property Management 

Association Certified Professional 

Property Manager, I have spent the 

last 2 years working as an Internal 

Control Analyst for Apache-Logical 

performing Government Property 

Administrator functions. The 

Apache-Logical experience, in conjunction with an extraordinary team 

of professionals within the Logistics 

Branch, is the primary reason I 

desired to join the NASA KSC team. 

As a lifetime learner and transformational leader, I have an appetite 

for knowledge. As a part of my 

professional growth, I want to solicit 

the expertise and know-how from 

the NASA KSC team to add to my 

existing tools and competencies. 

It’s with humility and gratitude that I 

look forward to adding value to the 

Agency and its continued success. 
CONTACT US

Your involvement, understanding, and feedback are essential to making the Logistics 

Management Program a success. Please send us your questions or stories to share by 

calling or e-mailing:

Miguel A. Rodriguez

NASA Equipment and Mail 

Management Programs

Office: 202-358-1065

miguel.a.rodriguez-1@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/equipmgt.html

Peral R. Hill

Supply and Materials 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-0491

peral.r.hill@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/supmgt.html

Ann Cuyler

Contract Property 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-1524

ann.cuyler@nasa.gov 

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/cpm.html

Sharrief Wilson

Property Disposal 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-0875

sharrief.wilson@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/prodis.html

Timothy A. Currie

Transportation 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-1219

timothy.a.currie@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/ato.html

Marjorie C. Jackson

Logistics Compensating Controls 

Reviews (CCR) Program

Office: 202-358-2464

marjorie.c.jackson@nasa.gov

Robert S. Sherouse

Artifact Identification and 

Disposition Program,

Library Management Program

Office: 202-358-0746

robert.sherouse@nasa.gov

Peral R. Hill (Acting)

Life Cycle Logistics Support 

and Supply Chain 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-0491

peral.r.hill@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/life-cycle.html

Olivette M. Hooks

Director, Logistics 

Management Division

Office: 202-358-0721

olivette.hooks@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov

Jerome G. Phillips

Logistics Management Institute 

(LMI) Program Support

Office: 202-358-3653

jerome.phillips@nasa.gov

Wayne A. Cragwell

Logistics Management Institute 

(LMI) Program Support

Office: 202-358-4612

wayne.a.cragwell@nasa.gov

Vacant

Administrative Assistant

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Logistics Management Division

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street SW

Washington, DC 20546

www.nasa.gov