LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE SYSTEMS COMPANY
MISSION SUCCESSBULLETIN
®
October 15, 2001 OPERATIONSMICHOUD
Thumbs up for External Tank modifications
Replace all LH2 and LO2 majorcircumferential welds with B218 Weld Wire
Implement FSW on LO2barrel longitudinal welds
Change LO2 aft ogivegores material to Al2219 and redesign
Implement FSW onLH2 barrels 1, 2, 3 & 4longitudinal welds
Change Intertank thrustpanels material to Al 2297
An undercurrent of eagernessresonated throughout the room atthe conclusion of the recent ETdesign review – when NASA gaveMichoud Operations the green lightto proceed on key modifications forET-134 and beyond.
“These changes support severalSpace Shuttle program initiatives,enhance safety and reliability withstronger welds and fewer repairs,reduce cycle time and lower costs,”explained Mike Quiggle, managerof producibility enhancements.
Changes include using theFriction Stir Weld (FSW)technique, different weld wire, andreverting back to Aluminum 2219material [used on ETs prior to theSuper Lightweight Tank (SLWT)]on various tank sections, alongwith design improvements.
The most innovative change is
FSW, a process originally inventedin the United Kingdom, whichMichoud has spent the past sixyears adapting for the ET.
“I’m very excited that we’re ableto implement Friction Stir Weldinto production,” remarked Dave
Hartley, shuttle upgradesmanager. “After years ofdevelopment, we finally broughtthis technology to the state whereit be can be applied to human-rated
launch vehicles.”The process uses a high-speed
rotating tool, which producesfrictional heating that turns thematerial into a “Play-Doh-likestate” and “stirs” the materialtogether, creating a seamless bond.
This translates into strongerwelds and fewer repairs, reducingthe overall ET fabrication schedule.
Design initiatives to the LiquidOxygen Tank and Intertank thrustpanels maintain SLWTperformance, but compensate forheavier, more robust 2219 material.
“These modifications are crucialto our commitment to MissionSuccess, and are essential inmeeting and maintainingMichoud’s contractualcommitments to our customer,”emphasized Ron Wetmore, ETprogram manager.
3-D graphic provided by Graphic Services
Stronger welds...fewer repairs...lower costs
“These modifications arecrucial to our commitment to
Mission Success, and areessential in meeting andmaintaining Michoud’s
contractual commitments toour customer.”
– Ron Wetmore, ET Program Manager
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Employees restore picnic tables during United Way Day of CaringGreg Martin (left) and Robert Carroll, Huntsville Technical Operations,participate in the Day of Caring by cleaning, sanding and sealing picnictables at the Family Services Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Michoud Operations’ United Way CampaignOctober 15-26
the mechanics of the campaignhave changed. Instead ofcanvassers coming to meet withyou and filling out contributioncards, you can go on-line to theLMPeople web page to make yourcontribution. It’s easy: just accessLMPeople/mymoneypayrolldata /charities
Employees can select from thefollowing United Way agencies:• New Orleans UW• UW of Madison County (AL)• UW of Brevard County (FL)• UW of Southern Mississippi
• UW of St. Charles (LA)• UW of Los Angeles County (CA)Designation forms for individualUnited Way agencies are availablefrom departmental representatives.
Your contributions make thegood works of United Way agenciespossible. The American Red Crossand the Boy Scouts receive nogovernment funding. It is up to usto make certain that these andother vital resources are availablefor our community in times of need.
Please give generously.
UW Participation Incentives
(10) $100 “I” Bonds* 2000-01 sustainingMichoud UW contributors
(10) $100 “I” Bonds* Contributors at closeof Michoud UW campaign
(5) $100 “I” Bonds* Year-round monthly drawings forsustaining Michoud UW contributors
Mazda B2500 Truck Area UW drawing for contributors(Courtesy Royal Olds) at the Supportive Level
$500 in gasoline Area UW drawing for contributors(Courtesy Murphy Oil USA) at the Supportive Level
snoopy winnerspicture
NASA Safety Dayis October 17
* Lockheed Martin awards – to be announced at Management Leadership Team and on EWS.
