|
|
 |
Archived News:
+ June 2008
Latest TEERM Newsletter, QuEST, Available
The latest edition (Volume 3) of TEERM’s annual newsletter,
QuEST, is now available.
NASA Pollution Prevention &
Sustainability Workshop Planned for November 2008
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation
Principal Center (TEERM), in concert with its partner in Portugal,
C3P, is planning a technical symposium on pollution prevention and
sustainable development in San Diego, CA on November 18-20, 2008.
The theme of the event is “enhancing mission through proactive
environmental risk mitigation.” The University of California at
San Diego is the host. The registration period has begun.
Further information can be found on this Web site by clicking the
Workshop tab at top.
Corn Hybrid Polymer (CHP) Blast Media
Technology Demonstration
The NASA Technology Evaluation for
Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) hosted a
demonstration of a Corn Hybrid Polymer (CHP) blast media technology
on April 28 and May 5 at the Corrosion Control Facility (Building
M6-1625) at Kennedy Space Center. Approximately 30 employees and
contractors from NASA Kennedy Space Center and the U.S. Air Force
attended the demonstration. Participant surveys indicate an
overwhelmingly positive response to the performance of the product
as well as the recycling process. Corn Hybrid Polymer Media is
being evaluated as a reliable substitute for the current plastic
media used to de-coat delicate substrates at KSC and CCAFS. The
next phase of the project will be to validate the technology by
Materials and Processes to see if the media can be implemented,
thereby reducing or potentially eliminating a large waste stream
generated by de-coating operations.
Demonstration of VOC Emission Reduction Technology at Wallops
In May 2008, the
NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation
Principal Center (TEERM) conducted the third demonstration of a
novel semi-permeable membrane technology for reducing volatile
organic chemical (VOC) emissions. The technology offers the
possibility of collecting VOC emissions and re-using or recycling
them in the future. The focus of the demonstration was VOC
emissions from the soil vapor extraction unit of a remediation site
contaminated with jet fuel at NASA Wallops Flight Facility. TEERM
expects to evaluate the unit at other sites within or outside NASA
to get comparative data. The technology is not limited to
remediation sites, but can be used to capture such pollutants from
any entrained air stream. The test platform containing the
membrane modules was designed to be transportable in order to test
the technology at several locations. An earlier version of this
membrane technology was tested at NASA Kennedy Space Center on a
smaller scale in 2001.
Certified Energy Manager Examination Passed
Ms. Susan Valek,
lead for the Energy/Water Management Task for the NASA Technology
Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center
(TEERM), passed the Certified Energy Manager® (CEM®)
examination offered by the Association of Energy Engineers. The
CEM® credential recognizes individuals who have
demonstrated high levels of experience, competence, proficiency,
and ethical fitness in the energy management profession. It has
gained industry-wide use as the standard for qualifying energy
professionals both in the United States and abroad.
The Energy/Water Management Task was
created to support NASA Headquarters Environmental Management
Division in meeting the requirements of federal regulatory
requirements and reducing energy costs to the Agency.
+ May 2008
Energy/Water Management
NASA Technology Evaluation for
Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM)’s
Energy/Water Management Task has completed its first awards call
for the Presidential Awards for Leadership in Energy Management and
Federal Energy and Water Management Awards, inviting nominations
from Energy/Water Management, Facilities, and Transportation at all
NASA sites.
The Energy/Water Management Task also
has revised the NASA Annual
Report to the Department of Energy FY 2007 to provide
updated information on buildings subject to energy and water
management goals.
+ April 2008
Joint Group on Pollution Prevention Meeting
The annual meeting of the Principal members of the
Joint Group on
Pollution Prevention (JG-PP) occurred April 8 in Washington, D.C.
Representatives from NASA Headquarters Environmental Management
Division and NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk
Mitigation
(TEERM POC:
John
Herrington)
attended. NASA is the acting chair of JG-PP, and at the
meeting agreed to continue to chair the group through FY09. Some
key Principal decisions from the meeting include: agreeing to
modernize JG-PP’s mission statement to include environmentally
driven risk to mission; inviting the U.S. Coast Guard to be a
member; and reinvigorating defense and space contractor
participation in JG-PP projects. NASA and DoD having partnered on
numerous JG-PP technology demonstration/validation projects since
the 1990s; new projects continue to be developed in the areas of
environmentally friendly cleaning, coatings, depainting, plating,
green electronics, and biobased materials.
