Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Directors’ Meeting 12 June 2000

The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and
Center Directors’ Meeting on June 12, 2000. Mr. Goldin attended the
meeting. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy
identification.

1. AA Reports

P/Cleggett: Ms. Cleggett reported that at 2:30 p.m. Mr. Goldin will be
participating in the White House Millennium Matinee with the First Lady and
students. NASA’s Earth Science exhibit is prominently featured.

M/Rothenberg: Mr. Rothenberg reported on the following: 1) There are
numerous stories about the Service Module. Currently, the modified 3rd
Proton, Geyzer, a Russian military satellite, will be launched June 30 at
the earliest. The next possible date will be about July 12. 2) There will
be a meeting in Russia on Wednesday with Mr. Koptev.

H/Luedtke: Mr. Luedtke thanked GRC for its hospitality last week.

K/Thomas: Mr. Thomas reported on the following: 1) This is Small Business
Week with a convention being held at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington,
DC. SpaceHab will win a Small Business award. 2) There will be a Prime
Contractor Roundtable on Thursday.

I/Diaz: Ms. Diaz reported that Mr. Schumacher is working with the Embassy
of Argentina for Mr. Goldin’s meeting with the President on June 13 and 14.

L/Kerwin: Ms. Kerwin reported on the following: 1) There may be possible
action on the House floor this week regarding the VA-HUD Appropriations and
a possible Roemer (D-IN)/Ganske (R-IA) amendment to terminate the
International Space Station. 2) There may be a possible conference on the
FY 2000-2002 Authorization Bill.

Z/Garver: Ms. Garver reported on the following: 1) The Draft 2000 NASA
Strategic Plan has been circulated for comments and concurrence which are
due by Friday, June 23. 2) Ms. Garver thanked Dr. Creedon and the Langley
Research Center for hosting the NASA Advisory Council meeting last week.

2. AI/Dr. Mulville

Dr. Mulville reported on the following: 1) He also thanked Dr. Creedon and
LaRC for hosting him and the NASA Advisory Council last week. 2) The
Senior Management Council meeting for Friday, June 16, has been cancelled
due to a conflict in Mr. Goldin’s schedule with congressional activities.
3) The Capital Investment Council meeting will be held on Thursday, June
15, from 8 to 11 a.m. to discuss budget planning and FTE (Full Time
Equivalent) employee status and issues. 4) The Agency Honor Awards
ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 15, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the
James E. Webb Auditorium.

3. Center Reports

DFRC/Ramos: Mr. Ramos reported on the following: 1) The Center completed
a successful Det Norske Vertitas periodic surveillance audit last week.
The Center had no major nonconformances and only one minor nonconformance
dealing with some untagged materials. 2) The Center will be hosting the
Interagency Aircraft Operations Panel this week, beginning June 13. 3) The
Center will also be hosting the NATO Research Technology Hypersonic Working
Group on Thursday, June 15. 3) The Center is participating in a Defense
Science Board visit on Thursday, looking at the Alliance activity that the
Center has with the Air Force Flight Training Center.

GRC/Earls: Dr. Earls reported that Congressman David Hobson (R-OH) visited
the Center on Friday, June 2, 2000. Congressman and Mrs. Hobson and his
Chief of Staff spent the morning receiving a Center overview and a tour of
the Center. Congressman and Mrs. Hobson joined members of GRC’s senior
staff, summer intern students, and the Ohio Aerospace Council for a
luncheon that concluded his visit.

JPL/Detweiler: Mr. Detweiler reported that JPL hosted an Open House for
about 40,000 of the public. A Web cam was set up to view the activities.

JSC/Abbey: Mr. Abbey reported on the following: 1) Jim Halsell has
completed the STS-101 mission postflight activitiesand will be moving to
begin his job as Manager, Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration, at KSC.
2) There will be a series of meetings in preparation for the next ISS
launch: the General Design Review on June 26, and the General Operations
Review on June 21.

MSFC/Stephenson: Mr. Stephenson reported that Dr. Hans Mark will be
visiting the Center on Friday to discuss collaboration activities.

