EXPLORATIONSYSTEMS

DEVELOPMENT

C O M B I N E D M O N T H LY R E P O RT

Apri l 2017

ORION

4 Orion Team Makes Grand Strides Toward Exploration Missions

5 Orion EM-2 Spacecraft Takes Shape

6 Qualifying for Crewed Flight

6 Laser Communications To Help Orion Astronauts Phone Home

7 Orion EM-1 Structural Test Article Travels to Denver

8 EFT-1 Heat Shield Transferred for Testing

8 Congressional Guests Get a First-Hand Glimpse at Orion’s Progress

9 Vertical Vertigo

9 EFT-1 Orion Crew Module Lands at Kennedy Visitor Complex

10 Orion Brings Outer Space Experiences to National Space Symposium

10 UT Tyler Seniors Get Hands-On Experience

11 Orion Team Members Stand Out at RNASA Stellar Awards

12 Orion Team Holds Town Hall Meeting

12 Lockheed Martin Employees Assist with First Championship

13 Orion Backstage: NASA’s Super Guppy

SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM

15 SLS Core Stage Engine Section Test Hardware Ships from Michoud to Marshall

17 Virtually Launching at the 33rd Space Symposium

18 Integrated Structural Test Completes Qualification Testing

19 Lining Up for Second Flight

19 NASA and SLS Show Off at Maxwell Air Show

20 Spaceflight Partners: Janicki Industries

20 Greetings from Illinois

GROUND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS

23 Final Brick Installed in Launch Complex 39B

24 Engineer’s LLAMA Design Aids Orion Recovery, Earns Innovation Award

25 Ground Systems Spotlight: Dean Primavere

26 Faces of GSDO: Ron Horvath

27 Orion Heat Shield Transferred to GSDO

A P R I L 2 0 1 7

ORIONA P R I L 2 0 1 7

BUILDING UP FOR CREWED FLIGHT

Orion 4February 2017 Highlights OrionOctober 2016 Highlights4 April 2017ESD Combined Report

ORION TEAM MAKES GRAND STRIDES TOWARD EXPLORATION MISSIONSApril 2017 was a month full of significant milestones for the Orion program. The foundation is being built for our Nation’s first crewed space flights which will take astronauts beyond the Moon and on to destinations farther than ever traveled by humans before. Machining major parts of the Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) Orion crew module, testing for the crew escape system, developing a new advanced laser communications system, and structural testing on the crew module were among the many program accomplishments this month.

ESD Combined Report 5April 2017

ORION EM-2 SPACECRAFT TAKES SHAPEMachining for NASA’S Exploration Mission-2 Orion spacecraft is well underway at Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford, IL. EM-2 will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop the new Space Launch System rocket for a three-week uncrewemission beyond the Moon and back.

Ingersoll Machine Tools, a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, is currently manufacturing four of the seven major parts of the Orioncrew module for the first flight with crew. The barrel of Orion’s

crew module, as pictured, weighed approximately 12,000 pounds at the start of machining, but will be reduced to approximately 880 pounds before being shipped to NASA’s Michoud Assembly

d Facility in New Orleans, LA, this summer.

The crew module is the part of the spacecraft where astronauts will live, work, exercise, and eat during their missions beyond

the Moon.

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QUALIFYING FOR CREWED FLIGHTOn April 27, Orion engineers at the Orbital ATK facility in Elkton, MD, successfully completed a test fire of the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for Orion’s Launch Abort System. This test is part of a series that focuses on qualifying the motor for future Orion crewed missions. Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK Orion team members were recognized with Orion program manager commendations for their dedication and hard work on the ACM.

Though unlikely to be needed, the Launch Abort System will quickly propel astronauts to safety in the event of a mission-abort scenario during launch or ascent to orbit. Reaching this new milestone indicates the ACM is on the correct path ensuring astronauts’ future trips on Orion and the Space Launch System rocket will be as safe as possible.

To view a video of the test fire: https://bit.ly/ACM_HT-11

LASER COMMUNICATIONS TO HELP ORION ASTRONAUTS PHONE HOMEIn preparation for Orion’s journey to deep space, NASA is working to forever change the way astronauts communicate to and from space. Using an advanced laser communications system, called LEMNOS, communications will be shared at exponentially faster connection speeds than ever before.

