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Lagniappe for December 2024

Explore Lagniappe for December 2024 featuring: Gator Speaks Do you have time for a quick story? Recently, your ol‘ friend Gator had the chance to help his family move. This move was not the same as going to the Moon or Mars like NASA’s planned Artemis adventure, but it felt similar. The move brought friends, […]

Dec 5, 2024 - 07:00

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Lagniappe for December 2024

Test control center crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center’s simulate full operations of core stage testing

Explore the December 2024 issue, highlighting the Clean Energy Project, Powering Space Dreams, and more!

Credits: NASA/Stennis

Explore Lagniappe for December 2024 featuring:

NASA Stennis Secures Grant for Clean Energy Project
Powering Space Dreams
NASA Builds Bridges at Bayou Classic

Gator Speaks

Gator, a fictional character, is shown on a golden background inside Lagniappe for December 2024

Gator Speaks

NASA/Stennis

Do you have time for a quick story?

Recently, your ol‘ friend Gator had the chance to help his family move.

This move was not the same as going to the Moon or Mars like NASA’s planned Artemis adventure, but it felt similar.

The move brought friends, family, and even some neighbors together to help. Each person took on a role in an organized way to help make it happen.

Some packed, others cleaned, and all contributed in some way, with each person bringing his or her special touch to the project.

We were not just working hard. We were making the most of it.

It became more than work. It turned into a celebration of friends and family coming together to make something good happen. There was something truly rewarding about seeing everyone pitch in to make it a success.

While this move will not take us to the Moon like the Artemis campaign, it is hard not to see similarities. When NASA returns to the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world while preparing for human missions to Mars, it will be a success for all of us to share in.

Through Artemis, NASA is bringing together commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Here at NASA Stennis, many are working hard to help prepare the agency for future Artemis missions, testing needed rocket engines and systems.

Going back to the Moon has become more than work, though. It is inspiring a new generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.

Every person is playing a role. It is bringing together friends, family, and neighbors to help. All are contributing, with each person bringing a special touch to the mission.

It is a celebration of each step forward, each rocket launched, each mission accomplishment. Each milestone reminds us all – “Wow, we really did that. We are a part of something great.”

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NASA Stennis Top News

NASA Stennis Secures Grant for Clean Energy Project

NASA’s Stennis Space Center has been awarded a highly competitive U.S. Department of Energy grant to transform its main administration building into a facility that produces as much renewable energy as it uses.

Powering Space Dreams

As the nation’s largest multiuser propulsion test site, NASA Stennis supports and helps power both national and commercial space efforts and missions.

NASA Builds Bridges at Bayou Classic

NASA was on full display during the 51st Annual Bayou Classic Fan Fest activity on Nov. 30, hosting an informational booth and interacting with event participants.

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Center Activities

Outreach Event Promotes Doing Business with NASA

Tom Lipski, NASA Stennis Technology Transfer Expansion team lead, speaks at the “A Day with NASA” event at The Accelerator in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Nov. 7. NASA speakers focused on providing updates on agency resources available to help companies grow and on different ways to do business with the agency. They also offered information about how businesses could build partnerships with the agency to commercialize NASA-developed technologies. Participants had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with members of the NASA Stennis business and technology team as well. The Mississippi Polymer Institute, with funding from the Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Manufacturing Extension Partnership, hosted the event.
NASA/Stennis

Participants in A Day with NASA at The Accelerator pause for a photo — Participants in A Day with NASA at The Accelerator in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, included: (left to right) Marc Shoemaker with the NASA Stennis Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Office; Kay Doane with the NASA Stennis Office of Small Business Programs; Sandy Crist with the Mississippi Manufacturers Association Manufacturing Extension Program; Dr. Monica Tisack with the Mississippi Polymer Institute; Caitlyne Shirley with the Mississippi Polymer Institute; Top Lipski with the NASA Stennis Technology Transfer Expansion Team; Thom Jacks with the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Dawn Davis with the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Kelly McCarthy with the NASA Stennis Office of STEM Engagement; and Janet Parker with Innovate Mississippi.

College Students Visit NASA Stennis

a group of college students pose for a photo in front of the Thad Cochran Test Stand while touring key facilities at NASA Stennis — A collection of college students from Mississippi and Alabama recently visited NASA’s Stennis Space Center to gain firsthand insight into NASA operations. During the visits on Nov. 14-15, students from Meridian Community College, the University of Alabama, and Mississippi State University toured key facilities such as the Thad Cochran Test Stand, where NASA is preparing to test a new SLS (Space Launch System) rocket stage to fly on future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. The visits provided inspiration for members of the Artemis Generation, while also allowing students to bring together their academic studies with practical application at the nation’s largest propulsion test site.
College Students Visit NASA Stennis

