Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/JPLPAPER/930423.UNI

Text File | 1993-08-11 | 33KB | 616 lines

Jet Propulsion Laboratory UNIVERSE
Pasadena, California - Vol. 23, No. 8 - April 23, 1993
_________________________________________________________________

SIRTF is still very much in business

By Mark Whalen
     In these times of extra-tight NASA budgets, the very
survival of a number of missions has been uncertain. But thanks
to major design refinements implemented in recent months, JPL's
Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) -- a major project
considered to be in trouble a couple of years ago -- is "alive
and well," according to Project Scientist Michael Werner.
     A lighter spacecraft, revised orbit and shorter mission have
added up to a less expensive project with "tremendous scientific
power" and a bright future, said Werner.
     Designed as a follow-up to the highly successful Infrared
Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and Cosmic Background Explorer
(COBE) missions, SIRTF -- a cryogenically cooled observatory for
infrared astronomy from space -- is scheduled for launch in 2000
or 2001 if plans proceed as scheduled.
     IRAS' pioneering work in space-based infrared astronomy 10
years ago allowed astronomers to view the Milky Way as never
before and revealed, among other things, 60,000 galaxies and 25
comets. It provided a sky survey 1,000 times more sensitive than
any previously available from ground-based observations. COBE has
measured the infrared and microwave background radiation on large
angular scales, and revealed new facts about the early universe.
     But to illuminate SIRTF's potential, Jim Evans, JPL's
manager of Astrophysics and Fundamental Physics Pre-Projects,
recently said that the project is "1,000 to 1 million times more
capable than IRAS," based on technological advances in infrared
detector arrays.
     However, despite the enormous strides in infrared
exploration SIRTF promised, and the fact that it was cited as the
highest priority new initiative for all of astronomy in the 1990s
(by the National Academy of Sciences), it took a "diet or die"
directive from NASA Headquarters last year to keep the project
going, according to Werner.
     The project is now known as Atlas SIRTF, based on the key
factor in its new design: The satellite will orbit the sun
instead of the Earth, permitting the use of an Atlas rocket
launch instead of the formerly proposed and heavier Titan. "The
main advantage of the solar orbit is that you can use all of your
launch capability for boosting the payload -- you don't have to
carry up a second rocket to circularize the orbit," Werner said.
The other advantage to a solar orbit, he said, is that "it's in a
better thermal environment, away from the heat of the Earth."
     Additional major changes in SIRTF's redesign include
shortening the mission from five to three years and building a
spacecraft that is less than half as heavy as in the original
plan -- Atlas SIRTF will weigh 2,470 kilograms (5,400 pounds)
compared to Titan SIRTF's 5,500 kilograms (12,100 pounds).
     All of that adds up to "a less stressful launch
environment," Werner said, and a cost savings of more than $200
million for the launch, in addition to increased savings in the
design of the smaller, less massive spacecraft.
     Werner said SIRTF's redesign came as a result of Congress'
telling NASA "you're trying to do too many things. If you want us
to support SIRTF, which is a good project, develop a plan to see
how it fits into (NASA's) overall strategy."
     Shortly thereafter, SIRTF was named as NASA's highest
priority "flagship" scientific mission by the interdisciplinary
Space Sciences Advisory Committee, in addition to the blessing
from the National Academy of Sciences.
     While the spacecraft and its instruments required descoping
to keep the project alive, SIRTF's major scientific contribution
always promised to come about from its advanced infrared detector
arrays, which will allow images to be developed "tens of
thousands of times faster" than before, according to Evans.
     "Up until a couple of years ago," Werner said, "all infrared
astronomy was done with single detectors -- or very small arrays
of individually assembled detectors. Since then, the Department
of Defense has developed a program to produce arrays of tens or
hundreds of thousands of detectors, rather than just a few, and
those are very well suited for use on SIRTF."
     Werner noted that in addition to dealing with budget
pressures, Congress is currently watching NASA projects with an
eye out for any "technological spinoff."
     "On that question, I think we have some things to say," he
said, "because the detectors we're using are straight off various
military developments. Also, SIRTF will be built by the U.S.
aerospace industry, and it's a real technological and engineering
challenge in addition to being a tremendous scientific project.
     "SIRTF will be used by the entire astronomical community,"
Werner added, but the revised three-year mission "puts a premium
on observing time. We have to educate the user community and
develop a program that involves early surveys and quick
turnaround of the data."
     Werner said the downsizing of the project required a
reduction in scope and complexity of SIRTF's three instruments --
the infrared spectrograph, infrared array camera and multiband
imaging photometer. However, these reductions will only result in
losses of efficiency rather than capability, he said.
     The project hopes to start a "Phase B" activity in 1995,
which will provide a detailed concept for development and design.
Building the hardware would begin about two years later.
     Projected cost estimates, Evans said, are $850 million-$950
million.
     "I am very optimistic about SIRTF," he said. "It will
provide a tremendous return for the investment."
     Werner added that an additional benefit from the project
will be the "enrichment of our intellectual and cultural
environment. People on the street are very interested in
astronomy ... black holes, the possibility of life on other
planets, the origin of the universe ... and those are the kind of
questions SIRTF will help answer." ###
_________________________________________________________________

