NASA Staff Meeting Minutes 26 June 1995

Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Directors’ Meeting June 26, 1995
The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and Center Directors’ Meeting on June 26, 1995. Mr.Goldin was not in attendance.

1. AA Reports
R/Reeves: Dr. Whitehead is at LeRC being briefed on the Wind Tunnel Office. The Independent Annual Review of the Advanced Subsonic Technology program is scheduled for July 6, 1995.
K/Green: Mr. Thomas is attending the Procurement Advisory Council Meeting at the Small Business Administration.
I/Schumacher: Mr. Schumacher is leaving tonight (June 26) in support of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission (GCC), scheduled for June 29 to 30. Mr.Goldin is leaving with the Vice President on June 27 from Oregon. Mr. Goldin will not return until early a.m. on July 1.
Y/Townsend: As a result of the Pegasus failure on June 22, the TOMS spacecraft will not be shipped until we have examined all of our options. During the ESA Council meeting on June 21 and 22, ESA could not commit to fund development of Multifrequency Imaging Microwave Radiometer (MIMR) for flight on PM-1 in time to meet NASA’s imposed deadline. NASA will pursue the contingency plan of advising NASDA that we will accept their offer for funding for Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer. We will continue cooperation with ESA in other areas of Earth observations.
L/Lawrence: The House Science Committee will try again on June 28 to mark up the 5-year Space Station authorization bill.
X/Mansfield: NASA is forming several task teams to address all aspects of its strategy for access to space following the latest failure of an Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) Pegasus launch vehicle carrying a U.S. Air Force payload (Space Test Experiment Platform) on June 22. The review effort is being organized by Associate Deputy Administrator (Technical) Michael I. Mott. OSC and the Air Force will also be conducting their own individual reviews.
Z/Accola: On June 16, the President announced his intention to nominate Dr. Ernest J. Moniz as Associate Director for Science at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (replacement for M.R.C. Greenwood). Dr. Moniz is the Head of the Department of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Enclosure 1). The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) has announced a series of reports on the National Space Transportation policy. The first report is entitled “Issues for Congress.” The second report, scheduled for release in July, will address the lower industrial tiers of the Space Transportation industry. Additional report releases will be dependent on the future of OTA.
E/Freeman: Demographic briefings and diversity training have been completed at all the Centers except GSFC. Dr. Freeman thanked all the Center Directors for their assistance in these efforts. Dr. Freeman also asked that diversity be factored into the selections of committee and/or board assignments. Dr. Freeman provided a copy of the June 5, 1995, report prepared by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on “The Potential Impact of the House Budget Resolution on Historically Black Colleges and Universities” for senior management review (Enclosure 2).
B/Peterson: Verbal discussions with OMB, regarding the President’s10-year budget plan, indicate that NASA will not sustain any impacts during the first 5-year period–may have some adjustments in the 2001 to 2005 period. Nothing has been received in writing to date. The FY 1995 rescission bill deletes an additional $66 million for NASA.
2. AD/Dailey
There was significant progress in reducing the overdue correspondence–keep up the good work! At 2 p.m. today (June 26), a press release will be issued announcing Dr. Robert Whitehead as the Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and John Schumacher as the Associate Administrator for External Relations.
Next week’s staff meeting is cancelled. The next weekly telecon is July 10.
June 30 is the deadline for the Savings Bond campaign. Thanks to all who supported the Headquarters Picnic on June 24 at GSFC. A fun time was had by all. Congratulations to the Headquarters Exchange Council for a well-executed activity. When sending out memorandums to senior staff members, in which interest could be across the Agency, err on the side of inclusion in the distribution of copies. Code E has failed to be included on distribution of correspondence generated from some of the codes. Given the above statement regarding inclusion, we are assuming that all codes want to participate in the Headquarters softball challenge. Contact Deanna Murphy at 358-1313 to confirm your code’s participation and identify a point of contact by close of business June 30. Deanna will facilitate a group to establish the rules and brackets. Games will be played at Jefferson Field at 6th and G, SW, beginning in mid-July.
