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VOL. 41 NO. 10 LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER HOUST ON, TEXAS OCT OBER 2002

Photo courtesy of MicroMed Technology, Inc.

In a manufacturing laborator y, Quality Engineering Technician Terr y Martin works meticulously to produce a medical mar vel: A tiny, implantable heart pump.Co-developed by Johnson Space Center's engineers and Dr. Michael DeBakey, this product of ingenuity saves lives, proving to be a huge technology transfer success. JSC's Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office (TTCO) helps bring what was once only imagined to reality. To learn more about this remarkable breakthrough and TTCO, please turn to Page 4.


Center Director Message
By Ron Dittemore, Space Shuttle Program Manager

Over the past decade, the Space Shuttle Program has achieved remarkable success in adjusting to environmental influences, implementing change to vehicle configuration, organization and contract structures to increase the capability and efficiency of the program. For example: · Configuration changes have led to an 80-percent decrease in launch risk and nearly a 100-percent increase in cargo capability to low-Earth orbit. · Increased stabilization of processes and procedures has contributed to a 70-percent decrease of in-flight anomalies. · Aggressive efforts to control and reduce operational costs has led to an amazing 40-percent decrease in the overall program cost and workforce while, at the same time, achieving a 26-percent reduction in the number of workforce accidents. America's best has certainly gotten better! But only through the hard work and commitment of the NASA and contractor teams, working together with open and honest communication, have we been able to achieve these remarkable results. With the increasing likelihood that the space shuttle will be the primar y human space transportation system through 2020, it is inevitable that the program forecast will continue to include change and challenges to become more efficient. Efforts to reduce program risk through vehicle upgrades and configuration change will continue. Increased emphasis on maintaining the safety and integrity of the existing system infrastructure (system, facilities, skills, knowledge, process control, etc.) is a key ingredient of our strategy to control risks and maintain a safe and viable system through 2020. Technology advancements, obsolescence and budget constraints are but a few of the challenges that have and will continue to affect the strategic path of the Space Shuttle Program. As we pursue efforts to develop the near-term and long-term strategies to meet the challenges before us, our commitment to work together to overcome the hurdles of the future must be paramount. The business of space travel is not about the individual. On the contrar y, our success has been and continues to be built upon the chemistr y and power of the team. Our constancy amid change must be dependent upon the team approach, where diversity of background and experience produces innovative ideas and revolutionar y concepts necessar y for us to adapt to the ever-changing environment. The last 20 years of space shuttle operations have been incredible. The next 20 years will be even more remarkable as we begin to fully utilize an orbiting laborator y and open wide the doors of space travel and discover y. We can make it happen. We will make it happen!

FROM THE DESK OF LT. GEN. JEFFERSON D. HOWELL, JR.

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL!

I usually don't worr y much. I tr y to live as my mother advised me: "If there's something you can do about it, do it and quit worr ying; if there's nothing you can do about it, it's silly to worr y about something that is out of your hands." In following this philosophy, I normally don't get too worked up about what may or may not happen in the future and I sleep very soundly at night. Lately, though, I've had a sense of unease. I haven't been able to put my finger on why, but something seems to be bugging me. I suspect that the main cause of my disquiet centers around the incredible amount of activities that have been filling up all of our schedules and will continue to do so for the next couple of months (launch activities, World Space Congress, off-sites, back to school, etc.) The rash of mishaps that we have experienced over the past several weeks is a signal that we are not coping with our situation ver y well. What can we do about it? The answer: WE MUST ALL PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL! That simple act is what separates professionals from amateurs. That simple act is what makes the difference between doing things correctly versus doing things carelessly. You can't have professional excellence without paying attention to detail. We are all part of a large, dynamic team that is involved in a high-risk endeavor that cannot succeed unless all of its players do their part. If one of us fails, we all fail. We must each focus on the task at hand and not allow ourselves to be distracted by events occurring around us, or our concerns about future events. We are all in this together. Let's focus. Let's pay attention to detail.

By Kendra Ceule

JSC was recently selected as a recipient of the Public Employer Award from the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. This award recognizes a government employer for outstanding commitment to hiring, accommodating and advancing employees with disabilities. The committee grants only five employer awards each year. The Center was nominated for the honor by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Greater Houston, which operates a program called High School/High Tech (HS/HT). The program encourages students with developmental disabilities to pursue secondary education and high-tech careers, in part by placing them in summer internships with technologically advanced employers. JSC is one of those employers. "JSC has always been a tremendous supporter of this program," said UCP's Kelly Dietrich, who wrote the Center's nomination. "The people there go above and beyond to get these kids into JSC internships."