JPL balloon study will correlate
UARS, shuttle data on ozone layer

By Mary Hardin
     JPL scientists have completed a successful flight of a
balloon carrying instruments designed to measure and study
chemicals in the Earth's ozone layer.
     The April 3 flight from California's Barstow/Daggett Airport
reached an altitude of 37 kilometers (121,000 feet) and took
measurements as part of a program established to correlate data
with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The data
from the balloon flight will also be compared to readings from
the Atmospheric Trace Molecular Spectroscopy (ATMOS) experiment
that flew onboard Space Shuttle Discovery's recent mission.
     "We launch these balloons several times a year as part of an
ongoing ozone research program. In fact, JPL is actively involved
in the study of ozone and the atmosphere in three important
ways," said Dr. Jim Margitan of the Atmospheric and Oceanographic
Sciences Section 322, and principal investigator on the balloon
research campaign.
     "There are two JPL instruments on the UARS satellite, the
ATMOS experiment is conducted by JPL scientists, and the JPL
balloon research provides collaborative ground truth for those
activities, as well as data that is useful in its own right," he
continued.
     The measurements taken by the balloon payload will add more
pieces to the complex puzzle of the atmosphere, specifically the
mid-latitude stratosphere during winter and spring. Understanding
the chemistry occurring in this region helps scientists construct
more accurate computer models, which are instrumental in
predicting future ozone conditions.
     The scientific balloon payload consisted of three JPL
instruments:  an ultraviolet ozone photometer, which measures
ozone as the balloon ascends and descends through the atmosphere;
a submillimeterwave limb sounder, which looks at microwave
radiation emitted by molecules in the atmosphere; and a Fourier
transform infrared interferometer, which monitors how the
atmosphere absorbs sunlight.
     Launch occurred at about noon, and following a three-hour
ascent, the balloon floated eastward at approximately 130
kilometers per hour (81 mph). Data were radioed to ground
stations and recorded onboard. The flight ended at 10 p.m. PDT in
eastern New Mexico, when the payload was commanded to separate
from the balloon.
     "We needed to fly through sunset to make the infrared
measurements," Margitan explained, "and we also needed to fly in
darkness to watch how quickly some of the molecules disappear."
     It will be several weeks before scientists will have the
completed results of their experiments. They will then forward
their data to the UARS central data facility at the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for use by UARS scientists.
     The balloon was launched by the National Scientific Balloon
Facility, normally based in Palestine, Tex., operating under a
contract from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.  The balloon was
launched in California because of the west-to-east wind direction
and the desire to keep the operation in the southwest.
     The balloons are made of 0.8-mil (less than one-thousandth
of an inch) thick plastic and are 28 million cubic feet (840,000
cubic meters) in volume when fully inflated with helium (400 feet
in diameter). The balloons weigh between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds
(1,500-1,800 kilograms). The scientific payload weighs about
3,000 pounds and is six feet square (.54 square meters) by 15
feet (4.5 meters) high. ###
_________________________________________________________________