Air Force Tour of Launch Coatings
Demonstration Site
Representatives from Air Force Space
Command (AFSPC), the Air Force Research Laboratory, University of
Dayton Research Institute, and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
met with staff from the Technology Evaluation for Environmental
Risk Mitigation
(Project POC:
Pattie
Lewis)
and Corrosion Technology Laboratory at NASA
Kennedy Space Center during the week of March 24 to make plans for
a new project to test advanced coatings on launch structures.
Environment friendly durable coatings are desired that can
withstand the extreme temperatures and corrosive exhaust gases
from multiple launches, thereby reducing required maintenance and
environmental impacts while improving mission readiness. Tours of
the Beach Site Corrosion Test Bed and Launch Complex 17 were
conducted. LC17 is the likely site for coatings testing. KSC and
Stennis Space Center have interest in the project. The project is
a continuation of multiple projects in which NASA and AFSPC also
partnered.
Lead-Free Airworthiness Advisory and TEERM
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has recognized the efforts of NASA TEERM
in evaluating the reliability of lead-free electronics. The
Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center located at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base released an
Airworthiness Advisory
(AA-08-02) on March 31, 2008 providing information on the trend
within the electronics manufacturing community toward the use of
lead (Pb)-free solder. The Advisory references NASA TEERM's two
lead-free electronics projects
(Project POC:
Kurt
Kessel). To date, no lead-free solders are
known to have met the reliability requirements imposed upon
military electronics. At the same time, many electronic items
being acquired by the USAF and DoD may already contain lead-free
solder due to electronics manufacturers’ use of solely lead-free
solder. Until such time that a suitable, reliable, lead-free
solder replacement is identified, all program managers should
ensure their electronic equipment suppliers continue to provide
items which meet all performance, compatibility, and reliability
requirements. Failure to do so could adversely affect the
reliability of weapons and space systems. This standpoint is shared
by NASA’s prohibition of pure tin as a final finish on electrical,
electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts.
+ March 2008
NASA
Participation at C.S.I.M.P. Conference
The NASA
Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal
Center (TEERM), NASA Principal Center for Regulatory Risk Analysis
and Communication (RRAC PC), and the NASA Headquarters
Environmental Management Division (HQ EMD) presented at the 18th
Annual Cleaner, Sustainable Industrial Materials & Processes (C.S.I.M.P.)
Workshop. The C.S.I.M.P. Workshop’s focus is
reducing the use of potential harmful substances, conserving
energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing the costs
of maintenance by utilizing environmentally compatible approaches;
all part of the TEERM mission.
Mr. James Leatherwood, Director HQ EMD and Joint Group on
Pollution Prevention (JG-PP) Chairman, was a featured keynote
speaker. The RRAC PC spoke of their tools in identifying risks to
NASA from emerging regulations. The TEERM Manager discussed the
Principal Center’s purpose and methodology while TEERM engineers
highlighted projects of interest to the group.
Isocyanate-free Coatings Project
The NASA Technology Evaluation for
Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) will present
on the Isocyanate-free Coatings for Structural Steel project at the
National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) 2008 Corrosion
Conference on March 18, in New Orleans, LA. The presentation will
give an overview of the results of the 18-Month Marine Exposure
Testing and prove that environmentally preferable coatings can
protect as well as conventional systems. Based on the results of
testing, five coating systems showed favorable performance and were
added to the NASA technical standard NASA-STD-5008A, Protective
Coating of Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, and Aluminum on Launch
Structures, Facilities, and Ground Support Equipment. The
project was a joint effort between TEERM, Air Force Space Command,
Kennedy Space Center, Stennis Space Center, and the KSC Corrosion
Technology Laboratory.
+ February 2008
TEERM Lead-Free Project Presented to Joint Service Lead-Free Technical Committee
The Joint Service Lead-Free Technical Committee (JSLFTC) requested
and received a presentation on the TEERM Managed NASA-DoD Lead-Free
Electronics Project in Macon, GA, at the Raytheon Systems facility
on February 6, 2008. JSLFTC members consist of DoD (Army, NAVAIR,
NAVSEA, Air Force, DMEA, DMA, USCG), FAA & NASA. The project’s
primary technical objective is to undertake comprehensive testing
to generate information on failure modes/criteria to better
understand the reliability of packages assembled and reworked with
lead-free alloys and mixed (lead/lead-free) alloys.
+ January 2008
Orion Surface Finishes Team Visits KSC
The NASA Technology Evaluation for
Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) hosted NASA’s Lead for the
Orion Surface Finishes Team during his visit to KSC on January 22,
2008. The Finishes Team, based at JSC, is identifying performance
requirements and coatings to be used on the Orion crew exploration
vehicle. The likelihood of new alloys and materials being used on
Orion warrants further study of ways to reduce their corrosion.
Part of the team’s purview is reducing corrosion with coatings that
do not contain harmful chemicals, such as hexavalent chromium.
