EXPLORATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

COMBINED MONTHLY REPORT April 2017 ORION

4 Orion Team Makes Grand Strides Toward Exploration Missions 5 Orion EM-2 Spacecraft Takes Shape 6 Qualifying for Crewed Flight 6 Laser Communications To Help Orion Astronauts Phone Home 7 Orion EM-1 Structural Test Article Travels to Denver 8 EFT-1 Heat Shield Transferred for Testing 8 Congressional Guests Get a First-Hand Glimpse at Orion’s Progress 9 Vertical Vertigo 9 EFT-1 Orion Crew Module Lands at Kennedy Visitor Complex 10 Orion Brings Outer Space Experiences to National Space Symposium 10 UT Tyler Seniors Get Hands-On Experience 11 Orion Team Members Stand Out at RNASA Stellar Awards 12 Orion Team Holds Town Hall Meeting 12 Lockheed Martin Employees Assist with First Championship 13 Orion Backstage: NASA’s Super Guppy

SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM

15 SLS Core Stage Engine Section Test Hardware Ships from Michoud to Marshall 17 Virtually Launching at the 33rd Space Symposium 18 Integrated Structural Test Completes Qualification Testing APRIL 2017 19 Lining Up for Second Flight 19 NASA and SLS Show Off at Maxwell Air Show 20 Spaceflight Partners: Janicki Industries 20 Greetings from Illinois

GROUND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS

23 Final Brick Installed in Launch Complex 39B 24 Engineer’s LLAMA Design Aids Orion Recovery, Earns Innovation Award 25 Ground Systems Spotlight: Dean Primavere 26 Faces of GSDO: Ron Horvath 27 Orion Heat Shield Transferred to GSDO ORION

APRIL 2017

BUILDING UP FOR CREWED FLIGHT ORION TEAM MAKES GRAND STRIDES TOWARD EXPLORATION MISSIONS

April 2017 was a month full of significant milestones for the Orion program. The foundation is being built for our Nation’s first crewed space flights which will take astronauts beyond the Moon and on to destinations farther than ever traveled by humans before. Machining major parts of the Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) Orion crew module, testing for the crew escape system, developing a new advanced laser communications system, and structural testing on the crew module were among the many program accomplishments this month.

4FebruaryOctoberESD 2016 2017 Combined Highlights Highlights Report OrionApril 20174 ORION EM-2 SPACECRAFT TAKES SHAPE

Machining for NASA’S Exploration Mission-2 Orion spacecraft is crew module, as pictured, weighed approximately 12,000 pounds well underway at Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford, IL. EM-2 at the start of machining, but will be reduced to approximately will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop 880 pounds before being shipped to NASA’s Michoud Assembly the new Space Launch System rocket for a three-week uncrewed Facility in New Orleans, LA, this summer. mission beyond the Moon and back. The crew module is the part of the spacecraft where astronauts Ingersoll Machine Tools, a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, is will live, work, exercise, and eat during their missions beyond currently manufacturing four of the seven major parts of the Orion the Moon. crew module for the first flight with crew. The barrel of Orion’s

April 2017 ESD Combined Report 5 QUALIFYING FOR CREWED FLIGHT

On April 27, Orion engineers at the Orbital ATK facility in Elkton, MD, successfully completed a test fire of the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for Orion’s Launch Abort System. This test is part of a series that focuses on qualifying the motor for future Orion crewed missions. Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK Orion team members were recognized with Orion program manager commendations for their dedication and hard work on the ACM.

Though unlikely to be needed, the Launch Abort System will quickly propel astronauts to safety in the event of a mission- abort scenario during launch or ascent to orbit. Reaching this new milestone indicates the ACM is on the correct path ensuring astronauts’ future trips on Orion and the Space Launch System rocket will be as safe as possible.

To view a video of the test fire: https://bit.ly/ACM_HT-11

LASER COMMUNICATIONS TO HELP ORION ASTRONAUTS PHONE HOME

In preparation for Orion’s journey to deep space, NASA is working to forever change the way astronauts communicate to and from space. Using an advanced laser communications system, called LEMNOS, communications will be shared at exponentially faster connection speeds than ever before.

