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NASA Staff Meeting Minutes 24 June 1996

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
June 24, 1996
Filed under ,

Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Director’s Meeting June 24, 1996
The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and Center Director’s Meeting on June 24, 1996. Mr. Goldin was in attendance. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy identification.

1. AA Reports
H/Lee: Ms. Lee provided an overview of Code H’s efforts of tracking NASA’s obligations for FY 1996. Mr. Goldin supported Ms. Lee’s comments, stating that NASA’s trend of having unobligated funds at year’s end has been a source of discussion with the House Science Committee. This has been a trend at NASA for the past 5 years, and Mr. Goldin has tasked both Codes B and H to watch this issue closely in an attempt to manage NASA’s obligations more efficiently.
X/Reck: This week, the Committee to Develop, Use, and Commercialize Aerospace Capabilities (DUCAC) will meet to develop the cross-cutting comprehensive space technology plan. Mr. Reck expressed his appreciation to all of the participants for their support of this effort.
M/Bardos: Michael Reilly, Chair of the HQ Exchange Council, asked that Mr. Bardos express his appreciation to those who attended the HQ Picnic on June 22, 1996. The picnic was a success with approximately 300 tickets sold for the event. STS-78 is doing well on orbit. The ASAP panel has scheduled Dr. Johnstone and Admiral Dunn to brief the Honorable John Gibbons, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, concerning the status of the ASAP’s study on Shuttle safety. (Note: as of 6/26/96 this meeting has been postponed.)
G/Frankle: One of the Agency’s longest court cases was decided last week when the court of appeals issued its verdict in the Hughes Corporation’s patent infringement case. The verdict upheld the lower court’s verdict that the Federal Government owed the Hughes Corporation $112 million of the $4 billion being sought as damages. Of the $112 million, $28.5 million will be paid from NASA’s judgement fund, not from the Agency’s appropriations.
S/Huntress: Everything is proceeding well for Galileo’s scheduled encounter with Ganymede this week, with the closest encounter occurring on June 27, 1996. Pictures of the encounter will be received during the middle of the week of July 1, 1996.
L/Lawrence: The House FY 1997 VA-HUD-Independent Agencies appropriations bill is scheduled for floor consideration during the afternoon of June 23, 1996. It is anticipated that NASA’s portion of the bill will be debated during the early evening and will include debates on amendments concerning the International Space Station program and the BION experiments. Code L hopes to have preliminary data concerning the bill posted on their homepage as soon as possible.
P/Boeder: Ms. Boeder explained that the Agency is in the middle of a very busy news cycle. Coverage of STS-78’s launch went well. The Administrator attended the launch, and Ms. Boeder thanked KSC for their hard work. The new pilot’s-view camera, used for the first time during the launch of STS-78, was a success. This small, lipstick-case-sized camera provided footage that had never been seen before to include the crew being strapped in, their ascent during launch, and the transition into weightlessness. The footage of the ascent was downlinked after the mission was successfully on orbit. It is anticipated that this camera will be used on all Columbia flights in the future. Additionally, in support of the mission, Catherine Coleman conducted 32 live interviews prior to the launch. Dr. Lucid will be participating in a Comp-U-Serve event from the Mir on June 23, 1996. Dr. Lucid was interviewed on June 19, 1996, by USA Weekend and will be interviewed by People Magazine for their July 8, 1996, edition. Code P has received new video animation that will be distributed to the media in support of Galileo’s encounter with Ganymede. John Blaha will participate in a news conference from Star City, Russia, with the Mir 22 crew on June 26, 1996. The pre-launch news conference for the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) will be at 2:30 p.m. EST on June 28, 1996. A press release concerning the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) selection will be published June 24, 1996. On June 28, 1996, the Clipper Graham (formerly the DC-XA) will launch. The Clipper Graham has received a great deal of press coverage that has included international audiences as well. Code P is anticipating some media interest in the BION Task Force’s first meeting on July 1, 1996. The Olympic torch has been placed aboard Columbia. This unlit, symbolic torch is intended to be displayed during the filming of a greeting from the crews of Mir 21 and STS-78 for the Olympic Games. The real torch will be carried through KSC on July 17, 1996, as part of the torch’s journey to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
I/Schumacher: The Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission (GCC) is scheduled to meet on July 15-16, 1997, in Moscow. The GCC will focus on the major accomplishments of the Space Committee since its last meeting in January, review the committee’s progress, and define the direction of the committee’s work for the next 6 months. The Space Committee, which is chaired by Mr. Koptev, General Director of the Russian Space Agency, and Mr. Goldin, will be conducted on the morning of July 15, 1996. The NASA/RSA MOU negotiations resumed in Washington on June 19, 1996, and continued until 11:00 p.m. A Russian delegation is scheduled to visit JSC this week for continued negotiations on three contractual matters–extension of the Shuttle-Mir program into 1998, modifications to the Soyuz TM vehicle, and purchase of a Soyuz trainer to be located at JSC. NASA will be sending a delegation to discuss issues related to Mission to Planet Earth during the week of July 8, 1996, as a follow on to Mr. Goldin’s recent meeting with Professor Yuval Ne’eman the Chair of Israel Space Agency. The Science Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in New Deli met with representatives from NASA, NOAA, and DOD on June 18, 1996, to discuss the status of the data exchange MOU between NASA, NOAA, and the Indian Departments of Space and Science and Technology.