NASA Stennis Hosts Voluntary Protection Program Council Meeting

Grant Tregre speaks at the Voluntary Protection Program Council Meeting — Grant Tregre, deputy director of the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, welcomes members of the Mississippi/Louisiana Gulf Coast Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Local Area Council to their annual meeting on Oct. 29, hosted by NASA’s Stennis Space Center at INFINITY Science Center. The regional meeting focused on how workplace safety team members can achieve and maintain consistent and effective safety and health programs for their current and potential OSHA VPP worksites across south Mississippi and Louisiana.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Lasonya Pulliam speaks at the Voluntary Protection Program Council Meeting — Lasonya Pulliam, representing L3Harris, speaks during the annual meeting of the Mississippi/Louisiana Gulf Coast Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Local Area Council on Oct. 29, hosted by NASA’s Stennis Space Center at INFINITY Science Center. The regional meeting focused on how workplace safety team members can achieve and maintain consistent and effective safety and health programs for their current and potential OSHA VPP worksites across south Mississippi and Louisiana.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

Jennifer Adams speaks at the Voluntary Protection Program Council Meeting — Jennifer Adams, representing the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, speaks during the annual meeting of the Mississippi/Louisiana Gulf Coast Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Local Area Council on Oct. 29, hosted by NASA’s Stennis Space Center at INFINITY Science Center. The regional meeting focused on how workplace safety team members can achieve and maintain consistent and effective safety and health programs for their current and potential OSHA VPP worksites across south Mississippi and Louisiana.
NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Stennis Director Hosts Java with John

a small group of NASA Stennis employees meet with NASA Stennis Director John Bailey

NASA Stennis Director John Bailey hosted the latest Java with John session on Nov. 19 with employees from the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Information Officer, and NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office. Java with John is an employee-led discussion in a casual environment aimed at fostering a culture in which employees are welcome to share what matters most to them at work.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA Stennis Leaders Host U.S. Marine Personnel

NASA Stennis senior leaders hosted U.S. Marine Corps Reserve representatives during the group’s visit to the center Nov. 1. The Marine Corps personnel were onsite to tour Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School operations and facilities located at NASA Stennis and continue planning for future small boat training and education opportunities. Marine Corps representatives and NASA Stennis leaders participating in the meet-and-greet session included: (front row, left to right) Master Gunnery Sgt. Paul Guidry, Maj. Patrick Murphy, NASA Stennis Director John Bailey, Brig. Gen. Kevin Jarrard, Lt. Col. Justin Davis, Sgt. Maj. Timothy Peterson, and Capt. Bryson Curtin. (Back row, left to right) Gerry Ormerod, NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell, and NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip. Jarrard is the commanding general of the 4th Marine Division, with headquarters in New Orleans. Murphy is the capabilities officer of the 4th Marine Division. The other Marine participants are from the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion in Tampa, Florida. Ormerod is deputy director for requirements and capability development with the U.S. Marine Forces Reserve.

NASA/Stennis

U.S. Navy Officials Visit with NASA Stennis Leaders

U.S. Navy officials visited with NASA Stennis leaders Nov. 13 for a meet-and-greet opportunity, also receiving an overview briefing about the work and operations of south Mississippi site. Participants in the gathering included (left to right): Anita Harrell, executive director of the NASA Shared Services Center; Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Herschel Mims, a management support specialist with the Naval Oceanography Operations Command; Rodney McKellip, NASA Stennis associate director; Francis Prikasky, an electronics engineer and information technology administrator with the Naval Oceanographic Office; Robert Gavagnie, a contract specialist with the Naval Oceanographic Office; James “Brett” English, information systems security manager with the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command; Dr. Brooke Jones, head of the Ocean Forecasting Division for the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center; Maxwell Williamson, a physical scientists with the Naval Oceanographic Office; Dr. Benjamin Phrampus, a research geophysicist with the Naval Research Laboratory; Gary Benton, director of the NASA Stennis Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate; Thom Rich, associate director of the NASA Stennis Center Operations Directorate; Ken Newton, director of service delivery for the NASA Shared Services Center; and Eli Ouder, director of the NASA Stennis/NASA Shared Services Center Office of Procurement

NASA/Danny Nowlin

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NASA in the News

Employee Profile: Jeff Renshaw

Jeff Renshaw is the lead attorney for procurement law in the Office of the General Counsel for NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center.

NASA/Danny Nowlin

NASA attorney Jeff Renshaw’s work has primarily revolved around two things: serving others and solving problems.

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Additional Resources

Good Things with Rebecca Turner – SuperTalk Mississippi (interview with NASA Stennis Director John Bailey)

Subscription Info

Lagniappe is published monthly by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NASA Stennis office may be contacted by at 228-688-3333 (phone); ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov (email); or NASA OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Attn: LAGNIAPPE, Mail code IA00, Building 1111 Room 173, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (mail).

The Lagniappe staff includes: Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to the monthly publication, please email the following to ssc-office-of-communications@mail.nasa.gov – name, location (city/state), email address.