LEMNOS, Laser-Enhanced Mission and Navigation Operational Services, may make timely communication between deep space traveling astronauts and Earth more possible than ever before. This may even allow astronauts to video-conference their family and friends from 34 million miles away, just the same as if they were conferencing from different states.

In the over 50 years since the Apollo program, data return technologies have vastly improved. Laser communications is the latest space communications technology, with data rates as much as a hundred times higher than current systems. This means that astronauts would be able to send and receive ultra-high-definition video from the surface of Mars, which no uncrewed mission to Mars has been capable of doing.

The LEMNOS project is currently underway at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with the goal to test LEMNOS for the first time on the upcoming Orion EM-2 mission beyond the Moon.

To read more about LEMNOS visit: https://bit.ly/LEMNOS

6 6 ORION EM-1 STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE TRAVELS TO DENVER

Secured inside NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft, the Orion When the test series is complete, the Orion spacecraft structures Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) Structural Test Article was will be fully qualified and ready to launch atop NASA’s Space transported from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission that Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Canyon facility in Colorado for space will travel beyond the Moon and back to Earth. flight readiness testing. This structure is a full-scale replica of the EM-1 Orion spacecraft, and will be tested to ensure the space- bound article is ready to withstand the pressure and loads it will endure during space flight.

Over the next 2 years, a series of 25 tests will be conducted including the four following notable ones. Structural Loads Tests will prove that the spacecraft structures can withstand the loads that the spacecraft will experience during launch and landing on Earth. Acoustics and modal tests will ensure engineers thoroughly understand the vibrations that sensitive Orion hardware will experience during liftoff. Water impact tests will prove that the spacecraft can withstand the forces experienced when landing in the ocean, and to confirm that hardware needed for astronauts’ protection during landing will work as designed. Lightning tests will ensure that the spacecraft structures can protect sensitive onboard electronics in the rare event of a lightning strike when the vehicle is waiting to launch from the pad in Florida.

7 EFT-1 HEAT SHIELD TRANSFERRED FOR TESTING

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress as a crane shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used lowers the Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test-1 onto for future recovery tests in open water that validates operations foam blocks. The heat shield is being transferred from the Orion and procedures to recover the spacecraft after splashdown. Program to the Ground Systems Development and Operations

CONGRESSIONAL GUESTS GET A FIRST-HAND GLIMPSE AT ORION’S PROGRESS

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center on April 26 U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL-9) visited the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout to tour and discuss the role of the facilities in the future of space exploration. Sen. facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 13 for a program update and Moran is a senior member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, tour of the Orion spacecraft assembly. Soto recently co-signed a bipartisan letter which oversees NASA. During the visit, Sen. Moran visited with many Kansans, as to the House Appropriations Committee for continued support for Orion and the he toured the Center and learned more about operations, including future Orion and Space Launch System. Pictured from left: Joe Mayer, Lockheed Martin government Space Launch System rocket deep-space missions. relations-Florida; U.S. Rep. Soto; and Jules Schneider, Lockheed Martin Orion operations senior manager.

8 8 EFT-1 HEAT SHIELD TRANSFERRED FOR TESTING VERTICAL VERTIGO

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Engineering Board took in this view while looking up the center of the Vehicle Assembly Building’s (VAB) High Bay 3, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ten adjustable platforms are designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as crews prepare them to roll out to the launch pad for spaceflight missions.

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board (right) pause for a group photo during the VAB tour at Kennedy.

EFT-1 ORION CREW MODULE LANDS AT KENNEDY VISITOR COMPLEX

The Orion crew module that traveled into space beyond low-Earth orbit on Exploration Flight Test-1 completed a different kind of trip in April. The crew module is featured in the NASA Now exhibit inside the IMAX Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

The first Orion spacecraft to fly in space was moved from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay to the visitor complex. The three-mile trip through Kennedy was much quicker than its 60,000 mile flight test in space.

The new exhibit will allow visitors to see the spacecraft that flew in 2014, orbiting the planet and flying farther than any spacecraft designed for humans has flow since the days of Apollo missions. In addition to the Orion spacecraft, the exhibit includes other current spacecraft, including a scale model of the Space Launch System rocket.

