X-59 NASA marks progress on newest X-plane
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Volume 62 Number 9 September 2020
X-59
NASA marks progress
on newest X-plane
Lockheed Martin Illustration
NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, or QueSST, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, without producing a loud, disruptive sonic
boom, which is typically heard on the ground below aircraft flying at such speeds. Instead, with the X-59, people on the ground will hear nothing more than
a quiet sonic thump – if they hear anything at all. The X-59 will fly over communities around the United States to demonstrate this technology, providing
scientifically valid data from the community overflights. The data will be provided to U.S. and international regulators who will use the information to help
them come up with rules based on noise levels that may enable new commercial markets for supersonic flight over land. See related articles on pages 4-6.
www.nasa.gov/
X-Press September 2020
FO demonstrates
landing technology
Nicole Quenelle – such as using an additional laser
Fuentek beam and other new components
A navigation doppler lidar – in parallel with Langley’s efforts
(NDL) technology originally to advance elements of the
developed by NASA was technology.
demonstrated on a flight test “The Flight Opportunities
on Sept. 10 with support from program enables us to move
the Flight Opportunities program, from modeling and prototypes
part of NASA’s Space Technology to relevant flight conditions to
Mission Directorate. With roots confirm that the improvements
at NASA’s Langley Research perform the way we expect,”
Center in Hampton, Virginia, the said Steve Sandford, founder
technology was licensed in 2016 and chief technology officer of
by Psionic for terrestrial and space Psionic, based in Hampton,
applications and the company Virginia.
and Langley continue to evolve Flight Opportunities was also
and advance the innovation for instrumental in earlier testing
upcoming lunar missions. of the technology on flights
On the recent flight in Mojave, in 2017 as part of NASA’s
California, Masten Space Systems COBALT project, or Cooperative
flew Psionic’s NDL payload on Blending of Autonomous
a vertical takeoff vertical landing Landing Technologies.
(VTVL) system called Xodiac, “Those flights, along with a
AFRC2020-0100-30 NASA/Lauren Hughes
which simulates some of the 10-year period of technology
maneuvers of a lunar lander. The NDL payload flight tested technology to enable precision landing on the development at Langley, have
Designed for precision landing in Moon. been instrumental in making
a very tightly defined area – often the NDL technology available
called the landing ellipse – the to commercial lunar landers for
NDL transmits laser beams to future NASA missions,” said
the ground that bounce back to Farzin Amzajerdian, principal
a sensor, providing information investigator for the NDL
about the lander’s velocity and technology at Langley.
distance relative to the ground. Psionic’s technology transfer
The flight test was designed relationship with NASA is
to help Psionic validate their helping to facilitate that goal by
NDL unit’s algorithms and data enabling the company to produce
processing in order to verify the flight-ready NDL units that
accuracy of these measurements. could be used by companies on
Data analysis is now underway contract under NASA’s Human
to determine any modifications Landing System (HLS) Program.
needed before advancing to a future Amzajerdian explained that
closed-loop flight test on Xodiac, Langley is continuing flight
in which Masten and Psionic will testing of NDL units as well,
use the NDL payload to actually adding to the wealth of data
navigate the VTVL system. available between the agency and
Psionic is also continuing its commercial partners to help
Psionic
research and development on
variations of the NDL technology Laser beams transmit velocity and distance information from the lunar surface. Technology page 7
X-Press September 2020
SOFIA resumes flights News
By Felicia Chou
NASA Headquarters Public Affairs
and Alison Hawkes
at NASA
Bus size
NASA Ames Public Affairs
NASA’s flying observatory, the
Stratospheric Observatory for
Infrared Astronomy, has returned
to science operations with a new
asteroid
series of flights designed to study
the chemistry of galaxies. passes by
SOFIA flights were suspended
on March 19 in response to Ian J. O’Neill
the COVID-19 pandemic. JPL Public Affairs
With the resumption of flights A small near-Earth asteroid (or
out of SOFIA’s base at NASA NEA) will briefly visited Earth’s
Armstrong, new procedures are neighborhood Sept. 24, zooming
in place to ensure the health past at a distance of about 13,000
and safety of staff while enabling miles (22,000 kilometers) above
the observations of celestial our planet’s surface. The asteroid
ED07-0237-08 NASA
targets visible from the Northern made its closest approach below
Hemisphere. SOFIA started NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is returning to sci- the ring of geostationary satellites
by flying two flights beginning ence operations. orbiting about 22,000 miles
Aug. 17, to allow the team time (36,000 kilometers) away from
to evaluate and adjust the new observations again and very Research Association. “In this Earth.
