MISSION SUCCESSLOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE SYSTEMS COMPANY

BULLETIN

®

April 7, 2003 OPERATIONSMICHOUD

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe visited Michoud shortly after theColumbia accident and reassured employees: “We will persevere; we’ll getthrough this.” In a subsequent Michoud visit at the Service Life ExtensionProgram Summit, O’Keefe said NASA expects the shuttle to fly past 2020to expand and operate the International Space Station and explore space.

The NASA Space Shuttleprogram office has taken the firststeps to return to safe flight as soonas possible.

While acknowledging that thereis much to be done in support of theColumbia Accident InvestigationBoard (CAIB), Ron Dittemore,Space Shuttle program manager,recently identified several designand operational improvements forreview and possibleimplementation.

Dittemore classified the followingupgrades as Return to Flightactivities:

- Review ET bipod area andrecommend changes to insulationdesign and implementation to

preclude any foam loss.- Use Department of Defense

satellites and the InternationalSpace Station for on-orbit shuttleinspection and repair. Identify tileand wing leading edge inspectionand repair options.

- Review ground-based launchand ascent photography and radar.

- Place extra cameras on shuttlecomponents to record launch andascent.

- Examine possible trajectorymodifications to minimize re-entryheating.

Since February 1, CAIB membershave visited Michoud frequently tounderstand ET manufacturingprocesses and interview employees

in their quest to find clues toColumbia’s break-up. The board hassaid it has no favored accidenttheory, but much of the attentionremains focused on possible ETdebris that struck Columbia,NASA’s oldest orbiter, at 81 secondsinto flight on January 16.

A joint team of NASA andLockheed Martin investigators isworking closely with the CAIB. Thethree-pronged focus of theiractivities is fault tree investigation,data analysis and componenttesting, including dissection of ETbipod ramp and flange areas.

Activities continue on a redesignof the ET bipod area that was begunfollowing the STS-112 mission inOctober. Michoud employees alsoare looking at camera locations onthe vehicle that would provideadditional information on ET andSolid Rocket Boosters performance.

High velocity impact tests willbegin later this month at theSouthwest Research Institute in SanAntonio in order to understand whateffect foam debris may have onorbiter tiles, leading edge andcloseout panels.

“I’d like to personally thank eachemployee for their commitment toour goals of finding the cause of theColumbia accident and returning tosafe flight as soon as possible,” saidDennis Deel, president, MichoudOperations.

“The last two months have beenextremely difficult, but I believe thatwe’ve stayed focused on what needsto be done. I think the CAIBrecognizes that as well.”

NASA targets fall for earliest possible return to flightLocal investigation continues with three-pronged approach

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Lockheed Martin conducted itsown version of the Oscar awards onJanuary 28 as astronaut DuaneCarey bestowed the 2002 BuildProcess Team of the Year award onthe winning team.

Out of a four-teamcompetition, the WeldOperations – Weld Sub-Assembly II team ledby Mike McGehee tooktop honors. Judgesevaluated the 45-memberteam on having the bestimprovements to cost, safety,quality and hardware scheduling.

The team performed at 86percent zero defects in welds,charged only one accident fromJuly 2001 to December 2002,estimated labor savings of over 549man-hours per year and lastly

implemented ten of 27recommendations.

“I believe two big keys to thewinning team’s success are the

range and balance ofimprovement candidates– Safety, Quality,Performance – and therelationshipsestablished with the

various support groupswhile implementing these

improvements,” said HalSimoneaux, director,Manufacturing and Test.

The other three competing teams– Super Light Ablator OperationsGroup A team, Weld Sub-AssemblyArea 3 team and Intertank andStringer team – also showedsignificant improvements in theseareas in the past year.

Michoud Operations presentsBuild Process Team of the Year

Congratulations to the Weld Operations Sub-Assembly II team, the Build Process Team (BPT) of the Year.Seated from left: Veronica Vilen, George Huber, Onicka Walker, Andy Clouatre, Debbie Benz, Mike McGehee(Team Lead), Janice Capello, Son Nguyen, Keith McClaine, Cheryl Iwanczyk (BPT Administrator) and MikeJavery (vice president, Production Operations). Second row: Daniel Galbraith, Bret Holt, Jesse Hawkins, MikeMathes, James Moffett, Fred Schule, Mitch Huguet, Richard Oramous, Randall Kliebert, Robert Cooksey andSheri Torres. Third row: Carroll Flurry, Max Rabalais, Guillermo Ladut, Larry Cox, Charles Kennon, RobertFuller, Cliff Mitchell, Lloyd Demmons, John Trowbridge, Benny Robinson (Assistant Team Lead) and RichardMichel. Fourth row: George Pender, Hal Simoneaux (director, Mfg. & Test), Francis Hotard, William Walsten,Kwok Tsang, Charles Anderson, astronaut Duane Carey, Dilip Dudgaonkar, Larry Zurek, Sam Moley and TomaSharkey. Not pictured: Todd Duhon, Robert Larche, Steve Reeves, Ronald Smallwood and Ray Zibilich.

• 2nd Pilot started 1/27 in Weld Operations (includes Weld Sub-Assembly 1 and 3)

• 3rd Pilot started 3/25 in Detail Fabrication (includes Harness Fab, Tube Shop, SLA Shop and Machine Shop)

PaperlessManufacturing

Status

Buildingthe ExternalTank in arevolutionarynew way!

For more information check out:

http://maflm502/34xx/pmes/home.htm

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Year 2003 commemorates a milestone.Lockheed Martin marks its 30th year of designing, building and testingExternal Tanks in New Orleans this year. Over three decades, thecompany has pumped $3.2 billion in payroll into the local economy, asignificant impact to the New Orleans area and the state of Louisiana.