For more about the new exhibit: http://bit.ly/NASANow

9 ORION BRINGS OUTER SPACE EXPERIENCES TO NATIONAL SPACE SYMPOSIUM Lockheed Martin’s full-size Orion Cockpit Operation Station over the surface of Mars with the virtual Mars Base Camp in Mockup (COSM) and Mars Base Camp virtual reality orbit above. experience were available for virtual spaceflight test drives at the 33rd National Space Symposium. Located in Colorado Other NASA highlights were on display that provided attendees Springs, CO, the annual symposium brings together space with information on human exploration systems, what’s leaders from around the world to discuss what’s next for next for space communications and navigation, technology space flight innovation. development and much more.

This year, in addition to speaking with Orion experts, attendees Lockheed Martin also hosted several VIP and media tours at the were able to dock Orion with a space habitat in orbit above Waterton Canyon Facility during the week of the symposium, Mars using the Orion COSM. They were also treated to a virtual which included executives from NASA, ESA, and other reality experience where they piloted an uncrewed aerial vehicle organizations.

Left to right: Stephanie Kelley, SLS Communication Strategist and Kathleen Coderre, Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, left, and acting NASA Administrator Engineer, Lockheed Martin. Robert Lightfoot, center, are seen inside the Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL) during a tour at Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Canyon Facility. CHIL enables collaboration between spacecraft design and manufacturing teams before physically producing hardware.

UT TYLER SENIORS GET HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Two senior student groups from the University of Texas at Tyler partnered with NASA’s Rapid Prototyping Laboratory to build prototype Rotational Hand Controllers that will be installed into the full-scale Orion mock-up in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston. These controllers will allow astronauts to simulate what it would be like controlling the Orion spacecraft during a mission into deep space.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/UTTyler_HRC

10 10 Mid Career Stellar Awardees Left to Right: Kate Rubins (presenting), Robert A. Mase, Kenneth Utley, Richard R. Beckman, Charles V. Seal III, Kenneth J. Anderle, Jeffrey C. Bemis, Ronald K. Baccus, Carolyn Overmyer, Gary Lai, Kjell Lindgren (presenting)

ORION TEAM MEMBERS STAND OUT AT RNASA STELLAR AWARDS

This year, the 31st annual Rotary National Award for Space Other Orion team nominees recognized at the event included: Achievement (RNASA) awards honored NASA’s Dr. John Grunsfeld and recognized an impressive 149 stellar award nominees, 16 of Charles E. Bosomworth, UTC Aerospace Systems whom played significant roles in the Orion program. William J. Edwards, Lockheed Martin Melissa S. Jones, NASA Kennedy Space Center The government and corporate stellar award nominees for early Nigel A. Millard, Oceaneering Space Systems career, mid-career, late career, and team categories were chosen Joseph T. Murphy, Lockheed Martin by an esteemed panel of judges. Winners were chosen based on Breanne K. Sutton, Orbital ATK whose accomplishments will have the most impact on future space activities, and were presented with a distinctive engraved marble Advanced Space Propulsion – In-space Propulsion for Mars Crew trophy at the RNASA banquet held April 28 in Houston, Texas. and Cargo Mission Architecture Team, Aerojet Rocketdyne Orion European Service Module Structural Test Article (E-STA) The 2017 Stellar Awards were presented by Astronauts Dr. Kjell Campaign Team, NASA Glenn Research Center Lindgren and Dr. Kathleen Rubins. The Orion team’s Stellar Award Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) Attitude Control winners this year included: Motor (ACM) Team, Orbital ATK Orion Reliability Core Probabilistic Risk Assessment Team, Ronald K. Baccus, NASA Johnson Space Center Lockheed Martin Jeffrey C. Bemis, Orbital ATK RSLP NASA Orion Abort Test Launch Vehicle Team, Carolyn Overmyer, Lockheed Martin United States Air Force Michael A. Melgares, Jacobs Jason Shapiro, Aerojet Rocketdyne More information about the event and all Orion nominees can be found at: http://bit.ly/RNASA2017

