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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

May 2009

Our evolving mission


Guest Column
we are busy working hard on a multitude of mission activities, I wanted to dedicate time in this column to the impor tance of hurricane planning. Many of us in the Johnson Space Center communit y are still dealing with the ef fects of Ike ; however, I think we all learned that the safet y of our families, facilities and personnel is greatly improved with proper planning and information. To that end, I felt it impor tant to touch on some of the center's post-Ike activities that will help us bet ter prepare for the 2009 hurricane season. Since Hurricane Ike's landfall in September, our center director has solicited feedback from senior staf f, the JSC Joint Leadership Team and center employees on what we did right ( what to repeat ) and what did not work so well ( where to improve ) . From the feedback sessions, over 200 comments were collected. Af ter careful review, all of the comments seemed to fit into Bobby Watkins six dif ferent themes : employee direction and accountabilit y; center timeline JSC Chief of Staf for closure and reopening ; communications ; infrastructure ( both facilities and Information Technology ) ; recover y; and knowledge sharing. A small group of JSC senior staf f teamed up to address each of these areas and have been working hard since last year. Over the nex t few weeks, the results of this team's ef for ts will be for thcoming. These include : · Our Human Resources Of fice will be publishing an improved employee and super visor y accountabilit y procedure and a new tool to ensure accurate and timely accountabilit y of all our employees, civil ser vant and contractor. · Center Operations has been developing an integrated timeline to allow for an easier understanding of needed center shut-down activities, including both facilities and Information Technology. · Center Operations developed a more robust center wide integrated hurricane drill, executed in April.
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Although

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On the cover: A nearly full moon sets as the Space Shuttle Discovery sits atop Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 11.

f

· The E x ternal Relations Of fice is busy exploring new ways to disseminate information quickly and accurately af ter a natural disaster. · The Information Resources Directorate has been working diligently with the agency's NOM A D team to ensure e-mail and Black Berr y communications remain available for all employees. · The Chief Knowledge Of ficer is ensuring that center wide lessons learned and best practices are captured into a center-level repor t that will be published in April so that our hard-earned experiences are not lost. Since we are not the only center Forum at Kennedy Space Center Assembly Facilit y, the N ASA Sha Center were there to share each in our collective knowledge, and strengthen our abilit y to prepare that has experienced hurricanes, I led a multicenter Safet y and Knowledge Sharing ( KSC ) in Februar y. Over 60 people from JSC, KSC, Stennis Space Center, Michoud red Ser vices Center, Langley Research Center and Headquar ters Emergency Operations of their hard-learned lessons in dealing with hurricanes or tropical storms. We all shared JSC was able to bring back many good ideas, those "aha ! " moments, that can help for a natural disaster.

Photo of the month: A breathtaking view of the STS-119 launch on March 15, as seen from John's Island, Vero Beach, Fla.

On the personal side, now is a good time to plan, with your family, a Personal Plan of Action, including the decision criteria for whether to evacuate or stay. Several of us learned that looking for a generator should happen now, not when the storm is in the Gulf of Mexico. It is always a good idea to reassess, each year, how your situation may have changed ( got a new pet ? ) and how your Personal Plan of Action needs to be modified. The only predictable thing about a hurricane is how unpredictable they are -- so plan now, be flexible and well-prepared when the time comes. Last, do you have any colleagues that are new to the area and have no hurricane experience? We got some valuable feedback that many new team members did not know how to prepare last year. Please consider sharing with new colleagues before hurricane season on how to prepare, where to find information and how to recover. Your experience could save a life -- or ensure the safet y of others.

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NASA/ photo j S c2005e27102


Sharing hurricane stories among our centers
By Jeanie Engle

Katrina,

Rita, Gustav, Isobel, Wilma, Charlie, Frances, Jeanne and Ike are just a few hurricanes and tropical storms in the past six years that affected Langley Research Center ( LaRC ), Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ), Michoud Assembly Facility, Stennis Space Center, the N ASA Shared Ser vices Center and Johnson Space Center. From our own recent experiences at JSC, an idea was born to bring together N ASA centers that have had hurricane or tropical storm damage within the past few years to collectively share and exchange not only hard-earned lessons learned, but also those nuggets of best practices.

