>> OKAY.
LET'S GET EVERYBODY
ON THE SAME PAGE.
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
>> GOOD EVENING.
>> I'M FELTON THOMAS.
I'M DIRECTOR HERE
AT THE CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AND ON BEHALF OF OUR STAFF,
ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD,
REPRESENTED BY OUR
BOARD PRESIDENT,
MISS MARITZA RODRIGUEZ
RIGHT HERE, WE WELCOME YOU
TO THE CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY,
THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY.
SO 150 YEARS AGO,
WHEN THE CLEVELAND
PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS CREATED,
THEY SAID WE'RE GONNA CREATE
AN INSTITUTION WITH
THE POWER FOR THE GOOD.
AND THAT'S WHAT
THE CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY
HAS DONE FOR THE PAST 150 YEARS.
I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE
A FEW MINUTES TO SPEAK
WITH JEFF HERE,
AND HE WAS SAYING
"YOU'RE VERY LUCKY
TO HAVE THIS LIBRARY
AND BE OVER THIS LIBRARY,"
AND I SAID, "NO, I REALLY THINK
THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE.
THE PEOPLE ARE VERY
LUCKY TO HAVE THIS HOUSE.
BECAUSE FOR 150 YEARS,
IT HAS BEEN THAT POWER
FOR THE GOOD.
IT'S THE THIRD LARGEST
RESEARCH LIBRARY IN THE COUNTRY,
IT HAS COLLECTIONS THAT
MANY FOLKS DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
>> TO CARRY OUT THIS GREAT WORK,
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
NEEDS CONTINUED SUPPORT
FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THAT SUPPORT IS DEMONSTRATED
BY THE MANY GENEROUS SPONSORS
OF THIS EVENING'S EVENT,
WHO ARE BEING ACKNOWLEDGED
ON THE SCREEN THIS EVENING,
AND ARE ALSO LISTED
IN THE EVENING'S PROGRAM.
TO OUR SPONSORS,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT
TO SUPPORTING NASA GLENN.
AND GETTING THE MESSAGE
OUT TO THE COMMUNITY
ABOUT THIS TREMENDOUS
RESEARCH ASSET TO OUR
COMMUNITY AND THE NATION.
I'D LOVE TO GIVE OUR SPONSORS
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE RIGHT NOW.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AND I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE
SOMEONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE
WHO'S CRITICAL TO HELPING
PUT THIS THING TOGETHER.
AND, UH, AND SHE DIDN'T
INCLUDE THIS IN THE NOTES,
UH, FOR SOME REASON,
BUT ANNE HAYWARD IS A BIG PART
OF PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
I REALLY LOVE WHAT SHE DOES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
IT'S ALSO ABSOLUTELY VITAL
THAT NASA GLENN HAS
THE, UH, CONTINUING SUPPORT
OF OUR DEDICATED
PUBLIC OFFICIALS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORTUNATE
TO HAVE A FEW HERE, UH,
TONIGHT, AND I JUST WANNA
TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE
AND INTRODUCE THEM.
UH, I SEE THE HONORABLE
STEPHANIE HOWES FROM
DISTRICT 11, JUST HERE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AND KAREN KANDISKY
CAME TO REPRESENT
SENATOR PORTMAN'S OFFICE,
WE APPRECIATE THAT, KAREN.
[ APPLAUSE ]
OAI DOES PLACE TREMENDOUS VALUE
ON THE PARTNERSHIP WITH
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER,
A PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS
EXTENDED NOW FOR--
FOR MORE THAN 28 YEARS.
TONIGHT I CONGRATULATE,
UH, CENTER DIRECTOR DR. KAVANDI
AND HER ENTIRE TEAM FOR
THE OUTSTANDING WORK
THAT THEY DO.
WE'RE PROUD TO BE PART
OF THE NASA GLENN COMMUNITY.
OUR NASA COLLEAGUES
REPRESENT SO MUCH OF WHAT
IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT
ABOUT OUR REGION,
AND OUR NATION.
THE COURAGE TO TRY THINGS,
DEDICATION TO THE TASK,
PERSERVERANCE,
AND BRILLIANT IDEAS
AND SOLUTIONS.
IN A FEW MOMENTS,
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM
DR. KAVANDI, WHO WILL THEN
INTRODUCE THE OTHER STARS,
WHO I SEE SITTING AT THE STAGE
RIGHT THERE.
UM, WHO JUST THIS MORNING,
AS A MATTER OF FACT,
I-I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES
TO SEE HER PRESENT
TO THE CLEVELAND
ENGINEERING SOCIETY.
AND IT WAS-- IT WAS GREAT
'CAUSE SHE CREATED
THIS FANTASTIC VISUAL
AS AN ASTRONAUT.
YOU KNOW, SHE TALKED ABOUT
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
AND SHE SAID IT'S JUST SO BIG.
AND-AND AS YOU APPROACH IT
IN SPACE, TO SEE HOW BIG
AND HOW AMAZING
AND HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS,
AND OF COURSE, SHE TALKED
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
HOW GLENN AND THE STARS
AND-AND THE OTHER STARS
WHO AREN'T FEATURED TONIGHT,
UH, HELPED TO, YOU KNOW,
PUT THE ISS IN PLACE
AND KEEP IT IN PLACE.
IT WAS JUST SUCH A GREAT SPEECH,
SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
UH, SO YOU'RE ALSO GONNA
HEAR FROM SOME OF
THE BRIGHTEST STARS
IN THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER,
WORKING EVERY DAY
TO BETTER LIFE ON EARTH,
AND ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF OUR UNIVERSE.
SO NOW, IT'S MY PLEASURE
TO INTRODUCE TO YOU
A VALUED COLLEAGUE AND SUPPORTER
OF NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
AND THE AEROSPACE
INDUSTRY IN OHIO.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
DR. CARLOS GRODSINSKY,
CHAIRMAN OF THE OHIO
AEROSPACE AND AVIATION COUNCIL,
AND CHIEF OPERATING
OFFICER OF ZIN TECHNOLOGIES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU, JEFF.
AS JEFF SAID,
I'M CARLOS GRODSINSKY,
AND, UH, I WOULD LIKE
TO THANK OAI,
AND CERTAINLY NASA GLENN
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
TO ADDRESS YOU TONIGHT.
I JOIN YOU IN CELEBRATING
THESE-- THOSE STARS AMONG US,
AS WE HAVE OVER HERE
TO OUR RIGHT,
WHOSE TALENT AND DEDICATION
SHAPED THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
THAT WE WILL HEAR ABOUT SOON.
THEY AND MANY OTHERS LIKE THEM
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
AND INSPIRE US TO WORK TOGETHER
TO BUILD AN EVEN
BRIGHTER FUTURE.
I AM SPEAKING TO YOU
AS CHAIRMAN OF THE OHIO
AEROSPACE AND AVIATION COUNCIL,
A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE
OHIO AEROSPACE AND AVIATION
TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE,
AND THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
AT ZIN TECHNOLOGIES.
I KNOW THAT'S A-A MOUTHFUL.
WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT
ALL THOSE–- WE HAVE–-
WE SAY OAAC AND OAATC, BUT IT,
UH, ANYWAY, THEY’RE TWO
SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND ENJ-- AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY
ZIN TECHNOLOGIES AN ENE–-
ENGINEERING FIRM
HERE IN NORTHEAST OHIO
WITH A LONG HISTORY SERVING
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER.
