Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Directors’ Meeting January 18, 2000

The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and
Center Directors’ Meeting on January 18, 2000. Mr. Goldin attended the
meeting. Action assignments have been placed in brackets

[ ] for easy
identification.

1. AA Reports

P/Wilhide: Ms. Wilhide reported on the following items: 1) NASA is
receiving good press coverage on Chandra and Hubble. 2) A press release
is scheduled for today, Tuesday, January 18, on the first images from
Hubble since the repair was completed. 3) A national release and video
file are scheduled for today, Tuesday, January 18, on the robotic hand.
4) A release is scheduled for Thursday, January 20, on the Infrared
Camera licensed for breast cancer detection. 5) NASA TV is conducting an
end-to-end test for ISS (International Space Station).

I/Cline: Ms. Cline reported that the ISS Multilateral Crew Operations
Panel is meeting at Headquarters today and that the ISS Crew Code of
Conduct negotiations would be conducted the rest of the week with the ISS
partners.

M/Rothenberg: Mr. Rothenberg reported that the Flight Readiness Review
(FRR) for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) (STS-99) is
underway and that the launch is set for no earlier than January 31 at
12:47 p.m., EST. (See
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/note2edt/2000/n00-001.txt for more
information.)

S/Weiler: Dr. Weiler reported that the High Energy Transient Explorer-2
launch has been delayed until mid-May to allow for the performance of
additional environmental confidence testing.

U/McCormick: Ms. McCormick reported on the following items: 1) Action
on Stress Reduction Recommendations – Ms. McCormick extended thanks on
behalf of Code U to the Officials-in-Charge (OIC’s) for their
recommendations for reducing stress within the Agency as requested by the
Administrator (ref. September 1999 Senior Management Council). The
responses from the OIC’s were impressive, yielding 51 different
recommendations. The 51 recommendations were derived from an overall
total of 152 suggestions, 133 of which could be consolidated into 33
separate recommendations, each of which had from 2 to 16 supporting
votes. The Code U Office of Health Affairs provided the input to Dr.
Mulville last week. In terms of next steps, the recommendations will be
discussed at the February meeting of the Occupational Health and Safety
Executive Board and at the April meeting of the Senior Management
Council. 2) Space Human Factors Leadership Summit, January 12-13, 2000 –
An annual meeting that brought together the research investigators from
the Behavior and Performance and Space Human Factors Programs was held in
Houston, Texas. As an initial part of this meeting, senior
representatives met to initiate the development of an Agencywide
coordinated strategy for Space Human Factors. Participants included the
following: senior representatives from four NASA HQ Offices (Codes I, R,
S, and U) and the NASA Chief Scientist; the JSC Director of Space and
Life Sciences; senior representatives from three NASA Centers (ARC, JSC,
LaRC), the Chair of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, and other senior
officials such as the CEO of the National Space Biomedical Research
Institute. The most significant human factors issues facing space,
ground, and robotic control crews were identified and discussed.
Follow-on meetings will develop specific plans for coordinated joint
projects to address the highest priority human factors issues facing the
Agency.

L/Heffernan: Mr. Heffernan reported on the following items: 1) House
and Senate Appropriations Committee staff visited ARC, DFRC and JPL as
well as the X-33/Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and The Boeing Company’s
Shuttle/OMDP (Orbiter Maintenance Down Period) facility at Palmdale. Mr.
Heffernan reported that it was an extremely productive trip, and he
extended thanks and appreciation to the Center Directors of ARC, DFRC,
JPL. 2) Last Friday, January 14, Administrator Goldin attended the Space
Summit at KSC sponsored by Senator Graham (D-FL), Governor Bush, and
Congressman Weldon (R-FL). Mr. Heffernan reported that this was a
successful event and extended thanks to KSC Center Director Roy Bridges.
3) The House Appropriations hearings have been scheduled. The
Administrator will testify before the House Appropriations on March 15
from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The March 30 session will focus on specific
programs. 4) Press reports have indicated that the launch of the Russian
Service Module has slipped and will be no earlier than August. Following
these reports, the Administrator communicated with certain Members of
Congress.

Z/Garver: Ms. Garver reported on the following items: 1) Ms. Garver
extended thanks to ARC for hosting both the Strategic Planning Workshop
and the National Academy of Sciences briefing last week. The second
Strategic Planning Workshop will be held tomorrow at GSFC. 2) The
Administrator has approved NPG 1000.2, NASA Strategic Management System,
and it is being submitted for printing.

K/Thomas: Mr. Thomas reported that the Minority Business Resource
Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday and Friday, January 20 and 21,
at Headquarters.