"The hurricane forum that was conceived by Bobby Watkins at JSC and hosted by the Kennedy Space Center in February was an outstanding example of how well the NASA team pulls together to take care of one another. For the first time, Johnson, Stennis, Kennedy, Langley and Headquarters personnel met to share lessons learned from recent storms and better prepare for the hurricane season in front of us. Each center contributed valuable information that will help us take better care of our workforce and protect our critical national assets." ­ KSC Director Bob Cabana
evacuate. We called it the "Candyland" char t since it reminded us of the game. Look for it to be updated with Texas and JSC-specific information and made available in June. There were many "aha" moments during the course of the discussions-- great ideas from our sister centers that we captured for future implementation at JSC. Among those was the determination that we need to provide "Hurricane 101" sessions for new employees or employees returning to this area after a long absence. Other great ideas were shared, such as making cafeterias a priority for reopening to help ser vice recover y personnel. Community infrastructure is a critical factor to reopening, as well as knowing what capabilities exist at each center that can be shared in an emergency, and many more. The most impor tant par t of the knowledge-sharing forum was the abilit y to make networks among center personnel-- finding out who will be available at the other end of a phone call when help is needed. As we move for ward with publication of the Center Hurricane Ike Lessons Learned Repor t, we will also be publishing the briefings and results of this two-day forum.

NASA/ photo 2867628_057

KSC Chief of Staff Joe Dowdy and JSC Chief of Staff Bobby Watkins.

"Hurricanes are a part of our life here on the space coast of Florida, and this forum proved to be an outstanding opportunity to share experiences so that we are better prepared to meet the challenges that will most assuredly come in the future." ­ KSC Chief of Staff Joe Dowdy

JSC Chief of Staff Bobby Watkins led the team to coordinate among the different centers a multicenter Safety and Knowledge Sharing Forum. The goals were ver y simple: share, collaborate and learn. Over two days in Februar y at KSC, 60 people from these six sites came together to describe their own events, the hard road to recover y and for ward planning to initiate before the next time. We all know that living where we do ... there will be a next time. Themes that had emerged after Hurricane Ike were used to format the discussions. These themes centered on communications, recover y, timelines, infrastructure, employee direction and accountability. Although each storm brings its own unique set of problems, there were common elements throughout each stor y shared. LRC, for example, provided a simple char t for employees to use in deciding whether to stay in place or

Employees agencywide capture key lessons learned during the sharing forum.
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NASA/ photo


Taking a look at NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program By Valin
With
Neil Armstrong's first steps on the lunar sur face, the first reusable spacecraf t--the space shut tle, one of the most complex international engineering projects of this era --the International Space S tation, N A S A has been the pathfinder for human space exploration for more than 50 years. N A S A is now developing advanced space exploration vehicles and technologies as it moves for ward with the Constellation Program and t h e re t ur n t o t h e m o o n a n d o n t o M a r s . Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the exploration and utilization of our solar system is the high cost of space transpor tation. To date, no government or private ef for t has resulted in a solution to this problem. Once a solution is found and is commercially viable, low-cost space transpor tation will be transformative to the world's economy. N A S A has developed an experimental program that is ser ving

Thorn

r e p r e s e n t a t i v e d e s t i n a t i o n . T h e C O T S p a r t n e r s h a d m a x im u m l a t i t u d e to freely innovate and optimize their launch vehicle and spacecraf t designs and operations. "We had the need. We had some seed money. We had the interest and we had the technical exper tise," said C 3PO Manager Alan Lindenmoyer. "A nd you put that together with some ver y capable s u p p li e r s a n d p r o v i d e r s , t h e n w e h a d t h e b a s i s f o r w h a t c o u l d b e a v e r y successful program."