IN THIS CONTEXT, I AM SO PLEASED
TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUR TEAMWORK
AND HOW BY ALIGNING
OUR RESOURCES
AND COLLECTIVE FOCUS
WE ARE SUPPORTING
THE OHIO AEROSPACE
AND AVIATION INDUSTRY,
OUR FEDERAL ASSETS,
AND NASA GLENN IN PARTICULAR.
WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE
AND VALUE OF SUPPORTING
OUR FEDERAL ASSETS,
LIKE NASA GLENN.
AS AN EXAMPLE, I'D LIKE
TO SHARE WITH YOU NASA GLENN'S
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON NORTHEAST
OHIO HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED
TO PROVIDE 190% VALUE ADD
CONTRIBUTION, EXCEEDING
OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS,
UM, FROM OPERATION–-
OPERATING EXPENDITURES
HERE IN NORTHEAST OHIO.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS
OF ESTABLISHING A FORMAL
OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK
TO DEVELOP POLICY, INITIATIVES,
AND ADVOCACY FOR AEROSPACE
AND AVIATION IN OHIO
ACROSS THESE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT I JUST MENTIONED AND
INCLUDING OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS.
DURING THIS PROCESS,
I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU
A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF SYNERGY
WE HAVE ACHIEVED AND
HOW IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS YOU.
THROUGH COLLABORATIVE SUPPORT
AND ADVOCACY FROM
THE STATE'S AVIATION
AND AEROSPACE ORGANIZATIONS,
AS MENTIONED EARLIER,
OHIO RECENTLY INVESTED
EIGHTEEN MILLION DOLLARS
IN THE LAUNCH OF THE OHIO
FEDERAL RESEARCH NETWORK
TO SEED PROJECTS ALIGNED
TO NASA GLENN AND THE AIR FORCE
TECHNOLOGY NEEDS.
THIS INVESTMENT HAS GENERATED
THIRTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS
IN ADDITIONAL PROJECTS,
MANY OF WHICH DIRECTLY SUPPORT
THE NASA GLENN MISSIONS.
EXCUSE ME.
THE OHIO AEROSPACE
AND AVIATION COMMITTEE
IS RE-INVEGI-– RE-INVIGORATED,
THANK YOU, AND DEDICATED
TO SUPPORTING OUR PARTNERS
AND STARS HERE AT NASA GLENN
AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
OUR GOAL IS TO ACHIEVE
A SUSTAINED AND PROACTIVE
LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY.
ONE KEY FOCUS AREA WILL BE
THE HEALTH OF OUR FEDERAL
AEROSPACE AND AVIATION ASSETS,
WHILE IDENTIFYING
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
LEVERAGING THESE ASSETS.
THE COUNCIL IS PROUD TO HAVE
NASA GLENN AS A KEY MEMBER
AND TO PARTICIPATE IN SHAPING
THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.
BETWEEN ALL OF US
WORKING COHESIVELY
AND THE TALENTED
EXHIBIT-EXHIBITED BY OUR
THREE STARS, THERE IS NO LIMIT
TO WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
AND ON THIS NOTE, I WOULD
LIKE TO INTRODUCE
DR. JANET KAVANDI,
NASA GLENN’S CENTER DIRECTOR.
DECTER-- DR. KAVANDI
HAS BEEN GLENN'S DIRECTOR
FOR OVER TWO YEARS
AND WAS PREVIOUSLY
ITS DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
AS MANY KNOW, DR. KAVANDI
IS A VETERAN ASTRONAUT,
JOINING THE CORPS IN 1994
WITH THREE SPACEFLIGHTS LOGGING
A TOTAL OF THROUGH--
THIRTY-THREE DAYS,
TRAVELING OVER THIRTEEN MILLION
MILES DURING 535 ORBITS.
PLEASE WELCOME DR. KAVANDI.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CARLOS,
THAT WAS VERY NICE.
AND, UH, THANKS TO EVERYONE
FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
I KNOW IT'S, UH, SOMEWHAT
INCONVENIENT TO-TO WORK
A FULL DAY AND THEN COME OUT
AND, UH, SPEND SOME TIME HERE,
BUT WE HOPE WE'RE GONNA
MAKE THAT WORTH YOUR-
WORTH YOUR WHILE TONIGHT,
AND, UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE
ALL THE SUPPORT OF EVERYONE
WHO CAME TO SEE
OUR DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS.
THE SUBJECTS YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT
THIS EVENING ARE TECHNOLOGIES
THAT WERE ONLY POSSIBILITIES
A DECADE OR TWO AGO.
TODAY, THESE CAPABILITIES
ARE ACHIEVABLE AND WILL BECOME
A REALITY WITHIN OUR LIFETIME.
THE MEN AND WOMEN OF NASA GLENN
POSSESS AN IMAGINATION
IT TAKES TO CREATE A VISION,
AND EXPERTISE AND THE SKILL
TO TRANSFORM THAT VISION
INTO THE TECHNOLOGIES
THAT WILL ALLOW AIRCRAFT
TO FLY FASTER AND QUIETER.
THAT TECHNOLOGY WILL ALLOW
OUR SPACECRAFT TO CARRY
ASTRONAUTS TO NEW WORLDS
AND THEN COMMUNICATE WITH THEM
OVER VAST DISTANCES
OF DEEP SPACE.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED,
I JUST WANTED TO ALSO ADD
MY APPRECIATION TO JEFF
AND TO CARLOS, AND TO ANN AND
TO FELTON AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE
HERE, ALL OUR DISTINGUISHED
GUESTS WHO ARE HERE
AND PEOPLE THAT TRAVELED
FROM HEADQUARTERS
TO SUPPORT US TONIGHT.
SO THANKS TO EVERYONE
FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND
WE-WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR–-
AND VALUE YOUR PARTNERSHIPS.
LASTLY, I WANNA THANK THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF NASA GLENN,
WHO JUGGLED THEIR SCHEDULES
TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND FOR
ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE
OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS
TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS.
TO THE SPEAKERS AND
THOSE WHO ARE HERE
SUPPORTING THEM, THANK YOU.
I KNOW YOU SPENT LONG HOURS
AT WORK THIS WEEK, AND SO
YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT
THIS PROGRAM TONIGHT ON BEHALF
OF THE CENTER MEANS A LOT TO ME.
SINCE NASA GLENN’S BEGINNINGS,
THE CENTER HAS
BUILT A PORTFOLIO
OF RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGIES
THAT HAVE ALLOWED OUR NATION
TO EXPLORE, TO DISCOVER,
AND TO INNOVATE NOT ONLY
ON EARTH, BUT ALSO IN SPACE,
OF COURSE.
THE WORK WE DO AT NASA GLENN
IS EXCITING WORK.
ITS RESEARCH HAS MADE
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO
INCREASED AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE,
EFFICIENCY, AND SAFETY,
WHILE ALSO FURTHERING
OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE CHALLENGES
THAT WE NOW FACE
IN ADVANCING THOSE
SAME TECHNOLOGIES
IN THE DECADES AHEAD.
IT’S RESEARCH WORK
THAT'S PAVING THE WAY
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
OF HUMAN DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION.
