>> WELCOME, EVERYONE.
UM, I THINK I'M OUTRANKED HERE
ON THE PODIUM TONIGHT.
UH, PRETTY CONSIDERABLY, SO--
BUT I-- IT'S A GREAT HONOR
FOR ME TO BE HERE.
I'M, UH, DENNIS IRWIN.
I'M-- I HAVE TWO ROLES IN OHIO.
I'M CHAIRMAN OF THE OHIO
AEROSPACE INSTITUTE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES,
AND I'M ALSO DEAN
OF THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
AND-AND-- RUSS COLLEGE
OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AT OHIO UNIVERSITY, SO, UM,
ON BEHALF OF THE OHIO
AEROSPACE INSTITUTE,
IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE
AND PRIVILEGE
TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU
TO THIS FIFTH ANNUAL NASA GLENN
EVENING WITH THE STARS.
TONIGHT, WE CELEBRATE NOT ONLY
THE CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH
AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
TAKING PLACE EVERY DAY AT
THE NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER,
BUT ALSO THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY
OF NASA ITSELF.
WE'RE ESPECIALLY HONORED TONIGHT
TO HAVE WITH US
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF
THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
JIM BRIDENSTINE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
THE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN
OF NASA GLENN CREATE
BREAKTHROUGHS IN TECHNOLOGY
THAT AFFECT EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF US
IN OUR DAILY LIVES
AND WILL ENABLE HUMANS
NOT ONLY TO BE BETTER STEWARDS
OF OUR OWN PLANET
BUT TO EXPLORE
THAT SOLAR SYSTEM
AND THE UNIVERSE,
TO CARRY OUT THIS GREAT WORK.
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
NEEDS CONTINUED SUPPORT
FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THIS SUPPORT IS DEMONSTRATED
BY THE MANY GENEROUS SPONSORS
OF THIS EVENING'S EVENT
WHOSE LOGOS YOU SEE
DISPLAYED THIS EVENING
AND WHO ARE ALSO LISTED
IN THIS EVENING'S PROGRAM.
TO OUR SPONSORS, THANK YOU
FOR YOUR COMMITMENT
TO SUPPORTING
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
AND GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT
TO THE COMMUNITY
ABOUT THIS TREMENDOUS RESEARCH
ASSET TO OUR COMMUNITY
AND TO THE NATION.
PLEASE GIVE ALL OUR SPONSORS
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
IT'S ALSO ABSOLUTELY VITAL
THAT NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER HAVE THE SUPPORT
OF OUR DEDICATED
PUBLIC OFFICIALS.
WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE
ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE LOCAL,
STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVEL
WHO CARE VERY DEEPLY
ABOUT THE CENTER'S FUTURE.
THANK YOU TO
OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
FOR TAKING TIME TO BE
WITH US THIS EVENING,
INCLUDING OHIO HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS
RICK PERALES,
BILL PATMON,
DAN RAMOS,
DAVE GREENSPAN,
KENT SMITH,
STEPHANIE HOWSE,
NICHOLAS CELEBREEZE,
NICKIE ANTONIO,
AND TAVIA GALONSKI.
ALSO, MAYOR OF THE CITY
OF BROOK PARK,
MICHAEL GAMELLA.
CUYAHOGA COUNTY COUNCILMAN
PERNEL JONES, JR.
ERIE COUNTY COMMISSIONER
BILL MONAHAN.
AND STAFF REPRESENTING
UNITED STATES SENATOR
SHERROD BROWN
AND ROB PORTMAN
AND U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
MEMBERS MARCIE KAPTUR,
MARCIA FUDGE,
JIM RENACCI, AND BOB GIBBS.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN GIVING
OUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
A WARM WELCOME.
[ APPLAUSE ]
OIA PLACES TREMENDOUS VALUE
ON ITS PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER,
A PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS EXTENDED
FOR MORE THAN 29 YEARS.
TONIGHT, I CONGRATULATE
CENTER DIRECTOR JANET KAVANDI
AND HER 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
TRULY GREAT ABOUT OUR NATION--
COURAGE, DEDICATION,
PERSEVERANCE, BRILLIANT IDEAS,
AND BRILLIANT SOLUTIONS AS WELL.
IN A FEW MOMENTS,
YOU'LL HEAR FROM SOME
OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS
OF THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER,
WORKING EVERY DAY
TO BETTER LIFE ON EARTH
AND ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIVERSE.
AND NOW IT'S MY GREAT PLEASURE
TO INTRODUCE DR. JANET KAVANDI,
DIRECTOR OF THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER,
WHO HAS LOGGED MORE--
AMONG OTHER THINGS,
WHO HAS LOGGED MORE THAN
33 DAYS IN SPACE,
TRAVELING MORE THAN
13.1 MILLION MILES
AND 535 EARTH ORBITS,
AND WHOSE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP
CONTINUES TO TAKE
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
TO NEW HEIGHTS OF ACHIEVEMENT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
DR. KAVANDI.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> GOOD EVENING,
AND WELCOME TO THE ROCK AND ROLL
HALL OF FAME.
I HOPE MOST OF YOU HAVE
BEEN HERE BEFORE,
BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T,
I HOPE YOU HAVE
A ENJOYABLE EVENING.
I FIRST WANT TO THANK
GREG HARRIS AND CAPRICE BRAGG
AND ALL OF THE STAFF HERE
AT THE ROCK AND ROLL
HALL OF FAME
FOR HOSTING US TONIGHT,
SO LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND
OF APPLAUSE, PLEASE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
SO AS WAS MENTIONED,
NASA IS VERY EXCITED
ABOUT CELEBRATING
OUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY.
IT'S COMING UP HERE
IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS
ON OCTOBER 1ST,
AND WHEN WE LOOK BACK
AT EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE
OVER THE PAST SIX DECADES,
WE CAN TRULY SAY
THAT WE HAVE PUSHED
THE BOUNDARIES OF EXPLORATION
AND TRANSFORMED OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE.
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW,
NASA IS GOING BACK TO THE MOON
AND EVENTUALLY TO MARS
IN A MEASURED AND SUSTAIN--
SUSTAINABLE WAY.
THIS TIME, WE INTEND TO
ESTABLISH A LONG-TERM PRESENCE
IN LUNAR ORBIT
WITH ROUTINE EXCURSIONS
TO THE LUNAR SURFACE.
NASA GLENN PLAYS A KEY ROLE
IN THIS JOURNEY
AS OUR HIGHLY TECHNICAL STAFF
AND WORLD CLASS FACILITIES
WILL DRAW UPON DECADES
OF SPACE SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
AND TESTING EXPERIENCE
TO ENSURE MISSION SUCCESS.
OUR DEEP UNDERSTANDING
OF COMPLEX PROPULSION,
POWER, AND FLIGHT SYSTEMS
HAS BEEN INVALUABLE
IN DEVELOPING THE ORION
EUROPEAN SERVICE MODULE
AND THE SOLAR ELECTRIC
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
THAT WILL PROPEL NASA--
NASA'S LUNAR ORBITING PLATFORM
CALLED GATEWAY.
WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE
TO DEVELOP ROBUST SPACE
POWER GENERATION
AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
AND OUR CENTER IS
UNIQUELY EQUIPPED TO HANDLE
THE MOST MISSION CRITICAL
TESTING AND VALIDATION
OF DEEP SPACE
EXPLORATION SYSTEMS,
NOT ONLY FOR NASA,
BUT ALSO FOR OUR
COMMERCIAL PARTNERS.
WHILE MANY PEOPLE
LOOK AT NASA
AS THE PREMIER SPACE AGENCY,
WHICH WE ARE,
WE ACTUALLY GOT OUR START
IN DEVELOPING IMPROVING
TECHNOLOGIES FOR AERONAUTICS.
EVERY U.S. BUILT AIRCRAFT
AND CONTROL TOWER POSSESSES
NASA DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY.
AT GLENN, WE ARE COMMITTED
TO CURBING THE EMERGING
CHALLENGES FACING COMMERCIAL
AVIATION INDUSTRIES
BY TRANSFORMING
THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT.
OUR RESEARCHERS ARE EVOLVING
NEXT GENERATION
AIRCRAFT PROPULSION SYSTEMS
THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY
REDUCE COST,
ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND NOISE
WHILE OPENING UP NEW MARKETS
AND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR U.S. INDUSTRY.
WE ARE ALSO COMMITTED
TO INVESTIGATING THE USE
OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES
SUCH AS HYBRID
ELECTRIC PROPULSION
AND IMPROVING THE SAFETY
OF COMMERCIAL
AND GENERAL AVIATION.
AND NOW, BEFORE WE GET
ON TO TONIGHT'S PRESENTERS,
I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE
OUR SPECIAL GUEST.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
AT THIS VENUE,
WE ARE JOINED
BY NASA'S ADMINISTRATOR.
JIM BRIDENSTINE WAS SWORN IN
AS NASA'S 13TH ADMINISTRATOR
ON APRIL 23, 2018, FOLLOWING
HIS PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
AND SENATE CONFIRMATION.
PRIOR TO JOINING NASA,
JIM WAS ELECTED
TO THE U.S. HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SERVING AS THE FIRST
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT--
ER, SERVING THE FIRST CONGRES--
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
OF OKLAHOMA
WHERE HE SAT
ON THE ARMED SERVICES
AND THE SCIENCE SPACE
AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEES.
HE STARTED HIS MILITARY CAREER
AS A NAVAL AVIATOR
PILOTING THE E2C HAWKEYE
FLYING COMBAT MISSIONS
IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.
FOLLOWING HIS HAWKEYE TOUR,
JIM TRANSITIONED
TO THE F/A-18 HORNET
WHERE HE FLEW WITH
THE NAVAL STRIKE
AND AIR FORCE WARFARE CENTERS.
HE LATER TRANSITIONED
TO THE U.S. NAVY RESERVES
AND RETURNED TO OKLAHOMA
WHERE HE WAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF THE TULSA AIR
AND SPACE MUSEUM
AND PLANETARIUM.