Orbital
Just about 10 0 miles up the coast from where the Wright brothers first flew their airplane at K it t y Ha wk, Orbital Sciences is planning to launch their new COT S system at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spacepor t at N A S A's Wallops Flight Facilit y in Virginia. Orbital's COT S system design for cost-ef fective, reliable space transpor tation is based on the new Taurus II rocket with a LOX / Kerosene first stage, powered by t wo Aerojet A J-26 engines. The Taurus II second stage is AT K's Castor 30 solid-propellant motor, derived from their flight-proven Castor 120. The spacecraf t system bus is derived from Orbital's heritage DAW N and STA R spacecraf t projects. T h e s p a c e c a r g o c a r r i e r s a r e d e r i ve d f r o m s t a t i o n c a r g o c a r r i e r s . Orbital's COT S system will be capable of delivering cargo to the station, and a planned demonstration flight is scheduled for late 2010.

SpaceX
At Cape Canaveral, within sight of where ever y N A S A human spaceflight mission has launched, SpaceX is planning to launch their n e w C O T S s y s t e m. SpaceX is well into the development of t wo new launch vehicles and has already established an ex tensive launch manifest. SpaceX is based on the philosophy that simplicit y, low cost and reliabilit y can go hand in hand. By eliminating t h e t r a d i t i o n a l l ay e r s o f m a n a g e m e n t i n t e r n a ll y and subcontractors ex ternally, SpaceX r e d u c e s c o s t s w h il e speeding decisionmaking and deliver y. Likewise, by keeping t he va s t majo r i t y of manufacturing in house, S p ac e X re du c e s c o s t s a n d ke e p s t i gh t e r c o n t r o l of qualit y, ensuring a tight feedback loop
SpaceX/ photo NASA/ photo

An artist's depiction of a SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. as a catalyst for new ideas, new technologies and a new way of doing business by engaging the innovation, imagination and drive of American industr y. Managed by N A S A's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program ( C 3PO ) , the program is also known as Commercial Orbital Transpor tation S e r v i c e s ( C O T S ) . T h e C 3 P O C O T S P r o g r a m w ill e n a b l e t h e c r e a t i o n of new, cost-ef fective commercial space transpor tation systems and demonstrate capabilities to provide cost-ef fective transpor tation ser vices to orbit for cargo and, eventually, crew. The C 3PO COT S Program is helping fuel the private sector's imagination and drive with technical suppor t from N A S A's nearly 50 years of human spaceflight. And, af ter industr y competitions for the highest level of N A S A assistance, C 3PO COT S is granting a total of $ 50 0 million dollars over four years to t wo companies -- Orbital S cien c e s a n d S p ac e X . The C 3PO COT S Program has unique government and industr y par tnerships, rather than t ypical government cost-plus prime contracts. N A S A did not dictate design solutions. Instead, overall per formance objectives were established with the station's needs ser ving as a
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket on Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, Fla.


SpaceX launch vehicles and spacecraf t are designed for refurbishment and reuse, which, if successful, will make them the world's first f u ll y r e u s a b l e l a u n c h v e h i c l e s . T h e D r a g o n c a r g o a n d c r e w c a p s u l e i n d e v e l o p m e n t f o r C O T S w ill revolutionize access to space by providing ef ficient and reliable transpor tation of space cargo and, eventually, crew to the station and other low-Ear th orbit destinations. SpaceX's COT S cargo transpor tation demonstration flights will begin in 20 09 and c o n c lu d e w i t h a t h ir d d e m o n s t r a t i o n t o t h e s t a t i o n in 2010. Once the COT S par tners have made progress d e v e l o p i n g c a r g o t r a n s p o r t c a p a b ili t i e s a n d f u n d i n g is approved, C 3PO will begin the COTS crew transpor tation phase of the program. F r o m L e w i s a n d C l a r k t o t h e c o m m e r c i a l av i a t i o n industr y, government has of ten provided the initial An artist's concept of the future of U.S. commercial crew space transportation. impetus for the exploration and development of new f r o n t i e r s , f o ll o w e d b y r a p i d c o m m e r c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t bet ween the design and manufacturing teams. and expansion once the trail is bla zed. N A S A's COTS D r aw i n g u p o n a r i c h h i s t o r y o f p r i o r l a u n c h v e h i c l e a n d e n g i n e Program continues that tradition. programs, SpaceX is developing the Dragon cargo and crew capsule A s N A S A's Constellation Program continues to push the boundaries and the Falcon family of rockets from the ground up, including main of the space frontier, creating par tnerships with American industr y and upper stage engines, the cr yogenic tank structure, avionics, and taking essential steps toward a more routine access to space will guidance and control sof t ware and ground suppor t equipment. transform our world.

