Engineering Edge: February 2013 by U.S. Army ECBC Engineering Directorate

The Engineering Edge

EdgeWood Chemical Biological Center

Volume 5, Issue 2

February 2013

Protective Engineering Division Provides Wearable Solutions for the Joint Service Airmen Mask (JSAM) Program

rotective equipment is an essential part of any Warfighters’ uniform. During the Desert Storm and Desert Shield conflicts, the protective mask and hood that were part of the Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) presented comfort, thermal, thirst, bodily waste, and claustrophobia issues for flight crews. Every service across the Department of Defense (DoD) was facing similar issues. In order to address these concerns the Joint Service Airmen Mask (JSAM) program was initiated. Within the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s Protection Engineering Division, Don Kilduff, the program manager (PM) for the JSAM Apache mask system, and Jon Sampson, the deputy for the JSAM Rotary Wing mask system, have been working on solutions to mitigate these issues by providing a new design that allows flight-crews to don and dock their masks in-flight in a matter of seconds without removing their helmets. This is accomplished by designing a removable face plate that can easily attach and detach from the hood. “One way we illustrate the differences in the system to flightcrews is we put one guy in a legacy system and another in the JSAM system and then order them pizza for lunch. The guy in the JSAM system can easily eat,” Sampson said. “This is important because the Warfighter has to wear these protective suits for four, six, or even eight hours at a time.” Initially JSAM was a single program to replace all airman masks. “The basic challenge was that we started a joint mask program for a one-solution-fits-all application, but with more than 130 different platforms, five different helmets, and a variety of air-crew equipment it becomes difficult. Over time, we have split the JSAM program into five different systems to

The Joint Service Aircrew Mask Rotary Wing and Apache Teams work to mitigate comfort and safety issues with a new mask design. meet the needs of the airmen across the DoD,” said Kilduff who has been a part of the program since its inception in 1999. When JSAM created an Apache program in 2007 there were some “safe to fly” issues with the mask and hood because the field of view was not better than the legacy system. Kilduff and his team made adjustments to the lens, completed fielding in 2009, produced the redesign to that in 2010, then finished fielding the redesign in 2012. Currently the team is working on the next iteration of the mask because the Apache helmet was redesigned. The new mask is anticipated to be fielded in 2014. Continues to Page 8

ECBC Celebrates Black History Month

Edgewood Chemical Biological Center honors Black History Month this February. Check out our centerspread on pages 4 and 5 to see what ECBC building played an important role in the integration of Aberdeen Proving Ground South. Can you name all of these influential African-American figures? Answers are on page 2.

To access the electronic version of this newsletter, visit: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/news/ENG/ APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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2 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Inside This Month’s Issue: pg.1,8|Protective Engineering Division Provides Wearable Solutions for the Joint Service Airmen Mask (JSAM) Program pg.1|ECBC Celebrates Black History Month pg.3|Electronic Design and Integration Branch helps the Army Move to Smaller, Lighter Equipment pg.3|Black History Month Fact: Buffalo Soldiers

Awareness: President’s Day Monday February 18, 2013 In many states across the United States, President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February. Commonly known as Washington’s Birthday, President’s Day is a Federal holiday that honors the birthday of the nation’s first President, George Washington (actual birthday 22 February). Over the years, there has been a push to use the holiday to celebrate the office of the presidency, 16th President Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday as well as Washington’s. However, despite the efforts, there has been no change at the Federal level. Many states, however, celebrate the holiday under different names, including “Washington and Jefferson Day,” which is celebrated in Alabama. Below are some little known facts about the U.S. Presidents. 1. Thomas Jefferson is the only president to have ever founded an institute of higher learning, The University of Virginia in 1819.

3. President William Henry Harrison owned a pet billy goat during his short time in the White House. 4. James Buchanan was the only U.S. President to never marry.

pg.4-5|Then and Now: ECBC’s Building E3330, the Center of Desegregation on Post

2. After completing his degree in two years, James Madison stayed at Princeton University for an additional year, making him the school’s first graduate student.

pg.6|In The Army Now: United States Service Academies

Facts courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com.

pg.7|Black History Month Fact: Tuskegee Airmen

The ECBC Environmental Quality Office introduces G-Cycle

5. William McKinley was the first president to campaign using the telephone.

G-CYCLE: A place to give away or obtain excess government purchased items including office and laboratory equipment, office furniture, chemicals, and other miscellaneous items. Visit: https://cbconnect.apgea.army.mil/g-cycle to view instructions, item limitations and post or pick an item to reuse/repurpose.