HE IS A GRADUATE
OF RICE UNIVERSITY
WHERE HE COMPLETED
A TRIPLE MAJOR IN ECONOMICS,
PSYCHOLOGY AND BUSINESS,
AFTER WHICH, HE ALSO EARNED
AN MBA FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY,
SO QUITE THE SLACKER
IN EDUCATION.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO,
IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR
TO WELCOME OUR ADMINISTRATOR
MR. JIM BRIDENSTINE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU, JANET,
FOR THAT GREAT INTRODUCTION
AND FOR YOUR AMAZING LEADERSHIP
AT THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER.
UH, YES, PLEASE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
SO NOT EVERY CENTER
IN THE UNITED STATES
IS, UM, HEADED BY AN ASTRONAUT
AS ACCOMPLISHED AS, UH,
DR. JANET KAVANDI.
SO IT'S, UH,
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE,
AND THE-- FOR THE FOLKS
IN THE ROOM, OF COURSE,
UH, FROM OHIO, YOU--
YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT, UM,
JANET IS A STRONG ADVOCATE
FOR ALL THINGS OHIO,
AND ESPECIALLY A STRONG ADVOCATE
FOR GLENN, AND IT'S, UH,
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE VISITING,
UM, THIS-THIS CENTER.
DR. DENNIS IRWIN, UH,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP,
UM, AND CHAIRING THE OHIO
AEROSPACE INSTITUTE, UH,
WHICH I UNDERSTAND
IS QUITE A FORCE HERE IN OHIO
AS IT RELATES TO, UM,
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE,
AND OF COURSE,
A-A CRITICAL PARTNER FOR NASA
AS WE GO FORWARD.
SO, WE'VE HAD
A-A GOOD DAY HERE IN OHIO,
AND CERTAINLY,
UH, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER GOOD DAY
TOMORROW UPCOMING, BUT TONIGHT
IT'S ABOUT AN EVENING
WITH THE STARS, AND I CAN'T WAIT
TO HEAR THE STARS
GIVE THEIR PRESENTATIONS.
I'M GONNA TELL A STORY
THAT WILL BE RELEVANT
TO ONE OF THE SPEAKERS TONIGHT.
I'LL TELL ONE STORY, AND THEN
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON,
AND THEN I'M GONNA GET OFF
THE STAGE AND LET THESE,
UM, FINE YOUNG FOLKS
GIVE THEIR PRESENTATIONS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL,
I WANT TO SAY THIS--
SO, I WAS A LIEUTENANT
IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY,
FLYING THE E2C HAWKEYE,
UH, IN FALLON NEVADA.
FALLON, NEVADA
IS THE HIGH DESERT,
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK,
"OH, IT'S THE HIGH DESERT.
UM, WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
THE SKIES ARE CLEAR,
THE DAYS ARE BRIGHT,
ALL OF THOSE KIND OF THINGS."
LEMME TELL YOU, ONE NIGHT,
UH, WE WERE DOING
A LARGE FORCE EXERCISE.
I WAS IN, YOU KNOW,
OUR AIRCRAFT.
WE WERE DOING COMMAND
AND CONTROL OF A REALLY BIG
STRIKE PACKAGE, AND, UM--
AND-AND AS WE'RE FLYING ALONG,
UM, A LOT OF RADIO CHATTER
GOING ON, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
WE HEAR BANG, BANG, BANG!
LIKE, REALLY LOUD.
ALMOST LIKE WE WERE
TAKING SHOTS.
AND, UH, HUGH WINKLE
WAS IN THE COCKPIT WITH ME.
HE WAS ACTUALLY THE CARRIER
AIRCRAFT PLANE COMMANDER.
I WAS THE CO-PILOT,
AND-AND HUGH WINKLE
LOOKS AT ME LIKE,
"DID YOU DO THAT?"
"NAH, I DIDN'T DO THAT.
WHO DID DO THAT?
NOBODY DID THAT."
WE TALKED TO GUYS IN THE BACK,
"WHAT WAS THAT?" NOBODY KNEW.
SO, WE GIVE IT
A FEW MORE MINUTES,
AND THE SAME THING.
I MEAN, REALLY LOUD,
LIKE OUR AIRPLANE
WAS COMING APART.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
SO, FINALLY, WE TALKED
TO KATIN GUPTA,
WHO WAS THE RADAR OFFICER
IN THE E2 HAWKEYE,
AND WE TOLD KATIN,
"GO TO THE FORWARD
EQUIPMENT COMPARTMENT
AND CHECK OUT WHAT'S GOING ON,"
BECAUSE THEY WERE TELLING US
IT WAS IN FRONT
OF WHERE THEY WERE,
AND FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE,
IT WAS BEHIND WHERE WE WERE,
SO IT HAD TO BE IN THAT FORWARD
EQUIPMENT COMPARTMENT.
"HEY, KATIN, GO CHECK OUT
THAT FORWARD EQUIPMENT
COMPARTMENT AND TELL US
WHAT'S GOING ON."
HE-- AND HIS WORDS WERE,
"I'M NOT GOING IN THERE."
AND I COULDN'T BLAME HIM.
WHY WOULD HE GO IN THERE?
AND HE SAYS TO ME,
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SIGNED
FOR THE AIRPLANE,
YOU GO IN THERE."
AND I WASN'T THE ONE WHO--
IT WAS HUGH WINKLE THAT SIGNED
FOR THE AIRPLANE, BUT HE WASN'T
GONNA LEA-- HE WAS--
HE WAS THE PLANE COMMANDER.
HE WASN'T GONNA LEAVE
THE COCKPIT, SO GUESS WHO GETS
TO GO INTO THE FORWARD EQUIPMENT
COMPARTMENT AND LOOK AROUND
FOR WHAT'S GOING ON?
WHAT IS BLOWING UP
ON OUR AIRPLANE?
SO, I GET OUT OF MY SEAT,
I GO BACK TO THE FORWARD
EQUIPMENT COMPARTMENT.
I'VE GOT A LITTLE FLASHLIGHT.
IT'S AS DARK AS YOU CAN IMAGINE
BACK THERE, AND-AND THERE'S
NOTHING BUT BOXES
AND, UM, A VAPOR CYCLE TO KEEP
ALL OF THIS ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
COLD, AND, YOU KNOW,
I'M TAKING MY FLASHLIGHT
AND LOOKING AT EVERYTHING.
I DON'T SMELL ANY SMOKE.
I DON'T SEE ANY FIRE.
UH, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE
HAPPENING, MAKING THAT NOISE?
SO, THEN I GO BACK UP
TO THE COCKPIT, AND I'M LIKE,
"GUYS, IT LOOKS GOOD BACK THERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING--"
BANG, BANG, BANG!
"JIM, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMETHING
GOING ON, GO LOOK AGAIN."
SO, I GET BACK THERE
WITH MY FLASHLIGHT,
AND I'M LOOKING AROUND.
I'M LIKE, "GUYS,
THERE'S NO SMOKE."
I HOOKED UP-- WE HAVE
A LITTLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
YOU CAN GET IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE E2 HAWK-- THE E2 HAWKEYE
IS A BIG RADAR AIRPLANE.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE
FAMILIAR WITH AN A-WAX.
IT'S LIKE AN A-WAX
BUT SMALL ENOUGH TO TAKE OFF
AND LAND ON AIRCRAFT CARRIERS,
SO THERE'S TONS OF ELECTRONICS
EQUIPMENT IN A VERY SMALL AREA.
SO, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S GOING ON.
WHILE I'M IN THERE--
BANG, BANG, BANG!
JUST, LIKE, CRAZY LOUD,
SO I'M LIKE, "GUYS, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE GOTTA GO BACK AND LAND."
SO, WE DID.
WE, UH-- WE FLEW BACK
AND LAND-- UH, LANDED.
WHEN WE DESCENDED THROUGH
ABOUT TEN THOUSAND FEET,
UH, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT QUIT.
NOBODY COULD UNDERSTAND.
WE'RE LIKE, "SHOULD WE
GO BACK OUT THERE?"
SHOULD-- 'CAUSE WE TURNED O--
WE HAD TWO E2s HAWK--
E2 HAWKEYES AIRBORNE.
WE WERE IN COMMAND
OF THE STRIKE PACKAGE,
BUT WE HAD A BACK-UP IN CASE--
IN CASE OUR AIRPLANE HAD
TO COME BACK, AND OF COURSE,
OUR AIRPLANE DID
HAVE TO COME BACK,
SO THE BACK-UP TOOK OVER.
"WELL, SHOULD WE GO BACK OUT?"
"NO, WE'RE NOT GOING BACK OUT."
SO, WE COME BACK AND LAND,
AND THEN WE DO
AN AIRCRAFT INSPECTION.
WE WALKED AROUND.
WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING.
OF COURSE,
IT'S PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE.
WE'VE GOT THESE TINY
LITTLE FLASHLIGHTS.
NEXT DAY, WE GET UP EARLY
IN THE MORNING, AND WE WANT
TO GO SEE THIS AIRPLANE
IN THE DAYLIGHT,
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS,
LIKE, THE SIDE OF THE E2 HAWKEYE
HAD BEEN COMPLETELY SANDBLASTED.
THE PAINT WAS GONE.
IT WAS A BIG DENT IN THE SIDE
OF THE AIRCRAFT
RIGHT AT THE PROP ARC.
RIGHT WHERE THE PROPELLER WAS.
AND SO, WE LOOKED AT IT
AND WE SAID, "SOMETHING
WAS COMING OFF THAT PROPELLER."
SO, WHAT WAS HAPPENING
IS THE HEATING-- WE WERE FLYING
IN ICING CONDITIONS AT ALTITUDE.