SpaceX/ photo

A moment in space history
Skylab was a manned U.S. space station launched into orbit in May 1973. It had been adapted from the third stage of a Saturn V rocket vehicle. Three successive crews of three astronauts each occupied Skylab. The longest mission, which ended in February 1974, lasted almost three months.
May 14, 1973: Skylab 1 launched The first Skylab mission launched and immedia tel y developed technical problems due to vibra tions during liftof f. A critical meteoroid shield ripped off, taking one of the craft's two solar panels with it. A piece of the shield wra pped around the other panel and kept it from deploying. Skyla b was maneuvered so its Apollo Telescope Mount solar panels faced the Sun to provide as much electricity as possible. Because of the loss of the meteoroid shield, however, this positioning caused workshop temperatures to riase to 126 degrees F. The launch of Skylab 2 was postponed while NASA engineers, in an intensive 10-day

NASA/ photo S73-20236

period, developed procedures and trained the crew to make the workshop ha bita ble. At the same time, eng ineers "rolled" Skyla b to lower the tempera ture of the workshop. May 25, 1973: Skylab 2 launched Crew: Charles Conrad Jr., Paul J. Weitz and Joseph P. Kerwin. Duration: 28 days, 50 minutes. The first Skylab crew rendezvoused with Skyla b on

the fifth orbit. Substantial repairs were made, including deployment of a parasol sunshade tha t cooled the inside tempera tures to 75 degrees F. By June 4, the workshop was in full operation. In orbit, the crew conducted solar astronom y and Earth resources experiments, medical studies and five student experiments. The mission completed 404 orbits and 392 experiment hours, with three spacewalks totaling six hours, 20 minutes.
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NASA/ photo S73-27096

NASA/ photo S73-26849


Mission Operations Directorate Evolving for
Since
Intercommunication System is Project Mercur y, In addition to new shared resources. also getting an overhaul. New the Mission w o r k s t a t i o n s , t h e e n t ir e M C C S The MCC S upgrades don't end Operations Directorate ( MOD ) has net work was replaced in 20 04 there. New space station front-end voice switch and conference-loop technology is scheduled to be had great success in developing, with the Internal Data Distribution processors, essential for receiving operational this spring. planning, training and executing S ub s y s tem ( I D D S ) . T he I D D S telemetr y and trajector y data Perhaps the most visible human spaceflight missions. But consists of of f-the-shelf net work and commanding the shuttle and example of innovation lies in the even being the best leaves room s o l u t i o n s t h a t a ll o w s u p p o r t o f station, have been operational for Operations Technology Facility for improvement. m u l t i p l e m i s s i o n s , s im u l a t i o n s more than a year. ( OTF ) . The OTF is working to set With missions to the moon and a n d t e s t s s im u l t a n e o u s l y f r o m The long-lived Digital Voice the new standard for Mars in suppor t of the mission operations at Constellation Program Johnson Space Center on the horizon, MOD with a new concept is working to evolve called MCCx. to an even better "MCCx represents organization. a series of solutions "We didn't just make that the MCCS team is this stuff up," Paul evaluating for the way Hill, director of MOD, we operate for future said. "We went out and inclusion in the design," benchmarked across said Troy LeBlanc, numerous industries Systems Engineering in order to adopt best Branch chief for the practices and all that MOD Facilities Division. contributed to us being The OTF team looked on this path." at technologies from a The new path for series of benchmarking MOD includes upgrades activities at industr y to all of its systems, facilities to integrate including training Chris Edelen (left), flight director, and Jay Marshcke, spacecraft communicator, in into MCCx. One of those and operations for the Flight Control Room 1 during the Expedition 17 mission. significant technologies International Space is a vir tual client ser ver Station and Constellation, with a data center that as well as facility generates telemetr y displays users upgrades. Updates have already can view remotely. been made to the Mission Control Center System ( MCCS ) . This gives flight controllers "We are tr ying to get out of greater flexibility to work from government-unique solutions home or the of fice, because "all as much as possible and get to you need to access MCCx systems commodity-based hardware and is a regular personal computer or software," Hill said. "In the Mission a laptop," said Eric Wolfer, chief Control Center, we are already of the Operations and Information down that path with the Mission Technology Of fice for MOD. Control Center Workstation, In addition to providing remote Ser ver and Operating System access to Mission Control Center Replacement ( MWSOR ) project." data, the MCCx team is looking to The MWSOR project was move all of the separate, dedicated star ted in 2003 to replace data, voice, video, audio and Interior view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the expensive workstations with phone system ser vices to common Mission Control Center, Building 30, during the Apollo 11 lunar equipment that gives greater Internet Protocol systems. spacewalk. Another project that is working flexibility.
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NASA/ photo S69-39817 NASA/ photo j S c2008e056860


