Right Around the Corner
A Publication for the Baltimore/Washington Area
from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
February 2003

NASA Family Mourns the Loss of Columbia 7

Shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven were suddenly lost on their return to Earth on Saturday, February 1st. Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over north central Texas with no survivors. The crewmembers included astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.

The entire NASA agency feels the tragic loss. Center Director Al Diaz opened the Center Director 's Colloquium on Feb. 4 by sharing his thoughts after he first learned of the tragedy Saturday morning.

"I am proud of the way my colleagues and NASA's leadership have been acting and speaking about what happened. But what intrigues me the most is that there is something going on that is long overdue. There is a CONVERSATION going on, a very important and sometimes stimulating conversation about why WE, you and I and the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, do what we do."

Mr. Diaz continued his remarks by bringing attention to the fact that NASA employees are driven by "vision, passion and courage." Vision he described as life - protecting it, improving it and extending it beyond; passion - for exploration and knowledge for science and education. In describing courage, Mr. Diaz said, "At Goddard, one of the biggest challenges we have is providing intellectual security for outrageous ideas. Many times we do find ourselves following the leadership of a scientist or technologist when our immediate reaction to what we heard is, 'You're going to do what?' And so it does take courage to do what we do here at Goddard."
For more information visit NASA's Columbia web site at http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/

Columbia STS-107 Crew Worked Directly with Goddard Team

"We just flew over Goddard, directly overhead, took some pictures and just wanted to take this chance to say howdee to Tom Dixon, Katie Barthelme and Tammie Brown. And thanks for all their work in putting together a great payload." Those were words spoken by Rick Husband, mission commander for STS-107, near the end of a 16-day science mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia.

The payload Husband was referring to The Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science (FREESTAR) consisted of six individual experiments that were coordinated from the beginning by a Goddard team.

The team that makes up the Shuttle Small Payloads Projects Office at Goddard includes Gerry Daelemans, project chief, Tom Dixon, assistant office manager and mission manager for FREESTAR as well as a team of over 100 members.

For more on this story, visit: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/goddardnews/20030207/sts107_gsfc.html

NASA Names Deputy Associate Administrator for Education

NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory announced the appointment of Angela Phillips Diaz as Deputy Associate Administrator for Education. Diaz had previously served as Assistant Associate Administrator for Policy & Plans in the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters.

"With her intimate knowledge of NASA's many diverse programs, her experience and management skills, Angela will be a key member of our education team, " Gregory said.

As the Deputy Associate Administrator for Education, Diaz will share the responsibility to ensure NASA goals to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering are realized.

NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of Education, Dr. Adena Williams Loston, said," I am very pleased to have Angela as part of this team. She brings a wealth of experience, talent and vigor that will support the Office of Education vision."

Diaz previously served as the Human Space Flight & Research Division Director in the NASA Office of External Relations. She has provided policy guidance and negotiated agreements for human space flight, life and microgravity sciences and applications programs. She was the lead negotiator for agreements with Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia for the International Space Station Crew Code of Conduct.

Administrator Announces Out-of-this-World Opportunity for Teachers

Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Florida First Lady Columba Bush recently outlined a unique NASA program designed to show learning in a whole new light by giving students and teachers across the country an out-of-this-world experience.

Mrs. Bush joined the Administrator at Hardy Middle School on January 21 in Washington to make the recruitment call to a group of eager students, teachers, and education professionals.

The program's goals are to generate renewed interest in science and mathematics and cultivate a new generation of scientists and engineers by nominating and recruiting educators for NASA's astronaut corps.

"NASA leads the most ambitious exploration and scientific research efforts in history," said Administrator O'Keefe. "It's a legacy that is in jeopardy unless we find innovative ways to get students and the entire education community excited about mathematics and science. We believe the Educator Astronaut Program will help us fulfill our mandate to inspire that next generation of explorers," he said.

Teachers who want the chance to join the Educator Astronaut Program may apply using the Educator Astronaut website at: http://edspace.nasa.gov. The application deadline is April 30, 2003. Educators with questions about the program, or who do not have access to the Internet, can call (877/332-7876) toll-free.

Goddard Engineer Inducted Into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Frank J. Cepollina, a Goddard engineer who leads the team responsible for the on-orbit missions that keep NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in peak condition, was one of 17 inductees named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame at a formal announcement February 11 in Washington, DC.

The Hall of Fame is the nation's preeminent center for the recognition of invention and creativity. Cepollina was chosen for his pioneering concept of on-orbit satellite servicing by astronauts. Cepollina will be officially inducted into to the Hall of Fame in May.

NASA'S SORCE Satellite Soars into Space to Catch Some Rays

NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) successfully launched January 25 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket. "Saturday's successful launch adds to our constellation of Earth-viewing satellites that help us to understand and protect our home planet," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, NASA's Associate Administrator for Earth Sciences, Washington.

