Goddard_View_V11_I3_web

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
www.nasa.gov
Volume 11 Issue 3
April 2015

S
ince its launch in April 1990, the Hubble Space Tele-
scope has made numerous scientific breakthroughs
and provided the public with breathtaking photos
from the far reaches of the universe. In celebration of the
telescope’s 25th launch anniversary, NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight Center hosted a public event to reflect on
Hubble’s accomplishments to date and discuss what the
future may bring. More than 200 visitors of all ages arrived
at the visitor center to hear from some of those who have
documented and worked on Hubble over the past quarter
of a century.
“Hubble has turned into a great tool for engaging the
public,” said Center Director Chris Scolese, who provided
opening remarks.
Jennifer Wiseman, senior project scientist for Hubble, pre-
sented several images that Hubble has gathered over the
years and explained how they have helped answer some
of the most compelling astronomical questions of our time,
such as the age and expansion rate of the universe.
Wiseman also credited the scientists and engineers who
continue to keep Hubble in full operation even after 25
years, allowing it to continue providing the scientific com-
munity with more discoveries. “Hubble is a telescope in
tip-top shape,” she said.
Former NASA astronaut Scott Altman, who commanded
the fourth and fifth servicing missions to Hubble in 2002
and 2009, respectively, shared his thoughts on the chal-
lenges and rewards of working on Hubble. “Before going
into space I had to work on 120 different tools,” he re-
called.
Documentary photographer Michael Soluri presented a
pictorial perspective on Hubble partly taken from his book
Infinite Worlds.
Visitors also participated in activities such as stargazing
and hands-on demonstrations of astronaut tools used to
service Hubble.
Event attendee Bill Twyman from Bowie, Maryland, re-
membered growing up during the Space Race and being
fascinated with everything about space at a young age.
That same fascination today encouraged him to participate
in the event.
“The speakers were all amazing, and we got to meet an
astronaut. I saw with my naked eye, through a telescope,
the Orion Nebula where stars are being born,” he said. “I
am still in total awe from that great evening.” n
Above: Former astronaut Scott Altman, who commanded
the fourth and fifth servicing missions to Hubble, shares
his experiences with attendees. Photo credit: NASA/God-
dard/Tabatha Luskey
Below: Guests enjoy an evening of stargazing outside
the visitor center. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Tabatha
Luskey
GoddardView
Trending – 2
Public Visits Goddard in Celebration of
Hubble – 3
Goddard’s Exceptional Achievers
Honored at Awards Ceremony – 5
Safety Week 2015:
Situational Awareness – 5
50 Years Later: Rick Obenschain Reflects
on His Career at Goddard – 6
From New Kid on the Block to Deputy
Center Director – 8
Employee Spotlight – 10
NASA Features Webb Telescope at
SXSW Festival – 11
Outside Goddard: Diamantino Sforza – 12
On the cover: Rick Obenschain, now
former deputy center director, receives a
standing ovation at his retirement party on
March 27. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/
Bill Hrybyk
NP-2015-4-278-GSFC
Info
Goddard View is an official publication of
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland. Goddard View showcas-
es people and achievements in the Goddard
community that support the center’s mission to
explore, discover and understand our dynamic
universe. Goddard View is published by the
Goddard Office of Communications.
You may submit story ideas to the editor at
darrell.d.delarosa@nasa.gov. All contributions
are subject to editing and will be published as
space allows.
GCDC Students Participate in Egg
Drop Experiment
The NASA Goddard Child Development
Center held its annual Great Egg Drop
on April 10. Students, with the help of
their parents, developed contraptions
to keep a raw egg intact when dropped
from 15.5 feet.
Goddard Welcomes Mitzi Perdue
for Women’s History Month
Science writer and author Mitzi Per-
due visited Goddard for its celebration
of Women’s History Month. Perdue,
who married the founder of Perdue
Farms, shared life experiences, lead-
ership lessons and tips for success.
MAVEN Completes 1,000th Mars Orbit
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution mission completed 1,000 orbits
around Mars on April 6, four and a half
months into its yearlong primary science
mission. MAVEN is the first mission de-
voted to understanding the planet’s upper
atmosphere.
NSBE Honors Goddard Employees
Several Goddard employees were
recently recognized at the National
Society of Black Engineers annual
convention for their work with aspir-
ing engineers in Maryland, Virginia
and Washington, D.C.
public visits goddard
in celebration of hubble
By Trena Ferrell
Volume 11 Issue 3 • April 2015 3

Safety week 2015: situational awareness
G
oddard’s safety division dedicates one week per year
to Safety Week. This year, safety sessions will begin on
April 27 and run through May 1. The theme for 2015 is
“Situational Awareness.” Safety Week offers training courses
and events across the Goddard campus.