procedures, and now plans to thankful to the scientists, operations flight series, SOFIA is studying Based on its brightness,
return to its regular observing staff and pilots who are returning us the chemistry that influences scientists estimate that 2020 SW
schedule with about four flights to flight,” said Margaret Meixner, the creation and evolution of is roughly 15 to 30 feet (5 to 10
each week. SOFIA’s science mission operations meters) wide – or about the size
“We are so thrilled to begin director at the Universities Space SOFIA, page 7 of a small school bus. Although
it’s not on an impact trajectory
with Earth, if it were, the space
Ruth proves dreams can happen rock would almost certainly
break up high in the atmosphere,
By Leslie Williams becoming a bright meteor known
NASA Armstrong News Chief as a fireball.
Female pilots are still rare in the “There are a large number
aviation industry and that’s also of tiny asteroids like this one,
true at NASA. and several of them approach
At NASA Armstrong former our planet as close as this
U.S. Air Force pilot Elizabeth “Liz” several times every year,” said
Ruth flies NASA’s Stratospheric Paul Chodas, director of the
Observatory for Infrared Center for Near-Earth Object
Astronomy (SOFIA). The aircraft Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s
is a modified Boeing 747SP Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
with the world’s largest airborne Southern California. “In fact,
astronomical observatory. asteroids of this size impact our
Research pilots are a blend of atmosphere at an average rate of
courage, boldness and a curiosity about once every year or two.”
to push boundaries in the pursuit After asteroid 2020 SW was
of knowledge. By flying SOFIA, discovered on Sept. 18 by the
Ruth represents for many women NASA-funded Catalina Sky
that they can follow their dreams, AFRC2020-0100-30 NASA/Lauren Hughes Survey in Arizona, follow-up
like the uniqueness of flying a 747 observations confirmed its orbital
Research pilot Elizabeth Ruth is the only female pilot who flies the Stratospheric
that studies the universe. trajectory to a high precision,
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Ruth has been flying SOFIA for
Ruth, page 7 NASA Armstrong since 2016. Asteroid, page 8
X-Press September 2020 X-59 assembly ongoing Matt Kamlet the aircraft’s lack of a forward- NASA Armstrong Public Affairs facing window – a result of the Assembly of NASA’s X-59 need to place the cockpit lower Quiet SuperSonic Technology and farther back on the airplane aircraft is continuing during because of its unique, elongated 2020 and making good progress, nose and fuselage profile. despite challenges such as those The innovative XVS system imposed by the unexpected global underwent successful flight pandemic. tests in August 2019 and passed NASA plans as early as 2024 several rounds of qualification to fly the X-59 over select testing in January of this year. communities on missions to Major progress was also made gather information about how on the aircraft’s wing thanks to the public will react to the level of the Skunk Works’ Combined quiet supersonic flight noise the Operation: Bolting and aircraft is designed to produce – if Robotic Auto-drill (COBRA) they hear anything at all. system. This advanced robotic Data collected will be shared technology enhances production with federal and international Lockheed Martin by drilling and inspecting regulators to help them set new Lockheed Martin hundreds of holes on the wing rules that may allow supersonic NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, or QueSST, will dem- that are part of the assembly flight over land and enable a onstrate quiet supersonic flight over communities in the United States. process. whole new market for commercial Meanwhile, pallet brackets faster-than-sound air travel. Peter Coen, NASA’s Low-Boom shape – literally. were recently installed into the “This mission is the Flight Demonstration Mission One of those milestones is with airframe for the XVS and flight culmination of decades of integration manager. the X-59’s eXternal Vision System, test instrumentation systems, research, and with the X-59 we For now, assembly of X-59 is or XVS, which is a forward-facing marking the first installation of are continuing to pioneer a future taking place at Lockheed Martin’s camera and display system that components supplied directly by of aviation in which we will see Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, allows the pilot to see outside the NASA for the X-59. drastically reduced flight times for where with each construction aircraft via augmented reality. global-travelling passengers,” said milestone, the airplane is taking The XVS is NASA’s solution to Assembly page 5 Specialty engine for X-59 arrives at NASA Armstrong Jim Banke Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Mark the big one-of-a-kind engine, designed and built just for NASA, as delivered. Nearly 13 feet long, three feet in diameter, and packing 22,000 pounds of afterburner enhanced jet propulsion, the F414-GE-100 engine is now at NASA Armstrong. There it will be checked out and inspected before it is transported to nearby Palmdale for eventual installation into NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology airplane, which is now under construction at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory. “Taking delivery of the engine from General Electric marks another exciting, huge milestone for us in building the X-59,” said Raymond Castner, the propulsion lead for the X-59 at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In fact, two engines were delivered. One to serve as the primary engine and the other to be used as a backup when needed. GE Aviation “This just adds even more anticipation as we look forward to seeing The F414-GE-100 engine from the assembly area at GE Aviation’s River- Engine page 6 works facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, will power NASA’s X-59.