W/Gross: Ms. Gross reported on the prosecution and conviction of a
Canadian hacker, Jason Mewhinney. The Court sentenced Mewhinney to 6
months in jail for hacking activity, including against NASA. The
successful prosecution was the result of coordination between an
international team comprised of the Crown Prosecution of Canada and the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI and the NASA Office of
Inspector General Computer Crimes Division. The NASA Office of Inspector
General informed NASIRC (NASA Automated Systems Incident Response
Capability) of the results and requested that the NASA Chief Information
Officer (CIO) inform each Center’s CIO, prior to any joint investigation
press releases on this matter.

C/Christensen: Mr. Christensen reported on the mandatory Alternative
Disputes Resolution (ADR) program that will be implemented at
Headquarters. (A memorandum from Mr. Christensen will be sent to the
OIC’s this week that provides information on the ADR program.) As part
of the implementation process, Mr. Christensen advised that individual
Code briefing sessions to employees to explain the EO complaint system’s
ADR program will be conducted by staff members from Code CE, Headquarters
Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management. An outside vendor
will conduct the ADR training for managers and supervisors. Questions
regarding the ADR program may be directed to Pam Covington, Director,
Headquarters Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management.

2. AI/Mulville

Dr. Mulville introduced Kristen Erickson. Ms. Erickson will serve as the
Executive Officer while Kristine Johnson is on maternity leave. Dr.
Mulville thanked Mr. Rothenberg for his cooperation in accommodating this
personnel change.

Dr. Mulville reported on the following items: 1) Midterm performance
reviews are being scheduled on Mr. Goldin’s calendar. Dr. Mulville
reminded everyone that they must bring their list of accomplishments to
date occurring in this performance period to their scheduled review. 2)
The next Program Management Council, scheduled for January 24, will
review the Independent Annual Review for the Commercial Remote Sensing
Program. 3) Thirty-five years ago this week, on January 18, 1965 – An
unmanned instrument-packed Gemini spacecraft was launched from Cape
Kennedy on a Titan II launch vehicle as a preliminary test to the U.S
first two-man venture. An automatic sequencer issued orders at precise
times en route, and the spacecraft successfully performed the major
experiments. The capsule was recovered in excellent condition in the
Atlantic Ocean.

3. Center Reports

ARC/McDonald: Dr. McDonald reported on the successful visits last week
of the National Research Council Board of Science, Technology, and
Economic Policy and the staff leadership of the Congressional
Appropriations Committee.

DFRC/Petersen: Mr. Petersen reported that the DC-8 and ER-2 science
platform aircraft were deployed to Kiruna, Sweden, last week and are now
on station to conduct the second phase of the SAGE III Ozone Loss and
Validation Experiment (SOLVE) campaign.

GRC/Campbell: Mr. Campbell reported on the following items: 1) Post
Test Diagnostic System Used to Analyze Aerospike Engine Test Data –
Rocketdyne is using the GRC-developed Post Test Diagnostic System (PTDS)
software to analyze the data from the first closed-loop engine test of
the Aerospike engine which occurred on November 22, 1999. The Aerospike
Engine PTDS was developed for Rocketdyne in order to improve the
repeatability and accuracy of post-test data analysis and reduce
turnaround time. GRC delivered the initial version of the software to
Rocketdyne in June 1999 and has implemented several modifications since
then, based on feedback from Rocketdyne engineers. The work is funded by
the X-33 project. This is significant in that it has increased industry
confidence in using propulsion health management tools and techniques
developed by GRC. 2) High Isp Hall Thruster Results – On December 16,
1999, Rocketdyne and their Russian subcontractor TsNIIMASH (Central
Institute of Machine Building) presented the preliminary results of the
GRC High-Specific-Impulse Hall Thruster Phase I contract. The results
indicated that it is feasible to design and build a Hall thruster that
could perform the majority of the functions of a gridded ion thruster
while affording significant system simplicity, volume reduction, and
enhanced operational envelope. One of GRC’s On-Board Propulsion research
efforts is demonstrating critical technologies that will enable
NASA/military/commercial missions in mission type and cost. 3) Numerical
Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) Generated Customer Decks Are
Classified for Export -GRC’s NPSS Customer Computer Decks (CCD) are
classified under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) as Export
Control Classification Number (ECCN) 9E991. With this classification,
the export of this customer deck is authorized to most countries as “no
license required”. A customer deck is an engine-specific computer
program that provides performance estimates for that engine and its
control system. Engine and airframe companies use decks as an
engineering and evaluation tool. NASA has teamed with industry and
Department of Defense (DOD) under the High Performance Computing and
Communications Program to develop a standard engine customer deck. This
standard system will increase productivity by enabling aircraft engine
companies to rapidly exchange design and performance data with
development partners and airframers. By completing this step, a customer
deck could be exported and the administrative paperwork (a Shipper’s
Export Document) kept to a minimum. The export process could also be
shortened by 30 to 60 days. One of the steps toward potential export of
the NPSS software and related products has been completed. NASA and our
U.S. industry partners are now in a position to generate and export
NPSS-generated customer decks with only a minimum of export control
required paperwork. An NPSS-generated customer deck could be exported to
virtually any potential contractor or subcontractor in the worldwide
aerospace community. Only the proscribed countries (e.g., Cuba, North
Korea, Yugoslavia) and suspected terrorist states (Libya and Sudan) are
“off-limits.” The export of NPSS customer decks to global partners is a
critical factor in enabling the U.S. aviation industry to improve
productivity through the use of advanced, collaborative engineering
tools.