Training will focus on the importance of realizing and under-
standing what is happening in various situations and finding
ways to avoid or stop potentially dangerous incidents. The
overarching mission is to provide tools and techniques to help
employees safely and responsibly prevent, diminish or react to
possible life-threatening situations. All Goddard employees are
encouraged to participate.
Some of the covered topics include:
• CPR
• Electrical safety
• Hazardous waste and materials
• Domestic violence awareness
• Emergency preparedness
• Fire safety
• Suicide awareness
• Pet safety
For more information and a complete list of sessions, visit
sma.gsfc.nasa.gov/sac.
goddard’s exceptional achievers
honored at awards ceremony
By Tashiana Osborne
E
very year, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center recog-
nizes the achievements of its workforce during the Rob-
ert H. Goddard Honor Awards Ceremony. The awards
committee reviewed hundreds of nominations before narrow-
ing down the list of recipients.
On April 8, 181 awards in 17 categories – ranging from
engineering and science to mentoring and outreach – were
presented to employees and teams that have made substan-
tial contributions to Goddard’s missions and achievements.
Two new categories were added to this year’s awards list. The
“new opportunities captured” category recognizes teams that
have brought new business to the center primarily through
competitive proposals. The “mission and enabling support”
category honors individuals who have provided exceptional
engineering, architecture and information technology support
to Goddard’s missions.
Three individuals received the Robert H. Goddard Award of
Merit, which recognizes career accomplishments for select
individuals typically with 20 or more years of federal service.
The award is the highest individual honor bestowed by the
center. Angelita Kelly, mission operations manager, was rec-
ognized for her career supporting Goddard and international
mission operations programs. Aerospace engineer Sandra
Irish was honored for her leadership in engineering, education,
diversity and inclusion, and outreach.
“It is such an honor to receive a Goddard award,” Irish said.
“We all work so hard here at Goddard, and it’s very special to
me to be recognized for my hard work!”
Physicist John Hagopian was recognized for more than three
decades of work in the development of technologies and
instruments that have revolutionized the field of optics. “I feel
very blessed to be working at Goddard and having the oppor-
tunity to work with the best scientists, engineers and technical
managers in the world,” he said.
All awardees received a framed certificate from Center Di-
rector Chris Scolese. “This ceremony recognizes the great
accomplishments we as a center have made, but more
importantly, the accomplishments of individuals and teams,”
Scolese said. “Without your dedication and skill, we couldn’t
accomplish the things that we do.” n
Opposite: Center Director Chris Scolese delivers remarks to
recipients and guests at the Robert H. Goddard Honor Awards
Ceremony on April 8. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Bill Hrybyk
Below: Director of Human Capital Management Ron Brade
introduces the award recipients. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/
Bill Hrybyk
Atotal of 181 awards were presented
to individuals and teams for their
contributions to Goddard’s missions
and achievements.

A single satellite provided overviews of weather conditions
at that time, and U.S. officials feared it would fail before
GOES launched, causing a lapse in weather images and
data. NASA Headquarters in Washington charged John
Klineberg, then the center director at Goddard, with finding
a new project manager.
Shortly afterward, Klineberg called Obenschain to his
office. Obenschain worried he might be fired, thinking he
had bantered a bit too much with the center director at a
budget meeting. Instead, Klineberg offered him the GOES
project manager position.
“To be given a project with national importance with 15
months’ project management experience because I didn’t
have enough sense to keep my mouth shut was pretty
cool,” he said. “You’re talking about someone who was
really lucky.”
From there, Obenschain’s career took off. He turned the
GOES project around. It launched four years after he
began managing the project and provided critical data for
weather forecasting until it was retired in 2004.
He managed three more projects before entering senior
leadership at Goddard as the deputy director of engineer-
ing. After eight combined years in that position and other
senior leadership roles, he became deputy center director,
serving for an additional seven and a half years.
Being a leader is simpler than people think, according
to Obenschain. “There’s one overarching rule,” he said.
“Have fun. If work is not the most fun you’re having dur-
ing the week, do something else. I feel so sorry for people
who talk about how they’ve only got 17 more years until
retirement.”
Obenschain dedicated almost his entire career to Goddard
because of his immense respect for the agency, the peo-
ple and the work. “I’m just so attuned to NASA’s mission,”
he added. “We’ve had the same mission for 53 years. We
answer the questions that inspire.”
Still, he insists it’s time to hand over the mission to the
next generation.