11 ORION TEAM HOLDS TOWN HALL MEETING At NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio, the European Service Team awards were presented to the ESA Structural Test Article Module Integration Office hosted a town hall meeting with the (E-STA) Test Team (pictured here) for their successful completion Orion team on April 18. Program Manager Mark Kirasich and of all E-STA test objectives, enabling Orion to meet critical Deputy Program Manager Charlie Lundquist shared with the milestones; the Bilateral Exchanges Team for successfully NASA Glenn team the Orion Program’s latest status, as well as implementing international deliveries and the Orbital Maneuvering other NASA program progress updates. System Engine (OMS-E)/Thrust Vector Control (TVC) Team for successful completion and shipment of the OMS-E and TVC Orion Program Manager Commendations were awarded to: flight hardware. Samantha Bittinger, David Frate, Julie Grantier, Mike Politi, Nicole Smith, John Thesken, Joyce Wanhainen, James Winkel, and Carol Ginty.

LOCKHEED MARTIN EMPLOYEES ASSIST WITH FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP

Avid STEM volunteer and Lockheed Martin Orion employee Barry Bohnsack served as a play-by-play game announcer at the FIRST championship event held in Houston this April. More than 35,000 students, mentors, and family members attended the event which featured 1,394 teams from more than 39 countries around the world. FIRST, derived from “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”, engages students in Kindergarten through High School in exciting, mentor-based, research and robotics programs. Barry Bohnsack (in blue jumpsuit) enthusiastically moderates a match during the Houston FIRST championships.

To learn more about FIRST, and how to get involved visit: https://bit.ly/OrionFIRST

12 12 ORION BACKSTAGE: NASA’S SUPER GUPPY

NASA’s David Elliott and a team of pilots and engineers who operate the Agency’s Super Guppy aircraft are responsible for transporting some of the biggest elements of spacecraft to locations around the country. The Super Guppy has played an important role carrying pieces of Orion around the country, and will continue to take on the heavy lifting required to transport Orion pieces as they ready for the journey to deep space. Hear the story: http://bit.ly/GuppyOrion

ORION GETS EUROPEAN VISITORS MEET DON MAHR, ORION JETTISON MOTOR PROGRAM MANAGER ESA astronauts Tim Peake, Matthias Maurer, and Luca Parmitano tour Recently interviewed by Aerospace America, Don Mahr shares his journey to NASA’s Orion Spacecraft mock-up at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. becoming Orion’s Jettison Motor program manager, his grandfather’s influence Video: http://bit.ly/ESA_TWastro http://bit.ly/ESA_FBastro on his career choice, and what he thinks space flight will entail in 2050. Read more: https://bit.ly/DonMahr

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF NASA’S NEW SPACECRAFT FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION: MAY NASA’s Orion Blog .....Blogs.NASA.gov/Orion Human-in-the-loop testing, Johnson Space Center Twitter ...... Twitter.com/NASA_Orion Orion supplier visits, Rockford, IL Facebook...... Facebook.com/NASAOrion Humans to Mars Summit, Washington, D.C. Flickr ...... Flickr.com/NASAOrion Comicpalooza, Houston Google+ ...... Plus.Google.com/+NASAorion National Aeronautics and Space Administration

APRIL 2017 SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

SLS CORE STAGE ENGINE SECTION TEST ARTICLE ON THE MOVE

www.nasa.gov SLS CORE STAGE ENGINE SECTION TEST HARDWARE SHIPS FROM MICHOUD TO MARSHALL

After being built at NASA’s rocket factory — Michoud Assembly Facility, near New Orleans — the SLS core stage engine section structural test article set sail up the mighty Mississippi River. Its ride for the 1,240-mile trip: NASA’s barge Pegasus, recently refurbished to transport the SLS core stage, and now as long as a football field!

15 Its destination: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where the engine section test article will begin structural testing later this year. A new test fixture will apply loads that simulate the forces of launch — the core stage pushing down, engines pushing up and solid rocket boosters pulling at the engine section from both sides. Read the full story: bit.ly/2p14FY2

16 16 VIRTUALLY LAUNCHING AT THE 33rd SPACE SYMPOSIUM

At the 33rd Space Symposium, April 3-6 in Colorado Springs, CO, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development exhibit thrilled attendees, who experienced a 360-degree virtual tour of SLS and Orion on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center — all while comfortably seated! More than 8,000 Space Symposium attendees visited the NASA exhibit.