OUR RESEARCH AND
GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES
ENABLE EXPLORATION
OF THE UNIVERSE
AND REVOLUTIONIZE AIR TRAVEL.
SINCE THE OPENING OF OUR CENTER,
NASA GLENN'S EXPERTISE
IN AIRCRAFT ICING
HAS MADE FLYING SAFER.
THE TECHNOLOGY-- TECHNOLOGIES
WE HAVE DEVELOPED HAVE HELPED
THE FLIGHT CREWS AVOID
ICY WEATHER CONDITIONS.
TUBE AND WING AIRCRAFT
HAVE BECOME AS CLEAN, QUIET,
AND FUEL EFFICIENCY
AS THEY CAN BE.
BUT ENGINEERS WILL TRANSFORM
THE TRADE SPACE TO DEVELOP
THE NEXT GENERATION
OF SUSTAINABLE
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT.
NASA GLENN IS DEVELOPING
A HYBRID AIRCRAFT–-
HYBRID ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
PROPULSION SYSTEM THAT WILL MAKE
COMMERCIAL FLIGHT CLEANER,
QUIETER, AND MORE
FUEL EFFICIENT.
AND AS A RESULT OF THIS WORK,
HYBRID ELECTRIC PASSENGER PLANES
ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN THE NEXT DECADE.
FROM MERCURY AND GEMINI
TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE AND
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
GLENN HAS SUPPORTED
NASA'S MAJOR SPACE PROGRAMS.
TODAY, WE ARE HELPING
THE AGENCY USHER IN A NEW ERA
OF EXPLORATION WITH
THE ORION SPACECRAFT AND
THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ROCKET.
IN SPACE, ELECTRIC PROPULSION
OPENS THE SOLAR SYSTEM
TO EXPLORATION.
ELECTRIC PROPULSION COMBINES
A MIX OF COST SAVINGS, SAFETY,
AND PROPULSIVE POWER
THAT MAKES IT THE BEST OPTION
FOR TAKING CARGO TO MARS
AND OTHER DEEP SPACE
DESTINATIONS.
SOLAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION
ALLOWS DEEP SPACE MISSIONS
TO CARRY MORE CARGO
AND USE SMALLER LAUNCH VEHICLES
WHILE REDUCING
THE MISSION COSTS.
BEST OF ALL, IT WILL ENABLE
AFFORDABLE HUMAN-CREWED MISSIONS
BEYOND LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
THIS WILL HELP SECURE
THE UNITED STATES’ LEADERSHIP
IN CREWED DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION
FOR YEARS TO COME.
THAT'S WHY NASA GLENN'S
PROPULSION DEVELOPMENT EXPERTISE
PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE
IN DEVELOPMENT OF
ORION'S EUROPEAN SERVICE MODULE
PROPULSION SYSTEM,
INCLUDING THE ORBITAL
MANEUVERING SYSTEM AND
THE SERVICE MODULE'S
AUXILIARY ENGINES.
THE SPACE POWER FACILITY
AT PLUM BROOK STATION HOUSES
THE WORLD'S LARGEST THERMAL
VACUUM CHAMBER AND THE MOST
POWERFUL ACOUSTICS CHAMBER
AND THE MOST POWERFUL SHAKE,
UH, SHAKER TABLE IN THE WORLD.
NEXT YEAR WE’LL BE WELCOMING
THE ORION SPACECRAFT CAPSULE
TO PLUM BROOK STATION
FOR TESTING THAT WILL HELP
ENSURE THE SAFETY
OF THE ASTRONAUT CREW
ON THEIR FIRST FLIGHT OF ORION.
NASA GLENN SPACE STATION
RESEARCH HAS IMPROVED
SPACE SYSTEMS NEEDED FOR
FUTURE DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION
MISSIONS AND PRODUCED NEW
PRODUCTS, OFFERING
ALSO BENEFITS ON EARTH.
OUR PHYSICAL SCIENCE
AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ENSURES
THE HEALTH, SAFETY,
AND PHYSICAL FITNESS OF
ASTRONAUTS ON THE SPACE STATION
AND ON FUTURE LONG DURATION
MISSIONS, SUCH AS
ON THEIR JOURNEY TO MARS.
WE GE-- STUDY THE DAMAGING
EFFECTS OF DEEP SPACE
AND DEVELOP COUNTERMEASURES
TO INCREASE ASTRONAUT
RESISTANCE, ENHANCE
THEIR CREW'S SAFETY,
AND EXTEND THE MISSIONS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR WORKFORCE
IS VERY UNIQUE
AND VERY DEDICATED
TO THEIR TRADE.
IT IS NOW MY PLEASURE
TO INTRODUCE
OUR EVENING'S PRESENTERS.
THEY ARE GOING TO APPEAR
BACK TO BACK WITH NO MIN--
INTERMISSION IN BETWEEN.
WE WILL BE HEARING FROM FIRST
MS. MARY LOBO.
MARY IS THE CHIEF OF
NASA GLENN'S TEST FACILITY
MANAGEMENT BRANCH, WHERE SHE IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING
ALL THE RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT GROUND
TEST FACILITIES AT THE LEWIS
FIELD CAMPUS IN CLEVELAND.
SHE AND HER TEAM FOCUS
ON LONG RAGE-- LONG RANGE
PLANNING AND MARKETING
OF FACILITIES TO INTERNAL
AND EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS,
COORDINATING AND
PRIORITIZING FACILITY
SCHEDULES AND MAINTENANCE,
AND AS-AND AS SHE AND HER TEAM
HELP CUSTOMERS BUY DOWN RISK
THROUGH THE USE OF UNIQUE
TEST FACILITY CAPABILITIES.
DR. AARON WEAVER, ALSO KNOWN AS
“ROCKET MAN”, NASA GLENN'S
CONTRACTING OFFICER’S
REPRESENTATIVE,
THE TECHNICAL LIAISON
BETWEEN A CONTRACTOR AND
THE GOVERNMENT FOR NASA'S
SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM PROGRAM'S
UNIVERSAL STAGE ADAPTER.
THIS IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT
THAT MARRIES THE ORION
CREW CAPSULE AND SERVICE MODULE
TO THE BODY OF THE SLS ROCKET,
SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ROCKET.
AARON PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER'S
POINT OF CONTACT
TO THE ORION PROGRAM, OVERSEEING
AND COORDINATING ACTIVITIES
IN SUPPORT OF THE CENTER'S
ORION PORTFOLIO,
WHICH INCLUDED SPACE ENVIRONMENT
TESTING OF THE EUROPEAN
SERVICE MODULE AND OTHER
RELATED ORION COMPONENTS.
AND FINALLY, DR. JANETTE BRIONES
IS A COMPUTERS ENGINEER
AT NASA GLENN'S INFORMATION
AND SIGNAL PROCESSING BRANCH.
SHE SERVES AS A COGNITIVE
SYSTEMS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT,
SUPPORTING THE SPACE
COMMUNICATION AND NAVIGATION,
OR SCAN PROGRAM.
