The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and
Center Directors’ Meeting on March 20, 2000. Mr. Goldin attended the
meeting. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy
identification.

1. AA Reports

B/Holz: Mr. Holz reported that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer
is in the process of issuing Form 506 funding authority for FY 2000 for all
but a small portion of the remaining NASA budget. The unissued portion is
being withheld for contingencies.

S/Weiler: Dr. Weiler reported that a deorbit decision meeting on the Gamma
Ray Observatory (GRO) will be held on Thursday, March 23.

F/Novak: Ms. Novak reported that the Federal Activities Inventory Reform
(FAIR) Act of 1998 required NASA and other Executive branch agencies to
compile an annual inventory of commercial activities, i.e., activities that
are not inherently governmental. The inventory is to be submitted to OMB
by June 30, and after an OMB review, made public. The Office of Human
Resources and Education (Code F) has consulted with the Institutional
Program Offices (IPO) and Headquarters Functional Offices and put together
instructions for the Centers to use for this year’s inventory. The
inventory call will go out early this week. The Center Human Resources
offices will coordinate the inventory at their individual Centers. Code F
will consolidate the Centers’ input and work with the IPO’s and Functional
Offices to resolve inconsistencies. Data will be due on May 12, 2000.

E/Sakimoto: Dr. Sakimoto reported that this week, the Code E senior staff
and Center Equal Opportunity (EO) Officers are participating in a 3-day
Public Human Resources Management Conference in Washington, followed by a
2-day EO Officers meeting at Headquarters.

P/Wilhide: Ms. Wilhide reported on the following: 1) There will be a
Space Science Update from NASA Headquarters on gamma ray bursts at 1 p.m.
on Wednesday, March 22. 2) On Thursday, March 23, and Friday, March 24,
there will be live shots from MSFC on students participating in experiments
on the International Space Station (ISS) communications systems. Markets
include Houston, TX; Grand Rapids, MI; and the Carolinas. 3) On Saturday,
March 25, the IMAGE launch is scheduled for no earlier than 3:35 p.m. Live
coverage begins on NASA TV at 2 p.m.

L/Heffernan: Mr. Heffernan reported on the following: 1) The House has
been working on Budget Bill Section 205 which includes a minus $1.1B in
budget authority and a minus $300M in outlays. NASA’s share may be as much
as 60 percent. 2) There will be a hearing on Wednesday, March 22, before
the Senate Commerce Committee. Mr. Goldin will be the witness. 3) The
Senate is marking up a supplemental FY 2000 bill, which includes funds for
Space Shuttle upgrades and hiring. 4) The Iran Nonproliferation bill, H.R.
1883, was signed by the President last week.

K/Thomas: Mr. Thomas reported that last Thursday, March 16, his office
hosted the Japanese Women’s Business League, a delegation of about 20
business owners from Japan. The Japanese were here to learn NASA’s “best
practices” for maximizing contract and subcontract awards to women-owned
businesses.

2. AI/Dr. Mulville

Dr. Mulville reported that the Headquarters Quality Council Meeting is
scheduled for March 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to
determine the continuing suitability and effectiveness of the HQ Quality
System. This meeting will be the first in which all HQ Functional Offices
are included.

3. Center Reports

GRC/Campbell: Mr. Campbell reported that under support from NASA, the
engineers at General Electric Aircraft Engines have been modeling the large
turbomachinery subsystems of the GE90 engine, using NASA’s average passage
approach. The ultimate goal of this work is to enable high-fidelity,
full-engine simulations, referred to as the Numerical Propulsion System
Simulation. The completion of the coupled high-pressure and low-pressure
turbine simulation represents the first time a dual-spool cooled turbine
was analyzed with a 3D multistage flow solver. Comparisons have been made
to measurements taken on the turbine rig tests, and good agreement has been
demonstrated. The 3D simulation has provided a detailed insight into the
flow field within the coupled high- and low-pressure turbines, including
within the transition region.

GSFC/Diaz: Mr. Diaz reported on the following: 1) The Flight Readiness
Review for IMAGE is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21. The launch is
scheduled for March 25. 2) The April issue of “Scientific American”
contains an article about Terra.

JSC/Abbey: Mr. Abbey reported on the following: 1) The OV-104 engine is
being changed tomorrow; the vehicle will roll out to the pad on Friday. 2)
Zarya and Unity are doing well on orbit. 3) Last week, JSC had a
successful Lunar Planetary Institute Conference with record attendance. 4)
The Canadian government is providing the Yukon meteorite for analysis.

SSC/Estess: Mr. Estess reported on the following: 1) He is pleased to
report that Gulfport High School won the right to advance in competition
to build a robot. 2) Chief Martin of the Choctaw tribe is meeting with
Center staff to discuss remote-sensing possibilities. 3) Senator Lott
(R-MS) was at the Center on Friday, March 17; Boeing dedicated its RS-68
facility.

4. Mr. Goldin

The Administrator’s message for this week was on “NASA Electrical,
Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts and Packaging.” The NASA
Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) program provides an Agencywide
knowledge base of EEE parts and packaging performance characteristics in
NASA mission environments. These critical data support the selection of
EEE parts and packaging for NASA’s missions. While
Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts can simplify designs, reduce cost and
schedule, and enhance technology, they require attention to detail to
ensure that reliability is not compromised by incorrect application of COTS
or their use in environments for which they are not qualified. The NEPP
knowledge base also supports the determination of adequate tests and
qualification procedures. Wise utilization of knowledge gained assists in
minimizing risks associated with application of new and advanced technology.

Mr. Goldin emphasized the importance of adequate testing in the use of EEE
parts. This requires sound engineering and scientific planning and design
with well-thought-out verification and test activities to ensure mission
success. Inadequate test and verification of EEE parts have resulted in
recent failures in development and have greatly impacted our product
performance, schedule, and cost. Incorrect functional application or
insufficient qualification for the operating environment has also
compromised reliability.

NASA has an obligation to perform good engineering practices where
reliability is not compromised. We must clearly define the system and
subsystem to aid in the selection of parts. It is the Center Directors’
responsibility to have adequate oversight on this subject.

NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND
TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED TO JILL HOOVER @ (202) 358-0905.

Distribution

Officials-in-Charge of NASA Headquarters Offices:
AI/Dr. Mulville
AB/Ms. Tagg
AC/Gen. Armstrong
AE/Mr. Keegan
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/Mr. Venneri
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
A/Ms. Landrus
AB/Ms. Saldana
AE/Ms. Moore
AI/Ms. Bloxon
AI/Ms. Shaeffer
AO/Ms. Wissinger
AS/Ms. Simms
C-3/Ms. Soper
CIC/Analysts