Volume 31, Number 4 AIAA Houston Section www.aiaa-houston.org March / April 2006

SPACEHAB Apex

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 1

March/April 2006

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

From the Editor 3 HOUSTON Chair’s Corner 4

Horizons is a bi-monthly publication of the Houston section SPACEHAB Apex 5 of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Lunch-n-Learn: Nanobacteria, The Discovery of a New Life Form 7

Jon S. Berndt Lunch-n-Learn: Finite State Dynamic Modeling … 9 Editor Public Policy: Congressional Visits Day 10 AIAA Houston Section Executive Council Dinner Lecture: Saving Saturn V 11

Steven R. King Lunch-n-Learn: Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) 12 Chair Texas Space Authority Act 12

Dr. Jayant Ramakrishnan Call for Award Nominations 13 Chair-Elect Staying Informed 14 T. Sophia Bright Past Chair Membership Page 15

Dr. Syri Koelfgen Annual Technical Symposium Agenda 16 Secretary Dinner Lecture: Space Shuttle Integration Lessons Learned 17 Dr. Brad Files An Insider’s View Treasurer Local Industry News and Announcements 18 John Keener Tim Propp Vice-Chair, Operations Vice-Chair, Technical Outreach and Education: The Spirit of Apollo Scholarship 19

Operations Technical Calendar 20

Dr. John Valasek Dr. Al Jackson Cranium Cruncher 21 Dr. Rakesh Bhargava Dr. Zafar Taqvi Elizabeth Blome William West Odds and Ends 22 Joy Conrad King Ellen Gillespie Upcoming Conference Presentations by Houston Section Members 24 Daniel Nobles Dr. Michael Lembeck Nicole Smith Aaron Morris AIAA Local Section News 25 Dr. Douglas Schwaab Dr. Kamlesh Lulla Laura Slovey Padraig Moloney Michael Begley Bill Atwell Jon Berndt, Editor Andy Petro Steve King Gary Brown Gary Cowan Paul Nielsen Amy Efting

Councilors

Brett Anderson Elizabeth Blome Ellen Gillespie This newsletter is created by members of the Houston section. Opinions expressed herein other than Glenn Jenkinson by elected Houston section officers belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily represent the Barry Tobias position of AIAA or the Houston section. Unless explicitly stated, in no way are the comments of Dr. Merri Sanchez individual contributors to Horizons to be construed as necessarily the opinion or position of AIAA, Douglas Yazell NASA, its contractors, or any other organization. Please address all newsletter correspondence to Albert Meza the Editor:[email protected] Mike Oelke JR Reyna Cover: SPACEHAB Apex. Image courtesy of SPACEHAB.

More information at: www.aiaa-houston.org/orgchart Galveston Bay sunrise image at top by Cheryl Empey, Seabrook.

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From the Editor JON S. BERNDT “… when I talk about "human that is something new. rocket. Granted, the flight was a presence" - I really mean short one, but by all accounts I "settlement" of the solar system. Days ago, six contractors were have read, SpaceX is very com- And I want to pause on that chosen as finalists for considera- mitted to making Falcon work. I word - "settlement" because that's tion for COTS (Commercial Or- believe they will succeed. what we are truly embarking upon bital Transportation Services) con- and that's the really exciting part tracts. The six finalists are Transformational Space Corpora- of what we are about. Now these (according to several space news tion (t/Space) is a company which are the key questions then: How web sites): Rocketplane/Kistler, has key partnerships with other do we sustain the vision for space Andrews Space, Transformational growing space-related companies exploration to lead us to settle- Space Corporation (t/Space), including Scaled Composites, ment? How do we afford it? How Space Exploration Technologies AirLaunch. t/Space also crafted a do we nurture it? My answer - (SpaceX), SpaceDev, and SPACE- creative exploration strategy as and I think a lot of yours' - is the HAB. part of a NASA funded study on private sector.” innovative exploration strategies. One of the earliest and most suc- As part of that strategy, t/Space Are these the words of a “space cessful commercial space ventures proposed some concepts to maxi- frontier” spokesperson? How is of course SPACEHAB, based mize commercial involvement: about these words: right here in the Clear Lake area. SPACEHAB describes their Apex Use CEV program to spur pas- “We are on the verge of incorpo- system (now under development) senger travel to LEO: rating the Solar System into man- in this issue. kind's economic sphere, in a way • If NASA “invents” a competi- that will vastly expand the eco- There have been some concerns tive passenger market through nomic opportunities provided for raised about the COTS program, its contracting strategy, it will all people. Most obviously, the within space circles. Some think reap huge economies of scale. sheer tonnage that we will need to that the total amount of money • Economies make human- put in orbit invites and necessi- said to be allocated for the pro- assisted, in-orbit assembly cost- tates the development of a truly gram (about $500 million) is not effective. commercial space industry. There enough to accomplish anything. are many things needing to be According to NASA, the COTS • Commercial market will rap- done that NASA could purchase program goals are to: idly overtake dollar volume of from an exploration-enabled NASA ETO spending, shifting space industry, including in-space development cost to the private • Implement U.S. Space Explora- fuel delivery, lunar resource pros- sector. tion policy with an investment pecting…” to stimulate commercial enter- prises in space, SpaceDev built the engine that The latter, recent, comment is powered SpaceShipOne to its X- from NASA Administrator Mike • Facilitate U.S. private industry Prize victory. Griffin. The first quote is from demonstration of cargo and the newly appointed NASA Ames crew space transportation capa- When considering the current Research Center director, Simon bilities with the goal of achieving state — and the potential — of P. “Pete” Worden, in a statement reliable, cost effective access to commercial space companies made just days ago at the Interna- low-Earth orbit, today, I have to agree with Pete tional Space Development Con- • Create a market environment in Worden’s words (Worden par- ference. [from www.spaceref. which commercial space trans- ticipated in the first President com] That “space settlement” and portation services are available Bush’s Space Exploration Initia- tive): “We are off to a much better “space commercialization” are to Government and private sec- start now than we were in 1989.” being talked about at this high tor customers. level may not be something terri- — JSB bly new or unheard of. That real As seen above, one of the COTS money is in play to increase in- goals is to facilitate—not to fully centive for private firms to dem- fund development of anything. onstrate provision of services that SpaceX has already demonstrated NASA could purchase … perhaps the ability to build and launch a

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Chair’s Corner STEVE KING, AIAA HOUSTON CHAIR “All Hail Columbia!” was the toast Visit the Houston Section website Mercury through Skylab, the Rus- of the day a quarter century ago as to view Mr. Bejmuk’s entire pres- sian human space program, com- STS-1 took flight. While the entation. Too often we have all mercial satellites, interplanetary Shuttle is still a magnificent flying seen organizations reinventing the probes, dissimilar industries, etc. machine; its high operational cost, proverbial wheel and end up step- Look to the AIAA’s extensive limited crew escape options, and ping on the same mines. One of electronic libraries as a key re- other vulnerabilities justify the Bo’s messages was that develop- source at your finger tips to ex- need for its retirement in 2010. ment of the Constellation ele- plore our aerospace history, why ments will have their share of things were done a certain way, On the brighter side, the Shuttle challenges, so there is no need to and what things would be done Program does provide the engi- revisit the scares and minefields of differently if they had a chance. neers and planners of our next Shuttle. generation of human spacecraft Let’s continue the journey… with a tremendous treasure trove But don’t limit yourself to just the of lessons learned. Many of them Shuttle, there is a rich history of were excellently presented by Bo valuable lessons learned from Bejmuk, Boeing’s Orbiter Pro- gram Director, at the Houston Section dinner meeting on April 5th. A few of these that stood out to me involved:

· Not allowing operations and maintenance to take the back seat to satisfying performance require- ments. It is felt that this added up to $40B to Shuttle operations over its history. Excessive operational cost also contributed to the ending of the Apollo program even when most of the hardware for three additional flights to the moon was already built.

· Having sufficient margin (or con- servatism) in your design to cover environment and analysis uncer- tainties. Performance needs drove a lot of Shuttle hardware, which does have appropriate fac- tors of safety applied, to have very limit margin. Even today the Shuttle experiences redesign and repair to correct hardware nega- tive margins resulting from refined analysis, additional testing, and flight experience. Often these changes create a domino effect resulting in added cost, excessive turnaround maintenance periods, and exposure of other subsystems to damage during repairs.

· A need for a strong, vocal inte- gration organization which it not the first to be reduced when budg- ets get tight.