One former JSC intern, who was placed here through the High School/High Tech program, wrote about his I/T experience at the Center in his application essay to Baylor University. He is now a student there. Other HS/HT interns have been offered permanent jobs at JSC. The award will be presented to JSC at a ceremony in Lubbock, Texas, on Oct. 25. Estella Gillette, Director of Equal Opportunity Programs, will accept the award. Gillette said the award belongs to the entire Center because of the teamwork that earned it. "Without JSC's management support, Human Resources' work and the organizations' support in placing our summer interns from the High School/High Tech program, and without resources to accommodate persons with disabilities when necessary, JSC would not have won this award," she said. "We should all be proud of the recognition that Governor Rick Perry has bestowed upon us."

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JSC Lessons Learned Database is now online
It has been said that people should strive to learn something new everyday. Now, JSC employees have a convenient way to share lessons they've learned at work. The Johnson Space Center Lessons Learned Database (LLDB) is now the official vehicle for documenting lessons learned in various JSC programs. It is located at http://iss-www.jsc.nasa.gov/ss/issapt/lldb/. Any user with a JSC workstation may submit a lesson via the system, as well as search the LLDB database for lessons by keyword, lesson number or category. No identification or password is required. "Before the database was developed, JSC Directorates recorded their lessons-learned information in a wide variety of ways ­ some in electronic files, some in the International Space Station lessons learned database, some in the NASA headquarters database and still other records were kept in file cabinets," said Ralph Anderson, Project Improvements Office Manager. This fragmented approach did not take advantage of Web technology to share and disseminate valuable lessons-learned information. "Our previous individual system's shortcomings were two-fold," Anderson said. "Retrieving information for later use was difficult and impractical, and sharing across multiple organizations was not practiced." Anderson said the new database addresses these two issues and adds a wealth of new features that greatly enhances recording and retrieval capabilities. The new JSC LLDB provides entirely new functionality for a new JSC user base. It incorporates most of the functionalities of the ISS LLDB application and includes many enhancements as well. The JSC LLDB includes the following upgrades and enhancements: LLDB users may attach photographs or graphics associated with their lessons. A spell-check feature is now available when the lesson is submitted. All JSC lessons learned progress through a newly developed review process documented in detail in the Common Work Instruction titled "JSC Lessons Learned Process." Automated e-mails notify registered users as lessons move through the JSC review process. Additional report options are available to the Systems Management Office and Directorate Level Organization Reps, including a quarterly report. When a lesson is approved by the Systems Management Office and released for public viewing, the text of the lesson is automatically e-mailed to the JSC CDM for submittal to the NASA Headquarters LLIS.

Anderson added he can give Superior Accomplishment Awards to civil-servant employees who successfully submit a lesson. The Superior Accomplishment Award includes a $250 cash award. While Anderson led the database project, he is quick to say it was a team effort to create it. "The professional Barrios team of Linda Arolfo, Cynthia Fontenot, Kevin Sharpe and Beth Walls is to be commended, as well as the NASA JSC requirements development team of Vince Berend, Brent Fontenot, Nancy Munoz and Ron Montague," he said. "Without their support, this project may not have materialized." The database, which took less than a year to create, will have long-term benefits for the space program. "This was a fun project to develop, and I got the feeling of contributing something worthwhile to the Center and for the Agency," Anderson said. "Making the documentation and retrieval of lessons learned easier for our personnel will enhance our successors' abilities to benefit from the information we leave for generations to come."





Efficient, effective, accountable
Freedom to Manage Program helps streamline processes
By Kendra Ceule

A new government-wide program is helping Johnson Space Center employees work more efficiently. Freedom to Manage, or F2M, has been implemented throughout the Agency and strives to eliminate roadblocks to effective management. F2M can help JSC employees do their jobs more efficiently by streamlining process, removing barriers and cutting red tape. F2M was born of a commitment established in this year's President's Management Agenda, in which President Bush declared that his Administration would be "dedicated to ensuring that the resources entrusted to the federal government are well managed and wisely used." The program has already initiated some changes at JSC. For example, the Center now has increased authority when it comes to hiring its senior executives or making changes to organizational

to suggest something. We're always looking for fresh ideas.

Don't hesitate

charts, said Greg Hayes, Director of Human Resources. Hayes is JSC's point of contact for F2M, and also serves on NASA's F2M Task Force. "These things used to have to be approved by Headquarters," Hayes said. "Now the Centers have much more flexibility." Part of Hayes' responsibility with the Freedom to Manage program is to sort through the suggestions submitted by JSC employees. The suggestions that are deemed feasible are passed on to the appropriate contacts to be examined and possibly implemented. Employee suggestions are at the heart of F2M: The more management impediments that are pointed out, the more that can be addressed. Contractors and civil servants alike are strongly encouraged to submit their suggestions. "Don't hesitate to suggest something," said Hayes. "We're always looking for fresh ideas." Visit http://f2m.nasa.gov/submit.htm for instructions on submitting your F2M suggestions in order to make JSC a more efficient place to work. ­ Greg Hayes

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