SHE IS THE TECHNICAL LEAD
FOR THE COG--
THE COGNITIVE COMMUNICATION
PROJECT FOR ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE
LEARNING ALGORITHM DEVELOPMENT,
COLLABORATING WITH OTHER
NASA AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN
THE AREA OF COGNITIVE SYSTEMS.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY FOLLOW
US ON SOCIAL-SOCIAL MEDIA,
PLEASE USE OUR HANDLE
@NASAGLENN IN YOUR POSTS.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR
THOUGHTS ABOUT TONIGHT'S
PRESENTATIONS,
AND YOU CAN ALSO POST COMMENTS
TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
AND WITH THAT,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
IT IS MY PLEASURE
TO WELCOME OUR FIRST PRESENTER
TO THE STAGE.
PLEASE WELCOME MARY LOBO.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> WE HAVE DEVELOPED PLANES
THAT FLY AT SUPERSONIC SPEEDS.
WE'VE WALKED ON THE MOON,
CREATED A REUSABLE
SPACE SHUTTLE,
AN ORBITING LABORATORY,
AND NOW WE'RE DEVELOPING
A SPACE CRAFT TO TAKE US
TO MARS OR BEYOND.
NASA HAD HAD SO MANY
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
BUT NONE OF THAT
WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE,
NOR WOULD WE REACH
OUR FUTURE GOALS WITHOUT
STRINGENT GROUND TESTING.
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
HAS BUILT MANY WORLD CLASS
GROUND TEST FACILITIES
AT BOTH LEWIS FIELD
AND PLUM BROOK STATION,
AND AS THE CHIEF OF THE TEST
FACILITY MANAGEMENT BRANCH,
MY TEAM AND I ARE CHARGED WITH
ENSURING THAT THE FACILITIES
AT LEWIS FIELD
ARE READY TO TEST,
AND WE ADVOCATE FOR WAYS
TO IMPROVE THEM
TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMANDS
OF THE FUTURE.
I'LL SHARE WITH YOU
A FEW EXAMPLES.
AT GRC, WE HAVE THREE FACILITIES
WHERE WE TEST
AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS,
SCALED AIRCRAFT MODELS,
AS WELL AS SCALED
SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLES
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW AIR
MOVES THROUGH AND AROUND THEM.
THE ARE THE 10X10 FOOT
SUPERSONIC WIND TUNNEL,
THE 8X6 FOOT TRANSONIC
WIND TUNNEL,
AND THE 9X15 FOOT
LOW SPEED WIND TUNNEL.
IN THE 8X6 FOOT
TRANSONIC WIND TUNNEL,
WE CAN ACHIEVE AIR SPEEDS
UP TO 1300 MILES PER HOUR.
AND IN THE 10X10,
2700 MILES PER HOUR.
IN BOTH TUNNELS,
WE USE LARGE HYDRAULIC JACKS
TO PUSH AND PULL
ON EACH OF THE TUNNEL WALLS
TO CREATE THE CONTOUR
THAT'S NEEDED TO ACHIEVE
THOSE AIR SPEEDS.
YOU'LL SEE IN A TIME LAPSE VIDEO
AS NEARLY INCH-AND-A-HALF THICK
STAINLESS STEEL WALLS
ARE FORCED TO FLEX
ABOUT 3 FEET
TO MEET THOSE CONDITIONS.
IN THE 9X15 FOOT TUNNEL,
WE ACHIEVE AIR SPEEDS
UP TO 175 MILES PER HOUR
AND WE SIMULATE
TAKEOFF, APPROACH,
AND LANDING CONDITIONS.
AND THIS TUNNEL REMAINS
IN HIGH DEMAND FOR TESTS
IN REDUCING AIRCRAFT NOISE,
BUT AS AIRPLANES GET QUIETER,
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT OUR TUNNEL
GET QUIETER, TOO.
SO IN OUR ACOUSTIC
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION
IN LATE 2018,
WE ARE REFURBISHING
MULTIPLE SECTIONS
OF THE WIND TUNNEL CIRCUIT,
INCLUDING MAKING SMOOTHER
WALLS AND TURNS,
LENGTHENING...
[ INDISTINCT ]
ABOVE OUR ATMOSPHERE,
THE CHALLENGES CONTINUE.
THE CONDITION OF WEIGHTLESSNESS
THAT ONE WOULD
EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED
HERE ON EARTH BY BEING
IN A STATE OF FREE FALL.
SO TO MIMIC THIS CONDITION,
IN THE 1960S,
GRC BUILT THE WORLD'S TALLEST
LOW GRAVITY DROP TOWER,
CALLED THE ZERO GRAVITY
RESEARCH FACILITY,
OR ZERO-G FOR SHORT.
NOW, ZERO-G IS A 28-FOOT
DIAMETER HOLE IN THE GROUND THAT
EXTENDS ABOUT 500 FEET DEEP.
THERE WE LOAD EXPERIMENTS
INTO A DROP VEHICLE,
PLACE A CAP OVER THE CHAMBER,
AND REMOVE THE AIR.
WHEN THE DROP VEHICLE
FREE FALLS,
THE EXPERIMENT INSIDE
WILL EXPERIENCE WEIGHTLESSNESS
FOR ONE, TWO, THREE,
FOUR, FIVE SECONDS
BEFORE LANDING IN A BED
OF STYROFOAM PELLETS.
WE CAN CONDUCT
TWO DROPS PER DAY,
AND WE AVERAGE ABOUT
A HUNDRED DROPS PER YEAR.
BUT IN THOSE PRECIOUS
FIVE SECONDS PER DROP,
WE HAVE CONDUCTED FUNDAMENTAL
STUDIES IN MANY AREAS,
INCLUDING MATERIALS SCIENCE,
FLUID PHYSICS, AND COMBUSTION,
JUST TO NAME A FEW.
RECENTLY AT GRC,
WE BEGAN INVESTIGATING WAYS
TO EXTEND THE DURATION
OF WEIGHTLESSNESS WITHIN
THE SAME FOOTPRINT OF ZERO-G.
WE CALL ONE CONCEPT
AN ELECTROMAGNETIC DROP TOWER.
IN THIS CONCEPT,
EXPERIMENTS ARE LOADED
INTO A VEHICLE AT GROUND LEVEL,
THEN SLOWLY LOWERED
ALONG THE RAILS
OF A VERTICAL MAGLEV TRAIN
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAMBER,
AND THEN,
LIKE AN AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE,
ACCELERATE UP TO THE TOP
AND BACK DOWN AGAIN,
EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING
TEN SECONDS OF WEIGHTLESSNESS.
THE ADDITIONAL FIVE SECONDS
OF WEIGHTLESSNESS
CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO
ADDITIONAL FIELDS OF STUDY,
SUCH AS PLANT GROWTH,
FIRE SAFETY,
AND EVEN THE HUMAN CELLULAR
RESPONSE TO WEIGHTLESSNESS.
IN ADDITION TO WEIGHTLESSNESS,
THE EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES
IN THE ABSENCE OF AIR MOLECULES
ARE THE OTHER DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN EARTH AND SPACE.
THEY HAVE MADE
REALISTIC GROUND TESTING
ESSENTIAL FOR OUR SUCCESS.
AT GRC, WE HAVE ABOUT
TWO DOZEN CHAMBERS
IN WHICH WE SIMULATE
THIS VACUUM OF SPACE
TO TEST EVERYTHING
FROM SMALL COMPONENTS
TO LARGE SPACECRAFT ASSEMBLIES.
WHEN FULLY EVACUATED,
THE ENVIRONMENT INSIDE
OF THESE METAL CONTAINERS
IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT
OF LOW EARTH ORBIT.