· Test, test, test…

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SPACEHAB Apex Feature ELAINA POLSEN, SPACEHAB, INC Article While attention is focused on NASA’s goals are to make an in- company has seen significant inter- NASA’s return to flight and the vestment to stimulate commercial est from various and diverse mar- Agency’s new Crew Exploration enterprises in space; support pri- ket sectors. “Space is not just for Vehicle, there is another notable vate industry in developing reli- government agencies. In fact, we project underway; one that both able, cost effective access to low- have supported amazing techno- NASA and aerospace companies earth orbit; and create a market logical and medical advances that believe will unlock the door to a environment in which commercial have taken place in space to only robust, sustainable commercial space transportation services are later benefit those of us on earth,” space market. Despite past efforts available to Government and pri- says Kimberly Campbell, Vice from both government and private vate sector customers. NASA has President Corporate Communica- entities, profitable space commer- said it plans to purchase a cargo tions and Marketing. “Whether it cialization is an accomplishment service if successfully demon- is getting an experiment to the that has yet to be fully realized. strated and competitively priced. International Space Station and That is all about to change accord- bringing it back or providing a ing to SPACEHAB, Inc. The timing of the COTS an- “free flyer” for a multitude of sci- nouncement could not have been ence and technology demonstra- The Webster, Texas-based com- better for SPACEHAB. “The tion payloads, Apex will serve bio- pany is developing a family of un- Apex program has been in the tech, pharmaceutical and research manned spacecraft, known as works for two years, well before institutions, telecommunications Apex, to provide a safe, frequent, the NASA COTS opportunity was customers, and a host of commer- affordable, end-to-end service to announced. But, knowing that cial companies for years to come.” and from space. “The applications and implications that Apex will have on the space faring commu- nity, as well as those who only wished they could afford to go to space, are wide-ranging,” says Mi- chael Kearney, SPACEHAB Presi- dent and Chief Executive Officer. “Pre-Apex, we would contract our customers’ payload aboard either the space shuttle or a foreign vehi- cle, all subject to significant sched- ule slips, manifest limitations, and high costs. With the Apex service, we can configure our vehicle to fit the needs of a small or large mis- sion, price the service accordingly, and get to space and back on a reliable schedule.” One of the ad- ditional unique features of Apex is its ability to be sized to launch from many commercially available rockets. In other words, a smaller NASA is committed to purchasing A recently growing market is the Apex spacecraft can launch aboard an Apex-like service validates we satellite industry; not only in the a comparable size rocket. were and continue to be on the sense of launching the spacecraft, right track,” states Mike Bain, but servicing and repairing them. Speaking of customers, NASA SPACEHAB Chief Operating “In this day and age, space com- recently sent out a solicitation for a Officer. While hopeful NASA will munications play a vital role in Commercial Orbital Transporta- become an Apex customer, everything we do from talking on tion (COTS) service. Under the SPACEHAB plans to move for- the cell phone, watching satellite COTS initiative NASA has dedi- ward with the commercial program TV, to using the GPS in our cars,” cated $500 million over the next to serve its established customers, claims Bob Swanson, Director of five years for companies selected new customers, and others eagerly Business Development. “We are to demonstrate by 2010 a vehicle’s seeking access to space. actively working with satellite com- capability to ferry cargo to the In- panies to offer Apex as a cost- ternational Space Station, rendez- While NASA is one of the more effective orbital platform service to vous with the orbiting platform, notable customers SPACEHAB is ensure and extend the lifetime of and safely return payload to earth. seeking for the Apex service, the (Continued on page 6)

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(Continued from page 5) oping Apex.” upgraded to support five-meter their costly spacecraft.” Apex can class fairings of larger launch vehi- be used to support spacecraft re- SPACEHAB is using Ball Aero- cles such as Lockheed’s Atlas V pair operations or refuel and relo- space & Technologies Corpora- and Boeing’s Delta IV. It is here cate existing or aging satellites for tion’s proven commercial satellite where Apex will be integrated with other purposes. bus. “This spacecraft service mod- the launch fairing and delivered to ule has been widely flown by the pad. Also in Florida SPACE- NASA and satellite companies HAB operates a payload process- around the world,” says Jim Baker, ing facility which currently sup- Vice President Space Commerce ports the processing of NASA and Development. “The vehicle’s auto- commercial hardware onto mated rendezvous and proximity SPACEHAB’s flight assets for operations utilize McDonald Dett- both the shuttle and ISS programs. wiler’s International Space Station “One of the distinctive attributes of Autopilot Kit, designed to ensure Apex is the very fact that we have safe docking where a trip to the existing, operational facilities to ISS is needed.” Launched in April support a commercial cargo ser- 2005 as part of the US Air Force vice,” says Rick Fitts, Apex COTS XSS-11 demonstration mission, Program Manager. Mission opera- the autopilot system has success- tions will be conducted at or near fully exhibited on-orbit autono- SPACEHAB headquarters, lo- mous rendezvous capability. cated just a few miles from John- son Space Center. From the programmatic viewpoint the Apex ground processing infra- As far as when we can see the first structure is prepared to support Apex flight, SPACEHAB is al- integration and operations activi- ready talking with potential cus- ties with existing commercial op- tomers to fly payloads on a mis- erations in Houston and Florida. sion scheduled for June 2009. SPACEHAB’s Astrotech Space NASA is expected to enter into Operations Titusville campus in- Space Act Agreements with one or cludes a sprawling 50-thousand more aerospace companies this square foot state-of-the-art space- summer to fulfill their ISS logistics craft processing facility, recently requirements.

From a technical perspective, the core of the Apex program is low risk. The vehicle is derived from existing, off-the-shelf, proven flight hardware components. For in- stance, the genesis of the carrier design and cargo capabilities is from SPACEHAB’s module and cargo carriers flown on 19 shuttle missions. “Our current modules and external cargo carriers fit within the shuttle cargo bay, greatly expanding the research and cargo capacity for the crew,” says Mike Chewning, Senior Vice President SPACEHAB Flight Services. “We know what it takes for humans to safely work in space, and we are applying that expertise when devel-

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Nanobacteria – The Discovery of a New Life Form A Lunch Neva Ciftcioglu, PhD, Nanobac Life Sciences, Inc. and Learn The AIAA Houston Section There exists a poorly known, and grow bigger in size due to Life Sciences, Space Processes, blood-born agent (discovered calcium and phosphate deposi- Summary Report and Human Factors Technical and tentatively termed tion on their surface (Fig. 2). Committee hosted a Lunch “nanobacteria” (NB) by our Our results indicate that the and Learn seminar on March team)3 that behaves as a mi- NB calcium phosphate phase 24, 2006 at JSC Bldg 16. Dr. crobe and appears to show a can be formed at pH 7.4 con- Neva Çiftçioğlu, Director of correlation with such diverse sistent with human physiologi- Science at cal phosphate Nanobac Life and calcium Sciences Inc., concentra- attracted a tions. NB- crowd of 42 to induced apa- hear the intrigu- titic biofilm ing story about formation is the discovery of dependent on a new life the presence form – Nano- of oxygen, bacteria. In- and can be cluding humans, prevented many multicel- with several lular organisms Figure 1. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) antibiotics produce similar image of cultured NB. Bar; 100nm. and anti- biomineraliza- metabolites, tion products and by high such as bones, teeth, shells, calcification-related health gamma irradiation at sterilizing skeletal units, and spicules. We problems as arterial heart dis- doses21. The apatite produced do not fully understand the ease4,5, Alzheimer’s disease6, by NB is biogenic because it is control mechanism of biomin- kidney stone formation7-11, poly- formed in a carbon-containing eralization either in primitive cystic kidney disease (PKD)12,13, biomatrix, forms small spheri- or in developed organisms. gall stones and gallbladder in- cal units of apatite in nanoscale The mineral phase of hard flammation14, prostatitis15,16, cal- crystal size, and can be formed tissue is sometimes called bio- ciphylaxis17,18, and cancer19,20. at non-saturating concentra- logical apatite, i.e. a non- Furthermore, tions of cal- stochiometric hydroxyl-apatite. this agent has cium and We know that when apatite is unique proper- phosphate. found in soft tissue, it is consid- ties including Such spheri- ered to be pathological calcifi- an extremely cal units cation. Causes of apatite- small size (0.1- were identi- deposit formations in soft tis- 0.5 μm) as seen fied in most sue have been discussed for in Fig.1. Al- human kid- decades, but still remain specu- though the bio- ney stones lative. Mineralogists explain logical charac- examined22 that all that is needed for crys- terization of (see Fig. 3). tal formation/biomineralization NB is yet to be Figure 2. SEM image of to start is nidi (nucleus) and an fully under- extensively calcified NB. In our ear- environment of available dis- stood, the pre- Bar: 5μm lier studies, solved components at or near cipitation and we exam- saturation concentrations, growth of calcium phosphate ined NB cultures in High As- along with the absence of in- readily occurs in systems con- pect Rotating Vessels (HARVs) hibitors for crystal formation1. taining trace amounts of NB, designed at the NASA’s John- Bacteria or other agents pro- but not in identical control sys- son Space Center, which are ducing such nidi, if present in tems lacking NB3. The exact designed to simulate some as- blood and in urine, are very mechanism(s) by which apatite pects of microgravity23. NB likely candidates to launch and is nucleated and formed cultured in HARVs multiplied accelerate pathologic calcifica- around NB is unknown. 4.6 times faster than under sta- tion in vivo2. This is clinically When the serum concentra- tionary conditions and 3.2 important since blood contains tion in the medium is reduced times faster than in shaker phosphate near its saturation (£ 5%) in the NB culture con- flask incubation. Interestingly, level. ditions, NB start to mineralize (Continued on page 8)