“I’ve had a wonderful career. I was given all these oppor-
tunities,” he said. “Sometimes I failed, sometimes I didn’t.
I learned from my mistakes, or at least enough of them.
Now I’m moving forward.” n
Above, left: Rick Obenschain addresses colleagues,
friends and family members during his retirement party at
Goddard on March 27. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Bill
Hrybyk
Above, right: Rick Obenschain receives his 40-year ser-
vice award from then-Goddard Center Director Edward
Weiler in 2005. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Debora Mc-
Callum
“It actually proved a blessing that I wasn’t very bright,”
Rick Obenschain said, looking back at his 50-year career
at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
It sounds like the punch line to an odd joke, but Oben-
schain means it. He retired on March 31 after serving most
recently as Goddard’s deputy director.
“We’ll miss Rick’s mentorship and leadership,” Center
Director Chris Scolese said. “He is too humble to say so
himself, but his intense dedication and ability to tackle
hard problems have benefitted Goddard, NASA, and the
nation for over 50 years.”
Obenschain attributes his career to luck, chances given
and learning from his mistakes. When he had the oppor-
tunity in college to work at the center, Obenschain jumped
at the chance. He began as a summer engineering aide in
1962 just after the center’s third anniversary. At the time,
the majority of Goddard employees were not even on loca-
tion at the center in Greenbelt.
Obenschain worked with a team that put together a satel-
lite in record time. “We went around the center,” he said.
“We found some solar arrays, and we put together a
satellite in 90 days using stuff you could essentially find in
your junk box. Then we sent it to the launch site. Even as
a very junior observer, I could see what amazing work was
being accomplished by a group of folks who didn’t under-
stand ‘can’t.’”
The spacecraft Package Attitude Control-A launched in
1969 to determine if a Delta rocket could become a plat-
form for another mission.
“We didn’t know what we didn’t know, so we were willing
to do anything,” he recalled.
In the early days of space exploration, NASA did make
some mistakes, which was only natural in that new field.
Employees bounced back from mistakes out of necessity,
learning as much as they could before moving on.
Over the years, he learned to ask the right questions
and came to be known as a problem solver. That reputa-
tion followed him through five project management roles,
including a stint in the early 1990s on the Geostation-
ary Operational Environmental Satellite project during a
troubled period.
“A terrible thing happened in 1990,” he said. “Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait. On the front page of The New
York Times, there was a picture of the Iraqi tanks cross-
ing the border. The only other thing above the fold in the
Times that day was an article on the left side that said,
essentially, the GOES project is a disaster.”
Scientists had discovered yet another flaw on the new-
est GOES instrumentation, which would further delay
its launch. This was a project with national importance
because of its role in weather and environmental services.
By Ashley Morrow
50 Years later: rick obenschain reflects on his career at goddard

projects directorate. Morrow described himself and Oben-
schain as each other’s alter egos during that time.
“Rick would do anything to make the center successful
and he had the wherewithal and leadership qualities to
make it happen,” Morrow said. He credits much of his own
success to Obenschain’s guidance and counsel.
Looking over his career to date, Morrow is most proud of
the progress of the flight projects directorate as an orga-
nization. “It used to be normal for projects to overrun their
budgets and schedules,” he said. Today, more projects
such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, the Global
Precipitation Measurement mission and Landsat 8 are be-
ing developed under budget and finishing on schedule.
As Morrow gets settled in his new role, his colleagues
have expressed full confidence in his ability to be an effec-
tive leader for the center.
“George knows Goddard and understands the challenges
we face to accomplish our missions,” said Judy Bruner,
safety and mission assurance director. “He can tackle any
technical challenge, but I think the greatest attribute he
brings to the position is that he cares about our people
and what we do.”
“His character, work ethic and outstanding leadership
skills reflect devotion, perseverance, reliability and loyal-
ty,” added Lisa Hoffman, administrative officer for the flight
projects directorate. “His admiration for and knowledge of
NASA will make him a great deputy center director.”
In his new position, Morrow, along with all other leadership
deputies, will ensure that Center Director Chris Scolese
and Goddard are successful in their work. This includes
addressing things necessary to keep the center function-
ing efficiently along with projects ranging from the James
Webb Space Telescope to the Global Ecosystem Dynam-
ics Investigation mission.
In the coming months, Morrow looks forward to learning
more about parts of the center that he is not as familiar
with and Goddard’s three remote facilities: Wallops Flight
Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia; the Goddard Institute
for Space Studies in New York; and the Independent Veri-
fication & Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia.