THE PRIMARY USE FOR MOST OF
OUR CHAMBERS AT LEWIS FIELD
IS TO TEST ELECTRIC
PROPULSION DEVICES.
NOW THESE DEVICES ARE
ALSO KNOWN AS ION ENGINES
OR THRUSTERS,
ARE HIGHLY EFFICIENT ENGINES
THAT CAN USE GAS
AS A PROPELLANT,
BUT THEY ONLY OPERATE IN SPACE.
AT GRC, WE ACTUALLY DEVELOPED
THE FIRST ION ENGINE.
IT WAS ACTUALLY
DR. HAROLD KAUFMAN
WHO DEVELOPED THIS ENGINE HERE
IN OUR LARGEST FACILITIES
AT LEWIS FIELD.
BACK THEN, FACILITY FIVE AND SIX
WERE MADE IN THE 1960S
TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT
OF ION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY.
NOW VACUUM FACILITY FIVE,
OR VF-5 AS WE CALL IT,
IS A WORKHORSE FACILITY
FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION
BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE ABILITY TO
MAINTAIN A HIGHLY PURE VACUUM,
EVEN WHEN GAS FROM A THRUSTER
IS BEING ADDED TO THE CHAMBER.
THE RATE AT WHICH WE
EVACUATE AIR OR GAS
FROM A CHAMBER IS WHAT WE CALL
THE PUMPING SPEED,
AND VF-5 HAS THE HIGHEST
THEORETICAL PUMPING SPEED
IN THE WORLD
AT THREE AND A HALF MILLION
LITERS PER SECOND.
AT THREE AND A HALF MILLION
LITERS PER SECOND,
YOU COULD EVACUATE
ALL OF THE AIR OUT
OF CLEVELAND'S TERMINAL TOWER
IN LESS THAN ONE MINUTE.
VACUUM FACILITY SIX
IS OUR LARGEST CHAMBER
AT LEWIS FIELD,
AND IT'S EQUIPPED
WITH AN INTERIOR SHROUD
THAT CAN GET DOWN TO
-330 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
TO SIMULATE THE COLD
ENVIRONMENT IN SPACE.
NOW WITH THE INSTALLATION
OF THE INTERIOR SHROUD,
THE VF-6 HAS BEEN
THE GO-TO FACILITY
FOR CLEAN POWER TESTING
FOR MANY YEARS.
BUT IN 2016,
AS WE BEGAN TO USE VF-6 AGAIN
FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION TESTING,
WE COVERED THE INTERIOR SHROUD
WITH THIN CARBON SHEETING
IN ORDER TO PROTECT IT
FROM THE THRUSTERS' EXHAUST.
AND SINCE THAT TIME,
WE HAVE ONCE AGAIN
SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTED ELECTRIC
PROPULSION TESTING HERE.
NOW WE ARE INVESTIGATING WAYS
TO IMPROVE THE PUMPING CAPACITY
OF VF-6 TO BE EQUIVALENT TO,
OR EVEN SURPASS THAT
OF VF-5, SO THAT WE MAY
TEST HIGHER POWER,
HIGHER THRUST ENGINES THERE,
BECAUSE THESE ARE
THE TYPES OF ENGINES
THAT WE'LL NEED
TO POWER OUR SPACECRAFT
FOR OUR MISSIONS
TO MARS AND BEYOND.
IMPROVEMENTS
AND SUSTAINED INVESTMENTS
IN OUR FACILITIES
HAVE ALLOWED GRC
TO OFFER UNIQUE TESTING
ENVIRONMENTS TO NASA,
OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES,
ACADEMIA, AS WELL AS
OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
AS NASA CONTINUES
TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES
OF SPACE EXPLORATION
IN THE ENVELOPE OF
AERONAUTIC ADVANCEMENTS,
GRC WILL BE ON THE FOREFRONT
OF SPECIALIZED TESTING
AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
BY CONDUCTING AMAZING RESEARCH
IN AMAZING FACILITIES
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL.
THANK YOU.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> THIS IS GENE,
AND I'M ON THE SURFACE.
AND AS I TAKE MAN'S LAST STEP
FROM THE SURFACE BACK HOME
FOR SOME TIME TO COME,
BUT WE BELIEVE NOT TOO LONG
INTO THE FUTURE,
I'D LIKE TO JUST LET
WHAT I BELIEVE
HISTORY WILL RECORD,
THAT AMERICA'S CHALLENGE
OF TODAY HAS FORGED
MAN'S DESTINY OF TOMORROW.
AND AS WE LEAVE THE MOON
IN TAURUS–LITTROW,
WE LEAVE AS WE CAME AND,
GOD WILLING, AS WE SHALL RETURN,
WITH PEACE AND HOPE
FOR ALL MANKIND.
>> WITH THOSE WORDS,
HUMANS LEFT THE MOON
FOR THE LAST TIME.
IN FACT, IT WAS THE LAST TIME
THAT HUMANS HAVE LEFT
LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
THAT WAS APOLLO 17
IN DECEMBER OF 1972.
SPACE EXPLORATION IS HARD.
IT WAS HARD WHEN THE GOAL
WAS TO WALK ON THE MOON.
IT'S EVEN HARDER NOW THAT
THE GOAL IS TO PUT
FOOTPRINTS ON MARS.
HERE'S A TYPICAL PICTURE
OF THE NIGHT SKY.
THE MOON IS PRETTY EASY TO FIND.
IT'S RELATIVELY CLOSE TO US,
IT'S A JOURNEY
OF ABOUT THREE DAYS.
CAN YOU FIND MARS?
IF YOU'RE LOOKING
AT THE BRIGHT SPOT IN
THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER,
YOU'VE FOUND VENUS.
MARS IS ACTUALLY HERE.
IT'S A SMALL SPECK
IN THE NIGHT SKY.
IT'S A JOURNEY
OF ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
IT'S A PRETTY DIFFICULT TARGET
TO GET TO,
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WANT
TO SEND PEOPLE THERE,
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO.
THERE ARE MANY BARRIERS
IN GETTING THERE,
INCLUDING TECHNICAL,
PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND POLITICAL.
BUT NASA HAS A PLAN
FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION
COMPRISING THE WORLD'S LARGEST
AND MOST POWERFUL ROCKET,
THE MOST CAPABLE
HUMAN SPACECRAFT,
AN UPGRADED LAUNCH FACILITY,
AND A MISSION PLAN THAT
CULMINATES IN A CREWED
JOURNEY TO MARS.
WE WILL, FOR THE FIRST TIME
SINCE THE END OF APOLLO,
SEND PEOPLE AWAY FROM
THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF EARTH
TO EXPLORE A FOREIGN WORLD.
APOLLO LAUNCHED ON THE TOP
OF A SATURN V ROCKET
AND THE SATURN V REMAINS
THE LARGEST AND MOST POWERFUL
ROCKET EVER LAUNCHED.
THE ROCKET THAT NASA
IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING
TO LAUNCH THE ORION SPACECRAFT
IS REFERRED TO AS
THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM,
OR THE SLS.