LEMNOS, Laser-Enhanced Mission and Navigation Operational Services, may make timely communication between deep space traveling astronauts and Earth more possible than ever before. This may even allow astronauts to video-conference their family and friends from 34 million miles away, just the same as if they were conferencing from different states.

In the over 50 years since the Apollo program, data return technologies have vastly improved. Laser communications is the latest space communications technology, with data rates as much as a hundred times higher than current systems. This means that astronauts would be able to send and receive ultra-high-definition video from the surface of Mars, which no uncrewed mission to Mars has been capable of doing.

The LEMNOS project is currently underway at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with the goal to test LEMNOS for the first time on the upcoming Orion EM-2 mission beyond the Moon.

To read more about LEMNOS visit: https://bit.ly/LEMNOS

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ORION EM-1 STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE TRAVELS TO DENVERSecured inside NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft, the Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) Structural Test Article was transported from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Canyon facility in Colorado for spaceflight readiness testing. This structure is a full-scale replica of the EM-1 Orion spacecraft, and will be tested to ensure the space-bound article is ready to withstand the pressure and loads it will endure during space flight.

Over the next 2 years, a series of 25 tests will be conducted including the four following notable ones. Structural Loads Tests will prove that the spacecraft structures can withstand the loads that the spacecraft will experience during launch and landing on Earth. Acoustics and modal tests will ensure engineers thoroughly understand the vibrations that sensitive Orion hardware will experience during liftoff. Water impact tests will prove that the spacecraft can withstand the forces experienced when landing in the ocean, and to confirm that hardware needed for astronauts’ protection during landing will work as designed. Lightning tests will ensure that the spacecraft structures can protect sensitive onboard electronics in the rare event of a lightning strike when the vehicle is waiting to launch from the pad in Florida.

When the test series is complete, the Orion spacecraft structures will be fully qualified and ready to launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission that

will travel beyond the Moon and back to Earth.

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EFT-1 HEAT SHIELD TRANSFERRED FOR TESTINGInside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the progress as a crane lowers the Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test-1 onto foam blocks. The heat shield is being transferred from the Orion Program to the Ground Systems Development and Operations

Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used for future recovery tests in open water that validates operations and procedures to recover the spacecraft after splashdown.

CONGRESSIONAL GUESTS GET A FIRST-HAND GLIMPSE AT ORION’S PROGRESS

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center on April 26 to tour and discuss the role of the facilities in the future of space exploration. Sen. Moran is a senior member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which oversees NASA. During the visit, Sen. Moran visited with many Kansans, as he toured the Center and learned more about operations, including future Orion and Space Launch System rocket deep-space missions.

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL-9) visited the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 13 for a program update and tour of the Orion spacecraft assembly. Soto recently co-signed a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Committee for continued support for Orion and the Space Launch System. Pictured from left: Joe Mayer, Lockheed Martin government relations-Florida; U.S. Rep. Soto; and Jules Schneider, Lockheed Martin Orion operations senior manager.

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EFT-1 HEAT SHIELD TRANSFERRED FOR TESTING VERTICAL VERTIGOMembers of NASA’s Engineering Management Engineering Board took in this view while looking up the center of the Vehicle Assembly Building’s (VAB) High Bay 3, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ten adjustable platforms are designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as crews prepare them to roll out to the launch pad for spaceflight missions.

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board (right) pause for a group photo during the VAB tour at Kennedy.

EFT-1 ORION CREW MODULE LANDS AT KENNEDY VISITOR COMPLEXThe Orion crew module that traveled into space beyond low-Earth orbit on Exploration Flight Test-1 completed a different kind of trip in April. The crew module is featured in the NASA Now exhibit inside the IMAX Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

The first Orion spacecraft to fly in space was moved from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay to the visitor complex. The three-mile trip through Kennedy was much quicker than its 60,000 mile flight test in space.

The new exhibit will allow visitors to see the spacecraft that flew in 2014, orbiting the planet and flying farther than any spacecraft designed for humans has flow since the days of Apollo missions. In addition to the Orion spacecraft, the exhibit includes other current spacecraft, including a scale model of the Space Launch System rocket.