17 INTEGRATED STRUCTURAL TEST COMPLETES QUALIFICATION TESTING

An Integrated Structural Test of the upper part of the rocket has recently finished qualification testing at Marshall Space Flight Center. The test series pushed and twisted four structural test articles that simulate the launch vehicle stage adapter, a frangible joint separation assembly, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and the Orion stage adapter — all of which are positioned between the SLS core stage and the Orion spacecraft. Applying stringent conditions to the test articles helps verify their structural capabilities, so engineers know the hardware will perform as predicted during demanding missions. More than 50 test cases, measuring the effects of various types of loads on the structures, were completed for the test series. After engineers analyze the data, the hardware will be qualified for first flight.

18 18 LINING UP FOR SECOND FLIGHT

NASA and its industry partners are one team working on two rockets! Here, technicians at solid rocket boosters prime contractor Orbital ATK line a center forward booster segment case prior to installing insulation for the second flight of SLS and Orion.

NASA AND SLS SHOW OFF AT MAXWELL AIR SHOW About 60,000 aviation and spaceflight enthusiasts stopped by the NASA and SLS exhibit at the Maxwell Air Show, April 8-9 at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL. The day before the Air Show, students from several area schools visited the exhibit and SLS experts spoke to the children about space exploration and the importance of STEM education.

19 SPACEFLIGHT PARTNERS: Janicki Industries

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 704 LOCATION: Sedro-Woolley, WA WHAT THEY DO FOR SLS: Janicki Industries recently completed the diaphragm for the Orion stage adapter, which connects the Orion spacecraft to SLS. The diaphragm within the adapter creates a barrier that prevents hydrogen gas buildup from reaching the Orion spacecraft before and during launch. Janicki Industries also supplies many large flight components made of advanced carbon composites for the Orion Program.

GREETINGS FROM ILLINOIS

NASA’s SLS and Orion programs recently recognized industry partner UTC Aerospace Systems of Rockford, IL, for the key role the company is playing in building America’s deep space exploration system. Formerly known as Hamilton Sundstrand, UTC Aerospace Systems supplies several critical thrust vector control hydraulic components for the SLS core stage, including the core auxiliary power unit, the core auxiliary power unit controller, the hydraulic main pump, and the hydraulic fluid accumulator.

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS COMING UP: OF NASA’S NEW LAUNCH VEHICLE FOR DEEP SPACE: NASA Day in Baton Rouge Twitter ...... Twitter.com/NASA_SLS Core stage engine section test article arrives at Marshall

Facebook ...... Facebook.com/NASASLS Integrated Structural Test finishes

RS-25 engine hot-fire testing GROUND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS HIGHLIGHTS

APRIL 2017

FINAL BRICK INSTALLED IN LAUNCH PAD 39B FLAME TRENCH

21 GSDO MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS

Final Brick Installed in Pad Flame Trench LLAMA Earns Innovation Award

Ground Systems Spotlight: Dean Primavere Orion Heat Shield Transferred to GSDO

Check out the GSDO 2016 Year in Review at http://go.nasa.gov/2lT52Pe A construction worker installs the final brick on the north side of the flame trench at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

FINAL BRICK INSTALLED IN LAUNCH COMPLEX 39B FLAME TRENCH FOR NASA’S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM

Intense heat and fire will fill the north side of the flame be able to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees trench beneath the pad when NASA’s Space Launch System Fahrenheit at launch of the rocket’s engines and solid rocket (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off from Launch boosters. Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A project to upgrade the walls of the flame trench to withstand these conditions recently was completed. “The flame trench has withstood so many historical launches, and we are giving it new life to withstand many more,” said All of the new heat-resistant bricks now are in place in the Regina Spellman, the launch pad senior project manager with flame trench below the surface of the pad. Construction the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. workers installed the final brick May 9, completing about a The north side of the flame trench is about 571 feet long, 58 year’s worth of work on the walls on the north side of the feet wide, and 42 feet high. flame trench to support the launch of the (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on deep-space missions, including the A new flame deflector soon will be installed that will safely Journey to Mars. contain and deflect the plume exhaust from the massive rocket to the north during launch. Two side flame deflectors, About 96,000 heat-resistant bricks, in three different sizes, repurposed from Space Shuttle launches, will be refurbished now are secured to the walls using bonding mortar in and reinstalled at pad level on either side of the flame trench combination with adhesive anchors. The flame trench will to help reduce damage to the pad and SLS rocket.