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(Continued from page 7) crystal rather than organisms. pathological changes. The the results demonstrated that Cisar et al, presented an alter- COM assay showed accelerated the degree of apatite crystal for- native theory for the experi- biocrystallization of (14)C- mation on NB mental findings of NB scientist. oxalate in the presence of NB, (biomineralization) and the They stated that biomineraliza- indicating them to be efficient properties of the apatite are tion previously attributed to NB candidates for biomineraliza- strongly affected by the gravity may be initiated by nonliving tion. Histopathological studies and other specific culture condi- macromolecules and trans- revealed bacteria induced renal tions used. Although some re- ferred on "subculture" by self- tubular calcifications and vari- searchers believe that micro- propagating microcrystalline ous manifestations of infection11. gravity does not affect crystal apatite28. Their studies confirm that NB formation and biomineraliza- may be involved in the patho- tion24, it has been shown that Methods to diagnose NB in genesis of renal tubular calcifica- long periods in a microgravity biologicals, cells, tissues, blood tion. Such findings are required and urine in- to prove Koch’s postulates link- clude immu- ing NB to other pathological nodetection calcification related diseases. with NB- specific mono- Whether NB themselves serve clonal antibod- as the nucleus for crystal forma- ies, electron tion, or whether the NB are microscopy simply able to lower the activa- and culture tion energy barrier and thus al- techniques. low precipitation and growth of Replication can crystals under much lower su- be measured persaturation conditions is yet by particle to be determined. However, it is counting and immaterial whether or not they optical density are bacteria, viruses, or other at 650 nm. It living or nonliving forms; their Figure 3. SEM image of spherical has been also properties of promoting ready shown that crystallization and growth of Ca apatite formations in an apatite kidney growth of the minerals are well established. stone. Bar: 1μm. NB could be These self-replicating particles detected by may induce calcification and environment does cause loss of specific methods, such as stone formation in vivo because: bone, and enhance kidney stone ELISA, turbidity, SDS-PAGE NB a) have been detected in formation-like biomineralization or methionine and uridine in- human blood, b) are trans- disorders in astronauts25. corporation., Susceptibility tests ported from blood into urine The first debate about NB re- can be used to test effects of and bile as living organisms, c) volved around whether these antibiotics and other chemot- are renotropic, d) cause apop- minute particles are alive or not. herapeutics. Growth could be totic cell death, e) are present in To this day, critics argue that a prevented with tetracycline, human stone-isolates, and tis- particle just 50 to 200 nanome- high doses of aminoglycoside sues with calcification, f) cause ters in diameter can't possibly antibiotics, EDTA, cytosine kidney stone formation in rats harbor the components neces- arabinoside, 5-FU and gamma- within one month when injected sary to sustain life. Maniloff's irradiation29. in an intra-renal route. work suggests that to contain the DNA and proteins needed to In a small study, Garcia Cuerpo While the controversy of function, a cell must be at least et al found that translumbar, whether they are living or 140 nanometers across26. How- percutaneous intrarenal injec- nonliving entities will continue ever, recently it has been shown tion of NB (isolated from kid- until new definitive data is col- that a genome constructed to ney stones) into rats resulted in lected, this controversy should encode 387 protein-coding and kidney stone formation30. Addi- not overshadow the critical 43 structural RNA genes could tionally, Shiekh et al has exam- medical importance of under- sustain a viable synthetic cell, a ined NB’s role in biocrystalliza- standing the already demon- Mycoplasma laboratorium tion and in vivo effects on kid- strated effects of NB on patho- which can shrink its size below ney pathology. Calcium oxalate logic calcification in the human that limitation27. NB are also monohydrate assay (COM) was body and on research into incredibly resistant to heat and carried out in the presence of countermeasures to reverse or other methods that would nor- NB to study biocrystallization. eliminate these effects. mally kill bacteria, which makes Wistar rats were given an intra- some scientists wonder if they venous injection of NB and the might be an unusual form of kidneys were examined for

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Finite State Dynamic Modeling and Uncertainty A Lunch Methodologies Related to Orbiter Reentry and Learn Survivability and ISS Safe Haven Concerns Summary Report TIM PROPP, VICE-CHAIR, TECHNICAL The AIAA Houston Technical on the ET to inhibit releases of tainties and confidence intervals Committees hosted a Lunch and large foam pieces, (2) addition of a associated with each prediction. Learn seminar on March 23, 2006, heating element to reduce the in JSC Bldg. 16. Dr. Allan Benja- build-up of ice on the ET prior to Two basic types of tools were devel- min, Principal Scientist and Man- launch, (3) addition of scanning oped to address these concerns. ager of Advanced Concepts, ARES techniques to enable observation First, statistical models were formu- Corporation, attracted a crowd of prior to reentry of any significant lated to assess the damage that 31 to learn about finite state dy- damage occurring to the Orbiter could occur to the Orbiter windows, namic modeling and uncertainty external surface as a result of debris leading edges, and thermal protec- methodologies related to Orbiter impacts, and (4) provision for the tive tiles from particle impacts. Sec- reentry survivability and ISS safe International Space Station (ISS) to ond, a dynamic simulation tool haven concerns. The break-up dur- be used as a safe haven for the crew based on the use of Petri nets was ing reentry of the Space Shuttle of the shuttle in the event of a need developed to track the state of con- Columbia in February 2003 to abort reentry (i.e., the Contin- sumables aboard the ISS in the prompted a thorough examination gency Shuttle Crew Support, or event of CSCS. The second tool is of precautions that could be taken CSCS, option). In order to evalu- now being applied to evaluation of to prevent such an incident from ate the effectiveness of these provi- spare provisioning for the ISS. happening again. Safety provisions sions, it was necessary to construct a Both types of tools were integrated implemented prior to Return to set of tools capable of addressing into a Monte Carlo sampling frame- Flight (RTF) in July 2005 included the degree to which these modifica- work to evaluate the uncertainties both significant design changes to tions reduced the risk from particu- associated with both random occur- the shuttle Orbiter and the external late impact to the orbiter, and the rences and systemic lack of knowl- tank (ET), and scrupulous planning capability of the ISS to support life edge. for unforeseen contingencies occur- in the event it had to be used for ring during ascent or orbit. Princi- CSCS. For decisions to be made in Below is a summary of the results of pal among these provisions were: real time, it was necessary for these the analyses and the value to (1) redesign of the foam insulation tools to be able to evaluate uncer- NASA: Question Addressed by RTF Analyses Results of the Analyses and Value to NASA

Do the Orbiter windows need to be replaced by Analysis showed the answer to be yes for the two side thicker panes to provide increased protection against windows. Was a factor in NASA’s decision to replace impacts from particulate matter generated during as- those windows before flight STS-114. cent?

Is there significant probability that particulate debris Analysis showed that ice or an ice-frost mixture emanat- could cause damage to the orbiter wing leading edges ing from the forward portions of the external tank might that is large enough to be critical but not large enough have a relatively high probability of causing critical dam- to be detected? age that cannot be detected. Was a factor in NASA’s decision to provide additional protection against ice formation. Are the current kinetic energy thresholds for critical Analysis showed that not accounting for random particle tile damage excessively conservative because of worst- orientation causes the thresholds to be evaluated much case assumptions about particle orientation? too conservatively, by a factor of more than two for ice debris. Was a factor in NASA’s decision to proceed with STS-114. What is the confidence level accompanying the deci- Created a tool for calculating the uncertainty distribu- sion about whether the orbiter can safely endure reen- tions surrounding the computed safety margins for reen- try following damage to the tile, based on predictions try. The tool has increased NASA’s ability to make by the best available suite of computer codes? informed, real-time judgments about the likelihood that reentry will be successful. What is the probability distribution for the amount of Created a finite state computer tool to analyze this prob- time available, if the shuttle crew has to take refuge on lem. Results showed that there is a high enough prob- the ISS, before consumables run out or toxic levels ability that sufficient time is available to warrant the re- become excessively high? turn to flight.