“I will help continue the vision that keeps good work here
at Goddard,” he said. “I will also keep our people and facil-
ities busy doing the cutting-edge things we’ve always done
and the things the country needs us to do in the future.” n
Above, left: George Morrow took over as Goddard’s
deputy director on April 1, following the retirement of Rick
Obenschain. Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Bill Hrybyk
Above, right: George Morrow and Chris Scolese (seated
left and right, respectively), both then-project managers
for the Goddard Earth Observing System, with a group of
sponsored interns and the interns’ mentor in 1998. Photo
credit: NASA/Goddard/George Morrow
U
pon graduating from the University of Virginia in
1983, George Morrow began his decades-long
career at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. His
first day of work was typical for a new employee, feeling
uneasy and overwhelmed in a new environment. “I didn’t
know anyone and back then my desk didn’t have a com-
puter I could play on,” he said.
Fast forward 32 years later and Morrow is now Goddard’s
deputy director, helping oversee the center’s programs
and projects as well as its nearly 9,000 employees. He
officially took over on April 1 following the retirement of his
predecessor Rick Obenschain and after serving as God-
dard’s director of flight projects since 2007.
A graduate in chemical engineering, Morrow spent his
first few years at Goddard in the power systems branch
working with batteries and solar arrays. All missions need
robust power systems and he was supporting most God-
dard missions at the time. He saw how different projects
were managed, prompting him to think seriously about the
trajectory of his career.
“What does it take to be a project manager?” Morrow
recalled asking himself. He proceeded to seek out those
opportunities with the goal of becoming a project manager
with each new position.
In 1988, Morrow joined the Hubble Space Telescope proj-
ect as a systems engineer. He supported launch and com-
missioning as well as the first two servicing missions. He
was the observatory systems manager for the first servic-
ing mission and deputy project manager for flight systems
and servicing for the second.
“Believe me, I cannot believe it’s been 25 years,” Mor-
row said about Hubble’s upcoming launch anniversary on
April 24. “You can walk down the street at Goddard and
ask people you pass, ‘Do you have any association with
Hubble?’ and probably around 70 percent will say yes.”
Before Hubble’s success there was a period of stress and
worry. While the launch was successful, the flawed mirror
and solar arrays on Hubble caused problems for NASA.
“The agency could not let the first servicing mission fail,”
Morrow said. He remembers working long hours, but said
the blood, sweat and tears of everyone involved paid off.
He described the feeling of being a part of the Hubble leg-
acy as surreal. “I often wonder how I got the good fortune
of getting involved in something so incredible,” he added.
In 2001, Morrow left NASA briefly. He remembered the
first phone call he received after making the decision to
accept an industry position. “Rick [Obenschain] called me
and said, ‘I wish you well, but are you sure you know what
you’re doing? I did that and I came back.’”
Morrow returned to Goddard less than two years later.
Before Obenschain became the center’s deputy director in
2007, he and Morrow worked closely together in the flight
By Clare Skelly
From new kid on the block to deputy center director

nasa features
webb telescope at
sxsw festival
By Laura Betz
Employee
Spotlight
Goddard is pleased to welcome these
new employees to the NASA community.
Rich Phiboonphanuvat
Code 240,
Counterintelligence
Special Agent from NASA
Headquarters
Why Goddard?: Broader
opportunities to innovate
and excel.
Hobbies/interests: culinary
arts, motorcycling, craft
brewing
Juana E. Sosa
Code 113, Human
Resources Specialist
Why Goddard?: A
new challenge and an
opportunity to be part of
a great agency.
Hobbies/interests: family,
reading, Chicago
Caroline W. McCullough
Code 113, Human
Resources Specialist
Why Goddard?:
Exploring the unknown
to benefit humankind
is an amazing belief to
undertake.
Hobbies/interests:
traveling, family, tennis,
bowling
Michael Monahan
Code 140, Attorney
Why Goddard?: I am
a space geek. I came
to see the agency from
a different perspective
than headquarters.
Hobbies/interests:
playing with my kids,
exercise, cooking, Navy
football games
Carly Sandin
Code 541, Pathways
Intern, Materials
Engineering Branch
Why Goddard?: It’s my
dream to be a part of the
mission.
Hobbies/interests:
reading, cooking, visiting
national parks
Dylan Baker
Code 583, Pathways
Intern, Ground Software
Systems Branch
Why Goddard?: I have
been inspired by space
exploration since a very
young age.
Hobbies/interests:
technology, research,
physics, cooking, soccer,
kayaking
Cristina Lemon
Codes 603/672,
Resource Analyst
Why Goddard?: I could
not retire with the U.S.
Army due to injuries, but
I still wanted to serve my
country.