For more about the new exhibit: http://bit.ly/NASANow

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ORION BRINGS OUTER SPACE EXPERIENCES TO NATIONAL SPACE SYMPOSIUMLockheed Martin’s full-size Orion Cockpit Operation Station Mockup (COSM) and Mars Base Camp virtual reality experience were available for virtual spaceflight test drives at the 33rd National Space Symposium. Located in Colorado Springs, CO, the annual symposium brings together space leaders from around the world to discuss what’s next for space flight innovation.

This year, in addition to speaking with Orion experts, attendees were able to dock Orion with a space habitat in orbit above Mars using the Orion COSM. They were also treated to a virtual reality experience where they piloted an uncrewed aerial vehicle

over the surface of Mars with the virtual Mars Base Camp in orbit above.

Other NASA highlights were on display that provided attendees with information on human exploration systems, what’s next for space communications and navigation, technology development and much more.

Lockheed Martin also hosted several VIP and media tours at theWaterton Canyon Facility during the week of the symposium, which included executives from NASA, ESA, and other

organizations.

Left to right: Stephanie Kelley, SLS Communication Strategist and Kathleen Coderre, Engineer, Lockheed Martin.

Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, left, and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, center, are seen inside the Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL) during a tour at Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Canyon Facility. CHIL enables collaboration between spacecraft design and manufacturing teams before physically producing hardware.

UT TYLER SENIORS GET HANDS-ON EXPERIENCETwo senior student groups from the University of Texas at Tyler partnered with NASA’s Rapid Prototyping Laboratory to build prototype Rotational Hand Controllers that will be installed into the full-scale Orion mock-up in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston. These controllers will allow astronauts to simulate what it would be like controlling the Orion spacecraft during a mission into deep space. Learn more: http://bit.ly/UTTyler_HRC

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Mid Career Stellar Awardees Left to Right: Kate Rubins (presenting), Robert A. Mase, Kenneth Utley, Richard R. Beckman, Charles V. Seal III, Kenneth J. Anderle, Jeffrey C. Bemis, Ronald K. Baccus, Carolyn Overmyer, Gary Lai, Kjell Lindgren (presenting)

ORION TEAM MEMBERS STAND OUT AT RNASA STELLAR AWARDSThis year, the 31st annual Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) awards honored NASA’s Dr. John Grunsfeld and recognized an impressive 149 stellar award nominees, 16 of whom played significant roles in the Orion program.

The government and corporate stellar award nominees for early career, mid-career, late career, and team categories were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges. Winners were chosen based on whose accomplishments will have the most impact on future spaceactivities, and were presented with a distinctive engraved marble trophy at the RNASA banquet held April 28 in Houston, Texas.

The 2017 Stellar Awards were presented by Astronauts Dr. Kjell Lindgren and Dr. Kathleen Rubins. The Orion team’s Stellar Award winners this year included:

Ronald K. Baccus, NASA Johnson Space CenterJeffrey C. Bemis, Orbital ATKCarolyn Overmyer, Lockheed MartinMichael A. Melgares, JacobsJason Shapiro, Aerojet Rocketdyne

Other Orion team nominees recognized at the event included:

Charles E. Bosomworth, UTC Aerospace SystemsWilliam J. Edwards, Lockheed MartinMelissa S. Jones, NASA Kennedy Space CenterNigel A. Millard, Oceaneering Space SystemsJoseph T. Murphy, Lockheed MartinBreanne K. Sutton, Orbital ATK

Advanced Space Propulsion – In-space Propulsion for Mars Crewand Cargo Mission Architecture Team, Aerojet RocketdyneOrion European Service Module Structural Test Article (E-STA) Campaign Team, NASA Glenn Research CenterOrion Launch Abort System (LAS) Attitude Control Motor (ACM) Team, Orbital ATKOrion Reliability Core Probabilistic Risk Assessment Team, Lockheed MartinRSLP NASA Orion Abort Test Launch Vehicle Team, United States Air Force

More information about the event and all Orion nominees can be found at: http://bit.ly/RNASA2017

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ORION TEAM HOLDS TOWN HALL MEETINGAt NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio, the European Service Module Integration Office hosted a town hall meeting with the Orion team on April 18. Program Manager Mark Kirasich and Deputy Program Manager Charlie Lundquist shared with the NASA Glenn team the Orion Program’s latest status, as well as other NASA program progress updates.