During the visit to KSC, the Orion representative toured the
Corrosion Technology Laboratory and the Beachside Atmospheric Test
Facility at KSC to better understand the capabilities of KSC in the
area of corrosion protection and coatings analysis. The Team Lead
also met with the NASA TEERM Manager to discuss past and pending
NASA projects dealing with the identification and testing of
non-chrome coatings.
TEERM Awareness Meeting with Ares 1 TPS
In response to an invite, a Technology
Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) program
overview was presented to the Ares 1 TPS team at MSFC on January
17, 2008. The MSFC team commented on the TEERM flexibility,
cross-program visibility and ESA connection attributes. Areas of
mutual interest and collaboration opportunities were identified for
follow on discussions.
Energy/Water Management
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation
Principal Center (TEERM) assisted NASA Headquarters Environmental
Management Division (HQ EMD) in compiling the NASA Annual Report
to the Department of Energy FY 2007. The report contains
information on how well NASA is meeting federally mandated energy
and water management goals, in accordance with the Energy Policy
Act of 2005 and the newly enacted Executive Order 13423. FY 2007
marks the first year of reporting against EO 13423 requirements.
FY 2007 is also the baseline year for new water conservation
goals. Kennedy Space Center has reduced energy consumption 7.64%
since the baseline year FY 2003, which compares favorably to the
goal for NASA as a whole of 6.0%. TEERM support is credited with
allowing HQ EMD to submit this important federal report on time.
+ December 2007
Energy Pilot Project Installed on
Portugal Island
In December 2007, the first of several planned
solar photovoltaic panels was installed on Portugal’s Berlenga
Island to produce electrical energy at the island. The project is
a partnership between NASA and Portuguese partners, namely NASA
Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM),
C3P, EDP – Energias de Portugal, Portuguese Navy, EFACEC and
Municipality of Peniche. The pilot system is composed of 12
photovoltaic panels with a total 1.8 kW installed power. A total
of 24 batteries permit the energy storage. TEERM is collaborating
with the project team to help recommend water and wastewater
technologies for possible future installation on the island, as
well as communicate lessons learned back to NASA’s renewable energy
initiatives.
Shuttle Transition Planning
A meeting of the Shuttle Environmental
Assurance Initiative (SEA) occurred December 4-5 in Huntington
Beach, CA. Attendees included TEERM staff and NASA employees and
contractors, including representatives from NASA’s Constellation
Program. Lessons learned from the Shuttle Program are being
conveyed to Constellation through meetings such as these. The role
of SEA is to support mission execution through the life cycle of
the Space Shuttle Program by identifying materials that may become
obsolete as result of environment, health and safety regulations
and mitigating these risks through teamwork. Constellation is
seriously considering implementing a SEA-like group to address
materials obsolescence issues that could affect the new
mission.
Isocyanate Urethane Alternatives Project
NASA TEERM has completed a project that identified isocyanate-free coating systems
for use on structural steel. Stennis Space Center (SSC) has banned
the use of isocyanate-containing coating systems, and Kennedy Space
Center (KSC) has cited concerns about continued use of
isocyanates. TEERM selected coatings for testing that met strict
environmental and performance requirements. Ultimately, five
systems were approved and will be added to the Qualified Products
List in NASA-STD-5008, which is used across NASA and referenced by
the military services. This was a joint project with SSC, KSC, the
KSC Corrosion Technology Laboratory, and Air Force Space Command.
Additional information about the project, including project
documents, can be found on the TEERM website (http://www.teerm.nasa.gov).
+ November 2007
C3P-NASA International Workshop on
Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Development
NASA teamed with the Portuguese Center for
Pollution Prevention (C3P) to organize the 5th Annual
C3P-NASA International Workshop on Pollution Prevention and
Sustainable Development on November 7-9, 2007, in Peniche,
Portugal. The workshop provided an excellent forum for up-to-date
information on environmental and energy concerns that are common to
Portuguese, European and U.S. industries, as well as information on
ongoing and future projects. In total, 243 individuals from 8
countries (Portugal, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Italy,
Poland, and Germany) attended the technical workshop, and more than
45 international experts presented. Opening session speakers
included Olga Dominguez (NASA HQ), Patrick Simpkins (KSC), the U.S.
Ambassador to Portugal, and Portugal’s Secretary of State for the
Environment. The next workshop will be held in the United States.