spaceflight of the future
By Sean Wilson
needs. MOD has taken steps to bring simulators into the 21st centur y with the development of the International Space Station Systems Integrated Simulation ( ISIS ) . "ISIS combines models that simulate the entire International Space Station with MCCx technologies that provide the flight controller inter face to create a new par t-task trainer," LeBlanc said. The lessons learned from ISIS, coupled with benchmarking from industr y, are shaping the development of the Constellation training facility. MOD has laid the groundwork for a world-class operation for the next generation of Mission Control. A lot of changes are under way; however, according to Hill, some things will never change. "The things that aren't going to change are what our mission is, our basic approach to the mission and how we provide bullet-proof mission planning, preparation and execution for Mission Control," Hill said. "But we don't intend to deliver it the same way [ we ] delivered in the `60s or in the `90s." "You can bet MOD still expects our people to be steely-eyed missile men and women," Hill said. "We also expect to keep challenging the way we do business to stay the best of the best."

Jennifer Heiman demonstrates MCCx capabilities, which can be securely accessed from office and home. to make remote access to data a reality is the Mission Operations Reconfiguration System ( MORS ) . MORS is the next-generation system for managing and automating the configuration data and client software for Constellation operations. "We are tr ying to design a system that allows flight controllers to do their jobs at their desks," MORS Project Manager Regina Blue said. Innovations to the MCCS don't end with the infrastructure. Changes in flight controller training and cer tification have been under Janice Lee way since 2007, with console in a new process called "top gun" training. According to Rob Banfield, E xpedition Vehicle Division chief, the change was about more than just streamlining processes. "Today on console we've got our most experienced people working weekends and nights," Banfield said. "That's pretty hard on their families. So we'll train new operators in 12 months, cer tify and put them on console for quiescent operations that are typical of nights and weekends during long-duration spaceflight like International Space Station." Hill puts the restructuring into perspective. "As new operators star t gaining exper tise, we pull them out of routine operations to become instructors and to suppor t more dynamic phases of flight and problem resolution." In 2008, MOD began training operators in groups similar to new astronaut classes rather than individually. The MCC will be staffed with operators from the first class this fall. With new training requirements comes new training facility

enjoys new layout of the MCCx the ISIS training facility.

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NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies Team eyes White Sands Test Facility
By Cheerie R. Patneaude
NASA's White Sands Test Facility

Twelve

team members of the Deser t Research and Technology Studies ( D-R ATS ) visited N ASA White Sands Test Facility ( WSTF ) to evaluate the facility capabilities and local terrain in suppor t of future N ASA agency planned planetar y analog testing activities. The team scouted several locations in the vicinity of WSTF, including the historic Love Ranch area, two volcanic craters and associated lava flow areas southwest of WSTF ( Kilbourne Hole and Aden Crater), the White Sands Space Harbor ( WS SH ), White Sands dune areas nor theast of WSSH and, finally, a more recent lava flow area nor th of WS SH. Operated by WSTF, WSSH is the primar y training area for shuttle pilots flying practice approaches and landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 chase aircraft. This restricted, controlled airspace offers yearround flying weather. WSSH is located at the nor thern end of the Chihuahuan Deser t and lies in a mountain-ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the middle of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders--the white sands of New Mexico, where dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of deser t and are par t of the world's largest gypsum dune field.

