Exploration Systems Development Combined Monthly Report September 2016

Orion: Orion’s Monthly Highlights ...... 3 Orion Team Dives into Recovery Operations ...... 4 Congressional Guests See Orion Up Close ...... 5 Heat Shield Preps for EM-1 Flight ...... 6 European Team Work Progresses on Orion Service Module ...... 7 Are These Stowaway ? ...... 7 What Has Become of Women at NASA?...... 8 It Takes a Team...... 9 Orion Team Members Recognized for Outstanding Achievements...... 10 Wag Your Tails for Orion Silver Snoopy Winners! ...... 10 Journey to Mars Suppliers Land at Kennedy Space Center ...... 11 Orion's Back Page ...... 12

Space Launch System: Flight Hardware Completes Welding at Michoud ..... 13 NASA Tests New Insulation for SLS Rocket ...... 14 Faces of SLS: Jonathan Looser...... 15 Specialized Transporters Move Core Stage of SLS ... 15 Work Underway on Hardware That Will Do Double Duty on First SLS Flight ...... 16 Booster Aft Skirt Completes Refurbishment Work ... 16 Major Construction Complete on First of Two New Test Stands for SLS ...... 17 Spaceflight Partners: Magna Steyr ...... 17 SLS Back Page ...... 18

Ground Systems Development & Operations: Launch Pad 39B Upgrades Will Support NASA’s Journey to Mars ...... 19 Multi-Payload Processing Facility Provides ‘Gas Station’ for Orion ...... 20 Ground Systems Team Spotlight ...... 21 Industry Spotlight: Harris Corp...... 22 Employee Spotlight: Steven Larson ...... 23 www..gov ORION

SEPTEMBER 2016

MEET ORION’S DEEP DIVE TEAM ORION’S MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS

ORION TEAM DIVES INTO CONGRESSIONAL GUESTS HEAT SHIELD PREPS FOR EM-1 FLIGHT 4 RECOVERY OPERATIONS 5 SEE ORION UP CLOSE 6

EUROPEAN TEAM WORK PROGRESSES WHAT HAS BECOME OF IT TAKES A TEAM 7 ON ORION SERVICE MODULE 8 WOMEN AT NASA? 9

ORION TEAM MEMBERS RECOGNIZED WAG YOUR TAILS FOR ORION JOURNEY TO MARS SUPPLIERS LAND 10 FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS 10 SILVER SNOOPY WINNERS! 11 AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER A group of U.S. Navy divers, Air pararescumen and Coast Guard rescue swimmers are practicing Orion underway recovery techniques in the Neutral Laboratory (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

ORION TEAM DIVES INTO RECOVERY OPERATIONS

A group of U.S. Navy divers, Air Force pararescuemen Training at the NBL will help the team prepare for and Coast Guard rescue swimmers practiced Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5), which will be the underway recovery techniques Sept. 20-22 in the first major integrated test in a series of tests to prepare Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson the recovery team, hardware and operations to support Space Center in Houston to prepare for the first test EM-1 recovery. flight of an uncrewed Orion spacecraft with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket during Exploration The recovery team, engineers with NASA’s Ground Mission 1 (EM-1). Systems Development and Operations program and Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin, are preparing for A test version of the Orion spacecraft was lowered into URT-5, which will take place in San Diego and aboard the water in the NBL. Divers wearing scuba gear used the USS San Diego in the Pacific Ocean off the coast ground support equipment and zodiac boats to swim of California in October. or steer to the test spacecraft. They placed a flotation collar around Orion and practiced using the new tow Read the full article: bit.ly/NavyDivers_NBL cleat modifications that will allow the tether lines to be connected to the capsule. The tether lines are being More images: flickr.com/photos/nasaorion used to simulate towing Orion into the well deck of a Navy recovery .