"We are all tremendously excited about what we will learn about the solar climate connection from SORCE," said Bill Ochs, SORCE Project Manager at Goddard Space Flight Center. "We're very proud of the mission team led by the University of Colorado and supported by Orbital Sciences Corporation. This mission is a great example of how NASA, universities, and industry can partner to create successful missions." For more information about this mission to explore Earth's climate please see: http://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce

Goddard Scientists Awarded Distinction of AAAS Fellow for 2002

Dr. John L. Schnase, a computer scientist and Dr. Anne Thompson, an atmospheric scientist at Goddard have been awarded the distinction of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for 2002.

New Fellows are presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, February 15 at the Fellows forum during the 2003 AAAS Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Schnase and Thompson are two of 291 new Fellows that were elected by their peers. These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts to advance science or foster applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.

Thompson is a researcher with the Laboratory for Atmospheres and was cited "for her pioneering work in understanding ozone and other trace gases in the troposphere and stratosphere and for unselfish support of the Earth Science community. A researcher within the Earth and Space Data Computing Division, Schnase was cited for his contributions to bioinformatics and for fostering the adoption of information technologies in the study of biodiversity and the environment.

Goddard Employees Honored

Mr. Freemon Johnson, of the Information Systems Division, will be honored at the 2003 Black Engineer of the Year Conference. Ms. Nona Cheeks, Chief of Goddard's Technology Commercialization Office, will also be receiving an award at the conference to be held in Baltimore, Maryland this month. For more information visit:
http://www.blackengineeroftheyear.org/index.html

NASA Successfully Launches the ICESAt/CHIPS Satellites

NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation satellite (ICESat) and Cosmic Hot Interstellar Spectrometer (CHIPS) satellite lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif on January 12.

"The Delta vehicle gave us a great ride! The ICESat spacecraft was right where we expected and is performing great. The whole team is thrilled to be having such a wonderful start to our mission" said Jim Watzin, Goddard's ICESat Project Manager.

ICESat is the latest in a series of Earth Observing System spacecraft, following the Terra satellite launched in December 1999, and the Aqua satellite launched earlier in May of this year. The primary role of ICESat is to quantify ice sheet growth or retreat and to thereby answer questions concerning many related aspects of the Earth's climate system, including global climate change and changes in sea level.

Goddard manages the Earth Observing System for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise in Washington, D.C. More information about the ICESat program is available at: http://ICESat.nasa.gov CHIPS will study the gas and dust in space, which are believed to be the basic building blocks of stars and planets. CHIPS is sponsored by the Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The project is managed at the Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., and Goddard through the NASA Explorers Program. For detailed information about CHIPS and its mission, go to: http://chips.ssl.berkeley.edu

Facilities Master Plan Update

The GSFC Facilities Master Plan team, led by Kim Toufectis, has completed the Facilities Master Plan, Transportation Management Plan, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) documents. These documents were distributed in early January. The FONSI was published in local newspapers. Goddard's facilities master plan will be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission at their April meeting.

A Community Council meeting with members of local citizens groups and homeowners associations was held on January 28. The next meeting of the Community Council will be March 31 at 4:30 p.m., at Glenn Dale Golf Club. For background and other information on Goddard's facilities master plan, visit the website at:
http://gsfc-facilities.gsfc.nasa.gov/

NASA Assigns "Living With A Star Missions" to Applied Phyics Lab

NASA has authorized the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel, Md., to proceed with the implementation of the Geospace missions under NASA's existing "Living with a Star" contract with APL. The Living with a Star (LWS) program seeks to address how the variability in the sun affects life on Earth as well as its affect on space weather.

LWS sets out to quantify the physics, dynamics and behavior of the Sun-Earth system over the 11-year solar cycle and improve understanding of solar variability and disturbances on terrestrial climate change. It will also provide data and scientific understanding aimed at developing a predictive capability for space weather affects. In addition, LWS will give scientists a detailed characterization of radiation environments useful in the design of more reliable electronic components for air and space transportation systems.

LWS is part of the Sun-Earth Connection theme within the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. manages the LWS program. For more on LWS program visit: http://lws.gsfc.nasa.gov/lws.htm

Reduction in Surcharge Fee for SEWP Program

The NASA Scientific & Engineering Workstation Procurement III (SEWP) Program Office has announced a reduction in the surcharge fee to 0.6%, effective Feb. 1, 2003. Additionally, there is a fee cap of $5,000 per order and no fees on orders under $2,500.

This reduction continues to place the SEWP contracts at the lowest fee rate charged for any Government contract vehicle. The SEWP Program's ability to continue to reduce surcharge fees is due to a fully automated Business-to-Government transaction process that keeps administrative costs down while contract usage has steadily increased.

Through SEWP, agencies can find an exact fit for their needs at the best overall value by searching the SEWP Web at www.sewp.nasa.gov and choosing the right solutions offered directly by leading hardware and software manufacturers and experienced Government integrators.