The D-R ATS team scouted the WSTF area to record suitability of the terrain and facility suppor t capabilities for field tests of the Lunar Electric Rover chassis, Small Pressurized Rover cabin mockup, mockup suits, All-Terrain Hex-Legged E xtra-Terrestrial E xplorer ( ATHLE TE ), Logistics Carrier Mockup and K10 rovers. Some of the D-R ATS team members were provided with a helicopter flight in White Sands Missile Range aircraft to cover the different areas of interest, while others drove to the different areas for a more detailed ground inspection. The D-R ATS team will analyze the terrain and the suppor t capability that WSTF can provide to see if there is a mutual benefit to conducting sur face analog testing in the WSTF vicinity. WSTF, a par t of Johnson Space Center, is a remote, self-contained site located on the western slope of the San Augustin Mountains, situated on the ver y edge of the White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, N.M. The facility conducts rocket engine tests, oxygen materials tests, hyper velocity impact tests, refurbishes flight hardware and conducts a variety of other hazardous tests for N ASA. Learn more about WSTF's unique capabilities by visiting : ht tp : //www.nasa.gov/centers /wst f /home /index.html

NASA/ photo w S tf 0209e01757

Dunes showing an untouched faГade.

The rim of Aden Crater.

NASA/ photo w S tf0209e01480

Aden Crater, southwest of WSTF.
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Movie set in the dune field near WSSH.

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NASA/ photo w S tf0209e01481


Information Resources Directorate

Partnering with the customer
By Jennifer Mason

anyone to name one of their most impor tant productivity tools, and chances are they'll say their computer. We take it for granted that our computers will work ef ficiently without breaking down and adapt quickly to changing technology. So how do we make sure the tools we use to manage data, provide information and communicate with one another really do meet our requirements?

Ask

IRD Television operations in Building 8. To address that question, the Information Resources Directorate ( IRD ) has gone through a two-year self-improvement program. "The changes in IRD are for ward-thinking. I wanted to create an environment where employees can be innovative and also better meet organizational needs for Information Technology ( IT )," said IRD Director Larr y Sweet. Inspired by customer feedback and changes at N ASA Headquar ters, the new IRD organization was unveiled in December. IRD went from four divisions to six of fices to align with Headquar ters and reflect best practices. In addition to new end-user ser vice of fices, IRD now has a Business Management and Policy Of fice that focuses on implementation of IT policies, improving business practices and coordinating IT resource planning across the center. IRD also has a new Project Management and Technical Integration Of fice that provides improved integration of projects across IRD. Some new roles were created to streamline par tnering with customers. Information Technology Business Managers ( ITMs ) have been implemented for each Johnson Space Center directorate and at White Sands Test Facility. ITMs work with senior leadership to take a strategic look at the IT needs of an organization, assess resources and plan for future needs. Also new is the Chief Technology Of ficer, or CTO, James McClellan. McClellan is responsible for developing technology strategies that ensure JSC programs and directorates have the IT tools and suppor t to meet their needs.

