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Government and Academia Study Systems-Thinking Development
Government and Academia Study Systems-Thinking Development

By Danielle Wood, Heidi Davidz, Donna Rhodes, and Maria So   How do NASA’s systems engineers develop the skills they need to think effectively about the complex systems they develop? How do people outside formal systems-engineering roles improve their ability to see connections across subsystem and organizational boundaries? What can NASA management do to facilitate […]

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The first Space Shuttle external tank
Fluids Management for Affordable Spaceflight

By Russel Rhodes   There is more to a ballistic rocket than hardware and software. Think about all the fluids required to power its systems.

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LCROSS candidate impact craters.
Managing the Bad Day

By Daniel Andrews It’s 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2009. My cell phone rings. As the project manager for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), I was used to sleeping with the phone near my bed ever since launch.

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The Knowledge Notebook by Laurence Prusak
The Knowledge Notebook: Indicators

By Laurence Prusak How do you evaluate a situation quickly—in seconds or minutes? Do you think it through systematically, evaluating the evidence at hand, weighing all the inputs and coming to a coherent and cohesive conclusion?

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On July 31, 2011, Expedition 28 astronaut Ron Garan looked out his window aboard the International Space Station and saw the moon.
On the Cover Issue 44, Fall 2011

On July 31, 2011, Expedition 28 astronaut Ron Garan looked out his window aboard the International Space Station and saw the moon. In fact, he saw it sixteen times. “We had simultaneous sunsets and moonsets,” said Garan. For him and the rest of the station crew, this extraordinary event is a daily occurrence. Since the […]

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In This Issue by Don Cohen
In This Issue (ASK 44)

Don Cohen, Managing Editor   One of NASA’s stated goals is to “expand scientific understanding of the earth and the universe in which we live.”

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From the Academy Director: Action at the Boundaries

By Ed Hoffman     Many years ago, I was hired to design and implement strategies that supported teams at Goddard. Because performance happened at the team level, the idea was to complement traditional individual-development activities with team support.

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From the Soviet Union to NASA: An Intern's Journey
From the Soviet Union to NASA: An Intern’s Journey

By Alina Zater   My name is Alina Zater, and I’m a senior at American Public University, where I’m soon to earn a bachelor of science in space studies.

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