3. Center Director Reports
ARC/Munechika: Dr. Sanford Davis, Chief of the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory Branch, along with several representatives from aerospace industry, is visiting TSAGI in Russia to coordinate planning for a wind tunnel test program of the TU-144. Dr. Davis is the sole NASA member of the
team, representing LaRC and DFRC as well as ARC. Brigadier General Joseph T. Anderson, USC, Vice Commander, Naval Air Systems command, visited ARC on June 20 and 21 for aeronautics program briefings and a flight demonstration of ARC-developed integrated flight/propulsion control and display systems for Advanced Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing aircraft, using the ARC VSTOL Systems Research Aircraft. Gen. Anderson expressed his appreciation for the ARC corporate VSTOL knowledge and the transfer of that knowledge and technology to the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program contractors (LMSC, MDAC, and Boeing).
DRFC/Jarvis: Mr. Szalai is providing the introductory remarks at the Reusable Launch Vehicle Nonadvocate Review.
GSFC/Rothenberg: Vern Weyers, Director, Flight Projects at GSFC, is leading the effort to study alternatives for launching NASA payloads currently slated for the Pegasus XL. The first meeting is scheduled for June 28–options and recommendations are slated on or about August 1. Wallops held their 50th anniversary “Open House” on June 24. GSFC senior officials, as well as Doug Norton from Headquarters, attended the event. The Air Force and Navy also participated. Representative Bateman (R-VA) did not attend. The “Pegstone” test article is a starting point as a candidate instrument for test flight. A forest fire in California has encircled our mobile laser site a mile away on all sides. All personnel have been evacuated, and the fire is being watched.
JPL/Dumas: Dr. Stone is on his way to Headquarters to attend the annual meeting of the JPL Cal Tech Board of Trustees.
JSC/Huntoon: The STS-71 crew remains in quarantine at KSC, awaiting the launch rescheduled for June 27. JSC is expecting many visitors this week.
KSC/Honeycutt: The 72-hour turnaround of STS-71 is in progress. There was minor facility damage due to lightning on June 23. T-0 is at 3:32 p.m. EDT on June 27. Assuming that STS-71 is launched on June 27, STS-69 (Endeavour) will move to pad A at 12:01 a.m. on June 28. NBC Today reported from Spaceport USA this morning. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt will be at KSC on June 28 to observe manatees undergoing examinations that will be released in approximately 3 weeks.
LaRC/Holloway: Last week, a “kick-off” meeting was held at the University of Maryland for the $3.5 million Smart Rotor development contract awarded to McDonnell-Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) by ARPA. The University of Maryland Rotorcraft Center of Excellence is a partner on the contract with MDHS. The purpose of the contract is to develop, build, and hover test a full-scale, flightworthy, trailing-edge flap actuation system for the MDHS MD-900 helicopter main rotor aimed at significant improvements in noise, vibration, and performance. If successful, Phases II and III (both unfunded) would include testing the rotor in the NASA ARC 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel and then flight test on the MD-900, respectively.
LaRC-SI (Soluble Imide) has been selected as one of the 1995 R&D 100 awards. LaRC-SI is an ultrahigh performance soluble self-bonding polyimide that can be used as a hot-melt adhesive, a sprayable protective or composite coating, a resin for advanced composites, a self-bonding ultrathin film for electronics, a fiber, and for mechanical parts. The R&D award is an international award that recognizes the 100 most technologically significant products of the past year. The award will be presented at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry on September 19,1995.
Two LaRC Technology Applications Group Research Summer Scholar Students have designed a special apparatus for the City of Virginia Beach’s Adult Day program. This apparatus is a unique device, allowing an individual to access a computer response by opening and closing their mouth. This device is not commercially available, and the NASA prototype device will be delivered this week.
LaRC is in touch with OSC regarding the Pegasus failure. First-stage performance, which used the new aerodynamic data and flight-control system modifications recommended by LaRC, was completely nominal.
Representatives Bateman (R-VA) and Mineta (D-CA), cochairs of the Aviation and Space Caucus, have coauthored an article on the “importance of aeronautical research to the Nation.” It is to be published in the June 26 issue of Space News, the August issue of Aerospace America, the AIAA Journal, and in Aviation Week (publication date pending).
LeRC/Campbell: LeRC received five 1995 R&D 100 awards by members of the Research Sensor Technology Branch–Automated Gas Leak Detection System PdCr Thin Film Strain Gauge, CARES/Life Integrated Design Software, Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, and Affordable Fiber Reinforced Ceramic Composites.