Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Directors’ Meeting 21 May 2001
The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and
Center Directors’ Meeting on May 21, 2001. Mr. Goldin attended the
meeting. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy
identification.
1. AA Reports
Q/Greenfield: Dr. Greenfield provided safety tips for summer vacations
which include carrying a first aid kit, avoiding excessive sun exposure,
how to treat bug bites, and guidance for safe hiking in the woods.
AM/Williams: Dr. Williams provided health information on sudden cardiac
arrest and the importance of early defibrillation in preventing associated
deaths. In most cases of sudden cardiac death, the causative cardiac
rhythm is ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation is a
condition in which the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic
causing the heart to stop effectively pumping blood. Defibrillation, the
application of electrical shock, can restore the heart’s normal rhythm if
it is given with minutes of the cardiac arrest.
M/Rothenberg: 1) Discussed the retreat the Senior Management had
with Mr. Goldin. 2) Discussed issues concerning Russian activities.
3) Discussed Space Station budget.
P/Cleggett: Ms. Cleggett thanked MSFC for their help in announcing the
first round of contract awards for the Space Launch Initiative.
R/Reck: Code R held its annual Turning Goals into Reality Conference last
week at the new Ronald Reagan International Trade Center and attracted
nearly 400 attendees.
W/Gross: 1) Last week 197 were indicted and later arrested, for one count
of intentionally accessing a U.S. Government computer without
authorization, one count of trafficking in passwords to facilitate
unauthorized access to U.S. Government computers, two counts of possessing
15 or more counterfeit or unauthorized computer passwords, one count of
possession with intent to defraud sniffer programs to intercept real time
keystrokes and electronic communications. The indictments and arrests stem
from the subject’s alleged unauthorized access to a NASA computer system
located at LaRC. He is also alleged to have shared this unauthorized
access with countless other hackers by publicizing it on the Internet.
J/Sutton: Mr. Sutton thanked the Johnson Space Center for its support of
last week’s Facilities Engineering Conference.
I/Schumacher: 1) The Administrator will meet with Australian Ambassador
Thawley to follow up on recent discussions. 2) The International Space
Forum will be held June 5-7 in Berlin. This conference will focus on ISS
utilization.
AS/Olsen: The Human Research Facility (HRF) has been turned on and is
functioning on ISS. 2) Results of a NASA-funded Biomedical Research
program experiment, “Midodrine prevents orthostatic intolerance associated
with simulated spaceflight,” conducted at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital
General Clinical Research Center, have been published in the June 2001
issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
K/Thomas: On May 24, GSFC will hold its annual Small Business Procurement
Conference.
AO/Holcomb: Andrea Norris, NASA’s Deputy Chief Information Officer for
Management, is leaving NASA.
L/Bingham: 1) Mr. Bingham discussed preparations for a hearing in
Fairbanks, Alaska. 2) He noted several House Science Committee activities
scheduled in June.
C/Christensen: The Headquarters picnic will be held June 9. The 2001
Headquarters Softball Tournament begins Thursday, May 24.
2. AI/Dr. Mulville
1) The next Senior Management Council Meeting will be held on Friday, June
22. 2) The Center Directors’ Telecon is canceled for this Thursday, May
24, due to the Memorial Service for Dave Walker.
3. Center Directors
DFRC/ Petersen: The X-40A successfully conducted its 7th and final drop
flight on Saturday; all went well.
GRC/Campbell: 1) Representatives from General Electric Aircraft Engines
presented the results of their Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET)
Systems Studies at GRC on May 3. 2) Representatives from Pratt & Whitney
presented the results of their UEET Systems Studies at NASA Glenn Research
Center on May 9.
GSFC/Diaz: On May 23, GSFC will host a speaker who will give an update on
the radar initiative in Africa.
JPL/Dumas: JPL’s Open House was a success with approximately 60,000 visitors.
JSC/Estess: Mr. Estess discussed preparation for the June 14 launch of
Space Shuttle STS-104. (Note: The launch has now been moved to no earlier
than July.)
KSC/Jennings: Mr. Jennings gave a status of the rollout of STS-104 from
the Vehicle Assembly Building.
4. A/Goldin
1)Mr. Goldin emphasized that now that the Space Launch Initiative
(SLI) is underway, we must maintain focus on this major initiative.
2)STS-104 will deliver the Joint Airlock to the International Space
Station. He commended the Office of Space Flight for their focus on safety
as NASA’s number one priority.
3)Finally, Mr. Goldin discussed the importance of taking leave and
spending time with family and friends.
NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND
TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED TO VANESSA COATES @ (202) 358-0906.