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Public Congressional Visits Day Report Policy BRETT ANDERSON On April 4th, our fearless and peer- Vehicle (CLV) Lindsey Dickinson, Legislative less Public Policy leader, Nicole · Train the next generation of Counsel to Senator Kay Bailey Smith, went forth to Washington scientists and engineers Hutchison D.C. with her band of Merry Men Katherine Coughlin, Counsel and (and Elizabeth, too!) to discuss The focus of the team was to really Sara Smith, Legislative Correspon- issues of great import with the work on communicating the bene- dent to Senator John Cornyn Texas Members of the 109th Con- fits derived from space explora- Ellie Essalih, Legislative Director gress, 2nd Session, 2006. This in- tion. It was quickly apparent to to Congressman John Culberson trepid group included (left to right, our team that though we as engi- Jessica Swafford, Senior Legal As- see picture): neers and scientist recognize and sistant to Congressman Al Green appreciate those benefits, we have Chad Creech, Legislative Assistant Dr. Michael Lembeck a difficult time getting them across to Congressman Michael T. Brett Anderson, P.E. to both our representatives and the McCaul Elizabeth Blome general public. Norman Singleton, Legislative Wayne Rast Director for Congressman Ron Nicole Smith (Team Texas At the end of each meeting the Paul, M.D. (Ron Paul also stepped Lead) team stressed the benefits from out to meet with constituent Brett Chris Taylor exploration justified the discretion- Anderson) ary funding priority to meet the Vince Jesaitis, Legislative Assistant The team met the afternoon goals and objectives of the Nation’s for Congressman Gene Green of the 4th with AIAA Public Vision for Space Exploration and Stoney Cooks, Adminstrative As- Policy experts and Staff to get that continued Congressional sup- sistant for Congresswoman Sheila the instructions by AIAA and port was vital. Individuals on the Jackson Lee to do any last minute strate- team emphasized that transitioning David Lively, Legislative Assistant gizing. Fortunately the team the workforce was of strategic im- for Congressman Judge Ted Poe had met several times at portance to the US economic, sci- Double Dave’s in Clear Lake entific and security needs. Further, The planned meeting with Tom to hammer out their presen- that these capabilities were the key DeLay’s legislative assistant was tation and strategy , so there enablers to developing commercial overcome by events due to Mr. were no last minute changes opportunities in space. DeLay’s announcement of his res- or revisions. ignation the night before CVD! A favorite quote from the team Because of this, Nicole and Before this intrepid group hit (outside of the references to Lem- Wayne were also able to make the Hill, they took heed of beck’s MoonPub) was that unscheduled visits to Kay Granger the wisdom passed on by the more “infrastructure leads to science and and John Carter’s offices. Nicole experienced and had a very relax- discovery, which leads to com- also made sure to visit the office of ing and productive evening at Sam merce.” Or simpler, the trade Sherrod Brown (13th - OH), and Harry’s. (A wonderful steak- routes and outposts of our history where she grew up and her family house not far from their hotel) led to individuals communicating still lives. This team dinner is an annual and developing the wilderness event and the atmosphere and which led to commercial opportu- AIAA’s annual post-CVD recep- dining experience was enjoyed by nities and the economy we have tion was very well attended by the all. today. Investing in exploration is CVD participants and a great num- investing in science and commer- ber of the Legislative Staff. This The message from the team to our cialization! provided another opportunity for representatives this year was fo- getting our message across to the cused on the Nation’s Vision for The very last message the team left individuals responsible for shaping Space Exploration. The key ten- with everyone they met with was and influencing the views of our ants of this years message was that that AIAA wanted to help and that congressional leaders on the issues AIAA strongly supports the vision our members are an available re- and policies of interest to AIAA. for Space Exploration based on source to both the Representatives the following key activities: and their staff. Next major Public Policy event: Home Visits Week (August 2006), · Return the Space Shuttle to op- Wayne Rast put together a sched- a.k.a. CVD in your own backyard! erational flight ule that allowed the team to meet For more information, email pub- · Meet our international commit- with over a dozen of the Texas [email protected]. ments and complete the Interna- delegates Staffers and/or represen- tional Space Station (ISS) tatives on May 5th. These meet- · Develop the Crew Exploration ings included: Vehicle (CEV) and Crew Launch

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Saving Saturn V: Conservation of the Apollo Era A Dinner Lecture DOUGLAS YAZELL, COUNCILOR Summary Report The large crowd appreciated our program will “Return to the the Saturn V Rocket for long term dinner speaker on Thursday, Moon”. Space vehicles and sup- display. March 16, 2006, Jee Skavdahl of port equipment from our first Conservation Solutions, Inc., one “Race to the Moon” are currently This presentation will highlight the of the people responsible for the being displayed as museum arti- course of treatments undertaken; work done to conserve the Saturn facts. In addition to being beacons from the construction of a climate- V on display at NASA/JSC. This to the past the significance of these controlled facility to hands-on re- was a joint dinner meeting with the artifacts is magni- NASA Alumni League, who heard fied as they are a related speech from someone once again goals else approximately two years ago for our future. as Conservation Solutions began The Saturn V this work. A few notes from the Rocket currently recent dinner’s publicity flier are on display at the supplied in the following para- Johnson Space graphs. Center in Hous- ton, Texas is one Jee Skavdahl joined Conservation of three remaining Solutions, Inc. in December 2003 in existence and as a Conservation Technician and the only one as- now serves the firm as a Project sembled from Manager for the Saturn V Rocket flight-ready com- Restoration project at the Johnson ponents. Laid to Space Center in Houston, Texas. rest in Rocket Park She has been closely involved in the late 1970s, the the management of both the treat- Saturn V has spent ment of the Saturn V and in the the past 30 years construction of the temperature weathering the and humidity-controlled building adverse Houston which currently houses and pro- climate. High humidity, tempera- pairs of the metal surfaces. Each tects the Saturn V during the pres- tures, ozone concentrations, pollu- section will note the unique chal- ervation process. Jee Skavdahl tion and the salt air have left the lenges presented when applying holds a Bachelor of Science in Saturn V Rocket deteriorated and museum quality conservation stan- Physiological Science from the in need of repair. The preservation dards to an industrial artifact of University of California, Los Ange- treatments currently in progress are this scale and complexity. les, California. the next step in a series of collabo- rative efforts that began in 2003 to Within the next decade our space halt the deterioration and preserve

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 11 Page 12

A Lunch Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) and Learn ROBERT VICKROY, CMMI AUTHORIZED LEAD APPRAISER AND INSTRUCTOR Summary Report On January 27th a lunch and of groups of processes. The lev- sions of the model for SW learn session was held with ap- els may be loosely defined by (Software), SE (systems), IPPD proximately 40 people in atten- (level 1) business as is; (level 2) (Integrated Product & Process dance. The topic given was the Requirements Management, Pro- Development), and SS (Supplier Capability Maturity Model Inte- ject Planning, Project Monitoring sourcing). In version 1.2 there will grated (CMMI). A summary of and Control, Supplier Agreement only be a single version of the CMMI is listed below followed by Management, Configuration Man- model (SW/SE) with IPPD and a brief outline of the discussion agement and Process, and Prod- SS being merged into other proc- held at the LNL. uct Quality Assurance; (level 3) ess areas. adds on Requirements Develop- CMMI Overview ment, Technical Solutions, Prod- Other changes will simplify the uct Integration, Verification, Vali- model and the appraisal process. The CMMI will transition from dation, Organizational Process New rules for sampling will version 1.1 to 1.2 in August of this Focus, Organizational Training, broaden the number of projects year. The CMMI was created by Organizational Product Develop- that will be required to be sam- the Software Engineering Institute ment, Risk Management, Deci- pled from four projects to evi- of Carnegie Mellon University in sion Analysis and Resolution; dence selected from across the Pittsburgh, Pa. The CMMI is the (level 4) adds Organizational entire organization. Additional follow-on to the CMM, which was Process Performance and Quanti- CMMI version 1.2 information retired December 2005. tative Project Management; and can be found on the SEI web site. level 5) brings Organizational In- There is also a follow-on The CMM is a maturity model novation, Deployment, Corrective "constellation" concept, which will used to gauge the progress in im- Action and Resolution. be implemented as an addition to provement a company makes the model that will incorporate through process areas defined by The CMMI model has broad- the Acquisition Model (for pro- the model. Maturity ratings from ened the scope of the industries to gram acquisitions) and process 1-5 are assigned to reflect the pro- which it is applied. It has gone areas for Service Management. gression to full implementation of beyond simply software (as in the all process areas. The basis for the old CMM), to systems (replacing To gain the services of an SEI CMM/CMMI is that controlling the Electronic Industry Alliance authorized instructor for Intro to processes are the best way to con- EIA 731 and 632), product inte- CMMI classes or to arrange an trol the quality of a software prod- gration, and even supplier sourc- appraisal go to the SEI web site uct. ing. In the future servicing, manu- and search on SEI Partners, facturing and other areas will be which will provide a list of compa- The CMMI model can be found incorporated as well. nies that have contracts with the at the SEI web site www.sei.cmu. SEI that are authorized to provide edu - search the site for the Discussion held at the LNL services for the SEI. CMMI model. The maturity lev- els represent the implementation Currently there are several ver-

Texas Space Authority Act

A Meeting to Establish a Texas today are proactively growing Cali- establishment of TSA's Vision, Space Authority (TSA) will be fornia's and Florida's space enter- Mission, Objectives & Strategic held at the University of Texas at prise communities: Plans. Austin on Thursday, May 11, 2006. The California Space Authority We look forward to your participa- and The Florida Space Authority. tion! The TSA will work collaboratively As a stakeholder in Texas's role in and competitively with similar U. the exploration of space and the William N. Hulsey III, Esq. S. state authorities and foreign establishment of a Texas treasure Principal, HULSEYIP Intellectual nation space organizations to ad- of a vibrant commercial space in- Property Lawyers, P.C. vance the establishment of a vi- dustry, you are invited to attend. Attorneys & Counselors in IP Mat- brant, global, commercial and Please click on the following link ters privatized industry in which Texas to register for the event: www. Senior Research Fellow, IC2 Insti- space enterprise stakeholders con- TexasSpaceAuthority.org. tute, University of Texas, Austin structively and actively participate. [email protected] The TSA promises to be a Texas Take this opportunity to contrib- version of the organizations that ute your voice and views to the