X-Press September 2020 Assembly... from page 4 Moreover, the X-59 has achieved several other milestones, including delivery of several major aircraft segments that will soon be installed. These include the F414-GE-100 turbofan engine from General Electric Aviation, the aircraft’s vertical tail, and the one-of-a- kind, extended-length nose. Although production and assembly have continued at a steady pace in many areas the development of an all new, full scale experimental aircraft is not without its challenges. As a result, some schedule updates have been implemented. NASA now expects the X-59’s assembly to be complete and major ground testing to begin in summer 2021, leading to a target date for first flight in summer 2022. “The integrated NASA and Lockheed X-59 team is Lockheed Martin doing an amazing job given The unique, elongated nose for NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, or QueSST, aircraft is a critical element the challenging circumstances in NASA’s design to reduce the loud sonic boom, heard from supersonic aircraft, to no more than a quiet thump. Seen of COVID-19,” said NASA’s here at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, the nose for the X-59 is over 30 feet long – long enough LBFD Project Manager Craig for pilots to require an innovative virtual system to see beyond the front of the aircraft. Nickol. “The team has shown remarkable resilience, and fuselage, and the distinctive, are preparing for their roles in what spread across three projects within we’re excited to see the visible super long nose. The team NASA calls the Low-Boom Flight NASA’s Aeronautics Research progress on X-59 assembly and has done a phenomenal job of Demonstration mission. Mission Directorate. They include integration every day. Although advancing aerospace technology Once the X-59 begins flying, the Commercial Supersonic we have had some challenges in and working through challenges it will be important to validate Technology project managed 2020, the team has responded to drive progress, all of which that it is capable of producing out of NASA’s Langley Research well by updating plans and has been enabled by our close supersonic shockwaves that will Center in Virginia, the Flight continuing to make progress. partnership with NASA.” lead to quiet thumps in place of Demonstrations and Capabilities We’re looking forward to several None of the schedule loud sonic booms. This will require project managed out of important milestones this year.” adjustments threaten timing of tools for shock wave visualization, NASA Armstrong, and the Low These milestones include the ultimate goal of delivering in-flight pressure measurement, Boom Flight Demonstrator completion of manufacturing results of the community and acoustic validation – project, responsible for the X-59 the X-59’s wing and its mating overflights to the International technologies which are continuing aircraft itself, managed out of Mary to the aircraft’s fuselage, both Civil Aviation Organization and preparation and testing at NASA, W. Jackson NASA Headquarters expected by the end of 2020. Federal Aviation Administration on the ground and in the air. in Washington, DC. “We are over half-way in 2027. These acoustic validation flights X-59’s mission to provide complete with the build of With that information in hand, are targeted for 2023. regulators with data that may this one-of-a-kind X-plane,” regulators will be able to decide if At the same time, critical open the future to supersonic said David Richardson, X-59 a change should be made in rules planning and preparation for the flight over land, drastically program director, Lockheed that prohibit supersonic flight community overflights continues reducing flight times, is the Martin Skunk Works. “We over land – a decision that would – flights that are expected to begin culmination of decades of NASA will soon complete close-out of be expected in 2028. in late 2024. The effort is taking supersonic research. While the the wing, which is the central Before then, however, and advantage of lessons learned from challenge is there, NASA, as it structural anchor of the aircraft, even as the X-59 aircraft is under a flight series that took place over always has, is pioneering the and we will then prepare construction, other teams of Galveston, Texas in 2018. future of flight through the first for mate of the empennage, NASA’s aeronautical innovators Taken together, this mission work is “A” in its name – Aeronautics.