Qualifications
Snoopy Award WinnersSTS-104 crew members visited Michoud Operations onOctober 3 and presented Silver Snoopy Awards tooutstanding employees who have contributed to thesuccess of Space Shuttle missions. The winners laterposed with the astronaut crew. Front row from left:Steve Ehrlicher, Howard Roland, Danny Winn, CortPhillips, James Moffett and Michael Raybon. Middle
row: Ben Hanslick, Heather Quintini, Becky Jordan,Janet Castelluccio, Denise deAlminana, AntoinetteSandifer, Gontran Celerier, Ram Goswami and JosephGebbia. Back row: James Cenance, Michael Simpson;astronauts Michael Gernhardt, Charlie Hobaugh, SteveLindsey, Janet Kavandi, Jim Reilly; Shy Parikh,Warren Schrieffer and Bobby Biggs.
Astronauts check out External Tank productionWelder Eric Gueldner (left) describes how the Liquid Hydrogen Tank isbuilt to astronauts Janet Kavandi and Michael Gernhardt.
NASA Safety Day is a time toreflect on how we can all worksafely here at the MichoudAssembly Facility. “Crew meetingsthroughout the day will promote anopen discussion of safety topics -not only at work, but also at home,”said Steve Turner, manager ofSafety.
Jerry Smelser, manager of theExternal Tank Project at MarshallSpace Flight Center; John White,NASA resident manager; and RonWetmore, ET program manageralso will make informal visits todepartments during the day.
In addition, astronaut HeideStefanyshyn-Piper will presentseveral safety-related SilverSnoopy Awards at 10:30 a.m. inBuilding 103, Column K-5.
No recent event in Americanhistory can match the terroristattacks of September 11 ingenerating national patriotism andgift giving. Millions of Americansare donating to countless funds tosupport the thousands affected bythis horrific event, and to aid in therebuilding efforts in New York Cityand Washington D.C.
The biggest recipient of thesefunds has been the American RedCross. A United Way Agency, theRed Cross responds immediately tohelp a community in time of need.
Here in southeast Louisiana,tropical storm Allison was agraphic reminder this summer ofthe need to support the United Wayand its member agencies at home.The American Red Cross was thereproviding assistance to thousandswho were flooded during thestorm’s rampage.
“The Red Cross came to oursubdivision in Slidell distributingfood, drinks and cleaning supplies,”said Sandra Hindman, Contractsand Estimating. “We didn’t have tostop what we were doing to fixsomething to eat; they were there.”
The United Way works toimprove our region by supportingmore than 135 health and humanservice programs administered by65 local agencies. Employees whocontribute to the United Way candirect their contributions to anagency of their choice.
Wayne Rupp of Facilities andEnvironmental Operations directshis contributions to the Boy Scoutsof America. “I’ve been involvedwith the Scouts for 15 years,” saysRupp. “In that time I have watchedmy son move up through the ranksto make Eagle Scout, and I am gladto see that the United Waysupports the Boy Scouts in NewOrleans.”
Last year, Michoud Operationsemployees raised over $412,000 forthe United Way. This year, the callis out to meet the need again, but
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An expanded LMPeople selfservice capability with anintegrated Learning ManagementSystem (LMS) is scheduled to be inplace at Michoud Operations nextmonth. You should already befamiliar with LMPeople’s humanresources and payroll self servicefunctions. LMS will add similarfunctions for learning anddevelopment.
You will be able to view andupdate your learning anddevelopment profile, enroll inclasses, launch computer-basedtraining courses and view yourtraining history. In addition, youwill be able to search the catalogfor courses across the company.
Why transition to a new system?LMPeople and LMS create theopportunity for Lockheed Martinto become “one company” from thenumerous business units acquiredover the years throughacquisitions and mergers. Eachcompany has its own policies,practices and systems. LMPeopleand LMS organize these under aunified, enterprise-wide solution.
LMPeople selfservice expands
Lockheed Martin is again facingdouble-digit percentage increases inhealth care costs this year, drivenlargely by the price of services andgrowing utilization rates. The resultwill be increased premiums formany individual companies andtheir employees.