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 12 Page 13

Call for Award Nominations Recognize the achievements of your vancement and realization of pow- Award is presented for an out- colleagues by nominating them for ered lift flight in one or more of the standing contribution or contribu- an AIAA Award!! AIAA is currently following areas: initiation, definition tions to aeronautical and astronauti- accepting nominations for the fol- and/or management of key V/STOL cal literature in the relatively recent lowing awards. All nominations programs; development of enabling past. The emphasis should be upon must reach AIAA no later than 1 technologies including critical meth- the high quality or major influence July. odology; program engineering and of the piece rather than, for exam- design; and/or other relevant related ple, the importance of the underly- A nomination form can be activities or combinations thereof ing technological contribution. The downloaded from www.aiaa.org and which have advanced the science of award is an incentive for aerospace must be used to submit the nomina- powered lift flight. professionals to write eloquently and tion. AIAA members may submit persuasively about their field and nominations online by visiting www. Faculty Advisor Award is presented should encompass editorials as well aiaa.org and logging into “MY to the faculty advisor of a chartered as papers or books. AIAA.” AIAA Student Branch, who in the opinion of student branch members, Space Processing Award is presented Aerospace Software Engineering and the AIAA Student Activities for significant contributions in space Award is presented for outstanding Committee, has made outstanding processing or in furthering the use of technical and/or management contri- contributions as a student branch microgravity for space processing, butions to aeronautical or astronauti- faculty advisor, as evidenced by the (Presented even years) cal software engineering. (Presented record of his/her student branch in odd-years) local, regional, and national activi- Summerfield Book Award is named ties. in honor of Dr. Martin Summer- Children's Literature Award is pre- field, founder and initial editor of sented for an outstanding, significant, Gardner-Lasser History Literature the Progress in Astronautics and and original contribution in aeronau- Award is presented for the best origi- Aeronautics Series of books pub- tics and astronautics. (Presented nal contribution to the field of aero- lished by the AIAA. The award is odd-years) nautical or astronautical historical presented to the author of the best non-fiction literature published in book recently published by AIAA. Digital Avionics Award is presented the last five years dealing with the Criteria for the selection include to recognize outstanding achieve- science, technology, and/or impact quality and professional acceptance ment in technical management and/ of aeronautics and astronautics on as evidenced by impact on the field, or implementation of digital avionics society. citations, classroom adoptions and in space or aeronautical systems, sales. including system analysis, design, History Manuscript Award is pre- development or application. sented for the best historical manu- James Van Allen Space Environ- (Presented odd-years) script dealing with the science, tech- ments Award is presented to recog- nology, and/or impact or aeronautics nize outstanding contributions to Elmer Sperry Award commemorates and astronautics on society. space and planetary environment the achievements of Dr. Sperry by knowledge and interactions as ap- seeking to encourage progress in the Information Systems Award is pre- plied to the advancement of aero- engineering of transportation. This sented for technical and/or manage- nautics and astronautics. The award joint society award, sponsored by ment contributions in space and honors Prof. James A. Van Allen, an AIAA, IEEE, ASME, SNAME, aeronautics computer and sensing outstanding internationally recog- SAE, and ASCE, is given in recogni- aspects of information technology nized scientist, who is credited with tion of a distinguished engineering and science. (Presented odd years) the early discovery of the Earth’s contribution, which through applica- “Van Allen Radiation tion proved in actual service has Lawrence Sperry Award is presented Belts.” (Presented even years) advanced the art of transportation for a notable contribution made by a whether by land, sea, or air. young person to the advancement of Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy aeronautics or astronautics. The Award, sponsored by the Aero Club Excellence in Aerospace Standardi- nominee must be under 35 years of of Washington, is presented for sig- zation Award is presented to recog- age on December 31 of the year nificant public service of enduring nize contributions by individuals that preceding the presentation. value to aviation in the United States advance the health of the aerospace and was established to honor the community by enabling cooperation, Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award Wright Brothers annually. competition, and growth through the is presented for recognition of out- standardization process. standing contributions to the atmos- If you need further information, pheric sciences as applied to the please contact Carol Stewart, Man- F. E. Newbold V/STOL Award is advancement of aeronautics and ager, AIAA Honors & Awards Pro- presented to recognize outstanding astronautics. gram, at [email protected] or at creative contributions to the ad- Pendray Aerospace Literature 703/264-7623.

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 13 Page 14

SPACEHAB Picked as COTS Finalist SPACEHAB, Inc. Houston, Texas, May 10, 2006 – SPACEHAB, In- reliable, cost effective access to low earth orbit; and corporated (NASDAQ: SPAB), a leading provider of create a market environment in which commercial commercial space services, announced today that the space services are available to the Government and Company has been selected by NASA as a finalist for private sector customers alike.” the Agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Service (COTS) Demonstrations solicitation. The SPACEHAB’s program includes the provision of a purpose of this initiative is to prove the capability for non-shuttle-based, end-to-end space access capability, providing commercial cargo transportation services to known as Apex, and the associated integration, opera- and from the International Space Station while sup- tions, and mission management services that the plying space access to customers worldwide. Company is renowned for on NASA’s space shuttle and International Space Station programs. “We be- “We are elated that NASA appreciates our technical lieve that this confirms NASA’s confidence in solution and business approach for developing an SPACEHAB’s ability to meet their transportation achievable and sustainable commercial space services requirements while stimulating emerging space mar- program,” said Michael E. Kearney, SPACEHAB kets,” states Mike Bain, SPACEHAB Chief Operat- President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our plan is ing Officer. to stimulate commercial enterprise in space; develop

“Contemporary with the Fredericksburg High School Rocket Program Update changing studies in Washington, the Saturn launch I recently asked Brett Williams about their progress velopment of the Redbird11-H for Stanford - looks with the Rocketry programs at Fredericksburg High like we will be testing May 19 at WSMR. We have vehicle evolved rapidly in School (see our September/October 2005 issue). also been meeting with Austin - Gov Perry and State Huntsville, going from a C-3 Here is his reply: Senator Troy Frazier about the statewide replication version in June to a C-5 in of the program. I'm also scheduled the last week of We are finishing up a $90K research grant, getting April to be in DC to meet with industry and several December. Plans for the C-3 ready to submit a proposal for next year's work, and politicians and committees. were barely under way when analyzing data for reports to be presented at AIAA Marshall Space Flight Center JPC conference this summer. Also finalizing the de- initiated studies of a larger C-4. The C-4, incorporating four Staying Informed F-1 engines in the booster and COMPILED BY THE EDITOR five J-2 engines in the second This column points out useful web sites, documents, policy papers, periodicals, etc. stage, at first seemed large enough to power a lunar landing Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations mission via either lunar-orbital http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4204/cover.html

or earth-orbital rendezvous. As Commercial Opportunities in the Vision for Space Exploration spacecraft weight estimates www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oer/nac/NACPresentations/Feb%20_08_09_06/Commercial%20Presentation%20Final.pdf continued upward, Marshall The Vision for Space Exploration: New Opportunities - NASA ARC Director Simon P. Worden officials began to question this http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1119 assumption. Von Braun's proposal to add a fifth F-1 Remarks for the U.S. Space Foundation, National Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO, 6 April 2006 http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/146291main_NationalSpaceSymposium_new.pdf engine, making the C-4 a C-5, was approved in November Interactive Mars Habitat when Milton Rosen, NASA http://www.exploremarsnow.org/

Director of Launch Vehicles The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology and Propulsion, made another http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4009/contents.htm launch vehicle study.”

From “Moonport”

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 14 Page 15

New Members ELIZABETH BLOME, MEMBERSHIP The Houston Section has many Robert Bayt Zhiling Li Important notes: new members. If you see one of Sophia Bright Jacqueline Martin these folks at the next section Sean Classen Justin Mclellan • Not a member? See the end page. event, please welcome them: Michael Coats Javad Mohammadpour Jon-Paul Eisenring Biran Owens We had a great month! If you see Jennifer Furgerson Kyle Richardson one of the folks at the next section Madhurya Gupta Cheryl Stoy event, please make them feel wel- Shalom Johnson Katherine Thompson come. Tapan Kulkarni Christy Tucker Hisashi Kumazawa James Werpy David Barb Natasha Lagoudas

Looking for Lost Members ELIZABETH BLOME, MEMBERSHIP

We do not have current contact mation to elizabeth.c.blome@nasa. Joseph Kwasnieski information for the following gov. members, which means that either their email or mail addresses are Nick Baker no longer valid. If you know where Sarah Bibeau they are, please either ask them to Marshall Cloyd update their information on www. Jeff Cheek aiaa.org or send their new infor- Yuanyuan Ding

Help AIAA Help You - Update Your Membership Records ELIZABETH BLOME, MEMBERSHIP

It is often said that the aerospace move from one company to an- few minutes and visit the AIAA industry is the only place where other as we try to expand our oc- website at you can have the same job for five cupational horizons. http://www.aiaa.org/ to update years and work for five different With all of these potential changes your member information or call companies. That is especially true have you verified if your AIAA customer service at 1-800-NEW- given the industry wide consolida- member record is up to date? AIAA (639-2422). Feel free to tion that has happened in the last Knowing where our members are also contact me at 281-244-7121 few years. As companies have working is vital to the Houston or by email at changed so have the building signs Section in obtaining corporate [email protected]. and the business cards. Addition- support for local AIAA activities ally, our environment provides (such as our monthly dinner meet- most people with the ability to ing, workshops, etc.). Please take a Membership Q & A

