NASA Staff Meeting Minutes 3 June 1996

Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Director’s Meeting June 3, 1996
The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and Center Director’s Meeting on June 3, 1996. Mr. Goldin was in attendance. Action assignments are bolded.

1. AA Reports
B/Peterson: Mr. Holz is briefing the Integrated Financial Management Program (IFMP) to representatives on the Hill. It is anticipated that Mr. Goldin will sign the NASA Operating Plan this week.
K/Green: The week of September 23 to 27, 1996, has been set aside for the 14th Annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week which was established in 1982 to give recognition to the Nation’s minority owned businesses. NASA has been a major participant in this celebration since its inception. A special feature during MED Week is the NASA presentation of awards to recognize minority firms and NASA personnel who have made outstanding contributions to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), including women-owned businesses. The NASA awards ceremony will be held September 24, 1996, at 2:30 p.m. in the NASA HQ Auditorium. Selection of the NASA awardees will be made by a committee chaired by the NASA HQ Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. All awardees will receive inscribed plaques from the Administrator, and each nominee will be recognized with an oral mention. NASA will also honor Agency technical, small business, and procurement personnel for their unyielding individual contributions to NASA’s 8-percent SDB contracting goal.
G/Frankle: Code G has identified a dozen HQ employees that have not filed the required form 278. This list is currently being reviewed to ensure its accuracy, and Code G will contact the necessary parties , as required. The rule of thumb for those required to file are GS 15-8 and above. Those who fail to file the required form 278 by June 15, 1996, and have not requested an extension, will be required to pay a mandatory $200. Mr. Frankle is drafting a memo to the OICs with guidance concerning the use of NASA Centers and facilities in support of political activities.
L/Lawrence: The vote on the International Space Station’s FY 97 budget was passed 286 to 127 authorizing $1.8 billion. On May 29, 1996, the House Appropriations VA/HUD and Independent Agencies subcommittee voted to fund $14.162 billion for NASA in FY 1997. The high percentage of support NASA received from the Members was a direct reflection of the effort and responsiveness from the HQ codes during the past several months. Mr. Lawrence expressed his appreciation for everyone’s hard efforts. The Code L Homepage will be updated with last week’s activities. Additionally, Mr. Lawrence discussed the potential impact of the press’ interest in the NASA programs during the upcoming November elections.
P/Boeder: Ms. Boeder reinforced Mr. Lawrence’s comments. The press coverage of the Hubble Space Telescope’s photos of the Crab Nebula has been outstanding, as has the coverage of STS-77. During STS-77’s mission, four NASA Centers–JSC, JPL, KSC, and for the first time GSFC–participated in live commentary. A press conference on the Tether Mission’s Report findings will be conducted on June 4, 1996, at 2:30 p.m. JPL reports that they have received in excess of 2 million signature cards for the Cassini mission. On June 7, 1996, NASA TV will carry the live coverage of the Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced’s (DC-XA) second test flight.
W/Gross: Ms. Gross discussed the findings of a recent study of investigation procedures to improve response and timeliness of reports that revealed a trend of serious scheduling delays for IG inbriefs and outbriefs–some as much as 60 days. Code W is committed to working with the programs and codes to ensure realistic scheduling to accommodate calendar conflicts and to support the turnaround of requested information. However, a new policy will go into effect that is similar to the GAO, in which scheduling delays and delays in receiving requested information will not impede the investigation. Additionally, such events will be recorded within the report’s contents.
U/Nicogossian: Code U is preparing for the June 20, 1996, launch of STS-78.
Y/Mann: Last week, Mr. Mann mentioned that NOAA-9 had stopped transmitting after 11.5 years of operations. During the June 1, 1996, weekend, the satellite came back online and continues to report data. Efforts to identify the problem are currently underway. Dr. Kennel will conduct a farewell address to the HQ employees at 1:30 p.m. in the HQ auditorium. The initial operations document from NPOES is being reviewed and will be briefed this week. Code Y is concerned about DOD’s desire not to participate in the scheduled Titan II launch that is supporting NOAA-L and -M. NASA is currently working with NOAA and DOD to find a solution. The Japanese have recommended minor modifications to the Advanced Earth Observing System (ADEOS) MOU. Efforts to review and finalize those recommendations are underway.
J/Cooper: Ms. Cooper attended a recent meeting that was addressed by the Chief Financial Officer of Washington, DC. The CFO requested assistance from the Federal Agencies to identify talented managers that would be available for a detail with the District’s CFO office. Individuals that have extensive experience in procurement, logistics, and human resource management are critically needed.
I/Schumacher: The Russian presidential elections are being held June 16, 1996. NASA has been asked questions by the U.S. and the international press as to the potential impact of the elections on U.S./Russian joint programs. Code I is coordinating the responses for the Agency with Codes M and P. The MOU negotiating team was in Europe last week briefing the partners on the outcome of discussions with Russian Space Agency representatives.
2. AD/Dailey
Dr. Kennel’s farewell ceremony is this afternoon in the auditorium, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The annual HQ picnic will be held on June 22 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the GSFC recreation center.
The Strategic Management Meeting will be held on July 16 and a half day on July 17, 1996.
3. Center Director Reports
ARC/McDonald: On May 28, 1996, an MOU was signed between ARC and Silicon Graphics to support high-performance computing research and development. On May 29, 1996, Mr. Goldin signed an MOU with USC/NST engineering research to conduct information technology research. Congressman Sensenbrenner (R-WI) visited the Center on May 28, 1996.
