1 00:00:00,956 --> 00:00:06,136 [Kyle Herring] We'll continue on talking with the experts associated 2 00:00:06,136 --> 00:00:08,646 with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. 3 00:00:09,326 --> 00:00:11,356 Joining us now is Gennaro Caliendo. 4 00:00:11,356 --> 00:00:15,426 He also is based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 5 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:20,346 He is the Partner Manager for Boeing which is also one 6 00:00:20,346 --> 00:00:23,816 of the partners in the Commercial Crew Program. 7 00:00:23,816 --> 00:00:26,346 Gennaro, thanks a lot for joining us, appreciate it. 8 00:00:26,936 --> 00:00:28,316 [Gennaro Caliendo] Thank you for having me Kyle. 9 00:00:30,586 --> 00:00:29,886 Good morning. 10 00:00:30,586 --> 00:00:35,476 I talked to John Cowart just a few minutes ago and Sarah Waechter yesterday. 11 00:00:35,476 --> 00:00:38,106 But, and I kind of ask all of you the same thing 12 00:00:38,106 --> 00:00:43,466 so that everybody listening can get an idea of how you got here. 13 00:00:43,466 --> 00:00:46,106 And can you talk a little bit about yourself where you came 14 00:00:46,106 --> 00:00:48,266 from and how you ended up at NASA? 15 00:00:49,156 --> 00:00:49,846 [Gennaro] Let's see Kyle. 16 00:00:49,906 --> 00:00:52,866 I grew up in New York on Long Island. 17 00:00:52,866 --> 00:00:54,746 That's where I actually went to school. 18 00:00:54,746 --> 00:01:03,176 But I've always had an interest in space and science and aerospace specifically. 19 00:01:03,266 --> 00:01:07,406 And that's what drove me to go into school and study mechanical engineering. 20 00:01:08,536 --> 00:01:13,666 I guess from school I kind of looked around, 21 00:01:13,666 --> 00:01:19,206 I couldn't find any work cause most graduating college students run into these days 22 00:01:19,206 --> 00:01:21,506 and it wasn't different 25 years ago. 23 00:01:21,706 --> 00:01:26,346 So I actually went to work in the construction business for a little while till a friend 24 00:01:26,346 --> 00:01:31,116 of mine who was working at the Kennedy Space Center asked me if I was interested in coming 25 00:01:31,116 --> 00:01:32,676 down and I jumped at the opportunity. 26 00:01:33,566 --> 00:01:38,476 I was in 1987 and I've been basically a KSC employee ever since. 27 00:01:38,626 --> 00:01:44,076 Spent about nine years working on the Shuttle Program as a structures engineer and then moved 28 00:01:44,076 --> 00:01:48,826 on into the International Space Station Program as they were ramping up their manufacturing 29 00:01:49,556 --> 00:01:55,606 of the different piece parts back in the mid-nineties and tried to lend a hand 30 00:01:55,606 --> 00:01:59,866 from our experience in assembly and operations and went 31 00:01:59,866 --> 00:02:02,336 out to the factories and kind of picked up the parts. 32 00:02:02,966 --> 00:02:05,856 Brought them back to the center for their final check out and assembly. 33 00:02:07,056 --> 00:02:12,326 [Kyle] Well, so, you're obviously no stranger to not only Shuttle but obviously Space Station 34 00:02:12,326 --> 00:02:16,756 and neither is the partner that you're working with and that's Boeing. 35 00:02:16,756 --> 00:02:20,456 Can you talk a little bit about your role as a Partner Manager 36 00:02:20,456 --> 00:02:23,876 for Boeing's contribution to the Commercial Crew Program? 37 00:02:24,346 --> 00:02:25,236 [Gennaro] Sure, sure. 38 00:02:25,236 --> 00:02:28,666 As everybody knows, Boeing has been in this business for a long time as well 39 00:02:28,666 --> 00:02:35,826 and they've been building spacecraft going back to the early days of space travel and, 40 00:02:35,826 --> 00:02:38,196 of course with Space Shuttle here most recently. 41 00:02:38,976 --> 00:02:43,166 And they are actually in the process of developing what's called the CST-100. 42 00:02:43,166 --> 00:02:44,386 It's a space capsule. 