SSC/Craig: Mr. Craig reported that Governor Ronnie Musgrove (D-MS) will be
making his initial visit to the Center on Tuesday, June 13, 2000, as
Governor and will receive briefings from NASA and the U.S. Navy. He had
previously visited the Center as Lieutenant Governor.

4. Mr. Goldin

The aerospace industry is known for having an extremely complex chemical
environment. Demand for decreasing product development flowtime, combined
with increasingly stringent performance criteria, may cause an imbalance
between performance testing and environmental health testing. While a
product may have been performance tested and approved, users may know
little about its health and environmental impact.

NASA’s inventory includes approximately 17,000 chemical products, including
composites, metals, organic compounds, plastics, fibrogenic dusts, and
benign dusts. We have one of the most chemically complex workplaces in
the world.

Although NASA Centers maintain high standards for workplace safety, new
technologies and procedures are introduced with almost every mission. That
means hazards to employees and the environment is ever-changing. Safety is
possible, but only if employees understand the hazards associated with
their work and strive to minimize them. We must pay constant attention to
the production and handling of hazardous chemicals, as well as to their
storage, transport, and disposal.

One example of a hazardous situation is where the label on a drum of a
specific chemical wears off. The drum begins leaking, but no one knows
what is in the container or the proper cleanup procedures. A handling
example is one in which an employee transports a chemical in an improper
container resulting in unnecessary exposure.

NASA’s Chemical Hazard Communication Program includes specific procedures
that provide for a complete inventory of hazardous chemicals, with each
chemical cross-referenced to the corresponding Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS). The program also includes an explanation of the cross-referencing,
labeling system, and MSDS format to be used, along with a training program
for employees using or potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals.

Correct instruction and quality training are essential components for a
successful hazard communication program. Therefore, I expect all NASA
Centers and Agency-level Occupational Health and Safety Programs, to
continue and expand our noteworthy efforts in protecting employees from
chemical hazards. It is the responsibility of each Associate Administrator
and Center Director to take the time to understand chemical hazards and
proper procedures at each Center.

Mr. Goldin then briefly described various highlights concerning his recent
trip to Italy. He was in awe of the ancient buildings and architecture,
commenting that the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel had finally been completed
after 20 years, and it was spectacular. He further related anecdotes on
his private audience with the Pope.

NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND
TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED TO JILL HOOVER @ (202) 358-0905.

Officials-in-Charge of NASA Headquarters Offices:

AA/Mr. Heffernan

AI/Dr. Mulville

AB/Ms. Tagg

AC/Gen. Armstrong

AE/Mr. Keegan

AJ/Mr. Tam

AM/Dr. Nicogossian

AO/Mr. Holcomb

AS/Dr. Olsen

B/Mr. Holz

C/Mr. Christensen

E/Mr. Reese

F/Ms. Novak

G/Mr. Frankle

H/Mr. Luedtke

I/Mr. Schumacher

J/Mr. Sutton

K/Mr. Thomas

L/Mr. Heffernan

M/Mr. Rothenberg

P/Ms. Wilhide

Q/Mr. Gregory

R/Mr. Venneri

S/Dr. Weiler

U/Dr. Nicogossian

W/Ms. Gross

Y/Dr. Asrar

Z/Ms. Garver

Directors, NASA Centers:

ARC/Dr. McDonald

DFRC/Mr. Petersen

GRC/Mr. Campbell

GSFC/Mr. Diaz

JSC/Mr. Abbey

KSC/Mr. Bridges

LaRC/Dr. Creedon

MSFC/Mr. Stephenson

SSC/Mr. Estess

Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Dr. Stone

cc:

A/Ms. M. Roberts

A/Ms. S. Roberts

AA/Ms. Saldana

AC/Ms. Landrus

AE/Ms. Moore

AI/Ms. Blinebury

AI/Ms. Shaeffer

AI/Ms. Soper

AJ/Ms. Bloxon

AO/Ms. Wissinger

AS/Ms. Simms

CIC/Analysts