Orion Program Manager Commendations were awarded to: Samantha Bittinger, David Frate, Julie Grantier, Mike Politi, Nicole Smith, John Thesken, Joyce Wanhainen, James Winkel, and Carol Ginty.

Team awards were presented to the ESA Structural Test Article (E-STA) Test Team (pictured here) for their successful completion of all E-STA test objectives, enabling Orion to meet critical milestones; the Bilateral Exchanges Team for successfully implementing international deliveries and the Orbital Maneuvering System Engine (OMS-E)/Thrust Vector Control (TVC) Team for successful completion and shipment of the OMS-E and TVC flight hardware.

LOCKHEED MARTIN EMPLOYEES ASSIST WITH FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP Avid STEM volunteer and Lockheed Martin Orion employee Barry Bohnsack served as a play-by-play game announcer at the FIRST championship event held in Houston this April. More than 35,000 students, mentors, and family members attended the event which featured 1,394 teams from more than 39 countries around the world. FIRST, derived from “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”, engages students in Kindergarten through High School in exciting, mentor-based, research and robotics programs. Barry Bohnsack (in blue jumpsuit) enthusiastically moderates a match during the

Houston FIRST championships.

To learn more about FIRST, and how to get involved visit:https://bit.ly/OrionFIRST

ORION BACKSTAGE: NASA’S SUPER GUPPY

NASA’s David Elliott and a team of pilots and engineers who operate the Agency’s Super Guppy aircraft are responsible for transporting some of the biggest elements of spacecraft to locations around the country. The Super Guppy has played an important role carrying pieces of Orion around the country, and will continue to take on the heavy lifting required to transport Orion pieces as they ready for the journey to deep space.

Hear the story: http://bit.ly/GuppyOrion

ORION GETS EUROPEAN VISITORS ESA astronauts Tim Peake, Matthias Maurer, and Luca Parmitano tour NASA’s Orion Spacecraft mock-up at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Video: http://bit.ly/ESA_TWastro http://bit.ly/ESA_FBastro

MEET DON MAHR, ORION JETTISON MOTOR PROGRAM MANAGERRecently interviewed by Aerospace America, Don Mahr shares his journey to becoming Orion’s Jettison Motor program manager, his grandfather’s influence on his career choice, and what he thinks space flight will entail in 2050.

Read more: https://bit.ly/DonMahr

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF NASA’S NEW SPACECRAFT FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION:NASA’s Orion Blog . . . . .Blogs.NASA.gov/Orion

Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Twitter.com/NASA_Orion

Facebook. . . . . . . . . . . . .Facebook.com/NASAOrion

Flickr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Flickr.com/NASAOrion

Google+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Plus.Google.com/+NASAorion

MAYHuman-in-the-loop testing, Johnson Space Center

Orion supplier visits, Rockford, IL

Humans to Mars Summit, Washington, D.C.

Comicpalooza, Houston

www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

APRIL 2017

SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEMHIGHLIGHTS

SLS CORE STAGE ENGINE SECTION

TEST ARTICLEON THE MOVE

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SLS CORE STAGEENGINE SECTIONTEST HARDWARESHIPS FROM MICHOUD TO MARSHALL

After being built at NASA’s rocket factory — Michoud Assembly Facility, near New Orleans — the SLS core stage engine section structural test article set sail up the mighty Mississippi River. Its ride for the 1,240-mile trip: NASA’s barge Pegasus, recently refurbished to transport the SLS core stage, and now as long as a football field!

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Its destination: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where the engine section test article will begin structural testing later this year. A new test fixture will apply loads that simulate the forces of launch — the core stage pushing down, engines pushing up and solid rocket boosters pulling at the engine section from both sides. Read the full story: bit.ly/2p14FY2

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VIRTUALLY LAUNCHING AT THE 33rd SPACE SYMPOSIUM

At the 33rd Space Symposium, April 3-6 in Colorado Springs, CO, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development exhibit thrilled attendees, who experienced a 360-degree virtual tour of SLS and Orion on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center — all while comfortably seated! More than 8,000 Space Symposium attendees visited the NASA exhibit.