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA
OF THE SIZE OF THESE ROCKETS,
IF YOU WERE TO PUT THE FIRST SLS
DOWN ON A FOOTBALL FIELD,
THE BOTTOM OF THE ROCKET
WOULD BE IN ONE END ZONE,
AND THE TOP OF THE ROCKET
WOULD STRETCH SOMEPLACE
THE CLEVELAND BROWNS
OFTEN HAVE TROUBLE FINDING...
[ LAUGHTER ]
THE OTHER END ZONE.
THE SLS IS BEING DEVELOPED
THROUGH A BLOCK
UPGRADE APPROACH.
THE FIRST SLS
FOR EXPLORATION MISSION 1
IS REFERRED TO AS BLOCK 1.
THE BLOCK 1 ROCKET
WILL BE ABLE TO DELIVER
MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PAYLOAD
OF CURRENT LAUNCH VEHICLES
TO LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
AND IT'S THIS FIRST ROCKET
THAT WILL DELIVER
AN UNCREWED ORION SPACECRAFT
AROUND THE MOON AND BACK AGAIN
FOR EXPLORATION MISSION 1,
WHICH WILL BE THE FURTHEST
WE'VE EVER TESTED
A HUMAN RATED SPACECRAFT.
ROCKETS ARE TYPICALLY STAGED
TO REDUCE WEIGHT
AS THEY BURN FUEL,
AND THE SLS IS NO DIFFERENT.
THE CORE STAGE IS
THE MAIN BODY OF THE ROCKET
AND HOUSES THE FUEL
FOR ITS FOUR MAIN ENGINES
AND THE AVIONICS FOR THE ROCKET.
THE CORE STAGE WILL BE
THE TALLEST ROCKET STAGE
EVER BUILT.
THE INTERIM CRYOGENIC
PROPULSION STAGE
IS THE UPPER STAGE
FOR THE BLOCK 1 ROCKET,
AND IT WILL PROVIDE THE THRUST
TO LIFT ORION
OUT OF LOW-EARTH ORBIT
ONTO ITS HISTORIC FIRST JOURNEY
TO THE MOON.
THE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS
ARE HERITAGE TECHNOLOGY
FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE ERA
WITH A LITTLE EXTRA KICK.
THESE BOOSTERS,
EACH TALLER THAN THE SIZE
OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,
AND THEY WILL PROVIDE
THE MAJORITY OF THE THRUST
FOR THE ROCKET AT LIFTOFF.
TWO FULL-SCALE TESTS
OF THESE BOOSTERS
HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED,
PAVING THE WAY
FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT.
FOR THE FIRST CREWED MISSION
OF THE ORION SPACECRAFT,
NASA WILL UPGRADE THE ROCKET
TO WHAT IS REFERRED TO
AS BLOCK 1B.
THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE BLOCK 1
AND BLOCK 1B VEHICLES
IS THE ADDITION OF
THE EXPLORATION UPPER STAGE.
WITH THIS ENHANCED UPPER STAGE,
THE SLS WILL BE ABLE TO DELIVER
MORE THAN TRIPLE THE PAYLOAD
OF CURRENT LAUNCH VEHICLES
TO LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
AND IT'S WITH THIS ENHANCED
UPPER STAGE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE
TO CARRY NOT JUST PEOPLE
ON THE ORION SPACECRAFT,
BUT NASA'S ALSO PLANNING
A SERIES OF PAYLOADS
THAT WE WILL DELIVER
TO THE AREA AROUND THE MOON.
THESE PAYLOADS MAKE UP
WHAT WE'RE CALLING
THE DEEP SPACE GATEWAY,
A KIND OF MINI SPACE STATION
AROUND THE MOON THAT WILL BE
OUR JUMPING-OFF POINT
TO GO TO MARS.
THE NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
IS PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE
IN ALL OF THIS.
WE ARE TASKED WITH MANAGING
AND DEVELOPING THE STRUCTURES
AT THE TOP OF THE ROCKET,
WHETHER IT'S CARRYING CREW
OR CARGO OFF THE PLANET.
EARLIER THIS YEAR,
WE AWARDED A CONTRACT
TO DYNETICS WITH THEIR PARTNERS
RUAG, SISTEMA,
AND LOCAL CLEVELAND COMPANIES
AND TECHNOLOGIES
TO DEVELOP AND BUILD
THE UNIVERSAL STAGE ADAPTER,
OR THE USA.
ITS PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO ADAPT
THE LARGER DIAMETER OF THE SLS
UPPER STAGE TO THE SMALLER
DIAMETER ORION SPACECRAFT.
IT PROVIDES THE STRUCTURE
TO SAFELY CARRY THE ORION
FROM GROUND TO ORBIT.
IN ADDITION TO CARRYING
THE ORION, THE USA WILL ALSO
HOUSE THE PAYLOADS THAT MAKE UP
THE DEEP SPACE GATEWAY.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
A ROCKET OF THIS SIZE PRODUCES
A LOT OF HEAT, NOISE,
AND VIBRATION,
AND THE USA WILL PROVIDE
A REASONABLE ENVIRONMENT
FOR THOSE PAYLOADS
TO SURVIVE THEIR TRIP TO ORBIT.
IN ADDITION TO
THE UNIVERSAL STAGE ADAPTER,
WHICH WILL BE USED
ON CREWED MISSIONS OF THE SLS,
THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
ALSO LEADS THE DEVELOPMENT
OF PAYLOAD FAIRINGS,
WHICH WILL BE USED ON PLANNED
CARGO MISSIONS OF THE SLS.
FAIRINGS ARE USED
TO HOUSE SPACECRAFT
WHEN THE CREWED ORION CAPSULE
ISN'T RIDING ON TOP.
THE SLS WILL ALLOW US
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DREAM
OF LARGE SPACE TELESCOPES
AND PLANETARY EXPLORERS
THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE
ON OTHER LAUNCH VEHICLES.
IT COULD ALSO CUT
THE TRANSIT TIME
TO DISTANT LOCATIONS.
IT COULD CUT THE TIME TO TRAVEL
TO THE JOVIAN MOON EUROPA FROM
AROUND SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS
TO A LITTLE OVER
TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
THIS REDUCTION IN TIME
IS IMPORTANT TO BOTH
THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE PROBES
THAT HAVE TO SURVIVE
THE HARSH ENVIRONMENTS OF SPACE
AND TO THE RESEARCHERS
WHO TRADITIONALLY HAVE
LONG WAIT TIMES FROM LAUNCHING
THEIR SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS
TO ACTUALLY COLLECTING
SCIENCE DATA.
LET ME TRANSITION A LITTLE BIT
TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE PLAN
TO USE THE SLS AND ORION
TO BUILD THE CAPABILITY
TO GO TO MARS.
EARLIER, I TOUCHED ON
WHAT WE'RE CALLING
THE DEEP SPACE GATEWAY.
IT WILL BE A STRUCTURE
AROUND THE MOON
WITH POWER, PROPULSION,
A DOCKING CAPABILITY,
AND A SMALL PLACE
FOR THE CREW TO LIVE IN.
IT WILL ALLOW ASTRONAUTS
TO BEGIN BUILDING
AND TESTING THE SYSTEMS
NEEDED FOR CRITICAL MISSIONS
TO DEEP SPACE DESTINATIONS.
IN ADDITION TO ACTIVITIES
AROUND THE MOON,
THE GATEWAY CAN ALSO BE USED
AS A JUMPING OFF POINT
TO GO TO OTHER DESTINATIONS
LIKE MARS.
THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
IS LEADING THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE FIRST ELEMENT
OF THE DEEP SPACE GATEWAY,
WHICH WILL LAUNCH ON
EXPLORATION MISSION 2 AND BEGIN
THIS EXCITING NEW CHAPTER
OF DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION.
AND ALL OF THE GATEWAY ELEMENTS
WILL LAUNCH UNDERNEATH EITHER
A USA OR A PAYLOAD FAIRING
LED OUT OF GLENN,
SO IT'S A VERY EXCITING TIME
FOR SPACEFLIGHT DEVELOPMENT
AT THE CENTER.
I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU
WITH WHAT I THINK IS ONE OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT IMPACTS
OF THE SLS AND ORION.
THIS IS MY SON
WITH PEGGY WHITSON
AT THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB
IN HOUSTON.
MY KIDS ARE LUCKY
TO BE EXPOSED TO THE WORK
THAT WE DO EVERY DAY,
BUT EACH ONE OF US HERE
HAS THE ABILITY TO INSPIRE
AND EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON
YOU'RE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT,
WE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY
AND THE RESPONSIBILITY
TO INSPIRE THE IMAGINATION
AND CREATIVITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE
IN THIS COUNTRY.
APOLLO 17, THAT LAST MISSION
TO THE MOON THAT I BEGAN
THIS PRESENTATION WITH,
GAVE US THIS ICONIC PICTURE.
IT WAS A PICTURE THAT SHOWED
EVERYONE HOW BEAUTIFUL
AND FRAGILE OUR PLANET IS.
APOLLO INSPIRED
A GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS
AND INVENTORS.
I GREW UP
IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE ERA,
AND THAT'S WHAT INSPIRED ME.
MUCH LIKE APOLLO,
THE SPACE SHUTTLE
AND THE SPACE STATION
HAVE INSPIRED KIDS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
TO PURSUE SCIENCE
AND TECHNICAL CAREERS.
THE SLS AND ORION
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO THE SAME.
THIS IS A PICTURE
OF PEOPLE IN TIMES SQUARE
WATCHING THE LANDING
OF THE CURIOSITY ROVER.
THESE ARE THE FACES OF PEOPLE
INSPIRED BY THE LANDING
OF A ROBOT ON MARS.
A ROBOT.
IMAGINE WHAT THESE FACES
WILL LOOK LIKE
WHEN WE LAND PEOPLE ON MARS.
NASA AND THE WORK THAT WE DO
IS INSPIRING,
AND I HOPE THAT OUR WORK
WILL INSPIRE MY CHILDREN
AND FUTURE GENERATIONS
AROUND THE WORLD.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> NASA IS ON A QUEST TO EXPLORE
THE INFINITE UNIVERSE,
TO UNDERSTAND ITS ORIGIN
AS WELL AS OUR PLANET'S OWN.
THE ROLE OF THE SPACE
COMMUNICATION
AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM
IS TO CONNECT THE UNIVERSE.
SCAN COMMUNICATION
AND INFRASTRUCTURE
IS A CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
OF ALL NASA MISSIONS.
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE
IS NO SMALL TASK
BECAUSE IT'S A VAST SPACE.
THE RECENT DEVELOPMENT
OF COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGIES
IS A NEW TRUST
IN THE ARCHITECTURE
OF FUTURE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
THESE TECHNOLOGIES
ARE INNOVATION TO MAKE
NASA COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
MORE EFFICIENT AND RESILIENT
FOR NEW MISSIONS
EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF SPACE.
SO WHAT MAKES
A SYSTEM COGNITIVE?
COGNITION IS THE PROCESS
OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
AND UNDERSTANDING
THROUGH THOUGHT EXPERIENCE
AND SENSING.
THE KEY TRANSFORMATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY IN A COGNITIVE SYSTEM
IS THE ABILITY TO LEARN.
A CHILD LEARNS
HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR
BY WATCHING OTHERS
AND THEN GOES THROUGH
THE EXPERIENCE THEMSELVES.
COMPUTERS THAT POSSESS
THAT INTELLIGENCE ARE-ARE CALLED
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
WE DON'T WANT TO PROGRAM
EVERY COMPUTER
WITH EVERY POSSIBLE OPTION
TO OPEN THE DOOR,
SO WE USE A TYPE
OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
CALLED MACHINE LEARNING.
THAT IS, COMPUTERS CAN LEARN,
THEN ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT
WITHOUT BEING EXPLICITLY
PROGRAMMED WITH EVERY POSSIBLE
OPTION TO OPEN A DOOR.
A COGNITIVE ENGINE
HAS THE ABILITY TO SENSE
THE ENVIRONMENT,
MAKE OBSERVATIONS,
LEARN FROM PREVIOUS ACTIONS,
AND THEN PROCEED TO MEET
ITS SPECIFIED OBJECTIVES.
THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN KEY
TO ADAPTING
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
TO SELF-DRIVING CARS.
SUCH A VEHICLE IS CAPABLE
OF DETECTING AND SENSING
THE ENVIRONMENT,
MAKING DECISIONS AND NAVIGATING
WITHOUT A HUMAN INPUT.
THEY HAVE ULTRASONIC SENSORS
THAT WORK ALONG A GPS RECEIVER,
LIDARS, RADARS, AND CAMERAS
THAT PROVIDE 250 METERS
OF SENSING RANGE.
THAT IS MORE THAN THE LENGTH
OF TWO FOOTBALL FIELDS.
THESE ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE MACHINES
ARE CAPABLE OF LEARNING
WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER
SOMETHING NEW OR UNFAMILIAR
TO ITS PROGRAMING,
LIKE HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD.
A COGNITIVE ENGINE WILL LEARN
FROM EACH NEW ENCOUNTER
SO THAT THE NEXT TIME
IT COMES ACROSS
A BUMP IN THE ROAD,
IT WILL SLOW DOWN
TO GO OVER IT SAFELY.
COGNITIVE SYSTEMS RELY
ON SENSORS TO PROVIDE INPUTS
TO AN ONBOARD COMPUTER,
WHICH IS RUNNING
MACHINE LEARNING
AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
COGNITIVE SYSTEMS
HAVE CAPTIVATED THE WORLD,
BRINGING MANY INSTRUMENTS
TO MACHINE LEARNING
AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
JUST OVER A YEAR AGO,
WE SAW A MAJOR MILESTONE
WHEN ALPHAGO TOOK ON
AND DEFEATED ONE OF THE WORLD'S
TOP GO PLAYERS.
ALPHAGO IS A ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE COMPUTER PROGRAM
THAT PLAYS THE BOARD GAME OF GO.
THE GAME OF GO
ORIGINATED FROM CHINA
MORE THAN 2,500 YEARS AGO
AND IS AN ABSTRACT
WAR SIMULATION.
ALPHAGO SHOWED
YET ANOTHER WAY THAT COMPUTERS
COULD BE DEVELOPED
TO PERFORM BETTER THAN HUMANS
IN VERY HIGHLY COMPLEX TASKS.
THESE OFFER A GLIMPSE
OF THE NEW PROMISE
OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
THAT MIMIC THE WAY
THE BRAIN FUNCTIONS.
IT'S NOT JUST FOR FUN.