September 2016 Highlights Orion CONGRESSIONAL GUESTS SEE ORION UP CLOSE NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa gave U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) a pilot’s perspective of how it feels to be an inside the Orion spacecraft mockup at Johnson on Aug. 8.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), a member of the Photo (L to R): Joe Mayer, Lockheed Martin; John Couch, vice president of Futuramic Tool & Engineering; U.S. Senator Gary Peters; Scott Wilson, Orion Production Operations Senate Commerce Committee’s Space, Science manager; and Jules Schneider, Lockheed Martin senior manager for Orion Assembly, and Competitiveness Subcommittee, visited the Neil Integration & Production. Armstrong Operations & Checkout (O&C) building for a tour and program update on Orion and deep space exploration on Sept. 9. The senator got a sneak peek at the Exploration Mission-1 spacecraft that is now undergoing clean room operations in the O&C.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) visited the Florida Space Coast on Aug. 19, to participate in an industry space roundtable organized by the Aerospace Council of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. During the discussion where Jules Schneider, deputy of Orion Kennedy Operations represented Lockheed Martin, and in a media interview Photo (L to R): Dale Ketchum, Space Florida; Joe Mayer, chair of the EDC Aerospace, event that followed, Senator Rubio discussed Orion and Aviation, and National Security Council and Lockheed Martin Government Relations director; voiced support for America’s space exploration program. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio; and Julie Roslin, EDC of Florida’s Space Coast. (Photo Credit: EDC of Florida’s Space Coast)

Photo (Top to bottom): Mark Geyer, NASA Johnson Space Center deputy director, Ellen Ochoa, NASA Johnson director, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz

September 2016 Highlights Orion HEAT SHIELD PREPS FOR EM-1 FLIGHT Orion’s heat shield has been uncrated and secured on instrumentation also will be installed on the heat shield a stand in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout to gather data on heating and performance. (O&C) Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin the work to prepare it for EM-1. After the thermal protection system has been applied and inspected, engineers and technicians will put the In the O&C, technicians will apply the Avcoat, a type heat shield through a thermal cycle test. The thermal of thermal protection that wears away as it heats up (a cycle test ensures the thermal protection blocks are process known as ablation), to the EM-1 heat shield in properly bonded and will perform as expected when a different way than was done for Orion’s 2014 flight they are exposed to the extreme during test. Blocks of Avcoat will be bonded to the heat shield the mission. The heat shield will be attached to the rather than filling individual honeycomb cells. The way the Orion crew module in the summer of 2017. structure is attached to the crew module for the EM-1 heat shield has been simplified. Several different types of Read the full story at: bit.ly/EM1_HeatShield

September 2016 Highlights Orion EUROPEAN TEAM WORK PROGRESSES ON ORION SERVICE MODULE

NASA Orion Program Manager Mark Kirasich, (second from left) visited Witzenmann GmbH, a German manufacturer developing service module components for Airbus Defence and Space and ESA (European Space Agency) on Sept. 13.

Also on Sept. 13, NASA Orion team members joined ESA and Airbus representatives for a visit to OHB in Sweden to witness the progress of the ESA service module Propulsion Qualification Motor build and to support a media event. Two Swedish television stations covered the visit as well as radio and several web and print media reporters. Pictured left to right are Philippe Deloo (ESA), Ann Over (NASA), Dr. Mark Michaelis (Airbus) and Susan Motil (NASA) with the OHB team.

Go backstage with Orion engineers to see how they are working with ARE THESE STOWAWAY astronauts to develop safe shelter from space radiation during deep- space exploration missions aboard the Orion spacecraft. Using the ASTRONAUTS? stowage bags on board that will contain supplies, food and water, in combination with Orion’s seats will allow astronauts making the shelter to strategically place denser bags in areas of the vehicle with less radiation-protecting materials.

Read the full feature article: bit.ly/OrionRadiationProtection

Also read about Lockheed Martin’s collaboration with StemRad Inc. to develop a vest astronauts could wear to protect against radiation exposure in deep space: bit.ly/LM_RadiationVest

Watch the Orion Backstage video: youtu.be/70GrihLXmSs

September 2016 Highlights Orion WHAT HAS BECOME OF WOMEN AT NASA? They’ve become some of the leading female scientists, engineers and astronauts on and off this planet!

NASA celebrates women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) with recording artist Grace Potter performing the song, “Look What We’ve Become.” Using scenes of Potter performing as the thread between several stories, the video recognizes the power of women at NASA--past, present and future—and the important role of each in human spaceflight.

The video, recorded at NASA Johnson Space Center, also spotlights the Orion mockup, the space station mockups used for engineering evaluations and astronaut training, NASA’s rover-like concept vehicle that could be used for in-space missions and surface exploration, the Mission Control Center and many other laboratories and facilities at Johnson. And, yes, Potter even finds time for a little fun with Robonaut, NASA’s humanoid robot.