THE HEATING ELEMENT INSIDE--
ON THAT PROPELLER--
WE HAD THE-THE PROP HEAT ON,
BUT ONE OF THE HEATING ELEMENTS
WAS NOT WORKING, AND SO THE ICE
WAS BUILDING UP
ON THE PROPELLER, AND THEN,
ALL AT ONCE, THE ICE
WOULD FLY OFF, AND IT WOULD
BANG AGAINST THE SIDE
OF THE AIRCRAFT,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WERE--
SO, THEN WE STARTED THINKING,
"WELL, DANG, THAT ICE
MUST HAVE BEEN FLYING OFF
AND HITTING ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE
ON THE GROUND."
MUST'VE BEEN HITTING--
A LOT OF LIZARDS IN THE DESERT
OF NEVADA PROBABLY GOT PELTED
WITH ICE THAT CAME OFF
THE E2 HAWKEYE THAT NIGHT.
THAT-THAT'S MY ICING STORY.
I'VE GOT ANOTHER ICING STORY
I'D LOVE TO TELL, BUT I KNOW
WE GOTTA GET TO OUR-OUR EVENING
WITH THE STARS.
JUST KNOW THIS,
WHEN YOU'RE FLYING
THE F-18 HORNET, YOU KNOW
WHAT YOUR DEICING CAPABILITY
IS IN THE F-18 HORNET?
FLY 400 KNOTS.
THAT'S THE DEICING CAPABILITY
IN THE F-18 HORNET.
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO FLY
400 KNOTS AND GET INTO
THE LANDING CONFIGURATION
AND LAND?
IT DOESN'T WORK, BUT I'VE BEEN
IN THOSE SITUATIONS,
AND ULTIMATELY, YOU'VE GOTTA
GO TO A DIVERT FIELD,
AND IN THE F-18 HORNET,
UNLIKE THE E2 HAWKEYE,
UH, IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET
TO A DIVERT FIELD.
ONCE YOU DESCEND, YOU BURN GAS
VERY FAST IN A JET.
SO, THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS
THAT THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
IS INVOLVED IN.
THINGS THAT SAVE
THE LIVES OF AVIATORS.
NOW, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE,
GLENN DID EVERYTHING RIGHT,
AND IT WAS JUST A-A HEATING
ELEMENT IN THE-IN THE PROPELLER
THAT DIDN'T WORK, UM, THE WAY
IT OUGHT TO HAVE WORKED,
BUT ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS TONIGHT
IS GONNA TALK ABOUT ICE,
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD
TO-TO HEARING THAT PRESENTATION.
REAL QUICK, BEFORE I GET OFF
THE STAGE, I HAVE
TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE,
BECAUSE IT'S MY JOB TO TELL YOU.
WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE MOON,
AND THIS TIME,
WHEN WE GO TO THE MOON,
WE'RE GOING SUSTAINABLY.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE NOT GONNA
LEAVE FLAGS AND FOOTPRINTS
AND COME BACK HOME NOT
TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS.
THIS-THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA
BUILD AN ARCHITECTURE.
WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENS
WITH REUSABLE ROCKETS.
WHEN YOU REUSE ROCKETS,
THE COST GOES DOWN,
ACCESS GOES UP.
WE WANT THE ENTIRE ARCHITECTURE
BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE MOON
TO BE REUSABLE.
WE WANT TUGS FROM LOW EARTH
ORBIT, TO LUNAR ORBIT,
TO BE REUSABLE.
WE WANT A COMMAND MODULE
IN ORBIT AROUND THE MOON--
WHAT WE CALL THE GATEWAY,
AS WAS PRESENTED
JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO--
WE WANT THE GATEWAY
TO BE THERE FOR 15 YEARS.
A REUSABLE COMMAND MODULE,
AND WE WANT-- NO KIDDING--
LANDERS TO BE REUSABLE,
GOING BACK AND FORTH
TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,
UH, AND BACK TO THE GATEWAY,
WHICH WILL BE IN A NEAR
RECTILINEAR HALO ORBIT,
WHICH MEANS IT CAN STAY THERE
FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME
WITHOUT BURNING MUCH FUEL,
BUT EVEN BETTER,
IT WILL HAVE FUEL.
IT'S GONNA HAVE
SOLAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION.
IT'S GONNA HAVE CAPABILITIES
DEVELOPED RIGHT HERE IN OHIO
AT THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER,
ENABLING THAT GATEWAY
TO NOT JUST STAY
IN-IN AN EQUATORIAL ORBIT
AROUND THE MOON,
BUT TO GO TO THE L1 POINT
AND THE L2 POINT,
SO THAT THOSE LANDERS CAN GET
TO MORE POINTS ON THE SURFACE
OF THE MOON THAN EVER BEFORE.
IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S A LOT
ABOUT THE MOON, FRIENDS,
THAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW.
IN FACT, IN 2008,
WE DISCOVERED THAT
THERE WAS WATER ICE ON THE MOON.
SOME PEOPLE SPECULATED.
NOBODY KNEW FOR SURE.
IN 2009, BECAUSE OF A MISSION
DONE BY NASA, WE NOW KNOW
THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS
OF BILLIONS OF TONS OF WATER ICE
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.
THAT REPRESENTS WATER TO DRINK,
IT REPRESENTS AIR TO BREATHE,
AND IT ALSO REPRESENTS
ROCKET FUEL--
HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN IS,
IN FACT, ROCKET-ROCKET FUEL.
THE PRESIDENT'S FIRST
SPACE POLICY DIRECTIVE SAYS
THAT WE'RE GOING BACK
TO THE MOON.
HE HAS SAID THAT
WE'RE GOING SUSTAINABLY.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF ALL OF OUR
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS,
WHICH THERE ARE NOW MORE
ON THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET
THAN EVER BEFORE,
AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF NOT JUST INTERNATIONAL,
BUT ALSO OUR
COMMERCIAL PARTNERS.
THE SPACE POLICY DIRECTIVE
ALSO SAYS THAT WE'RE GONNA
UTILIZE THE RESOURCES
OF THE MOON, AND ULTIMATELY,
WE'RE GONNA RETIRE ALL
OF THIS RISK SO THAT WE CAN TAKE
ALL OF THIS TECHNOLOGY
AND REPLICATE IT AT MARS.
THE MOON IS OUR PROVING GROUND
TO GET TO MARS.
THAT'S ALL IN SPACE POLICY
DIRECTIVE ONE.
WHAT HAPPENS HERE IN OHIO,
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER, WHAT HAPPENS
AT PLUMBROOK STATION IS CRITICAL
TO ACCOMPLISHING THIS OBJECTIVE,
AND IT IS AN HONOR FOR ME
AS THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR
TO COME AND TALK
TO THE SO MANY FOLKS
THAT ARE GONNA BE INVOLVED
IN THIS ACTIVITY.
SO, WITH THAT, I WANT TO SAY
IT'S AN HONOR TO BE IN OHIO.
IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE
IN SUCH A-AN-AN AMAZING
AND ESTEEMED GROUP SUCH AS THIS,
UH, AND THANK YOU.
EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
OF GLENN AND PLUMBROOK,
AND THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF NASA.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT
OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
I HEARD ALL
OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
AT THE STATE LEVEL
THAT ARE HERE, AND OF COURSE,
PEOPLE THAT ARE REPRESENTING
FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES
THAT ARE HERE, THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.
NASA HAS HAD,
FOR A VERY LONG TIME,
STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
OUR BUDGET IS GOING UP
FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN A VERY LONG TIME.
UH, IN FACT, THE PRESIDENT'S
BUDGET REQUEST TOOK IT UP
A BILLION DOLLARS.
WHEN YOU HAVE A--
A 19 BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET,
THAT'S A BIG PLUS UP,
AND-AND EVEN BEFORE I GOT
CONFIRMED AS THE NASA
ADMINISTRATOR, A BIPARTISAN BILL
IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE,
THE OMNIBUS PLUS STEPPED NASA
$1.7 BILLION.
SO, THE VISION ISN'T JUST
RHETORIC.
IT'S BEING MATCHED BY BUDGETS.
IT'S BEING PLACED IN
THE BUDGET REQUEST AND CONGRESS
IS BACKING IT UP WITH
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
SO, THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING
THAT IS VERY POSITIVE
NOT ONLY FOR NASA, BUT ALSO
FOR GLENN AND PLUM BROOK,
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
SPENDING AN EVENING WITH
SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST,
YOUNG MINDS THAT NASA HAS,
TELLING US SOME PRETTY IMPORTANT
INFORMATION FOR OUR FUTURE
NOT ONLY IN SPACE BUT ALSO
IN AERONAUTICS.
SO, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH
FOR HAVING ME AND HAVE
A WONDERFUL EVENING.
>> SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
DO YOU THINK WE HAVE
AN ADMINISTRATOR THAT'S
SUPPORTIVE OF THE AGENCY?
A LITTLE BIT OF ENTHUSIASM.
WE ARE VERY, VERY PROUD
TO HAVE JIM AS OUR ADMINISTRATOR
AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT
OVER THE YEARS AND NOW
AS OUR ADMINISTRATOR.
SO, TO GET THIS SHOW BACK
ON THE ROAD, WE ARE GOING TO
TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY TONIGHT
IN BUILDING THE GATEWAY TO
NASA'S FUTURE AS OUR SPEAKERS
WILL OUTLINE HOW NASA GLENN
IS CRITICAL TO ADVANCING
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY FOR
THE AIRCRAFT, THE SPACECRAFT,
AND THE SPACE POWER SYSTEMS
OF TOMORROW.
DR. ERIN REED WILL WALK US
THROUGH OUR WORLD CLASS
FACILITIES AT NASA'S PLUM BROOK
STATION IN SANDUSKY, OHIO
WHERE WE ACCOMMODATE
FULL SCALE TESTING IN BOTH
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE THROUGH
SIMULATION OF HIGH ALTITUDE
AND SPACE ENVIRONMENTS
TO SUPPORT A VARIETY OF NASA
AND INDUSTRY PROGRAMS.