“At Lockheed Martin, we wereable to moderate the trend in risinghealth care costs throughout the1990s by negotiating multi-year costcaps with providers to lessen theburden on our employees,” saidTerry Powell, the corporation’s vicepresident of Human Resources. “Inthe last couple of years, most ofthese caps have expired and marketconditions are much tougher,resulting in significant costincreases.
“While the employee cost for most
Corporation to pay most of health care increaseshealth care plans will increasewith this fall’s enrollment, thecompany contribution will risealso. Overall, Lockheed Martinwill continue to pay the majorshare of these rising premiums.”
Among the cost drivers areincreases in prescription drugsthat have risen 15-20 percentannually in recent years. Otherfactors include the price ofservices, increasing utilizationrates and physician fees, alongwith market conditions in thehealth care industry. LockheedMartin’s higher utilization ratesreflect its demographic profile – anolder average employee age andlarger family size.
Because of consolidation in thehealth care industry and fewerplans available, it’s more difficult
to negotiate favorable premiumrates. Also, in many areas thepremium rates charged byproviders in prior years were notsufficient to cover their increasingcosts of delivering health careservices. Premium increases for2002 reflect the actions of providersto cover these additional costs.
This year many participatingemployees will see an increase, butthe amount will vary because of avariety of options that range inflexibility, deductibles and co-payments. Employees pay thedifference between the companycontribution for that region andtotal premium of the plan theychoose. Participants pay more toenroll in higher premium plans andless for lower cost plans.
Fiber Placement Machine sample dome arrives from IngersollBobby Biggs (from left), Wayne Richmond and Barry Keegan display aten-foot wide graphite-epoxy dome recently fabricated on the new FiberPlacement Machine. Weighing only 23 pounds, the dome is a sample partfabricated during machine checkout last month. The Fiber PlacementMachine is a critical piece of equipment for the National Center forAdvanced Manufacturing at Michoud. Shipments of machine parts arecurrently arriving, and operation is targeted for February 2002.
In March, Michoud Operationsestimated that approximately 250positions would be eliminated in2001 as a result of NASA’s decisionto no longer fund the X-33 and X-34programs, and their plan to reduceExternal Tank (ET) productionfrom eight to six tanks per year by2002.
Through the cooperative effortsof NASA, Lockheed Martinmanagement and Michoudemployees, reductions in overtimeexpenditures and other cost-controlactions have dramaticallydecreased the number of employeesdirectly affected by the workforcereduction. As a result, the ETproject workforce decreased by anequivalent of 248 positions whileaffecting only 99 individuals. Ofthat number, approximately halfvolunteered for lay-off.
Through the year, MichoudOperations pursued new businessopportunities to offset reductions inET funding, but they did notmaterialize as hoped. Work onNASA’s Space Launch Initiativeannounced in the spring isimportant technically, but is notsignificant from a job creationstandpoint; and the U.S. Air Forcedecision this summer not to fundthe X-33 as part of its MilitarySpace Plane program effectivelyput an end to that program.
A modest level of work continueson the Kistler K-1 launch vehiclerestart, although funding has notbeen released to fully resumeproduction activity.
Other proposals await awarddecisions, including the JointStrike Fighter scheduled for anOctober 26th announcement.
While the recent cost cuttingmeasures have allowed MichoudOperations to meet current fundinglevels, NASA’s Space Shuttleprogram continues to face budgetissues. It is expected thatadditional actions will be necessaryin the future to meet projected ETbudgets.
Cost controlsteps shrinkreduction impact
Common Friday off schedule to beginthe dual track system – withapproximately one-third theworkforce off on any given Friday –adversely affected planning,coordination and support that oneday each week. The primary 9/80track and common Friday off shouldeliminate those difficulties.
Major changes resulting from thefully implemented 9/80 schedule area new eight-day Electronic TimeCard with the workweek ending atnoon on Friday; and all Fridayovertime recorded in the afternoonto assure that salaried employeesreceive maximum consideration fortheir efforts over 40 hours. Withthe transition to the common Fridayoff, holidays will only be recorded assuch for scheduled workdays.