Memorandum to all NASA and JPL employees:

     On April 8, we submitted one of the most important budget
requests in the history of this agency. I am very proud of NASA's
Fiscal Year 1994 budget, not only because it reflects my goals,
but because so many of you made such an important contribution to
the effort.
     Our ability to make the tough choices and put the agency on
a more balanced course for the 1990s is the result of
contributions all of you have made. Through your support of the
Red and Blue, Institutional and Special Initiative Teams over the
last year, through the Town Hall meetings and through your many
internal process action teams, we are becoming a leaner, bolder
organization.
     This budget will put NASA on a more stable footing for the
future. It brings change, and it was the culmination of much
analysis and discussion, all of which is necessary to effectively
balance our many competing requirements. There are many
challenges ahead, but we now have the basis to make our resources
count for quicker and better science and technology, for a
renewal of our aeronautical capabilities, and for continued human
exploration of the final frontier.
     This budget demonstrates that NASA is marching into the
future with a well-balanced program in support of the President's
efforts to revitalize our nation. Together, we can make our dream
even more relevant to the people of our country, even as we
reflect the face of America. The inspiration that comes from your
good work in the days ahead can truly light the way to the
future.

Daniel S. Goldin
Administrator ###
_________________________________________________________________

Cosmologist Stephen Hawking tours Lab

By Karre Marino
     Some 15 years after his first visit to JPL, Prof. Stephen
Hawking, Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge
University and author of "A Brief History of Time," returned to
the Lab April 5.
     On a tour hosted by JPL Chief Scientist Dr. Moustafa Chahine
and Merle McKenzie, manager of the International Affairs Office,
Hawking visited a variety of facilities, met with Lab Director
Dr. Edward Stone and various project scientists and managers, and
felt "like royalty," he said. Hawking, whose theories attempt to
explain the origin of distant galaxies, black holes and alternate
dimensions, wanted to re-visit JPL, he explained, "because while
I'm most interested in those things in space that are farther
away, I know that here is where the first steps are taken."
     Hawking, who was accompanied by his family, two graduate
students and his aides, began the tour in von Karman Auditorium,
as David Evans, deputy assistant Lab director in the Office of
Flight Projects, and Dr. Arden Albee, Mars Observer's project
scientist, briefed him on current and past flight projects.
     Voyager was pointed out to him, with special attention paid
to a gold plate with a series of engraved images. Should
extraterrestrial life stumble upon the spacecraft, Evans noted,
they would find a variety of images that would explain something
of Earth. The professor asked if we were still communicating with
the spacecraft, and Evans affirmed that we are.
     Using a model of Mars Observer, Albee spent several minutes
describing the project and the spacecraft's features. In answer
to a question from Hawking, Chahine described a proposed
drag-free satellite, but confirmed that at this point, "it's only
a concept." Chahine, who had met Hawking at Caltech about five
years before, described the professor as "a living miracle of the
power of the brain. He's miraculous, and he has such a good sense
of humor."
     The next stop, a demonstration on scientific data
visualization in Section 384's Digital Image Animation Lab,
entertained and delighted the group, as everyone donned goggles
to view 3-D images of Mars. Project Scientist Dr. Eric De Jong
showed off the latest data -- a comet that had only recently been
discovered in orbit close to Jupiter. Hawking was curious about
its composition, and as he was shown how images are developed, he
asked several questions on their interpretation.
     Norman Haynes, ALD, Office of Telecommunications and Data
Acquisition, briefed the professor on the Space Flight Operations
Facility, and then Hawking spoke with Stone.
     The day ended with two technical discussions of particular
interest to the professor. Technical Group Leader Dr. Frank
Estabrook and Senior Research Scientist Hugo Wahlquist described
a three-spacecraft gravity wave experiment, currently under way.
Then planetary astronomer Dr. Richard Terrile explained the
philosophy and plans for extra solar system planetary detection.
     The Hawking party, which had been visiting Southern
California for five weeks, was headquartered at Caltech, and
planned to leave for England within a few weeks after the Lab
tour. Upon departing, the Cambridge-based scientist promised
Chahine that he would return to JPL for another visit. ###
_________________________________________________________________