This newsletter was published through the Balanced Scorecard. For article suggestions, questions or comments please contact Ed Bowen at edward.c.bowen8.civ@mail.mil

Ask a Tech Tip: Cleaning up Snow Salt from your Car Mike Kauzlarich, of the Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, reveals how the techniques and lessons learned in labs can help you solve your household problems. Submit a question to him at usarmy.APG. ecbc.mbx.engineering-directorate@mail.mil. Many people wonder if there is an easy, thorough way to neutralize the salt that gets on your car after a snow storm. The answer is, unfortunately no. There is no magic chemical to use here except just plain ol’ water and lots of it. The salt used on the road is very hard on vehicles. Modern anti-rust coatings on cars and trucks are usually limited to body panels and not the under carriage. The best thing you can do after a snow storm, is to wash your vehicle with plenty of water paying particular attention to the under carriage.

Famous African Americans in History answers (from left to right) Langston Hughes, George Washington Carver, Bessie Colemen, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

The Engineering Edge |February 2013| 3

Electronic Design and Integration Branch helps the Army Move to Smaller, Lighter Equipment

obert Pazda, ECBC Engineering’s Electronic Design and Integration Branch Chief, within Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM), says his team is accustomed to having to fit 10 pounds of equipment into a five-pound bag. “The Army always wants everything smaller, lighter,” Pazda said. His team focuses on the integration of many electronic parts that constitute state-of-the-art devices to keep the Warfighter safe. The Branch’s latest project is the Global Strike Near Real Time Battle Data Assessment (NRT-BDA) System. The Global Strike NRT-BDA incorporates a suite of unattended sensors and a remote Warfighter Interface to provide timely reporting of conditions around a target during reconnaissance operations.

In a later design the short range communication antenna was no longer required. “It’s a pre or post assessment tool,” Pazda said. “You could drop it and know something is there and strike, or you know something’s there and avoid the area.”

The device has been a collaborative effort with many The Global Strike Near Real Time other organizations, which Battle Data Assessment System designed the sensors and incorporates a suite of unattended other parts that the Electronic sensors and a remote Warfighter Design and Integration Branch Interface to provide timely incorporated into the device. One sensor includes a chemical agent detector that’s shape reporting of conditions around a They have worked with the ADM’s target during reconnaissance and size is approximately that of a two-pound soda can. The sensors are intended to be air deployed and have been tested Engineering Design and Analysis operations. from a P-3 Orion aircraft at 1,000 feet. The sensor is equipped Branch, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, NY., with an accelerometer, which triggers the release of the cap Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, as well as and small parachute (ballute). Once it lands, spring-loaded Kansas State University and Smith’s Detection. legs pop open allowing it to sit upright.

“My world is challenging. We do so much with electronic wizardry, but people don’t realize the tens of millions of dollars that were invested in things like cell phones that took decades to perfect what we have today. That’s the challenge in this electronic age, to keep up with technology since things happen at a very quick pace.” –Bob Pazda, Electronic Design and Integration Branch Chief

The detector is also equipped with a GPS tracking device. Once the detector has landed and the GPS position remains the same, the device initiates the start sequence of the detector, so that it can detect chemical agents and other threats, in addition to seismic activity.

There are still challenges to work out in terms of extended operational time. Currently, the device will last for four to six hours, but the goal is to have it monitor its surroundings for several days. The Global Strike NRT-BDA has displayed survivability with plans for improvement. The biggest challenge Pazda said his team faces is the fast pace of changing technology.

He noted that the first transistor was invented in 1948, and the first integrated circuit was created in 1951. In 15 years, This detector, which was a redesign of the Joint Chemical the world has gone from cell phones to smart phones with Agent Detector, can feed information to a satellite and then internet functionality, cameras, and applications that can do back down to Soldiers manning a Warfighter Interface as far just about anything. With the increasing pace of advances in as a few thousand miles away. technology, there is a greater push to keep up with the latest One of the earlier challenges with the Global Strike NRT-BDA generation of technological changes that go along with those was fitting all three different antennas onto a circuit board that advances. was 2 ¼” in diameter. It contained a GPS antenna for location “We have to investigate those products and integrate the purposes, an iridium antenna which sends information up newest capabilities to support the Warfighter,” Pazda said. to a satellite, and a short range communications antenna.