Hobbies/interests:
sports, outdoor events,
dancing
T
his year at the South by Southwest interac-
tive festival in Austin, Texas, NASA presented
its “Experience NASA” exhibit to leaders and
enthusiasts in the science and technology communi-
ties. The exhibit showcased many of NASA’s mis-
sions, including the James Webb Space Telescope,
to approximately 150,000 attendees. NASA partnered
with the Space Telescope Science Institute and the
Northrop Grumman Corporation on the exhibit.
Through replicas and a video monitor, visitors saw
how the Webb telescope will increase our understand-
ing of the universe by exploring beyond the reaches
of the Hubble Space Telescope. They also compared
themselves to the size of Webb’s mirrors and learned
about its unique materials as well as how it will see
objects in infrared.
Set to be the most powerful space telescope once
completed, Webb is designed to observe the most
distant objects in the universe, provide images of the
first galaxies formed and study unexplored planets
around distant stars. Scheduled to launch in October
2018, the Webb telescope is a joint project of NASA,
the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space
Agency. n
Photo credits: NASA/Goddard/Laura Betz and Lynn
Chandler

D
iamantino Sforza is a gentleman farmer in the
Italian tradition, competing with his 85-year-old
father for the first tomato, the first cucumber and
the first pepper of the season. His father’s family had
great prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They
were known as the Sforza Court in Milano and they
were generous patrons of Leonardo da Vinci. They
were also the originators of the illuminated book Sforza
Hours, a classic piece studied in art history classes to
this day. But for Sforza, it’s all about gardening.
“I guess the Italians have always been big gardeners,”
Sforza said. “My father grows food more as a celebra-
tion. Whoever gets the first tomato wins bragging
rights.”
Sforza, a mechanical engineer
and deputy program manager with
Bastion Technologies at Goddard,
cultivates a 15-by-75-foot garden
in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He
finds the gentle rhythms of gar-
dening a relaxing counterpoint to
the demands of his job.
He plants onions and garlic in the
fall. Around mid-April after the
threat of frost is gone, he plants
tomatoes, peppers, zucchini,
cucumber, lettuce and spices such
as basil, rosemary and thyme.
He focuses on the tomatoes, a
mainstay in Italian cuisine. He selects six or seven
strains, including heritage varieties.
“Those big, ugly, purple tomatoes are like honey pots;
they’re just so sweet and thinner-skinned,” said Sforza.
The harvest begins in late May with the zucchini close-
ly followed by the lettuce and cucumber. Spices come
up in late May as well. Tomatoes are ripe from July
through September. The peppers arrive in late July.
Sforza waters as needed depending on the rainfall.
One of his tricks to conserving water is spreading a
layer of straw around the entire garden. It keeps the
weeds down, conserves rain, causes the water to per-
colate down and adds nutritional value.
Another of his gardening tricks involves the use of
international heritage chickens, which he got in 2013
after a year of preparation.
“The chickens are part of it because in their own way,
they also garden and keep their own schedule,” he
said. “They keep the soil loose by scratching, they eat
insects of every kind and they give back to Mother
Earth, plus they produce delicious eggs.” The birds
also provide manure for fertilizer.
He feeds the chickens soy-free, organic feed supple-
mented with calcium. He also tosses scratch grains like
corn and other seeds onto the dirt so they can peck.
He gets about four eggs a week from each chicken.
Recently, he discovered two small brown eggs, but has
yet to identify the producer.
“Some people really treat their
chickens like pets, but they can
carry lice and have other issues,”
Sforza said. “I’m not super-at-
tached although feel badly if they
suffer in any way. I’m halfway be-
tween farmer and pet owner. I eat
their eggs, but not the chickens. I
will let my old chickens just hang
out after they no longer produce
eggs.”
Sforza shares his garden’s pro-
duce with his friends and neigh-
bors. He likes to eat the fruits of
his labor and, much like a chef,
likes to eat his creations.
“The beauty of fresh vegetables is
that it’s not cooking, it’s just eating – almost like cheat-
ing,” said Sforza. “You just chop, put on vinegar and
oil, and then eat.”
Sforza, who occasionally makes his own pasta, almost
always makes tomato sauce using his harvest. He gen-
erally puts the sauce over spaghetti and adds aged,
grated Italian Parmesan cheese.
“It is pleasurable watching things grow. Gardening
connects me with the environment, the seasons and
my heritage,” he said. “When you garden, it is a very
slow process. When you’re out there, you have time to
think. It’s a form of relaxation in the middle of greenery,
and at the end you get a delicious reward.” n
Center: Diamantino Sforza
Photo credit: NASA/Goddard/Bill Hrybyk
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
Gentleman Farmer

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