Lab awards 1993 student fellowships

By Toni Lawson
     Four students have been awarded JPL-sponsored fellowships
through the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for
Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) and the National
Physical Science Consortium (NPSC) by JPL's Minority Science and
Engineering Initiatives Office.
     The 1993 recipients are John Davis, Arturo Revilla, Victoria
Hamilton and George Madrid.
     "These fellowships are designed to expand opportunities for
the JPL community and to develop and advance underrepresented
minorities -- and majority women -- who already hold degrees and
are pursuing graduate degrees in engineering and science," said
Shirley Wolff, coordinator for the fellowships.
     The GEM fellowship offers a master's degree in engineering
and a separate doctorate degree in both engineering and science
to underrepresented minorities.
     This year's GEM fellows Davis and Revilla are electrical
engineering majors seeking their master's degrees. Davis is a
co-op student at Arizona State University and interns in the
Spacecraft Telecommunications Equipment Section 336. Revilla
attends the University of Texas at El Paso and works with the
Communications Systems Research Section 331 through his
university.
     The NPSC fellowship gives joint master's and doctorate
degrees in the natural sciences to minorities and majority women.
It takes approximately six years for the student to complete the
program and graduate with the doctorate degree.
     NPSC fellow Hamilton participates in the Lab's academic
part-time program. She is a geology major, attends Occidental
College and assists in the Geology and Planetology Section 326.
Madrid works in the Image Processing Applications and Development
Section 384 and already has a bachelor's degree in geology from
UCLA and a master's in geophysics from Indiana University.
     Applications for 1994 fellowships are available in Building
183-900. For more information on these programs, call ext.
4-2301. ###
_________________________________________________________________

1989 JPL Minority Fellow
advances silicon research

By Toni Lawson
     A new modification of silicon carbide has been grown better
than commercial bulk rate at Howard University's Materials
Science Research Center of Excellence by Virgil Shields, selected
as one of JPL's 1989 Minority Fellows.
     The accomplishment by Shields is considered an important
advance in the ongoing work by researchers worldwide to find new
ways and materials that make semiconductors and electro-optic
circuitry work better, faster, more efficiently and in more
applications and environments. Silicon carbide, an essential
material used in semiconductor technology, is especially useful
in high-temperature, high-radiation environments.
     Shields is an electrical engineering student at the
historically black university and expects to complete his
doctorate degree this year.
     The Lab's Minority Fellowship program provides an
opportunity for outstanding minority employees to pursue
college-level degrees full time and enhances interactions between
JPL, historically black colleges and universities and minority
institutions.
     Information on this and other JPL fellowship programs is
available from the Minority Science and Engineering Initiatives
Office ext. 4-2301. ###
_________________________________________________________________

News briefs

     A special screening of two new videotapes highlighting JPL
will be presented to all interested employees on April 26 between
noon and 1 p.m. in von Karman Auditorium.
     "JPL -- A Tradition of Discovery" and "JPL/KSC Laserdisc
Highlight Project" are short, fast-paced overviews of JPL mission
activities, intended to complement talks given by Lab employees
to civic and educational groups.
     For information on the screenings, or to obtain copies of
the videos, contact Ed McNevin at ext. 4-5011 or von Karman
Auditorium at ext. 4-6170.