Q: How can I become a member are interested in participating on a technical committee. Technical of one of the AIAA Standing Standing Committee, please com- Committee membership is gener- Committees? plete the online Standing Commit- ally for three consecutive one- tee Nomination Form found on year terms. Nominations open 1 A: You may nominate yourself or the Forms page at the AIAA web August and close 1 November, be nominated by another member site. although midyear placement on a for membership on an AIAA Technical Committee is possible. Standing Committee. You can also Q: How do I become a member For more information or to ob- nominate other members. A de- of an AIAA Technical Commit- tain a nomination form, go to the scription of the scope and volun- tee? Technical Committee page at the teer contact for each of AIAA's AIAA web site. Committees is located on the A: Any AIAA member is welcome Standing Committees page. If you to apply for membership on a

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 15 Page 16

Annual Technical Symposium Agenda TIM PROPP, VICE-CHAIR, OPERATIONS Paradigm Shifts "Ripples in Space", Beatriz Kelly- Progress since Transhab, Christopher Johnson, Serrato, Jacobs Sverdrup NASA/ES5

Deciphering the Mysterious "Hypersurface" for Space Vehicle Propellant Savings Technique, Translunar Targeting, R. Leroy McHenry, Boeing Tatiana Dobrinskaya, USA

UWB Technology and Applications on Space Ex- Revisiting Apollo - Lunar Landing Guidance, Scott ploration, David Ni, NASA/National Research Nemeth, USA Council, Dickey Arndt, NASA/EV4 ISS Internal Active Thermal Control System UWB Tracking Algorithms - AOA and TDOA, Anomalies, Remediation Efforts, and Implications David Ni, NASA/National Research Council, for Future Manned Space Flight Projects, Robert Melinda Refford, USA Daugherty, Boeing

UWB Tracking Software Development, David Ni, Obstacles to Cohesive Space Operations, Russ NASA/National Research Council, Julia Gross, Strachan, Self Employed NASA/EV4 Proven Avionics Architectural Principles and Non- UWB Two-Cluster AOA Tracking Prototype Sys- Deterministic Algorithms, Randall Black, Honeywell tem Design, David Ni, NASA/National Research Council, Phong Ngo, NASA/EV4 On-board Simulation and Training System, Rolando Garza, Self Employed Performance Evaluation of a UWB-RFID System for Potential Space Applications, David Ni, NASA/ EVA Operations and Integration Activities as Per- National Research Council, Chau Phan, NASA/EV4 formed by MOD EVA, Zane Ney, USA

Mach-Lorentz Thrusters, Paul March, Barrios Software Verification Facility Start Script, Lloyd Johnson, Boeing Conceptual Design of a Shuttle-Derived Reusable Exploration Vehicle, Mike Engle, NASA/OM2 Revisiting Apollo - Translunar and Lunar Orbit Navigation, Samuel Welsh, USA The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - Instrument Suite and Measurements, John Keller, NASA/GSFC Extracting and Classifying Failure Modes from Text, David Throop, Boeing The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - Spacecraft and Objectives, Craig Tooley, NASA/GSFC MDM Dump Tool, Lionel Molina, Boeing

Descent and Landing Trajectory Guidance for Lunar The Next Step in the Vision for Space Exploration: Missions, Ron Sostaric, NASA/EG5 Shuttle Program Transition and Retirement, Debra Boyd, Boeing Reliability - An Essential Key to Extended Manned Space Mission Success, James Mulberry, USA Revisiting Apollo - Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) Guided Burn to the Moon, Earle Bentley, USA Abort Options for Human Lunar Missions Between Earth Orbit and Lunar Vicinity, Gerald Condon, Value of Automated Code Analysis Tools in Human NASA/EG5 Space Flight Programs, Warren Badgley, GB Tech

Strategic Capabilities Assessment for Retirement of Launch Vehicle Economics, Worked Examples, the Space Shuttle Program: Defining and Document- Chris Taylor, Jupiter Research & Development ing the Path for NASA's Human Spaceflight Transi- tion, Doug Sander, NASA/MD Centrifuge Rotor Models - A Comparison of the Euler-Lagrange and the Bond Graph Modeling Ap- Robot Motion Planning System for Robot-Human proaches, Jose Granda, California State University Proximity Operation, Vladimir Lumelsky, NASA/ GSFC The Future of Manned Robotics Missions, Mathew Hart, USA Revisiting Apollo - Earth Entry, John Burton, USA A Pseudospectral Method for Space Trajectory Opti- Inflatable Structures: Test Results and Development mization, Jeremy Rea, NASA

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 16 Page 17

Space Shuttle Integration Lessons Learned - An A Dinner Lecture Insider’s View Summary Report DOUGLAS YAZELL, COUNCILOR

A large and enthusiastic audience welcomed Mr. Bo Please see the Chair’s Corner on page 4 for some Bejmuk, Program Director, Space Shuttle Orbiter, additional reporting on this excellent dinner speech. Space Exploration, The Boeing Company, as the speaker for our dinner meeting Wednesday, April 5, 2006, in the Gilruth Center. Mr. Bejmuk has en- joyed an extensive career on the Space Shuttle pro- gram holding several key positions in Shuttle Integra- tion during the development phase and transition to operations. He was also the Boeing executive re- sponsible for design, construction, and integration of the Sea Launch Company System (a joint venture between Boeing, the Russian company Energia, the Ukranian companies Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash, and the Norwegian company Kraerner). In 1998 he was named Vice President and General Manager of Sea Launch Home Port, responsible for the ground processing and Pacific Ocean launch operations. Bo has twice received the NASA Public Service Award. He was honored with the Chairman’s Award as well as the Lloyd V. Berkner Award for outstanding con- tributions to commercial use of space technology and recently became an inductee to the International Academy of Astronautics. He is a recipient of the Aviation Week and Space Technology 1999 Laurels Award for his major contributions in the field of in- ternational aerospace.

A few topics and details are listed here from his slides that he is generously allowing us to display on our section’s web site.

· System Integration Approach · Lifoff and Ascent Aerodynamics (includes an overall factor of 5 reduction for primary solid rocket booster ignition overpressure prior to STS- 2) · Structures · Day-of-Launch I-Loads Evolution · Lightning (lesson: “starting with a fair-weather vehicle may be a cost effective approach”, with some additional notes) · Risk Management · Operational Cost Drivers (includes two pic- tures: 1- artist’s painting of initial naïve concept of operations, a shuttle orbiter parked in a nearly empty hangar with about 20 people working on or near it, and 2- an actual photograph of the reality: the orbiter is nearly invisible since the supporting scaffolding looks like a three-story building: photo KSC-79PC-500) · Margin Management · Significance of Lessons Learned · Other Applicable Lessons Learned- Zenit De- rived Launch System- Sea Launch · The Big Lesson (part of which says, “We were not as smart as we thought we were!”)

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 17 Page 18

SPACEHAB BEGINS WORK million. ReDe/Critique joint venture. “Our Local Industry ON NEW NASA BUSINESS team capabilities have been en- More Commercial Hardware to SPACEHAB provided a similar hanced by SPACEHAB’s exper- News and Become Permanent Feature on cargo carrier for NASA’s return to tise and exceptional record in con- Announcements International Space Station flight mission, STS-114, that figuration management at Johnson launched in July 2005. The Exter- Space Center.” Houston, Texas, May 3, 2005 – nal Stowage Platform 2 (ESP2), SPACEHAB, Incorporated which was deployed from the space Last performance period, SPACE- (NASDAQ: SPAB), a leading pro- shuttle’s cargo bay via the robotic HAB, as a member of NASA’s vider of commercial space ser- arm and permanently mounted to Program Integration and Control vices, announced today that the the space station, serves as the larg- contract for the space station, was Company has received contract est commercially provided compo- awarded a 100% award fee evalua- authority to proceed with mission nent of NASA’s ISS program. tion score from the Agency’s Per- integration services for a new stow- formance Evaluation Board. This age platform that will be flown on [Source: SPACEHAB] rating is seldom achieved in gov- the STS-118 space shuttle flight ernment contract determinations. and permanently mounted to the International Space Station. SPACEHAB SEEKS NEW GOV- [Source: SPACEHAB] ERNMENT BUSINESS The STS-118 mission originally Company Unites With Team Vy- called for SPACEHAB’s Logistics ing for NASA Configuration Man- NASA NAMES MORE AMBAS- Single Module and a standard In- agement Contract SADORS OF EXPLORATION tegrated Cargo Carrier. In Febru- ary 2005 NASA decided to con- Houston, Texas, April 19, 2006 – Christopher Kraft and Eugene vert the cargo carrier to a deploy- SPACEHAB, Incorporated Kranz have been named to the list able platform to be transferred to (NASDAQ: SPAB), a leading pro- of NASA's first generation of ex- the International Space Station for vider of commercial space services, plorers honored as Ambassadors storage of on-orbit spares. While announced today the completion of of Exploration. Kraft is considered initial engineering work to config- a subcontracting agreement with the architect of Mission Control, ure the carrier for use as a stowage ReDe/Critique, a joint venture, designing systems from the ground platform has been completed, the seeking a $17 million, five-year up. Kranz will be forever linked to majority of the effort has been on NASA resource management con- the phrase "Failure is not an op- hold, until now, due to delays in tract. tion," NASA said, noting he is also the shuttle flight schedule. remembered for his flat-top hair- “This business opportunity is right style and relentless dedication to “We are excited about the initia- up our alley. We have been provid- mission success. NASA's Ambassa- tion of this work, providing an ing configuration management ser- dors of Exploration are presented efficient and proven cargo carrying vices to NASA’s International with a moon rock to recognize the solution that meets NASA’s space Space Station since 1997,” says sacrifices and dedication of the station needs for transporting and Richard Fitts, Vice President astronauts and others who were storing spare parts,” said Michael SPACEHAB Government Ser- part of the Mercury, Gemini and E. Kearney, SPACEHAB Presi- vices. “As a subcontractor to ReDe/ Apollo programs. "The early years dent and Chief Executive Officer. Critique, we look forward to poten- of our nation's space program had Known as the External Stowage tially expanding our configuration 400,000 heroes, not just the astro- Platform 3 (ESP3), this modified management operations in support nauts who took the first tentative version of SPACEHAB’s existing of NASA’s Engineering Directorate steps into space," said NASA Ad- Integrated Cargo Carrier will be while forging a strong teaming rela- ministrator Michael Griffin. "And launched aboard NASA’s twenty- tionship for future opportunities.” no one in those early years carried second space station flight, cur- this responsibility more visibly, or rently scheduled for June 2007. NASA’s Engineering Directorate is with more grace and fortitude, This will be the ninth flight of this responsible for providing engineer- than did 'Red Flight' Chris Kraft commercial unpressurized pallet ing design, development, and test and 'White Flight' Gene Kranz. resource. support for space flight programs. "And no two people are more de- The Agency released a request for serving of the title 'Ambassador of The integration and operations proposals, due in May, to support Exploration' than these men," said work will be performed through this indefinite-delivery, indefinite- Griffin. "I have been privileged to subcontract to Lockheed Martin quantity (ID/IQ) contract initiative know them, and to confer this rec- Corporation (NYSE: LMT), with an expected award date in ognition upon them." (Source: NASA’s Cargo Mission Contract September. UPI) prime contractor. Although nego- tiations for this change have not “We are thrilled to have SPACE- been finalized, the contract value is HAB on our team,” says Dr. expected to be on the order of $13 Hubert Glover, President of the

