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A still from the animation, “Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission: A fly up the Nile River in Egypt, then a pull-out into space,” showing Saudi Arabia, India, and the Caspian Sea. Image Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio; Blue Marble Next Generation data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (Goddard) and NASA’s Earth Observatory.
Configuration Management: A Record and a Resource

At the 2009 NASA Project Management Challenge, I walked to the lectern wearing a white wig. I asked the audience to step back in time with me to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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Eight days after its final encounter with Earth, the Galileo spacecraft looked back and captured this remarkable view of Earth and the moon.
Galileo’s Rocky Road to Jupiter

By Erik N. Nilsen and P.A. “Trisha” Jansma   On October 18, 1989, the Galileo spacecraft lifted free from the shuttle cargo bay.

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Rüdiger Süß
Interview with Rüdiger Süß

By Don Cohen Rüdiger Süß is the project manager for corporate strategy and international relations for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). DLR is the national research center for aeronautics and space research and the German Space Administration.

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Managing in an Unsettled Environment
Managing in an Unsettled Environment

By Scott J. Cameron   Government service has historically been associated with a relatively stable work environment, at least when compared with private-sector organizations forced to continually adapt to shifting market forces in the pursuit of survival and profitability.

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Volunteers Wanted: Best Practices from Volunteer Organizations

By Keith L. Woodman   I once had a NASA project manager who was notoriously hard to work with lament that people were leaving his project as fast as they could. Another project manager, who had no trouble retaining people, told me one of his secrets to success was to manage team members like volunteers. […]

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The Knowledge Notebook: The Meaning of Meaning

By Laurence Prusak A while ago I asked a number of colleagues, clients, and friends the following question: “If the word ‘knowledge’ were somehow banned from the English language, what existing word could take its place?”

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Sunlight illuminated the lingering oil slick off the Mississippi Delta on May 24, 2010. Photo Credit: NASA
Academy Case Study: The Deepwater Horizon Accident Lessons for NASA

May 10, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 3   The events leading up to the Deepwater Horizon accident offers several cautionary lessons for NASA.

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Crew Resource Management Improves Decision Making

  By Jerry Mulenburg   People make decisions, and people are fallible. So how can we make the best decisions in a particular situation given the information available? Crew resource management techniques designed for aircraft emergencies can help.

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In This Issue (ASK 42)

Don Cohen, Managing Editor   In his article on a technique devised to help pilots and others deal with emergencies (“Crew Resource Management Improves Decision Making”), Jerry Mulenburg sums up the core actions of crew resource management as “see it, say it, fix it.”

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