COGNITION IS MAKING ITS MARK
ON HEALTHCARE TODAY.
MACHINE LEARNING
IS BEING UTILIZED IN
THE ONGOING FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
AND OTHER AGE-RELATED DISEASES.
COGNITIVE DEVICES ALLOW SURGEONS
TO PERFORM SURGERIES
WITH FINE DETAIL
AND IN TIGHT SPACES
THAT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE
BY THE HUMAN HAND ALONE.
SO HOW CAN THIS
POWERFUL TECHNOLOGY BE LEVERAGED
FOR NASA COMMUNICATION NEEDS?
IN MANY WAYS.
NASA'S COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY
OF ALL NASA SATELLITES,
GROUND STATIONS, AND SPACECRAFT
IS SIMILAR TO THE SENSORS
IN A SELF-DRIVING CAR.
ITS COMMUNICATION ASSET,
ITS RADIO, IS ITSELF A SENSOR
THAT PROVIDES A UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE AT A GIVEN POSITION
IN THE UNIVERSE.
BY HARNESSING
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION,
BETTER DECISIONS CAN BE MADE
ON HOW DATA MOVES
BETWEEN SPACE, VEHICLES,
AND RESEARCH AND SCIENTISTS
ON THE GROUND.
THE COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIONS
PROJECT AIMS TO KEEP THE
UNIVERSE SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED.
THE NEXT PART OF THE RESEARCH
IS TO ADD COGNITIVE ENGINES
FOR NEW CAPABILITIES FOR
A NEW GENERATION OF AUTONOMOUS
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
BY MERGING SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
AND MACHINE LEARNING,
WE WILL INCREASE EFFICIENCY,
OPTIMALITY, AND RELIABILITY
OVER COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIONS.
THE USER-INITIATED SURVEYS
IS ONE OF MANY CAPABILITIES
WE ARE DEVELOPING.
IT'S EASY TO EXPLAIN
BY USING A CELL PHONE
AS AN ANALOGY.
YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS
WITH YOUR CELL PHONE,
SCHEDULE YOUR CALL
THREE WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
THIS IS HOW NASA COMMUNICATIONS
WORKS TODAY.
YOU REQUEST TIME
TO USE SATELLITE-SATELLITE
THREE WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
TIME ASSIGNMENTS ARE MADE
AND-- BY SYSTEM PLANNERS
AND ALL OF THE DECISIONS
ARE ANNOUNCED ONE WEEK
IN ADVANCE OF OPERATION.
WHAT MAKES THIS
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT
IS THAT THE PERSON REQUESTING
NEEDS TO KNOW HOW MUCH TIME
AND EXACTLY WHICH SATELLITE
THEY INTEND TO USE.
ANOTHER SITUATION
ON ENCOUNTER ON EARTH
IS THE WAY WE HANDLE
INTERFERENCE.
AGAIN, LET'S TAKE
THIS CELL PHONE AS AN ANALOGY.
ON THE GROUND,
YOU CAN HANG UP AND REDIAL
OR USE A LANDLINE
OR EVEN BORROW A FRIEND'S PHONE
IF THERE'S STATIC ON THE LINE.
WE DON'T HAVE THIS OPTION
IN SPACE.
TRADITIONAL RADIOS
ARE DESIGNED TO COMMUNICATE
AT A SINGLE FREQUENCY
AND BANDWIDTH.
WHEN INTERFERENCE
IS ENCOUNTERED,
THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE
EXCEPT TO KEEP TRANSMITTING
AND HOPE THAT THIS SIGNAL
IMPROVES OVER TIME.
AFTER ALL, IT TOOK THREE WEEKS
TO SCHEDULE THIS EVENT.
ANOTHER SITUATION
IS IF INTERFERENCE
IS OCCURRING AT ONE END
OF OUR ALLOCATED SPECTRUM BAND,
WHY NOT USE THE OTHER END?
WE'RE DEVELOPING METHODS
TO SEND DATA THE BEST WAY
TO KEEP ON COMMUNICATING,
SO IN ORDER TO DO THIS, UM,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
IS HELPFUL HERE
BECAUSE YOU CAN CLASSIFY
THE PRIORITY OF THE DATA
AND MAKE BE--
AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS
ON-ON THE COMMUNICATION LINK.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING
ON METHODS TO ALLOCATE
SATELLITE TIME,
JUST HOURS IN ADVANCE,
NOT WEEKS.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING
IN THE PROCESS TO MAKE THIS
A MORE USER FRIENDLY PROCESS
BY AUTOMATICALLY SELECTING, UH,
SATELLITES AND GROUND STATIONS
THAT WILL PROVIDE
EQUIVALENT QUALITY OF SERVICE.
USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,
WE WILL MAKE
OUR SCHEDULING SYSTEM
MORE EFFICIENT
AND WITH FASTER RESPONSE TIME.
WE ARE DEVELOPING
COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGIES
IN OUR QUEST TO CONNECT
THE UNIVERSE.
SPACE COMMUNICATION MOVES
AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
AND THIS IS HOW, UM,
SPACE COMMUNICATION
WILL BE BASED-BASED ON THOSE
WITH GREAT IDEA
TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS,
REVEAL THE UNKNOWN,
AND BENEFIT ALL HUMANKIND.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE
COGNITIVE COMMUNICATION TEAM,
INDUSTRY, AND ACADEMIA
FOR WORKING TOGETHER
TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> I HOPE YOU FOUND THAT
AS IMPRESSIVE AS I DID.
I THINK WE ALL LEARNED
A LOT TONIGHT,
SO PLEASE THANK
OUR THREE SPEAKERS AGAIN.
YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA–-
[ APPLAUSE ]
MARY, AARON, AND JANETTE,
THAT IS REALLY DIFFICULT
TO PREPARE THIS
AND PRESENT IT TO-TO FOLKS.
IT'S PRETTY NERVE WRACKING
AS WELL AS YOU CAN TELL.
SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE
THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION
TO PREPARE THIS,
UH, EVENING'S EVENT
FOR YOU ALL TONIGHT.
SO YOU'VE SEEN A GLIMPSE
OF HOW NASA GLENN
AND ITS INCREDIBLE RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES
ARE SHAPING
THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.
OUR PRESENTERS ARE EXAMPLES
OF THE KIND OF PEOPLE
THAT DRIVE NASA GLENN'S
MOST CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH
AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
THAT WILL LEAD US
INTO THE FUTURE ON EARTH
AND IN SPACE, AND WE--
AS WE SEEK NEW DISCOVERIES
AND INCREASED UNDERSTANDING
OF THE WORLD AROUND US.
SO THIS WILL CONCLUDE
OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT.
PLEASE JOIN US OUTSIDE.
I THINK WE HAVE SOME CAKE
AND COFFEE FOR EVERYONE
IN THE RECEPTION AREA.
AND, UH, YOU ARE ABLE
TO TALK TO OUR SPEAKERS
AND ASK MORE QUESTIONS.
AND ANYONE HERE TONIGHT
WILL TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE WORK THEY DO.
I KNOW THEY'RE ALL VERY PROUD
AND BE HAPPY
TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
THANK YOU AGAIN
FOR COMING HERE TONIGHT
AND SAFE TRAVELS
ON YOUR WAY HOME.
GOOD EVENING.
[ APPLAUSE ]