[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 29, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1553-E1554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NASA LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 29, 1997

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the leadership, 
scientists, engineers, and other dedicated employees of the NASA Lewis 
Research Center, which is located in my district on the west side of 
Cleveland, OH. The Lewis Research Center plays an important role in 
many NASA-wide programs, including microgravity research and the 
international space station power systems. In order to keep the 
citizens of Cleveland informed about the status and future of the Lewis 
Research Center, I asked the Congressional Research Service [CRS] to 
prepare a special report. The report, by CRS Analyst in Aerospace 
Policy David Radzanowski, describes how the Lewis Research Center fits 
into the overall strategic direction of NASA. I request that this 
report be published in the Congressional Record over the next 4 days, 
starting with the Summary and an Appendix on the Lewis DC-9.

                       NASA Lewis Research Center


                                Summary

       This report examines the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration's (NASA's) Lewis Research Center (LeRC). 
     Changes in the center during the 1990s are examined as well 
     as how NASA's future plans compare with Lewis' current roles 
     and missions.
       Lewis is one of ten NASA field centers. The center is 
     located 20 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, occupying 350 
     acres of land adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International 
     Airport. Lewis comprises more than 140 buildings that include 
     24 major facilities and over 500 specialized research and 
     test facilities. Additional facilities are located at Plum 
     Brook Station, a 6,400-acre facility about 50 miles west of 
     Cleveland and 3 miles south of Sandusky, Ohio. The center 
     currently has approximately 2,150 civil servant employees, 
     along with approximately 1,600 on-site contractors.
       Work at Lewis is directed toward research and development 
     of new propulsion, power,

[[Page E1554]]

     and communications technologies for application to 
     aeronautics and space. Microgravity research in fluids and 
     combustion also is an area of focus. NASA has designated LeRC 
     as its Lead Center for Aeropropulsion and its Center of 
     Excellence in Turbomachinery.
       Due to declining budgets in the 1990s, Lewis, as well as 
     all NASA centers, has experienced significant changes in its 
     roles and missions as well as its workforce. Several of these 
     changes, such as workforce reductions, are ongoing. The 
     majority of these changes were the result of recommendations 
     made in NASA's 1995 Zero Base Review. In FY 1993, Lewis' 
     funding peaked at $1,002.6 million and its personnel level 
     peaked at 2,823 full-time equivalent (FTEs). For FY 1998, the 
     request for Lewis is $671.5 million with an FTE level of 
     2,085.
       Many Lewis employees assert that the center has accounted 
     for a greater share of total NASA reductions than over NASA 
     centers. Lewis has had the highest percentage reduction in 
     funding of all field centers; however, Kennedy Space Center 
     (KSC) has experienced a relatively greater FTE percentage 
     reduction than Lewis. In addition, KSC and Marshall Space 
     Flight Center (MSFC) both have a total planned FTE percentage 
     reduction through FY 2000 that is higher than Lewis. Lewis 
     has had a larger share of the reductions than many other NASA 
     centers.
       When the potential for closing NASA centers is discussed 
     within the space community, some mention Lewis as a likely 
     candidate. The reductions at Lewis over the past four years 
     may further convey the impression that the center is a 
     candidate for closure. This report finds that although Lewis 
     has been downsized at a greater rate in the 1990s than most 
     of NASA's centers, the center does not appear to be in danger 
     of being closed in the near-term if currently planned budgets 
     are funded. Current plans indicate that Lewis is expected to 
     have a significant role in NASA's future in fulfilling the 
     goals set forth in the agency's strategic plan through 2025 
     and beyond.


          Appendix: Lewis Research Center's DC-9--May 19, 1997

       This Appendix discusses the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration (NASA) decision not to renew the lease on a 
     DC-9 that is used for parabolic microgravity research flights 
     at Lewis Research Center (LeRC). You specifically asked 
     whether this decision is an attempt by NASA Headquarters to 
     eventually terminate microgravity research at Lewis. My 
     analysis suggests that this is not the case. There may be a 
     question of whether the decision is cost-effective, however, 
     it does not appear that there is an underlying motive to 
     terminate microgravity research at Lewis.
       Microgravity investigators often need to conduct reduced 
     gravity experiments in ground-based facilities during the 
     experiment definition and technology development phases of 
     their research. The NASA ground-based reduced gravity 
     research facilities include two drop towers at LeRC, a DC-9 
     aircraft based at Lewis, and a KC-135 aircraft based at 
     Johnson Space Center (JSC). The DC-9 is the newest 
     microgravity facility. It is a leased aircraft that began 
     operations in 1995. The decision to add the DC-9 to the 
     microgravity program was due to a perceived need for 
     additional flight hours for research.
       In 1995 NASA's Zero Base Review recommended that all 
     program aircraft be consolidated at Dryden Flight Research 
     Center (DFRC) in California. The cost effectiveness of such a 
     move was immediately questioned, particularly moving the DC-
     9. In the summer of 1996 NASA assessed three options 
     regarding the disposition of the DC-9. These were: 
     transferring the DC-9 to DFRC; privatizing the operation; and 
     utilizing instead the KC-135 based at JSC. In August 1996, 
     NASA determined that the KC-135 could meet NASA requirements 
     for parabolic microgravity research flights; that the DC-9 
     lease and options would not be continued past July 1997; and 
     that the possibility existed that the program may need an 
     additional KC-135 based at JSC to meet requirements. 
     Meanwhile, legislative language inserted into the FY 1997 VA-
     HUD-IA Appropriations Act prohibited NASA from moving 
     aircraft to DFRC that were east of the Mississippi River. In 
     early December 1996, LeRC was notified of the decision to 
     terminate the DC-9 lease.
       The decision may or may not be cost-effective, but the 
     question has been raised whether it is an attempt by NASA 
     Headquarters to eventually terminate the microgravity program 
     at Lewis. Such a motive appears unlikely for the following 
     reasons.
       Consolidation of aircraft at the fewest number of NASA 
     sites is part of an overall new agency management philosophy 
     to reduce redundancy across NASA. It is not motivated by 
     efforts to terminate programs. NASA Headquarters asserts that 
     the decision will actually save the agency money over the 
     years.
       Although Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is the Lead 
     Center for NASA's microgravity program, Lewis maintains 
     program responsibility for fluid and combustion microgravity 
     research. This research is a critical component of the 
     research program plans for the International Space Station. 
     Any severe disruption to the program, such as moving it to 
     another NASA center, would be very detrimental to the space 
     station research program.
       Lewis still maintains the 2 drop towers for ground-based 
     microgravity research. Before researchers use aircraft for 
     their experiments they must first prove that the drop towers 
     will not fulfill their requirements. Similar drop towers are 
     not located at any other NASA centers.
       Even though the KC-135 would be based at JSC it is likely 
     that the aircraft will fly research campaigns at the sites 
     where the experimenters are based. Experiments developed at 
     Lewis will most likely still be flown from Lewis.
       In March of this year, NASA created a National Center for 
     Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion. This 
     institution is a partnership of Lewis, Case Western Research, 
     and the Universities Space Research Association and it is 
     based at Case Western. It is unlikely that NASA Headquarters 
     would terminate the microgravity program at Lewis having just 
     created the National Center in Cleveland.
       Based on these reasons, it appears that the decision to 
     terminate the DC-9 lease was not motivated by a desire to 
     terminate Lewis' microgravity research program.

     

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