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INTEGRATED STRUCTURAL TEST COMPLETES QUALIFICATION TESTINGAn Integrated Structural Test of the upper part of the rocket has recently finished qualification testing at Marshall Space Flight Center. The test series pushed and twisted four structural test articles that simulate the launch vehicle stage adapter, a frangible joint separation assembly, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and the Orion stage adapter — all of which are positioned between the SLS core stage and the Orion spacecraft. Applying stringent conditions to the test articles helps verify their structural capabilities, so engineers know the hardware will perform as predicted during demanding missions. More than 50 test cases, measuring the effects of various types of loads on the structures, were completed for the test series. After engineers analyze the data, the hardware will be qualified for first flight.

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LINING UP FOR SECOND FLIGHTNASA and its industry partners are one team working on two rockets! Here, technicians at solid rocket boosters prime contractor Orbital ATK line a center forward booster segment case prior to installing insulation for the second flight of SLS and Orion.

NASA AND SLS SHOW OFF AT MAXWELL AIR SHOWAbout 60,000 aviation and spaceflight enthusiasts stopped by the NASA and SLS exhibit at the Maxwell Air Show, April 8-9 at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL. The day before the Air Show, students from several area schools visited the exhibit and SLS experts spoke to the children about space exploration and the importance of STEM education.

SPACEFLIGHT PARTNERS: Janicki IndustriesNUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 704 LOCATION:

Sedro-Woolley, WAWHAT THEY DO FOR SLS: Janicki Industries recently completed the diaphragm for the Orion stage adapter, which connects the Orion spacecraft to SLS. The diaphragm within the adapter creates a barrier that prevents hydrogen gas buildup from reaching the Orion spacecraft before and during launch. Janicki Industries also supplies many large flight components made of advanced carbon composites for the Orion Program.

GREETINGS FROM ILLINOIS

NASA’s SLS and Orion programs recently recognized industry partner UTC Aerospace Systems of Rockford, IL, for the key role the company is playing in building America’s deep space exploration system. Formerly known as Hamilton Sundstrand, UTC Aerospace Systems supplies several critical thrust vector control hydraulic components for the SLS core stage, including the core auxiliary power unit, the core auxiliary power unit controller, the hydraulic main pump, and the hydraulic fluid accumulator.

FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF NASA’S NEW LAUNCH VEHICLE FOR DEEP SPACE:Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Twitter.com/NASA_SLS

Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . Facebook.com/NASASLS

COMING UP:NASA Day in Baton Rouge

Core stage engine section test article arrives at Marshall

Integrated Structural Test finishes

RS-25 engine hot-fire testing

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GROUND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONSH I G H L I G H T S

A P R I L 2 0 1 7

FINAL BRICKINSTALLEDIN LAUNCHPAD 39BFLAME TRENCH

G S D O M O N T H L Y H I G H L I G H T S

Final Brick Installed in Pad Flame Trench LLAMA Earns Innovation Award

Ground Systems Spotlight: Dean Primavere Orion Heat Shield Transferred to GSDO

Check out the GSDO 2016 Year in Review at http://go.nasa.gov/2lT52Pe

23Check out the GSDO 2016 Year in Review at http://go.nasa.gov/2lT52Pe

A construction worker installs the final brick on the north side of the flame trench at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

FINAL BRICK INSTALLED IN LAUNCH COMPLEX 39B FLAME TRENCH FOR NASA’S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM

Intense heat and fire will fill the north side of the flame trench beneath the pad when NASA’s Space Launch System(SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A project to upgrade the walls of the flame trench to withstand these conditions recently was completed.

All of the new heat-resistant bricks now are in place in the flame trench below the surface of the pad. Construction workers installed the final brick May 9, completing about a year’s worth of work on the walls on the north side of the flame trench to support the launch of the (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on deep-space missions, including the Journey to Mars.