43 00:02:45,266 --> 00:02:51,886 They have recently here talked about our signed partnership with ULA 44 00:02:51,886 --> 00:02:53,806 to provide the launch vehicle for them. 45 00:02:54,846 --> 00:02:59,516 In my role basically as a partner manager is to try and bring our team 46 00:02:59,946 --> 00:03:02,876 to their factory environment, or their design environment, 47 00:03:02,876 --> 00:03:08,046 and to give them some insight using our experience that we've gained 48 00:03:08,046 --> 00:03:14,356 over the past half-century of spaceflight to help them as they design their spacecraft. 49 00:03:14,906 --> 00:03:15,886 It's pretty simple. 50 00:03:17,146 --> 00:03:23,896 Basically, we partner up and we get together and we listen to their design and we read 51 00:03:23,896 --> 00:03:26,246 about their design and then we provide the experts 52 00:03:26,246 --> 00:03:28,936 where they need it and where we think they need it. 53 00:03:29,516 --> 00:03:35,166 [Kyle] Well, you know, Boeing is obviously one of the companies 54 00:03:35,166 --> 00:03:40,856 that obviously understand the contract world cause they've been in it for so long, and so, 55 00:03:41,446 --> 00:03:45,816 of course you are too and now we're working under the Space Act Agreement 56 00:03:45,816 --> 00:03:49,486 which is kind of milestone driven. 57 00:03:49,486 --> 00:03:54,736 So, how is that being received, when, on both sides, when you both have worked 58 00:03:54,736 --> 00:03:58,856 under contract arrangements before but now it's kind of a little bit different structure? 59 00:03:59,226 --> 00:03:59,346 [Gennaro] Yeah. 60 00:03:59,646 --> 00:04:00,836 It's a great question. 61 00:04:00,836 --> 00:04:04,896 You know even for a company like Boeing who's used to doing a lot of these things, 62 00:04:04,896 --> 00:04:08,626 it's a new world for both them and us. 63 00:04:09,136 --> 00:04:15,506 A lot of times, they are so accustomed to the standard NASA contractor relationship 64 00:04:15,546 --> 00:04:19,706 that they almost look to us to kind of give them direction 65 00:04:19,706 --> 00:04:24,196 and that's not really the role here in this relationship. 66 00:04:24,196 --> 00:04:27,806 We're here basically as a partner to give them some insight. 67 00:04:27,806 --> 00:04:30,376 But it's strictly their vehicle to develop. 68 00:04:30,376 --> 00:04:32,036 And they've been doing a real good job. 69 00:04:32,036 --> 00:04:36,256 They've been kind of getting used to the work and used to the environment, 70 00:04:36,286 --> 00:04:42,746 but you still have a lot of heritage people and they still like the fact that were there 71 00:04:42,746 --> 00:04:49,026 with them and trying to get us to kind of give them as much insight as possible and to how 72 00:04:49,026 --> 00:04:53,206 to develop the spacecraft and what exactly NASA is looking for, for the future. 73 00:04:53,626 --> 00:04:57,656 Of course, that's not really what this partnership currently is all about. 74 00:04:57,656 --> 00:05:01,196 We're trying to get them to design a vehicle that perhaps we can go 75 00:05:01,196 --> 00:05:03,026 out and buy a ride on in the future. 76 00:05:03,646 --> 00:05:11,896 [Kyle] Part of that structure, obviously the hope to get to that point is to put a vehicle 77 00:05:12,456 --> 00:05:19,326 in low Earth orbit to deliver crews to and from the ISS of course and low Earth orbit. 78 00:05:19,376 --> 00:05:23,816 But the SAA structure is, you know, milestone driven. 79 00:05:23,896 --> 00:05:32,456 What are some of the milestones that Boeing has already met and kind of what's in front of them? 80 00:05:32,496 --> 00:05:38,116 [Gennaro] We originally had about 11 milestones that were broken up over a 12 month period. 81 00:05:38,146 --> 00:05:43,716 We've added three more here to extend some work into the summer that was part 82 00:05:44,066 --> 00:05:47,726 of the original plan that wasn't funded early on. 83 00:05:48,136 --> 00:05:55,806 But so far they have done things like a systems definition review, phase zero safety review. 