     JPL's Space Exploration Post 509 will stage the Eighth Space
Settlement Design Competition  April 30-May 2 at the Lab.
     This year's theme will be the development of a space colony.
A number of JPL employees will provide technical guidance to the
more than 80 Explorer Scouts and high school students who will
participate.
     For information, call Post Committee Chairman Peter Mason at
ext. 4-2300.

     Three JPL scientists have won the H.A. Wheeler Applications
Prize Paper Award for 1992 as the authors of the best paper
published in the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation
magazine.
     The winning paper was titled "On the Reflectivity of Complex
Mesh Surfaces." The authors were Dr. William Imbriale, assistant
manager for Microwaves in JPL's Ground Antennas and Facilities
Engineering Section 332; Dr. Victor Galindo-Israel, a senior
research engineer in Section 332; and Dr. Yahya Rahmat-Samii, a
senior research scientist in  the Spacecraft Telecommunications
Section 336.

     More than 120,000 battery-operated home smoke detectors are
being recalled because they may not sound during a fire,
according to JPL's Occupational Safety Office.
     The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges
anyone who purchased a battery-operated smoke detector on or
after July 10, 1992, to check the unit for recall, according to
an article in Fire News, the newsletter of the National Fire
Protection Association.
     An affected unit can be identified by examining the label on
the back of the smoke detector. The CPSC asks that all consumers
with affected units call for a replacement even if the smoke
detector sounds when tested and appears to be working properly.
     To obtain free replacement detectors, call [phone]
(Black & Decker units); and [phone] (all other brands).
     The six brands and models recalled:
     Black & Decker, Slim Line, models SMK 100, SMK 200, SMK 300;
Jameson Home Products Inc., Code 1 2000, models A, C and D;
Walter Kidde Portable Equipment, Kidde Smoke and Fire Alarm,
model KSA700; Safety First, Baby's Room Smoke and Fire Alarm,
model 244; Funtech, Safety's Sake, Model A; and Maple Chase,
Firex, Model A and B. ###
_________________________________________________________________

TQM succeeds in helping itself improve

     Among recent beneficiaries of the Lab's Total Quality
Management initiative is the introductory course in TQM, The
Quality Advantage (TQA).
     A TQA redesign team was formed last fall in response to
concerns raised by early participants in the course. Sponsored by
TQM Administrator Willis Chapman, the 10-member redesign team has
succeeded in improving "identified gaps" in the TQA process.
     The team -- which included TQA facilitators as well as staff
members of the Lab's Professional Development Section and ODi,
JPL's TQM consultant -- piloted their six-week mission last
December. The revisions included more customized JPL-specific
examples and integration of JPL's TQM approach, according to TQM
Coordinator Ginny Von der Schmidt. The course continues to be
received "favorably" according to participant evaluations, she
said.
     Von der Schmidt added that the team's efforts were
accomplished "in a TQM fashion;" that is, utilizing customer
focus, teamwork, and continuous improvement concepts.
     The team also addressed additional "gaps" by improving TQA
delivery by facilitators, the workshop evaluation process and the
TQA communication process, Von der Schmidt added.
     The TQA Redesign Team Members were Luis Alfaro, Lynn Baroff,
Ek Davis, Nancy Ferguson, Tom Fouser, Dan Hoffman, Jerry Suitor,
Von der Schmidt, Ron Zenone, and Rich Greenberg (from ODi).
Additional contributors on sub-committees included Al Ellman,
Carl de Silveira, Tom Handley, Mike Kleine, and Rebecca Wheeler.
###
_________________________________________________________________