“Some employees may experienceminor inconvenience at the start ofthe common Friday off,” said HughFarabaugh, director, HumanResources. “But I am confident thatin a short period of time, everyonewill realize the many benefits of thenew Alternate Work Schedule.”
Factory floor refinishing project completed ahead of scheduleThe Facilities Flooring Enhancement Implementation Team made up ofAndrew Laurant (from left), Steve Gaiennie; customer Joe Marcus, vicepresident, Production Operations; David Wells, Kelley Easley and JoeEustis stand “on” the finished product. The three-year project resurfaced1.2 million square feet of flooring that supports External Tank production.
Eligible Michoud Operationsemployees await their first Fridayoff as part of the fully implemented9/80 Alternate Work Schedule(AWS). With the exception ofhourly employees, those necessaryto support External Tankproduction and demonstratedhardship cases, most employeeswill have October 19 as the firstcommon Friday off.
Following a 9/80 AWS pilot thatbegan in January, managementreviewed selective performanceparameters such as scheduleimpacts, lost time and overtimeusage to measure programeffectiveness. A recent employeee-mail survey exploredparticipation rates, quality of lifeissues and internal customerreaction to the program. Virtuallyall results came back positive, withthe AWS playing a significant rolein achieving that success.
Management selected a primary9/80 track with the common Fridayoff because of strong evidence that
Lockheed Martin Space Systems CompanyMichoud OperationsP. O. Box 29304New Orleans, LA 70189-0304
Volume 20, Number 5October 15, 2001
Editor: Harry Wadsworth
Graphics, Photography:Kevin Barré, Melinda Johnson,Hugh Webb, Horace Williams
Contributors:Marion LaNasa, Toni McCormick,
Brian Peterson
Lockheed MartinSpace Systems Company
Michoud Operations
Telephone: (504) 257-0094Mission Success Bulletin is published by the Communications Department.
®
MILESTONES Employees celebrating September & October anniversaries
Please send mailing address updates to: [email protected]
MISSION SUCCESSBULLETIN
30 yearsDon BolstadDennis Deel
25 yearsClifford BurkeEliott DelprioreDanny LapeyrouseRichard NelsonLonnie PeshekClay RobinsonHoward RowlandDale St. RomainOtis WelshRickie Zerkus
20 yearsPamela Anderson-BehrensGinger BenJames BullingtonSheila CagleKeith CampoDeborah Chavez-PittmanBrent ClayburnMichael FieldsTimothy FlanneryMargaret FontenotCheryl FranckiewiczHugh GeorgeRobert GraschelNorman HarrisRichard HartlineDavid HenryChristi Johnson
Gary KathmannPhilip LaparaMikel LeroConrad LillisTim LivingstonHerman LockhartManuel MartinezRobert MazurkiewiczHenry McCormickCharles McElroyAlfred MosesRobert NeerJohn NuccioTerry NunezGenetta PriceBelinda RandolphDoris RevereBobbie Schmitt
William SchneiderLeon SimmonsHerbert SmithKaren SurbeckIrvin VerdinWilliam WhittingtonGary WillettRichard Wust
15 yearsKathy EatonPaula FrazierSamuel GableCharles HuffLeslie PontillasMark RohlingerWilliam Winsor
5 yearsDennis BalesAnil BohilGregory ErtlRichard FineoutJay HardinRichard HibbsDerick JuneauDion LeeDaniel LizanaAntonio LopezScott MaddoxJohn NussbaumToma SharkeySteven Walker
Blood Drive surpasses goalSteve Turner (left), manager ofSafety, thanks Scott Johnson forgiving blood at Michoud’s finalblood drive this year. Turnerexperienced his own close call thissummer when he needed ten pintsof blood because of internalbleeding. At this drive, 32employees came forward who hadnever donated before. CoordinatorKathy Eaton attributes many ofthese as a response to theSeptember 11th terrorist attacks.The new donors helped Michoudbeat its goal of 450 units.Altogether, 469 employees gave thegift of life.