MR. CARL SANDIFER WILL OUTLINE
HOW GLENN IS ADVANCING
A BROAD PORTFOLIO OF CUTTING
EDGE POWER GENERATION
AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
LIKE SOLAR AND RADIO ISOTOPE
THAT WILL WORK TOGETHER TO
ENSURE OUR FUTURE EXPLORATION
MISSIONS HAVE PLENTIFUL,
RELIABLE POWER REQUIRED
TO BE SUCCESSFUL,
AND MISS ASHLIE FLEGEL
WILL TELL YOU ABOUT
HOW WE FREEZE TO PLEASE
AT NASA GLENN AND HOW HER WORK
IS ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF AIRCRAFT ENGINE AND AIRFRAME
ICING WHICH WILL IMPROVE
HOW WE MODEL, DETECT,
AND PREVENT ICING ON AIRCRAFT.
SO, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING
DR. ERIN REED TO THE STAGE.
[ MUSIC ]
>> MILTON ROSON, A ROCKET
SCIENTIST WHO WORKED ON
THE VIKING ROCKET ON APOLLO
PROGRAMS ONCE SAID,
"IT ALL LOOKS SO EASY
WHEN YOU DID IT ON PAPER
WHERE VALVES NEVER FROZE,
GYROS NEVER DRIFTED,
AND ROCKET MOTORS DID NOT
BLOW UP IN YOUR FACE."
IN THEORY, THE SPACECRAFT
AND COMPONENTS THAT WE DESIGN
AND BUILD SHOULD WORK.
IN PRACTICE, IT'S LESS
PREDICTABLE.
FOR EXAMPLE, SEVERAL YEARS AGO
THE MARS PATHFINDER PROGRAM
CAME TO US SEEKING TO TEST
AN AIRBAG DESIGN TO BE USED
IN LANDING THE ROCKET-- ROVER
ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.
THEIR CONCEPT WAS THAT WHEN
THE MARS-- AND WHEN THE VEHICLE
ENTERED THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE
AND APPROACHED ITS LANDING SITE,
AIRBAGS WOULD INFLATE AND ALLOW
THE VEHICLE TO BOUNCE AROUND
ON THE SURFACE WITHOUT
DAMAGING THE ROVER
OR ITS INSTRUMENTATION.
TO TEST THIS, THE JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY DECIDED TO SET
ACCELERATED SET OF AIRBAGS
FROM THE TOP OF ONE
OF OUR CHAMBERS INTO A MARS-LIKE
TERRAIN OF LARGE BOULDERS
AND EXAMINE HOW WELL THE AIRBAGS
HELD UP.
IF THE TESTING WENT WELL
AS THEY HOPED IT WOULD,
THE CAMPAIGN WOULD LAST ABOUT
SIX WEEKS.
HOWEVER, AS IT TURNED OUT,
THE CAMPAIGN LASTED OVER
SIX MONTHS AS TEARS IN
THE AIRBAGS, SOME LARGE ENOUGH
FOR A HUMAN TO WALK THROUGH,
REQUIRED AN ITERATIVE TEST
AND DESIGN PROCESS BEFORE
A SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION
WAS REACHED.
IT WAS THANKS TO THIS TESTING
AND ITS SUBSEQUENT REDESIGN
THAT MARS PATHFINDER
AND LATER SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY
WERE ABLE TO SAFELY
AND SUCCESSFULLY REACH
THE SURFACE OF MARS AND PERFORM
GREAT SCIENCE.
JUST LIKE WITH PATHFINDER,
THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF DESIGN
AND PERFORMANCE MAKES TESTING
PARTICULARLY FULL SCALE TESTING
VITAL TO THE SUCCESS
OF A MISSION OR PROGRAM.
AT PLUM BROOK FIELD STATION
LOCATED 45 MILES WEST OF NASA
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER'S
MAIN CAMPUS, THIS LARGE SCALE
TESTING IS OUR SPECIALTY.
AS SUCH, THE IN-SPACE
PROPULSION TEST FACILITIES
BASE ENVIRONMENTS COMPLEX
AND HYPERSONIC TUNNEL FACILITY
HAVE ACCOMMODATED A VARIETY
OF ENTITIES INCLUDING ORBITAL
ATK, NOW NORTH OF GRUMMAN,
UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE, SPACEX,
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY, AND NASA
PROGRAMS SUCH AS CENTAUR,
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
MARS EXPLORATION MORPHEUS,
AND ORION.
I WILL SPEAK TO EACH
OF PLUM BROOK'S UNIQUE
FACILITIES IN TURN.
THE IN-SPACE PROPULSION TEST
FACILITY, ISP, UM, WAS DESIGNED
TO MAINTAIN A HIGH ALTITUDE
ENVIRONMENT WHILE AN UPPER STAGE
ROCKET ENGINE WITH UP TO
100,000 POUNDS OF THRUST.
THAT'S THE SAME FORCE AS
TWIN JET ENGINES OF A BOEING 747
BURNS FOR UP TO 300 SECONDS.
WHILE THIS IS IMPRESSIVE,
WHAT MAKES THIS FACILITY
ONE OF A KIND IS ITS ABILITY
TO SIMULATE SPACE CONDITIONS
IN ORDER TO TEST THESE
UPPER SCALE ROCKET ENGINES IN--
IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT TEST-- THAT
TRACK WHOLE MISSION PROFILES.
SPACE SIMULATION CONDITIONS
SUCH AS PRESSURES OF GREAT--
ALTITUDES GREATER THAN
110,000 FEET, COLD TEMPERATURES
TO LIQUID NITROGEN,
HOT TEMPERATURES THROUGH
INFRARED HEATERS THAT ARE
COMPARABLE TO THE HOT--
THE LIGHT AND DARK SIDES
OF THE MOON.
ISP HAS A DIAMETER OF 38 FEET
AND A HEIGHT OF 62 FEET.
SO, IMAGINE, IF YOU WILL,
A SHIPPING CONTAINER
THAT YOU SEE ON A TRAIN CAR
OR A SEMI TRUCK AND STACK IT
SEVEN TALL.
AT THIS SIZE, IT IS NASA'S
THIRD LARGEST VACUUM CHAMBER.
THIS FACILITY PLAYED
A SIGNIFICANT ROLE
IN TESTING RL-10 ROCKET ENGINES
AND THE CENTAUR UPPER STAGE
IN THE 1970S AND COMPLETED
MORPHEUS TESTING LAST YEAR.
HOWEVER, GIVEN ITS SIZE
AND SPACE SIMULATION
CAPABILITIES, IT CAN BE USED
FOR MUCH MORE THAN JUST
ROCKET ENGINE TESTING.
IN JUNE EARLIER THIS YEAR,
THEY TESTED SPACEX DRAGON
AND NEXT MONTH WILL BE TESTING
THE WALLOPS-WALLOPS FLIGHT SUPER
PRESSURE LONG DURATION BALLOON.
NEXT YEAR THE STRUCTURAL HEAT
INSULATION INTERCEPT VIBRATION
EXPERIMENTAL RIG, OR SHIVER,
WILL BE TESTED FOR
CRYOGENIC FLUID MANAGEMENT.
THE SPACE ENVIRONMENTS COMPLEX
IS COMPRISED OF THREE
DIFFERENT FACILITIES:
THE SPACE POWER FACILITY,
REVERBERANT ACOUSTIC TEST
FACILITY, AND THE MECHANICAL
VIBRATION FACILITY.
THE SPACE POWER FACILITY HOLDS
THE DISTINCTION OF BEING
THE WORLD'S LARGEST VACUUM
CHAMBER WITH A DIAMETER OF
100 FEET STANDING 122 FEET TALL.
TO GIVE YOU A COMPARATIVE
ESTIMATIVE SIZE, YOU CAN FIT
THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER
INSIDE SPF.
GETTING IT INSIDE IS
ANOTHER ISSUE, BUT THAT SHOULD
GIVE YOU A GENERAL IDEA
OF WHAT THE KIND OF VOLUME
THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SPF WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED
TO TEST NUCLEAR POWERED SPACE
HARDWARE, AND SO IT INCLUDES
A UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION
OF A HIGH VACUUM CAPABLE
ALUMINUM CHAMBER WITHIN
A LOW VACUUM CAPABLE
CONCRETE CHAMBER TO ACHIEVE
PRESSURES THAT SIMULATE
ALTITUDES OF GREATER THAN
100,000 FEET.
SPF IS FITTED WITH
A GASEOUS NITROGEN COLD WALL
THAT CAN REACH A RANGE
OF TEMPERATURES FROM
NEGATIVE 250 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
OR MORE THAN 100 DEGREES COLDER
THAN THE COLDEST PART
OF ANTARCTICA, TO POSITIVE
175 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
WHICH IS ABOUT TWICE AS HOT
AS YOUR AVERAGE SUMMER DAY.
GIVEN ITS SIZE, SPF IS IDEAL
FOR FULL SCALE FAIRING
SEPARATION AND SOLAR SAIL
DEPLOYMENT TEST,
AND HAS PARTICIPATED IN
A NUMBER OF SUCH CAMPAIGNS,
INCLUDING THE FALCON HEAVY
SPACEX FAIRING SEPARATION TEST
LAST YEAR.
SPF THOUGH HAS ALSO HAD
VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
THAT IT'S ACCOMMODATED,
INCLUDING THE UPCOMING
ORION EXPLORATION MISSION ONE
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING,
FOLLOWED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC
INTERFERENCE, ELECTROMAGNETIC
COMPATIBILITY TESTING
OF THE FLIGHT VEHICLES
SCHEDULED NEXT YEAR.
THE REVERBERANT ACOUSTIC TEST
FACILITY IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST
HIGH INTENSITY FACILITY
OF ITS KIND.
RATF, AS WE CALL IT,
UTILIZES 36 SPEAKERS--
A RANGE OF FREQUENCIES
FROM 25 HERTZ TO 10 KILOHERTZ
TO TRANSMIT SOUND WHICH ECHOES
OR REVERBERATES AROUND THE TEST
CHAMBER TO SIMULATE PRESSURE
CONDITIONS AT LAUNCH.
