NASA Selects Jaiwon Shin to Head Aeronautics Research

Jaiwon Shin has been named as NASA's associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington.

As the associate administrator, Shin will be responsible for managing the agency's aeronautics research portfolio and guiding its strategic direction. This portfolio includes research in the fundamental aeronautics of flight, aviation safety and the nation's airspace system. Prior to this appointment, Shin served as the deputy associate administrator for aeronautics.

"Jaiwon brings expert knowledge of aeronautics and technology to a critical position at NASA," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin says. "He's helped develop the aeronautics research roadmap for the 21st century. His leadership of the directorate will assure our continued recognition as the world's premiere aeronautics research organization."

Before coming to NASA headquarters in 2004, Shin served as chief of the aeronautics projects office at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In this position, he had management responsibility for all aeronautics projects managed at the center. Prior to that, he was the deputy director of aeronautics at the center, providing executive leadership for the planning and implementation of the aeronautics program at Glenn.

"I am honored to have been chosen for this position and look forward to building on the strong foundation that my predecessor, Lisa Porter, established for NASA aeronautics," Shin says. "NASA's aeronautics programs develop the concepts, tools, methods and technologies that address many of the challenges faced by our nation in air traffic management, safety and the environment. We will continue our commitment to meet these challenges through technical excellence, integrity and strong partnerships with other government agencies, industry and academia."

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Aeronautics Associate Administrator Departs NASA for Intelligence R&D Post

Lisa Porter, NASA's associate administrator of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, announced Wednesday her decision to leave the agency, effective Feb. 1.
Porter is leaving NASA to become the first director of the Intelligence
Advanced Research Projects Activity.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin expressed his appreciation for
Porter's service since she was selected to head the aeronautics directorate
in October 2005.

"While I am very excited about this new opportunity, I am of course saddened by the thought of having to say goodbye to each of you," Porter said. "I am confident that you will all continue to excel and make the nation and the world stand up and take notice of the first 'A' in 'NASA.'"

As the associate administrator for the Aeronautics Mission Directorate, Porter managed the agency's aeronautics research portfolio and guided its strategic direction, which includes research in the fundamental aeronautics of flight, aviation safety and the nation's airspace system.

Porter co-chairs the White House National Science & Technology Council's Aeronautics, Science and Technology Subcommittee. Comprised of federal departments and agencies that fund aeronautics-related research, the subcommittee wrote the nation's first presidential policy for aeronautics research and development.

Porter came to NASA following her service as a senior scientist in the Advanced Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. While there, she created and managed programs in diverse technical areas ranging from fundamental scientific research to multi-disciplinary systems-level development and integration efforts.

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Engineers Rescue Aging Satellites, Saving Millions

Researchers have used a new technique to save $60 million for broadcasters by extending the service life of two communications satellites.

The technique works by applying an advanced simulation and a method that equalizes the amount of propellant in a series of fuel tanks so that the satellite consumes all of the fuel before being retired from service.

The two satellites would have been shut down prematurely and wasted remaining fuel if not for the new technique developed by researchers from Purdue University and Lockheed Martin Corp., says Steven Collicott, a Purdue professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

Communications satellites, which are maintained in proper orbit about 22,500 miles above Earth by firing small rocket thrusters, must be replaced shortly before they run out of fuel. Enough fuel must remain to get the satellites out of orbit to make room for their replacements.
Some aging communications satellites are each equipped with four fuel tanks. If one of the tanks empties before the others, the satellite loses control and should be decommissioned, wasting the remaining fuel in the other tanks, says Boris Yendler, senior thermal system analyst at Lockheed Martin Mission Services in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The Purdue and Lockheed Martin engineers not only determined precisely how much fuel remained in each tank, but they also used a technique to "rebalance," or equalize, propellant levels in all of the tanks. The engineers kept the twin satellites operating an additional six months, which translates into about $60 million in revenue for the broadcast companies that owned the satellites, Collicott said.

This work, led by Yendler, represents the first time such a fuel gauging and rebalancing has been carried out in commercial communications satellites," Collicott says.

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Data-Driven Workforce Management Needed to Ensure NASA's Institutional Health

NASA is undergoing a fundamental mission shift that will require the agency to adopt aknowledge-based, data-driven strategy to better align its workforce, according to a National Academy of Public Administration report.

NASA is working to refocus many aeronautics and scientific programs, phase-out the Space Shuttle by 2010, and develop new vehicles to go to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This fundamental mission shift requires significant workforce changes. But, Congress has banned permanent workforce cuts at the space agency. And, NASA has sought to ensure that every field center has a place in the new programs with funding to cover existing civil servants. This has resulted in workforce misalignments.

With its heavy reliance on a multisector workforce of civil servants and contractors, NASA has an opportunity to be at the forefront of the public sector, proving that federal agencies can respond effectively to changing mission requirements, says Academy Fellow Sallyanne Harper, who chaired the panel overseeing the study. The panel has developed a package of practical tools to help NASA ensure it has the right people, in theright place, at the right time.

In its report, the panel urged NASA to realign its workforce by making maximum use of its existing human capital flexibilities and pursuing a package of new ones. It also recommended that NASA adopt a workforce management strategy to ensure a flexible, optimally sized, and appropriately skilled workforce.

Specifically, the panel called on NASA to:

• Assess field centers annually and take corrective action based on a comprehensive framework and metrics.
• Integrate acquisition and workforce planning at the highest levels of the agency.
• Use a formal decision process and metrics to determine the appropriate distribution of work between civil servants and contractors.
• Use a similar approach to determine the most appropriate type of appointment for civil service hires.
• Maximize existing authorities for recruiting and retaining the best and brightest employees, and sharing talent with other federal agencies and levels of government.
• Seek statutory and regulatory authorization for modified reduction-in-force rules, buyout changes, and limited emergency retirement reform to remedy skill imbalances.

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