About 96,000 heat-resistant bricks, in three different sizes, now are secured to the walls using bonding mortar in combination with adhesive anchors. The flame trench will

be able to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit at launch of the rocket’s engines and solid rocket

boosters.

“The flame trench has withstood so many historical launches, and we are giving it new life to withstand many more,” said Regina Spellman, the launch pad senior project manager with the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. The north side of the flame trench is about 571 feet long, 58 feet wide, and 42 feet high.

A new flame deflector soon will be installed that will safely contain and deflect the plume exhaust from the massive rocket to the north during launch. Two side flame deflectors, repurposed from Space Shuttle launches, will be refurbished and reinstalled at pad level on either side of the flame trench to help reduce damage to the pad and SLS rocket.

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ENGINEER’S LLAMA DESIGN AIDS ORION RECOVERY, EARNS INNOVATION AWARD

Jeremy Parr, a mechanical design engineer in Kennedy Space Center’s Engineering Directorate, monitors the Line Load Attenuation Mechanism Assembly, or LLAMA, on the U.S. Navy ship during Orion Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Photo credit: NASA

What is a LLAMA? It’s a Line Load Attenuation Mechanism Assembly, designed by Jeremy Parr, a mechanical design engineer in the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He designed the LLAMA to help U.S. Navy line handlers retrieve the Orion crew module after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

Parr is the lead design engineer for Orion Landing and Recovery, which is coordinated and led by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. Parr’s design recently earned him second place in the agency’s third Innovation Awardscompetition.

“The LLAMA concept came to me after watching the sailors fighting to control the Orion test capsule during Underway Recovery Test 1 in open water in February 2014,” Parr said.

The standard Navy line tending practice is to wrap their lines around the ship’s T-bits, or large solid columns with a crossbar that resemble the letter “t,” located near the stern, so that the sailors can control big loads with only a few people. This works for most operations they do since the hardware they handle is usually big and slower moving in the seas. But the crew module is a different beast when floating in the water than anyone on the recovery team expected, Parr said. Orion is easily pushed around by wind and waves.

“I came up with a design that helps the Navy line handlers to safely maintain high tension in the tending lines during recovery of Orion into the well deck of a ship. It also regulates the amount of tension in the lines to ensure equal loading on the vehicle.”

The LLAMAs are mounted on the ship’s T-bits, and the mechanisms provide all tending line control of the crew module once it enters the well deck and until it is secured on the recovery cradle pads.

“I am both excited and honored to be recognized for the LLAMA design,” Parr said. “This has been a team effort for a few years now to get where we are today. We worked through development and testing until we completed our successful test during Underway Recovery Test 5 off the coast of San Diego in the fall of 2016.”

The LLAMA-controlled tending lines are the baseline method for recovery of Orion after Exploration Mission-1 and all future missions.

Parr began working at Kennedy in 2007. Prior to that, he worked for SAIC at Johnson Space Center in Houston for four years.

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GROUND SYSTEMS SPOTLIGHT: DEAN PRIMAVERE

Dean Primavere, an area integrator with Jacobs on the Test and Operations Support Contract (TOSC), works in operations at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. TOSC is the prime contractor supporting exploration ground systems in the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO). The Center is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Launch Complex 39B, and Primavere feels a sense of accomplishment as he watches upgrades and modernizations transform the pad to support the launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.“The changes being made to the pad are incredible. Being able to see the first brick go in on the flame trench to the last one being put in, is a huge milestone, not only for GSDO and support teams, but for me,” said Primavere. “To be a part of new endeavors and making new history while working in an amazing environment and growing with the company is an extraordinary journey.”Primavere’s primary responsibilities include coordinating the work and contractors in various areas of the pad to minimize conflicts in scheduling and maintaining a smooth working environment. He updates pad workers with current information, gives safety briefings, conducts morning tie-in meetings with planners, schedulers, contractors and engineering, and