84 00:05:55,806 --> 00:05:59,416 Of course, they just recently here completed a preliminary design review 85 00:05:59,416 --> 00:06:01,116 of their CST-100 system. 86 00:06:01,116 --> 00:06:04,226 So they're pretty far along and here 87 00:06:04,286 --> 00:06:08,966 in the future we are going to get into some engine firings. 88 00:06:08,966 --> 00:06:11,486 They tested a launch abort engine. 89 00:06:11,486 --> 00:06:14,556 They are going to use a pusher system on this particular vehicle. 90 00:06:15,316 --> 00:06:19,886 And they were very successful in firing their engine here recently and then they're going 91 00:06:19,886 --> 00:06:25,876 to go do some more launch abort type and maneuvering engine system firings in the summer. 92 00:06:27,036 --> 00:06:31,726 And basically they are doing all these piece parts in an effort 93 00:06:31,726 --> 00:06:38,356 to get there complete system designed and ready to go so they can step into the next phase 94 00:06:38,556 --> 00:06:44,696 of SAAs with us with a fairly mature vehicle in terms of its design and in terms 95 00:06:44,936 --> 00:06:48,686 of the work that's going behind it to test out those designs. 96 00:06:49,556 --> 00:06:53,836 [Kyle] Well, I asked John this a moment ago. 97 00:06:53,966 --> 00:06:56,596 I like to ask all of you this, because it's still kind 98 00:06:56,596 --> 00:07:01,566 of a new environment even though its old hat to Boeing and yourself obviously. 99 00:07:01,566 --> 00:07:07,306 But you're in kind of a new job working in this environment with Commercial Crew. 100 00:07:07,306 --> 00:07:13,486 But so how do you describe your new role to your family and friends since they know what you did 101 00:07:13,996 --> 00:07:18,056 with Shuttle and with Station prior to this. 102 00:07:18,056 --> 00:07:18,416 [Gennaro] Yeah. 103 00:07:18,416 --> 00:07:20,236 It's interesting for us. 104 00:07:20,236 --> 00:07:25,746 What I normally tell people and my family is that really what we are here to do is to try 105 00:07:25,746 --> 00:07:29,476 and help NASA and the U.S. government try 106 00:07:29,476 --> 00:07:31,916 and enable a new industry of taking humans into space. 107 00:07:31,956 --> 00:07:32,826 It's pretty simple. 108 00:07:33,506 --> 00:07:39,616 We have a goal of trying to figure out a way to get our astronauts to the ISS of course. 109 00:07:39,616 --> 00:07:44,556 But at the same time we're here as representatives of the government to produce, 110 00:07:44,556 --> 00:07:48,506 to help these industry people produce a vehicle that perhaps somebody like you 111 00:07:48,506 --> 00:07:50,436 or me can take a ride on in the future. 112 00:07:51,196 --> 00:07:54,686 Whether it's to go to a destination like the International Space Station 113 00:07:54,686 --> 00:08:00,956 or other space complexes that may be built sometime in the future for humans 114 00:08:00,956 --> 00:08:03,436 and perhaps our children and grandchildren. 115 00:08:04,036 --> 00:08:06,446 [Kyle] Well, obviously that's the goal 116 00:08:06,566 --> 00:08:10,446 and you're certainly a big part of trying to make that happen. 117 00:08:10,446 --> 00:08:14,796 So obviously were in the International Space Station flight control room right now 118 00:08:15,446 --> 00:08:16,966 with ongoing operations. 119 00:08:16,966 --> 00:08:21,336 And it's a perfect environment for you to join us on the phone 120 00:08:21,426 --> 00:08:23,876 and tell us about what Boeing's doing. 121 00:08:23,876 --> 00:08:25,306 What you're doing in support of that. 122 00:08:25,306 --> 00:08:30,786 So Gennaro we really appreciate you stopping by and talking with us this morning. 123 00:08:30,786 --> 00:08:31,476 Thanks a lot. 124 00:08:31,726 --> 00:08:33,196 [Gennaro] Well, thank you for having me again Kyle 125 00:08:33,526 --> 00:08:35,226 and hopefully we'll talk again in the future. 126 00:08:35,386 --> 00:08:36,036 [Kyle] Hope so. 127 00:08:36,036 --> 00:08:37,346 I'll look forward to it. 128 00:08:37,346 --> 00:08:39,086 That's Gennaro Caliendo.