The changes aren't just in the organization's structure --there have been cultural changes as well. IRD's vision, which hadn't been revisited in several years, was updated. The new vision of creative evolution is adaptable and customer-focused. IRD wants to work closely with all stakeholders to be a pioneering and responsive administrator of technologies and ser vices. To keep in line with their new vision, IRD now rewards the right kind of behavior to suppor t it. "One of my favorite ways to demonstrate the new philosophy is to give out the new IRD Director's Award," Sweet said, "We've given out four awards already." The new award is given to employees nominated by their peers for customer-focused behavior that personifies the IRD vision. While organization and cultural changes were under way, IRD made a significant change in how it communicates with customers with a Web site overhaul. In addition, IRD updated their customer satisfaction sur veys to better understand their customers' needs. For the past few years, a sur vey with almost 100 questions about all of IRD's ser vices was sent out annually. The lengthiness of the sur vey prompted a decline in par ticipation, so recently IRD cut the number of questions in half and concentrated on center wide ser vices. Ser vices used by a smaller set of customers will collect feedback in other ways. An updated structure and revised philosophy will benefit both IRD and the organization's customers across JSC and White Sands. Par tnering with customers will help to streamline IT needs across all organizations. According to Sweet, "It's impor tant to me that we par tner with our customers so we can truly understand their needs and transform those into IT solutions."

NASA/ photo j S c 2005-00017

Todd Munson in the Building 8 Photo Lab works with the Oxberry Cinescan 6400.
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NASA/ photo jsc2005e43039


Spotlight Mike Gentry
Gentry is a librarian /researcher from the JIMMS contract in the Media Resource Center, a satellite facility of the Public Affairs Of fice. He came here in the last part of July 1969 on a 120-day contract to help write captions for photos produced by and for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, and has served NASA ever since.
Q: Who are your heroes? A: Deke Slayton exemplified the "Right Stuff." He wasn't at all full of himself, had great consideration for others and was the consummate professional. He had a dry sense of humor ( I love most people who have a sense of humor, dry or otherwise). He never met a mountain head-on that he couldn't blow away like so much sand and move on. I admire the quality in people to overcome obstacles and obtain a degree of success greater than they may not have otherwise accomplished. I had a grandfather who had been a pro baseball player until he got hit in the head by a fastball and eventually lost over 50 percent of both his hearing and eyesight. He went on to build seven houses with minimal assistance from anyone else. Of course, all my grandparents and parents are heroes to me. Q: What does JSC mean to you? What is your best memory a t N A S A o r JS C ? A: JSC affords a ringside seat to the space program. Not just a free seat, but one that pays us. Can't ask for much more than that. I like the teamwork and realize how necessar y the team concept is. Occasionally, when someone pays me a compliment about my work, I welcome the oppor tunity to mention and recognize my most immediate working colleagues: Jody, Kathy, Susan, Gloria, Adam and all my other Public Affairs Of fice and Information Resources Directorate associates who make the brigade concept work without spilling a drop of water, so to sp e a k . My favorite memor y is watching (via T V on a giant screen in the Building 2 Auditorium ) the Apollo 13 Command Module appear through the clouds, eased into sight and safety by three memorable parachutes-- but, in truth, by the great N ASA team who was convinced failure was not an option.

Mike Gentry shares his passion for NASA on one of the final International Space Station trailer outreach trips in San Augustine, Texas, in 2005.

NASA/ photo lARR y fR ie N d

Q: Coolest part of your job? A: Seeing the imager y that suppor ts the American space effor t and that of all its par tners, including the fine ground-based work of Johnson Space Center still photographers, Mark, Rober t, James, William, Lauren, David, Regan, Devin and all their predecessors. Q: Favorite hobbies or interesting things you do the of fice? A: I like to fish, watch movies, play trivia and travel when especially going back over paths previously traveled, to bes memories and see new changes. I also like spor ting events and on T V/radio --and keeping tropical fish. away from I can, t recall old -- in person

Q: What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child? A: I always wanted to either teach or work in the field of ichthyology. I always wished I had had the abilities and senses to fly airplanes or play the piano. My close friends laugh at the airplanes and piano aspirations, so it must have been a pipe dream. Q: What would people be surprised to know about you? A: That I am a direct descendant of Zachar y Taylor, the 12th president of the United States. Q: What is your favorite quote or motto? A: "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." ­ David Brinkley Q: Favorite food and sport? A: Don't even have to think about-- green grape pie and baseball. In second place are tangerines and any kind of racing. Q: Last good book you read? A: "Remembering President Zachar y Taylor" by Dave Mandl.