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 18 Page 19

Spirit of Apollo Scholarship Outreach and AIAA HOUSTON SECTION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, 2006-2007 Education The Houston Section of the AIAA with the AIAA award, would pro- Each applicant will provide the is pleased to announce the Spirit vide a stipend greater than the tui- following information: of Apollo Scholarship for the tion plus direct educational ex- 2006-2007 school year in the penses (such as books, lab fees, 1. A completed application form. amount of $1000. The first half etc.) estimated by the educational ($500) will be available for the Fall institution he or she plans to at- 2. A current college transcript. Semester. The second half ($500) tend. will be available for the Spring 3. Each new applicant must in- Semester. Eligibility requirements 6. Students who receive an award clude three typewritten letters of The objective of the must be met for both the Fall and are eligible to reapply in succeed- recommendation. Individuals Spring semesters. ing years. It should be stressed seeking renewal need only supply American Institute of that regardless of GPA, renewal is two letters. Recommendations Aeronautics and OBJECTIVE not automatic. To apply for re- from relatives will not be accepted. newal, an individual must follow The letters of recommendation Astronautics (AIAA) is The AIAA encourages original the application procedure indi- may be attached to the application to advance the arts, sciences, research, furthers dissemination of cated below. if sealed by the writer or sent un- new knowledge, fosters the profes- der separate cover to the address and technology of sional development of those en- 7. Applicants must be either U.S. indicated below. Recommenda- aeronautics and gaged in scientific and engineering citizens or permanent residents of tions must be postmarked no later activities, improves public under- the U.S. than the due date of the applica- astronautics. standing of the profession and its tion. contributions, fosters education in SELECTION CRITERIA engineering and science, promotes 4. A 500-1000 word typewritten communication among engineers The recipients of the scholarship essay as described in selection cri- and scientists and with other pro- awards will be selected using the teria. fessional groups, and stimulates following criteria, which are listed outstanding professional accom- in order of importance: The Applications (including tran- plishments. scripts, essays, etc.) for the next 1. Scholarship academic year must be post- ELIGIBILITY This criterion will be evaluated on marked no later than 1 June 2006. the basis of the applicant's grade The following eligibility require- point average or equivalent. A Applications and related materials ments shall be met by the appli- grade point average of not less than should be addressed to: cants for the AIAA/Houston Sec- 3.0 (B) is required. tion Scholarship award: Dr. Douglas Schwaab 2. Personal Assessment of Career Scholarship Committee Chair 1. Applicant must have completed Goals AIAA-Houston Section at least one academic year of full- This criterion will be evaluated American Institute of Aeronautics time college work at the time of through a 500-1000 word typewrit- and Astronautics receiving the scholarship. ten essay. The essay should spec- P.O. Box 57524 ify the career objectives of the ap- Webster, TX 77598 2. Applicant must have a college plicant and should outline the aca- grade point average of not less demic program required to achieve ADMINISTRATION OF THE than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. those career objectives. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

3. Applicant shall be enrolled in an 3. Recommendations The AIAA-Houston Section's accredited college or school in Each applicant will be judged on Scholarship Committee will be Texas. personal and academic merit, responsible for selecting the recipi- based on letters of recommenda- ents of the awards. 4. Applicant shall be pursuing a tion. course of study in any field of engi- SELECTION OF THE SCHOL- neering, math, or science (i.e., 4. Extra-curricular Activities ARSHIP RECIPIENTS physical science, physics, or com- Each applicant's high school, col- puter science) that is pertinent to lege, and community activities, The decisions of the AIAA Schol- the technical activities of the offices, awards, and work experi- arship committee are considered AIAA. ence will receive due considera- to be final and the winner for the tion. next academic year will be advised 5. Applicant shall not have, or sub- of the outcome by 15 June 2006. sequently receive, any other schol- APPLICATION PROCESS See: http://www.aiaa-houston.org/ arship award which, combined scholarship/

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 19 Page 20

Dates, events, and times are subject to change. See the AIAA Houston web site for more information at: www.aiaa-houston.org

May 1 Executive Council Meeting (ARES Corp.) 2-3 Physics Day Challenge (Space Center Houston) 5 “Space Day” Event 5 Texas A&M University Student Branch Banquet (College Station) 16 Documentary film "The Red Files: Secret Soviet Moon Mission" viewing (UH Clear Lake) 19 YP Outing: Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park) 19 Annual Technical Symposium (Gilruth)

June 5 Executive Council Meeting (ARES Corp.) 21 AIAA Aerospace Historical Site Dedication at JSC 22 Annual Honors & Awards Banquet: "SR-71 Blackbird – An Engineering Marvel" by Col. R. Graham/USAF Retired & AIAA Distinguished Lecturer (Gilruth)

Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for further details.

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 20 Page 21

Cranium Cruncher BILL MILLER, SENIOR MEMBER

Last month’s beer can puzzle is from Martin Gardner's Wheels, Life, and other Mathematical Amusements (1983). It's the fourth problem in Chapter 16.

The solution given by Gardner makes a simplification - that the ends of the can are removed and their mass distributed over the cylindrical surface of the can. He then considers the can in the desired state with the center of gravity at its low- est spot. If the can (with the liquid “frozen”) is then balanced horizontally, the moment of force on the “air” side of the can is proportional to the weight of an empty can multiplied by the square of the length of the empty side, and the mo- ment on the “liquid” side of the can is similarly proportional to the weight of a full can multiplied by the square of the length of the liquid-filled side. Since the can is balanced, these moments must be equal. So a2E = b2F if

a = length of the “air” side when the center of gravity is at the lowest point b = length of the “liquid” side when the center of gravity is at the lowest point F = the can's weight when full E = the can's weight when empty

With F = 384 and E = 44, a/b comes out to ~2.95. Since a+b=20, solving for b gives ~5 centimeters. Since there was some discussion in the article about whether the assumption of removing the ends was valid, I took anything close to 5 as correct.

Correct solutions were received from the following:

Frank Baiamonte Glenn Jenkinson Danny Wait

Thanks to all who participated.

Here’s this issue’s puzzle:

The figure shows an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle, with a smaller circle inscribed inside the triangle. What is the ratio between the areas of the two cir- cles?

Send solutions to Bill Miller at [email protected]. The answer, along with credits, references, and names of the solvers, will be provided next time.

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 21 Page 22

Odds and Ends SPECIAL EVENTS, PICTORIALS, ETC.

The ISS Expedition 13 crew of cosmonaut Pavel Vi- nogradov and astronaut Jeff Williams, as well as Bra- zilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, ascended into orbit in the evening of March 29, Houston time, from Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. According to Starsem—the Russian/European company that markets the Soyuz—this was the 1706th launch of a Soyuz vehicle. For more information on the Soyuz, see the Soyuz User’s Guide at: www.starsem.com/services/images/soyuz_users_manual_190401.pdf

These wonderful photographs courtesy of NASA/ Bill Ingalls.

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 22 Page 23

Worldwide Aeros Corporation near Los Angeles, is building a pro- totype of a large heavier-than-air ve- hicle. With a rigid body, and an outer skin made of carbon compos- ites, it’s not a blimp. The lifting gas, helium, provides about two-thirds of the lifting force. The rest is pro- vided by thrust from turboprop en- gines, and from the lifting body shape of the craft.