Buffalo Soldiers Buffalo Soldiers, formed on September 26, 1866 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas were members of the U.S. 10th Calvary Regiment of the U.S. Army. As an All-African American Calvary, the name “Buffalo Soldiers” came from a nickname given to the troops from a Native American tribe. Some say the specific name was spurred from the Soldier’s courage and toughness, which resembled that of a Buffalo. Eventually the term became synonymous with many 1866 AfricanAmerican Cavalries. Buffalo Soldiers were comprised of former slaves, free men, and African American Civil War Soldiers. The Buffalo Soldiers served in peacetime during the Westward Expansion, escorting settlers, herding cattle and railroad crews. Throughout the era of “Indian Wars,” 20 percent of the U.S. Troops were all African American troops and participated in 177 engagements. In 2005, Mark Matthews, the last living Buffalo Soldier died at the age of 111. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

4 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Then and

ECBC’s Building E3330, the Center of Desegregation on Post Jeff Smart, Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Command Historian, tells the story of how one African American man started the integration movement on Post, before the rest of Harford County.

t has been almost 60 years since 1954 when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous 9-0 decision ending segregation in schools in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education. But according to Jeffery Smart, Command Historian for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, the Army was integrated earlier than this historic court ruling.

club and a white service club. In 1943, the Army ordered that recreational facilities could not be labeled as white or black. However, they were not integrated. They were still segregated.”

“The military actually did much better than Harford County,” Smart said regarding integration.

In 1948, President Harry Truman ordered “equality of treatment in the armed services regardless of race or color.” This officially integrated the Army, but it did not completely end all segregation practices.

“There’s no specific date I’ve been able to find for full integration at Edgewood Arsenal [now Aberdeen Proving Ground South],” Smart said. “It started during World War II. Before the war, the post was very segregated. There was a black service

“One thing I always ask World War II veterans is ‘how did you know which building to go to?”’ Smart said of the unmarked buildings. “The answer was always: ‘well, we knew. It was obvious.’”

During the Korean War, Alfred Woolridge, a chemist at Edgewood, was credited with an act of protest that led to the

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The Engineering Edge |February 2013| 5

Now Now integration of the cafeteria in what is now ECBC’s Building E3330. At the time, there was an unwritten policy that blacks could buy food in the E3330 cafeteria, but had to take it elsewhere to eat it.

“He is the one that changed the conditions at Edgewood,” said Robert Dorsey in an oral history recording. Dorsey was an employee of Woolridge’s. “One day he went to the cafeteria, got his lunch and he refused to move. So they made an issue of it and he said no, why should I take my food out when the whites are sitting there. So it went all the way up to the commanding officer, the post commander. The post commander made a ruling and said we’re opening all the cafeterias and the toilets and that’s how Edgewood came to be integrated.”

“He is the one that changed the conditions at Edgewood,” –Robert Dorsey, an employee of Alfred Woolridge (oral history recording)

During World War II, Woolridge was also one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American combat unit in the Army Air Corps. He was honored by Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) in 2005. “The Tuskegee Airmen helped shatter stereotypes by fighting for freedom both abroad and at home,” Ruppersberger said. “Completing over 500 missions during the war, the Tuskegee Airmen destroyed over 250 enemy aircraft without losing a single American bomber. Their individual and collective acts of courage helped pave the way for the desegregation of the Army in 1948.” With the end of segregation, by 1963, the Edgewood Arsenal Equal Employment Opportunity Office could report that “all facilities of the installation are completely integrated” even though Harford County was not.

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In The Army 6 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

United States Service Academies The Engineering Edge’s “In the Army Now,” series features frequently asked questions and facts about the Army’s structure, culture, etc. In this issue, we explore the United States Service Academies.

nited States Service Academies are highly selective federal academies for undergraduates to become a commissioned officer for the United States Military. Service Academies are the only college where students are on active duty in the Armed Forces of the U.S. from the first day they enter the establishment. The application, admission and academics of these academies are rigorous processes. All applicants to any U.S. Service Academy (except for the Coast Guard) must obtain a nomination to the

United States Military Academy

The United States Naval Academy

Founded: 1802

Founded: 1845

Location: West Point, NY

Location: Annapolis, MD

Branch of the U.S. Military: Army

Branch of the U.S. Military: Navy

Mascot: Knight

Mascot: Bill the Goat /Midshipmen (nickname)

Motto: Duty Honor Country Fun Fact: • Two United States Presidents, numerous generals and seventy-four Medal of Honor Recipients are West Point Alumni. photo courtesy of brittanica.com

Motto: From Knowledge, Sea Power Fun Fact: • Prospective candidates must be first nominated by a U.S. Congressman, Senator, the Vice-President, or the President, or be the child of a Medal of Honor recipient. photo courtesy of usna.edu

United States Coast Guard Academy Founded: 1876 Location: New London, CT Branch of the U.S. Military: Coast Guard Mascot: Objee the Bear Motto: The sea yields to knowledge Fun Fact: • This is the only U.S. Service Academy where students do not require Congressional nominations for admission. photo courtesy of cga.edu

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators. Comprised of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Air Corps (now U.S. Air Force), the group got their nickname from the location in which they trained in Tuskegee, Alabama. The 332nd Fighter Group was sent overseas as a part of Operation Torch, which was the British-American Invasion of North Africa were finally deployed Europe as Bomber Escorts. The 477th Bombardment never served in combat. The Airmen became prominently associated with their most recent aircraft the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944). Pilots from the 332nd painted the tails of their aircraft red, earning the Tuskegee Airmen their other nickname, “Red Tails.”

