2008 NESC Honor Awards

The 2008 NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Honor Awards were presented July 15 in Washington, DC.

NESC Director's Award
Honors individuals who take personal accountability and ownership in initiating clear and open communication on diverse and controversial issues. A key component of this award is based on the process of challenging engineering truths.

Michael J. Dube (Goddard Space Flight Center)
In recognition of technical excellence in the support and resolution of anomalies for NASA projects across the Agency including the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and multiple robotic spacecraft.

Kenny B. Elliott (Langley Research Center)
In recognition of technical excellence in the load redefinition and redirection of the Max Launch Abort System flight test vehicle.

John C. Graf (Johnson Space Center)
In recognition of technical excellence in the investigation of the Self Contained Oxygen Generator explosion on a British Royal Navy submarine.

NESC Leadership Award
Honors individuals who have had a pronounced effect upon the technical activities of the NESC.

Larry I. Pelham (Marshall Space Flight Center)
In recognition of outstanding leadership of a diverse team of Agency and industry experts to design and manufacture the NESC composite crew module full and subscale hardware.

NESC Engineering Excellence Award
Honors individual accomplishments of NESC-job related tasks of such magnitude and merit as to deserve special recognition.

Raymond J. (Jim) Lanzi (Wallops Flight Facility)
In recognition of exceptional technical support in the fundamental design of the NESC's Max Launch Abort System flight test vehicle.

James R. Beaty (Langley Research Center)
In recognition of exceptional technical support in flight mechanics stability and control engineering for the NESC's Max Launch Abort System Flight Test Vehicle system concept development.

David S. Dawicke (Analytical Services and Materials, Inc.)
In recognition of exceptional technical support in the testing of the ARES I-X Upper Stage Simulator welds.

Kenneth L. Hodges (Johnson Space Center)
In recognition of exceptional technical excellence in the design, development, and implementation of state-of-the-art non-destructive techniques for the composite crew module project.

Norman F. Knight, Jr. (General Dynamics)
In recognition of exceptional technical excellence in the analyses contributions to the ARES I-X Upper Stage Simulator Critical Initial Flaw Size.

Walter Thomas McCabe, Jr. (Alliant Techsystems (ATK)
In recognition of exceptional technical excellence in the manufacture of the composite crew module.

David M. Shemwell (Independent Consultant)
In recognition of outstanding technical leadership in the investigations into innovative crew seat concepts for the Orion Crew Module and alternative approaches to occupant impact tolerance modeling.

George A. Slenski (Alliant Techsystems (ATK)
In recognition of exceptional technical expertise in the failure analysis of the STS-115 fuel cell motor anomaly.

Jerry L. Stuart (Northrop Grumman)
In recognition of exceptional technical excellence in the design and manufacture of the NESC composite crew module.

Erik D. Tyler (Analytical Mechanics Associates)
In recognition of exceptional technical excellence in the computational aerodynamics and structural analysis of Max Launch Abort System concepts enabling efficient development of the flight test vehicle.

NESC Group Achievement Award
Honors a group of employees comprised of government and non-government personnel for outstanding accomplishment through the coordination of individual efforts that have contributed substantially to the accomplishment of the NESC's mission.

Self Contained Oxygen Generator Failure Mechanisms Investigation Team
(Award accepted by Jon Haas from White Sands Test Facility)
In recognition of outstanding efforts in reproducing the Self Contained Oxygen Generator mishap, successfully identifying the contributing factors, and developing effective corrective actions.

8% Max Launch Abort System Model Team
(Award accepted by Dave Roberts from Langley Research Center)
In recognition of outstanding efforts in designing, fabricating, and testing the 8% Max Launch Abort System model.

External Tank Intertank/LH2 (Liquid Hydrogen) Flange Y-joint Evaluation Assessment Team
(Award accepted by James Fesmire from Kennedy Space Center)
In recognition of outstanding technical support for the External Tank intertank/liquid hydrogen flange Y-joint evaluation.

Human Factors Pathfinder Core Team for Ground System Designers
(Award accepted by Darcy Miller from Kennedy Space Center)
In recognition of outstanding contributions to the engineering excellence of Constellation ground systems through the human factors engineering pathfinder activity.

Ice Mitigation Approaches for Space Shuttle External Tank Team
(Award accepted by Erik Weiser from Langley Research Center)
In recognition of technical excellence to develop, test, and successfully demonstrate two innovative solutions that mitigate risks posed by ice liberating from the external tank.

Langley Research Center Mission Support Team
(Award accepted by Anna Jackson from Langley Research Center)
In recognition of exceptional service, dedication and a proactive approach to providing the mission support services which have enabled the NESC to accomplish critical mission objectives.

NESC Ares I-X Upper Stage Simulator Critical Initial Flaw Size Analysis Team
(Award accepted by Ivatury Raju from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center)
In recognition of technical excellence in the analysis and engineering guidance for the design, development, and manufacturing of the ARES I-X Upper Stage Simulator.

Pyrovalve Y-PCA (Primer Carrier Assembly) Assessment Team
(Award accepted by Bill Sipes, an independent consultant)
In recognition of outstanding contributions investigating the Pyrovalve Y-PCA booster failures.

Space Shuttle Program Engine Cut-Off System Investigation Team
(Award accepted by Henning Leidecker from Goddard Space Flight Center)
In recognition of technical excellence in the evaluation of the operational anomalies and reliability improvements associated with the Space Shuttle Engine Cut-Off system.