X-Press September 2020
Engine... from page 4
that big flame come out the back of the aircraft as it takes off for the hardware to assist in installing the powerplant. Either the engine is put
first time,” Castner said. on a cart and placed at the back of the aircraft to roll it right in, or it’s
Assembled and initially tested at GE Aviation’s Riverworks facility placed underneath the airplane and a lift is used to raise the engine into
in Lynn, Massachusetts, the engine will power the X-59 on missions place – in both cases using the track hardware as a guide.
to gather information about how the public will react to the quieter But to save weight and space, the X-59’s version of the F414 does not
sonic booms the aircraft is designed to produce – if they hear have the tracks, so the engine – which will be placed underneath the
anything at all. aircraft and lifted – will rely on human eyeballs and hands to manually
Data collected will be shared with federal and international guide it into place.
regulators to help them set new rules that may allow supersonic flight Once mechanically bolted in place, electrical, fuel, and various other
over land and enable a whole new market for commercial faster-than- lines will be hooked up and the whole engine/aircraft combination
sound air travel. system tested. That will lead to the first time the engine is fired up
“It’s important to note that neither the X-59, nor this particular within the aircraft as it remains in place with brakes on and restraining
engine, are prototypes for a future commercial supersonic airliner,” tethers fastened.
Castner said. “This hardware is just for proving the airplane can “This whole process will take several months to perform as various
produce quiet sonic thumps and measure community response.” tests are scheduled within certain windows that are available to us as
assembly on the airplane continues,” Castner said.
Procuring the power
As preliminary designs for the X-59 were put together several yearsFactory fresh
ago, the initial plan was to power the aircraft with the same jet enginesAlthough the engine is based on the design of the Gripen’s engine –
used by NASA’s F/A-18 research jets based at Armstrong. known as the F414-GE-39E – GE did not just take a 39E engine in
“We had an inventory of spare engines and parts and thought we stock and modify it for NASA to use on the X-59.
could use the engines we already owned, but that didn’t pan out,” “This is a whole brand-new engine birthed from raw metal,” Hazlett
Castner said. said. “The NASA team is getting a new engine straight from the
The problem was the engine – GE’s model F404 – couldn’t generate dealership floor.”
enough thrust to achieve the flight performance goals for the X-59. As part of that manufacturing process, the engine already has
As designed, it took two of the engines to power the F/A-18, but the undergone more than eight hours of successful operations on a test
X-59 only had room for a single engine. stand in Massachusetts to prove it would be capable of supporting the
Working with GE, the solution was found in adapting the F404’s way the X-59 is expected to fly.
next-generation improvement, the F414 engine, into a configuration A typical fighter mission will see the pilot move the engine throttle
that would both satisfy the X-59’s power needs and physical size. a number of times, with short bursts of high power between periods
Anthony Hazlett, GE’s X-59 demo model engineer at the Lynn of average thrust. This affects the engine’s overall durability and design
facility, was responsible for leading the group that came up with the lifetime of its parts in a way that is fully understood.
unique engine design for the experimental supersonic airplane. “With the X-59 we looked at how it will be flying, which is different
“We had developed a single-engine version of the F414 for Sweden’s from a fighter. It will have longer duration missions at high altitude
Saab JAS 39E Gripen fighter that we determined would work for the with high power – often with the afterburner firing to reach supersonic
X-59 with some modifications, so we derived a new engine model, the speeds,” Hazlett said.