Hybrid rocket hassuccessful launch

Recently Michoud’s Space FlightAwareness (SFA) office hit uponthe idea of hosting employeelunches with astronauts. Since theastronauts were here working on

the STS-107 investigation, why notdo lunch?

“In light of Columbia’s accident, Ithink it’s helping morale,” saidRussell Arthur, SFA programcoordinator. “We bring in 16employees from variousdepartments who rarely have achance to talk to astronauts.”

Willie Howard, ProductionOperations, agreed. “These arevery helpful, nice and intimate,close and personal with theastronauts – a great experience.”

Two astronautscome to each lunch.“For us, it’s good tosee the people whoput the tanktogether,” saidastronaut AlvinDrew. “They’re notjust faceless folks. Itreally is anengineering miracle.”

Employees say theyappreciate theastronauts’ candor.“Everybody’s kind ofdown in the dumpswith the tragedy,”said James Brooks,Prod Ops. “This isspecial getting to talkwith the astronauts.I’ll go back to my areaand tell them this issomething to lookforward to.”

The lunches are twice a week inBldg 102 Special Events Room.

“I’ve been helping with theadministrative duties of theinvestigation and just to get awayfrom that stress for a while is verynice,” said Sandy Sollberger,Program Management & TechnicalOperations.

Lunch with astronauts providesa boost to employee morale

It was worth the wait. Aftermonths of delay, just beforeChristmas, Michoud with NASAsupport and a NASA payloadlaunched its Hybrid Sounding Rocketfrom Wallops Flight Facility inVirginia.

Perhaps the largest HybridSounding Rocket ever launched at 57feet long and two feet in diameter,the rocket used liquid oxygen andsolid fuel to generate 60,000 poundsof thrust to reach an altitude of42km with a burn time ofapproximately 34 seconds.

“This flight data can be used toimprove our analytical models andpredictions, which gives us adatabase and tools to design futurehybrids and hybrid scale-ups,” saidRandy Tassin, vice president,Program Management & TechnicalOperations.

The rocket also demonstrated thathybrid propulsion technology offers alow-cost solution for deliveringpayloads. Hybrids presentsignificant advantages over solid fuelpropellants in that they’re non-explosive, throttleable, affordableand environmentally friendly.

Michoud’s Hybrid Sounding Rocketprepares to streak into the sky at 2½times the speed of sound.

Astronaut Tony Antonelli signs a launch photo forGlen Dobbins while Geneva Robertson and CarlosYingst look on.

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Volume 22, Number 1April 7, 2003

Editor: Harry Wadsworth

Graphics, Photography:Kevin Barré, Darren Kearney

Horace Williams

Contributors:Kevin Barré, Marion LaNasa,

Toni McCormick, Horace Williams

Lockheed MartinSpace Systems Company

Michoud Operations

Telephone: (504) 257-0094Mission Success Bulletin is published by the Communications Department.

®MISSION SUCCESSBULLETIN

Lockheed Martin Space Systems CompanyMichoud OperationsP. O. Box 29304New Orleans, LA 70189-0304

Please send mailing address updates to: sharon.h.hansen@maf.nasa.gov

MILESTONES Employees celebrating anniversaries withLockheed Martin in January, February and March

Louis DavisGene DiazHayward DucreJames DunnVictor DyerMelissa EarhartKelley EasleyMichael EratoBarry ErmingerArnold FazandeMerlin FieldsStephen FisseAnthony FlotDiamond FourcadeJerry GosinJudith GreenPer HansenMark HydeEdward JenkinsEugene JezewskiScott JohnsonIvory JordanLester Kendrick

Ralph LeBoeufGeorge LesageRonald MartiAlan McDanielTommy McMichaelBarbara MessaKenneth MillerSteven MillerBarbara MixDavid NewmanWilliam O’DanielJeremiah O’RourkeEdwin PeneguyKaren PolitRonald RichardGeorge RogersMichael RoundsHenry SissacRoger SissacRudolph TillmanWilliam TurpinWilliam UsseryEdward Watts

George WehrlinRoland WilliamsRonald WilliamsWilliam WorrillDenise Younger

15 yearsMichael AmmanJames CunninghamCornelius De Hoog, Jr.Charles FinchSteve FredrickDaniel KilroyLarry McCallAnna McCormickGlenda PatesThomas PiffCharles PoolsonHeather QuintiniPamela RouleauJoseph SimpsonGarrey Watkins

10 yearsCynthia Pustanio

5 yearsGlynn AdamsElliott BrettRoger BrownNorma ButeSteven ChandlerGregory DuhePatrick EmersonPamela FordBenjamin HendrickJody KliebertJohn LoposserMichelle MorlierKe NguyenJoseph PierreRicky PlaisanceChristopher StrainClifford TaylorLucius WattsIsaac WilliamsDamian Woods

Ready for some volunteering?Members of the 2003 EmployeeVolunteer Organization who willplan and lead this year’s volunteeractivities include from left: JamesMoffett, president; retiree JoeLitfin; Dina Michel; Rob Carey;Linda Savage-Regan, vicepresident; Netsy Wheeler, secretary;Steve Garner, treasurer; andSonya Johnson. Not pictured areMarc Church, ex-officio president;and Bill Burtch.

25 yearsHassan BoroujerdiBrian DafniBruce DonnellGregg GammonWalter JonesAnthony PoncetiJay Shugart

20 yearsRenee AllisonVictor AtkinsRoseann AugustineRonald BaillifClarence BarraLarry BarrasAlton BlancherWillie BrooksDoretha BrownTerry CardaroLouis ChapotonEarl CorleyClovis Crocker