VLBI project meets with international space agencies

By Ed McNevin
     Members of JPL's Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry
(VLBI) project team recently concluded a week-long series of
meetings with officials from Russia and Japan.
     The meetings were part of "Space VLBI Week" held at JPL in
early March and were intended to maintain cooperation between
international space agencies participating in the development of
the U.S. Space VLBI Project, a recently approved JPL flight
project set for launch in 1995.
     U.S. Space VLBI will utilize two Earth-orbiting spacecraft
-- the Japanese VSOP (VLBI Space Observing Program) satellite
with its 8-meter radio telescope, and a Russian RADIOASTRON
10-meter satellite. Both spacecraft will team up with
ground-based radio telescopes located around the world to create
a radio telescope network that astronomers hope will expand radio
telescope observing power by a factor of 10.
     Japan's VSOP satellite will use a limited six-hour orbit to
conduct imaging science, while the Russian RADIOASTRON spacecraft
will exploit a larger, 28-hour Earth orbit to conduct exploratory
radio astronomy. Each satellite will point at a source target for
roughly 24 hours, while approximately 20 ground-based radio
telescopes will simultaneously point at the same source object
while within view on Earth.
     According to Dr. Joel Smith, JPL's project manager for the
U.S. Space VLBI, meetings like those held at JPL will permit
Japan and Russia, who have little previous experience in radio
interferometry, to establish working relationships with the radio
astronomy communities that will be vital during the complex
observations required by the Space VLBI project.
     "One of our main activities is developing the methodology
for international coordination, because the two spacecraft
simultaneously rely on the corresponding tracking stations while
using the ground-based radio telescopes to observe the same
celestial objects," said Smith.
     Three new tracking antennas are being built at DSN
facilities and other three other tracking facilities located in
Japan, Russia and Green Bank, W.Va. This global network of
ground-based radio telescopes will use precision clocks and
high-speed recorders to collect observation data and forward the
information to a correlator located at the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory in Socorro, N.M. The correlator will
combine and process data, then make it available to mission
investigators in Moscow, Tokyo, and JPL via electronic mail.
     Smith is optimistic that the massive radio telescope created
by the Space VLBI network will provide radio astronomers with
better resolution than has ever been achieved before by
ground-based radio telescopes, allowing astronomers to take a
closer look at distant objects in space.
     "There is a long history of radio astronomy using
ground-based telescopes," said Smith. "What we intend to do is to
extend radio astronomy into Earth orbit. Our goal is to look
deeper into the cores of galactic nuclei, quasars and other
active radio sources to understand what drives those things we
have seen so far with radio astronomy."
     Smith noted that if one examines "the active galactic
nuclei, you'll find jets appearing to spew at speeds greater than
light, and at energy levels that are millions of times greater
than you would expect."
     He said some astronomers believe that black holes may be
located in the cores of these galaxies, and that they may fuel
the jets. Smith hopes that "by using Space VLBI to look further
into the cores, this theory may be supported or disproved."
     Russian space-flight hardware, including transponders and
transmitters, are now being tested in the United States, and
Japanese hardware is scheduled to arrive for testing later this
year. Analysis of this hardware will permit U.S. scientists and
engineers to understand how to modify the high-speed VLBA
Correlator operating at the NRAO in order to accommodate the odd
data patterns that will originate from the more than 20
ground-based radio telescopes involved in Space VLBI.
     Smith is particularly pleased that meetings with the
Japanese and Russian space agency officials -- like those held at
JPL in March -- have proceeded smoothly. Yet he knows that the
political uncertainty in Russia could jeopardize that country's
participation in the project.
     "Nothing is ever smooth," he said, "but the Russians have
been incredibly open with us. We always anticipated some
likelihood that we will not succeed because of political factors
beyond our control, yet there tends to be a way of keeping these
things going, because scientists on both sides are trying hard,
and people recognize the value of cooperation at this level."
     Smith points out that the Japanese space agency has more at
stake than just fulfilling an international commitment to a
science mission.
     "The Japanese have been extremely cooperative, since
international cooperation is essential to their science mission,"
he said.
     But Smith also noted that Japanese space agency officials
look at the U.S. Space VLBI mission as an opportunity to showcase
the technology involved with VSOP spacecraft, and their highly
regarded Mach V launch vehicle.
     Yet regardless of the risks involved in undertaking such an
ambitious project, JPL's Smith is satisfied that planning for the
Space VLBI Project is beyond the significant financial and
political hurdles that otherwise might threaten the project.
     "Fortunately, we have the virtue of having two partners, and
if either falls out, we would still have something with the
other. By themselves, both spacecraft are independent,
scientifically exciting missions." ###
_________________________________________________________________

