USA Innovators Exhibit Creative Problem Solving on the Job
Innovation is the art of looking at a problem a new way. It’s asking the questions that have never been asked in order to seek a new solution. It’s not only stepping out of the box; it is taking the box, ripping it apart and turning it into something totally new.
Innovation is what we employ whenever we encounter a new issue in processing or a new challenge in planning a mission. It’s what landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon almost 40 years ago, and it will be what takes us back the next time. It is what designed the Space Shuttle and what conceptualized and brought about the first multinational cooperative science facility in space – the International Space Station.
At United Space Alliance, we live and work surrounded by innovation. It takes many forms, and sometimes, because we see it so often, we don’t immediately recognize it when it occurs.
In this edition of the USA Update, we are saluting just a few of the thousands of innovators around our company. Their innovation serves as an example of the creative thinking that will be necessary to better position USA for the new horizons of the next phase of human space flight.
Nani Arce
Nani Arce usually works with food that is freeze dried or thermostablized, but through a recent partnership through the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), Arce, a USA food scientist, was able to put her know-how and innovative thinking to work to help a New York chef tackle a different kind of culinary challenge.
SATOP is a cooperative program to help small businesses apply the technical expertise derived from the space program to solve their technology challenges. Arce, who currently works in USA’s Flight Crew Equipment and Extravehicular Activity (FCE/EVA) element directing the processing and production of flight food hardware for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, was contacted to help chef Ramona Waldecker of Baldwinsville, N.Y., develop a low-fat salad dressing using natural ingredients and keeping costs low.
“For small businesses just getting started, having a full-fledged research and development department can be expensive,” Arce said. “SATOP was a great way for Ramona to get the help she needed at no cost.”
Arce recommended integrating larger amounts of lower-fat/non-fat ingredients, such as Dijon mustard and water, to offset the use of oil. In addition, she advised increasing the amount of vinaigrette and altering the amount of seasoning to balance everything out.
“Once you have your ideas, then you have to experiment and see what works,” Arce said. “When you reach the desired flavor, then you have to run the test to check the fat content. If it’s not what you want, you have to go back and reformat accordingly.”
Armed with new ideas and a wealth of food science articles from Arce, Waldecker began experimenting. The result was a new rosemary dijon dressing that has only 140 calories and eight grams of fat per serving. It debuted just 10 weeks after the Request for Technical Assistance was submitted to SATOP and was an instant hit with Waldecker’s customers, which include major grocery stores in New York.
Arce was recently recognized with the special SATOP Award for her dedication and work on this project.
“Innovation comes in many forms,” said Leslie Roche, Director of USA’s Technology Innovation Office. “Our participation in programs like SATOP benefits the community by helping to develop small business and academia, but they also help our own employees hone their own technological skills by participating in valuable projects that increase the value of our company at the same time.”
Teresa Waters
Teresa Waters of Logistics and Materials Receiving and Inspection sees quite a bit of plastic bubble wrap in her job at the Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. Everything from office equipment to small flight hardware items is packaged with bubble wrap.
“I was convinced there was some good use for this material, so I started collecting it.” Waters said. “I figured someone could benefit from it, and I also knew disposing of it wasn’t the best thing for the environment.”
Putting her innovative thinking to work, Waters contacted the USA Environmental Office in October 2007 to see if there was a better way of managing the used bubble wrap. Officials there agreed to investigate reuse or recycling opportunities.
“Although Teresa’s idea was a good one, we didn’t have any programs in place to either save the material or recycle it,” said Charlie Venuto, Manager of Florida Environmental Management.
After some additional research by Tammy Knepp of USA Procurement, it was determined that several of the vendors that provide products to USA have programs for recycling and reuse of bubble wrap. One such vendor was Engravers Metals Fabricators (EMF) of Merritt Island, Fla., which supplies flight hardware – usually wrapped in bubble wrap – to the SRB element.
The following December, EMF picked up 41 pounds of the plastic packing material. An additional 51 pounds was returned to EMF the following week, and this effort has now become a regular process.
“Ninety-two pounds of bubble wrap is a lot of material,” Waters said. “The vendor is glad to have it back and we are relieved not having to throw it away.”
This process can be used with other recyclable items and with other vendors as they are identified.
“Bubble wrap disposed of by USA had been going into the Brevard County Landfill,” said Dave Bethard of the Florida Environmental Management Department. “USA is now helping close the recycling circle by this effort, a win win situation with virtually no cost to USA.”
Chief Technology Officer Loren Shriver said that Waters is an excellent example of someone thinking out of the box to find more efficient or effective ways to get the job done.
“The key to innovation is thinking in a new way,” Shriver said. “Teresa’s solution is good for USA, good for the vendor and good for our environment.”
David Dannemiller
Working to further define space operations, David Dannemiller has played a crucial role in innovating technology for future exploration missions.
Dannemiller serves as project manager within Flight Design and Dynamics and helped USA Independent Research and Development create Ascensio.