DFRC/Szalai: The F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) flew its final flight last week. Mr. Szalai thanked Paul Holloway and Lee Beach for participating in the observation of the successful completion of this joint research program. Phase 3 of this program, that was just completed, conducted the first closed-loop, high-performance vortex maneuver. Overall, the experiment completed 106 flights with 3 aborts. The Center enjoyed Mr. Goldin’s recent visit. In direct response to Mr. Goldin’s challenge, the Super Laminar Flow experiment was pushed back 10 percent. Mr. Szalai will be in Washington, DC, on June 11, 1996, for the Tether Missions’ Report Press Conference. Mr. Szalai thanked JSC, KSC, and LaRC for their extensive efforts in supporting the review.
GSFC/Rothenberg: Congressmen Louis Stokes (D-OH) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will visit the Center June 4, 1996.
JSC/Abbey: The Flight Readiness Review for STS-78 will be conducted on June 6, 1996.
LeRC/Campbell: On May 21, 1996, Russian cosmonauts moved the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) from the docking module, where it had been stowed since launch in November 1995 to the Kravat-1 module. The MCSA is a jointly developed U.S./Russian photovoltaic solar array delivered to the Russian space station Mir in support of Phase I of the International Space Station Program (Shuttle/Mir). Cosmonauts manually deployed the MCSA during an EVA early May 25, 1996. Mike Skor of LaRC supported both operations from the Russian mission control center. The MCSA will augment the Mir’s electrical power to prolong its service life and support experiments conducted there by visiting astronauts. Four LaRC-developed experiments flew aboard STS-77, including two technology demonstrations, Vented Tank Resupply Experiment (VTRE) and Tank Pressure Control Experiments (TPCE), as well as two science experiments, Microgravity Smoldering Combustion (MSC) and Pool Boiling Experiment (PBE). Preliminary VTRE results obtained via remote teleoperations indicate that the experiment operated flawlessly. Results from the TPCE and other LeRC science experiments will be available following the return of Endeavour. LeRC supported the annual Physics Day at two local amusement parks, Cedar Point Amusement Park and Geauga Lake Amusement Park. The focus of the activities has been to allow students from the tristate area to come and experience the laws of physics. The Cedar Point event, which focused on high school students, had an estimated 6,500 students on May 22, 1996. Geauga Lake, which invited middle school and upper level elementary students, had approximately 10,000 students on May 24 and 29, 1996.
MSFC/Littles: The Test Readiness Review for the structural test article of the Super Light Weight Tank was conducted last week and determined to be ready for continued testing. Dr. Littles provided a current status on several experiments and reviews that have recently been updated to include the successful test and evaluation on the Aluminum Lithium Test Article (ALTA), which had recently suffered a weld strike, the identification of a high-cycle failure rate on the turbine blade crack review, and the identification of a test setup problem on the complex panel failure.
SSC/Estess: SSC thanked Mr. Trafton for his visit last week and for participating in the Honor Awards ceremony. The Department of Education has approved the duplication of the tristate/ SSC education initiatives and invited SSC to speak at a recent conference in Seattle. The SSME test began in support of the ELV contract that will include an experiment to drop the propulsion system and test it after it has been retrieved.
4. A/Goldin
Mr. Goldin explained that he had just completed a month of traveling and that during this time he has spoken with individuals from all over the country who repeatedly expressed their enthusiastic support of NASA’s programs and the efforts to reduce its budget. The audiences repeatedly conveyed their belief that NASA would continue to deliver on its promises and that the International Space Station would be built. The latter is very significant, as it was the first time in Mr. Goldin’s experience that the American public believed that the International Space Station would become a reality. Mr. Goldin reminded everyone that they should be very proud of the Agency’s accomplishments and to remember that it was critical that the Agency continued to live up to its promises. Last week’s successful vote on the International Space Station’s FY 97 budget testifies to this support.
Recently, NASA was asked to attend the biannual American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) conference. NASA had the largest exhibit at the conference. Everyone who visited the exhibit, was very enthusiastic about NASA’s programs and projects. During the conferences public reception, NASA was invited to participate in perpetuity.
Last week, Mr. Goldin attended a conference at ARC that reinforced ARC as the Center of Excellence for Information Technology. This is a source of excitement among the CEO’s, as their technology focus is a 2- to 3-year research timeframe, and they believe that NASA’s focus on the 5- to 20-year research timeframe will increase American information technology research and development initiatives immensely. Mr. Goldin reminded everyone that it will be this type of effort that will bring NASA continued support for our budget and provide a solid return to the American public. He reemphasized the requirement of the Centers to support the Centers of Excellence during these critical initial stages.
NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE OFFICE. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDUCED TO LORIE PESONEN AT 358-4525.
Distribution
Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices:
B/Mr. Holz
C/Mr. Christensen
E/Mr. Reese (Acting)
F/Gen. Armstrong
G/Mr. Frankle
H/Ms. Lee
I/Mr. Schumacher
J/Ms. Cooper
K/Mr. Thomas
L/Mr. Lawrence
M/Mr. Trafton
O/Dr. Lundy (Acting)
P/Ms. Boeder
Q/Mr. Gregory
R/Dr. Whitehead
S/Dr. Huntress
U/Dr. Nicogossian (Acting)
W/Ms. Gross
X/Dr. Mansfield
Y/Dr. Kennel
Z/Mr. Ladwig
Directors, NASA Field Installations:
ARC/Dr. McDonald
DFRC/Mr. Szalai
GSFC/Mr. Rothenberg
JSC/Mr. Abbey
KSC/Mr. Honeycutt
LaRC/Mr. Holloway
LeRC/Mr. Campbell
MSFC/Dr. Littles
SSC/Mr. Estess
Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
Dr. Stone
cc:
A/Ms. Wilcoxen
AB/Ms. Saldana
AD/Ms. Shaeffer
AE/Ms. Moore
AI/Ms. McClung
AO/Ms. Wissinger
AS/Ms. Magnotto
AT/Ms. Doss
CC/Analysts
C1/Ms. Soper