Problem-resolution process is made more efficient

By Karre Marino
     In an effort to improve and make JPL's problem-resolution
process more effective, the Employee Relations Office has
implemented a series of changes in its formal grievance process.
"We review our procedures periodically in an attempt to improve
the process," explained Ida Futch, deputy manager of the Employee
Relations Office.
     Among other factors, changes have been made to the number of
individuals that comprise the official Lab Grievance Committees,
and the number of days between responding to complaints has been
cut.
     "Previously, Grievance Committees consisted of five people
-- the chair and four committee members," Futch said. "In
addition, there were three advisers: one from JPL, one from
Caltech, and one from the General Counsel's Office." The
committee is now made up of a chair, two committee members and
one Caltech advisor.
     "The restructuring was undertaken because the process was
too time consuming and labor intensive. This
     often made it difficult to schedule meetings and sometimes
stymied the process," Futch said. "Fewer individuals and a more
timely process help create an improved procedure.
     "We also want to provide the employee and manager an
opportunity to have a voice in the selection of the committee
members," she added. "As a result, we give each a list of 12
potential panel members; the grievant ranks three and the manager
also ranks three. From their selections, two committee members
are chosen depending on availability (one from each list). More
employee and manager input is offered, which we feel is a
positive step."
     The other important change has been streamlining the three
primary steps in the problem-resolution process. This involves
reducing the number of days between each step. "We don't want an
employee to wait long periods of time before an answer is given,"
Futch explained. "We wanted to resolve the concern in a
reasonable amount of time; we also find that early identification
and prompt resolution of problems have a positive impact on
employee morale."
     The problem-resolution process begins with the employee
making an initial complaint with Employee Relations; the office
then conducts an investigation and attempts to complete the
initial stages within 20 working days. "We offer a verbal report
of the investigation's findings to the employee and discuss the
results with management," Futch said. "If the employee is not
satisfied with the report, a meeting is scheduled with the first
level of management within three days."
     The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the matter, review
the facts and attempt to resolve the issue. If the supervisor is
not able to offer a solution that is satisfactory to the employee
within five working days, step two may be taken. This step
involves a meeting with the next level of management, which may
be a section or division manager. If the employee is still
dissatisfied, he has five days to evaluate the response and let
Employee Relations know if he wishes to file a formal grievance.
     "We've set up what we believe are reasonable time limits,"
Futch said. "Each step in the process is taken with the hope that
the formal grievance can be avoided. More management involvement
in the problem-resolution process should increase the chances
that a concern will be resolved prior to grievance," she
explained. "We've encouraged employees to talk to various levels
of management, which generates more ideas and is more conducive
to resolution."
     Futch believes that throughout the process, it is important
to ensure that the employee feels as if they're part of the
system. "There are no winners or losers. We try to reach the best
solution by taking all things into consideration. The goal is to
have a situation where people can feel positive about their work
situation."
     Futch noted the number of grievances varies each year. "Some
years, we receive two to three; other years as many as 11. It
tends to vary depending on work situations."
     She did say that formal complaints are up slightly,
"however, our numbers are still less than other companies that
are the size of JPL." She maintained that each complaint is
unique, with no similar theme or common problem. "We generally
see two sides, and the role of Employee Relations is to remain
objective and assist in finding a positive solution."
     Additional details on the Lab's work-related problems,
grievance practices and procedures are contained in JPL Personnel
Instruction (PI) 2-14-1. Any JPL employee may use the formal
problem-resolution procedures, yet only regular, benefit-based
employees may use the formal grievance process.
     Call Employee Relations at ext. 4-7506 for more information.
###

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