Graf leads stand-up meeting Jim Graf, Manager of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, leads a standup meeting in his office. Link to Full Res

Jim Graf has his sights set on a target 100 million miles away. Sometimes it's closer. Sometimes it's farther. Mars. The target is moving. So is he.

Each morning, he leads a team of several managers in a standup meeting in his office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the top floor of a sprawling, four-story building tucked into the foothills above Pasadena, California. Sitting is not allowed. All the meeting's participants are constantly in motion, changing positions with respect to one another, even as their target changes position with respect to Earth.

"We have a daily standup so we can talk about things," said Graf. "We physically stand up in here. I want everybody a little uncomfortable so they get right to the point."

	Scarbrough and Graf Marty Scarbrough, Acquisitions Representative for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Jim Graf join a discussion about budget matters. Link to Full Res

Each meeting brings them one day closer to that final morning in August 2005, when an Atlas rocket carrying the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will ignite its engines and launch into space above the Atlantic Ocean.

Usually the meetings last about 15 minutes. Some mornings, they go longer.

"It's important to communicate," said Graf. "You wouldn't think a team member working on one thing would need to know about another team working on another thing, until suddenly you hear someone say, "Wow, that impacts me!" The standup meetings are essential to our success."

Graf should know. He has 30 years of experience working on spacecraft, including managing a NASA Earth-orbiting satellite that was ready to launch within a year of approval.

Eisen and Zurek Flight System Manager Howard Eisen, left, and Project Scientist Rich Zurek discuss electromagnetic interference on the SHARAD ground-penetrating radar experiment aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Link to Full Res

Solving Problems Together

At a recent standup meeting, Graf challenged the group to come up with an alternative method for covering the spacecraft deck so they could avoid potential heat loss while operating the radar antenna. Like the deck of a ship, the spacecraft deck is the platform for all the navigation and science instruments on board. It seemed the current plan would not provide adequate insulation and could cause the orbiter to lose 15 watts of power as wasted heat.

'Fifteen watts!' Graf exclaimed, as though it were truly incredible that such a thing was being considered.

Fifteen watts may not sound like much to people on Earth, who routinely dispel darkness with the light of a single 100-watt bulb. But on a spacecraft, where every ounce and every watt counts, 15 watts is a huge amount of power, enough to run two cameras that will monitor the surface and atmosphere of Mars, or an array of heat sensors that will study seasonal changes in the martian climate.

	Jai and Barela Ben Jai, Mission Operations Manager, and Phil Barela, Mission Assurance Manager, in a stand-up meeting. Link to Full Res

In stand-up meetings, there is never a shortage of issues to discuss.

In July, they continued to monitor tests of electromagnetic interference to the Mars Climate Sounder from the Electra UHF antenna. They discussed a suggestion from an annual meeting of Mars exploration experts to appoint a team of participating scientists from other institutions who will work on the spacecraft's observations when it enters orbit around Mars in 2006.

In June, they seriously considered whether the tenuous atmosphere of Mars might affect instrument observations. They applauded the rapid progress of the team developing the computer software, which had tested the computer codes and was ready to deliver them on schedule.

Jai, Gonzales, and Johnston From left, Ben Jai, Matthew Gonzales, Business Manager for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Dan Johnston, Mission Design Manager, discuss computer hardware and software during a June standup meeting. Link to Full Res

They talked about maintaining a low enough temperature to protect the instruments during aerobraking, when the spacecraft will use friction from the martian atmosphere to slow down, causing on-board temperatures to increase.

They discussed chlorine residue on one of the electronic parts in one of the cameras.

Remaining items to consider could continue right up until launch, including scheduling conflicts with contractors working on spacecraft hardware and requests from some contractors for more funding.

	Mateer, Barela, and Fouser From left, Bill Mateer, Deputy Payload Manager for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Phil Barela, and Tom Fouser, Project Software Manager, participate in a June standup meeting in Jim Graf's office. Link to Full Res

Orbiter's Huge Size Requires Special Accommodations

Launching the spacecraft will not be easy. As spacecraft go, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is relatively heavy. At 4,800 pounds (2,180 kilograms), it weighs as much as two Toyota Corollas. It is three times the weight of the Odyssey spacecraft now orbiting Mars, which weighed 725 kilograms (1,600 pounds) at launch, and more than twice the weight of the Mars Global Surveyor, which weighed 1,060 kilograms (2,340 pounds), also still orbiting Mars. Half the mass is fuel for the spacecraft's 20 on-board thrusters, small rocket engines that can be fired to alter the orbiter's speed as it enters orbit around Mars and as it pans the surface.

Jim Graf at desk, in a rare moment of sitting Jim Graf is looking forward to the 2005 launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the next spacecraft that will explore the red planet in greater detail than ever before. Link to Full Res

With all of these issues to consider, Jim Graf rarely has a moment to sit down. But, he says, it's worth all of the hard work.

When it enters its final path around the red planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be closer to the martian surface than any other orbiter has ever gone. This closeness will enable the orbiter to get more detailed images than ever before from above the planet's surface, and its sophisticated suite of science instruments will reveal much more about Mars and its water history.

By increasing tenfold the number of spots surveyed close-up, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will increase the safety of future landers and rovers by identifying hazards like large rocks that should be avoided. It will also become the first link in a communications bridge back to Earth, an "interplanetary internet" that can be used by numerous international spacecraft in coming years. That's certainly worth standing up for!