communicates with all contractors on pad hazards, controlled areas and safety concerns. He supports GSDO by providing area integration during hazardous operations at various facilities. At the pad, he helps support planning for validation and verification of the crawler-transporter, mating of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) disconnect towers to the mobile launcher, cryogenic fills at the LH2/LOX storage areas, and works with contractors conducting modifications to the flame trench, environmental control systems and other locations around the complex.“What I enjoy most in my position is the opportunity to communicate with a diverse number of people on a daily basis about the work that is happening at the Center, and assisting personnel who arrive at the pad to make their visit or working environment a safe and productive one,” Primavere said.Primavere started in security at Kennedy in 2013. When the area integrator position opened up, the former deputy sheriff for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office applied. His experience in security gave him the tools to be able to work in the operations department. He was selected for the position and has been in it for about two years.“I have always been interested in space and Kennedy Space Center,” Primavere said. “My grandfather and father worked here, along with my sister, who continues to work in Information Technology.”His hometown is Titusville, FL. As he was growing up in Mims, he witnessed the growth of the Space Center.“The interesting thing for me is you don’t really get the full effect of the space industry until you are over here on this side. It is a marvel of a place to work. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of this multi-user spaceport and excited about the new adventures we face,” Primavere said.While working as a deputy sheriff, Primavere attended Columbia College and earned bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and public affairs in 2002. He went on to earn master’s degrees in criminal justice and public affairs from the University of Central Florida in 2005. He has been married to his wife, Anna, for three years. He has an 11-year-old son, Dean Primavere III. The family has two cats, Spike and Jasper, and a cockatiel named Louie.His first car was a 1972 Pontiac Ventura. It was metallic green. Besides spending time with his family, Primavere also enjoys spending time outdoors, fishing, hiking, going to the beach and camping. He also enjoys bowling and watching football. (Go Steelers!)

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GROUND SYSTEMS DEVELOPM

EN

T &

OPER

ATIO

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F A C E S O F G S D O

Ron HorvathProgram Analyst Lead, Ground Systems Implementation Business Office

My name is Ron Horvath. I am a program analyst in the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

I am currently the lead program analyst in the GSDO Business Office for the Command, Control and Communications (C3) Division. My main responsibilities include managing budgets, and schedule and risk for the C3 division. As an analyst, I support GSDO with planning the annual and multiyear budget activities for C3.

The part of my job that I like most is having the opportunity to see the tremendous progress that has been achieved by GSDO and be a part of history with the successful launch of NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch system from Kennedy Space Center.

I first started working at Kennedy in February 2001, with United Space Alliance (USA). Initially, I was hired as a project analyst but transitioned to the USA business office as a business analyst. I eventually moved into a position with software quality. After more than 10 years with USA, I was hired by SAIC as a support contractor in the business office. In October 2011, I was hired by NASA as a civil servant supporting the GSDO Program Business Office, taking on the role that I currently perform.

I have been very blessed to achieve Employee of the Quarter in March 2015 and received a Space Flight Awareness Team Award in July 2015 for my contribution to and support of the C3 projects. I most recently earned the Early Career Achievement Medal in August 2016.

Thinking back, I first became interested in space while growing up at the United States Military Academy at West Point. My Aunt Holly and Uncle Gary Turner worked for USA at the time. I thought their jobs were so amazing, to be able to work with the Space Shuttles and the astronauts. I became a teacher at Space Coast Middle School in Port St. John, FL. During six summers between school years as a teacher, I worked at Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station through a program called “Summer Intern Fellowship for Teachers” for four different companies doing five different jobs. I learned different aspects of the space program. The work during those summers set the stage for achieving my goal to work at Kennedy Space Center.

I grew up in West Point, NY. I began my postsecondary education at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL, studying civil engineering. I transferred and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary math education and a minor in mathematics. I returned and received a second bachelor’s degree in engineering technology in 2006.

The advice I would give to students who are interested in a career similar to mine is to broaden your knowledge and be well-rounded. Be a good problem-solver. But most of all, be a great listener.

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Program Analyst Lead, Ground Systems Implementation Business Office

ORION HEAT SHIELD TRANSFERRED TO

GSDO

The Orion heat shield from Exploration Flight Test-1 was secured on foam blocks April 27, 2017, inside High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The heat shield was transported from the Launch Abort System Facility and is being transferred from the Orion Program to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, Landing and Recovery Operations. In the VAB, the heat shield will be integrated with the Orion ground test article and used for future underway recovery testing. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 www.nasa.gov

SP-2017-05-539-KSC

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