Constellation/Exploration - TEERM Collaboration with CEV M&P
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk
Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) recently met with the materials and
processes (M&P) technical discipline for the Orion/CEV (Crew Exploration
Vehicle) Project at
NASA Johnson Space Center and identified an opportunity to collaborate on
ongoing evaluations of material systems for corrosion protection on the Orion
spacecraft. TEERM was invited to become an active member of the “Orion Finishes
Team” that is attempting to select, test, and evaluate for design the corrosion
protection finishes for the entire Orion vehicle. This is a breakthrough in
Constellation mission support and is part of TEERM’s activity to collaborate
across the Agency on the validation and implementation of hexavalent chrome free
coatings. Further discussions are planned in the coming months to better
understand KSC’s corrosion testing capabilities and coordination of proposed
testing.
+ October 2007
NASA to Chair Joint Pollution Prevention Group
In October 2007, NASA accepted the role
as chairman of the Joint Group on Pollution Prevention (JG-PP).
JG-PP was charted by the Department of Defense in 1994 to reduce
duplication of effort within the DoD when qualifying new,
environmentally preferable materials or processes. The NASA
Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal
Center (TEERM) was created in 1998 (under
the original name NASA Acquisition Pollution Prevention or AP2) to
support JG-PP and be the NASA focal point for agency-wide pollution
prevention activities. NASA has benefited greatly from its
association with JG-PP and the numerous projects JG-PP has
undertaken. Like TEERM, all JG-PP test plans and test reports are
free and publicly available. These reports and other JG-PP
information can be found at
www.jgpp.com.
Endorsement of the C3P and NASA Technical Workshop
The President of Portugal, Prof. Anibal Cavaco Silva has endorsed the “Partnering for Energy and Environmental
Stewardship” Center for Pollution Prevention Portugal (C3P) and NASA Technical
Workshop being held in Peniche, Portugal November 7-9, 2007. Kennedy Space Center Director
William Parsons was scheduled to be the workshop's keynote speaker and has asked Dr. Patrick Simpkins, Director of Engineering at
KSC, to conduct the keynote speech due to other commitments preventing his attendance. C3P and KSC's Technology Evaluation for
Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) have been coordinating joint workshops for
the past few years to share knowledge on new technologies for reduce pollution
and energy consumption.
+ September 2007
Demonstration of VOC Emissions Reduction Technology at Wallops
In August 2007, the NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal
Center (TEERM) demonstrated a novel semi-permeable membrane technology for reducing
volatile organic chemical (VOC) emissions from a soil vapor extraction unit of
a remediation site contaminated with jet fuel at Wallops Flight Facility
(WFF). Presently, no VOC reduction technologies are associated with the remediation site,
and WFF is permitted to emit these VOCs directly to the air. In
the TEERM-WFF demonstration, the hollow-fiber membranes proved able to remove
VOCs from the extracted air stream, condensing them into a liquid. The technology also offers the option of
re-using or recycling the captured VOCs. The membrane unit is fully transportable. Further testing of the membrane unit (with
modifications) at WFF is planned in the next few weeks. TEERM is considering evaluating the unit at
other demonstration sites within or outside NASA. An earlier version of this membrane
technology was tested in 2001 at NASA Kennedy Space Center.
+ August 2007
New Manager for TEERM
Mr. Charles (Chuck) Griffin has been named Manager of the NASA
Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM).
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has been the Principal Center for
TEERM since 1998. Mr. Griffin is responsible for spearheading
initiatives to reduce pollution and to minimize or eliminate the
use of hazardous materials and volatile organic compounds in the
design, production, and operation of NASA programs. He will also
assume the duties as working group chairman of NASA/Department of
Defense Joint Group on Pollution Prevention, tasked with combining
resources to find solutions to common environmental problems.
Previously, Mr. Griffin spent 10 years in the NASA Technology
Programs & Partnerships Branch, the last 5 years
as manager of the SBIR/STTR Program. Mr. Griffin has
35 years with NASA at KSC and has held numerous positions within
the Design Engineering Directorate.
Gas Dynamic Spray Technology Demonstration
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation
Principal Center (TEERM) recently teamed with Air Force Space
Command, Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
and JBOSC to demonstrate Gas Dynamic Spray Technology at John F.
Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Also commonly called Cold
Spray, the technology uses a gas jet to accelerate particles to
supersonic velocities, producing coatings or freestanding deposits
by solid state deformation of the impacting particles onto a
substrate. The focus of this demonstration was on steel
substrate, but the technology can be used on a variety of
substrates. The technology can result in reduced hazardous
waste generation. For further information, contact Pattie
Lewis at (321) 867-9163.
+ January 2007
NAME CHANGE - The Acquisition
Pollution Prevention (AP2) Program Office is now known as the
Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM)
Principal Center
+ November 2006
2006 Workshop Presentations now available
+ April 2006
Quest Newsletter released
|