F414-GE-100,” Hazlett said. Putting the X-59’s engine through its paces at a GE test cell in Lynn
“The tried and true guts of the engine, all the turbomachinery, areshowed it could handle the high afterburner usage and demonstrated
the same or very similar. But the engine’s external design and the wayall other design upgrades, such as the newly designed control software,
the engine operates was upgraded.” would work as expected.
That included something as complicated as writing new control “It’s been a great challenge for our design team to prove our
systems software so the engine and X-59 could talk to each other, and assumptions and boundary conditions are still good, and we’ve met
something as relatively simple as adding plumbing in new places so that challenge in every way,” Hazlett said.
fuel could flow from the airplane to the engine. With plenty of work to do on other programs, many in support
of the U.S. military – and notwithstanding the additional challenges
Some assembly required imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic – GE had no problem keeping
Although not considered a big deal, another difference between the an appropriate focus on the NASA work to achieve that goal.
X-59 engine and the Gripen jet engine it was originated from is the The opportunity to work on a NASA X-plane – the first of its kind
installation method. But that doesn’t mean the process will be any in three decades – was a big reason.
easier. “X-59 has a mission unparalleled in terms of its cool factor. There’s
“There is still a significant chunk of effort that lays in taking been no shortage of folks who want to help and work on this program.
something that’s well known and installing it into a new aircraft,” It’s something that GE is extremely proud to be a part of,” Hazlett said.
Hazlett said. “So, we’ll have a team from GE present to help Lockheed From NASA’s perspective, Castner concurs.
Martin with the process.” “Working with GE to make this engine available has been fantastic.
What’s the difference? They have been an invaluable partner in all of this. We are very fortunate
Versions of both the F404 and F414 engines have included track to have them as part of the team.”
X-Press September 2020
Technology... from page 2
advance lunar navigation and the way,” said Reuben Garcia,
precision landing. NASA’s NDL director of technical operations at
units will fly to the Moon on Masten. “Now we can implement
two early flights under NASA’s the learning from all these previous
Commercial Lunar Payload tests and see the results firsthand.
Services initiative. That buys down the technical risk
Lander providers are also for us, for Psionic, and for NASA
contributing to landing and whose missions will benefit from
navigation expertise. For this work.”
instance, Masten is applying By bringing together multiple
lessons learned from its experts from different sectors, the
history of testing navigation Flight Opportunities program
technologies to prepare for their is helping NASA advance the
own lander under development future of commercial spaceflight,
to deliver CLPS payloads for according to John Kelly, program
NASA to the Moon’s South manager for Flight Opportunities.
Pole. NASA Armstrong manages the
“With these flights, we’re Flight Opportunities program for AFRC2020-0100-22 NASA/Lauren Hughes
providing the testing service, the agency.
Masten employees prepare for a rocket flight test of lunar landing technology.
but also we get exposed to the “It’s gratifying to see a NASA
technology through so many center, a small business, and collaborating together to advance NASA’s most ambitious goals –
steps and refinements along a commercial flight provider technology solutions for one of landing on the Moon.”
SOFIA... from page 3
galaxies across cosmic history. to meet NASA and Federal Aviation
We cannot wait to see the data.” Administration requirements for
The team will explore distant safety and return to on-site work.
galaxies to learn how black holes New procedures include flying a
control the galaxies’ growth and minimal number of mission crew,
how quickly stars form in them. social distancing and personal
To further understand star birth, protective equipment for staff, and
the team will examine how extra sanitation of the aircraft during
magnetic fields affect the celestial and in-between flights.
clouds that incubate natal stars. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP
In June, SOFIA’s annual jetliner modified to carry a 106-
NASA/SOFIA; NASA/JPL-Caltech
deployment to Christchurch, inch diameter telescope. It is
New Zealand was deemed not a joint project of NASA and Composite image shows the Cigar Galaxy (also called M82), a starburst
feasible given ongoing concerns the German Aerospace Center, galaxy about 12 million light-years away, in the constellation Ursa Major.
related to the pandemic. Instead a DLR. NASA’s Ames Research
new schedule was coordinated Center in California’s Silicon Valley Universities Space Research at the University of Stuttgart.
to take advantage of observing manages the SOFIA program, Association headquartered The aircraft is maintained and
opportunities from California. science and mission operations in Columbia, Maryland, and the operated from NASA Armstrong’s
New safety procedures are designed in cooperation with the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) Building 703 in Palmdale.
