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What Do We Mean When We Say “Knowledge”?

By Laurence Prusak We are clearly living in a “Knowledge Age.” Wherever you look, you find books, articles, programs, courses, advertisements, and degree programs using the word “knowledge” in some way to distinguish itself or its contents.

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Steinetz and Dunlap are pictured with their thermal barrier and patent. Credit: NASA
2004 Invention of the Year

Laurie Stauber A phone call from a concerned Thiokol engineer in 1997 led Dr. Bruce Steinetz and Mr. Patrick Dunlap of the Glenn Research Center to work on developing a flexible barrier that could withstand the extreme temperatures generated by solid rocket motors.

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Getting to “Go”

Darren Bedell As the final “go for launch” was given for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission on the Atlas V 401 launch vehicle, the hair on my arms stood up. The pride of what we were about to accomplish, and the nervous tension of really knowing the risks of space flight, had come to […]

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Straight to the Source

By Jon Boyle “It doesn’t look good in terms of the schedule. I don’t see any way we are going to make the delivery deadline,” our project manager said.

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Old Lessons for a New Generation

By Marty Davis The seventeen-ton Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (or CGRO), launched aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on April 5, 1991, was, at the time, the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown.

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Pathfinder in Hawaii.
Cultivating a Community

BY BEN BRUNEAU AND KERRY ELLIS When beginning a project, most project managers look first for budget approval and a team that will make the project succeed.

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The NASA Fabrication Alliance: Cooperation, Not Competition

Jerry Mulenburg The Parametric Inlet model is shown in a wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center on October 24, 2003.

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NASA Knowledge Map 2006
Special Pullout: NASA Knowledge Map

It occurred to us that even many NASA veterans might benefit from a clear, concise overview of what happens where in the organization. We decided to create an explanatory picture of NASA centers that offers an easy way to grasp the range and location of NASA activities. Click to red full PDF.

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ASK Talks with Bill Townsend

Bill Townsend is now the Vice President and General Manager of Civil Space Systems of Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation.

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