Check out the GSDO 2016 Year in Review at http://go.nasa.gov/2lT52Pe 23 ENGINEER’S LLAMA DESIGN AIDS ORION RECOVERY, EARNS INNOVATION AWARD

Jeremy Parr, a mechanical design engineer in Kennedy Space Center’s Engineering Directorate, monitors the Line Load Attenuation Mechanism Assembly, or LLAMA, on the U.S. Navy ship during Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Photo credit: NASA

What is a LLAMA? It’s a Line Load Attenuation Mechanism “I came up with a design that helps the Navy line handlers to Assembly, designed by Jeremy Parr, a mechanical design safely maintain high tension in the tending lines during recovery of engineer in the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Orion into the well deck of a ship. It also regulates the amount of Space Center in Florida. He designed the LLAMA to help tension in the lines to ensure equal loading on the vehicle.” U.S. Navy line handlers retrieve the Orion crew module after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean. The LLAMAs are mounted on the ship’s T-bits, and the mechanisms provide all tending line control of the crew module Parr is the lead design engineer for Orion Landing and once it enters the well deck and until it is secured on the recovery Recovery, which is coordinated and led by the Ground Systems cradle pads. Development and Operations Program. Parr’s design recently earned him second place in the agency’s third Innovation Awards “I am both excited and honored to be recognized for the LLAMA competition. design,” Parr said. “This has been a team effort for a few years now to get where we are today. We worked through development “The LLAMA concept came to me after watching the sailors and testing until we completed our successful test during fighting to control the Orion test capsule during Underway Underway Recovery Test 5 off the coast of San Diego in the fall Recovery Test 1 in open water in February 2014,” Parr said. of 2016.”

The standard Navy line tending practice is to wrap their lines The LLAMA-controlled tending lines are the baseline method around the ship’s T-bits, or large solid columns with a crossbar for recovery of Orion after Exploration Mission-1 and all future that resemble the letter “t,” located near the stern, so that the missions. sailors can control big loads with only a few people. This works for most operations they do since the hardware they handle is Parr began working at Kennedy in 2007. Prior to that, he worked usually big and slower moving in the seas. But the crew module for SAIC at Johnson Space Center in Houston for four years. is a different beast when floating in the water than anyone on the recovery team expected, Parr said. Orion is easily pushed around by wind and waves.

