1. STEREO
“The Story”
Nick Chrissotimos
Associate Director for Exploration &
Space Communications
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
February 26, 2008

2. Science Objectives
1. Understand the causes and
mechanisms of Coronal Mass
Ejection (CME) initiation
2. Characterize the propagation
of CMEs through the
heliosphere
3. Discover the mechanisms and
sites of energetic particle
acceleration in the low corona
and the interplanetary
medium
4. Develop a 3D time-dependent
model of the magnetic
topology, temperature,
density, and velocity structure
of the ambient solar wind
2

3. STEREO-B (BEHIND) OBSERVATORY
SECCHI 1.1m X 2.0 m X 1.2 m
NRL Sun-Centered Imaging
Package (SCIP) Assy 610 kg
UCB (COR-1, COR-2, EUVI, GT)
UNH
≥ 600 W
Observatoire de Paris/UMN
APL
Goddard PLASTIC Instrument
Inernational Partners:
•Germany
IMPACT SEP
•UK
•Switzerland
Deployed SWAVES
SECCHI Electric Field Antenna
Heliospheric Imager (3 places)
(HI)
Deployed
IMPACT IMPACT Boom
Magnetometer
(MAG) IMPACT
Suprathermal Electron Detector
(STE)
IMPACT 3
Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA)

4. How do we ‘view from the sides’?
4 yr.
3 yr.
Ahead @ +22°/year 2 yr.
1 yr.
Sun Sun
Earth
Ahead 1yr.
Earth Behind @ -22°/year
Behind 2yr.
4 yr. 3 yr.
Heliocentric Inertial Coordinates Geocentric Solar Ecliptic Coordinates
(Ecliptic Plane Projection) Fixed Earth-Sun Line
(Ecliptic Plane Projection)
4

5. STEREO
The Problem

6. Initial Team’s Assessments
by APPEL/4-D
GSFC/APL Interface 40
20
May-03
0
37%
Expressing Authenticity and Addressing Shared Interests
Expressing Hope and Being Outcome Committed
Appropriately Including Others and Keeping Agreements
Resisting Blaming or Complaining and Clarifying Roles, Accountability & Authority
6

7. Internal GSFC
Project Assessment
• Project Overburdened by Reviews (Distracted)
• Upper Management Sending Confusing Messages
• Program Office not providing interference
• Lack of Communications and understanding between APL and
GSFC
– Major Cultural Differences
• Lack of Clear Lines of Authority
• Communications and understanding between Program and Project
with HQ was strained
• Schedules Confusing
• Instrument Teams Need Help
• IRT Not Considered an Advocate but as Hindrance
• Technically Not in any Worse Shape than other Typical Projects
7

8. 8

9. What was Done
• TEAM Approach
– Together Everyone Accomplishes More
– Badgeless & Seamless
– Changing/Adapting the Cultures
• Common Goal for Mission Success
– Everyone has to pitch-in
• Discussed Consequences if We Don’t Make this Work
– Descopes, Cancellation and most of all Loss of Science
• Ignored the POLITICS, let the Project manage on its own, in its own way to
Get the Job Done
• Conducted Small Focused Retreats with end Results (APL &GSFC)
– Differences and Clarified Roles and Responsibilities
– I&T (Enviromental Test)
– Launch Processing and Launch Operations
• Provided NASA Support to Instruments Team
• Embraced the IRT
• Began a Socialization Program
10

10. STEREO Organization
Project Manager
Project Manager
Dep. Project Manager
Dep. Project Manager
Dep. PM Instruments
Dep. PM Instruments
Dep. PM Resources
Dep. PM Resources
Project Scientist
Project Scientist Launch Service Manager
Launch Service Manager
Dep. Proj. Scientist
Dep. Proj. Scientist
Systems Engineering
Systems Engineering
Safety and Mission Assurance
Safety and Mission Assurance
Systems Assurance Mgr.
Systems Assurance Mgr.
Project Safety Manager
Project Safety Manager
Manuf. & Process. Mgr
Manuf. & Process. Mgr Mission Director
Mission Director
Observatory Manager
Observatory Manager
Instrument Management
Instrument Management
SECCHI/ NRL APL PM
Inst. Manager NRL PI APL Deputy PM
APL SMA APL Systems Engineer
PLASTIC/ UNH Safety
Inst. Manager UNH PI
Spacecraft Subsystems
IMPACT/ UCB APL Launch Ops and I&T
UCB PI APL Ground Systems
Inst. Manager
SWAVES / UMN
UMN PI
Inst. Manager 11

11. Operating Agreement
• The GSFC and APL STEREO Integration & Testing Teams have a “trusted
contractor – customer” relationship
• We will operate with a badgeless culture – we are clear about the
contractor-customer interface; anyone can accept direction from the
appropriate lead
• We will share credit for success and responsibility for failure
• We will trust one another and will work to maintain that trust
• We will operate with clear lines of responsibility
• We will have clear ground rules and open access and communication within
those boundaries
• We will work issues at the lowest levels practicable
• We will clearly define the I&T process
• We will jointly define a “successful” test
• We will jointly agree on priorities and work off one master schedule
• GSFC will defend APL to NASA management
• GSFC doesn’t give “work direction” – we give information
• GSFC will be at the table during testing – they have open access
• We recognize and respect that both GSFC and APL add value
• We are willing to learn from one another 13

12. Efficiency, Ranking, & Perception Distribution
STEREO - Overall
65%
Efficiency calculation:
Team 55% 75% Excellent = 100%;
“Efficiency Good = 75%;
Meter” 45% Efficiency 85% Unsatisfactory = 25%;
78% Broken = 0%.
Dec-06
Percentile Rank vs.
(Initial) Team Bottom
STEREO - Overall
quintile
Middle
quintile
Top
Dec-06
quintile
Assessment Scores
Relative quality of the team behavioral norms
15
Distribution of 10
Individuals’
n = 33
5
Perceptions 0
1st Percentile Rank 100th 14
Various perceptions of the team behavioral norms

13. Leadership
• Getting the Job Done
• Manage by Example
• Keep Agreements
• Walk the Halls and Visit TEAM Players
• Be Tough but Fair
• Make Decisions
• Know What You Don’t Know
• Trust, Empower and Listen to your People
• Tell it Like it Is to Management and to Your Team
• Never Give Your Customer/Stakeholder the Same Program Content when
they will not give/or take resources that you need
• Never Compromise Your Test Program
• Make Decisions
• Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes
• Reward Your People
• Make Decisions
• At sometime must become Dr. No “Play time is Over”
• Make Decisions
15

14. In the End
• It is the PEOPLE
• It’s Communications
– Up
– Down
– Across
• Its Clarity of Authority, Roles & Responsibilities
• Its Having/Sharing Common Goals
• Its Working as a TEAM
• Its Having FUN
16

15. STEREO
The Payoff

16. Eye Candy
18

17. STEREO in Fairing
19

18. October 25, 2006 8:52 PM EST
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19. STEREO
The Cool
CooL
Science
STEREO in Heliocentric Orbit
Science Phase

20. 22

21. SECCHI’s First CME in COR1 and 2
23

22. A welcome visitor
Comet McNaught Jan 11-15, 2007
24

23. CME/Encke Comet
Heliospheric Imager
25

24. EUVI Loops
26

25. 3-D EUVI Sequence
27

26. Lunar Eclipse
28

27. http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov
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