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Now

The Engineering Edge |February 2013| 7

school. Nominations can be made by a Congressional Representative, Senators, the Vice President or the President. Applicants to the Coast Guard Academy compete in a direct nationwide competitive process that has no by-state quotas. Before receiving nominations, students officially receive an application for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Spring, only after they submit an online profile and proceed through pre-candidate qualification.

The average acceptance rate for the four U.S. Service Academies is between eight and 15 percent each year. The cost of attending these schools for students is typically covered by its specific Military Branch or the government in exchange for years of service after graduation. In addition to academic performance, the progress of students at these schools are measured by overall character development, military training and athletics.

United Merchant Marine Academy

United States Air Force Academy

Founded: 1943

Founded: 1954

Location: Kings Point, NY

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Branch of the U.S. Military: Marines

Branch of the U.S. Military: Air Force

Mascot: Mariners

Mascot: Falcons

Motto: Deeds, not words

Motto: Aim High ... Fly-Fight-Win

Fun Fact:

• During 9/11, the Merchant Marine Academy assisted in the evacuation of civilians from Lower Manhattan as well as the transportation of first responders and supplies to and from Ground Zero.

• The program of study is guided by the Air Force’s core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do,” and based on four “pillars of excellence”: military training, academics, athletics, and character development.

photo courtesy of Longislandcaption.com

The Tuskegee Airmen were all honored with a Gold Medal by Congress on March 29, 2007 during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Their medal is currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum. The Airmen have been depicted through several films including a 2012 George Lucas film, “Red.”

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photo courtesy of usaf.edu

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Protective Engineering Division Provides Wearable Solutions for the Joint Service Airmen Mask After making those changes, the team went through the requisite design, test, fix, test process. For this project that series has to be repeated for all of the services, each providing feedback based on its system. The team discovered some comfort issues with the mask’s harness design in conjunction with a particular helmet used by the Navy and Marine Corps. After some significant prototyping efforts, the mask is now reported to be sufficient to wear over an extended period of time.

“We have a local capability, especially at Edgewood because we get to be there hands-on and get to see it.” –Jon Sampson, JSAM Rotary WIng Team Lead

Currently the Rotary Wing team is in the production qualification test phase, and is continuing air-worthiness testing while making slight design modifications. The mask must qualify for each aircraft for all services, which is an extensive process, especially since each service has different testing requirements. The teams in the Engineering Protection Engineering Division have used the expertise from across ECBC to provide an improved product within a manageable budget. The teams worked with Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Division to make rubber parts and castings to create hard rapid prototypes, which allowed the teams to perform weight, space, and compatibility assessments of the model assembly before making roughly $20 million worth of tools.

Don Kilduff and Jon Sampson have both said the Department of Defense has expressed excitement with the upcoming mask improvements. Continued From Page 1 “Imagine, the Soldier is looking at a TV monitor in one eye and flying with the other. The crosshairs for the weapon are on that camera, but along the side of the screen is also flight symbology providing the Solider with vital information. The changes to the mask optimized the Soldier’s ability to see the siting system by maximizing the field of view,” Kilduff said, explaining the lens readjustment. For JSAM Rotary Wing, the challenges surround the need to integrate the mask for all aircrafts in all services across DoD. The services and aircraft do not all use the same systems, which presents many integration challenges. “In 2007 we had to re-baseline the design due to some deficiencies, for example the hood ring aperture was too large and the lens style was also providing some distortion during flight. So, we went back to the drawing board, and essentially shrank our hood ring apertures and changed out lenses,” said Sampson.

The teams also utilized the Environmental Chambers, the Test, Reliability and Evaluation Branch’s test equipment, the QFS Chamber, and the Protective Equipment Test Branch’s SMARTMAN capabilities during their design and testing phases. Kilduff said having all of these resources available here at ECBC is what is exceptional about ECBC–ADM, the various chambers and testing equipment are all consolidated on one campus. Kilduff explains the synergy at ECBC, “While contractors have access to these same capabilities it is hard to find the capability that ADM has all in one spot, and because they are accessible in-house we can influence prioritization more easily than industry can.” Sampson agrees, “We have a local capability, especially at Edgewood because we get to be there hands-on and get to see it.” The JSAM program offers a unique capability to Warfighters, to be face free and have the face plate ready within a few seconds without interfering with the helmet. Kilduff and Sampson both said that many within DoD have expressed excitement at these significant improvements and see the new design as being extremely useful in theater when a chemical/ biological threat is perceived.

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