RATF CAN PRODUCE A MAXIMUM
OVERALL SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL
OF 163 DECIBELS,
WHICH IS EIGHT TIMES
MORE POWERFUL THAN A JET ENGINE
AND AT LEAST FOUR TIMES LOUDER.
RATF CAN ACCOMMODATE A VEHICLE
MEASURING 18 FEET IN DIAMETER,
47 FEET TALL, WEIGHING UP TO
120,000 POUNDS.
SO, IMAGINE SEVEN CARGO VANS
FULLY LOADED STACKED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
RATF DEFINES THESE STATE
OF THE ART FOR ACOUSTIC
FACILITIES BECAUSE ITS DESIGN
WAS OPTIMIZED USING PREVIOUS
TEST DATA AIMED AT
CHARACTERIZING MODULATOR CONTROL
AND ACOUSTIC RESPONSE.
SINCE ITS COMPLETION IN 2011,
RATF REMAINS IN HIGH DEMAND
WITH SPACEX DRAGON AND….
SPACEX DRAGON AND THE FA--
AND THE FALCON HEAVY,
AS WELL AS THE LAUNCH SUPPORT
SYSTEM OGIVE AND ASCENT ABORT-2
TESTING WITH THE ORION PROGRAM
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.
IN NOVEMBER, RATF WILL BE
TESTING THE ACOUSTIC ATTENUATION
TEST OF THE DYNETICS
SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM
UPPER-UPPER STAGE ADAPTER
GROUND TEST PARTICLE.
MVF IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST
MOST POWERFUL BASS LINE
VIBRATION FACILITY
WHICH SIMULATES VIBRATIONS
A-A VEHICLE MIGHT SEE AT LAUNCH.
MVF UTILIZES HYDRAULIC
CYLINDER ACTUATORS
TO SHAKE OR VIBRATE
A TEST ARTICLE
WEIGHING UP TO 78,000 POUNDS
AND MEASURING UP TO 20 FEET
IN DIAMETER.
THAT'S THE SAME SIZE
AS A VEHICLE THAT IS USED
WITH [ INDISTINCT ],
BUT ABOUT HALF AS HEAVY.
VIBRATIONS RANGE IN FREQUENCIES
FROM 2 TO 150 HERTZ
AND WITH A FORCE OF ONE G
IN ANY DIRECTION.
A RECENT NOTABLE TEST
USING THIS FACILITY
IS THE EUROPEAN
STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE
OF THE ORION SERVICE MODULE
WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN 2016.
THE HYPERSONIC TUNNEL FACILITY,
WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED
TO TEST NUCLEAR
THERMAL ROCKET NOZZLES
IS NOW THE SITE
OF NASA'S ELECTRIC
AIRPLANE TEST BED PROJECT.
THE CAPABILITIES PROVIDED
AS A HYPERSONIC FACILITY
ARE BEING UTILIZED TO DEVELOP
ELECTRICAL POWER TRAINS
FOR AIRCRAFT.
THE NEAT PROJECT IS FOCUSING
ON DEVELOPING
THIS ELECTRICAL PROPULSION
FOR A RANGE OF VEHICLES
FROM LARGE AIRCRAFT
DOWN TO REGIONAL JETS
AND AIR TAXIS.
AT HTF, NEAT HAS THE UNIQUE
OPPORTUNITY TO TEST
AT PRESSURES THAT ARE
COMPARABLE TO ALTITUDES
OF 50,000 FEET
IN A FULL LAYOUT
THE SIZE OF A BOEING 737.
UM, BY RE-- IMPROVING
THE WEIGHT AND EFFICIENCY
OF ELECTRICAL MOTORS
AND BY TESTING
ELECTRICAL POWER TRAINS
ON THE COMPONENT
AND SYSTEM LEVEL,
NEAT HOPES TO PROVIDE
FLIGHT-READY ELECTRICAL
PROPULSION TO AIRCRAFT
WITHIN A FEW YEARS.
THIS WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL
TO REDUCE THE COST OF FLIGHT
AND DECONGEST
MAJOR AIR TRAFFIC ROUTES
BY UTILIZING REGIONAL AIRPORTS.
NEAT HAS BEEN TESTING
SINCE 2016
WITH PLANS TO CONTINUE TESTING
FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
IN COOPERATION WITH
VARIOUS BUSINESS PARTNERS
AND UNIVERSITIES.
HTF, ISP, AND SPF
WERE ALL BUILT AND COMPLETED
ALMOST 50 YEARS AGO.
AT THAT TIME, TO SUPPORT
THESE AND OTHER FACILITIES,
400-PLUS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
WERE WORKING ON ITS GROUNDS.
ON JANUARY 5, 1973,
ONLY TWO WEEKS
AFTER THE LAST APOLLO
MISSION'S SPLASHDOWN
AND THREE AND A HALF YEARS
AFTER THESE FACILITIES
WERE COMPLETED,
CENTER DIRECTOR BRUCE LUNDIN
CAME TO PLUM BROOK STATION
TO ANNOUNCE ITS CLOSURE.
AT THAT MEETING,
DESPITE THE ABRUPTNESS
OF HIS ANNOUNCEMENT,
LUNDIN ASSURED
PLUM BROOK PERSONNEL THAT
HE AND OTHER NASA MANAGEMENT
WERE CONFIDENT
IN PLUM BROOK'S FUTURE.
QUOTE, "MANY OF THESE
"ARE VERY IMPORTANT
"AND UNIQUE FACILITIES
"AND PEOPLE WILL BE
"COMING BACK TO THEM
"TO DO WORK IN THEM
"WHEN THE SPACE PROGRAM
"REACHES THE POINT
"WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED."
HOWEVER, IN THE SIX MONTHS
FOLLOWING,
ALL OF THE FACILITIES
AT PLUM BROOK
WERE PUT INTO MOTHBALLED
OR STANDBY STATUS.
BY THE SPRING OF 1974,
ONE YEAR LATER,
ONLY 54 EMPLOYEES REMAINED,
TASKED WITH JUST MAINTAINING
THE BUILDINGS,
FACED WITH AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE.
SO HOW DID WE GET FROM THEN
TO NOW?
JUST AS LUNDIN PREDICTED,
IN THE 1990s,
FACILITIES DID REOPEN,
AND PEOPLE HAVE RETURNED
TO PLUM BROOK TO MAKE
MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE SPACE PROGRAM AT LARGE.
THIS IS A TRIBUTE TO
THE ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS,
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF,
WHO SUPPORT PLUM BROOK'S WORK.
YES, WE HAVE VERY IMPORTANT
AND UNIQUE FACILITIES,
BUT I WOULD POSIT
THAT OUR BEST CAPABILITY
IS ACTUALLY OUR PEOPLE.
AND WHY DO I BELIEVE THIS?
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE,
THE SPACE POWER FACILITY
WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED
TO TEST NUCLEAR THERMAL--
NUCLEAR THERMAL POW--
UH, NUCLEAR POWERED VEHICLES.
AS FAR AS I KNOW,
IT WAS NEVER USED
FOR THAT PURPOSE.
THAT MEANS THAT ALL OF
THE INTRICATE DETAILS
OF SUCH A FACILITY,
THE ALUMINUM CHAMBER
WITHIN THE CONCRETE CHAMBER,
THE OIL-FILLED LEAD GLASS
SHIELDING OBSERVATION WINDOWS,
EVEN IN THE COMPLICATED
TWISTING HALLWAY
INTENDING TO PROTECT HUMANS
FROM THE HARMFUL EFFECTS
OF RADIATIONS
HAVE BECOME MERELY VESTIGES,
SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT
I LIKE TO POINT OUT ON TOURS.
HOWEVER, LOOKED AT
IN ANOTHER LIGHT,
THESE SAME DETAILS SYMBOLIZE
THAT SPF HAS FOUND WAYS
TO MEET PROGRAM
AND TESTING NEEDS
THAT FAR EXCEED
ANY OF THE FACILITIES
ORIGINAL AND INTENDED PURPOSES,
AND LIKE PLUM BROOK--
LIKE SPF, PLUM BROOK
AS A STATION THINKS
AND OPERATES OUTSIDE THE BOX
AND HAS PERHAPS ALWAYS DONE SO.
THIS, I CREDIT TO ITS PEOPLE.
IT IS PLUM BROOK'S PEOPLE
WHO HAVE MAINTAINED THAT VISION
THAT OUR FACILITIES ARE CAPABLE,
USEFUL AND VALUABLE.
IT IS OUR PEOPLE
WHO HAVE WORKED WITH AND AROUND
THE 50-YEAR-OLD FACILITIES
AND ALL THAT COME WITH IT.
WE REPAIR, REBUILD,
BUILD NEW OR IMPROVE.
ALL BECAUSE TESTING,
THOUGH DIFFICULT,
IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
SAVE LIVES. TEST FIRST.
THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO
HELPED WITH THIS PRESENTATION.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> AS A YOUNG STUDENT
FROM MAPLE HEIGHTS, OHIO,
I WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED
WITH THE STARS,
AND WONDERED HOW LARGE
THEY MUST BE
TO BE SEEN FROM EARTH.
I DREAMED OF EXPLORING
THE CELESTIAL BODIES
THROUGHOUT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
AND NOW, AS NUCLEAR FUELS
AND FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
MANAGER, WITHIN A RADIO ISOTOPE
POWER SYSTEMS PROGRAM AT
THE NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER,
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED
WITH THE OPPORTUNITY
TO ENABLE THE POWER TO EXPLORE.
AND HERE'S A QUICK VIDEO
TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE
OF WHAT WE DO.
[ MUSIC ]
POWER IS THE ONE THING
A SPACECRAFT CANNOT DO WITHOUT.
WITHOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
TO RELIABLY POWER SPACE SYSTEMS,
OUR KNOWLEDGE
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
WOULD ONLY BE A FRACTION
OF WHAT IT IS TODAY.
