This month, NASA Ames Research Center will hold its 2021 Honor Awards ceremony in Mountain View, California. Twenty-nine Metis employees at Ames were members of three different teams receiving group achievement Honor Awards for outstanding performance in supporting the NASA mission.
Metis staff on the Ames SimLabs contract are honored as members of the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) Human Landing System Simulation Development Team. The NASA and contractor Human Landing System (HLS) Simulation Development Team is recognized for their exceptional efforts in completing not only an HLS demo for the astronaut office and two HLS competing teams, but also for integrating two individual HLS models into the VMS, which were customized based on the requirements for each of the two competing teams. This demonstration and two simulations were completed in only five months.
The VMS Rehost Team is also being recognized for outstanding performance in upgrading the FAMX host computer system. This critical system runs the vehicle math model, transmits the acceleration commands to the motion system, transmits the position data to the out-the-window visual system, and collects the simulation data. The Rehost project scope includes software development and hardware upgrades that must work together seamlessly to support real-time human-in-the-loop operation. This year saw the culmination of the multi-year project to rewrite the host system from the ground up, as the full system passed acceptance testing and moved into operation. The Rehost software developers continued to test and refine the system while at the same time supporting simulation development work throughout the past year. The NASA and contractor team carried on with diligence and integrity, ensuring the VMS acceptance tests held to their standards.
NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) team is receiving a Group/Team Honor Award for welcoming Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operators into the ranks of the reporting Aviation Community and formally integrating UAS report processing. This milestone was marked when ASRS introduced their new UAS reporting form, unique to UAS operations, and released a dedicated UAS edition of the ASRS CALLBACK newsletter in May of 2021, officially heralding the accomplishment to the community.
“We are delighted to mark 2021 as another year of distinguished excellence with the NASA and contractor ASRS team,” Joy Colucci, Metis CEO says. “Our highly commended team led by prime contractor Booz Allen Hamilton has now captured a third consecutive Ames Honor Award thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire team.”