24 24 GROUND SYSTEMS SPOTLIGHT: DEAN PRIMAVERE

communicates with all contractors on pad hazards, controlled areas and safety concerns. He supports GSDO by providing area integration during hazardous operations at various facilities. At the pad, he helps support planning for validation and verification of the crawler-transporter, mating of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) disconnect towers to the mobile launcher, cryogenic fills at the LH2/LOX storage areas, and works with contractors conducting modifications to the flame trench, environmental control systems and other locations around the complex. “What I enjoy most in my position is the opportunity to communicate with a diverse number of people on a daily basis about the work that is happening at the Center, and assisting personnel who arrive at the pad to make their visit or working environment a safe and productive one,” Primavere said. Primavere started in security at Kennedy in 2013. When the area integrator position opened up, the former deputy sheriff for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office applied. His experience in security gave him the tools to be able to work in the operations department. He was selected for the position and has been in it for about two years. Dean Primavere, an area integrator with Jacobs on the Test “I have always been interested in space and Kennedy Space and Operations Support Contract (TOSC), works in operations Center,” Primavere said. “My grandfather and father worked at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in here, along with my sister, who continues to work in Information Florida. TOSC is the prime contractor supporting exploration Technology.” ground systems in the Ground Systems Development and His hometown is Titusville, FL. As he was growing up in Mims, Operations Program (GSDO). he witnessed the growth of the Space Center. The Center is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Launch “The interesting thing for me is you don’t really get the full effect Complex 39B, and Primavere feels a sense of accomplishment of the space industry until you are over here on this side. It is as he watches upgrades and modernizations transform the pad a marvel of a place to work. I feel honored and blessed to be to support the launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket a part of this multi-user spaceport and excited about the new and Orion spacecraft. adventures we face,” Primavere said. “The changes being made to the pad are incredible. Being While working as a deputy sheriff, Primavere attended able to see the first brick go in on the flame trench to the last Columbia College and earned bachelor’s degrees in criminal one being put in, is a huge milestone, not only for GSDO and justice and public affairs in 2002. He went on to earn master’s support teams, but for me,” said Primavere. “To be a part of degrees in criminal justice and public affairs from the University new endeavors and making new history while working in an of Central Florida in 2005. amazing environment and growing with the company is an He has been married to his wife, Anna, for three years. He has extraordinary journey.” an 11-year-old son, Dean Primavere III. The family has two Primavere’s primary responsibilities include coordinating the cats, Spike and Jasper, and a cockatiel named Louie. work and contractors in various areas of the pad to minimize His first car was a 1972 Pontiac Ventura. It was metallic green. conflicts in scheduling and maintaining a smooth working Besides spending time with his family, Primavere also enjoys environment. He updates pad workers with current information, spending time outdoors, fishing, hiking, going to the beach and gives safety briefings, conducts morning tie-in meetings camping. He also enjoys bowling and watching football. with planners, schedulers, contractors and engineering, and (Go Steelers!)

25 Ron Horvath Program Analyst Lead, Ground Systems Implementation Business Office

My name is Ron Horvath. I am a program analyst in the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

I am currently the lead program analyst in the GSDO Business Office for the Command, Control and Communications (C3) Division. My main responsibilities include managing budgets, and F A C E S O F schedule and risk for the C3 division. As an analyst, I support G GSDO with planning the annual and multiyear budget activities UND S for C3. GRO YST S EM D S O The part of my job that I like most is having the opportunity to see D the tremendous progress that has been achieved by GSDO and E be a part of history with the successful launch of NASA’s Orion V E spacecraft atop the Space Launch system from Kennedy Space L Center. O P I first started working at Kennedy in February 2001, with United M Space Alliance (USA). Initially, I was hired as a project analyst but E transitioned to the USA business office as a business analyst. N I eventually moved into a position with software quality. After T more than 10 years with USA, I was hired by SAIC as a support

& contractor in the business office. In October 2011, I was hired by

NASA as a civil servant supporting the GSDO Program Business

O Office, taking on the role that I currently perform. P

E I have been very blessed to achieve Employee of the Quarter in R

A March 2015 and received a Space Flight Awareness Team Award

T in July 2015 for my contribution to and support of the C3 projects.

I

O I most recently earned the Early Career Achievement Medal in

N August 2016. S Thinking back, I first became interested in space while growing up at the United States Military Academy at West Point. My Aunt Holly and Uncle Gary Turner worked for USA at the time. I thought their jobs were so amazing, to be able to work with the Space Shuttles and the astronauts. I became a teacher at Space Coast Middle School in Port St. John, FL. During six summers between school years as a teacher, I worked at Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station through a program called “Summer Intern Fellowship for Teachers” for four different companies doing five different jobs. I learned different aspects of the space program. The work during those summers set the stage for achieving my goal to work at Kennedy Space Center.

I grew up in West Point, NY. I began my postsecondary education at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL, studying civil engineering. I transferred and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary math education and a minor in mathematics. I returned and received a second bachelor’s degree in engineering technology in 2006.

The advice I would give to students who are interested in a career similar to mine is to broaden your knowledge and be well-rounded. Be a good problem-solver. But most of all, be a great listener.

26 26 The Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test- Program Analyst Lead, Ground Systems Implementation Business Office 1 was secured on foam blocks April 27, 2017, ORION HEAT SHIELD inside High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The heat shield was transported from the Launch TRANSFERRED TO Abort System Facility and is being transferred from the Orion Program to the Ground Systems GSDO Development and Operations Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used for future underway recovery testing. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White

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