IT MIGHT SOUND SURPRISING,
BUT THERE ARE ONLY
TWO PRACTICAL OPTIONS
FOR EXPLORING SPACE
USING LONG-TERM POWER--
THE LIGHT OF THE SUN,
OR HEAT FROM A NUCLEAR SOURCE,
SUCH AS A RADIO ISOTOPE.
SOLAR BASED MISSIONS
ARE A GREAT WAY
TO PROVIDE POWER FOR EARTH--
MOST EARTH ORBITING SPACECRAFT,
AND FOR CERTAIN MISSIONS
TO THE MOON AND BEYOND,
THAT OFFERS SUFFICIENT SUNLIGHT
AND NATURAL HEAT.
HOWEVER, RADIO ISOTOPE
POWER SYSTEMS CAN OPERATE
IN A VARIETY
OF EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
THAT DO NOT REQUIRE
SUNLIGHT TO FUNCTION.
AND MANY EXCITING MISSIONS
ENVISIONED
BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
WOULD VISIT SOME OF
THE HARSHEST, DARKEST
AND COLDEST LOCATIONS
THROUGHOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
AND MANY OF THESE MISSIONS
WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE
OR ELIMINATED WITHOUT THE USE
OF NUCLEAR POWER.
SOLAR BASED MISSIONS
BECOME MORE CHALLENGING,
SIGNIFICANTLY, AS A SPACECRAFT
TRAVELS AWAY FROM THE SUN.
RADIOISOTOPE POWER SYSTEMS,
OR RPS FOR SHORT,
ARE A TYPE OF NUCLEAR
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
THAT USES HEAT
TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY
TO POWER SPACECRAFT SYSTEMS
AND SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS.
THAT HEAT IS GENERATED
USING THE NATURAL
RADIOACTIVE DECAY
OF PLUTONIUM-238.
NOW THE U.S. HAS FLOWN
27 SUCCESSFUL RADIOISOTOPE
BASED MISSIONS
OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS,
AND IT HAS MAINTAINED
AN OUTSTANDING SAFETY
AND RELIABILITY RECORD,
AND THE U.S. HAS ALSO
CONTINUED TO INVEST
INTO ENGINEERING, SAFETY,
ANALYSIS AND TESTS OF RPS.
SAFETY IS A CRITICAL PRIORITY,
AND IT IS INTEGRATED
INTO EVERY PHASE
OF THE DESIGN, TEST,
MANUFACTURE AND OPERATION
OF SPACE NUCLEAR SYSTEMS,
INCLUDING PROTECTIVE FEATURES
MEANT TO ENCAPSULATE FUEL
TO MINIMIZE THE RELEASE
OF DISPERSION
OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL
UNDER THE UNLIKELY EVENT
OF AN ACCIDENT.
CHOOSING BETWEEN SOLAR
AND NUCLEAR POWER
FOR A SPACE MISSION
HAS EVERYTHING TO DO
WITH WHERE A SPACECRAFT
NEEDS TO OPERATE
AND WHAT IT MUST ACCOMPLISH
WHEN IT GETS THERE.
RADIOISOTOPE POWER SYSTEM
IS ONLY USED
WHEN IT WILL ENABLE
OR SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE
THE ABILITY OF A MISSION
TO MEET ITS SCIENCE OBJECTIVES.
RPS HAVE BEEN USED
ON MORE THAN TWO DOZEN
SPACE MISSIONS
OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS.
AND RPS MISSIONS OF NOTE
INCLUDE THE VOYAGER I AND II,
PROBES TO THE OUTER PLANETS
AND TO INTERSTELLAR SPACE,
AND THEY HAVE BOTH BEEN
OPERATING FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
THE PIONEER MISSIONS
TO THE ASTEROID BELT
AND TO JUPITER,
THE CASSINI MISSION TO SATURN,
THE NEW HORIZONS MISSION
TO PLUTO,
AND THE CURIOSITY MARS ROVER,
AND ALL OF THESE
WERE LAUNCHED ON A ROCKET
WITH A CENTAUR UPPER STAGE
DEVELOPED AND MANAGED
AT NASA GRC.
VOYAGER I
WAS THE FIRST SPACECRAFT
TO LEAVE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
AND VOYAGER II
TARGETED JUPITER, SATURN,
URANUS AND NEPTUNE
BEFORE JOINING ITS SISTER PROBE
ON AN INTERSTELLAR JOURNEY.
THE VOYAGER II
IS THE ONLY SPACECRAFT
TO VISIT ALL FOUR
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S
GIANT PLANETS AT CLOSE RANGE.
AND IT'S AMAZING
THAT VOYAGER 1 AND 2, AGAIN,
BOTH HAVE BEEN TRAVELING
FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS
AND COUNTING,
AND ARE AT LEAST
11 BILLION MILES AWAY.
AND EACH OF THESE ARE STOCKED
WITH A GOLDEN RECORD OF SIGHTS,
SOUNDS, AND DOCUMENTATION
THAT ONE DAY COULD BE
THE ONLY TRACES
OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.
NASA'S NEW HORIZONS
WAS THE FIRST MISSION
TO TRAVEL TO PLUTO,
AND THE FIRST SPACECRAFT
TO EXPLORE KUIPER BELT OBJECTS,
A REGION OF ICY DEBRIS
THAT EXTEND FAR OUTSIDE
THE ORBIT OF NEPTUNE.
NASA'S NEW HORIZONS
COMPLETED ITS PRIMARY MISSION
ON JULY OF 2015,
AS IT FLEW BY PLUTO
AND ITS COLLECTION OF MOONS.
IT IS NOW ON ITS WAY
TO A SECOND KUIPER BELT OBJECT
THAT WILL ARRIVE IN 2019.
>> AND LIFT OFF OF THE ATLAS V
WITH CURIOSITY,
SEEKING CLUES
TO A PLANETARY PUZZLE.
>> THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY
ROVER NAMED CURIOSITY,
WHICH LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY
IN SEPTEMBER--
EXCUSE ME, NOVEMBER OF 2011,
AND AUGUST OF 2012.
IT IS THE FIRST NASA MISSION
TO USE THE MMRTG,
OR THE MULTI-MISSION
RADIOISOTOPE
THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR.
THIS POWER SYSTEM PRODUCES
A POWER LEVEL OF A LITTLE OVER
A HUNDRED WATTS OF POWER,
WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE POWER
NEEDED TO GENERATE-- OR POWER
A HOUSEHOLD LIGHT BULB.
IT WEIGHS A LITTLE LESS
THAN 100 POUNDS,
HAS A DIAMETER OF 25 INCHES,
AND A LENGTH OF 26 INCHES.
MMRTG IS FUELED USING
32 MARSHMALLOW-SIZED
FUEL CLADS,
CONTAINING A HEAT SOURCE,
PLUTONIUM OXIDE.
CURIOSITY IS COLLECTING
SAMPLE... SOIL SAMPLES
AND ROCK CORES,
AND IT'S ANALYZING THEM
TO DETECT SIGNS OF
MICROBIAL LIFE
NOW OR IN THE PAST.
CURIOSITY IS THE FOURTH ROVER
SENT FROM THE UNITED STATES,
AND THE LARGEST,
MOST CAPABLE ROVER
EVER SENT TO STUDY A PLANET
OTHER THAN EARTH.
MANY EXCITING MISSIONS
ENVISIONED FOR THE EXPLORATION
OF THE PLANETS, THEIR MOONS,
AND THE ICY BODIES BEYOND THEM
COULD BE ENABLED
OR SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED
BY USING A RADIOISOTOPE
POWER SYSTEM.
AND SIMILAR TO CURIOSITY, NASA
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
ARE WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER
IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING
MARS 2020 MISSION,
WHICH IS A ROVER MISSION
THAT WILL-- THE ROVER WILL BE
LAUNCHED IN JULY OF 2020.
THIS ROVER WILL HAVE A SIMILAR
STRUCTURAL DESIGN
WITH NEW DURABLE TIRES
AND INSTRUMENTATION
THAT COULD BE INSTRUMENTAL
IN ACHIEVING OR SENSING
SIGNS OF LIFE ON MARS.
AND FOLLOWING THE MARS
2020 ROVER MISSION,
THERE IS A PROPOSED
RADIO ISOTOPE
POWER SYSTEMS-BASED MISSION
BY THE APPLIED PHYSICS LAB
CALLED DRAGONFLY.
DRAGONFLY IS A ROTOR CRAFT
LANDER MISSION
DESIGNED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF TITAN'S ENVIRONMENT
AND TO SAMPLE SURFACE
COMPOSITION IN DIFFERENT
GEOLOGIC SETTINGS.
TITAN IS THE LARGEST MOON
OF SATURN.
AND THIS REVOLUTIONARY
MISSION CONCEPT WILL PROVIDE
THE MEANS TO EXPLORE
DIVERSE REGIONS...
UNDERSTAND,
OR BETTER INVESTIGATE
HOW FAR PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY
HAS PROGRESSED,
AND ALSO DETERMINE
WHETHER OR NOT
THERE ARE SIGNS OF LIFE
THROUGH CHEMISTRY.
IN 2017, NASA,
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
AGREED TO TRANSITION,
UH, FLIGHT DEVELOPMENT
OF FUEL CLASS FROM
A MISSION-DRIVEN APPROACH
TO A CONSTANT RATE
PRODUCTION STRATEGY.
THIS CONSTANT RATE
PRODUCTION STRATEGY
WOULD ALIGN MATERIAL PRODUCTION
WITH HEAT SOURCE MANUFACTURING
IN AN ATTEMPT TO ENSURE
THAT FUTURE MISSIONS
CAN BE ACHIEVED.
THERE WILL BE SEVERAL
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE 2020s,
AND NUMEROUS MISSIONS
IN THE 2030s.
WELL, POTENTIAL MISSIONS
IN THE 2030s.