The concept has been likened to an airborne cruise ship. One of these craft could carry many peo- ple, at a speed of up to 150 knots or more. Among the design high- lights are:

• Rigid Panel Truss Structure Lifting Body Shape • Electrical Secondary Propul- sion • Blow Thrusters Control System • Air Cushion Takeoff/Landing System • Fly-by-Wire Systems Control • Fiber Optic Command/Data System • Digital Flight Management Sys- tem • Pneumatic/Hydraulic Network

Large cargo versions could carry over a million pounds payload. An entire store could be stocked at once, with an Aeroscraft vehicle landing directly in the parking lot. There have been a lot of strange flying machines seen on the Internet. In past months, some wild radio-controlled aircraft designs have been making Worldwide Aeros Corporation is the rounds. In one of these, a styrofoam model of a Star Wars X-Wing led by founder and CEO, Igor fighter has been built and flown: Pasternak, who was born in what is now Kazakhstan. He immigrated to http://media.idf-mod.de/public/joeydee/div/xwing.wmv the U.S. in the early 1990’s.

For more information see: www.aerosml.com

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 23 Page 24

Upcoming Conference Presentations by Houston Section Members COMPILED BY THE EDITOR FROM AIAA AGENDAS

Information here is taken from preliminary AIAA conference agendas. As such, it is subject to change. 47th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, Dynamic Behavior of Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys and Materials Conference S. Scoby and Y. Chen, University of Houston, Houston, TX 14th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference 7th AIAA Gossamer Spacecraft Forum Effect of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) on the Electrome- 2nd AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference chanical Response of Polymer Nanocomposites 8th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference Z. Ounaies, S. Deshmukh and S. Banda, Texas A&M University, College 1 - 4 May 2006 Hyatt Regency Newport, Rhode Island Station, TX

Nonlinear Aeroelastic Response of the Flexible Wing in Trim Thermal Protection System (TPS) Impact Experiments C. Nichkawde and T. Strganac, Texas A&M University, College Station, D. Grosch, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX; F. Bertrand, TX; P. Beran, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, OH Jacobs Sverdrup, Houston, TX

Effect of Material System on Non-Linearity in 2x2 Biaxial Braided Com- Suppression of Limit Cycle Oscillations with a Nonlinear Energy Sink: posites Experimental Results D. Goyal and J. Whitcomb, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; W. Hill, T. Strganac and C. Nichkawde, Texas A&M University, College A. Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC; J. Station, TX; Y. Lee, G. Kerschen and D. McFarland, University of Illi- Tate, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX nois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Multiscale Analysis of Delamination of Carbon Fiber Textile Composites Processing and Characterization of Epoxy/SWCNT/Woven Fabric Com- with Carbon Nanotubes posites J. Riddick, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Hampton, VA; S. Frankland P. Thakre and D. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University, College Station, and J. Ratcliffe, National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA; T. Gates, TX; J. Zhu and E. Barrera, Rice University, Houston, TX; and T. Gates, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA; D. Lagoudas, Texas NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA A&M University, College Station, TX; E. Barrera, Rice University, Hous- ton, TX; and J. Zhu, NanoRidge Materials, Inc., Houston, TX An Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Thermal Shock on Dam- age in Cryogenic Composite Laminates Modeling of Interface Behavior in Carbon Nanotube Composites B. Oh, Y. Kawatsuji, V. Kinra and D. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University, A. Awasthi, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX College Station, TX

(Student Paper) Micromechanics Modeling of Functionally Graded Inter- Fracture Toughness of Space Shuttle External Tank Insulation Foam phase Regions in Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites A. Ganpatye and V. Kinra, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX G. Seidel and D. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; S. Frankland, National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA; T. Gates, Parallel Algorithm for Fully Nonlinear Aeroelastic Analysis NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA J. Gargoloff, P. Cizmas and T. Strganac, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; P. Beran, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright- (Student Paper) Development, Structure, and Application of MAST: A Patterson AFB, OH Generic Mission Architecture Sizing Tool J. Lafleur, C. Restrepo and M. Grant, NASA Johnson Space Center, Multiscale Analysis of Failure of Closed Cell Foams Houston, TX J. Sue and J. Whitcomb, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Component Effective Modal Mass Alternative Techniques for Developing Dynamic Analysis Computer A. Majed and E. Henkel, Applied Structural Dynamics Inc., Houston, Models of The International Space Station, Space Shuttle and Orbiter TX Repair Maneuvers J. Granda, California State University Sacramento, Sacramaento, CA; L. Using Microelectrodes to Pattern Particles in Liquid Polymers: An Ex- Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX perimental and Computational Study J. Boyd and J. Lee, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Particle Impact Damping in the Horizontal Plane V. Kinra and B. Witt, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Modeling of the Hysteretic Strain and Magnetization Response in MSMA B. Kiefer and D. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Processing of Light-Weight Shape Memory Alloys Using Spark Plasma Sintering G. Majkic, T. Raizada and Y. Chen, University of Houston, Houston, TX

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 24 Page 25

AIAA Local Section News

Assistant Newsletter Editor Sought that support America’s human spaceflight program. Thanks goes to Laura Slovey, Young Professionals Chair, for her help in organizing the event. An assistant newsletter editor is being sought. Interested parties should Next year pizza is planned. contact the newsletter editor at [email protected]. Merri Sanchez Elected to AIAA Board of Directors AIAA Career Center Launched Johnson Space Center’s Merri Sanchez has been elected to the AIAA AIAA is pleased to provide members with a new Career Center – the Board of Directors as the VP for Education. Merri will chair the Educa- most comprehensive career and recruiting site for the aerospace industry. tional Activities Committee. This committee develops and recommends The Career Center will offer extensive resume and position databases, policies and procedures relating to educational matters. It is the oversight powerful and user-friendly searching capabilities, which allow you to find committee for the Academic Affairs, Professional Member Education, the job or candidate you’re looking for! Precollege Outreach, and Student Activities committees.

Employers A note from Mary Ellen Shook · Post your job to the largest exclusive audience of aerospace industry professionals. Dear Section Chairs: · Online management of job postings, including activity reports. · Access to a searchable resume database. As we all have noted over the past few years, one of the areas that we · Competitive job posting pricing. seem to have a poor retention rate is in the 2nd year of our Professional. Members who have been upgraded from Student status. To address this Job Seekers issue, we have begun the process of contacting the Students near the start · AIAA Career Center is dedicated exclusively to the Aerospace Industry of their graduation (calendar) year via email to ascertain current contact and it’s free. information and to determine if their graduation date has changed and/or · Receive automatic notification of new jobs matching your criteria. they are planning to continue on to graduate school. Following this initial · Post your resume – confidentially, if preferred – so employers can ac- contact, we also attempt to contact the students via telephone again to tively search for you update information and to encourage them to take advantage of continu- ing their AIAA connection by upgrading to professional membership with AIAA cares about your career development. Lifelong learning is a pre- one free year. requisite to any successful career - and AIAA is committed to providing resources to help our members grow. Visit http://careercenter.aiaa.org We also have informed the Faculty Advisors that we have been and start using the AIAA Career Center to make YOUR career connec- contacting the students and requested that they encourage their students tions. to keep their contact information and graduation dates current.

Ask-An-Engineer Program Volunteers Sought Students in this group can upgrade themselves following their Graduation via the AIAA Web site, call AIAA Customer Service and request an up- Ask-An-Engineer is a program of the Precollege Outreach Committee. grade or simply wait until October when those who have not changed We get many questions from students and the general public about engi- their graduation date or indicated that they will be continuing as students neering questions and the field of aerospace engineering. The questions will be automatically upgraded to professional membership. We will keep are usually not difficult, but we need people to answer them. If you are in contact with our Professional upgrade members through their first interested in fielding these questions, please contact Lisa Bacon at years of membership to keep them informed of the many benefits of [email protected]. AIAA Membership.

“Thank You for Choosing Engineering” Party We hope to find that this process will have resulted in improvement in the data we have for our graduating students, lessen returned mail and In celebration of National Engineers Week, the Houston Section hosted lost members in the out years. an inaugural Engineer Appreciation Social at Clear Lake’s colorful astro- naut hangout, the Outpost Tavern, on February 24th. The gathering was Please assist us in this process by also letting your Student members know filled with lively con- to keep their record current and to take advantage of our offer of one free versation, tasty snacks, year of Professional membership (2nd year 1/2 price) by opting for the an ample supply of upgrade. As they transition into Professional Members encourage them adult malt beverages, to become active in AIAA at the Section, Regional & National levels and and door prizes rang- to take advantage of all the benefits AIAA has to offer. ing for Starbucks gift cards to Section mugs. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We intend to carry on this event as an annual Thank you, recognition of the Mary Ellen Shook many dedicated and AIAA talented engineers in Manager, Region & Section Programs the JSC community

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 25 Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Houston Section PERMIT NO. 1 P.O. Box 57524 Webster , Texas Webster, TX 77598

AIAA Mission

Advance the arts, sciences, and technology of aerospace, and nurture and promote the professionalism of those engaged in these pursuits. AIAA seeks to meet the professional needs and interests of its members, as well as to improve the public understanding of the profession and its contributions.

Become a Member of AIAA

Are you interested in becoming a member of AIAA, or renewing your membership? You can fill out your membership application online at the AIAA national web site:

www.aiaa.org

Select the AIAA membership option.

AIAA Houston Horizons March / April 2006 Page 26