NASA is working hard to send humans to an asteroid by the mid-2020s and Mars in the 2030s. The powerful new Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft will travel into deep space, building on our decades of robotic Mars exploration, lessons learned on the International Space Station and groundbreaking new technologies. The agency will need the expertise and ingenuity of the next generation of space explorers and dreamers with technical knowledge to help accomplish its future missions.

Watch the music video and pass this link along to other young women you wish to inspire: youtu.be/SrSe8IawDi4

September 2016 Highlights Orion IT TAKES A TEAM The Orion team successfully completed a test of a Lundquist also met with members of the Orion Ascent structural test article of the European service module Abort-2 team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in on the Mechanical Vibration Facility table at NASA Virginia on Sept. 7. Glenn’s Space Power Facility at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The NASA Langley Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center Launch Abort System Teams met with NASA Deputy Orion Program Manager Charlie Lundquist to hear the latest program update on Orion. Lundquist joined the team at NASA Langley Research Center’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin after Watch video of the testing: completing the final in a series of 10 Orion splashdown bit.ly/SMVibeTesting_Plumbrook tests on September 7. Following the testing, the team was recognized with program manager commendations Read more on the launch abort system: for their contributions to the successful test series. bit.ly/LAS_FactSheet

(Teams photos are positioned clockwise starting at the left)

September 2016 Highlights Orion ORION TEAM MEMBERS RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS On Sept. 27, two members of the Orion team were honored for their achievements during the JSC Honor Awards Ceremony in Houston. Gavin Mendeck and Ryan Proud received the JSC Director’s Commendation for their leadership roles and key contributions to Orion’s future exploration missions.

In a ceremony at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, the European Service Module Structural Test Article Transportation and Logistics team received a NASA Group Achievement Award for their outstanding performance delivering the test article to Plum Brook Station that enabled the Orion Program to begin integration and testing of the article ahead of schedule.

Team members included Eric Faykus, Marc Freedman, Gary Horsham, Margaret Nazario, Robert Overy, Lynn Smith, Richard Sorge, Benjamin Van Lear, Joyce Wanhainen, Mark Cmar, Jeanine Hanzel, Sharon Lewis, Dawn Schneider, Rachid Amekrane, Philippe Angellillo, Laurent Brothier, Larry Dickerhoff, Amnon Erhlich, Michael Fach, Christina Galstadi, Rusty Hearne, Ron Johns, Georg Monien, Daniel Paris and Angie Young.

WAG YOUR TAILS FOR ORION SILVER SNOOPY WINNERS! Orion team members from NASA and Lockheed Martin have been recognized with the prestigious Silver Snoopy award. Warren Grant, NASA; Debbie Sharp, ARES Technical Services; and Linda Singleton, Kim Tran, Hamed Agahi and Lora Lechago of Lockheed Martin received the coveted Silver Snoopy pin in a ceremony in Houston on Aug. 2.

The Silver Snoopy is awarded to less than one percent of the NASA workforce each year for outstanding efforts that contribute to the success of human space flight missions. The Snoopy pins they received were flown on NASA’s Orion spacecraft during its 2014 flight test. Recipients are also given a certificate and a letter of commendation personally signed by an astronaut, citing the astronauts’ appreciation of their outstanding performance.

Image credit: Charles Schulz

September 2016 Highlights Orion JOURNEY TO MARS SUPPLIERS LAND AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Lockheed Martin hosted a series of supplier events and integration work in the high bay. On Sept. 8, the Sept. 7-9 in conjunction with the OSIRIS-REx launch suppliers participated in a “mini suppliers conference” in Florida with industry partners Aerojet Rocketdyne, that included panel presentations on human and robotic Boeing, Jacobs and Orbital ATK. The event provided an exploration and program updates from the Orion, SLS opportunity for the suppliers to meet with industry team and GSDO industry team leaders as well as Bill Hill, NASA managers and NASA program representatives, including deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Annette Hasbrook for the Orion Program, Ken Tenbusch Development. The day concluded with a networking for the Space Launch System Program and Kim Carter reception and launch viewing event. for Ground Systems Development & Operations. On Sept. 9, Orion, SLS and GSDO management team On Sept. 7, the suppliers enjoyed a VIP tour that included members visited employees at EMF, Inc. and the Jacobs- the OSIRIS REx launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force run Thermal Protection Systems Facility to see work in Station and the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout progress and tour facilities. SLS/Orion supplier Futuramic (O&C) Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to also hosted U.S. Senator Gary Peters from Michigan for a see the flown EFT-1 Orion spacecraft and the Orion VIP tour of the O&C and the Orion spacecraft. EM-1 spacecraft that is now undergoing final assembly