U/Nicogossian: Dr. Nicogossian complimented KSC on the launch of STS-78 on June 20, 1996, and provided an overview of the mission to date. Overall, the mission is proceeding very well; however, the mission has experienced several minor problems with some of the equipment. It is anticipated that these difficulties will not adversely impact the mission’s data collection, and studies have already been initiated to determine the source of the problems.
A meeting of the Space Station Utilization Advisory Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council will meet this week. A JSC task force on countermeasures will meet during the week of June 24, 1996, to address long duration space flight and exploration. The BION Task Force will hold their first meeting on July 1, 1996.
AE/Mulville: Mr. Goldin will kick off the HEDS Assurance Board on June 28, 1996. The Develop, Use, and Commercialize Aerospace Capabilities (DUCAC) Committee will meet on June 25, 1996, to discuss the space technology utilization plan.
K/Thomas: A new training initiative will begin on June 22, 1996, to provide NASA employees with a greater understanding of the Code K initiatives. The first training session will be conducted at JSC on this date and will be followed by other sessions throughout the Agency.
F/Armstrong: A training officers’ conference is being held at KSC and a directors’ conference will be held at HQ during the week of June 24, 1996.
J/Cooper: The GAO has been conducting a review of the Facilities and Base Operations and had scheduled to have an exit briefing this month. However, the GAO has postponed the briefing until next month.
Z/Ladwig: The background filming for the case study on strategic planning that Mr. Ladwig discussed on June 17, 1996, has been postponed to July 1, 1996. The release of the National Space Policy has been postponed, pending concurrence on the national security portion of the document.
C/Christensen: Mr. Christensen reminded all of the HQ AA’s that an SES all hands meeting will be conducted in the HQ Auditorium on June 25, 1996, at 10:30 a.m.
2. AD/Dailey
There was a great turnout at the annual HQ picnic that was held on June 22, 1996, at the GSFC recreation center, and everyone had a lot of fun.
The Strategic Management Meeting will be held on July 16 and a half day on July 17, 1996. On July 24 and 25, 1996, the NASA Advisory Council will meet. The Program Management Council (PMC) that was scheduled for June 25 to discuss the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) and Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) will be rescheduled.
The revised HQ personnel ceilings will be distributed to the AA’s on June 24, 1996, signaling the next phase of the HQ downsizing planning initiative. Those AA’s that have remaining issues will meet with General Dailey and Mr. Mott prior to June 28, 1996. General Dailey and Mr. Mott will meet with all of the AA’s on July 2, 1996, to discuss the final recommendation that will be presented to the Administrator.
3. Center Director Reports
ARC/Dean: The experiments aboard STS-78 are going well. The Second International Airborne Remote Sensing Conference is being held at San Francisco today, with Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) as the keynote speaker.
GSFC/Rothenberg: The launch of the Pegasus is on schedule for early June 27, 1996.
JPL/Dumas: Dr. Stone is currently traveling to Washington, DC. Everything is going well for Galileo’s scheduled encounter with Ganymede. Recently, JPL entered into a MOU with the Air Force’s Phillips Laboratory for collaboration on space technology
JSC/Abbey: The mission is going well. Preparation for STS-79, the fourth Mir docking mission continues. On June 22, 1996, OV-103 will roll out at Palmdale, California, and depart for the East Coast on June 23.
KSC/Honeycutt: KSC is looking forward to the return of OV-103. Mr. Honeycutt thanked Mr. Goldin for visiting the Center on June 20, 1996, and stated that Senator Graham (D-FL) will be visiting the Center during the week of June 24, 1996.
LeRC/Campbell: Mr. Campbell provided an overview of the Center’s current work with General Electric. Additionally, Mr. Campbell discussed the successful use of the Advanced Technology Satellite Program to support a South American University. This program links LeRC instructors and classrooms with the South America University’s classrooms to provide real-time instruction and interaction.
MSFC/Littles: The testing on the Super Lightweight Tank’s Structural Test Article is making good progress with 2 of the 3 limit load tests having been successfully completed. Dr. Littles also provided a status on the testing underway on the modified Advanced Turbo Pump.
SSC/Estess: Last week, Boeing Defense and Space Group of Seattle began a series of drop tests on a propulsion module designed for the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. These tests will culminate with a live engine being dropped into a body of water, then recovered and test fired at SSC. Last week’s test went well, though some difficulties were experienced in using a helicopter for retrieval. Mr. Estess thanked KSC for hosting representatives and children from the Choctaw Reservation at the launch of STS-78. SSC will sign a letter of agreement with the Shoshoni tribe to assist them in managing their natural resources similar to the agreement the Center currently has with the Navajo. Mr. Estess provided a followup on the Tri-State Education Agreement SSC has with the Department of Education.
5. A/Goldin
Mr. Goldin attended last week’s Shuttle launch and he was impressed by the team’s professionalism, efficiency, and their focus on safety. Mr. Goldin congratulated the HEDS Enterprise for their outstanding efforts and told them to keep up the good work.
NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE OFFICE. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED 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
CMC/Analysts
C-3/Ms. Soper

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