GRAA NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 1184, Greenbelt, MD 20768-1184

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM ARLIN KRUEGER, GRAA VICE PRESIDENT: A commemoration of the 60^th Anniversary of GSFC’s founding was held at GRAA’s May luncheon. Over 90 retirees and alumni came to hear GSFC Director Christopher Scolese and eight retired employees describe their impressions of the Center’s development over the years. Chris, with limited time available due to an overlapping NASA Town Hall, outlined GSFC’s lead roles in the “Back to the Moon by 2024” initiative, including optical communications, space weather, robotic services, and reusable lander support. Upcoming new GSFC missions include Restore-1, the James Webb Space Telescope, and a December launch of Landsat 9 for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In response to questions, Chris noted that the Center will lead in four of nine selected lunar science proposals; the number of summer interns is down due to the government furlough during the recruitment period; and refurbishment of Buildings 17 and 29 is in progress and construction has started on the first of four new buildings. Chris offered to return with his full presentation and that is now scheduled for the June 11^th luncheon due to Don Jennings’ postponement of his Ultima Thule presentation in September.

Chuck Cote introduced eight retirees, starting with former GSFC Director Joe Rothenberg, and followed by John Bosworth, Ron Browning, Ernie Hilsenrath, Barbara Lowery, Henry Plotkin, Valerie Thomas and George Hogan, for recollections of life at GSFC.

Joe Rothenberg recalled the thrill of his first entry through the Employees Only gate. He talked of the hard lessons learned on the Center over the years since the first Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Vanguard launches, such as single-point failures, the need for lessons-learned documents, and the differences between launch parties and success parties!

John Bosworth remembered joining GSFC on the day President Kennedy was assassinated, and his 42-year tour through the facilities, engineering and sciences divisions that included working on Small Astronomy Satellites (SAS), Shuttle, Space Geodesy, and Crustal Dynamics.

Ron Browning was an original NRL employee relocated to GSFC. He followed Harry Press as the last Nimbus Project Manager. He reviewed the GSFC satellite launches in the ‘60s.

Ernie Hilsenrath was inspired by the Sputnik launch during the International Geophysical Year to join the meteorology program in NASA. Bill Nordberg initially assigned him to investigate anomalies in TIROS cameras.

Barbara Lowrey reported in 1959 to the first NASA office, located in the Dolly Madison House near the White House, as a Satellite Orbit Analyst. She held badge number 33!

Henry Plotkin was originally recruited by Ed Habib to work with John O’Keefe on corner reflectors for satellite tracking.

Valerie Thomas chose to work for NASA over attending graduate school, but soon determined that GSFC was just like a college campus. She recalled the days with flashing computer lights, punch card decks, and long paper printouts prior to monitors being invented.

George Hogan recalled his start in the early days of TIROS and Nimbus flights.

Alex Nagy, an early GSFC/NASA Headquarters/KSC public affairs officer who had long planned to attend the 60^th Anniversary event, but sadly passed away just a week earlier.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Treasurer Jackie Gasch received tax-deductible donations from John Burris, Bernard Cullinan, Joseph Hennessy, Ellen Herring, Peter Hui (in memory of Ton Eng), William Mack, David Manges, James Mannion, Ralph Mollerick, Mary Mowatt, Jan Owings, Carmie Peavler (in memory of Bob Peavler), Shirley Phipps, John Purcell (in memory of Linda Howard), Duane Robertson, Kenneth Rosette, Joseph Rothenberg, Pedro Sarmiento, Michael Tasevoli, John Tominovich, Roberta Valonis, and John Webster.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

• William F. Bangs, of Cedar Falls, IA, passed away on April 14^th. In 1961, he initially worked at GSFC in the Test & Evaluation Division of the Office of Technical Services, which in ’65 changed its title to the Systems Reliability Directorate. The organizational title was changed again to the Office of Flight Assurance in ’77. For several years he served in the Systems Review Office and later as Chief of the Assurance Requirements Office prior to retiring in the late ‘90s.
• Dora L. Carle, of Gambrills, MD, passed away on May 1^st. She started at GSFC in ’79 working as a Contracting Officer in the Procurement Management Division of the Administration & Management Directorate. From ’80 to ’85 she moved to NASA Headquarters to serve as a Grants Officer and then returned to GSFC to work in the Institutional Procurement Division and Procurement Support Division of the Management Operations Directorate until retiring in ’93.
• Joseph Patrick Michael Corrigan III, of Glen Burnie, MD, and Bristow, VA, passed away on May 15^th. He came to GSFC in ’61 as an Electrical Engineer and was initially assigned to the Space Projects Integration Office and soon after in the Projects Resource Office of the Office of Tracking & Data Systems. In ’65 he moved to the Spacecraft Systems & Projects Division of the Space Science & Satellite Applications Directorate. From the late ‘60s through the mid-80s he transitioned to several different directorates, ending up working on over 30 different spacecraft projects and programs. He retired from GSFC in ’86, but served as a NASA consultant for another 10 years.
• Walter T. Flournoy, of Olney, MD, passed away on April 20th. He arrived at GSFC in 1961 as a Mathematician & Aerospace Technologist and when he retired in 2018 was the longest-tenured GSFC employee with 61 years (combined with his military service, he devoted 63 years to government service). Suffice it to say we have insufficient space to detail all of his missions working in GSFC’s computational facilities in the Mission Operations & Data Systems Directorate and other tasks to which he was assigned and apparently relished.
• Stephen G. McCarron, of Hyattsville, MD, passed away on May 9^th. He came to GSFC in ’63 and was initially assigned to the Spacecraft Technology Division of the Office of Space Science & Satellite Applications. In ’65 the organization’s title was changed to the Spacecraft Technology Directorate. In ’72 the name was changed again to Information Division of the Mission & Data Operations Directorate, to which he was assigned until ’98, when he transitioned to the Applied Engineering & Technology Directorate, from which he retired in ’05.
• Alex P. Nagy, of Pinehurst, NC, passed away on May 6^th. He moved from NRL as a charter member of GSFC with many other employees from the Vanguard Program. He later moved to NASA Headquarters and advanced to become Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs. With the advent of the Space Shuttle, he accepted a position at Kennedy Space Center as deputy to its Public Affairs Officer. Rather than respond to a call to return to NASA Headquarters, he elected to retire in 1981.
• Robert L. Owen, of Concord. MA, passed away on May 7^th. He arrived at GSFC in ’61 as an Engineer and was initially assigned to the Manned Flight Operations Division of the Office of Tracking & Data Systems, which was in ’66 changed to the Technology Directorate. He was Assistant Chief of the Manned Flight Engineering Division of the Manned Flight Support Directorate and then Associate Chief in ’68. In ’82 he became Chief of the Office of Chief Engineer in the same directorate until retiring at the end of ’83.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – IT HAPPENED IN JUNE: On June 18, 2009, an Atlas V rocket launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) from Kennedy Space Center, FL. LRO was designed to map the surface of the Moon and characterize future landing sites with the ultimate goal of facilitating the return of humans to the Moon. LRO launched along with its companion spacecraft, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), which was designed to search for water ice on the Moon’s surface. LRO spent one year in what was termed the exploration phase of the mission and in September 2010 it started its science phase. As of September 2015 it was in its second extended science mission.