September 2016 Highlights Orion UTC AEROSPACE EXHIBITS NASA SPIRIT AT CHICAGO AIR & WATER SHOW Gabrielle Torina, UTC Aerospace Orion Contract intern and Kipton Bucey, UTC Aerospace Orion Supply Chain buyer help staff the NASA booth for Orion at the Chicago Air & Water Show. 752 AND COUNTING! Jacobs Technology education specialist Suzanne Foxworth ORION TEAM PARTICIPATES IN coordinated annual NASA Space Science Day events in Pharr, FLEET WEEK IN SAN DIEGO and Donna, Texas, Sept. 7-8. More than 700 middle school students and parents attended the events to participate in a variety of NASA hands-on activities and view astromaterials samples and visit other NASA exhibits.

Get Fired Up about space exploration with the latest Exploration Systems Over 10,000 people toured the USS San Diego during Fleet Week quarterly video: in San Diego, California Sept. 10-14. The USS San Diego is an youtu.be/rgFeAcnF9tY amphibious transport dock ship that will be used for recovery testing for NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF NASA’S NEW SPACECRAFT FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION: OCTOBER NASA’s Orion Blog .....Blogs.NASA.gov/Orion EM-1 Abort Motor Gets Cast Twitter ...... Twitter.com/NASA_Orion Von Braun Symposium Facebook...... Facebook.com/NASAOrion Orion at Universum Science Centre in Bremen Flickr ...... Flickr.com/NASAOrion Discovery Education Launches Virtual Field Trips Google+ ...... Plus.Google.com/+NASAorion National Aeronautics and Space Administration

SEPTEMBER 2016 SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

FLIGHT HARDWARE COMPLETES WELDING AT MICHOUD www.nasa.gov Welding is complete on the largest piece of the core stage that will provide the fuel for the first flight of SLS with the Orion spacecraft in 2018. The core stage liquid hydrogen tank has completed welding on the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Standing at 130 feet tall, the liquid hydrogen tank is the largest cryogenic fuel tanks for a rocket in the world. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid tank are part of the core stage. Together, the tanks will hold 733,000 gallons of propellant and feed the vehicle’s four RS-25 engines to produce a total of 2 million pounds of thrust. This is the second major piece of core stage flight hardware to finish full welding on the Vertical Assembly Center. The core stage flight engine section completed welding in April. More than 1.7 miles of welds have been completed for core stage hardware at Michoud. How is the core stage built? Find out more at: bit.ly/2cQrd2F NASA TESTS NEW INSULATION FOR SLS ROCKET Amy Buck, SLS core stage insight lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, holds up a sample of foam that recently went through testing in Marshall’s Hot Gas Facility. The facility is used for development and qualification of material systems for use on launch vehicles, like SLS. These foam panels were tested to determine recession characteristics of the foam during the ascent phase of flight. The surface of the foam reaches more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit as it undergoes a hot gas flow at speeds of up to Mach 4 to simulate the environment during launch. NASA engineers then take the samples and measure how much foam is lost during the test to characterize the materials for use in the launch vehicle design and analysis. Read the full story at: bit.ly/2dYmCR2

September 2016 Highlights Space Launch System (SLS) FACES OF SLS: JONATHAN LOOSER An interest in math and science led this NASA engineer to an exciting career of working on the powerful propulsion for NASA’s deep-space rocket, SLS. Meet Jonathan Looser, SLS core stage propulsion lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTERS MOVE CORE STAGE OF SLS Four transporters were delivered to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the five sections that make up the core stage are being manufactured. The transporters were designed and built by Wheelift of Waterloo, Iowa, where they were named Elpis, Novus, Pandora and Aegis through a company-hosted contest. The transporters will carry the core stage down roads and on and off the Pegasus barge for shipping to test and launch sites. Read the full story at: bit.ly/2dH71pR