As part of Questus, the first ever set of integrated applications and tools specifically created for space operations, Ascensio enables engineers to design a variety of spacecraft mission trajectories. The type of trajectories vary with the specific requirements of each mission, but can include planning for Earth orbit, lunar/planetary translation, descent and landing, ascent and rendezvous with an orbiting module, a return trajec- tory to Earth and Earth entry.
“USA has been successful with planning low-Earth trajectories for the Shuttle and Station,” Dannemiller said. “This is the starting point that we are working from to create Ascensio and extend USA’s capabilities for the future.”
Ascensio’s capabilities can be adapted to accommodate a variety of spacecraft configurations and is ideal for mission and vehicle design studies with flexibility for analyzing various guidance schemes, navigation systems and mission timelines.
Trajectory is a critical point of program integration because developing trajectories involves looking at vehicle performance and operational limits. Ascensio was designed to enable the vehicle manufacturer and the vehicle operator to work together during a vehicle design process to evaluate the integrity of the vehicle and what kind of trajectories it would be capable of executing.
“Our work world has only changed slowly, and in some ways, this has made us successful at operating our complex machines and mission,” Dannemiller said. “But that is changing. A new set of machines and missions is on the horizon, and we are innovating the future.”
Cindy Kurt
Cindy Kurt is currently working in Advanced Technology Development with the Flight Operations Engineering group and has contributed to several projects geared at streamlining operations.
Recently, Kurt spearheaded the work on the Decision Support System for Health Management (DSSHM) project with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
“I knew that the JPL had some technologies I might be able to apply to create future innovative capabilities, so I wanted to reach out to them,” Kurt said.
As a result of Kurt’s efforts, USA and JPL teamed together and came up with a proposal to develop mission operations technologies – specifically for flight controllers at JSC.
The DSSHM prototype provides real-time viewing of the vehicle health and status of the International Space Station (ISS). The 1.5-year project yielded visualization software that is available to the public, and a write up on the project will be published in an upcoming issue of NASA Tech Briefs.
“When innovating, I try to envision how a new technology or methodology I have learned about can be applied to create efficiencies in mission operations,” she said.
Working on a multicenter NASA project called Autonomy for Operations, Kurt manages the USA Operational Advanced Technologies for Spacecraft contract. The USA team provides engineering support services to the project, such as manned space flight control and spacecraft operations simulations subject matter expertise.
Some of Kurt’s other projects include the Remote Support System, POST Tools and the Machine Learning project, with each of these projects streamlining technologies to provide more automation and system intelligence to mission operations tasks. Kurt also manages technology development collaborations with universities through the Dual Use Academic Liaison (DUAL) program.
“Working on these types of projects is challenging and rewarding,” said Kurt. “You envision the future, then bring together new technologies to make that future a reality.”
Charles Martin
USA Senior Propulsion Systems Engineer Charles Martin, based in Huntsville, Ala., supports a multicenter program geared at advancing the engineering design of future space operations.
As part of the Aerothermal Technical Panel, Martin’s Space Shuttle Program group is working in conjunction with an ARES team to conduct heating factor testing that will be used to help engineer the Constellation vehicles.
As the USA lead, Martin supports this project and has the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology.
“Innovation is important to USA since we are redefining our goals as a company,” Martin said. “USA innovations are required to compete within a new environment and to demonstrate unique capabilities that improve future capabilities.”
A series of similar aeroheating tests were conducted at Langley Research Center in 1962, and the space program has used that data for the last 45 years. Now, due to a number of design changes on the External Tank and new requirements for ARES, the data is being retested and redeveloped.
Instrumentation development and innovative measurement technologies – including infrared cameras, laser velocimetry and thin film gauges – have already provided unprecedented results and will improve understanding of supersonic heating and maximize design efficiency, Martin said.
This capability is proving to be a significant achievement for USA and may set the standard for future testing and spacecraft design, Martin said. Improvements in the hardware setup are underway for the final phase of testing set to begin later this month. Once complete, this testing may demonstrate a test and development capability that USA could use to enhance all programs working to understand supersonic aero- heating effects and design implementation.
“USA is redefining heating data with this testing,” Martin said. “The innovative application of new technologies has provided unprecedented results, and it’s exciting to be part of such a cutting edge program.”
Marion Sees
There’s a reason USA’s Marion Sees is nicknamed MacGyver.
Just like the fictional television character, Sees can often be found inventing tools and new methods for resolving problems.
“Many of the tools needed to complete the tasks did not exist and had to be hand made,” said Avionics Engineer Travis Williamson, who works with Sees.
Sees, who provides Avionics Lab support at the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot, is known by his co-workers for his success in inventing or modifying tools to help keep the Space Shuttle running smoothly.
Over the past 21 years in the space industry, Sees says he’s made so many tools that he cannot remember them all. His workspace is a repository of hundreds of items he has invented or is the process of inventing.
One of Sees most recent achievements is designing a special tool and process to repair the “tin whiskers” – small pieces of tin will actually start growing in areas where they can cause a short circuit – on the Shuttle Orbiters. Sees created tools that allowed engineers to get inside Orbiter flight control boxes without taking them completely apart, thus preventing additional damage.
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