Ruth... from page 3
“I always wanted to be a pilot same standards of excellence as the Air Force, however, where military career with the rank of
because flying meant adventure every other pilot. Once you earn Ruth gained the knowledge and captain.
and service to my country,” Ruth your wings, everyone is equal in background to advance. She “Don’t let anyone tell you
said. “Even though pilots were the sky.” was an instructor pilot, check no and be willing to do what it
mostly men, I knew I would go Before joining NASA as a pilot and aircraft commander takes to be a pilot,” Ruth said.
through the same world-class research pilot, she was a pilot for the T-38 and T-43 from “Though it’s fun, it takes a lot of
training and have to meet the for United Airlines. It was in 1981 to1989. She concluded her determination and dedication.”
X-Press September 2020
Asteroid... from page 3
ruling out any chance of impact. SW, but they are hard to discover
After the Sept. 24 close approach, unless they get very close to Earth.
the asteroid continued its journey “The detection capabilities
around the Sun, not returning to of NASA’s asteroid surveys are
Earth’s vicinity until 2041, when it continually improving, and we
will make a more distant flyby. should now expect to find asteroids
In 2005, Congress assigned of this size a couple days before
NASA the goal of finding 90% of they come near our planet,” added
the near-Earth asteroids that are Chodas.
about 460 feet (140 meters) or A division of Caltech in
larger in size. These larger asteroids Pasadena, JPL hosts CNEOS
pose a much greater threat if they for NASA’s Near-Earth Object
were to impact, and they can be Observations Program in NASA’s
detected much farther away from Planetary Defense Coordination
Earth, because they’re simply much Office. More information about NASA/JPL-Caltech
brighter than the small ones. It is CNEOS, asteroids, and near-Earth
thought that there are over 100 objects can be found at: https:// This illustration shows a near-Earth asteroid like asteroid 2020 SW travel-
million small asteroids like 2020 cneos.jpl.nasa.gov ing through space.
Joe Pengilley, former technician, dies at 85
Joe Pengilley, a former center Before Pengilley began his contractor. projects such as the X-15 program.
technician, died June 18. He was 85. work at the center, he was part of He began his federal career with In 1979 Pengilley transferred to
People who knew Pengilley said a construction crew that erected National Advisory Committee the machine shop where he retired
he was a talented technician, a Building 4800. of Aeronautics (NACA) on Jan. as a civil servant in 1991. He was
friend and mentor to all he met, During his more than 50 year 20, 1955, where he worked in rehired in the machine shop as a
and a rare individual who lightened career at NASA Armstrong, he the calibrations laboratory and contractor until 2005, when he
everyone’s day and made work fun. was a civil servant and later a was instrumental in supporting retired at 71.
David Stoddard, former engineer, dies at 96
David Stoddard, a former Base on the Regulus 1 and 2 participated in numerous research Breakfast in Lancaster. People
center engineer on projects like Cruise Missile flight test programs programs, such as the Lunar who knew him said he was an
the rocket-powered X-15 and the prior to working at NASA. In Landing Research Vehicle before interesting and sincere person, a
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, 1961, he accepted a position retiring in 1984. good conversationalist and was very
died Sept. 20. He was 96. as a rocket engine technician Stoddard often attended knowledgeable about NASA and
He worked at Edwards Air Force at the center on the X-15. He the NASA Armstrong Retiree military history.
The X-Press is published the first Friday of National Aeronautics and
each month for civil servants, contractors Space Administration
and retirees of the NASA Armstrong Flight
Research Center. NASA Armstrong Flight
Research Center
Address: P.O. Box 273,
Building 4800, MS 1422
P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California, 93523-0273 Edwards, California, 93523-0273
Phone: 661-276-3449
Official Business
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Penalty for Private Use, $300
Editor: Jay Levine,
Logical Innovations, ext. 3459
Managing Editor: Steve Lighthill, NASA
Chief, Strategic Communications:
Kevin Rohrer, NASA
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