Summer 2020 STC Boulder, CO Employee Recognized DCSA Awards STC Hispanic Heritage Unity, Service, and Diversity in My Poster
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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY th ANNIVERSARY CORPORATION NEWS ... An Innovative Advanced 1979–2019 Technology Company VOL. 26, NO. 1 HAMPTON, VIRGINIA SUMMER ISSUE 2020 40 integration in the National Airspace System STC Awarded ETSS and Aircraft Acoustic Research. As the Lead In This Issue... Contract Meteorologist, Ms. Bestul largely 1 ETSS Contract Contract oversees project support across the team. She Science and Technology Corporation (STC), 1 Mars, MEDL12 is the primary meteorologist behind: 1 Orion AA-2 as a subcontractor to New Horizons Aeronau- Renovation/Overhaul of SoDAR 2000. Orga- tics, was awarded the Engineering Technical 2 Employee Recognized nizing and overseeing enclosure renovations, 2 Contractor Award Support Services (ETSS) contract in January acoustic foam replacement, speaker replace- 2019. The ETSS contract encompasses engineer- 2 Cogswell Award Win ment, and pioneering NASA Armstrong Flight 2 ATC Project ing expertise for research, flight, and mission Research Center (AFRC) ability to remotely operations, engineering support for 3 Methane Instrument access data from the SoDAR. facilities and safety/mission assurance, 3 Hurricane Forcasting support for various technical functions An operational SoDAR allows 3 New Contracts including project planning and control, for three-dimensional wind 3 AA-2 Awards range support, lab support, and special measurements from the surface studies, and most recently, CAD drawing of the Earth to nearly 2,000 ft above ground level (AGL) Orion AA-2 Launch control engineering. Ms. Kim Bestul On July 2, 2019, years of hard As part of our series on employee highlighting wind shear and turbulence features near the surface. work and effort culminated in spotlights, we would like to highlight the efforts the Ascent Abort test flight called Ms. Construction of a permanent Automated Sur- of three STC engineers on this contract: AA-2. The years of effort were on Kimberly Bestul, Ms. Tegan French, and Mr. face Observing System (ASOS) similar weather Rocky Garcia. tower for NASA AFRC. Market research and display for just over 3 minutes, Kim Bestul has served as lead meteorologist recommendation of suite purchase based on but what a 3 minutes it was! for various field and flight research projects compatibility with existing outdated sensors. Launch is always an exciting time. The roar of the engines, the ground lighting up, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) – Continued on page 4 (see ETSS CONTRACT) and the ever increasing speed of the rocket, is between the sensors and the Sensor Support both invigorating and beautiful. A handful of On To Mars, MEDLI2 Electronics (SSE) unit. STC technicians Mrs. STC personnel, who worked intimately with NASA's goal is to eventually get humans to Cathy Kern, Mr. Rick Thomas,and Mrs. Jeri different aspects of the AA-2 effort, were on Mars and STC is once again in the thick of Carter worked diligently on MEDLI2 and in hand at Cape Canaveral, FL to witness the helping achieve that goal. Hardware installed particular the harnessing between the sensors fruits of their labor. Those attending the launch onto NASA’s Mars 2020 entry vehicle in August and the SSE. These flight cable harnesses are included Mr. Mike Barney, Mr. Tony Daley, 2019 helped to increase the safety of future 30-feet-long groups of electrical wires that will Mr. Eric May, Mr. Matt Stearman, Mr. Bill Mars landings. The Mars Science Laboratory transmit signals for some MEDLI2 sensors. It Weigel, and Mr. Aaron Wright. The primary (MSL) Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) takes about 8 weeks to build and test all of the areas of STC's contribution included platform Instrumentation 2 (MEDLI2) project developed harnesses. After completion, they were shipped modifications for Space Launch Complex (SLC) a suite of sensors that will measure aerothermal to Lockheed Martin for integration onto the 46 and the crew module and separation ring environments and the performance of thermal Mars 2020 heat shield. flight test articles. protection system (TPS) MEDLI2 will measure pres- The platform modifications were material during the entry sure, temperature, heat flux, required for SLC 46 to accommo- phase on the Mars 2020 and radiation on the capsule date the modified aero-shell for the mission. MEDLI2 recently that encloses the Mars 2020 Peacekeeper rocket used for the flight completed environmental rover during Mars atmospheric test. This larger diameter aero-shell testing on flight hardware entry. The data collected will required modified platforms that at NASA's Langley Re- extend the groundbreaking matched up with it properly. Three search Center, Hampton, entry data collected by the such platforms were required. The VA. The testing included new platforms were required to vibration and thermal vac- first MEDLI instrument suite Mr. Rick Thomas and Mrs. Cathy Kern