AND IN 2026,
WE WILL HAVE THE MEANS TO FUEL
ONE MMRTG EVERY THREE YEARS,
AND THE MEANS TO SCALE UP
IF REQUIRED, MEANING WE WILL
HAVE THE MEANS TO--
TO SUPPORT A MISSION CADENCE
OF APPROXIMATELY
EVERY THREE YEARS.
AND THE PROGRAM IS CONTINUING
TO ADVANCE RPS TECHNOLOGIES,
AND HAS RECENTLY INITIATED
THREE FLIGHT
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
THE ADVANCED MMRTG...
INCREASES POWER BY 25%
AT THE BEGINNING OF MISSION,
AND OVER 50% AT THE END
OF A 14-YEAR MISSION.
THIS SYSTEM IS DESIGNED
TO BE ABLE TO LAST
FOR 17 YEARS, WHEN INCLUDING
THREE YEARS OF STORAGE
ON EARTH, PRIOR TO A LAUNCH.
AND NEXT, IS THE DYNAMIC
RADIOISOTOPE POWER SYSTEM
THAT HAS MOVING PARTS,
BUT IS FOUR TIMES
MORE EFFICIENT THAN AN MMRTG.
AND FINALLY,
THE NEXT GENERATION RTG,
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO CONSIST
OF A MODULE CONFIGURATION,
AND HAVE A-- AND PROVIDE
AT LEAST 400 WATTS OF POWER
TO SUPPORT LARGE-SCALE
MISSIONS OF THE FUTURE.
AND THE PROGRAM IS ALSO
IN THE MIDST OF KICKING OFF
A FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
THAT PROMOTES INNOVATION,
AND IS FOCUSED ON
LOW-MATURITY TECHNOLOGIES.
THIS NEW ELEMENT
WILL PROVIDE THE MEANS
TO INNOVATE AND INCORPORATE...
TECHNOLOGY MAT--
WELL, ENHANCED MATURITY
FOR FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES.
AND AS WE WORK
DAY IN AND DAY OUT,
WE ARE STRIVING TO PROVIDE
A FOUNDATION FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION OF EXPLORERS.
AND IN 15 YEARS, WE MAY HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE
THE FIRST HUMAN MISSION TO MARS,
WHICH COULD BE EXPERIENCED
FIRSTHAND BY THE CHILDREN
OF TODAY, OR MAYBE EVEN
MY OWN CHILDREN.
NASA,
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY,
AND THE NASA GLENN
RESEARCH CENTER WILL CONTINUE
TO STRIVE TO EXPLORE
OUR FASCINATING SOLAR SYSTEM.
THANK YOU,
AND THANK EVERYONE
THAT SUPPORTED ME
IN THIS JOURNEY.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> AVIATION HAS MADE
OUR WORLD SMALLER.
BY ALLOWING US TO TRAVEL
ANYWHERE WE WANT,
WHENEVER WE WANT.
TWO-AND-A-HALF MILLION PEOPLE
FLY IN AND OUT OF
THE UNITED STATES EACH DAY,
AND IT REMAINS TO BE
ONE OF THE SAFEST FORMS
OF TRANSPORTATION.
SPEAKING OF SAFETY,
HAVE YOU EVER FLOWN
DURING THE WINTER MONTHS
AND WATCHED AS THE PLANE
GETS SPRAYED DOWN
WITH DE-ICING FLUID
JUST PRIOR TO TAKEOFF?
WELL THAT MAY BE THE ONLY TIME
YOU THINK OF ICING.
HOWEVER, THAT IS JUST
A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.
ONE SMALL PART OF
THE LARGER SYSTEM AT WORK,
KEEPING YOU AND I SAFE
FROM THE THREATS OF ICE.
NASA'S BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT
OF ICING SINCE ITS EARLY
INCEPTION IN THE 1920s,
AS PILOTS WERE ENCOUNTERING
ICING WHILE FLYING
THEIR MAIL ROUTES
ACROSS COUNTRY.
AS AVIATION EVOLVED
IN WORLD WAR II,
NASA GLENN,
USING ITS NEWLY-BUILT
ICING RESEARCH TUNNEL, OR IRT,
WAS CRITICAL IN DEVELOPING
THE ICING TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE PROPELLERS AND INTAKES.
NOW NASA'S COME A LONG WAY,
SINCE THE C-46 AND P-39s
TESTED IN THE IRT.
AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
AND OUR AIRSPACE INCREASES,
NEW THREATS CONTINUE TO EMERGE,
AND NASA GLENN HAS BEEN THERE
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
BY DEVELOPING AN UNDERSTANDING
OF THE ICING CONDITIONS
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING
IN OUR WIND TUNNELS.
AND THROUGH OUR FLIGHT RESEARCH.
AND BY DEVELOPING A SUITE
OF COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS
THAT ALLOW FURTHER ASSESSMENT
OF THE BUILD-UP OF ICE.
THIS HAS LED TO INFORMING
OUR ICING REGULATIONS
AND ICING PROTECTION SYSTEMS
AS WE KNOW TODAY,
AND HAS CHANGED INDUSTRY'S
DESIGN PROCESS.
UNFORTUNATELY SOME OF THESE
ICING THREATS ARE REALIZED
WHEN AN ACCIDENT OCCURS.
SUCH IS THE CASE
FOR THE 1994 AMERICAN EAGLE
FLIGHT 4184 THAT CRASHED
IN ROSELAWN, INDIANA,
AND SHED LIGHT ON
THE DANGERS OF SUPER COOL
LARGE DROPLET ICING,
OR SLD.
SEE, UP UNTIL THIS POINT,
RESEARCH AND REGULATIONS
PRIMARILY FOCUS ON DROP SIZES
ON THE ORDER OF
15 TO 50 MICRONS.
THIS IS ABOUT THE DIAMETER
OF YOUR HAIR.
HOWEVER, THIS COMMUTER
AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED DROP SIZES
THAT WERE MUCH LARGER,
ON THE ORDER OF 100
TO 500 MICRONS.
SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
THE DIAMETER OF A PENCIL LEAD.
THIS TYPE OF ICING
LED TO BUILD-UP
ON THE AIRFRAME SURFACES
THAT WAS ACTUALLY OUTSIDE
OF THE CURRENT
ICING PROTECTION ZONE.
THE ROSELAWN ACCIDENT
SPAWNED DECADES OF RESEARCH
FOR NASA GLENN, WHICH INCLUDED
PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY
AND THE FAA,
WHICH LED TO IMPROVE
OTHER FORECASTING TOOLS,
ENHANCED OUR IN-HOUSE
SIMULATION CAPABILITY,
AND ALSO PROVIDED
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR PILOTS.
TODAY, NASA GLENN IS STILL
SOUGHT AFTER FOR SLD RESEARCH
BECAUSE THERE'S PART
OF THIS SUPER COOL
LARGE DROPLET REGIME
THAT WE STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND
BECAUSE OF ITS DIFFICULTIES
TO SIMULATE.
NOW AS COMPUTATIONAL
TOOLS MATURE
AND TEST COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE,
INDUSTRY SEEKS
TO CERTIFY THEIR AIRCRAFT
THROUGH CERTIFICATION.
HOWEVER, THE DATABASES
USED TO DEVELOP
THESE CURRENT TOOLS
ARE PRIMARILY BASED
ON ICING ON A STRAIGHT WING,
AND TODAY'S COMMERCIAL
MODERN AIRFRAME DESIGN
FEATURES HIGHLY SWEPT
3-DIMENSIONAL WINGS
THAT WHEN EXPOSED
TO THE ICING CONDITIONS FORM
THESE VERY COMPLEX ICE SHAPES
THAT ARE NOT ONLY DIFFICULT
TO SIMULATE NUMERICALLY,
BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO CAPTURE
WHAT THAT SIGNIFICANT
AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
DEGRADATION IS.
SO NASA, ALONG WITH OUR DOMESTIC
AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS,
HAVE EMBARKED
ON A MULTI-YEAR PROGRAM
AIMED AT GENERATING
AN EXPERIMENTAL DATABASE
ON THESE LARGE SWEPT WING
CONFIGURATIONS
IN ORDER TO IMPROVE
OUR CONFIDENCE
AND OUR CFD TOOLS
FOR CERTIFICATION AND DESIGN.
NOW UP UNTIL THIS POINT,
I'VE PRIMARILY DISCUSSED
AIRFRAME ICING.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ANOTHER
ICING PHENOMENON
THAT'S FAIRLY NEW
CALLED ICE CRYSTAL ICING
THAT ACTUALLY IMPACTS
INSIDE THE ENGINE
WHERE IT'S WARM.
THESE ENGINE EVENTS,
ER, ICING EVENTS,
HAVE LED TO UNEXPLAINED
ENGINE POWER LOSS
OR ENGINE DAMAGE EVENTS
WHEN PILOTS ARE FLYING
AT HIGH ALTITUDE AROUND STRONG
CONVECTIVE THUNDER STORMS
AND WHERE IT'S ACTUALLY
CLEAR ON THE PILOT'S RADAR.
SO THEY ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW
WHEN THEY'RE IN
THESE THREATENING REGIONS.
WHAT'S SO UNIQUE
ABOUT ICE CRYSTALLIZING
IS THAT AT THESE HIGH ALTITUDES,
IT'S SO COLD
THAT ONLY ICE CRYSTALS EXIST.
NOW THESE ICE CRYSTALS
WILL JUST BOUNCE OFF
THE AIR FRAME SURFACES,
NOT CAUSING A THREAT.
HOWEVER, THEY WILL
GET INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE.
AS THE PARTICLES ENTER
THE ENGINE,
THEY'LL BEGIN TO WARM UP
AND SOME OF THEM
WILL BEGIN TO MELT,
AND THIS MELTED LIQUID
WILL IMPACT THE ENGINE SURFACES,
AND EVAPORATION WILL
BEGIN TO COOL 'EM DOWN,
MUCH LIKE IF YOU'RE
WASHING YOUR HANDS
AND YOU PUT IT UNDER A DRYER,
YOUR HANDS WILL FEEL COOLER.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE ENERGY
OF EVAPORATION
IS PULLING THE HEAT
OUT OF YOUR HANDS.