September 2016 Highlights Space Launch System (SLS) WORK UNDERWAY ON HARDWARE THAT WILL DO DOUBLE DUTY ON FIRST SLS FLIGHT

David Osborne, an Aerie Aerospace LLC machinist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, takes measurements prior to the start of precision machining of the SLS Orion stage adapter. The adapter will connect the Orion spacecraft to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for the first flight of SLS with Orion in late 2018. The adapter also will carry 13 CubeSats that will perform science and technology investigations that will help pave the way for future human exploration in deep space, including the Journey to Mars. The adapter’s top surface will be machined completely flat on a seven-axis mill turntable before hundreds of holes are drilled in it for bolting to the rest of the rocket. To complete the same work on the other side of the adapter, the hardware will later be flipped using a Posi-Turner load rotation device and an assembly jig, the ring that connects the Posi-Turner to the bottom of the adapter and rotates it. The adapter will then undergo inspections, and a special coating will be added to the top and bottom of the structure to make it more corrosion resistant. BOOSTER AFT SKIRT COMPLETES REFURBISHMENT WORK

This is one of the solid rocket booster aft skirts that will fly on EM-1, the first test flight of SLS with NASA’s Orion Spacecraft in late 2018 and a key milestone on the NASA’s Journey to Mars. The aft skirt was recently moved to NASA’s Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after the refurbishment work was completed at Hangar AF by booster prime contractor Orbital ATK. The aft skirt assembly and testing operations are now in work in order to be prepped for integration into the full booster, which will happen once the booster segments arrive at Kennedy for stacking.

September 2016 Highlights Space Launch System (SLS) MAJOR CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE ON FIRST OF TWO NEW TEST STANDS FOR SLS

Phil Hendrix, right, and Curtney Walters compare blueprint plans of Structural Test Stand 4697 to the nearly completed structure at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. While construction of the stand is complete, over the next few months Marshall engineers will install special test equipment to prepare Test Stand 4697 for its first mission; subjecting the 196,000-gallon liquid oxygen tank in the massive SLS core stage to the same stresses and it will endure at launch and in flight. Hendrix is the Marshall Office of Center Operations facilities construction project manager for the stand, and Walters is project engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the contracting partner on the project. Read the full story at: bit.ly/2dOwYDC

SPACEFLIGHT PARTNERS: Magna Steyr

LOCATION: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: SLS work is done by the 124,000 worldwide company's division in Graz, Austria WHAT THEY DO FOR SLS: Magna Aerospace is manufacturing pressurization lines for the SLS core stage.

September 2016 Highlights Space Launch System (SLS) NASA SLS BOOSTER NOZZLE PLUG PIECES FLY DURING TEST

Pure propulsion power! Watch a slow-motion video of the June 28 SLS booster qualification test.

MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS LEARN MORE ABOUT SLS AND JOURNEY TO MARS

More than 1,800 guests got a chance to see Journey to Mars exhibits and learn more about the world’s most powerful rocket Sept. 24-27 at the Association of Science-Technology Centers Conference in Tampa, Florida. The conference is the largest gathering of museum professionals from across the globe.

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS COMING IN OF NASA’S NEW LAUNCH OCTOBER: VEHICLE FOR DEEP SPACE: Launch vehicle stage adapter qualification NASA SLS Rocketology Blog.... blogs.nasa.gov/Rocketology article goes into test stand at Marshall Twitter...... Twitter.com/NASA_SLS Facebook...... Facebook.com/NASASLS Booster aft skirt work underway at Kennedy Space Center Flickr...... Flickr.com/NASASLS Instagram...... Instagram.com/explorenasa Von Braun Symposium Tumblr...... nasasls.tumblr.com September 2016 Highlights Space Launch System (SLS) PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • SEPT. 2016

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program Office is leading the center’s transfor- mation from a historically government-only launch complex to a spaceport bustling with activity involving government and commercial vehicles alike. GSDO is tasked with developing and using the complex equipment required to safely handle a variety of rockets and spacecraft during assembly, transport and launch. For more information about GSDO accomplishments happening around the center, visit http://www.nasa.gov/groundsystems. Launch Pad 39B Upgrades will Support NASA’s Journey to Mars

Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Ken- nedy Space Center in Florida is under- going a metamorphosis from top to bottom to support the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop for their first integrated uncrewed flight test. While modifications to the surface of the pad and ongoing work in the flame trench are visible, upgrades to other systems may not be as obvious, but are vital to ensuring safe and successful launches into deep space and NASA’s Journey to Mars. “We have been steadily working a series of projects to modernize or refurbish every part of the pad,” said Regina Spellman, launch pad senior project manager in the Ground Sys- tems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. “Upon completion of One of two new 400-ton-plus capacity cooling towers arrives at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy this group of projects, we are entering Space Center Florida in July 2014. The two cooling towers will feed three new 180-ton-capacity chill- ers for the heating, venting and air conditioning system. Photo credit: NASA the home stretch in our preparation for the first launch.” All of these improvements are manager for Construction of Facilities These upgrades include a new necessary to support pad prelaunch for the pad. communication system; new heat- processing and launch requirements GSDO is overseeing upgrades to ing, ventilation and cooling system; for SLS and the Orion. Pad 39B and other facilities to support replacement of water system piping in the pad perimeter; and installing new “There is a feeling of excitement NASA’s deep-space missions and the ignition overpressure/sound suppres- starting to build as Pad B nears be- transition to a multi-user spaceport. sion bypass valves at the valve com- ing operational once again,” said Lori Read the full story at: http:// plex. Jones, an engineer and project go.nasa.gov/2bR1uaG.

Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Highlights 1 Multi-Payload Processing Facility Provides ‘Gas Station’ for Orion The first stop when loading up the family car to go on a long trip usually is the gas station. Before NASA’s Orion spacecraft launches on deep-space missions, an important step to “fill ‘er up” will include a visit to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the MPPF, Orion will receive its flight load of propellant, high gases and coolant in a building where recently complet- ed modifications now are being tested. “After years of design work and installation of state-of-the-art equipment, we now are testing elements of the facility,” said Skip Williams, project manager for the spacecraft offline element inte- gration team. “This is the validation and verification phase to make sure we’re ready when Orion’s crew module (CM) and its service module (SM) arrive before EM-1.” Orion’s first flight with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is targeted for launch in late 2018. During the three-week mis- The 19,647-square-foot Multi-Payload Processing Facility, or MPPF, is sion, the spacecraft will venture 40,000 miles beyond the orbit of where Orion will receive its flight load of propellant, high pressure gasses the moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever and coolant. After years of design work, state-of-the-art equipment now is traveled, testing the systems needed for the agency’s Journey to being tested. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky Mars. The 19,647-square-foot MPPF originally was constructed in 1995. True to its name, the facility can accommodate one or more payloads in processing at the same time depending on their size. An example of the MPPF’s abilities included payload process- ing for space shuttle missions STS-95 and STS-88. Also, prior to STS-99, the large Shuttle Radar Topography Mission payload was tested and verified, occupying more than 95 percent of the facil- ity’s high bay space. Design work to support Orion began in 2007. The Boeing Design Lab helped develop the complex, integrated engineering strategy for the facility. The extensive upgrades and modernizations began in 2013. It was a part of Kennedy’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program’s overall effort to build a premier, multi-user spaceport. “Just about everything in the building from the floor to the ceil- The Orion service platform will be used for offline processing and fueling ing was modified to support Orion,” said Leo DeCesare, Construc- of the Orion spacecraft and service module stack before launch. Modifica- tion of Facilities project manager in Kennedy Engineering. tions now are complete with validations and testing underway. Photo credit: Read the full story at: http://go.nasa.gov/2dqdWSi. NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the D-level work platforms, D south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high above the floor of the transfer aisle Aug. 29. The plat- The second half of the D-level work platforms, D north, was lowered form was moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the south side of the into position for installation on the north side of VAB High Bay 3 Sept. 9. high bay. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

2 Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Highlights Ground Systems Team Spotlight