refit the Mobile Access Structure uum testing, demonstrated flown aboard the Mars Science the ability of the hardware to survive the large Laboratory mission in 2012 (MAS) to accommodate a modified vibratory loads experienced during the launch, and improve designs of entry systems for future Peacekeeper booster. The AA-2 ar- and the extreme cold during the cruise to Mars. robotic and human missions to Mars. ticle used a single stage Peacekeeper MEDLI2 includes three types of sensors The Mars 2020 spacecraft entered Mars’ missile first stage motor [SR118] (thermocouples, heat flux sensors, and pressure atmosphere traveling about 12,500 miles per inside an aero-shell to replicate the Orion transducers), a data acquisition and signal con- hour (mph). MEDLI2 started collecting data Service Module 5.5-meter diameter. The exist- ditioning unit (the Sensor Support Electronics about 5 hours prior to the entry and continued ing MAS had to be modified with platforms Unit) to record the heating and atmospheric to collect data throughout the entry and part designed and built at NASA Langley Research pressure experienced during entry and through of the descent phases. It took about 6 minutes Center, by STC, to surround the Orion Abort parachute deployment, and the harnessing – Continued on page 4 (see MARS, MEDL12) – Continued on page 4 (see ORION AA-2) Page 2 STC Newsletter Vol. 26, No. 1, Summer 2020 STC Boulder, CO Employee Recognized DCSA Awards STC Hispanic Heritage unity, service, and diversity in my poster. the Cogswell Award Month is observed annu- My poster illustrated colorful hands to ally from September 15– symbolize the diversity amongst Hispanic The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has awarded STC’s Corporate Of- October 15. The month Americans. The diversity is also represented fice in Hampton, VA the 2020 James S. Cogswell serves to recognize and by the patterns located throughout the celebrate the achieve- Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement image and I based the illustrated pattern Award. The announcement said: Your facility has ments and contributions on traditional Latino art motifs. I then of American citizens demonstrated you are among the "best of the best" showcased the idea of service through the in implementing an industrial security program whose ancestors came symbol of hands positioned in fists. Fists of excellence. Only 61 out of the approximately from Spain, Mexico, the Ms. Sydnee Masias are a symbol of strength and support and is 12,500 cleared facilities in the U.S., and 2 out of Caribbean, and Central often used to express unity. Next, the hands 500 from the Hampton Roads area, were chosen and South America. lead into a silhouette of the United States this year. This prestigious award was established Each year the National Council of Hispanic to reinforce the idea of unity, service, and in 1966 in honor of the late Air Force Col. James Employment Program Managers (NCHEPM) diversity within our nation." S. Cogswell, the first chief of industrial security receives thousands of submissions Ms. Masias is a graphic de- within the DoD. Congratulations to STC’s Security for their Hispanic Heritage Month signer and scientific illustrator Team of Mrs. Carol Lightner (Security Officer), Poster contest. STC employee, Ms. at the National Oceanic and Mr. Jeff Manning and Mrs. Jennifer McCauley Sydnee Masias, located in Boulder, Atmospheric Administration in the Hampton Office andMs. Glenda Lissimore CO, was the artist chosen in 2019 (NOAA). For the past two in Belcamp, MD Office. to be featured on their poster! Ms. years she has worked on a Masias described her entry with the variety of projects, including following words, "The range in ways creating visuals for national Aberdeen Test that Hispanic Americans serve our conferences and designing country is as diverse as the people posters for NOAA’s public Center – Welding, themselves; from the sciences to spaces. Outside of her work the arts and everything in between at NOAA, she is active in Fabrication, Hispanic Americans have a long his- the Denver art community tory of serving our nation through and participates yearly in the Machining and the individual communities and organiza- One Club of Denver Paper Fashion Show tions. I wanted to represent this, as well as, fundraiser. Painting Project Since January 2017, STC has been supporting the mission of the Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD. NASA Ames Contractor of the Year Award APG is the oldest of five military weapons proving Mr. Geoffrey Ament, an STC employee 7-by-10 ft wind tunnel sting mount. He grounds dating back to 1918. ATC’s mission is to who works on the AEMMS contract at NASA was the test director for the first-ever wind test all forms of weapons and systems in order to Ames in Mountain View, CA, was recently tunnel test of a simulated rotorcraft in ensure they provide the maximum safety for our awarded the NASA Ames Contractor of the forward flight at Mars atmospheric condi- U.S. war fighter against constantly evolving enemy Year Award.