WANTED!
Do you know a JSC colleague or team that does something extraordinary on or off the job? Whether it's a unique skill, interesting work, special professional accomplishment, remarkable second career, hobby or volunteerism, your nominee(s) may deserve the spotlight! The Roundup shines the light on one special person or team each month, chosen from a cross section of the JSC workforce. To suggest "Spotlight" candidates, send your nomination to the JSC Roundup Office mailbox at jscroundup@mail.nasa.gov. Please include contact information and a brief description of why your nominee(s) should be considered.

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Center Scoop
BASKIng In ATTenTIOn

NASA's

next-generation lunar rover visited hundreds of high school students at this year's For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition Lone Star Regional. Johnson Space Center's Lunar Electric Rover team gave public demonstrations of the rover's capabilities on March 27 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. JSC engineers also gave additional shows for the public the next day at Discover y Green Park in downtown Houston.

CreATIng A SAFer WOrK enVIrOnMenT
Computer use can cause many small injuries that get worse if not corrected right away. Your furniture should be ergonomically designed so that you have no discomfort when working at your computer. Here are some general ergonomic recommendations: 1. Place your keyboard and monitor directly in front of you. 2. Adjust your chair to fit you and make sure it has firm back support. 3. Use soft wrist rests at the keyboard and mouse. 4. Place your monitor screen so you don't see any glare. 5. Secure your overhead hutch to the desk or table on which it sits. To clean the monitor, spray cleaning solution onto a cloth, then wipe the monitor. JSC has had several small fires and electrical shorts from cleaners sprayed directly onto screens. For additional information, see Chapter 5.5, "Ergonomics," in the JSC Safety and Health Handbook.

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`400 YeArS OF The TeLeSCOPe'

Emmy

aw a r d - w i n n i n g p r o d u c e r / w r i t e r K r i s K o e n i g , a l o n g w i t h a team from Interstellar S tudios, visited the world's leading astronomers, cosmologists and obser vers to create "40 0 Years of the Telescope." The documentar y journeys from 1609, when Galileo revealed humankind's place in its gala x y, to today's quest to discover new worlds in the infinite universe. J S C t e a m m e m b e r s v i e w e d t h i s d o c u m e n t a r y s c r e e n in g in t h e Teague Auditorium on A pril 14, in addition to seeing a presentation by Milt Heflin, lead flight director with ST S- 61, Hubble's first ser vicing mission. Special guests Dr. John Grunsfeld, mission s p e c i a li s t a n d l e a d s p a c e w a l k e r for Hubble's third ser vicing mi s s i o n, a n d P a t r i c i a G r a s , P B S Dr. John Grunsfeld, mission specialist and lead spacewalker for STS-103, speaks of his lifelong interest in astronomy and the upcoming Hubble mission.

host of "Smar t Living" and "L atina Voices," were also on hand to speak with the audience. N A S A's nex t mission to Hubble, ST S-125, is targeted for launch in mid May. JSC Associate Director (Technical) Milt Heflin addresses the audience before the special screening of "400 Years of the Telescope."

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Roundup
The Roundup is an official publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, and is published by the Public Affairs Office for all Space Center employees. The Roundup office is located at 2200 Space Park Drive, Rm. 220. The mail code is AP22. Visit our Web site at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/roundup/online/ For distribution questions or to suggest a story idea, send an e-mail to jsc-roundup@mail.nasa.gov. Catherine E. Ragin Editor Neesha Hosein Assistant Editor Logan Goodson Graphic Designer Laura A. Rochon NASA Publication Manager Cassandra V. Miranda Contractor Publication Manager

P rSr T S T D U.S. POSTAge PAID
w eB St eR.t X permit No. 39

Retu RN Se R vice Reque S ted

Coats in the Trenches

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On April 1, Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats and members of senior staff toured the receiving, Inspection and Test Facility (rITF) in Building 15. The rITF
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is part of the Safety and Mission Assurance organization and houses testing and training facilities for electrical and mechanical testing, chemical analysis and nASA standards training.

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