MSFC/Griner: Ms. Griner reported that Mr. Stephenson is attending the
STS-99 FRR.

SSC/Craig: Mr. Craig reported on the following items: 1) Mr. Estess is
attending the STS-99 FRR. 2) Mr. Craig reported on the recent milestones
achieved in propulsion test activity. On behalf of SSC, he extended his
thanks and appreciation to GRC for current onboard technical support
being provided by GRC personnel.

4. A/Goldin

Mr. Goldin discussed the Special Notice (e-mail) “Message From the
Administrator, Health and Safety Topic #10, Hearing Conservation” that
was sent out last Thursday, January 13. He reiterated that some NASA
operations require working in environments where ambient noise levels are
capable of damaging the hearing of NASA employees. He indicated that
NASA has become keenly aware of noise-induced hearing loss from space
crews who experienced continuous noise exposure aboard the Mir space
station and, although not as visible, every NASA Center has hundreds of
employees that are potentially exposed to harmful noise levels in our
Earth-based workplaces. Mr. Goldin stated that hearing loss is
preventable and that he expects full compliance with the NASA noise
exposure standard. He emphasized the need for effective management
involvement to ensure that all elements of the NASA Hearing Conservation
Program (HCP) are afforded to the NASA workforce. He strongly encouraged
all supervisors to do walk-through inspections and ensure that preventive
measures are taken to reduce employee exposure to potentially harmful
noise levels.

In regard to the Russian Service Module, Mr. Goldin discussed the
reported delay for the launch, and he indicated that Codes I and M would
meet with the Russian representatives.

In conclusion, Mr. Goldin emphasized that as leaders of space, NASA must
make program decisions based upon performance and sound requirement
analysis–not upon budget. He stated that NASA must always do the right
thing and that NASA must manage its programs against performance and
safety and not against costs and schedules. Mr. Goldin stated that
management and decisionmaking styles that are based on risks to save
money are unacceptable and that “Better, Faster, Cheaper” mandates
adequate requirement analysis.

NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND
TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED TO TERESA GRIMES AT (202) 358-1280.

Correction to January 3, 2000 Minutes

AO/Holcomb report section. Reference “…special thanks to Tom Maione of
GSFC…” Mr. Maione’s first name should have appeared as Tony.

Officials-in-Charge of NASA Headquarters Offices:

AI/Dr. Mulville
AB/Ms. Tagg
AE/Mr. Hudkins (Acting)
AF/Mr. Venneri
AJ/Mr. Tam
AO/Mr. Holcomb
AS/Dr. Olsen
B/Mr. Holz
C/Mr. Christensen
E/Mr. Reese
F/Ms. Novak
G/Mr. Frankle
H/Mr. Luedtke
I/Mr. Schumacher
J/Mr. Sutton
K/Mr. Thomas
L/Mr. Heffernan
M/Mr. Rothenberg
P/Ms. Wilhide
Q/Mr. Gregory
R/Gen. Armstrong
S/Dr. Weiler
U/Dr. Nicogossian
W/Ms. Gross
Y/Dr. Asrar
Z/Ms. Garver

Directors, NASA Centers:

ARC/Dr. McDonald
DFRC/Mr. Petersen
GRC/Mr. Campbell
GSFC/Mr. Diaz
JSC/Mr. Abbey
KSC/Mr. Bridges
LaRC/Dr. Creedon
MSFC/Mr. Stephenson
SSC/Mr. Estess

Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Dr. Stone

cc:
A/Ms. Roberts
AB/Ms. Saldana
AE/Ms. Moore
AF/Ms. Eastman
AI/Ms. Shaeffer
AI/Ms. Bloxon
AO/Ms. Wissinger
AS/Ms. Simms
AT/Ms. Landrus
CIC/Ms. Grimes
CIC/Ms. Hoover
CIC/Ms. Coates
CIC/Ms. Fenner
CIC/Ms. Maynor
C-3/Ms. Soper