NOW THROUGH OUR WORK AT NASA,
WE HAVE LEARNED THAT WHEN
THIS TEMPERATURE IS JUST RIGHT,
AND YOU HAVE THE RIGHT RATIO
OF LIQUID WATER
AND, UH, ICE PARTICLES
THAT HAVEN'T MELTED,
YOU NOW HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT
INSIDE OF THE ENGINE
WHERE ICING CAN FORM
AND CAUSE A POTENTIAL EVENT.
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS
ICE CRYSTAL ICING ENVIRONMENT,
NASA PARTNERED WITH
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
AND EMBARKED ON A PROGRAM, UH,
LOOKING AT SEVERAL
FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS
TO STUDY WHAT THIS ICE CRYSTAL
ICING ENVIRONMENT
REALLY LOOKS LIKE.
IN ADDITION, NASA'S BEEN WORKING
WITH INDUSTRY TO MODIFY
THE RADAR SIGNATURE
SO PILOTS KNOW WHEN THEY'RE
IN THESE THREATENING REGIONS.
JUST RECENTLY IN AUGUST,
WE TESTED THIS ADVANCED
RADAR CAPABILITY
BY INTERROGATING STORMS
OFF THE PACIFIC,
AND WE HAD QUITE A BIT
OF SUCCESS WITH THAT.
IN ADDITION TO UNDERSTANDING
THE ENVIRONMENT,
WE'RE ALSO UTILIZING
OUR WORLD CLASS FACILITIES
AND TO STUDY HOW ICING
IS REALLY BUILDING UP
IN AN ENGINE.
WE'VE RECENTLY MODIFIED
THE PROPULSION SYSTEMS
LABORATORY
WITH AN ICING SYSTEM
THAT ENABLES US TO TEST
FULL-SCALE ENGINES
OR DRIVEN RIGS AT ALTITUDE
WITH THESE ICE CRYSTALS,
AND WE'RE ACTUALLY
ONE OF THE ONLY FACILITIES
IN THE WORLD THAT CAN OFFER
THAT TYPE OF CAPABILITY.
IN 2015,
ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS,
WE CONDUCTED
OUR SECOND ENGINE TEST,
AND IT IS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE
HAD EVER CAPTURED ON VIDEO
ICING ON AN ENGINE,
FURTHER EMPHASIZING THE SEVERITY
OF THE ICE CRYSTAL
ICING PHENOMENON.
NOW AN ENGINE'S
A VERY COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT,
WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT
TO OBTAIN ALL
THE REQUIRED MEASUREMENTS.
THEREFORE, WE'RE ALSO
CONDUCTING FUNDAMENTAL
ICING PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS,
WHICH HAS ENABLED US
TO DEVELOP INSTRUMENTATION
AND GIVEN US
A BROADER UNDERSTANDING
OF HOW THE ICE
IS GOING INSIDE
AND BUILDING UP IN AN ENGINE.
IN ADDITION, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING
AT PART SINGLE PARTICLE
BREAKUP PHYSICS,
AND WE'RE DOING THIS IN OUR--
GLENN'S BALLISTICS
IMPACT LABORATORY.
ALL OF THIS DATA
IS BEING USED TO BUILD
TOOLS AND MODELS THAT
CAN ALLOW FURTHER ASSESSMENT
OF THE ENGINE ICING
AND ALSO LOOK AT WAYS
HOW WE CAN MITIGATE AND MAKE
PROPULSION SYSTEMS SAFER.
NOW AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES,
WE CAN CONTINUE TO LOOK
AT PUSHING OUR
ICING MEASUREMENT CAPABILITIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE EARLY DAYS,
IN ORDER TO OBTAIN
THE ICE SHAPE
A TRACE METHOD WAS USED,
OR A MOLD AND CAST METHOD
WAS USED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN
ADDITIONAL AERODYNAMIC DATA
ON THE ICE SHAPES.
TODAY, 3-D SCANNING
TECHNOLOGY IS USED
WHICH ALLOWS THE RESEARCHERS
MORE FLEXIBILITY TO EITHER
RAPID PROTOTYPE THE ICE SHAPE,
SCALE THE ICE SHAPE,
OR PRODUCE AN ACCURATE
COMPUTATIONAL GRID
OF THE ICE SHAPE
FOR NUMERICAL STUDIES.
WITH THE NEW AVIATION
MARKETS EMERGING,
SUCH AS UEVS
AND THE CONCEPT OF UBERS
FLYING TAXIS,
WE MUST LOOK AHEAD TO UNDERSTAND
HOW WE CAN MITIGATE
POTENTIAL ICING THREATS.
THESE SMALL AIR CRAFTS
WILL REQUIRE LIGHTWEIGHT
AND LOW POWER
ICING PROTECTION SYSTEM,
WHICH LENDS ITSELF
TO UTILIZING MATERIAL
THAT CAN BE APPLIED
TO THE AIR FRAME SURFACES
THAT CAN EITHER REDUCE OR
PREVENT THE BUILDUP OF ICE.
THESE TYPE OF MATERIALS
ARE BEING DEVELOPED BY INDUSTRY,
UH, WHICH ARE CALLED
ICE PHOBICS.
HOWEVER, NASA IS DOING
THEIR PART BY TRYING
TO STANDARDIZE A WAY
TO BE ABLE TO TEST
THE PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY
OF THESE ICE PHOBIC COATINGS.
NOW OUR AIR SPACE--
IT'S CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
THE AIR CRAFT TODAY
WILL LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT
IN THE FUTURE.
JUST IMAGINE BEING ABLE
TO TRAVEL FROM NEW YORK TO L.A.
IN TWO AND A HALF HOURS
COMPARED TO FIVE,
PLANES RUNNING
ON ELECTRIC PROPULSION,
EVEN OUR AIR FRAMES
LOOKING DIFFERENT,
FEATURING SWEPT WING--
ER, SWEPT WINGS?
BLENDED WINGS, OR SKINNY WINGS,
ALL PRESENTING
DIFFERENT CHALLENGES.
AT NASA, WE ARE WORKING
TO BUILD OUR TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE
TO GET AHEAD
OF THOSE CHALLENGES,
AND AT NASA,
WITH OUR ICING TEAM,
WE'RE LOOKING TO UNDERSTAND
THE POTENTIAL ICING THREATS
AND BUILD TOOLS THAT CAN
HELP INFORM AND OPTIMIZE
THE NEXT GENERATION
AIR FRAME AND PROPULSION SYSTEM.
AT NASA GLENN,
WE ARE WORKING TO SOLVE
THE PROBLEMS OF TOMORROW TODAY,
KEEPING YOU AND I SAFE
WHEN WE FLY.
THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU TO THE TEAM THAT
HELPED ME PUT THIS TOGETHER.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> SO IF YOU THINK
THAT WAS EASY,
THAT WAS NOT EASY.
THAT-THAT WAS QUITE A FEAT,
AND WE-WE VOLUNTEER
THESE PEOPLE EVERY YEAR
TO DO THIS.
[ LAUGHTER ]
AND THEY DO SUCH A GREAT JOB
EVERY YEAR,
SO PLEASE THANK ERIN,
CARL, AND ASHLEY AGAIN.
[ APPLAUSE ]
WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF THEM
AND ALL THE REST
OF THE RESEARCHERS
AND SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
AT THE GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
AND ALL OF NASA, OF COURSE,
BUT WE ARE ESPECIALLY PROUD
OF THESE FOLKS FOR HAVING
THE-THE COURAGE TO STAND UP
BEFORE YOU TONIGHT
AND MEMORIZE THOSE TALKS
AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT WE DO AT THE NASA
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER.
SO JUST A COUPLE MORE THINGS
BEFORE WE LET YOU GO.
I WANT TO ALSO RECOGNIZE
CARLOS GRODSINKSY
AND ANN HEYWARD
AND THE OHIO AEROSPACE
INSTITUTE STAFF
AS NONE OF THIS
WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT.
SO PLEASE THANK THEM.
[ APPLAUSE ]
WE ALSO WANT TO THANK
KIRSTEN ELLENBOGEN
AND THE GREAT LAKES SCIENCE
CENTER FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
THEY'RE THE CUSTODIANS OF NASA--
NASA GLENN'S VISITORS CENTER.
THE SCIENCE CENTER
OPENS ITS DOORS FOR MANY
OF NASA'S, UM, VISITORS,
UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,
AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE
THEIR SUPPORT AS WELL.
SO THANK--
THANKS TO THE SCIENCE CENTER.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AND FINALLY, I WANT TO THANK
OUR OWN GLENN STAFF
WHO HELPED MAKE THIS
POSSIBLE THIS YEAR,
SO, ROBIN, YOUR TEAM
AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE WHO'S--
WHO'S WILLING TO SUPPORT
THIS EVERY YEAR,
SO THANK YOU ALL.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AND THANKS TO JIM AND HIS STAFF
FOR COMING TO-- FROM WASHINGTON
TO TOUR NASA GLENN
AND TO PARTICIPATE
IN TONIGHT'S FESTIVITIES,
SO OUR LAST APPLAUSE
FOR THE EVENING GOES TO THEM.
[ APPLAUSE ]
SO ONE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT,
THE REALLY IMPORTANT ONE,
THAT THERE IS DESSERT DOWNSTAIRS
IN THE RECEPTION AREA,
AND, UH, YOU CAN CONTINUE
TO TALK.
THERE-- THE, UH, MUSEUM
WILL STAY OPEN TILL, I THINK,
ABOUT 10 PM TONIGHT,
SO PEOPLE ARE FREE
TO WALK AROUND
AND TAKE A LOOK
AT THE DISPLAYS HERE,
AND THANK YOU AGAIN
FOR YOUR SUPPORT
AND FOR COMING TO HEAR
OUR PRESENTERS TONIGHT.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
[ APPLAUSE ]
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
[ MUSIC ]