Dena Richmond is a project manager They have two pets, an eight-pound Yorkie named Angel, with Craig Technologies on the Engi- which according to Richmond, is not an angel most of the neering Services Contract at Kennedy time, and a cat named BeBe that they adopted/rescued Space Center. Her primary respon- when she was 17. sibility is configuration management Her hobbies include NASCAR, attending car shows with for the Ground Systems Develop- her husband in their 1965 Cobra AC replica, and being out- ment and Operations Program doors working with plants and doing gardening. (GSDO), the Engineering Direc- Mike Shivel is a logistics support specialist with ERC torate and ISS Flight Payloads on the Test and Operations Support Contract at Kennedy support. Space Center. His main responsibilities are serving as the For GSDO, Richmond logistics customer support representative for north end performs configuration (Launch Complex 39) for the GSDOperations Program and management activi- logistics operations lead for Orion Landing ties focusing mainly and Recovery operations. on ground support Shivel has worked at Kennedy equipment fabrica- for 25 years. tion, assembly, instal- “One of my favorite accom- lation and test activities, plishments was watching the through acceptance data Orion capsule from Exploration package compilation and Flight Test-1 land in the Pacific hardware turnover for maintenance and operations. Ocean from the deck Richmond recently was recognized by the ISS Flight of the USS Anchor- Payloads customer with the prestigious Silver Snoopy age, and successfully Award. “To know that my payload customer took the time recovering it,” Shivel and effort to recognize the job I have done with one of the said. most coveted honors that NASA can bestow on a contrac- He said the tor employee is very humbling and makes me feel extremely coolest part of his honored and proud,” Richmond said. job is working with She has worked at Kennedy for 30 years. Her hometown a great logistics is New Market, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. She team. moved to Florida in May 1981. He is a third- Richmond earned a Bachelor of Science in information generation aerospace worker, so he was always technology, with a minor in administrative systems, from interested in space. Barry University in 2007. “My father worked at the center for the Apollo program, She became interested in space in 1980. Her uncle ac- so I was born to work on the space program,” Shivel said. cepted a position with ITT to work communications for the He was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and moved to Space Shuttle Program operations and moved his family to Titusville, Florida, when he was two years old. He was born Cocoa Beach. His wife accepted a position with Rockwell in Huntsville while his father was in training to operate the and worked in configuration management in the Launch swing arms for the Apollo program. Control Center. He would advise students interested in working on the “They told our family about all of the exciting things space program to earn a degree in one of the science, tech- that they were doing and what was going on at the Cape nology, engineering or math fields and work hard once they to prepare for STS-1, and I was hooked,” Richmond said. are members of the workforce. “When my family decided to move to Florida, I knew where I Shivel’s first car was a 1968 Mercury Cougar -- aqua wanted to be and that was at Kennedy Space Center.” with a white top. Her hopes for NASA’s future exploration missions is that He is married to his wife of 23 years, Caren, who is a we once again become the leaders in space exploration and teacher at Rockledge High School. They have two children: science discovery to asteroids, Mars and beyond. a son, Garrett, 16, and a daughter, Stephanie, 14. They both Richmond’s first car was a 1972 blue Ford Pinto two- attend Astronaut High School in Titusville. door with a stick shift. They have two dogs, Maggie and Ellie, and a cat named She and her husband, Kennedy, will celebrate their 37th Binx. Shivel’s hobbies include doing yard work and watch- wedding anniversary in December. ing his children’s sporting events.

Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Highlights Industry Spotlight - Harris Corp. Harris Corp. was created in 1895 by brothers Alfred and Charles Har- ris. The company’s global headquar- ters is located in Melbourne, Florida. Harris specializes in communica- tions and information technology. It provides satellite communications antennas and payloads, satellite bandwidth services, geospatial intel- ligence, and ground terminal and processing systems supporting com- mercial, defense, intelligence and civil space missions worldwide. According to Harris Program Manager Burt Page, the company supports the Ground Systems De- velopment and Operations Program at Kennedy Space Center in two areas. First, the company provides a Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana receives a Ground Launch Sequencer demonstration in Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center. At far right is EM-1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell- telemetry, tracking and command Thompson. Kennedy Engineering Director Pat Simpkins is watching at far left. Photo credit: NASA software product called OS/COMET. OS/COMET provides the core Com- formats. major U.S. space programs since mand Telemetry processing capa- OS/COMET provides alarm and the 1960s. Today, Harris supports bility for the Space Command and valid range limit monitoring and launches from Kennedy Space Cen- Control System for the next genera- determinations of health for ground ter through tracking launches and tion Launch Control System (LCS) at and flight instrumentation measure- spacecraft as part of NASA’s Space multiple NASA sites. The sets include ment health, and has the capability Communications Network Services Firing Rooms 1 and 2 in the Launch to translate raw measurements into program, and also supported the Control Center, LCS development engineering units using specific cali- Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 in set, Marshall Space Flight Center brations. December 2014. system integration lab, and the Den- The second area of support is OS/ “Harris is supporting some of ver integration test lab. COMET engineering services for the NASA’s most outreaching exploration The system has the ability to system development support, tool and science missions today, includ- interpret Space Launch System (SLS) configuration, troubleshooting and ing GSDO LCS for the Space Launch and Orion supplied telemetry and resolution of non-conformances, System/Orion programs,” Page said. command definition data. It also has product integration and test, com- “Harris continues to stand ready to the ability to process and distribute patibility testing with other COTS support uncrewed and crewed space telemetry data from ground systems, products and platforms, documen- exploration programs that originate SLS, the interim cryogenic propul- tation updates, technical reviews, from Kennedy.” sion state and Orion flight elements, analyses, prototyping and indepen- Harris employs more than 6,500 and can translate end-user com- dent testing. people in Florida; most of them work mands to ground and flight element The company has supported most and live on the Space Coast.

Check out the VAB platform installation midpoint GSDO is Go for Launch with a Facebook Page. in 360-degree view at: Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at3cCCstD2Q https://www.facebook.com/NASAGOforlaunch/

Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Highlights Employee Spotlight - Steven Larson Steven Larsen is the lead design engineer for the Interim Larsen said the coolest part of his job is Cryogenic Propulsion Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) for the Ground getting to design mechanisms for the mo- Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program at bile launcher umbilical systems. For the Kennedy Space Center. He is a mechanical engineer in the ICPSU, he was the design engineer for Engineering Directorate supporting GSDO and has worked at all of the release mechanisms. Some Kennedy for 10 years. of the mechanisms were an innovative His main responsibilities include designing the ICPSU DC hub motor winch system, a pneu- system to meet program requirements. The design process matic secondary system, and a solenoid includes working with all of the engineering disciplines release rope retraction device. “See- (mechanical, electrical, cryogenics, pneumatics and ing this work come together into hydraulics) to create an integrated design model and real hardware and then testing it to see if our ideas and drawings. calculations really worked is exciting,” Larsen said. Larsen served as the NASA technical representa- Larsen’s first car was a green 1992 Ford Explorer. tive for the fabrication contract. The ICPSU was built “This was during the time when there was a lot of by Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida, and the main por- problems with the tires failing and causing the SUV to tion of the umbilical arm was delivered to the Launch roll. My mom made me sell it and buy a sedan,” Larsen Equipment Test Facility (LETF) at Kennedy in said. September 2015 for testing. He and his wife, Abigail, have been mar- “The accomplishment I’m most proud ried for more than 10 years. They have two of so far is seeing the delivery of the children: a son, Elisha, 8, and a daughter, ICPSU arm to the LETF, and seeing Anna, 7. years of hard work come together into Larsen’s hometown is Merritt Island, a large system that will support the Florida. He earned a Bachelor’s of Sci- first integrated launch of the agency’s ence in mechanical engineering from Space Launch System rocket and Georgia Tech in 2006. Orion spacecraft, as well as NASA’s His hobbies include traveling, fam- Journey to Mars,” Larsen said. ily activities and church.

Todd Arnold, chief of Program Technical Integration with GSDO, recently received a Cer- tificate of Appreciation from Lauren Leo, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Capital Man- agement. Arnold co-led one of the agency’s eight teams that assessed and recommended imple- mentation strategies for efficiencies across numerous agencywide human capital manage- ment elements for NASA’s Human Capital Base- line Services Assessment (BSA). Arnold’s focus was on helping to define requirements and implementation strategies for what will become NASA’s new hiring system. Each Human Capital BSA team had representa- tives from all 10 NASA field centers and sev- eral representatives from NASA Headquarters. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray

Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Highlights SP-2016-10-308-KSC .